Back again and they dId not disappoint. HaD the grape leaves and really good. Only DEARBORN beats these. Authentic and worth itt. Great device too. I'll see you again! read more

I love the rotisserie chicken and garlic whip, hummus with homemade pitas and orange blossom ice cream.

I am a fan of Lebanese food and for me, this is one of best restuarant I've come across. You might want to call atleast in the morning for dinner reservation. The place has a heavy influx. The ambience is subtle and sets you in a good mood. I went with a friend and we ordered vegetarian food. First thing we noticed is the plesantaries the staff exchange with you. They are all friendly and extremely hospitable. The complimentary Pita breadserved with olive oil and sesame dip was a great start while we decided on our order. Like the reviews suggest, the 'Walnut Dip' is delectable. The Hummus dip, the Taverna Fafafel and the Pita bread itself had an authentic appeal. The best part was that the staff kept asking us if we need more Pita bread and ensured we experience the cuisine to the fullest. The 'Baklava' for dessert had a perfect texture. The Orange Blossom they use in the desserts has a rich flavor to it and makes the desserts even more palatable. Overall, an amazing experience. I would love to go back to this place and try the rest of their menu. read more

Phoenician Taverna - The complimentary Pita Bread and Sesame dip; The famous Walnut Dip and Hummus. :) - Mediterranean Near Me - Mason, Ohio

I can not say enough good things about this place. The food is always wonderful, service is spot on and the atmosphere is lovely. However the very best thing about this place is the owner. He is always there and takes the time to stop at every table to chat. It is so very evident that the good example he sets is mirrored by every employee. read more

Great food and great service. The owner is alway there, attentive to all customers. Highly recommended.

Amazing, tasteful, authentic cuisine with a warm, relaxed, upscale vibe. Highly recommend!

Very filling! We had a flatbread with hummus and fries and falafel and needed a nap after! Very fast service and a great vibe to it.

One of our fave date nights or family meals. The fresh pita and hummus is the best! I love their shawarma mix and my hubby loves their lamb shank. I also enjoy their lunch so I can get a sampler! Everything is delicious full of flavor and fresh. Tabouleh, baba ganoush, and the walnut dip (forgot what it's called) are all amazing! Oh and the garlic whip!!! I could eat that with a spoon!!! read more

The food is outstanding, and the service was also very good. The pita bread is the best I've ever had. My wife and I each had a mezza and split an entree (chicken kebab). We also shared the baklava for dessert, which has its own unique flavor and was terrific. We'll definitely be going back! read more

One of my favorite restaurants in the greater Cincinnati area, offering fantastic Mediterranean/Lebanese cuisine. read more

Phoenician Taverna - Mediterranean Near Me - Mason, Ohio

Absolutely delicious. And the service is phenomenal! The owner is very attentive. Very clean place.

Thinking about writing this review has already got me amped for my next visit! I stopped by for dinner with a friend the other night after stalking Yelp and we were both blown away. While the drive was a bit of stretch, about 25 mins from OTR, we would easily make it again. This place is nestled in a strip mall, but don't let that deter your opinion. The seating is spacious and there were a number of tables full on a Wednesday night. We were quickly met and sat with a quick explanation of the menu. Everything we ordered was phenomenal. My partner was of Mediterranean descent and did most of the ordering. Overall we had: - Hommus: the creamiest! The pita that comes out is fresh from the oven and inflated, an amazing combination - Spinach pies - Falafel: hands down the best version I have ever had - Kibbeh laketeen (pumpkin): one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten - Kibbeh nayeh (lamb): I did not partake but my partner said these were phenomenal Overall i would easily order everything above. For the vegetarians in your life, there are more than enough veggie dishes and they even have a veggie platter with a little bit of everything if you're too lazy to pick (I'll probably due this next time I'm here). After our meal, the manager stopped by to ask how our meal was and to discuss the nuances of their kitchen. The recipes he uses have been passed down and tweaked in his family and he had a particular passion & excitement of sharing it with us. We were stuffed from dinner but he insisted on dessert and had baklava delivered to our table. Imo, my mother has the best baklava in the world- until I tried these: the perfect flakiness balanced with optimal nut and honey flavors. Don't skip over if you stop by! read more

I arrived on a Saturday at 5:45 to a half empty restaurant and nobody waiting for a table. Asked for a table for one, the hostess replied you can sit at the bar. I replied, I would much rather have a table. They said they were booked and showed me all the pending reservations for hypothetical customers that would hypothetically fill the rest of the restaurant. I just said thank you and left. Paying customers or hypothetical customers??? Seems like this restaurant has poor management and seating priorities. It's to bad the food looked pretty good. But this was a fail in customer service which is priority one. read more

