I give one star only for the service. The quality of hummus is at the level of the commercial one. I would have otherwise give them a pass on the reheated Mojadra that I could not finish. My friend didn't really like the Shawrma and the whole visit was disappointing. Somebody take over the kitchen ! ( friendly and just what I think !) read more

Decent chain middle eastern food. Got the grilled lamb on this visit. It's serves with a tasty little salad and some mostly bland rice. The sauce it was swimming in was fantastic. Lemony, herby... Just really tasty. I could not get enough of this sauce and it complimented the lamb perfectly. Just loved sopping pieces of the fresh pita in it, wrapping this nicely drenched wrapper around a piece of lamb and going to town. The food came out a little slow given it was 2pm and not busy but, I'd definitely go back if in the area again. read more

It was good. I enjoyed the falafel! The stuffed grape leaves also delicious. My friend enjoyed her Anna' s plate. This was my first time here and since I did not know the lay of the land, I had to keep getting up to get a fork, refills on ice tea, yogurt sauce, napkin, straw, etc. A reminder of why I hate these kinds of restaurants! It was not relaxing at all!!! When I placed my order the girl did not tell me they would call my number (I did not hear any numbers called, partly because I was having a conversation and also because I did not know they call numbers!) The restaurant was fairly empty as it was a late lunch. SOOO...my food sat at the counter, cooling off, for quite sometime. (I figured they bring the food out like other restaurants of this nature) The counter girl finally came over to tell me my food was up. I guess she assumed I was here before and assumed I knew to jump up and get it! But at this point...if she came over to find me...why didn't she just bring me my food??? As I mentioned, It was a late lunch and the restaurant was fairly empty! I guess the reason I assumed they bring the food over is because when I paid with a credit card it had a line for the tip...which I filled in! So...why did I even fill in the tip? I feel like I got taken! This gave me a bad attitude towards the place and in my opinion a deal breaker. One other reviewer said it was cafeteria style seating and that is a great description! Tables were too close together! read more

Lebanese Taverna Cafe is a solid choice to head to in downtown SS. Not the best, not the worst, but pretty consistent. Depending on how hungry I am, I either get the Olivia's platter (3 mezza items) or the Kia's platter (4 mezza and shwarma). Their special hummus with meat is very good, the baba ghanoush is ok - not smoky enough for me - and I'm always torn about whether I should get the m'saka or shashouky - both eggplant dishes. I also like their kibbeh and falafel, and as noted in other reviews, their bread is oh so wonderful! However, if you're a big carnivore, don't go here. The meat portions tend to be small and pricey, and you'll be left wondering what else you can eat. read more

I have had not good and OK experiencesat this location, but never a great one. I ordered beef a couple months ago, and it was grayish, overcooked unflavorful dregs. I was shocked that it made it to my plate. I am happy they have many vegetarian options and like the overall menu and decor, but food is often not executed to my satisfaction. Besides, the portions leave me spending as much as a higher-end restaurant just to get full. Stick with hummus and baba ghanoush as a snack! read more

Foods are a lil bit pricey and for the money you pay, you wont get much food. Most important factor which is taste, SUCKs. I tried movzat it tasted so bad! read more

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

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The schwarma and chicken schwarma sandwiches are above average for a Lebanese place: the garlic and sauce they use is just the right amount, there is just the right amount of crispness on the surrounding pita so that it is not chewy, but not brittle. If you get the platters, the rice is good, the salad is tasty. The falafel is average. They do offer a nice ambiance, stereotypical Lebanese music, big nice windows to people watch, Chiclets with Arabic for sale and Lebanese drinks and candies in addition to the usual fare. They were pretty quick about doing everything made-to-order. A good lunch stop overall. read more

I'm a huge falafel fan, so one of my first orders of business after moving down to Maryland was to find a good falafel place. Lebanese Taverna Cafe is right across the street from my office, so it seemed like a good place to start. I gotta say, Maryland is off to a good start in my opinion, because this place is pretty fantastic. Lebanese is no usually my favorite style of falafel (I prefer Israel or Palestinian), but this was definitely relatively high on the list of good falafel I've had. I'll definitely be grabbing lunch here a lot in the future. read more

