My husband brought me home a beef and lamb Gyro sandwich from Manara Cafe and it started my obsession with their food. The meat is tender and flavorful, the pita I believe is made in house. Every meal from Manara since has been delicious. Baklava is something no one should live without. I highly recommend to anyone looking for something out of the ordinary and fantastic. read more

We were visiting from Midland a few days back, and I had prepared beforehand by Yelping to find somewhere to eat. It's been 4.5 decades since I'd had Lebanese food, that was in Dallas at Lebanese Steakhouse. That's really been my only previous experience. I had the veggie platter because I do plant-based diet, except for special occasions a few times a year. BF is not an adventurous diner so I ordered the Kafir(?) Kebob for him. I had thought a kebab was pieces of meat and whatever veggie on a skewer than broiled under or over a fire. But that's not what it means here. He didn't like his food but did eat the salad. I loved everything on my veggie plate and had ordered a small side of lamb, mostly for my little Chihuahua out in the car, though it was so tasty I had a few small pieces, and chef was very generous with amount. I tried BF's saffron rice and it was delicious. I will say the dolmas were very different from ones decades ago in Dallas, much smaller and not as many ingredients in them, but they were still good. The falafel was great as were the hummus and the other sauce. The baklava was different from others I'd had at Greek restaurants, more dense and less honey, walnuts and butter, but it was okay. I liked the real glasses, uniquely shaped too. Don't judge on my BF's not liking his meal, he doesn't like anything except typical "American" food. read more

A true four and half. After being here for three months and sampling a variety of Lubbock's cuisine I was well on the way to believing that the best food to find out here would be in my own kitchen. Hands down the best local resturant I've come across and I will be back for more soon. read more

Manara Cafe on 50th street in Lubbock, Texas is a good place to go for Lebanese. We found the place small, but neat and tidy. We were not disappointed by the smiles we encountered either. The food, especially the falafel, is some of the best we have had. They were super crunchy outside and tender inside. The shwarma, more the chicken over the beef, was very tasty with the garlic mayo. Rice is served with the shwarma platter. It had a great aroma on the pallet. It was the pumped up version of the lebanese rice we have had in the past and very good. The salad was the typical run of the mill middle-eastern romaine, tomato and onion, but it was fresh and crispy. The disappointment, if it can be called that, was the pita bread. It was simple and plain, but it accented the taste of the shwarma. I would not give this place a 5- star rating, but it is a definite favorite! read more

I frequent this place often. Very good Falafel- definitely best in Lubbock. Reasonable prices. Veggie platter is great and I'm a meat eater. Great place for a healthy, light, tasty meal. read more

We had the DELICIOUS chicken shawarma sandwich, vegetarian plate and the falafel sandwich. Everything was amazing. Our take out order was exactly as we ordered with nothing forgotten and perfectly packed. Everything was fresh and delicious!!! I know I'll be craving this place again soon! read more

This is my favorite restaurant in Lubbock. The food is all fantastic - my wife and I have enjoyed everything we've tried (which is a pretty substantial portion of the menu). I love the veggie plate and recommend it to everyone! I honestly start craving it if I don't have it for a while. The food is always delicious and fresh, the restaurant is very clean, the guy at the counter is very nice, the prices are fantastic, and I have no complaints about anything. I literally come here at least once a week while school is in session. Just be sure you pay attention to their hours! read more

ITS PRONOUNCED YEAR-O! Love the food, the funky style, casual attitude and reasonable prices. But please, it's not Jyro or gearo. They won't correct you, so go ahead, have a Jyro. The chicken and combo beef lamb swarma are good, the tzicki could be kicked up some, but for Lubbock, it's great! Give it a try. Switch Gear-o's! read more

This mom and pop place ROCKS!!! Excellent falafel and super tasty Baba ganoush. Hard the believe I was in Lubbock!!!

Fresh Vegetables and good serving portion!

Great food, great service, friendly staff. If you want authentic Lebanese cuisine, I highly recommend going here. There's not much variety overall in Lubbock, so places like these where you can try different foods are quite rare, especially one as good as this! read more

Excellent, authentic Mediterranean food. Better than some of the bigger cities in TX. I visit this place every time I'm in Lubbock. Highly recommend. read more

Hands down my FAV restaurant in Lubbock. Everything is delicious, you can't go wrong. The owner knows our orders as we are regulars; he is so nice and him and his family work very hard to make this place as amazing as it is. If you are even slightly considering coming here, DO IT! I can't rave about it enough. Love love love Manara! read more

Great place to eat food was tasty. I ate there 3 years ago and always remembered how good it was. Highly recommend getting the Dolmades

Really, really enjoyed Manara Cafe! Definitely the best falafel I've ever had. Easily. I also had the lamb/beef gyro which was pretty average. The meat was bountiful and delicious, but the "tzatziki" sauce (I use that term lightly) had no flavor whatsoever. The pita didn't taste homemade, which is one of the things I count on for a good Greek restaurant. Overall a pretty decent meal, especially for lunch! read more

Best middle eastern food in Lubbock, hands down. Try the Shwarma; you will not be disappointed.