Great authentic middle eastern cuisine served in a relaxing atmosphere and the wait staff is very attentive. They serve freshly baked pita which goes great with the hummus. Their kebabs are excellent. If you are hungry, go for the mixed grill. The lamb kebab is also a winner. If you are looking for Lebanese cuisine, you must come and try this place! read more

The food is good, the service is nice, the environment is clean and interesting. The cons are the service, although very hospitable, is very poor in every other way. It has been very slow both times I went here (lunch time and the place was not crowded at all) and on the second time the order was completely wrong, having it so I didn't get my food until the rest of my party and almost finished eating. read more

We came from out of state and had a great foodie experience here! I love my middle eastern food and they made it to my taste. They even had kibbeh which I barely ever see in middle eastern restaurants in my area. The waitress was friendly and had great recommendations (I know since I tried them).I would definitely come back here again! read more

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Easily my favorite restaurant in Warren County. Food is excellent, love the ambiance, and the staff are so friendly and attentive. They offer curbside, which is very helpful during the pandemic. Every time I finish a meal from Phoenician Taverna I can't wait until I have another. read more

Always damaging food. Owner is always there making sure it's running good. Great service and fresh food always.

The food was excellent. We had some tasty appetizers. I enjoyed the baba ganoush, hummus, and tabbouleh . Their pita bread came out fresh, hot, and delicious. Our entree choice of the lamb loin was so tender and delicious. The portion was big enough for my husband and I to share. The owner came around and asked us about our experience and gave us menu suggestions. All in all a very good experience. read more

One of my favorite places to go in the north side of greater Cincinnati. Our picky family of 4 we can all find something we like. Great vegan/vegetarian options too. read more

Love this place!! I meet up with friends from Kentucky, Loveland and Norwood (I am from Columbus) to go see movies in mason frequently and we ALWAYS come here. It's lebanese tapas and everything is so delicious. The pita bread they bring out is all puffed up and warm like you wouldn't believe. We always get the hummus, walnut dip, and shankleesh and then add on a few other dishes from there. The little pies are awesome too and the fries with garlic whip had us talking about them forever! The best part is we leave STUFFED and we get to order such a variety of food, usually 6-7 tapas and the bill is so cheap when split between 3 or 4 of us. We've never ordered entrees here because the tapas is such a good deal and so much fun and SO delicious. As I said, LOVE this place and always look forward to eating there when we meet up! read more

One of the best Mediterranean food places in town. Gotta try the Taverna Falafel, Mouzat lamb (and use the straw to get the bone marrow!), and save room for their Umali bread pudding. What a treat with my wife! read more

Absolutely fantastic dining experience. I've been here 3 times now and make sure I come back every time I'm in Cincinnati. I've yet to have a single thing on the menu that doesn't exceed my expectations. The restaurant is clean, the value is very good, and the service is top notch. I'd highly recommend giving this place a try. read more

I love this place! The best Mediterranean in greater cincinnati. It's in the strip mall so it doesn't look great from outside but once inside, it is nicely decorated and servers are all nice. The owner is always there and checks on customers too. And of course food is great! Everything I tried was fantastic read more

Places like this (with Sichuan Bistro and Sura in the same plaza) really make it a challenge not to go out to lunch or dinner about 10 times a week. Head and shoulders above other middle eastern restaurants in the area, and honestly one of the best I've ever been to. I used to drive to Alladin's, but with this place in my backyard, what's the point? The appetizers, dinners, and desserts are all authentic and delicious. I'm really glad they stuck to their guns and didn't totally Americanize the menu for the area. They make their own pita bread to order, and the service has always been great. Definitely worth a drive out to the 'burbs. read more

Absolutely fantastic Lebanese food with an excellent atmosphere and good service. The first thing you notice when you walk in is that the interior is really well done. They have a well stocked bar and an open kitchen that runs the length of the dining area. We were greeted and seated by the owner and a waiter hurried over to take our drink orders. We had the falafel appetizer, kebabs and shwarma for our entrees and then baklava and the halawet jibne for dessert. Everything was really good and the portions were generous. They also brought out bread and oil - the bread was puffy, air-filled pockets and was so fresh when you tore them open steam came pouring out. The owner came back to check on us several times, and told us about some of the traditions behind the food and the Lebanese coffee. All in all it was a delicious meal paired with a wonderful experience. I highly recommend giving them a try. read more

By far the best Middle Eastern food I've had outside my grandmother's, mother's and my kitchen, most likely due to the similarity in preparation and spice profile (Wasim's menu steers clear of overuse of cumin that can be prominent in some Lebanese / Syrian restaurants). To be honest I have not explored too much into the main dishes (though the marinated rotisserie half chicken was really good, particularly if you combine it with the luscious garlic whip), but with the impressive spread of meze, it doesn't need to be explored. The highlights for me were: The Kibbeh Lakhteen (mostly because I had not had it and there were no preconceived notions of what it should taste like)--a fried pumpkin / bulghur "torpedo" that was filled with chopped walnuts, onions, dibs rumman, cinnamon and allspice. The baba ghanouj--good smokiness and I like the addition of labneh and pomegranate seeds The bread--this alone probably gets it up to 5 stars! The hands down best Hubz Souri in the Cincinnati area, and the second best I've had anywhere (see other reviews for that location) Wasim--the owner is very personable and takes time (if he has it) to greet the customers and strike up conversation (he even took time on a very busy Saturday) If you're in the Mason area, this place is a must! read more

