Don't like the cold ambiance and seating in the back that showcases a sterile fluorescent lit hallway leading to the kitchen. The service was polite but incredibly slow for it being an insignificant Monday night when we were there, as the 3rd group of patrons dining in at that time. The dishes all looked unremarkable, and my quail tasted so as well. The only very authentic and delicious tasting item was the flatbread dipped in the hummus. Not sure why, but it feels like a "downer" kind of place unfortunately. read more

Horrible Horrible Service by our waiter. He was very unenthusiastic to us and almost seemed crabby. I have been a waiter in restaurants before and I know having a lot of tables at once can be hard at times, but when we got there there was only one other table eating. We finally got our order taken and got our salads. I would recommend asking for the dressing on the side unless you like your salads loaded with dressing. About 15 min after us being done with our salads our food cam out and our salad plates were still sitting there on the edge of the table. Enough said about service, the food was pretty good tasting, I would go back but ask for a different server if I get the one I had. read more

Everything about our experience was wonderful! It's like eating at your Middle Eastern Grandmother's house. Well it was for us. Victoria prepared our food for us. We had the grape leaves and falafel for an appetizer. The grape leaves were perfect. Not too vinegary or oily. Falafel was fresh just like you find it in Jerusalem! We had the Damascus bread with lamb. Yummmmm..... The portion sizes were great and were fitting for the prices charged. Forget Al Amir. Arabesque is far above any Al Amir location which is run by the same owner anyhow. We are now Arabesque customers only! read more

We went there for an early dinner and ordered a veggie platter for the appetizer which was good. For the main course there was Falafel with Damascus bread (Bread was soft and fresh), Chicken Kabab over rice and my favourite grilled Telapia over rice. Great food and good ambience..Highly recommended. read more

Best Goat Cheese ever! Arugula Salad was ever so fresh, best Dressing. Wrap was fresh & tasty. Husband got the burger; seasoned & cook perfectly read more

Best Lebanese Food In Columbia, SC. The Damascus Bread was really good. Had the appetizer sampler. Loved it, real authentic Lebanese food. Will definitely come back. read more

first of all the customer service was amazing. he was so charming and helpful! the food was delightful. i had hummus and pita bread. my main dish had lamb in it and it was so wonderful. everything was delicious and i left so full and happy! i can't wait to go back. read more

Amazing food, atmosphere and service. We started with the freshly made hummus and added some pine nuts- it was devine on the delicious Damascus bread. Then we had the mixed grill and it did not disappoint; great veggies and meats. I even tried a Lebanese Pilsner Almaza which was pretty darn good. The staff was very attentive and pleasant. We left very happy. We'll be back!! read more

I only been to this place one time. Been passing by for the past few years, but never tried them until today. They have special deals on Thursdays. That is, half Price on all pizzas and appetizers and drinks. I can't give them more than 2 stars because they had pretty bad service. It took them more than an hour to bring our food and the server didn't even apologize. The quality of the pizza was ok. However, to be honest I only been here one time; my friends told me that their service had been ok in the past. The appetizer sampler looked and tasted good! read more

I ordered take out - I ordered the Beef Kabobs; came with grilled veggies and rice. The flavor was bland for the most part. The (2) kabobs were over cooked & dry, the rice was plain and had no significant flavor. The veggies we're actually prepared well but the fact that it was $18 was disappointing. I tipped well excepting a nice flavored dinner but it was a big let down. The front of the house was very helpful and friendly for the short amount of time I was there picking up. read more

I came here with my parents after a long day of moving into a new apartment. It was fairly late, like 9:45-10. Definitely closing time, but the doors were still unlocked. We apologized for being "those people," and made to leave, but our server went to the kitchen and told us that she would be able to serve us. Outstanding service and great food! If I could give this place more than 5 stars, I would do so in a heartbeat! read more

I'm not much of a Lebonese / Mediterranean cuisine person, so it's hard to compare to some of the other places (food-wise) in the Columbia area, but thought food was food. I had ordered the Pusha (sp?) Chicken over rice (most of their dinner selections come over rice or pita bread). Spices on both the chicken and rice made the disk tasteful. Portion sizes were OK. I could have done without the special sauce and vegetables that came with the dish and maybe more of the main course, as well as a slightly bigger side salad 9which there were a variety of choices to choose from). I ordered a small portion of their Damascus Bread as an appetizer, and it was HUGE. Our waitress had told a couple people in the party that were ordering small pizzas that the diameter of the pizza (along with the crust) was the same size of the small portion of the Damascus bread. (Beware - the seeds on the bread kept falling off!) We had somewhat of a large group last night and they were able to seat our group towards the back of the restaurant (right by the kitchen). Could not tell if there was another room that could also be used if you have big groups dining here. Our waitress was good on checking in on our group (there was about 15 of us in attendance). I have to agree with one of the other yelpers, there really is not much of a hostess station to check in when you arrive (you're walking into the bar area) and made it difficult to see who might be able to direct to where my group was. read more

