Went here with a friend after attending a choral concert at nearby Westover Baptist Church. It is clearly a neighborhood favorite because it was packed with a line out the door to be seated (so reservations are probably a good idea). I think we waited about 10 minutes to be seated, but it was worth it. The host checked on us several times to let us know our table was almost ready. We opted for mezze because we wanted a little bit of everything. My friend is picky so we couldn't do anything with lamb , but still had some very nice dishes: garlic hummus (very garlicky, smooth and tasty), fried halloumi (fried cheese - enough said!), pumpkin kibbeh (delicately spiced and delicious), and chicken samosas (nice texture and spices). The restaurant is not very big so it gets pretty loud, but the food is delicious and the service is good, too. . read more

Lebanese Taverna - Bread - Lebanese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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ts jawn lowk ahh ngl. DEI stunt in my opinion. Traditional middle eastern food is very good and doesn't need to be americanized so much like they do here at lebanese taverna. It's always very crowded and the shawarmas have mystery meat that I can not identify. Service is okay so I gave an extra star. Also it's not very middle eastern which I mentioned before. Either way though just because it's a family owned restaurant does not mean it is the greatest thing in the world. Elijah read more

I like Lebanese Taverna and the food is good. However, at this location on 5900 Washington Boulevard, the restaurant is packed and crammed with small tables that are not large enough for 4 people and the food/wine that is ordered. I always make a reservation way in advance, but I've had to wait upon arrival because no tables had been set aside for those with reservations. Last time, I requested a table in the corner against the back wall, because if you're anywhere else in the restaurant, people will be bumping into all evening and staff are in constant motion because the tables are so close together. So, I called the restaurant hours before my most recent reservation, and spoke with someone requesting a table against the wall. Fine, fine I'm told. However, no table was available when my party of 4 arrived. The worst tables, if any are even available, are seated last. So, if you have a 7:00pm reservation you're counting on, if there is an open table available for you, it will be in the worst possible location. I suppose if you arrive at 5:30 or 6:00, there might be options. But not by 7:00. The food is expensive, and we always order a very expensive bottle of Lebanese Chardonnay on top of that. So, when 4 of us are eating, the amount of the bill is significant. I can't justify eating at this location again, even though I could practically walk there. It's such a frenzied -- and quite loud! -- dining experience, and I have to be on alert for the next person who is going to bump into me or the next tray of food going over my head, that I no longer enjoy eating there. We'll try Tyson's next time. Such a shame, this used to be a neighborhood favorite of ours. read more

I brought some friends to Lebanese Taverna for a birthday dinner, and we had a fantastic meal with wonderful service. We loved the lemony, crispy camel wings, the beef and lamb kibbeh with tangy lebneh, the delicious shrimp kabab, the excellent rice pilaf, and of course the puffy fresh pita bread. Our server Mustapha was kind and attentive, making us feel very welcome. They brought my friend a birthday dessert surprise that was the perfect end to the meal! read more

Had a great lunch here yesterday. Authentic food. Very, very good. We had many appetizers and meals. I recommend the grape leaves - super good and not rough - and the lamb and artichoke stew. Premium lamb no fat. Cooked to perfection. The rice pilaf was great too. Excellent server and quaint site. The original ! We have eaten at Tyson's and pentagon city too but this site is the best. read more

Wonderful service from Mustapha. The food was delicious. They brought me baklava and ice cream to celebrate my birthday without a request. Really enjoyed the experience. read more

Pita bread tastes amazing! Especially eat it hot, when you tear it open you can see the unique velvet texture inside (like many threads). The salad with parsley tastes very refreshing. Beside, the entrees are mostly kabobs or lamb leg, though not surprising, but definitely at good quality. read more

As the other reviews of the other Arlington, Lebanese taverna shows not every taverna is rated the same. But this one I can say is top notch. I've ordered from here more than a handful of times, and each time I received food that was not only perfectly seasoned and hot. I like my Mediterranean food hot. I usually order the chicken kebab that comes with rice pita, and some grilled veggies. I've never had a complaint about how juicy my chicken was and I've never had a complaint about anything in the food or the veggies not being chard well. I've never eaten in the restaurant so I can't speak to the service or to the ambience of the establishment or how well the dotations compliment the food, but I can say that their delivery is quick and easy and they make picking up their food from the restaurant and even simpler process. I would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for a quick bite to eat and do you like Mediterranean food! read more

