Nestled on Parnell Street, which is known for its diverse food scene and proximity to the…read moreever-popular O'Connell Street, Rotana Cafe is a "blink and you'll miss it" storefront; the interior space is clean and café-style, with simple seating and a glass case displaying various Lebanese delights. The vibe is relaxed, efficient, and no-frills, with the comforting aroma of charcoal-grilled meats and freshly baked bread filling the space. At around 6:30pm on a Friday night, the restaurant was almost completely full, and I'm glad our party of five made a reservation in advance, as we were immediately seated.
The menu is extensive, ranging from your familiar favorites like Falafel and Halloumi to generous Mezze platters and large-format entrees. Prices are fairly standard for Dublin (€20-30pp) if you split several dishes among multiple people, tapas style. We began with a couple orders of their Fresh Lebanese Oven Bread (€2.50/pc); while it seems like a steep price to pay for a piece of bread, it's a generous portion, and it comes pillowy and warm out of their ovens, ready to be dipped in a variety of sauces.
As a group, we decided to just split a lot of appetizers; we started off with their Warak Inab (€9.90), which were tender, stuffed vine leaves with toothsome rice, tomato, and parsley, with a hint of lemon juice and olive oil. Their Falafel (€6.50 for 4 pc) is solid if not stellar; each ball was expertly fried, but we found them a bit bland. Their Sambousek Cheese (€7.90) is what I can only describe as an elevated Lebanese mozzarella stick: a deep-fried pastry filled with feta and mozzarella, accented with herbs. I enjoyed that this wasn't too greasy, and the cheese had a lovely, slightly-melty texture. Their Halloumi Cheese (€9.50) was fried and grilled, with a mild flavor, complemented by the fresh earthiness of mint, tomatoes, cucumber and basil pesto sauce.
Their Manakeesh were a standout - described as a "Lebanese Pizza" with very thin dough, we ordered their Manakeesh Halloumi Cheese (€12.90) topped with melty halloumi cheese and toasted sesame seeds, as well as their Manakeesh Meat & Tomato (€13.90) with minced lamb, tomatoes, red peppers, and pomegranate dressing. We appreciated the tender, slightly-stretchy dough, as well as the balanced combination of flavors and textures that each Manakeesh came with. Each was easily shareable - a bit larger than an American personal-sized pizza.
Their Lamb Kofta BBQ (€16.90) comes with a juicy, charcoal-grilled minced lamb skewer, mixed salad, tahina sauce on top and on the side, and Lebanese Pitta Bread. The meat is well-seasoned and the tahina sauce is creamy and delicious, but we wanted a slightly larger portion of meat for the price.
Lastly, we split a 2-person portion of their Kunafa (€16.90 for 2-portion) among the five of us, which is crunchy, string-like dough combined with stretchy, sweet mozzarella cheese, baked and lightly flavored with a homemade honey syrup. The mix of crunchy dough, stretchy cheese, and sticky honey made for a lovely contrast, though our Lebanese friend remarked that this version was much more red in color than she was used to. I will also say that we found this a bit overpriced for what it was.is brusque but not unfriendly, and relatively fast, even on a busy Friday night. There are cheaper Middle Eastern options for a quick bite, but this is a place I'd return to for a good sit-down meal!
All in all, Rotana City is a decent option for Lebanese food in Dublin; it's pricey for what it is (especially with the mandatory service charge), but probably one of the only places where you can find such an extensive menu with both familiar favorites and traditional dishes. Service is a bit slow but friendly, and everything was solid if not stellar - not a place I'd go out of my way for, but a good option if you're craving Middle Eastern food!