I've been waiting to eat at Phoenician Taverna since I saw the sign go up. I LOVE Lebanese/Turkish/Middle Eastern food so I was pumped to have a new place right by my house. It is better than I could have ever hoped or dreamed. I didn't think it was open since no open sign was on... But they just don't have one. So check their hours before you go. The interior is really upscale and trendy. The kitchen is open and next to the dining area, the bar is fairly large and there are lots of gorgeous dark wood and beautiful tile accents. I also checked out the bathroom area since others mentioned it and.. WOAH! The bathroom itself is nice but they also have a second, beautiful stone sink area outside the bathrooms. The bar looked great and looked to be extremely well stocked, but we didn't order any drinks. I'd love to come back sometime and order some appetizers and drink there. The design alone was incredibly appealing. We had the falafel to start, which came out pretty quickly along with the homemade bread and oil. The oil isn't anything really special, but the falafel and bread are amazing! So flavorful and the tahini sauce compliments the falafel so well. I also had the Mashawai Kafta, which is grilled beef and lamb kebabs and vegetable kebabs with rice and a pesto type sauce. The meat was juicy, tender and flavorful on its own but when you dip it and the vegetables into the pesto sauce and try it the flavors really pop and it's addicting. We also split the Baklawa (baklava) and Halawet Jibne for dessert. The baklava had a perfect combination of pistachio, walnut and honeyed taste - the honey was especially good which I found odd since I don't like honey... But when I looked back at the menu I found that it is actually an orange blossom syrup (so.. close but different.) The Halawet Jibne are sweet cheese crepes filled with ashta (a Lebanese cream) and topped with a sweet pistachio syrup. I thought the baklava were a bit better than these, but they were still sweet and delicious. The owner was really friendly and came over several times to check up on us. The waiter also did a great job and was friendly. I'm so happy this place is here, I'll definitely be back a lot. read more

First time and we were blown away! The strip mall front is deceiving...the inside is beautiful. The flavors in every dish brought the Mediterranean to Mason. What a hidden gem! We'll be back, for sure. read more

The best Lebanese food I have ever had. I am a former chef, caterer and restaurant owner for 30 years and can honestly say that this is one of Cincinnati's best restaurants, hands down. The food is exquisitely prepared and garnished beautifully. The decor is very well done without being lavish. You feel like you are in a NYC restaurant. Even a hand washing area outside of the bathroom. The staff truly make you feel welcome. There isn't any of the "Hi, I'm Flossie, I will be your waitress." Smiling, attentive, young, happy service staff who are educated by the owner to be true servers. Cudos to the owner who lovingly brought this restaurant to life from the DC area. His choice of chef, the appropriate decor and very expensive (but well researched) kitchen equipment deserve accolades. he chose a $35K rotisserie chicken broiler so that it will capture all of the flavors of the meat and spices in less than one hour. They even have a conveyor oven specifically designed just for pita bread. it comes out fo the kitchen fresh from the oven, not in stacks from a bag from some big factory. The food is the very best made from only the purest ingredients. As the owner states, "only the best extra virgin olive oil is used. We clarify our own butter (a lost art.) We fry in pure canola oil." We had Hummous, Baba Ganoush, Lebneh, Lamb & Beef Stuffed Grape Leaves, Baklawa and other desserts. Each and every dish was better then the last. The Baklawah was the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD -and I have tried it in every city and country around the world. The beverage list is very impressive and well thought out. Excellently chosen wines, beers, juices and other potables are on their drink list. WARNING- once you go, you will be a regular patron. We are going back again for our 2nd visit in one week. read more

Solid place for Mediterranean food. We've been frequenting this restaurant for the last 8 years - always carry-out orders. NEVER had issues with our orders and the food is always on point. Our go-tos: chicken kabobs, meat grape leaves, fattoush, and sambousek (meat pies)...they are CONSISTENT with the food they prepare. Never disappointed!!! Also, they have the absolutely BEST pita bread!!! I've, on several occasions, have placed orders for the bread only...bc I love bread. Also, the walnut dip is like no other. You cannot go wrong dining here!!! read more

YOU. MUST. ORDER. THE. WALNUT. DIP. I have dreams about this stuff it was good. This is hands down the BEST mediterranean food in Cincinnati and NKY. I went with a decent size group of people my first time and we ordered almost everything on the menu - apps, entrees and dessert. Every one of them was delish! Their pita is made right there and they serve you as much as you want. The owners are usually floating around greeting everyone and they are lebanese. The decor is great, the kitchen is in full view and everything tastes really fresh. Why are you still reading this review? GO EAT THERE! NOW. read more

This might be the best ethnic food I've ever had in the Cincinnati area. It's really just amazing. There's a great, huge menu with loads of options. Especially great if you are a vegetarian or vegan because there is an entire vegetarian section of the menu. The restaurant has a great atmosphere, lovely service and amazing food. I loved the kibbeh laketeen and the falafel, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! read more

My first visit to this local Middle Eastern paradise felt grand. I ordered the baba ganoush hummus and the fattoush salad (lettuce, tomatoes, onions, & mint w/ olive oil). My friend and I enjoyed our experience because the food was well made and quite organic in taste. If you're a veggie lover with simple tastes and a light-on-the-dressing type, you've come to the right spot! Our polite waiter was also attentive and helpful with our menu choices. The setting during the evening is very dim, which is also intimate, so it's a great place for romantic dates or to chill with your best friends. One thing I also noticed is that the entire staff is very welcoming to us and others dining there that night. One thing I would recommend is to explore the menu. If you're ever a curious person, you should try this place and just read the menu closely . Each item seems delicious and quite appetizing to someone who hasn't had much experience. I would visit just to try out some of their other delicacies! Verdict: Great food. Exemplary staff. read more

Great food if you have a palate for Israeli, Arab or Lebanese cuisine. Normally, I go to only eat the appetizers or small plates. In a group, ordering 5-10 appetizers, to my mind, is the way to go. The hummus is the best in Cincinnati, and the hummus with beef is primo. The felafel is for real; you can't get better in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. The zatar and oil to dip the pita bread is a taste of the middle east that you will not forget. Other winners are the fries, the feta and zatar dish, the kafta harra, the sujok and the kibbeh. And if you like spice, the harrisa is very hot, but not distracting. I have never ordered the entrees so cannot speak to their quality. For dessert, this place has a pistachio baklawah that is the best I have ever eaten. It is very light, with just the right amount of honey. With a cup of "Turkish" coffee, it is a great way to prepare to head home after a great meal. read more

This place is amazing! Nestled in an unassuming strip mall, it houses some of the best Lebanese food I've had between the Dayton-Cincy corridor. We had a party of 8 and they were able to fit us in for a late seating. The servers were attentive, the owner was warm and inviting, and the food was out of this world. The group ordered mezza after mezza and not one of then disappointed us. The mains continued to tantalize the taste buds and the dessert... wow, the dessert. All I'll say is, try the bread pudding! read more

First time in this place and definitively not the last. Great experience and ambient. The best Hummus ever! Place was full and everybody looks having a great time. All staff very friendly and attentive. Great food quality, portions and prices. read more

First visit and won't be last -dropped in after stalking their yelp page.. good sign- fully booked with no capacity for walk ins (at a table/booth). Smelled so good in there I broke my own rule and willingly sat at the bar - Our meals were deelish! Bartender was friendly, attentive and familiar with the menu. We kept it simple - kebbeh (sp) & shwarma + garlic whip for our entrees. OMG heaven! food was good, fresh & timely. Dessert menu looked to die for - but we were way too full to go down that road. Agree with other reviewers don't let the strip mall facade fool you - nothing a/b Phoenician is typical strip mall fare. portions were reasonable for the cost and the ambiance was comfortable without feeling stuffy. Take your appetite with you! read more

I've been to the Phoenician 6 or 7 times in the past year. The first few were quite enjoyable, which was what had me coming back. Lately the service has gone downhill significantly. Not sure what is normal here, but the last several times I visited, it took forever to be seated and served - even though there were plenty of available tables. When food finally arrived, appetizers came at the same time as the entree. My last visit was take out, and it was as if they were doing me a huge favor to sell me food. It literally took 5 minutes for the host to greet me at the front. She was apparently busy with a phone call on the sidewalk out front. My food wasn't ready, even though it was well past the 20 minutes they told me that it would take. Tonight, I tried again to order takeout, but they didn't answer the phone, and I listened to a recording telling me to call during business hours. read more

I went here with a group of people for lunch today and all of us had great things to say and nobody had any complaints about anything. So far from the Shawarma and the Hummus I can say that they are the best that I have had at any restaurant in Cincinnati and maybe the best that I have had outside of Israel. Their pita bread is baked in house and is delicious as well. The service was fast and knowledgeable about the food and the atmosphere was upscale, but you don't feel out of place dressed casual. The next trip I make there I will have to order from the Dinner Menu so that there is more variety to choose from as the lunch menu options are sparse, but if the rest of the menu is as good as what we had today at lunch I will be coming back here again and again in the future. read more