Waiters are friendly and portions are great for the price, but i did not enjoy the food that much.... texture and flavors of almost everyhing i had lambs falafel or tabouleh were not that great .. i eat so often lebanese food that i really have some issues there. Not bad but not top... i did not finish any of my ordered items. read more

Rotana is a Lebanese restaurant which provides upper market kebabs and Lebanese food. I went there for lunch one day and really enjoyed the meal. We had the lunch special which is two courses for 10.90 euro or something like that. The lunch menu will give you a lot of food for your money and it was all very nice. I had the chicken and doner kebab in lebanese bread for my main which was very nice. The sauces ( chilli and garlic ) are very tasty. I cant remember the names of the starters we had but we both enjoyed them a lot. The waiter was very quiet and polite and the interior is nice. The place is also bring your own booze, which on one occasion led to a rowdy party being in there. So I would look through the window before walking in and make sure there are not any big partys drinking themselves stupid. Nice food, nice environment. Give it a try. read more

I finally made it to Rotana. As I passed by after doing an errand on my lunch I thought "fup it, I'm not eating a sandwich at my desk today, I'm going in on my own as Billy Nomates". The place is a lot more spacious inside than I expected. And the decor is great, with shelves and shelves of stuff, especially hookahs (water pipes). Today I ordered the falafel sandwich with hummus. It was fine, if a bit bland. It did come well presented. The waiter was nice and polite too. And you can see the open kitchen at the back, which I like to see is restaurants. So the food didn't blow me away today, but I look forward to trying out other dishes from there menu. read more

I used to order from this place a lot. Used to be good and authentic. However the last 2 times, i have noticed how quality seems to be not a concern. I ordered a kunafa which i have received pale with bad smelling cheese felling. Last time i ordered lamb manakeesh got the manakeesh with a very non-appetizing smell. The humous was very extremely salty. I am disappointed with the food. read more

Rotana Café - Lebanese Near Me - Dublin, D

Lovely chicken kofta for lunch, nice crunchy vegetables, flat bread was feast and soft. Very tasty mint tea, and service with a smile. Great value lunch at 11Euro read more

Rotana Café - Lebanese Near Me - Dublin, D

A friend of mine recently told me an anecdote about how she took a friend to a café in New York City that specializes in hummus. The friend had recently returned from a year in Lebanon and proceeded to complain the entire time that the food "wasn't the way they do it in Lebanon." I know, what a jerk right? I have a feeling if I brought that same girl to Rotana Café, she'd have nothing to complain about. The food is really delicious. I really, really love Middle Eastern food, and while I am not an expert I am fairly certain it is authentic, given that it is owned by two Palestinians who lived in Lebanon. And even if it weren't, I wouldn't care, because it is that good. The portions are generous, even for cheaper items like falafel and hommus. Mains are also reasonably priced and come with pita. My friend and I split the mazza, two veg - a platter of various different items - and the variety of flavors and textures was really nice. The atmosphere leaves something to be desired. While the tables with rattan chairs are really nice and comfortable, I feel like it needs a big of decoration or something. Not that much of a drawback, but prevents the place from creating really memorable experiences. Nothing's worse than coming home and craving the hommus late at night and not being able to satisfy that yen. One great thing about it is that they have a refrigerated case where you can buy hommus and other items to take home with you, which we obviously always do when we go there. read more

Rotana Café - Lebanese Near Me - Dublin, D

Food is commendable!! One of the best Halal Middle East food served here. Will visit again to try out other dishes too. Good service and ambiance too. read more