I met up with a friend for dinner at this place. If you're looking for fancy, authentic, gourmet Lebanese fare, this would definitely not be it. The interior reminds me more of a cafeteria nestled among several chain restaurants (Red Lobster, Macaroni Grill, etc.) in downtown Silver Spring. I gave them four stars because they serve some pretty decent food in generous portions for a reasonable (and dare I say relatively cheap) price. I recommend the Traditional Platter if you're especially hungry because it gives a balanced sample of protein, vegetables, and carbs. The dish comes with a couple of falafel pieces, generous portions of hummus and baba ganoush, one kibbeh, tabouleh salad, one grape leave roll, and some pita bread. The salad was refreshing, and overall the dish was a good value at $10. My friends also enjoyed the chicken shwarma and the salmon harra. read more

This has to be one of my favorite places to eat since childhood, this is not the location I went to as a child, but the food is still very good. I ordered the braised lamb with spiced rice. I probably had half a lamb leg in the box, there was so much tender meat. Everything paired well, and I'm still excited to go back in the future. read more

I'm not generally a big fan of deli/cafe style restaurants for dinner. If I'm going out for dinner, it means I don't want to have to do any work, and while the work at cafes may be minimal, it still counts as work. Lebanese is one of the few exceptions. The food is very good and cheap; the last time I was there, I had a Shwarma sandwich that was perhaps a little light on the sauce, but otherwise excellent. The other reason I like Taverna is the wine selection. I really like wine, and while the wine here isn't like what you'd find at a place like Proof or 701 (of course), it's still good, and it's very cheap at $5. read more

I have never ate Labanese food until now. I would have to say based on this experience it is not my favorite! I had the cheesy chicken sandwich. The chicken was dry, the sauce was way overpowering but the bread was soft. I did like their hummus that I got as my side. The side salad was bland with lots of onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. The service was just okay but seemed very much like a fast food restaurant so not very friendly and when you asked about products they just seemed to be like don't you know what that is? Overall, to try Lebanese food I would go somewhere else and give it a shot. I will probably not be back here again! read more

Decent spot for lunch. Generally quick enough for a lunch-break if you have an hour; fresh food and nice staff. have been eating here regularly for a couple years, and have never had a bad experience. read more

I have been to the Bethesda, D.C and Arlington locations but I feel the need to review this location in particular. Their food is delicious, no question about that. My first experience in the Silver Spring location at their cafe was a tad disappointing. We phoned to place an order for Chicken Shawarma, picked up our food, arrived home to realize they had given us Chicken M'sahab. We were like "ok cool... lets try this..." It was basically cheese, garlic sauce and chicken wrapped in a soft pita. Delicious BUT the size was ridiculous. It looked like they threw a $1.25 McDonald's Snack Wrap into a styrofoam carry out box, tossed in 3 spoonfuls of rice, and a few shreds of lettuce & onion and called it a meal. Puh-lease! Delicious? Yes. I am craving their garlic sauce right now especially with their fries. *mouth waters* BUT having portions the size of dollar menu items is not cool. :\ read more

I got the chicken shawarma, which is in Anna's Platter. It was my first time to eat chicken shawarma too, not bad at all. The flavour is there. What I like about is the salad and the freshly baked bread! read more

Lebanese Taverna - Anna's platter, chicken shawarma! Very flavorful! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Silver Spring, Maryland

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There are two Lebanese Tavernas I've eaten in, one in the Rockville Town Center and this one in Silver Spring . About the same review would apply to both of them, and in fact most of this review is copied from the one I just did of the Rockville one. They also have a few other locations, including one in Bethesda and one on Rockville Pike where I've gone by but never eaten. The Bethesda place seems to have a different, more expensive, menu. A lot of the stuff on the menu looks interesting but is too expensive to order for lunch, so I generally end up with the "traditional mezze platter." It's pretty good, including both a nice sample of kibbeh and falafel, but they've made it affordable by skimping on the portion size, I think. One think I always order is a weird currant-flavored red soda called Vimto that I've never seen anywhere else. My wife tasted it once or twice and turned up her nose -- of course her choice to drink is an Iranian-style yogurt drink they also have (but so does Moby Dick, for example) so we just have different tastes in beverages. But again it comes in a small 12-oz can and costs quite a bit for such a small portion, so the theme continues -- I like the food but I think the place is overpriced. read more

