Café Beirut

My boyfriend and I decided to come here for dinner last night. It was our first time dining here and we decided to come because we had heard so many good things about the food. When we went, it was pretty near closing time, so we were the only customers. The young man who greeted us was very friendly, energetic and gave us good suggestions on what to choose. The dinning area is pretty small, and we sat by a window so we could watch all the people walking up and down Whyte Ave. It took a while for our food to be prepared, but it was worth the wait because everything was fresh. My boyfriend and I both ordered the chicken shawarma and we were both blown away by how the food was presented and how delicious it was. We really enjoyed our meal and Café Beirut has been added to our list of favorite restaurants in Edmonton!

I was craving Mediterranean food one night and didn’t want to pay $ 21 for a souvlaki, which seems to be the going price at many Greek/​Lebanese/​Med restaurants in Edmonton. Café Beirut had been on my list for quite a while so we finally drove down to Whyte to check it out.
Saturday night around 5pm and there was only one other occupied table. There are only a handful of tables to begin with. Everything on the menu was enticing, but we decided to share the Combination Platter (about $ 22). Order at the counter. There were two ladies working and just one preparing the food. We waited about 15 minutes, but I could see her preparing everything fresh, so I didn’t mind.
Holy moly, the food. The platter was huge, first of all. I can’t even remember everything on it. Kebab, pita, kofta, hummus, baba ganoush, fattoush, and this amazing blended garlic… Fricking flavour explosion. All I could say between bites was «OMG, this is so good. I can’t believe how good this is». I love it so much that I went back for lunch the following Tuesday. They have rotating lunch specials every day for $ 11.95 which includes your main, salad, potatoes, coffee or tea and dessert! Fantastic value and delicious food.
The ladies that I’ve seen working there are very sweet and I am happy to support this place.

NOT quite FAST food but still good!
A group of coworkers have been planning to have lunch here since October when we finally got the chance, we had driven by It may times, the food looked interesting so I took 2 other friends from work out for lunch.
We came right at noon and there was only one person sitting at a table, it was Thursday and each weekday they offer a lunch special for 12 bucks which is a great deal. Two of us ordered the Thursday lunch special which is fish and potatoes and salad with regular coffee or tea and a desert. My other coworker ordered off the menu the beef sharma wrap with a bottled Lebanese drink.
Its a small place with only 6 or 7 tables, and there is a counter by the window so you can sit and people watch and wait while they bring your food. The coffee was fresh, and they bring you cream or sugar if you ask. Although the food is precooked it took 10 or 12 minutes for her to plate the lunch specials, we also figured out the sharma wrap takes some extra time to put together.
When the food arrived we were hungry, and delighted to see the large portions that FINALLY arrived. The 2 fish dishes were placed on a big plate with a very fresh tasty salad, the side potatoes were roasted and yummy. My friend was happy about her wrap and she sampled our salad and potatoes and liked it also.
By the time we checked the time it was one hour, so we had to leave, I told the server we were going and she thanked us, and promised we would see her again. Although were never did get the desert that came with our 2 meal specials, and my other friend remembered she ordered the beef sharma but got chicken instead she still liked it. total bill with drinks came to 40.00 with tip-​not bad for a tasty lunch but not very fast either. I asked for some hot sauce for my fish, which was cooked in a tomato sauce and all they had was an almost empty bottle of tabasco sauce– which did the trick.
I plan to come again for the taste and freshness; BUT if they get any more than 3 or 4 customers in at the same time plan on waiting some extra time for lunch to be served. When we left there was an older couple enjoying their hummus, and a customer at the window waiting for his lunch. The space is newly renovated with a plain but modern feel to it.

You don’t go here for atmosphere, but the food is GREAT. Good value for your $.

Fatoush (a salad) is «phenomenal» (my daughter’s descriptor). For about $ 8, it’s a bargain. I had the combination platter ($ 21) with beef and chicken plus humus, baba ganouche, musakaat, two different kinds of bread and some other things. It was tasty and reasonably priced. They do take out and have a few tables.

I’ve been walking past Café Beirut for months now without stopping in. However, yesterday on a whim I decided to change that. Unfortunately they were all out of falafel but the worker on duty was happy to point out all of the other vegetarian options on the menu. I was pleasantly surprised to see how many of them there were.
I ended up settling on the stuffed grape leaves. I had come at an odd time and apparently the cook had stepped out on his break. I had some other errands to run so I was told if I came back in five minutes, he would have the food all ready for me. I was a little skeptical as I hadn’t yet paid. Would they really pack up the food without a guaranteed sale? When I returned, I was impressed to see my food was all packed up and ready to go.
The food itself was delicious. I LOVE stuffed grape leaves and these were some of the best I’ve had. I appreciate that they come with fresh lemon slices and that they don’t fall apart the second you pick them up.
I’m definitely going to have to come back here to sample some of their other menu items.

The food at Café Beirut is well-​prepared and tasty, if a little expensive for what you get. I’d recommend this place if you’re in the area and you’re in the mood for Lebanese food.