See all

Let me just cut to the chase as last review was waaay too long. If you have a party of two or more, get the following two items. First, one chef's daily special: your server will point out today's special(s) from a list of ten or so. Second, one mezze platter of your choice. I have not once regretted getting the chef's special- it's where they do more cuisine-type experimenting rather than the standard Middle Eastern looks and tastes. Meanwhile, the mezze is fabulous because it's a Greatest Hits of Middle Eastern food in tapas-sized bits. Suited perfectly to the first-timer and experienced palate alike, Rotana is the go-to for me and the BF when we don't feel like cooking. Light and heavy, veggie and carnivore: they've got it all. Best of all, it's seriously difficult to break €20 a head on the bill, no matter how much you eat. The music is fun habibi-bellydance-drums, the servers are kind, and in warmer months shishas are available to smoke outside. The owner occasionally drops by to check how things are going (when he's not helping in the kitchen or out making deliveries). They accommodate large parties, and will serve alcohol if you bring it along for a €3 corkage fee. Water is served in bright swingtop bottles. All I ask is please, please, if your only life experience with this kind of food is kebabs: 1) get something else your first time. 2) fine, get a kebab your second time. Reliable sources say that even the kebabs are better here. Other tips: get a Rotana yoghurt to drink- like a salty minty lassi. Also go for a Lebanese coffee, brewed with cinnamon. Take a look at the mezze behind the counter and take home some tabouli for a great fresh-and-clean-belly feeling. Finally, end your night with homemade baklawa. Small enough that you can eat it after a full meal, but rich enough to leave you quite satisfied with just one. Walk out the door convinced to come back next week at the latest! read more

"Middle Eastern" food first arrived in Ireland sandwiched in a kebab. It took up residence in chippers and was immediately embraced by the not-so-discerning mouths of all us late-night booze hounds. But, as Dubliners soon learned from such Dublin restaurants as The Cedar Tree and Sinner's, there's a lot more to this fresh, delicate, and sun-kissed cuisine than a bit of industrially processed lamb wrapped in some cheap bread. Last week, myself and a friend scoured the Camden Street area looking for some cheap dinner. We had no more than a collection of loose change and some bits of pocket fluff with which to pay for our food. After much pointless walking back and forth, settled on Rotana Cafe: it looked inviting and affordable. This little outlet serves Lebanese food, which is characterised by lots of fresh herbs and vegetables. The menu includes hot dishes, mezze platters, and a selection of light, cheaper bites. We were stuck with the latter, so I opted for the Falafel Sandwich. Falafels gone wrong can resemble a ball of dust; not this time. Priced at €5.90, my dinner came with delicious sauces and a perfectly fine mixed salad. My friend chose the Baba Ganouj, a puree of smoked aubergines mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and fresh parsley. It cost €5.90 and came with Lebanese Bread for dipping. Always an interesting alternative to Humous, this wonderful combination of smoked, sweet, and bitter flavours didn't disappoint. On a second visit, I sampled the Mezze: a selection of starters served on a single platter. It's a great way of tasting a few different items from the menu and most of the mezze are enough for two or more people. The kebabs are a bit more expensive than the acclaimed Zaytoon just down the road, but then again, this is more of a restaurant than a fast-food outlet. Service was good and the owner seems genuinely keen on customer feedback. Cheap and delicious - what more could you want? Rotana has lunchtime specials from 12-5pm, Monday to Friday. read more

Their lunch menu is great. Starter and main for €10.50. I got the lentil soup and kafta chicken, oh and a non-alcoholic raspberry beer...... SO GOOD! The soup was a tad bland but hey it's lentils, healthy but in an obnoxious, "I am the yogi of beans. I will live longer than you other beans, look how flexible I am & infinitely more serene." And boring. Give me a neurotic bean any day. So that was that. But the kafta chicken was so good! I have no idea how they cook it but it was so supple and juicy. For dessert, because I am worth it, I had a biscuit that was infused with dates... It was like eating perfume but actually I enjoyed it and did not gag like one would if one was to attempt to eat perfume. I then had Turkish coffee. The presentation was very impressive. I loved the little cups. Service was great. Music was Lebanese dance music mixed with rustic warbling - worked for me! Surprisingly spacious inside. My advice to you is try the raspberry beer, the perfume biscuit & the chicken. read more