I really like the food here. Sometimes it can be a hit or miss. For example, the chicken shawarma is dry, cold and cut into the tiniest pieces vs. other times it's moist, juicy, heated up and in larger portions. It's a nice place for lunch, more on the expensive side. The reason this doesn't get higher than a 3 star is because I know the employees or management do NOT clean the soda machine regularly. Every time I get a soft drink, press on the Sierra Mist, my soda has black things floating in it. Every time. I kid you not. So maybe skip the fountain soda and get a bottled beverage instead. read more

What happened? I've been here many times over the years and had great experiences but last night was a fail. New smaller location around the corner was easy enough to get to. The staff seemed to be adjusting to the new system, not yet streamlined so one order was incorrect. The sad part was the food. Dry and super salty schwarma, the leftovers at the end of the day. I left more than half the meal in my paper bowl. No more plates nor silverware, paper and plastic now, old school plastic too, not eco-friendly. I'll go back for the garlic sauce to go, and ask for it to be freshly packed. The one I picked up to-go, pre-packed was labeled the 5th and it was already the 8th. Clean up started before closing time. Complimentary sauces were removed early from the dining area and the lights started dimming to get the customers out. It felt like a business consultant came in and told them how to cut corners to save/make money. They also took the quality, charm and service. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by this place, whose middling Yelp reviews kept me away from it. A friend told me it was good, so we went last night. We shared a "Lebanese feast," which offered a large plate of 12 different, mostly vegetarian options for $27. Everything was delicious. I found the ambiance, portion size, and ingredient quality to be fantastic in the context of the price. They also had a good alcohol selection, where most items cost $6. I got a wonderful Spanish red wine from the Jumilla region. They have two Old Dominion beers on tap. They also have Lebanese beer and wine options; the red Lebanese wine was not great. They also have bottles of Stella, Yuengling, Amstel Light, and other standard imports. To be able to drink quality wine and have authentic, fresh cuisine in the DC metro area is something that is rare under $20/person. I'm surprised there haven't been more 5-star reviews. Perhaps the other entrees are not as good, but another friend was thoroughly satisfied with his shawarma. read more

The food here is, at best, just average, with the meats dried out and the vegetables wilted. The tzatziki sauce is likely the cheapest partially hydrogenated soybean oil obtainable, a very poor substitute for the authentic product, made with real yogurt. Staffed by not-too-helpful employees who seem to be too tired (and likely underpaid) to really care. There's much better Lebanese food in a better eating environment to be had in the area. read more

I have definitely experienced better Lebanese food. The food was not at all what I expected and it was expensive. The decor could definitely use a retouch, it looks like it hasn't been maintained since the place opened. read more

Our family orders the mezze platter from Lebanese Taverna at least monthly. We enjoy everything about it and we also enjoy the slight differences in flavor and texture for the hummus, babaganoush, and salad. We imagine different cooks imposing their wills in the kitchen and the food is always very nutritious and delicious. My daughter's favorite is the half circle savory pastry filled with cheese, I love (everything, but especially) the babaganoush, and my husband loves the grape leaves and tabouleh. The fresh pita is delicious, especially with the addictive, garlicky, white mayonnaise. read more

I first got to know Lebanese Taverna on Connecticut Avenue when I lived downtown. After I moved to Silver Spring, I was so happy to see the cafe open -- but I wondered if the quality would be as good. The answer is a resounding yes. The shawarma, kabobs, hummus, and meze platters are outstanding. Great for carryout -- call ahead to reduce your wait. Try to hummus special -- the meat and pine nuts are a nice addition. read more

I'm lucky. I'm on a diet, and am supposed to eat really small portions. Fortunately, the ridiculously small falafel sandwich fits into a woman's opera purse. Do these guys know that Amsterdam Falafel and others are blowing them out of the water with full size meal falafel sandwiches? read more

I have been to the Bethesda location which has a very different vibe than this spot. This location is very accessible and laid back. you seat yourself, stand in line to order and they call your number. For dinner I had the Kibbeh lamb and the fatayer trio with two beef and one cheese. The lamb came with rice and pita bread. Everything was delicious as well as the small piece of baklava I had. My total was a bit more than I'd want to spend between 20-25$ including a fountain soda. They have a good amount of alternative beverages and wines. The bathroom is clean and accessible. They can accommodate larger groups and the tables are moveable and can accommodate someone who requires wheelchair access. read more

