After a 5pm movie at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, we stepped into Lebanese Taverna for a casual dinner before heading back to our hotel. I was hungry and ordered with my eyes, so I ordered too much to share and we ended up packing a bunch home. (That pita bread lasted us for a few days!) If zaatar is on the menu, I have to order it. We also got hummus (so creamy and good). The pita bread was so soft and tasty. He ordered a falafel salad and I got the chicken shawarma. Note: there are also a bunch of sauces at a station near the counter where you pick up your orders - the harissa and garlic sauce (white, fluffy sauce) are really good! *chef's kiss* We sat inside and ate. There was a lot of seating available and the windows offer a airy feel when you're in there. The place was clean and well taken care of. The staff behind the counter were friendly... In sum, it's a good casual spot to grab a bite of tasty Lebanese food for a reasonable price! FYI - if you're into labneh, they have bottles in the cold cases! read more

Lebanese Taverna - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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I stopped by Lebanese Taverna to grab a quick dinner. Before I get into the my food experience, I'll start with my experience with the service. Upon arriving to the restaurant, I saw a father and his toddler-aged child sitting at a table and a person waiting for their orders. The father and his child were dining in and the other person was getting his food to go. As part of the protocol, I went to the counter to place an order to dine in and grabbed a table to wait for my food. While waiting for my food, the lady at the counter brought the food to the guy waiting for his to go order and later to the guy waiting with his daughter. However, when my dinner was ready, she gestured to me to pick up my food at the counter. At first, I thought nothing of it. While I was eating, a group of 3-4 people arrived to dine in. Again, the lady behind the counter brought their orders to their table (she had to make a couple of trips to their table). I hate to ask this (and perhaps, I'm reading too much into this), but why was I the only person who had to go to the counter to get my order even though I was dining-in? In general, it's not a huge deal for me to pick up my food from the counter. However, it does become a slight issue (at least for me), when I'm the only person who had to do it. During my visit, there were four dine in orders (including mine), and the lady walked three out of four orders to the folks dining...with me being the exception. Actually, I get it would be more than four total orders because the lady had to make multiple trips for the table of 3-4 diners. Added to this situation, I was the only Black person dining in the restaurant. Perhaps, it was an oversight from the lady at the counter, but I saw this as a slight microaggression. Now that I've got that off of my chest, I can get into the food. The restaurant offers a menu that consists of various flatbreads, salads, combo platters, sandwiches, and rice bowls. For my dining pleasure, I ordered a shawarma combo, which comes with two sides. For my two sides, I went with a side salad and fries. The combo with tip and a can soda was about $19. Overall, I thought the food was fine and worth the value; however, the beef and chicken were a little too salty for my tastes. I will say that the portion sizes are pretty generous because my dish was jammed packed with chicken and beef. The shawarma definitely was large enough for two meals. The restaurant has a mini fixings bar (only for dine-in customers) that includes yougurt, tahini, and a couple of other things that I cannot remember. Overall, the restaurant was pretty clean and a nice a nice layout conducive to dining in or taking your food to go. read more

Located in downtown, Silver Spring. The service was nice and the food was healthy and good. Nice alternative than unhealthy fast foods. We ordered: 3*Tabouleh: healthy and good. 3*Baba Ghanoush: per normal 3*Mixed Shawarma Sandwich: lots of meat, Solid meal. I liked the garlic paste sauce. read more

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I went today with my mother and I had the chicken shawarma bowl and she had the falafel bowl. I also had the garlic with fries. The food was good. The fries were crisp and not too salty. The chicken and falafel were fresh. I liked the Tahini sauce and the garlic sauce. This isn't our first time there. The last time we went my mother didn't enjoy it as much. I didn't mind it last time though, I thought it was ok. This time was better for both of us. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Garlic with fries, date drink, lemonade, chicken shawarma salad bowl and falafel salad bowl - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