Wow this place was great. Tried the lamb shawarma wrap. It's was amazing. Will def come again. The only reason I giving 3 stars is because the service wasn't that great. I get there before a waiter is about to go home and he didn't want to help me. He was waiting for someone else to get there so he could clock out. Then the waiter that ended up helping me took off to Starbucks while I was eating. I understand it's Sunday and I'm the only one here. But wtf really? He couldn't wait until I was done? read more

I went here with a few coworkers. When they suggested Mediterranean food, I wasn't super excited about it. After I ordered my drink, I knew it was going to be a good meal! The bartender knew how to mix a drink... which is hard to find around here. I ordered my pita bread and hummus... SO DELICIOUS. Ordered pizza as well, it was delicious. And, it was during their happy hour which meant it was half off... I was so impressed! I will be back, forsure. read more

Came here for dinner the other day, we were famished. The vegetarian appetizer plate hit the spot, everything was great especially the baba ghanouj. The lamb shawarma pizza is definitely unique and it was pretty good but not amazing. The chicken kabab was good, the veggies were tasty but the rice was a little disappointing. Overall, recommended! read more

We LOVE this restaurant! The food is so fresh, do flavorful and so much fun to eat. Their hummus will make you never want store-bought again, and their Mixed Grill for Two is enough for 3 or 4. The neat and shrimp were all fabulous, as was the rice. Our new favorite. read more

The food was good but the service was spotty. The server seemed to take long breaks in the back often. She was attentive until we ordered and then seemed to disappear. On the other hand, there were a lot of 'Sir' and 'Ma'am' said to us which we greatly appreciated. read more

Arabesque on Devine has the most wonderful middle eastern/ Mediterranean food in Columbia! It is a locals place and we are never disappointed! Great service friendly staff and amazing food! read more

The average style you would expect for a small restaurant, could use some updates. Service was good, very friendly. Food was average we ordered caprese salad and a Lebanese pizza. Ingredients were all fresh, pizza size small was plenty for 2 to share. Lacked a bit of flavor but was overall ok. We didn't feel it was heavy or greasy so that's a plus for pizza. Not sure I'd go out of my way to try it again and would maybe recommend trying something else such as the curry lamb or kabobs. read more

Pathetic! Called made a reservation they took it. Then when we got there they said they don't take reservations on Fridays. Wasn't apologizing at all. Sad! read more

Went here for lunch with some out of town friends. Had never been before and we were all very happy with our food & experience! We had the hummus and it was delicious! I had the shwarma and it was great. Service was prompt and our waiter was very friendly. Great place-we are glad we found it & will be back! read more

Great place to eat if you're hungry for Middle Eastern food. The portions are huge and the staff are courteous and attentive. They made my dining experience special. The place is huge and they also have tables outside. They also have a bar but I didn't order any drinks so I can't say anything about that. Two thumbs up to Hasan and his staff! read more

The food has gotten even better lately. When I'm not in Columbia, I crave this place. When I am, I eat here like 3 times a week. You have to try the Arabesque hummus with lamb. It's hummus topped with lamb and served with a large fluffy Damascus bread. The mussels are also an excellent appetizer. Wash it all down with an excellent Ksara wine, a Lebanese favorite, or an Almaza, a Lebanese beer. Honestly the beer alone is worth visiting for... when I moved to Boston I hunted for a restaurant that served Almaza for weeks. Also happy hour is from 4 to 7 pm on weekdays, and they do half off all alcohol, as well as most appetizers, making it BY FAR the best deal in Columbia. Where else can you get any premium beer for 2 dollars? I can't believe more people don't know about this place. If there's one restaurant you should try in Columbia, it's this one. read more

Tried to enjoy a quiet Sunday evening dinner with family. The restaurant was not crowded and was well-staffed, at least with bodies. A poor experience. First, the positives: The Damascus bread and hummus were excellent. The chicken kabob was tasty. The kid's cheese pizza was apparently edible. I guess that's about it. The shawarma looked and tasted unlike any edible shawarma I have ever eaten... and I have lived in the Middle East and eaten shawarma in at least 4 countries. It was terribly salty, the lamb was tough, and it was served lukewarm after a lengthy wait. Don't bother with the wine. I enjoy some Two Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's routinely and am not a wine snob, but this was worse. How do you make a bitter Pinot Grigio? The service was terrifically slow and largely indifferent. All this for $60. I do not recommend this place (and I am hard-pressed to write a negative review as I simply enjoy food). We won't be back. read more