I've been here once for lunch. It was delicious. I had the chicken kabab but also sampled some hummus and falafel. Mmmm. The service was good. The place is small and intimate. I will definitely be back to try other things on the menu. read more

I love their food! It's the best gyro in Lubbock that's for sure, and the fries are delicious too. Would recommend

This place is just what it's supposed to be--no frills kebabs, rice, and pita.

My boyfriend took me here on our first date and it was delicious. It's a small place in a strip shopping center and I wasn't expecting much but I was pleasantly surprised. Their rice is awesome too. read more

Excellent chicken shawarma sandwich. I also recommend the Kafka Kabob sandwich. Also, the falafel was cooked to perfection. I'll definitely be coming back. Bravo! read more

The food at Manara Cafe is wonderful! The owner (I think) is the only person I've ever dealt with, and he his kind and efficient. The Chicken Schwarma Sandwich can't be beat by any place in Lubbock. The restaurant is clean and inviting. The only thing I would change is the operating hours, since they're only open for lunch. read more

This place is more a Lebanese cafe than Greek. The food is pretty good but I have had better in San Antonio. This is a good place to sit and have a quiet lunch. read more

Parking is around back. Clean, fantastic falafels, and consistently great service. Owner regularly checked on us on multiple visits. Free baklava? Done. Good luck finding better Lebanese food anywhere near LBK. read more

Best Mediterranean food in town! If you're looking for something fresh, healthy, and tasty this is your place. I come here almost weekly now and am never disappointed. The restaurant is spotless and the service is prompt. The food itself is the closest you can get to authentic in West Texas. Everything on the menu is good, but the grilled chicken is absolutely amazing! read more

Awesome food and awesome service! Used to live in LA.....this is the best Middle Eastern food you're gonna come across in Lubbock! And everyone is so friendly. Branch out and order the Shawarma. read more

Great food and service, dine-in or pick up. Would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a good local place.

An excellent local place to get your fill of wonderful greek food! I was pleasantly surprised, that was about 2 years ago, and I have bev a regular ever since. I visit Lubbock often from southern California, and this is always my first stop. Good is consistently awesome!!!! read more

The only bad thing about this place is I don't live in Lubbock! This is the best food I have had in a long time... Great throwback of the Middle East! Definitely worth trying . read more

YAY !! Manara Cafe is BACK ! in the old The Vine german restaurant location on 34th street. Previously was on 50th street. Evening hour on thursday friday and saturday... Grape Leaves are great, Gyros yum. Great service. read more

Fresh Lubbock alternative. Clean, friendly, quick, authentic and inexpensive. Exactly what the road trip doctor ordered on our way through Red Raider land. read more

My hubby and I ate here for the first time tonight. We shared falafel, he had chicken shawarma, I had a beef and lamb gyro, and we finished the meal with baklava. Fabulous food from this family restaurant. You essentially have to yell to get service as there's only one server (who is also doing some cooking and running) but it's worth it. read more

The service is slow so that drops Manara Cafe a star but the food is spectacular and that bumps it up like 10 stars, so Manara is a 5 star in my opinion. It's my favorite restaurant in Lubbock. I usually get the gyro platter. The sauces are awesome (they have a spicy sauce that is so good) and I get saffron rice, which in itself is enough for 5 stars. The gyro meat is plentiful and tasty. Occasionally, we get hummus and it's very authentic. Also, the service is slow but personable and great. The owner is kind and welcoming. I love this place. read more

This place is fantastic! The only legitimate place to eat some good Mediterranean /Arabic food . The chicken kabob is very tender and moist with great seasoning! Tastes exactly how my gf parents make it and they are from Afghanistan. It doesn't end at the chicken though. The gyros are fantastic as well. They are just as good as anything you would get in the Houston downtown area, and that's saying a lot. Pretty much every dish here is worth giving a try. Also the owner is a very nice guy. Went in today had a nice long talk while his wife made the food. I highly recommend this place for any Middle eastern food lovers. read more

Such good food and so different than anything you would find in lubbock. This is a hidden gem!

Honestly, I can't tell you how much I love this place. The owner is so sweet and his recipes are awesome. I'm a sucker for Lebanese-style Mediterranean food, so I will admit to a bias, but I have never had a disappointing or mediocre meal here. It is delicious and consistent. Great hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, sauces, fries (trust me, these are easily the best fries in Lubbock), dolmas, gyro, and oh my god the KAFTA. So, so delicious. My mouth is watering as I write this so I'll stop here. read more

It's our kids' favorite restaurant. The Gyros, Veggie platter and Chicken Shawarma are amazing.

Excellent food, very cheap, nice broad range of med standbys (gyro, kabob, falafel, shawarma etc). Take the cafe part seriously, not upscale by any stretch. read more

Their shrawma and gyros are the best in town by far! The kabobs are another favorite, I wish they were open longer but we try to make it here at least once a week! read more

First time eating there. Nice atmosphere and had large dining area. Food was spot on. We ordered a vegetable plate, gyro and mixed kebab plate. read more