8/21 Not the same for worse... They moved a street over across from the SS package store and next to a public parking lot. Has more street presence BUT - more of a typical fast casual now - limited menu with zero authenticity - friendly staff but UNDERSTAFFED - SLOW I got something similar to Anna's platter but wasn't good.... did not finish the food. This is my last visit....another one down :-/ read more

Lebanese Taverna - Lebanese Feast - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Had lunch here the other day. My husband really enjoyed the traditional platter. He ordered it with beef shawarma. I built my own platter. I chose to get falafel as my protein but was sad to see only two were on my plate and they were not large. Tried the kibbeh and chicken samosa but did not love them. I do however love the baba ghanoush. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Pick Your Platter Kibbeh Chicken Samosa Pastries Msaka Baba Ghanoush - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Hey, we love the garlic . We love the food but the order was screwed up and there was no way to contact em quickly! Sooooo here we are ... DONT ORDER KIDS FOOD ... we asked for chicken (great!) and with chicken shwarma. But no shwarma ... A 'bait and switch ' we got fries. We don't want fries we want kids chicken shawarma . We rarely complain ... see review history folks but this was really lousy. Two stars read more

Lebanese Taverna - Looking for my kids shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

How hard is it to check a bag for 4 total items? Good food, but I am sad my main side was missing. No help from doordash. read more

Finally some excellent hummus and baba! The falafel were fair, better than cava. The chicken was tiny small pieces, not big chunks on a skewer like I expected. I loved the cucumber yogurt dip as well as the tabouli both were so fresh. My husband said the basmati rice & hummus were both delicious but he thought the chicken was dry. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Taverna Platter with chicken - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

Came here for lunch with family recently to the new location. I ordered a falafel sandwich and my family member ordered a lamb bowl. The sandwich was delicious. It was my first time and I almost missed the toppings bar. I loaded up the sandwich right away. They don't have lamb bowls, but we're very accommodating to substitute it out. The whole order came with two loafs that the sandwich came in. We took it home and ate it with dinner. So much food for the price! read more

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Unfortunately after being very considerate and waiting 10 minutes for a gentleman to take my order his Name was Valerio as he got very upset that I was in line there no costumers therefore I don't understand the attitude there was no greeting no salutation just a "what do you want " as I've worked in the food industry for over 15 years and knowing how hard it's to retain costumers I was just very desapointed on his behavior I've come to this place I the past and service was OK but this time it was terrible aslo my food was cold and as I requested a change the gentleman just rolled his eyes and said I'm on the phone please be careful when this gentleman is on shift read more

Lebanese Taverna - Emly restaurant terrible service no excuse to be so unkind to costumers - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Food is really good; my only problem is when the entire chain split their locations from some full menu, to others only serving a light menu. read more

I came here for lunch on a Saturday and it wasn't that busy. We walked up to the counter and ordered the Kafta (grilled ground beef and lamb, hommus, radish and onion) and Shawarma (beef and lamb with lettuce and tahini). It probably took about 10 minutes for our order. Between the two, I preferred the Kafta but I couldn't taste the hommus. Because the Kafta has ground beef and lamb, it was tender and moist (since it's ground beef and lamb, it's essentially a hamburger), and I liked the acid from the radish and crunch from the onion. The meat in the Shawarma wasn't as tender - I was expecting it to be like gyro meat, but it wasn't - and the sandwich needed more freshness. There's free WiFi here. As a Silver Spring native, I'll probably come here again but I wouldn't order those sandwiches again. read more

Ran in to grab lunch on a Thursday afternoon, but had to use the restroom. Was reminded that the restroom is for paying customers only. No other patrons in the restaurant. This is alienating. Keeping folks away from using a restroom, simply because they are not paying is dehumanizing. read more