One more fabulous Lebanese restaurant in Dublin. But, this one may just be my favorite... The ambiance is lovely and there's outdoor dining as well! Enjoy the afternoon sun while devouring some very tasty bites! I recommend the meze platters, as they're great for sharing and they're delicious. The hummus and falafel will not disappoint and neither will the cheese-filled pastry bites (yum!) Bring your own wine as the closest thing to alcohol is flavored non-alc beer (hmmm...?!) Get your Arab on via Lebanon and head on in here ... you won't be disappointed! read more

The best Arab food I've had in Ireland, period. My friend and I went to this place hoping that this would finally be a place where we can say "dang now that was some good Arab food!" Rotana accomplished that and more! We ordered a platter for two and it was so gooooooddd! It included a mixtures of different meats and kebabs, all flavorful! Service was perfect, they came to our table often asking if we needed anything. After he learned my name, he always called me Mr. Imran which was really nice of him. All in all, Rotana is the place to go! And they have hookah too, and allow you to bring your own alcohol. One key note on a chilly day, which is almost everyday in Ireland, try to sit away from the path of the door. As people leave and enter, the door doesn't always close fully and there is a draft that comes in. read more

Really liked this place. Great Middle Eastern food for v reasonable prices. No alcohol is served probably on religious grounds as it is a Muslim owned establishment. However you can bring your own wine or beer which is great as u can have what u like at a reasonable price. Nice atmosphere in the place which is helped by the restaurant not being too big. read more

Popped in here for an impromptu meal with 5 friends on a Monday evening. As the name suggests the venue is more of a cafe vibe than a restaurant (think glam kebab shop come cafe) but starters, mains and desserts are on the menu as well as coffees etc. Note - they dont serve alcohol but if you are three people you can bring a bottle of wine for free (additional bottles are charged corkage of €5). We all shared a mezze for starters - a platter type of affair with a range of finger food tit bits. I think it was about €20 and one mezze gave all of us a few things to keep us satisfied while waiting on the main. All very tasty. For mains we had various dishes some served with rice some with breads/hummus. The menu is quite varied. Everyone agreed that the plates were tasty and good value (€10-15). I shared a chargilled meat dish for two: lamb and chicken - loved the chicken!! All topped off with a few good coffees and for ~€130. Staff were pleasant and all agreed it was an enjoyable evening. Win Win! Something to ponder: Now, Im not sure how this works but our bill included a service charge (12.5% I think) and during the final pay up/chatting etc my friend said 'service is included yeah?' and the response was 'service is but tips arent'. So he left a few extra euro. Ok we were a large table of 6 but we had one starter of a platter and six main dishes followed by a few coffees in coffee shop surrounds with BYO vino, so there wasn't a whole lot of 'tending to our needs' required. I think in such circumstances the 12.5% or so service is more than enough. I just thought it was a bit odd and left a bit of a negative after taste after an otherwise very pleasant evening. read more

Best Lebanese in Ireland. Not only is the food here good, but it's quite cheap, especially when you compare them to similar Lebanese/Middle Eastern eateries in Dublin. While I've yet to have a poor meal, I can only recommend the Mezze dishes, which are pricey but two would feed three people with ease. Lots of interesting and fresh options and incredibly filling. It's a great restaurant for vegetarians as well. read more

Great fresh Lebanese cuisine. For people looking for fast middle eastern food, keep walking up the road. Good food, cooked to order, takes more than 5 minutes. Grilled meat platters and mezze platters are the best - why pick a dish when everyone can share? I would give it 4.5 stars but the BYO policy makes this a solid 5. Only downside is that calling ahead for dinner is a good idea on weekends and holidays. Once you figure that out you won't be disappointed! read more

Everything we ordered was delicious but their doner kebab was amazing! My 11 year old promptly declared this to be "the best restaurant ever" as she devoured hers. The falafel was even better than my own ;) Lovely staff, cosy atmosphere and lovely food. Left well satisfied and will definitely be back. read more

Food was pretty tasting but the meat moussaka was bit too heavy in favour to finish,the spicy potato starter was ok but not Spicy!!The hummus and bread were realy tasty and fresh. Service was nice but forgetful..15 minutes for a bottle of water and half of items order not on bill. Toilets smell like sewage,not a good thing when the kitchen is next to the toilets. Overall food good but service and toilets need to checked on. read more