I came here with a couple friends about 2 weeks ago just by wandering on Whyte for the heck of it.
This is a very small place with not too many seating places. But there was only one other table on a Saturday night so we were lucky to be able to sit anywhere.
This place features of course a good variety of Lebanese cuisine, from food to soft drinks and of course their coffee. It was hard to pick out a dish as many of them looked really good.
So we started with Tabouli salad, which was very fresh and crisp and very tasty. Then I picked a cold eggplant stew for supper and my friends each had the chicken shawarma which was a large portion, with Tabouli and potatoes on the side. You also get a few slices of fresh pita to accompany your meal.
We all had their Lebanese coffee which is like Espresso, very strong and I was the only one that had baklava for dessert.
All of our meals were great and very tasty and made with good quality ingredients.
The bill for the 3 of us came to about $ 50, for the meals, 3 coffees, dessert and tip. My friends had to get their meals to go as the portions were huge.
The only disappointment for me was that the baklava was not very good, it was too dry and did not have that «fresh out of the oven» taste to it. It tasted store bought. I have had fantastic authentic baklava many times in the past in a few Lebanese households, so this one unfortunately did not stand up.
Other than that, everything else was very good. I will come back as I would like to try other dishes they offer there.

Delicious chicken schwarma with an intense but fresh taste. I enjoyed the hummus and garlic sauce. I didn’t have the deserts but my companions thought they were great.
I look forward to trying the larger location downtown.

Absolutely delicious and amazing value. So good I went back and I’ll definitely go back again.
Both the beef and the chicken schwarma remind me of just how bland so much of our food is. Spices. Garlic. Aroma. 25 different delicious smells and tastes all at the same time!
Sure the space is unassuming and casual, but the food is anything but. I can’t even finish my review without drooling as I think about warm pitas, spicy chicken, delicious hummus and amazing salads…

This is a small lebanese restaurant on whyte avenue that has impressed me with their friendliness.
The first time I went there, the owner gave us the wrong order by accident. After informing him of this, he not only gave us the right order, but he did so for free AND gave us the wrong order for free. Sure enough, I’ve gone back a few times to check it out again.
The portions are moderate but reasonably priced. The meals are exceptionally well prepared, and the owner is a very amiable man. I particularly enjoyed his Tabouli salad and Shawarma wraps. It is quick and tasty, and this place has become a regular stop for a quick meal.

Walking by this tiny Whyte Avenue establishment would almost lead one to believe that it is fast food Lebanese. However, once you step inside you can see the café style charm.
The food was authentic Lebanese, and most importantly it was freshly made. Especially noteworthy were the musakaat and the sujouk. The shawarma beef was also delicious. Many vegetarian options were also available. If you’re unsure about Lebanese food make sure to try the platter (as suggested by a previous reviewer).
The only drawback I can think of is that they seem hesitant with the spices due to the North American clientele. I don’t necessarily blame them because in general spice doesn’t sell to Canadian soft stomaches. But take a chance Café Beirut. Canada needs a little flavour.

I believe it’s the only Lebanese restaurant that recently opened up on Whyte Ave. I’ve been here a couple of times. The restaurant is inexpensive and is great if you work close by and need to pack a lunch to go.
The space is small and really just meant for a few groups of people and I think they’re targetting to become a franchise-​based chain (not sure, but it seems that way). I really do wish them the best, if that’s the goal. It would be in direct competition with one of the pita-​based chains like Extreme Pita.
Okay. So I’ve eaten two things off of the menu. It was tastefully prepared. They have a nice Foreman-​style electric panini grill in which they toast the wrap before serving it. That makes it a little more tasty. Noticed a few good vegetarian/​vegan dishes on the menu board. The falafel was good, but haven’t tried the others. Do get the platter!

Café Beirut is a small restaurant (there are only a half dozen or so tables) specializing in authentic Lebanese food. There are the expected beef and chicken shawarmas (available as either wraps or platters with salad) and falafel (also a wrap or platter) in addition to many less familiar items like mujadara (lentils mashed with rice), mudamas (fava beans mashed with garlic and olive oil), and sujouk (spicy Lebanese sausage). There is a good selection of vegetarian dishes — in addition to falafel there are numerous salads (tabouli, fatoush), dips (humus, baba ganouge), and finger foods (yabrek — stuffed grape leaves). If you can’t decide, you can choose a combination platter with combines kabobs with several sides or go all out with the Mezza for 2 — a sampler of eight dishes, either meat or vegetarian.
I decided to try a beef shawarma and an order of mujadara, as I enjoy lentils. The shawarma was a decent size, and full of beef, veggies, and garlic sauce. I especially like pickled beets in my Lebanese food, and this did not disappoint. The meat was not cooked on a rotisserie, which made it taste like roast beef bathed in seasonings. I saw a microwave behind the counter, which I assume was used to heat up the meat, as well as the chicken in the shawarma of my friend who ended up joining me for lunch. He commented that it was blander than other shawarmas he has had.
The mujadara was a lot lighter than I had expected. The illustration on the menu made it look a lot like stew. The lentil and rice combination was a bit pasty, but cut with what tasted like a mixture of oil and wine, it gained moistness. Except that the oil and wine was concentrated to the centre of the bowl. Alongside was a piece of pita bread that had been pre-​cut and served in a plastic bag. It also took a while for the dish to be prepared — we had already finished our shawarmas before it arrived.
To drink, there are bottled and canned soft drinks and water available. I opted for the most unique item in the cooler — a bottle of Laziza which is a non-​alcoholic beer from Lebanon that comes in several flavours. I chose lemon. It did not taste like beer at all. It tasted like a sweet lemon soda.
Salads and dips range from $ 6-​$ 8. Wraps are $ 7.95 for meat and $ 6.95 for falafel. Platters are $ 11.95.
I can see myself heading back here for a quick, inexpensive shawarma when I am on Whyte.