Sitting here waiting on my order. This is by far the most delicious middle eastern food I have tasted. Always fresh, clean and friendly. So many choices. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I dine here at this location often. My favorite meals are the vegetarian selection. Especially the Tabuleh and Babaganoughs. They have cut down the portions and increased the sodium. I guess for to preserve & resell. So if you have HBP watch out. I have also learnt to make them at home. However, it does not come out the same but sharpening the skills everytime. I take the over rated portions home and mix them with more vegies, to the Babaganough, such as cucumber,carrots, tomatoes and sometimes plain yogurt to lower the sodium taste. Tried to talk to the cashier, they donot look empowered to listen. Maybe they need to know some of their clients are "restauranteurs". Savy diners who indulge on tasty international food. Even chefs & cooks So a little enthusiasm to show you are 100% behind what is being produced in your restaurant. Overall, they could do better!!!i read more

Very very average :/ I'm only giving it two stars based off the space of the restaurant, easy/cheap parking in the the garage, and the location. Keep in mind when I came, there were a lot of families with kids, I enjoyed it, but I do know some people don't like when there's a lot of kids due to noise. I really expected better food. The rice was amazing, and that's really all I ate. I ordered the lamb shawarma with salad and rice, my cousin ordered the chicken shawarma and fries, the kids I came with ordered the grilled chicken strips and rice. My lamb shawarma just didn't fast fresh and well seasoned. I was pretty sad about it because I've actually had better shawarma bought at a food truck. The fries my cousin ordered tasted old and not that great. The hummus was good and I like the big pita things you dip into your hummus, but that was really it. Expected more from this place. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Lamb shawarma, average. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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My sister & her husband like this place, and they usu. order several different things and share. Portions are generous. My sister brought me here last wknd, and we shared "Kia's Platter" which includes your choice of 4 mezza items plus chicken or beef shawarma. All this for just $10.95, and it was plenty of food for 2 people. We picked the Baba Ghannouge (good), 2 Falafels (good), Kibbeh (ok), Shakshouky (good), and the Chicken Shawarma (flavorful but salty). The platter also comes with a couple of very large and puffy pita bread ... yum :) We didn't get the kabobs but my sister said they're very good, too. FYI - garage parking available but rates are very low. Restaurant doesn't validate parking. This restaurant has 4 locations. read more

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My Girlfriend and I come to the area to visit our friends who live locally about once a month. We have been to this area of town several times and dined at many of the establishments in this area. This was our first time at the cafe. We love the rich variety of food the DC area and surrounding towns have to offer. Every time we visit we do our best to try different cultures foods. The quality of food here was high and the service is quick. You order as you walk in, like Panera bread, and then the food is either called out or brought to your table. The prices are very reasonable and the food is very tasty. If you are looking for a lunch or less formal dinner, or quick meal which is much better than fast food chains, this is the place. read more

Very good and authentic Lebanese food right in downtown silver spring. Had the shawarma chicken combo and it was really too much food for one person read more

Lebanese Taverna - Menu - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

This restaurant is great for a vegan who loves Lebanese food. The selection is limited but what they do have is decent. I was hoping for more selection of meat items but it isn't meant to be. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

This place used to be good. Last night's order will be my last. The falafels were hard and dry, making me a think they have been reheated several times. The large salad is inedible: black olives are tiny and dry (as in out of the brine for some time), the pickled turnips tasted old and odd and so did the feta. The zaatar flatbread did not have labneh as listed and actually had too much zaatar. The soup is the usual star but it was greasier. I deduct there is not enough business to replenish these items and optimize freshness. read more

We used to enjoy this place. We love Middle Eastern food and this seems to be the closest restaurant. Unfortunately, since it became LebTav, the food comes in at least 1 of the following 3 ways (we've ordered from here at least ten times in the past year): 1. Too salty 2. Too dry 3. Incorrect or missing items read more

Wow. What a surprise. I came here with my girlfriend expecting some mediocre food slapped together that you waited to hear your number called for pick up. What I got was fresh ingredients. Amazing taste, solid customer service experience and what they get is a happy return customer! We ordered our food sat down and it was brought to us. I ordered the chicken Sharma salad. Fresh lettuce with hand cut radishes feta cheese chunks and olives with warm wonderful chicken generously laid on top. I recommend coming here very much. Great little light date night with the girlfriend. read more