I'm Lebanese and this is where I go for my Lebanese food fix. I was never disapointed! It's BYOB which is nice as it's usually cheaper to buy your drinks at the shop anyway. Friendly and helpful staff, service is prompt and efficient. Make sure to make reservations, especially for larger groups. read more

I would give it 3.5 stars. The food was good, but expensive for what it was. I got the chicken Shwarma and the hummus. The hummus was really good, and the Shwarma was just okay. The restaurant itself was clean, well decorated, great ambiance! I sat down to eat, and no one offered water or came up to me to ask if I wanted anything else/needed anything. That was disappointing! It didn't ruin my experience though. They also have hookah and an extensive dinner menu! read more

Despite being in full view of 4 staff members and a mostly empty restaurant, we weren't acknowledged in any way until 10 minutes after we sat ourselves. We were expecting much more from this Lebanese restaurant but there weren't a lot on offer other than the standard kebab shop fare. Our starters (falafel and smoked aubergine dip) and desserts (assorted baklava) were delicious but the mains really let the meal down. The lamb kafta was very dry and completely burnt black on one side. It took about 15 mins after we finished our starters for dishes to be cleared and another 20 minutes before we got our mains. For what the meal was, the waiting time was too long given it was an incredibly quiet Sunday evening. read more

Fancy a falafel? A bit of hommus and baba ganouj to make it extra tasty? Then Rotana is the right place to go. Here, satisfying customers' cravings for Middle-Eastern cuisine is a way of celebrating life ... and what a good life it is. This charming little Lebanese restaurant sets the standards high and never fails to deliver piping hot dishes that tickle my taste-buds. The extensive menu features various generous portions of goods, including spicy potatoes Harah, Shish Kebabs and Manakeesh, perfect for both take-out and dine-in. Although everything on the menu looks appetizing, the falafel is by far my most-ordered meals here, and the reason is simple: I'm a serious falafel fanatic and have yet to find another place in Dublin that treats my beloved dish as well as they do. Rotana's falafels are perfectly seasoned, the bread has a nice soft texture and the veggies are always fresh, topped with Tahina sauce and Tabouleh. While you wait for your order, I must recommend that you get a couple of nutty Baklawa to nibble on. I especially like the cashew pastries. Delicious! read more

Came here with a Groupon for a falafel wrap and I guess they thought that was all I wanted....The server saw the coupon, asked if I wanted it for there or takeaway, I said for there and he walked away. He returned 10 minutes later with a wrap that seems like it had been prepared for takeaway since it was wrapped in paper. I had to ask if they had Coke and if I could have one. Upon leaving I saw other people with menus and was shocked because I was starting to think that they did not have them since I was never offered one. Maybe I would have gotten something other than the wrap since I was hungry.... The wrap was delicious though! I had never been a fan of falafel before (several bad experiences I'm told, so I decided I would try more) and I really liked this one! Guess I'll have to find another place in Dublin to get falafel. If you have the Groupon for this as well don't expect it to look like it does in the picture--the falafel was more like disks than balls and it was in a wrap not a pita. read more

What an extensive menu! It took us about 10-15 minutes just to go through the menu and make up our minds about what we want and we eventually settled on getting Mezze Beirut. The Baba ghanoush here is lovely and probably the best I've had in Dublin. Their falafels and breads are pretty great too. Great service, BYOB option, and shisha (it's only outdoor mind you, not great when it gets cold) are just a few more reasons why you'd want to check this place out. Strong five stars. read more

Went here with a friend. We didn't know it was bring your own wine or an alcohol free place but we went and got some wine and came back. Everything was very fresh and the first few bites were delicious ( we got shared platter) then everything tasted like lemon after that. I like lemon but it was just too much... Service was great, amazing even. read more

