Next time you visit the south congress area, add a quick trek to Tarbouch Lebanese Grill to your itinerary.
Lebanese owner and chef Paul Nader serves food prepared entirely on-site — down to the irresistible pitas — in huge portions and with approximately one ton of flavor per cubic inch, all for budget-friendly prices.
The restaurant is lovely without sacrificing a casual atmosphere. The wide windows let in plenty of light during the day and the cheery pale peach walls brighten up the room after hours. The wood patio is nothing fancy, but the area outside the restaurant is surrounded by trees and well sheltered by umbrellas. The spacing between tables is wide and comfortable, and the entire restaurant is so clean you could eat off the floor.
It’s nothing fancy — and that’s perfect. Tarbouch has a welcoming, unobtrusive atmosphere that lets you focus on the food.
We sampled the dolmas, hummus, falafel and gyro platter. The dolmas were good, but the yogurt sauce on top of them was spectacular. It tasted better on the pita than the hummus — which was a little boring but will satisfy purists who don’t enjoy “red pepper-garlic-olive-thyme-whatever else we thought would sound cool” hummus.
The falafel came with more of that tasty yogurt sauce, though it tasted just as good sans sauce with a surprising bit of cinnamon that added a clever twist to set it apart. The gyro plate came with a massive pile of sliced beef and lamb on a bed of marinated onions and, as well as most main dishes and wraps, came with a Greek side salad. I could not get enough of the perfect flavor. And the whole mess makes (count ‘em) five gyros – enough to serve at least two or three people.
The Greek salad deserves its own honorable mention with a ‘homemade’ dressing that they could make a fortune off of if they decided to bottle and sell it.
Walking in, I thought the prices were good. Walking out, I couldn’t believe they let me steal so much food. The gyro plate alone was a mere $7.99 and only two entrees on the entire menu cost more than $10. Hookah is just $10.99 a session and is done on the patio to keep the restaurant smelling clean.
It’s the sort of place that can give you whatever you want out of it. In a rush? We waited less than seven minutes between ordering our food and digging in. Want to relax for a while and chat? No problem — Tarbouch’s wait-staff is attentive and not so busy they’ll rush you out the door.
This food alone is worth the quick trip off SoCo.
Tarbouch Lebanese Grill and Hookah
534 E. Oltorf St.
512.326.2001
tarbouchfood.com
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