I got take out here. The food was very disappointing. I ordered the quarter chicken of dark meat with potatoes. The chicken was under-seasoned and the Skin was not crispy, very flaccid. The potatoes were just boiled with almost no seasoning. My girlfriend got the chicken kabob. Im pretty sure the sauce was Tostitos salsa or at least it tasted that way. The rice was under-seasoned as well. Pretty much no flavor or spice all around. This is about as far from lebanese food as you can get. Dont waste your time. read more

The atmosphere is very warm and inviting. They have a lot of options to choose from as well as a decent selection. I ordered the Kia Platter that consisted of Lebneh (great), cheese fatayer (great), kibbeh, and M'saka salad ( great flavor but not my favorite) I felt like the lamb was very very dry and tough. I will go back here and try other things. read more

I had a lamb w rice. It wasnt bad. But my friends' were not good... idk i like here tho

This place is fantastic. Easily one of the best Mediterranean joints in the DC area. The menu here, in Silver Spring, is about the same as the other locations but half the price because it is the "cafe." I will happily pay half the price to get my own beverage and silverware. I'm a big fan of Kia's Platter so I can try different mezza items every time (four items, plus shawarma for only $11). ASK FOR THE GARLIC WHIP, its free but you have to ask. AMAZING!! read more

I've enjoyed meals at several of the restaurants and the cafes in the area - in fact, it is probably one of my top 3 favorites in the area. The quality of the food is consistent across the board: when you order a mezza platter in the cafe it contains the same delicious ingredients as the restaurant dining room. (The falafel and shakshouky are my favorites!) Props to them for that. The Silver Spring location is on prime real estate: located just behind the fountain and courtyard where people gather for outdoor summer concerts, etc. It is convenient, and I am sure their business is great because of it. Of course, this heavy foot traffic comes at a price. The cafe is very busy and it is hard to find a table in peak hours. If you do find one, you will be within a few inches of the party next to you, so it is not conducive to conversation. If you want something quick and/or take-out, this is perfect. However, if you want to have dinner with a friend and good conversation, you will be better off somewhere else. read more

I tried this restaurant for the first time two days ago. My summary is that it's okay but not fabulous. It's very convenient if you're going a movie at one of the nearby theatres, which is what my friends and I were doing. I ordered the traditional mezza platter and really liked the hummus, which was very smooth and creamy, and the pita bread, which was nice and fluffy. The rest of the platter was simply okay. I think those with large appetites will find the portion size satisfactory; a guy at my table was concerned about the traditional mezza platter being too small, but he wound up feeling full after the meal. He did ask for extra kibbeh to be substituted for the tabbouleh, and the staff accommodated his request. Turns out he did himself a favor regarding the tabbouleh. It tasted good for the first few spoonfuls, but after that I began to have a bad taste in my mouth, which even after having something sweet for dessert, lingered for the next few hours. I normally don't have that type of reaction happening after eating tabbouleh elsewhere. Since I've never eaten at the full-service locations of Lebanese Taverna, I'd like to try one of them to see if the food is a little better. read more

I'll make this short and sweet: 1. The prices are high. 2. The portions are pretty small. 3. It takes a long time to get your food. 4. The service is unfriendly. 5. But the food tastes pretty good. There are too many great Mediterranean places in DC with better prices to come back here. I don't see how they're going to stay in business with a subpar experience like that. read more

The cafeteria-style restaurant has good middle Eastern cuisine at reasonable prices. The service is not friendly, but you can get past that. We sat on the patio because the weather was a nice and it's great for people-watching by the fountain, but we had to bring our food out through a very heavy door. read more

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

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It's awesome, I had their food from a friend's home catering party. And we came back here and ordered stew lamb shank which is tender and juicy with big amount of rice and pita on the side. read more

I've always gone to the Lebanese Taverna in Rockville so I thought this place would be no different. Really isn't, even though they call it a Cafe...I honestly don't see the difference in the menu items there and here. The food is identical and that is a good thing. I go with my staple, the Shawarma platter. You can't go wrong with this safe bet, it's the ham and cheese of the Middle East (maybe not seeing as how I just made that up right now). The meat is cooked well and spiced just right. I would give this place a 5 but I had one small mole-hill that I've decided to turn into a mountain. The roasted potatoes are always perfect at the Rockville location. When I bit into my first potato here, I knew something was wrong. It seems that it's either cooked for too long or its old because it is too dry and chewy. I thought this might have been a one time issue, but it's hit or miss. One day I'll get the potatoes I want, the next I won't...it's like a game of chance everytime I order. That's why I go with the rice now... read more

