Baltimore: Lebanese Taverna (June 2018)

My spouse and I dined at the Lebanese Taverna for dinner on a Saturday evening in early June 2018. The restaurant is open daily for lunch, dinner, and drinks. You can make a reservation using the online Open Table system.

The Baltimore location of Lebanese Tavern opened in 2007 in the Harbor East neighborhood, between Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. It is located near several hotels, including the Four Seasons, Marriott, Homewood Suites, and Hilton Garden Inn. The restaurant group operates 10+ other locations of Lebanese Taverna in the DC metro area, including four full-service restaurants (like the one in Harbor East) and six quick-service cafes/markets. In fact, the owners purchased a restaurant called Athenian Tavern in Arlington back in 1979, and because they could only afford to change half of the existing sign, they called their restaurant Lebanese Taverna. The location opened in Arlington back in 1979; at that time, because the restaurant owners could only afford to change part of the sign of the existing restaurant (called the Athenian Tavern), they named their new restaurant Lebanese Taverna.

The restaurant occupies the corner street-level space of a waterfront apartment building. Huge windows provide water views, and high ceilings make the location feel spacious although loud. One side of the restaurant contains a large lounge, with a long bar, high-top communal table, and booths along one wall. The dining room offers a combination of booth, semi-booth, and well-spaced table seating. A small private dining room offers space for about 30 guests, and a high-top captain’s table near the kitchen seats 14. You can also dine al fresco on the small sidewalk terrace. Neutral décor offers a backdrop for interesting design elements including a wall nook/shelving unit that displays decorative lanterns.

While we perused the large menu, our waiter delivered a wire basket of warm fluffy pita bread and a dish of olive oil for dipping. As an appetizer, we shared the chef’s platter, which contained samples of nine different appetizers, including hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, grape leaves, kibbeh, shawarma, and shakshouky (a roasted eggplant, scallion, tomato, and garlic salad). As our entrees, we ordered the lamb mouzat (lamb shank accompanied by artichokes and warm cherry tomatoes [but no starch]) and the lamb sharhat (sliced lamb cooked medium rare, accompanied by roasted cubed potatoes and veggies). For dessert, we tried the knafeh, made of a sweet cheese coated in semolina, topped with pistachios, and drizzled with a sugary syrup. 

We enjoyed our dinner at the Lebanese Taverna; we have difficulty finding a full-service Mediterranean restaurant in the city where we live, so we enjoyed the variety of food offerings in the bustling atmosphere of the large space.