Absolutely delicious food, the service was amazing and it has a great vibe! The only negative I would say is the Woonona restaurant's service is a little slow, even if they aren't busy the waitresses leave you waiting far to long to order food and drinks - (you have to give them that awkward stare for quite a while before they'll realise and serve you). Other than that, the food is impeccable, it's one of my favourite restaurants! read more

Delicious food. Great service with a smile. A lovely experience.

Came to Samaras while we were in Wollongong because of the amazing reviews that we saw and this was the best meal I had while we were there! Samaras offers indoor & outdoor seating. While they do not serve beer or wine, there is a liquor store right next door where you can buy whatever you'd like and drink it at the restaurant! Alyce was our server and we adored her. She was so friendly and welcoming and suggested some great items for us on the menu! We shared the hummus dip and tabouli salad which were both very fresh and perfect for sharing. For the main dish, we ordered the Meat Lovers platter which was more than enough food for the 4 of us. The platter included chargrilled chicken, kafta, shish kabab skewers, lamb shawarma, Beirut chicken, rice, Lebanese puffs, and a side of garlic dip. This platter was insanely delicious!!! But the shining star was the lamb shawarma! Neither of us eat much lamb but this was our favorite part of the entire meal. The lamb was cooked perfectly and had so much flavor! Mix it with rice and their garlic dip for the perfect bite. But beware, the garlic dip is addicting!!! We ended the meal with their Baklava sundae which was sweet and crunchy and fulfilling. This was my favorite restaurant that we ate at in Wollongong. You will not be disappointed. read more

Samaras - Meat Lovers platter with hummus and tabouli salad. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Wollongong, NSW

We managed to get a reservation on the day itself for Saturday dinner, provided we can be there at 6pm. We did and the reservation was lost, so we ended up dining al fresco instead of inside. It got cold after the sun set, so do bring along a jacket if you are eating outside. That aside, the rest of the evening was fabulous. The food was amazing! The portions were huge so technically you could share a main and an appetizer with a friend if both were small eaters. In any case, the four of us shared two appetizers and had our own mains. - Grilled halloumi which they cut into 4 pieces for us. It was good, with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. - Lebanese bruchetta which is different from the usual Italian style. This came with fresh tomatoes, Spanish onion, herbs and cheese on crispy bread. It l I had the shish tawook which was two skewers of chargrilled chicken, tabouli and hummus with a side of chips. I requested for the chips to be replaced with Lebanese rice. They forgot and gave me another side of rice instead. All mains came with garlic dip and Lebanese bread. The chicken pieces were tender and went very well with the rice and garlic dip. The others had the Beirut Chicken (chicken breast marinated in herbs and garlic paste), Shish Shawarma (thinly sliced lamb) and a Lebanese mixed platter for one (chargrilled chicken, kafta, swish kebab, falafel and Lebanese puff) and they were all equally delicious. The place started to get busy after 630pm and a line formed around 7pm. Be prepared for a wait if you do not have a reservation. The prices are decent, around $135 for 4 non-alcoholic drinks, 4 mains and 2 appies. read more

Easily one of the best tasting restaurants in the Illawarra. They do middle eastern (Lebanese) cuisine so well, and at reasonable prices. Their salads/tabouli always comes out fresh. There's a reason this place is rated so highly on this and other review sites! They do an interesting mix with sauces: garlic sauce with sweet chilli sauce, when served with hot savoury rolls (like spring rolls). Perhaps the sauce combination is inspired by what people put in kebabs, but it's a really nice combination, and the sauces they do at Samaras are done so well. Tip: unless you're really hungry, you could share one large plate between two people. Their portions are very generous! read more

Samaras - one large plate ... and the magical sauce combinations! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Wollongong, NSW

Lebanese delights that will make your toes curl! We dined on the patio and feasted on delicious, grilled haloumi (a bit over-priced at $16 for the meager portion), and Shish platters - lamb for me, chicken for my friend. The platters come with a heap of tabouli, traditional garlic sauce, and a smear of fresh hummus. As if that wasn't enough, you also get chips and bread. It's BYO and you can grab a bottle around the corner at the liquor store if you'd like your meal to be a little more festive, like the adorable group of little old grannies we sat next to who got absolutely smashed - well done, girls!. We left sated and ready for an epic siesta! read more

There was an empty eastern European restaurant on one side and an empty Indian restaurant on the other, Samaras was packed. Loved the food, the staff, the outdoor seating. Found this restaurant by accident when walking by and very happy I did! My partner LOVED this place, I think he would be happy to eat here every day. read more

Samaras - Beirut Platter. Sorry I ate most of it before thinking to take a photo.  Very good and authentic. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Wollongong, NSW

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This labanese and Mediterranean cuisine is absolutely delicious!!!! I've been here twice, first time takeaway came in a really large plate, the burger was amazing!!!!!! So worth the money, I was so full from it. The burgers comes with chips and they were so crispy and worth the wait! (Which wasn't so long by the way) I've come here twice by myself! I would definitely recommend checking this place out with a friend!! You wont regret it ! read more

Authentic lebanese food, I found the service to be fast and prompt. The food was tasty and fresh, they offer outdoor and indoor seating and they are super busy..and I can see why. Keep up the good work. read more

Amazing food. We only tried the dips but it was plenty and great quality. The coffee was really good too. Ery very good service. Not only very friendly and non-intruaive but also so quick. And on the top of everything: When my partner spilled the coffee we got a new one on the house and they cleaned everything really fast. Definitely 5 stars and popular with the locals. read more

Excellent food and service. The chicken and lamb were really well cooked and delicious. Would love to have food here again. read more

Samaras - Mix Platter and Shish Tawook - Middle Eastern Near Me - Wollongong, NSW

Very good Lebanese food. It was a bit expensive - if it was cheaper I would be giving it 5 stars. Had the vegetarian plate. The dips were amazing. And the service is fantastic. You try it if you can - the plates are a good portion size. read more

Great Lebanese food- all the components of the share plates worked really well and were well prepared. Highlights of the meal include the dips and the coffee- both were awesome. I'd eat here again. read more

Outstanding food & service! Love their food. Absolutely fresh and I'm convinced made on premise as it has a depth of taste that only fresh food made on premise can offer. There are a few good restaurants in Wollongong that I consider fantastic and this is one of them. The three times I've been there has been exactly the same experience. Consistently good and highly recommend them. read more

I came to Samaras for a friends birthday a few weeks ago. I had never been there before and was keen to check it out. I was so surprised at how great the quality of food was, and how fairly it was priced. My friend booked the place due to other Yelp reviews, and those reviews were not lying! read more

Delicious food. Excellent service. Only wish they were licensed... One of my favourite places to enjoy a meal.