Phoenician Resto Cafe

Food was delicious! Neat little place with a quaint atmosphere. My wife and I both had the grilled chicken (which was mentioned in other reviews). Service was good and everyone was very polite and accommodating. Also noted they are building a front deck area that looks like it will be nice once completed. It also has an adjoining hookah lounge :0). We will be back next time we are in Austin!

Great food and service. highly recommend this place. … one of my favorite places in downtown Austin

Great hummus and roasted cauliflower. Fried cheese puffs were bloody amazing. Pita bread that came with the hummus wasn’t great. Wraps were a bit dry and came in the same thin pita bread that came with the hummus. Good baklava. Very nice ambiance and music. Service was great!

Service was great, but the food wasn’t special. The kafta kabobs were a little too dry and the rice needed more flavor (butter/​turmeric would have been nice). I enjoyed the fries though

I genuinely believe that those five-​star reviews are fake. This really gets me, so I have to leave a review.
We walked in around 12:30pm on a Sunday, and we were the only group in this restaurant. Still it took them forever to bring the food. The food is just so so, and I don’t think it is worth the price at all.
I will not go back.

We really enjoyed our lunch yesterday, though having said that I think the gyro was a tad scant. I was expecting a big fluffy sandwich sized pita, but it was the same thin (though fresh tasting) pita that came out with our hummus and other dips and was oddly really tightly wrapped.
The husband liked his dish, but I had been craving a simple gyro for a month. We will be back, definitely, but there was room for a couple of little tweaks.

The baba ghannouj was as other reviews stated worth the stop to try. I had the gyro plate with Greek salad I score it average. Staff was friendly.

I live in Austin Last year and I have tried every middle eastern restaurant/​food truck in Austin. Yes. I literally tried them all. However, this newly open restaurant is the best middle eastern restaurant I have ever been to in the US (I live in Boston now)
I got the grilled breast chicken and it was amazing! My friend got the Shish Tawooq and she said it was phenomenal. We also had Fattoush and Meat rolls which both were really nice.
I believe there is no item on the menu that is overpriced. The prices are quite nice actually.
The food came a little bit late, but to us it was not bad
The service was quite good. I believe the owner of the restaurant and his significant other were working there too, so if you have a complain, you could directly talk to them.
If you are looking for the best middle eastern food, then, this is your best bet.

I’d like to start out by stating that I absolutely LOVE Middle Eastern/​Mediterranean food. This place serves up some pretty decent Mediterranean food. However, it just wasn’t up to par when it came to value. Case in point: my husband and I arrived at lunch and decided to split the Phoenician Mixed Grill. It states on the menu that it «serves two», and for $ 30 it should. We chose our three sides of hummus, baba gannouj and greek salad, which came out before the meat part of the meal. All three were good, but very modest portions. I am kicking myself for not taking a picture, but the sizes of the sides definitely seemed like they were sized for one person eating, not two. The meat took a while to come out, and was served on a cute little kabob holder above lit coals (again, why did I not take a picture?!?), but the kabobs were kind of small, each with about 5 bite sized pieces of meat on them. My husband and I ordered an extra side of rice to feel full. Again, nothing was bad, everything was tasty, we just weren’t blown away by the meal and felt we paid more than we should have for what we got. There are several Middle Eastern restaurants in Austin that are much higher in quality and much lower in price.

Fresh, authentic, incredible Mediterranean delights!
Finding myself constantly disappointed by the lack of quality, diverse cuisine in Austin, I tend not to expect much when dining out. Phoenician is my new go-​to spot for a deliciously fresh meal that is affordable, right in downtown!
We enjoyed the appetizer sampler (kibbi, hummus baba ghannouj, cheese & meat roll) served with warm pita bread for your dipping delight. The fatoush salad was perfectly crunchy with colorful veggies & fried pita chips, tossed in a delectable sweet-​tangy pomegranate molasses. The lamb-​beef kabob was grilled to perfection, I recommend adding an order of labneh (Lebanese yogurt dip) that compliments the meat very well.
The finger baklava is out of this world, do yourself a favor — order these & get some more to go!!! I can’t wait to come back & try everything else on the menu!

I generally don’t like to leave a review without trying the food but the experience last night managed to leave a bad taste in my mouth without even having taken a single bite.
My friend and I walked in at 7pm on a Friday night and immediately were stared at by all the 10 or so patrons at the restaurant. Has no one ever seen two asian girls before or something???
We ask the hostess (who is bouncing a baby on her lap, also weird) for a table for two. She hesitates a moment before answering that they are only taking reservations tonight. A quick scan of the room shows NO reserved signs on any tables and a MORE THAN HALF EMPTY restaurant. No further explanation is given.
If you don’t want your embarrassment to provide entertainment for a restaurant ¹⁄₃ full of people, then go somewhere else.

I went last night. My friend (who is kind of an expert) wanted to try middle-​eastern food in Austin. So I checked Unilocal and Phoenician seemed like the place to try.
We were not disappointed.
The location is kind of odd — but inside was just fine. And they have a decent parking lot.
The food was fresh and very tasty. The waitress was nice.
We had falafel, hummus and kibbi as appetizers. The hummus was really good (which seems like a marker for a middle-​eastern restaurant). I had the falafel sandwich with a Greek salad.
I had been afraid that we would be the only diners there for dinner — which was almost true — but there continued to be at least one other table full the whole time we were there.
They serve beer and wine — but it is not listed on their menu.
I would say — if you are looking for Lebanese/​middle-​eastern food — you should check out Phoenician Resto.

Sooo yummy! I couldn’t decide what to get so picked the mixed grill (beef tenderloin, kafta kabob (lule), and chicken kabob), which came with 2 sides — we picked hummus and baba gannouj. