Restaurante Faraj specializes in kibbe made into all forms! This Arabic dish is made of ground beef…read moremixed with bulgur and spices--a simple yet delicious combination! The kibe cru was served completely raw and had a refreshingly meaty texture and flavor. The kibe de forno was a baked loaf of kibbe with a crusty exterior made of ground beef and bulgur and a filling of ground beef and onions (but was on the dry side). My favorite preparation was the kibe frito, a fried fritter with a crispy ground beef and bulgur shell and a filling of ground beef and onions. For our sides, we had the Arabic salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley), hummus (which had a distinctively nutty flavor from the tahini), and Arabic bread. At the table were three different condiments--a red pepper sauce, an Arabian pepper sauce, and a garlic sauce, which each enhanced the flavors of the food! Overall, this was a delicious meal that came in large portions at a great value, and with quick, friendly service too!

I love this place. Their luncheon buffet has extensive options, and you pay by the weight of the…read moreplate. Everything is fresh and delicious. Even the pita bread is made to order-piping hot. I live in Ipanema, but I make an effort to eat at Arab in Copacabana any chance I can. Highly recommended.

I was with my girlfriend and was itchin' to take her somewhere with cuisine she hasn't tried (which…read moreis just about everything) while not going too crazy for her simple taste buds (Thai, Indian, Ethiopian - some of my favs - were out.) Arabic food is a very nice middle ground. We walked from our hotel to Arab - a great setting on Avenida Atlântica - to find a surprisingly pleasure environment. We sat down and ordered a variety plate. We both thoroughly enjoyed the variety and surprisingly close-to-home-taste (I later discovered that Brazil has a surprisingly large Arabic community.) We tried hummus, baba ghanoush, falafel, and so on. The pita was somewhat disappointing as you get 1 piece and have to order more and it wasn't quite the great pita I'm used to. The prices are quite high, even by Rio de Janeiro standards, though it is a nice restaurant in a beachfront location. The service was pretty good but the prices are high. The food was high quality - we both enjoyed.

Halal food is available. Place is clean. And, food was fresh…read moreand warm served. Also try their hot mint tea with sugar. They are accepting cash. Also check their restaurant business hours before you come in here.

This restaurant is so bad that I actually threw the food out. It was truly disgusting. The…read moretabouleh, baba ghanoush, AND the hummus all tasted like glue. If I knew how to speak Portuguese, I would ask for my money back. Este restaurante é tão ruim que eu realmente joguei a comida para fora. Foi verdadeiramente repugnante. O tabouleh, baba ghanoush, eo hummus todos provei como cola.

This was delicious Lebanese food. Shawarma and shish taouk could easily feed three as portions were…read morehuge. Just off the beach so very convenient. Fresh draft beer on tap. Very reasonable prices considering the portion size. Nice little sidewalk seating to dine Al fresco. Super friendly servers and owners.

I called the restaurant after I saw that it says it takes reservations and the lady that answered…read morethe call hung up on me. I called back and asked if anyone spoke English and she said "NO" and told me they don't take reservations and spoke Portuguese and wasn't helpful at all. We are a group of 22 people and needed to make a reservation that was guaranteed. Oh well!

Amazing food. Great flavor and reasonable prices. You can't go wrong with anything here. We came…read moreback several times for a quick and easy lunch on our trip to Rio

After passing by Baalbek many a time as I rushed through Galeria Meneschal, and noticing it is…read morealways busy, I finally made it in to try a esfiha! I wanted to try the ricotta and za'atar esfiha, but they were out of za'atar which confused me a little... I opted for the spinach and ricotta. It was pretty good, but I think the esfihas at Liba on Siqueira Campos and at Baghdad on Rua Bolivar are tastier options in Copacabana. Pay first, then wait at the counter to be served.

Surprisingly tasty Arabic food in Rio! We had starters of stuffed cabbage, stuffed grape leaves and…read morefalafel. All of the starters were quite tasty. Our mains included chicken skewers, schwarma plates and gyros. Each main dish was massive and could most certainly have fed two people. All of the dishes were flavorful and left us wishing we could finish the giant portions. Service was efficient and ambiance was warm and welcoming. Highly recommend.

We ordered the arabe mista that comes with kafta (ground beef) and steak tips for 2 people…read more Everything was full of flavor. It comes with rice mixed with lentils and tabbouleh (R$60ish). We ordered the roasted kibe for R$8 and it was DELICIOUS! There are tables on the street if you're just in for apps and drinks and tables inside for dinner. Highly recommend it!

I was skeptical when my gf said she would be taking me to the best esfiha restaurant and insisted…read morethat the Copacabana hole-in-the-wall also had the best chopps. If you don't know what either is, an esfiha is an Middle-Eastern bread triangle with anything from cheese, chicken, meat or spinach fillings. Chopp = draft beer. So in we walk to Faraj and little did I know that I'd return many, many more times to cure cravings of their expertly homemade bready triangles. The no frills restaurant is modest, but the flavor is so there. I swear the chopps get me tipster than any other (maybe it's due to the near-frozen temperatures). I recommend ordering the esfihas that have recently arrived from the kitchen (hot and tasty) and if you get the kibe, ask for them to fry it fresh.