Some colleagues at my last job and I went here while they were in town. We ordered the hummus trio, pumpkin kibbeh, calamari, grape leaves and falafel and shawarma rolls. We received everything but the hummus trio. Somehow that never made it to the table. Honestly, we were so busy catching up that we didn't realize it until we 3/4 the way through everything else. The calamari was overcooked and I was unhappy when I bit into a fried lemon. I thought it was a potato. The star of our food was definitely the pumpkin kibbeh. Wow. Super delicious. The rest of it was fine. Nothing spectacular. We had to ask them to take the hummus off the bill since it was never delivered. Overall decent experience. I have been to this location a few times and definitely have had better food and service when wi was here a couple of years ago. read more

Food was not good although it is a nice restaurant and the service was good. The hummus was ok, but the tzatziki was very disappointing, lacking flavor, very heavy on yogurt and extremely light on cucumber and served with a drench olive oil (if you enjoy the Zaytina version this is not that). The pita recipe seems to have changed, not for the better, now crispy. The shawarma sandwich was not quite edible; poorly assembled with shards of char, nothing imparting the flavor of meat. There may have been some version of a tahini sauce on the meat. The sandwich assembly packed lettuce at the bottom of a crunchy pita with poor quality tomatoes and some pickled onion; served with good fries but the ketchup had an odd very flavor that was not pleasant. Might be time to review recipes and preparation here given the quality of Lebanese and Mediterranean food that can now found in the DMV. read more

Recently my mom and I visited this location, the original Lebanese Taverna. My mom talked about visiting here in the 80s with fellow teachers and developing a love of the food. This is a tried and true location. The hardest part about this visit was deciding what to order and thus what not to order, it just all sounds so good. The bread and olive oil is awesome as are the hommus options and of course the baba ghanoush. These with grape leaves and a lamb dish and I am in heaven. Add to this the wonderful service and well, this is as good as it gets. The parking can be interesting, we watched several folks enter the parking lot through the exit only side making for some entertainment while enjoying our meal. Thankfully, when it was our time to leave there were no issues and we were even able to take a relatively easy left turn out of the lot. While it is easier to visit the Tyson's Galleria location this is my favorite spot and certainly worth a visit if you are already a fan of the fare or even if you never tried it before. read more

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This location does not honor their menu prices. We ordered a $71 family platter and they charged us $90. When we showed them this menu they said "WE DON'T CONTROL YELP!" Would not give us the proper price. Don't go here unless you want to be ripped off! read more

The best hummus I have ever had by far!! The bread that is served with hummus is soft and crispy, yes Delicious. I am from Atlanta, can't wait to come back here on my next trip read more

One star for thin, dry, old tasting chicken shuarma. Also, the shuarma rolls were the worst food I've ever had. Shame shame shame on this place for feeding customers old food. I do not recommend for quality of food. Waiter was friendly. read more

This was my 1st time here and the food was amazing. The staff was very helpful in recommending gluten free options for me. I really enjoyed the spicy fruity sangria. The appetizer plate is a great option for your 1st visit and ended up ordering more falafel balls for lunch because that was my favorite item on the sampler plate. Look forward to visiting again! read more

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Stumbled upon this place because it's one of the few places with open patios right now. My family and I were very pleasantly surprised. The restaurant is located in a very charming neighborhood in Arlington with ample street parking near by. We ordered camel wings, falafel, lebneh, chicken samosas and chicken shawarma salad. Everything was absolutely delicious! The wings were some of the best lemon flavor I've ever had, the sauce they come with are to die for. I've never had lebneh before tonight but it was amazing with the fresh bread they brought out. I ordered entrees to go and I honestly can't wait to get home and try them. I will be back to this little gem very soon. The cocktails and sangria were very tasty as well! read more

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We came as a family of 3 for dinner one evening. The ( maybe owner?) showed us to our table- not much of a welcome but we had a lovely server. The food was amazing- we ordered 6 starters for the 3 of us and it was amazing- tons of food and loads of variety. The bread is amazing! My 4 year old tried lots of things and we had a lovely time. I can highly recommend the tzatziki, labneh, pickles and shawarma sandwiches. The prawns were ok- not my fave. THE BREAD! Was delicious and there was plenty m. My kid ate lots of it with the dips. Great price point. They also seemed to be doing tons of take out business so we will check it out for take away soon! read more