This place was great across the broad. The food was good and fresh and Thursdays pizzas is half off. The service was great...even with dealing a 30+ person group in the other room. Wish they were closer to Harbison. read more

I looked this place up and it had really great reviews. We set on our way for a nice lunch. Sadly, when we walked in they informed us that they close at 2pm and re-open for dinner at 4pm. This was a big disappointment. They need to change their times on Yelp if they're gonna do something like that. I'm sure their food is great....but... read more

This is an excellent restaurant. The atmosphere is vey comfortable and the staff is really great. You will be made to feel at home. The food was fabulous. The Kibbeh Balls were very good, a new taste for me. The Beef Tips were so good I will definitely have them again. I felt welcomed and the staff was extremely friendly. Silva nag the owner is a real lady and you will know she appreciates you coming. Now they have something new for desert, alcohol ice cream. The flavors change but try it, something you have probably never had before. It was great. This place is a must! read more

OMG!!! Went here for Lunch and had a mix grill with lamb!! It was super good and the bartender was super nice when I got there. All I had to do is show her the picture of what I wanted from the yelp app and she knew what dish it was. Super cool bartender!! The food was so good that I'll have to come back and eat there again!! read more

Love this place. The sampler appetizer is great. (They are half off M-F before 5-7pm I think). Best baba ganoush I've had. The pizzas are huge. The eggplant pizza is my favorite. Everything is usually cooked to perfection. My go to for Mediterranean food in Columbia. read more

The Arabesque team made a very special birthday a very special evening. Our guests loved the cuisine and the service. Very nice to work with in making arrangements. And I look forward to going again for the delicious pizza and appetizers! My friends will have luscious lamb. read more

Fantastic as always. Beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the hummus and very authentic swarma. Owners are always delightful and staff is very friendly. read more

Amazing food, fantastic service. They treat you like family. The atmosphere is so comfortable and gorgeous, it's hard to leave. :) I would highly recommend this place and can't wait to eat there again! read more

Food was wonderful after a rocky start. We were seated for 20 min and still no server. Don't know what was going on but my husband finally went up to the hostess stand to ask if someone could serve us. After that Trent took great care of us. Kudos to the manager for discounting our meal unsolicited. We will definitely be back! read more

This place is amazing. I'm not a fan of Mediterranean food, but this food has changed my mind. The best place ever. Great food and great service. I'll always support local businesses and this one is one of the best in Columbia. 1/2 price wine and beer during happy hour and 1/2 price pizza all night on Thursdays. read more

I had a great time for a graduation party there! The food, drinks and staff were excellent! Very hospitable, warm and inviting. We will definitely be returning! read more

Greatest food ever,, I had to talk to the chef and thank him,, make sure to order the hot sauce "shatta" and the garlic paste,, amazing food!! read more

Very average restaurant. We went on a Sunday evening and they were empty, and the service was still very very slow. It took about 20 minutes for the appetizers to arrive, and another 20 for entrees. The sampler appetizer was delicious with fresh bread and hummus. The chicken curry was very bland, and chicken was a little dark/questionable. The pizza crust was very fake tasting. Nothing was bad, but it was all around average so we probably won't return. read more

I am giving this 3 stars because the food was good, but this is NOT the place to go for lunch or you will never get back to work on time. We were a table of two people and there were only three tables total occupied although a few filled later. It took almost 45 minutes to receive our food (I had to ask the waitress when we could expect our food as I had to get back to work), and the waitress (the only one) never refilled our drinks. We watched as people who arrived later than us received some of their food before us. Our order was not complicated (damascus hummus combo and falafel wrap) so it should never have taken as long as it did. From reading another review, it seems they had the same experience we did although the waitress was not rude, just not attentive. But I will say the Damascus hummus combo was quite good, better than Al Amir on Main St. across from the University. read more

What a pleasant surprise to find such great food at this local restaurant. And the attention we reserved from our server, Nick, was absolutely beyond compare! Will definitely be making this a regular stop when eating out. Linda read more

Fantastic food and a great atmosphere! Great for a date night! Service is excellent! Faris was an excellent server! I just wish that the baklava wasn't sold out.... Oh well, next time, I will definitely be back! read more