If you've been to Lebanese Taverna and come here looking for that full service restaurant experience you've come to the wrong place. But even with that fact in mind, should you find yourself in downtown silver spring give the little quaint establishment a try. The cafe menu has mezza (appetizers) sandwiches, platters & entrees and a kids menu. They're also very gluten-free friendly, labeling their gluten free options on the menu and providing gluten-free options on certain menu items. They has have an allergen menu and a variety of vegan and vegetarian options. There's usually plenty of enough space to sit inside or if you fancy you can sit outside in their patio and be front seat to some primo people watching. It's great for a casual outing or a quick lunch. read more

Excellent customer service! Marcelle, the manager at the Fenton street Silver Spring location was super nice and accommodating to my indescribable appetite. The chicken samosa and falafel were fresh and great! I highly recommend it! read more

This is my favorite source for fattoush. I'm not sure why, exactly, although the pomegranate molassas dressing might have something to do with it. It just tastes better to me than the fattoush from other Middle Eastern restaurants I've tried. The moussaka is also extremely good. These are my favorite appetizers at Lebanese Taverna, and the baba ganouj runs a close third (good smoky flavor). Those, plus maybe lebneh, which is also respectable, in one of the combo platters (there's one platter that involves choosing 4 mezze and adding meat, and I always get that and give the meat to my friends--have to be careful about the meat touching the rest of the food, though) and I'm perfectly happy. Most (all?) platters come with pita bread, which I've always found fresh and hot and crisp. The rice is fairly uninteresting; I would skip it and substitute something else (I've done this in the past, they don't seem to mind). They serve wine and beer, which is convenient, but I usually get the lemonade instead. It has an interesting flavor--rose or orange blossom, maybe? It's very good, regardless, if a little bit expensive. Mondays are half-priced sandwich days! Good to keep in mind if you eat meat, although if you're vegetarian it might not matter, because, while the falafel sandwich is good, the mezze are better. read more

I have to explain my strange bathroom story that I experienced here -- I really had to tinkle and got up 3 times to try to use the restroom. Every time I came to the door, it was occupied. Whoever was in it, was in there for a very longgg time. During my last attempt, a lady waiting behind me obviously had stomach issues. She was skipping around and became so agitated with the long wait that she made her way into the men's room. I'm a patient person, so I decided to continue to wait for whoever was in the women's. 2 minutes after tapping my foot repetitively, a tall GENTLEMAN walks out wearing a lady's wig and red lipstick. He/She? half grinned at me as they walked away. Can somebody please tell me what the hell he doing in there that whole time?! Onto an actual review: I don't know if I had high expectations, but throughout my entire meal I kept thinking, "Is this right? Is it supposed to be tasting this way?" The lebneh dip reminded me of sour cream in every way; from the texture, color, flavor, etc. It appeared as though they scooped sour cream into a bowl, threw in some olives and decided to call it lebneh. I could only handle two pieces of the grape leaves. The second one I had to force myself to eat. It was way too sour. This is coming from a person who loves grape leaves! I ordered the Traditional platter as my entree; It consists of: hommos, tabouleh, baba ghanouge, kibbeh, and falafel. I wasn't a huge fan of the hommos, but my boyfriend loved it. The baba ghanouge was good with my kibbeh. The falafel reminded me of burnt hush puppies. I really tried to like my meal, but I was salivating as I watched the boyfriend eat his lamb kabob across the table. I had high hopes for this place so I want to try again. Next time, I am going to surely order something else.. maybe even try the actual restaurant instead of the cafe version. read more

i am not a big fan of lebanese food, i guess because most of the dishes have meat in them, and i am vegan. the menu is not very vegetarian / vegan friendly, i think that there were maybe 3 dishes on the menu. i ended up getting a vegetable salad, which was not very big at all. it was tasty, but did not fill me up. i did like that you do get a side of bread with the salad. i am a big fan of bread, and it was quite tasty. i did get a extra side of bread for free, which was nice. another plus is that they have beer, not a big selection, but they have it. the prices where decent too. so over all its not a bad place, not the best for vegetarians. i give it a 3 because its not a vegetarian friendly, but the prices are good, and they have bread. fyi - they are next to cake love, which does have vegan cookies and cake. read more