Lebanese Taverna has such yummy food. I used to go to this restaurant In Bethesda all the time, but then years ago it shut down. Whenever I am in the Tysons area, I visit this location!! The food is delicious! Being vegan and gf works here. I love the lentil soup, falafel, hummus, and babaganoush!! It's all yummy and the outdoor space is gold when it's nice out. I wish there was a closer location near me. read more

I'm not sure why there are so many negative reviews here. I came here 2 days in a row while in the area for a work event. Everything I've ordered is flavorful and fresh. The meat was never dried out or bland. I especially love their garlic sauce! The platters are a great deal. read more

Did not like this place at all. I will not be going back. Food was bland. I was so dissolved

I've been to Lebanese Taverna a number of times, but I haven't been completely wowed by anything on the menu. Still, I decided to give it another shot tonight. I ordered the Olivia's platter, which comes with a choice of three mezze items. I decided on the hummus; fattoush (a salad with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, and pita chips drizzled with pomegranate dressing); and spinach fatayer (stuffed pastry). The hummus was smooth and delicious and tasted good with the cold, refreshing salad and yummy spinach pastry. I tried a piece of my friend's salmon harra dish. The salmon was nicely seasoned, but its supporting cast of bland white rice and house salad was a huge letdown. I also sampled the rotisserie chicken, which tasted dry. It could have definitely used a bit of marinated dressing on top. Verdict: Lebanese Taverna has some decent dishes ideal for a quick, filling meal at a low cost. read more

A little piece of Silver Spring History: The banquette in the front of the restaurant is constructed from a curved stone wall that was once a part of the original 1950's Silver Barber Shop's rear wall. The plaza itself was constructed in 1938 and was one the first strip plazas in the US; unique because it featured a street front parking lot whereas most malls liked to have their window displays facing the street to entice customers in. History lesson over. Lebanese Taverna is good, quick and cheap. The decor is pleasant. The background music is nice. It is not fancy and does not have table service like in Bethesda, that's why it's called a cafe. ;) The hommos is cheap ($3.95) and served with ample warm, puffy pita bread. A real bargain if you ask me. The baba ghannouge ($4.50) is good too, but I prefer the hommos. Fatayer trio - three mini savory pies; spinach, cheese or meat, are very good if you want a small snack. I like the cheese best. They are similar to tyropitas (or tyropitakias as they are referred to in various "Greektowns" across the country). This is my number one choice for summer grazing while shopping in downtown Silver Spring. read more

Golly. I really wanted to love this place because I heard the actual Lebanese Taverna (not the cafe version) is really good, but for the cafe, you get 3 stars. This is why: My friend ordered the djaj m'sahab and gave me a piece of her pulled chicken. It looked amazing, smelled nice and garlicy, but tasted DRY LIKE SAND. That was pretty disappointing. However, I was diggin her hommos...literally...hehe The prices are actually very reasonable, especially if you order one of the platters. I got the Olivia platter (3 mezzas for $8) and chose the tabouleh, shakshouky, and Lebanese salad. I have to say I enjoyed the tabouleh, and the Lebanese salad was okay. The shakshouky, in my opinion, was WAY too oily, but man, the flavors were on point. They should really work on not leaving a soup of oil on the plate though. I had to soak it up with napkins..... Um, the bread was nice and soft for about 10 minutes...then it got hard and stale. The bread gets 1 star for being free. Anyway, I would probably come back to try out some other mezzas and entrees, but I do NOT recomment the Djaj M'sahab sandwich!!! I'm definitely going to try out the non-cafe version of Lebanese Taverna as well. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Olivia's Platter: Shakshouky, Tabouleh, Lebanese salad - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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Slightly dissatisfied. The chicken was dry and under seasoned and the tomato sauce they used came from a can. The only decent thing about this dish was the side salad. Overall, poor service and below average food for a costly meal. Won't be back. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

The food is terrific and affordable. I used an online coupon and asked for an all veggie version of their Lebanese Feast. Their staff was so friendly and accommodating with my special requests. One of my favorite restaurants! read more

