In a city were you can't sneeze without blowing boogers on a kebab shop, there are certainly some that stand out and some that should be avoided like the bird flu. Fatima's on Cleveland Street in Surry Hills (nearing Redfern), is one of the good ones. Many a time I have stumbled in from the Norfolk across the way in search of some quick, cheap eats. I wouldn't even venture to recount the details (of anything) on those occasions but I have, however, been to Fatima's whilst sober. And eating a sober kebab is something I very rarely do. The freshness and zest of their hommus is worth noting all on its own. Sometimes I take home a whole tub of it (for $7, I believe), to eat with veggies during the week. Usually, I go for the falafel kebab, if I'm goin' big. The tabouli is amazing as well. If you're indulging, please don't NOT get the baklava, we're talking life-changing flakey, ooie, googie greatness in puffy square form. Don't tell anyone, but one time I went in there and got one, ate it, paused, reflected, got another one, ate that, pondered, praised, then NEARLY got a third. A friend had to intervene. And wanna know what else? Fatima's is open til 3am! Boom, put that in your hooka and smoke it. read more

Fatima Lebanese Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

Given that Fatima's is open until 3 am and has some very positive yelp reviews, I was excited to try this place! But maybe my hopes were a little too high? Tried the vegetarian platter to get an all around feel for the dishes ($20 pp), and added on some vegetarian lady fingers ($8). Not sure why "lady fingers" is a popular name for food, but here, it refers to flakey filo stuffed with spinach, onions, and a little ricotta cheese doused in a serious amount of lemon juice. Indeed, the baba ghanouj, tahini, and eggplant they served were all way sour for my tastes. The filo on the lady fingers was wet as all the food is preprepared and sitting under a heat lamp. The falafel was solid, but not particularly seasoned or flavorful, and with so many enticing smells wafting down this street from other Lebanese eateries, I'd keep exploring. Nice folks work here, but atmosphere wise, the dining room is dark and has a bit of a smell. read more

Fatima Lebanese Restaurant - Menu p.1 - Middle Eastern Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

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Turn a blind eye to the tacky dining room (black plastic chairs, baby pink tablecloths, painted imitation sandstone effect on the walls) and focus instead on this unassuming diner's amazing Lebanese dishes. Fatima's is a hidden secret on the end of Cleveland Street that backs onto Redfern, equal parts restaurant and late night kebab shop - though here, the meat is nothing like the carved up elephant leg mess that you get from other drunken haunts. I used to come here with a particular group of friends, always opting for the banquet room upstairs - this loungey spot is all Arabian themed, covered in bright pink silk fabric with low-lying tables and cushions aplenty. The banquet menus are a great option for groups and always serve up plenty of food - we usually went for the $27 option with a selection of dips like humous and baba ghanoush, plus plenty of lemony tabouleh and dolmades, grilled chicken shish kebabs and lamb kofta, as well as coffee and baklava to finish. read more

Fatima Lebanese Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Surry Hills, NSW

Some of the best middle eastern food I have ever eaten. I ordered the mixed grill and it was great but after tasting the Shawarma meat included in the mixed grill I immediately regretted not just ordering the "large" Shawarma. It is right near a bottle shop where you can get a good bottle of wine for under $10. They had really good baklava as well. Basically my wife and I walked out satisfied for under $50. read more

so. good. Open late which is a plus

Wow! Amazing food. The lamb lady fingers are to die for, the banquets are huge servings and everything is packed with flavour. We were upsold from the Fatimas banquet ($30) to the super banquet ($35) and there was in fact, too much food between the lebanese bread and dips, grilled chicken with garlic sauce, lamb, lady fingers, cabbage rolls and vine leaves. Not to mention the dessert baklava and turkish delight served with coffee at the end. We were stuffed! read more

Overpriced. Under-delivered. $55 for two basic wraps (chicken/falafel), BAba Ghanoush (no bread included), and the cauliflower that had no tahini on it. With so many other great choices for Lebanese/middle eastern food in the area with better prices, go somewhere else. The wraps were meh and didn't include all of the sauces ordered. The Baba Ganoush was pretty good but didn't come with any bread. The cauliflower was soggy and without Tahini as advertised. It just wasn't very good for $14 of cauliflower. Head for open waters. Big disappointment. read more

What can I say about Fatima's that other Yelpers haven't already? Firstly, a warning: The Spinach Pies are pyramids of thick dough stuffed with lemon-soaked greens. They're bitter and chewy and better off avoided. The rolls are, of course, divine. The meat is grilled in front of you and slapped together with tangy humus and fresh tabbouleh in minutes flat. For a guaranteed winner, the chicken is the go-to, so too is the Lebanese sausage, my lamb meanwhile, was sinewy and not entirely pleasant. That was the exception to the rule. Fatima's is pretty much a guaranteed winner. read more

It pains me to do this but I'm downgrading Fatima's again. The main reason for this is the bizarre pricing which we had been curious about for a while and finally confirmed our suspicions on the last visit. The large dips are twice the price of the small dips ($16 vs $8) but almost identical in size (both being about the size of a 250g ($3) tub at the supermarket). The small felafel plate is $1.75/piece but the large plate is $2/piece. Either their menu needs rewriting or they need to invest in some larger plates. The food is still delicious and it's still overpriced. read more

