Great service, great sheesha, great location just off edgeware road next to Beirut Express
Starvi
Rating des Ortes: 4 London, United Kingdom
At first glance, Abu Ali is one of the less enticing Lebanese restaurants around Edgware Rd. A small number of tables is available for Hookah and Tea outside, inside its 70’s formica-topped tables, arabic news in the background, and surprisingly delicious food coming from the tiny kitchen area. Having eaten here at least 50 times, I can honestly say the only item on the menu not to be excellent is the Chicken Shawarma, which is often dry. Shish Taouk(chicken cubes) are always tender and deliciously flavoured. I adore the batatas hara(spicy potatoes) and the falafel are considerably better than anywhere else in the area. The portions are huge, and prices super good value.
Jeremy H.
Rating des Ortes: 4 Brooklyn, NY
It’s worth coming to this place for one thing alone — the baby grilled chicken. It’s the only place on Edgware Road I know which has this dish. It’s perfectly cooked with a bit of charring and comes with some delicious rice and also with chilli sauce and some crazy addictive garlic sauce. The other dishes, kebabs etc are pretty standard. The staff are friendly but service can be excruciatingly slow, hence 4 stars instead of 5.
TootTootTootsie G.
Rating des Ortes: 4 New York, NY
We discovered this restaurant because it was on the same street as the apartment we were renting. The décor is rather tacky and the lack of personal hygiene of some of the clientele can be overwhelming, so I recommend you consider this for takeout or eat outside if weather permits. You can create a substantial and delicious meal from many of the starter and small plate options, like hummus, falafel, stuffed vine leaves, and baba ganoush, or try the minced lamb kafta halabiyeh or one of the very tasty stews. Be sure to order either the banana milk or the very strong coffee with a hint of cardamom, if not both. Prices are very reasonable — two people easily can eat for a £20 note. No reservations, no liquor, no credit cards.
Marzip
Rating des Ortes: 3 Melbourne, Australia
Whether you want to sit outside and smoke shisha and sit and people-watch or go inside and have a nice meal in this bustling busy place, this Lebanese restaurant has a nice atmosphere. We began with dolmades, or stuffed vine leaves. We thought a 3 pound serving would be maybe 2 or 3 each, but the waiter said, oh it depend on the size of the leaf — so we ended up with 5 vine leaves each! Yum. The spices that my grilled lamb was cooked with just radiated through the meal. Two of us had the same meal — one with rice, one with chips, and shared. The lamb also had a nice tomato and onion sauce and was served with salad too. It’s all about the food in places like this, and it was well worth it.