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Parking was tight for about 10 minutes, with only a handful of spaces in front of the restaurant & try your luck parking on the street. We sat by the window giving us a view of Washington Boulevard. We were pleasantly served by Mohammad, who went the extra mile to ensure his Vegan customers were well taking care of. The General Manager even made a visit to our table to ensure all was well. This location seemed to be quainter then the other locations I've been to. Yet, the ambience oozed an atmosphere of friends & family with dim lighting & music providing a warm & welcoming balance. Our quick dinner consisted of the Garlic Hommus from the infamous Hommus Bar, the Mehshi - a grilled Eggplant dish & an order of Pickled Vegetables. I'm a big fan of pickled veggies, yet this version didn't do it for me & Mohammad was more than understanding in taking it back...he was persistent as a positive trying to find me something else to try. I appreciate the depth of the menu & the serving/kitchen staff being so friendly to accommodate anyone's preference. Food came out fresh & delightful & on top of good service, we enjoyed ourselves. read more

The original location. Still the best. Consistently, great food, wonderful hosts, warm environment, convenient location, Lebanese Taverna hit all the right spots for me (again) this week. I had not been here since pre-pandemic and happy to report that nothing changed. It's still a wonderful place to eat a superb meal at an affordable price. I always prefer their mezza's (small plates) that can easily be shared with all of my table mates. My favorites are the garlic hommus, falafel, kibbeh, maanek, tabouleh and taverna salad, but you won't go wrong with anything here. Btw, the pita bread is always hot and absolutely delicious--be careful -- its tempting, but don't make a meal out of them. We ate with some friends this time, and they insisted on entrees, rather than multiple small plates, so I was able to enjoy (for the first time) the Lamb and Chicken Fatteh. Add a bottle of their Lebanese wines and we had a phenomenal, tasty and enjoyable meal. Also before you leave, read the back of the menu about this family-owned business story -- here is an American success story. Best wishes. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Chicken Fatteh - Lebanese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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everything was amazing this is the best restaurant in the whole world. The ambiance was off the roof amazing. I had the chicken shawarma was amazing juicy and tasted like heaven. I highly advise people to go here. My server was awesome she gave our food out very fast. read more

We ordered a delivery and didn't dine in so I can't speak about the ambiance. We tried the falafel sandwich with fries, Kibbeh, and the shawarma rolls. The shawarma roll are A MUST TRY!! The falafel are perfect, the kibbeh was great, and nothing much to say about the fries. They're just your regular fries. read more

I've been coming here for 20+ years and I'll continue to do so until I no longer can. They have been a staple in my family with their great food and warm atmosphere. The kibbeh is second to none I get it every time. read more

Great family style restaurant with competent and polite staff. We had many appetizers and shared several main dishes. All were excellent! We enjoyed a wonderful family birthday dinner and discovered some great new Lebanese white wines! read more

Absolutely a fantastic meal! The chef cooked the lamb kabobs to perfection. The vegetables were melt in your mouth. The hot bread with toum was delectable. Absolutely worth stopping in. The service was as good as the meal prepared by their excellent chef. read more

The Hommus is lovely. The shwarma is most excellent. The lamb stew (I'm told) was also excellent. Cocktail was just okay. Food comes out quick and the atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming. I've been passing this place for years. My family moved to Arlington in the mid 90s and I've gone off to college and moved to a different time zone since then, but I have always wanted to try this place and I finally did..... all those years of food I have been missing :( I'm quite perplexed by the prices though. Sure, they're on par with Arlington "nice dinner" prices, but for this type of food it should really not be as expensive. They must be making a killing charging what they do. Food is definitely delicious, but the price means I won't be going very often. read more

While we have enjoyed the Lebanese Traverna in Tysons, this location is odd and... just not good. My family's food culture is Mediterranean; we know what Lebanese food should taste like. The Latino staff, while amiable, clearly had no idea what the food should be like. The kofta was a strange, congealed mess. The coffee was dreadful. We didn't finish our food. When we asked for butter with our bread, the waiter's initial response was that there was no butter. He went off to search and never came back. We flagged down a helpful waitress, who quickly found the butter. read more

The best Middle Eastern Food in Virginia. Great Ambiance, just an all around enjoyable place to eat fine dining. Best humus and bread to start off with. I have had one of everything on the menu and all were equally delicious. They know how to run a professional business, constant quality food, all homemade I think. One of my favorite places to eat. read more

Second time we've been here. The first time was around dinner time great food great service. This time early lunch. Definitely the B crew. Lacking attention and I clearly asked for no onions. Surprise my food was filled with onions. This place is pricey so I expected my order to be right. Definitely disappointed. read more

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Manager is super disrespectful and hung up the phone on me and refused to give me his name!