Can only rate this place on the food as I didn't eat it and only got take away. The place looked warm and rustic on the inside but a little dark. The guy who served me was friendly. I got a falafel sandwich for €6.90 and paid an extra €1 for houmous. Gonna be honest, it wasn't great... All I could really taste was salty pickle and I normally love pickles but it was too much. Apart from the sharp taste of pickles everything else in the sandwich was pretty bland. I've gotten far nicer falafels for €5 in Marley park market that come with baba ganouj, houmous and other bits as standard. Definitely won't be returning. read more

The food was just ok. Nothing unique, not terribly tasty and I needed to ask for some hot sauce to give my food a bit of a boost. Service was slow and getting enough water for the table was like trying to get it out of a dry well. There are better Lebanese/mid-eastern restaurants in the city which I will be returning to sooner than here. read more

I went here last year with a work colleague for my birthday and we were so impressed we've returned several times and she loves it so much she's gotten her husband to drive 30 minutes from home to meet her here! We were really impressed by not only the quality of the food, but the freshness of the ingredients used and the amount of food you got for the price. We left feeling comfortably full and yet at the same time a bit healthy. I love the chicken kafta as I'm a huge fan of sweet peppers and they offer a meal deal that comes with a healthy portion of chips and a fizzy drink. Like they say in Bruno, Hummus, and not Hamas, 'it's vegetarian. It's healthy. It's beans.' -- and at Rotana it's delicious and served with a delicious pita bread. You really can't go wrong when ordering this dish. If you're still hungry afterwards and have a bit of a sweet tooth they also serve yummy looking pastries that you can eat in or take away. My only caveat is that I wouldn't go to Rotana if you're in a hurry and looking for a quick meal as the service can be quite slow, but you soon forget about the wait when you bite into your freshly prepared meal. I rang in an order once and picked it up and while they were really delightful in their service, I much preferred the meal I had when I ate in house. read more

Another basic but delicious North African/Middle eastern restaurant that is unlicensed but charges no corkage. Excellent falafel Not the most atmospheric venue but the food and friendly staff more than compensate. read more

It's regrettable that this place - given that it has great food at reasonable prices - often gets overlooked. It's one of Dublin's forgotten gems. Tasty, authentic Lebanese food best enjoyed with a group. A tiny bit off the beaten track, but well-worth making your way past the South Circular for,The mezze is with flavourful vegetarian plates, and the meat dishes have that just-right combination of char and spices. Cheap enough to be on rotation for impromptu nights out, and reliable enough to be on the list for casual work/friends get togethers, I can't understand why more people aren't fans. read more

a classmate brought me here one weekend and i've been a fan ever since. it'd been on my to do list for a long time so i'm glad i finally went. for lunch i basically said "i'll have what she's having but with babaganouj (how the hell do you spell that anyway?" what she's having was a falafel sandwich which i guess to the lebanese means "wrap". heh. i was delighted though because in the back of my head i was going "falafels? on BREAD?!?" many falafel wraps in my experience tend to be rather sahara-like in their consistency and i often find myself dying for something to dip it in or pour over it or in it. this was not the case with rotana's wrap. it was moist (not mushy and gross moist, just not dessicatingly dry) and the flavors were well balanced and the size was just a tad more than i could inhale. which i did. because i was starving. and it was delicious. after that day, all i could do was daydream about the wrap. i kept bugging Husband to go there. we finally went with a small group and i had real food™ :) i ordered the one that is pronounced suspiciously like "uzi" and was happy they didn't bring me a machine gun on a platter. it was really good, but a touch on the dry side (it's minced meat and rice basically). and i didn't really get much of it in me because of the half dozen or so starters we all got for the table, which were all delicious. the thing that amuses me about lebanese food, and especially this place, is that everything is almost exactly like turkish food but with a touch of something else; like allspice or nutmeg or something i can't identify. it makes it exotic and an adventure. that, and the names amuse me. like ouzee (uzi) and sambousek (delicious), and warak inab - which i've known all my life as dolmas or stuffed vine leaves. apparently they have an even weirder name in lebanese. but i digress. go eat here. it's good. they also deliver if you're lazy. read more