The manager tried to rip us off multiple times. The staff did not bring out all of the dishes we had ordered, even after we specifically asked if that was all of the food - and then then tried to charge us for the dishes they didn't bring! We complained to the manager, who first claimed they had done nothing wrong, and then offered to give us the dishes takeaway (what were we supposed to do, divide them up between the group ourselves?!). After arguing for a few minutes, they agreed to change the bill. They then still charged us more than for the dishes we were given!!! We decided to just pay it so we could just leave, but then the manager wouldn't give us our change until we asked multiple times. What a joke of a restaurant. The food was pretty good, but the service was the worst I have ever experienced in Sydney and they aren't the only Lebanese restaurant in the area so I won't be going back. Go here if you want to get ripped off. read more

One of the worst food experiences I have had in years. Everything was precooked and soaked in lemon juice-the filo pastry was unrecognizable and the chicken hard & dry! Relatively expensive & truly awful. read more

My expectations of one of my old favourites has plummeted. Here are two last experiences: a group dinner for 12 which I hosted on a Saturday night. Waited forever and eventually got some very sub-standard service followed by some rather tired and sub-standard starters including an almost frozen tabouli and boring hommous. Followed by cold and dry falafel, dry as a bone Shish Tawook (chicken skewers). Should I go on? I was so embarrassed for my guests and for the restaurant. When I had a whinge I was ignored. Whatever was the arrogant vibe from their staff. Boo!! More recently I called in for a light snack. Hommous and tabouli roll - got the dregs of the Tabouli which was all liquid and a tiny bit of hommous and was then asked to pay $7. I questioned it as it didn't have salad or falafel or meat (which were $8 and $9 respectively) and was abruptly told that is the price by some unhygienic man serving me. (No gloves, filthy clothes etc). Well Fatima you are below one star in my book and your fall from grace is crystal clear. If you want to be treated with courtesy and manners may I suggest Nadas a few doors down. Food is cleaner and superior. read more

Growing up with Lebanese food, it's rare to find a restaurant that cooks just like your mother. Fatima's is just that place... the tabbouleh, hummus, baba, kafta, and kibbe taste like home-cooked dishes (and to me, very authentic). The spinach pies are delicious too. Really, you can't go wrong with anything here. I would recommend the takeaway as to eating at the restaurant, and I'm a consistent consumer of the takeaway rolls (kafta and falafel being my favorites). Great to grab lunch for eating at the nearby Prince Alfred Park... or to eat on the walk home late at night. Quite happy to live near this place! read more

We went to Fatima's last night. The four of us (2 couples) ordered the $35 banquet. There was very little food, probably only enough for 2 people. When we asked for more hummos, they wanted to charge $10 for a small plate, which was ridiculous. We ordered the banquet for 4 people, not the mixed plates as we were really hungry. We have never left a lebanese restaurant hungry before. Notwithstanding the above, the service was poor, they did not refill the lebanese bread, or water. The biggest waste of $140.00. We would never go back there again, we suggest to people to eat down the road for more food and better service. read more

Fatima's is my favourite Lebanese restaurant by far. I've tried most in the neighbourhood & none of them beat Fatima's. Being a vegetarian, my favourite dishes are runner beans, potatoes & parsley, fried cauliflower (to die for), and of course, freshly cooked falafel. Highly recommended. read more

Too much Lemon taste! It was just overpowering. My gf had a better experience the first time she came but we did order new things for her to try and they weren't up to expectations. I didn't mind it but have been to better read more

Whoa! This is easily the best falafel sandwich I've had in Sydney. The falafel balls were so crispy and delicious. I ponyed up the extra $0.70 for salad in the wrap and boy am I glad I did it. The tomatoes were so good. Their hot sauce is on point too. Something that seems to be a rarity in these parts. I hope this place doesn't have any anti-stalking rules. read more

So, I met a friend in the area on a rainy evening. He was hungry but I had just been at the dentist's and didn't feel much like eating. We ended up at Fatima's where my friend ordered a main and a side and we both ordered drinks. After the orders were taken, the owner himself came to our table telling that "in a place like this" he'd expect us to total at least 35$ each or we'd better takeaway. I said i wasn't well but no sympathy. We ended up leaving without eating - I was feeling even more miserable at that point. I'd like to point out that this happened mid week with the place was basically empty! read more

Nothing fancy but delicious Lebanese food. Great dips and fresh, homemade bread (they cook it while you wait). Yum! Very good kebabs.

I had the worst experience in my whole life by trying this restaurant . I ordered mixed Grilled meal where the lamb skewer was chewy and not barbecued well and when i complained about it the waiter asked me to pay double the price for cooking it as well done or to leave the place right now and this is what happened actually. They lack the minimum standards of a Lebanese or middle eastern restaurant. They don't even have olive oil which should be mixed with Hummus in any Lebanese restaurant and if you ask them to bring it they will bring you lime instead and will tell you straight away that we don't know it nor use it. read more

Owner served us (a party of 5 women) and seated us out the back, even though there were plenty of tables out the front and would not let us sit there. He was very rude to us and another group of ladies who were already there. When they went to pay, he said they did not accept eftpos, even though you could SEE the machine at the counter, and made the other ladies go across the street and get cash out; he made 2 of the ladies stay because he didn't trust them to not come back and pay. Totally sexist behaviour, so we left. Great food and service unless you are a white woman. read more

I got the chicken meat plate and a side of hummus/tabouli and a soda for about $20 AUD, which was sort of pricy. The food itself was good, but not amazing. Definitely say yes when they ask if you'd like the garlic sauce/dip, it was the tastiest thing on the menu. I bumped the rating up one star for this place because it felt like a friendly local place and the service was good. read more