Lebanese Taverna - Len anese Feast - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

If you're looking for authentic Lebanese food in the DMV that hits close to home-- this is it. I grew up near Dearborn MI (home of largest population of Arabs outside the Middle East) so I'm spoiled by that high bar but also constantly craving a solid Arab meal fix. I'm so glad I found it here and have a go to to return to time and again, I've been here twice now and it was consistently delicious and authentic read more

Lebanese Taverna - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

I like this branch because it is self-served and I always get the schwarma sandwich. It comes with a salad and a generous portion of fries, which is very filling for the price. The chef's mezze plater is something that I miss from the actual restaurant, though. For that go to Bethesda or the Pentagon Row. read more

While visiting Silver Spring MD, at the downtown Courtyard, I immediately jumped onto Yelp looking for some Middle Eastern food to eat. This place popped up based on how close it was. I ignored the 3 star rating (shut up) and went to see this place for myself. Very basic menu and kinda over priced. I'm not sure if it's me or what, but I expected more, even from a Yelped 3 star restaurant. Nothing wowed me at all and I probably won't go back. Not that it was nasty, it's just I want to taste SOMETHING yummy somewhere in a $40 dinner. I got a chicken schwarma sandwich ($8), with a side of kibbie ($6), and a drink ($2). My wonderful wife got chicken kabob dinner with a side salad and rice ($13) and a drink ($2). We spilt some spicy hummus ($7). The kibbie, schwarma, and kabobs were just average. The salad was small and plain with no flavor. Rice is kinda hard to screw up (except for my wife, haha). The hummus tasted out of a can with Cayenne pepper and dried red peppers on top. The best part was the bread you get with it. We sat outside under one of the umbrellas which was nice. Well, minus the stale beer smell that kept wafting our way from somewhere or somebody. (It wasn't me, either). It was nice to try some middle eastern from someplace new. But that's all I got to say about that. read more

Pleasantly surprised at how fresh and flavorful the food was. I had the salmon with rice, salad, hummus and pita. Loved all of it. Giving 4stars only bc menu is not extensive (but maybe that's what you do to provide freshness). I'm a baklava snob and theirs was great! Right amount of crunchiness, not soggy, not overly sweetened. I got the traditional walnut but they have pistachio and cashew. I will return ! read more

Ever since Lebanese Taverna moved to their new location in Silver Spring, we have noticed that the portions are much smaller and the quality of food has dropped significantly. Purchased a lamb sandwich where a hunk of meat was pushed into the bread which was falling apart. I was asked if I would like to add two sides and make it a platter only to find that the sides were a joke. The salad was made up some wilted lettuce and no tomatoes and there were about 10 fries on the plate. Never going back. Terrible. Take a look at the photo I am posting. I'd much rather go to Cava to quell my middle eastern food craving. Better food and much better prices. Save your money, avoid Lebanese Taverna. read more

The shawarma here was horrible... the meat is horrible quality and dry, and they don't give all the vegetables that I'm used to having with it. Boo, I didn't even finish mine. My fries were pretty good though... the best thing I ate was the humus, they gave good bread to eat with it. But by far the best thing offered here are their drinks. I got a lemonade, probably full of sugar, hah. And I tried my friends' Best Mango and Best Guava drinks. You should just come here get, drinks, and go to one of the other restaurants to eat... read more

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I tried the mix platter. The meat and chicken had a nasty smoke flavor. The Falafel's are mediocre and the sauce served with it is sour. The eggplant was also sour. I make better tzatziki at home. The only positive comment I have is for the rice. The rice alone moved them up to 2 stars. I'm glad I have better options in Alexandria. read more

Ok I had the lamb fatten which took 30 min to come put. They need to work on their time serving food. This was my first time tasting Lebanese food and the fatten was yummy but rich. Caution: the yogurt is hot ( temperature ). It was ok and after asking my friends about their dishes it gets a two star. Don't go out of your way to eat there. read more

Lebanese Taverna - Inside the restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland