Let me start this out by saying that I am an Arab man who has lived most of his life in the Middle East. My family still lives there, I say this to preface my review as it indicates I know what I am talking about. On the day of Arafah I decided to get a bunch of food for this restaurant to break my fast. I was beyond disappointed. The Shish Tawouk (chicken kebob) was disgustingly rubbery. The chicken shawarma also lacked flavor and was a bland mesh of rubbery chicken and Tahina sauce. The mezza platter only had two Wara 3nab (grape leaves). The only somewhat decent things were the Falafel sandwich and Fatoush salad. Never going here again, easily the worst Lebanese food I have had in Boston.
I ordered a Romaine (garden) salad with fried cauliflower and baba ghanouj. However, there were several obviously spoiled spinach and other types of leaves hidden underneath. Also, there was a marinated slice of red onion that was clearly past its prime. I would have preferred a smaller portion without the unwanted add-ons. The cucumbers, roasted red bell peppers, and baba ghanouj were delightful. The fried cauliflower was sensational. If you haven’t been to Cafe Beirut before, I would recommend studying the menu before you go. It is confusing unless you are a genius- I had a meltdown the first time I went there. You might get yelled at for ordering incorrectly.
I love this place and they have one of the best spots to be in on Centre Street.They always ready and the food is always hot. I love there Pita bread. The rice. The lamb! The shrimp is made so perfect this place makes my mouth water. I love it.
Discovered via an Off the Beaten Path Food Tours of JP, this spot is now a family staple! Highly recommended to everyone! I wish their delivery range was a little wider so that I could order it even more often. No matter your dietary need, you can find something here. And the care they take to craft their specials is like a fine dining institution. A friendly, delicious spot.
Very nice & scrumptious & nutricious felafel type eats. Tot Vegan 2! (Alwayz a big plus).. They make up very delish eats here & "dense" in a good way!! Very fresh & also NOT "rock hard" felafel, meaning moist & chewable as compared to some middle eastern eats other places where you wonder if the felafel is actually some type of "nuts" substitute, really good here! We walked in without ordering ahead and ordered 8 wraps, they were all ready within like 10-12 mins, these 2 guys work diligently in the kitchen. We took it to go, however this place is CLEAN, very clean! All 8 of us loved their wraps and everyone got a different variation. Their very FRESH, Tahini was way above average and their humus was so fresh you can slightly smell the fresh garlic and chick peas! Will deffn come back here wen in the mood for this type eats!
This place is incredible! Been coming here for years now. First time on a date with a Lebanese girl, and then I fell in love. Authentic Lebanese food, filled with love and flavor, with that homemade taste to it. Food that takes time and effort to make. Real, actually real food. Their bowls, salads, and rolls are unbelievably delicious, and the price is friendly. I’m happy Cafe Beirut is still standing after the pandemic. Definitely a gem in our community and neighborhood.
Great music, nice down-to-earth atmosphere. Prices OK for the neighbourhood, I guess. Chicken shawarma had rather dry bread, good quantity of chicken, but it really didn't taste fresh. I suppose it's OK, but I won't be hurrying back.
Tried Cafe Beirut for the first time a few days ago. Placed a pickup order for 2 different roll-ups, 1 lamb/beef and 1 falafel. I was not aware that ingredients that are usually served cold elsewhere would be heated up inside the roll-ups, like the lettuce, tomato, and slices of cucumber. They were scorching hot, and in addition, the falafel and beef tasted like they were made a week ago and cooked in bad/old oil, which in total just ruined the meal. After a few minutes of discussing what to do, my partner and I sadly had to throw out 90% of the food we bought.Scorching hot lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and spoiled flavors is the reason I'm here writing a review because I just don't understand how this happened. To my understanding, the purpose of those ingredients are to add freshness and texture. I would suggest a new method of cooking the rollups more like a rolled up wrap, adding the cold stuff before wrapping it up, rather than adding all ingredients and then cooking it up on a griddle, burrito style. Just my opinion, let me know if I'm living in another dimension. All people who gave this place 4-5 star reviews - is it usually like this??
In almost ten years of living in Boston, the only place I will go back for their shawarma (beef and lamb is my go to so far). There was one in Central Square that was good too but haven't been there in years. I need a lesson on my middle eastern food and all the different takes on shawarma but I grew up with Syrian shawarma in Houston as my favorite. Cafe Beirut I believe its Turkish. And with their pita, braised pork and lamb, spice level and ratio of vegetables, I love this place in JP!
I liked the vegetarian dish, also the red snapper. The kabobs were a little bit overcooked. Overall I think the red meat and kabobs are not top notch in this place. But their fish, vegetarian dish and stews are good. They do not have dine in in the pandemic. Maybe it will become available in the future...