Kabobs were delicious! CHICKEN FARROUJ was out of this world! Great little spot with good and quick service!

Always our go-to for decades when friends and family come to town. One of the top neighborhood restaurants in all of Arlington. Treated like family, always. read more

I have had takeout from here many times, but Friday night was my first dine-in experience. I have yet to have anything from this restaurant I didn't like. It's quality, delicious and filling home cooked food. The traditional beef/lamb shawarma and arnabeet are my favorite. The restaurant is lovely; it feels more like a home versus a restaurant and our server was very nice. I am a fan. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Shawarma sandwich - Lebanese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Great food, great staff. We ordered the hummus and pita( best ever) salmon and mixed kebabs. Will definitely go back

A staple of the DC area. Excellent baba ganoush. I always enjoy shopping at their market off of Old Dominion Dr.

Half of my chicken was undercooked. Undercooked meat? Could over look but undercooked chicken?? Inexcusable. My friend ordered a lamb dish but was definitely not lamb, it had to have been goat or beef unless it was lamb that tasted terribly gamey and old. And my other friend also had undercooked meat. Service was also very slow and we were the only customers there at the time. Super disappointed all three of us left our food and paid so much money leaving the restaurant unsatisfied. read more

The mix kebab is a scam $32 for 8 pieces of meat mostly burnt and a plate flooded with just steamed vegetables My parents and I were very disappointed read more

Consistently excellent, year after year. It's our go to family dinner spot in Arlington, and we always start with the chef's platter, a mezze of their appetizers. We often order a second round. Highly recommended. read more

Since restaurants are also about community, I'm going to add this first/second paragraph. If you just want the deets on the food, go to the last paragraph. Love this place. My dad/mom were old government. During their time working for Uncle Sam the family lived in Lebanon and fell in love with the food long before I was born. But I grew up on it and it was always part of our big meals/family gatherings. I remember stories of my mom talking about Taverna when they first opened back in the late 70s/80s, since she finally had a good local place to get the flavors of Lebanon again. She could speak the language again, it felt like some of home to her. They used to know the family before moving to the burbs, but time goes on and those connections are gone for us. My Mom and dad passed but Taverna was always revered. Whenever I'm in Arlington, this is dinner. It's always perfect. Do yourself a solid and get the Lamb or Chicken Fatteh, it will change your life. The bread is so good if you put it on top of your head, your tongue will beat your brain to death trying to get at it. read more

Beautiful day to sit on their patio! I was greeted and seated quickly. I ordered an Arnold Palmer immediately. Whoever mixed the drink must drink them-self... the lemonade tea ratio was perfect. About half way through the meal, a replacement showed up unsolicited. That is good service. Cadence of meal was good. Ordered Lamb Sharhat which was perfectly cooked and tender. The sides were incredible as well... the herb sauce, potato lamb combo couldn't have been more satisfying. One more thing... before receiving our meal, we received a basket of warm bread which seemed like a cross between a pita and naan. Very lite. But diners beware! I could have finished the basket with the olive oil, pepper and bunch of other stuff dipping sauce not leaving room for what was to come! read more

Lebanese Taverna - Ahhhhh... Lamb Sharhat! - Lebanese Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I came here with my friend on a Thursday night arounf 6. It got very crowded around 7 (there was a wait). You make want to make a reservation if coming around this time. The bread and dip stuff (sorry, don't remember the name of it) was good. They served warm falafel and pita bread and and dip consisted of sesame seed, olive oil, and dried thyme. I ordered the chicken and rice. It was a bit sad because there was not much going on. Lebanese food I've had in the past has been more flavorful. Even a vegetable on the side would have been nice. My friend had kebabs which were better than my dish. Her side veggies were good so was her rice. Caution: for what you get, the prices were a bit steep. It's worth noting, the Lebanese Taverna ale was good! I would recommend it. read more