Doors open. Big empty space - many tables, all set, but not a patron in site. 1:30pm on a Saturday afternoon, why is the place empty? Could all of the yelp reviewers be mistaken? Had I missed a review that said everything had gone terribly wrong here? I was desperate to try this place so I decided not to care. I went with the Mezze platter - and it was a - mezz - ing (appologies) - the hummos was great, the baba ganoush was smokey and delectable, the falafel was moist and tasty, stuffed grape leaves.... As good as the platter was, my favorite - not sure if it is always part of the mezze - was the potatoes harah - a dream worthy dish of silky potatoes cooked in garlic, corriander and other spices- absolutely delicious. I would go back for this alone, fortunately everything else was so good, I don't have to. Rotana seems like it would be a great place to have a big dinner party - bring your own wine at a 3 euro corkage fee per bottle. Thank you, yelp. read more

Rotana never let me down and I've been there quite some times. It's my favourite "Middle Eastern" restaurant in Dublin. I know everyone is a big fan of Zaytoon, but Rotana has so much more variety. I always get a little bit sad when I see a group of people coming in, all ordering a kebab with chips. I have to say though, I had the kebabs, I had the chips, and even they are great. Really amazing here are the starters, and if you don't want to order them one by one but get a big variety, try the mezze platters and get a lot. They have for of them, two vegetarian and two with meat and veg. I always try to get the big meat or veg one because I love the Baba Ganoush. If it's just two of us, we normally get the big mezze to share and I'm already full, don't even have space anymore (except for a little dessert, they have awesome baklava). But the main courses are so tasty too, so better to come either with more people or really hungry. For the main courses, the Moussaka, the Falafel plates, the fattat dajaj (chicken with yoghurt, rice and nuts) and the kafta are all great, I really can't decide on my favourite. However, if you're not so hungry, the mezze are really my first choice, it leaves you feeling so fulfilled after you eat. They also have good Lebanese coffee (like Turkish coffee) if you're a fan and shisha if it's nice enough to smoke outside, but I haven't tried that yet. And all is really cheap, I usually come out under 20 Euro per person including everything but with a main or mezze only it can be less than that. The service is also good and the people really friendly, I went there with a group of 7 people over New Years Eve, they confirmed the reservation long in advance, opened although they weren't sure before, gave us awesome dishes from the normal menu (no special New Years Eve priced menu) and we had a great time, it's really cozy in there. I wasn't sure if I'd give this place 4 or 5 stars before because it had one downside - they sell no alcohol. However now they have bring-your-own wine for which they charge a minimal corkage fee (3 Euro per bottle) which makes it even better value. There's a good off-license down the road next to the Tesco Express, so pick up a bottle on the way there. read more

We weren't really hungry when we entered our neighbourhood Rotana Cafe so we decided to go for just 3 starters and share between us. We got falafel, spinach and cheese pastry and raspberry non-alcoholic beer. It was very tasty, freshly prepared. The interior is ok, not too pretentious with Lebanese musci in the background. You can try to smoke shisza outside. Also, another plus, you can bring your own wine to accompany your meal. I'll be back for some more:) read more

As a New Yorker who loves hookah & visiting Dublin, this place is great! Hookah everyday of the week and opened till midnight. Sitting outside offers a heating lamp. Love this place!! read more

Nine of us went for dinner Rotana Cafe on a Thursday evening in August. The staff were friendly and accommodating. The food was superb - fresh, delicately spiced, plentiful and delicious. We were not charged corkage for the beer and wine we brought. Highly recommended. We'll definitely be back. Thanks! read more

Great food, friendly service and BYOB... Not to mention really affordable. Try the sharing mix grill #1.

Great service, fab food, good prices and BYOB... what more can one ask for? read more

Rotana Café - The lamb kafta!! Delich - Lebanese Near Me - Dublin, D

Got the lunch special. Good price and food read delicious but a bit heavy on the salt. Portions are generous and service snappy enough to come here for 2 courses on a (slightly long) lunch! read more

Extremely welcoming, friendly staff. Delicious Hummus and very reasonable. Restaurant was. Will be returning in the future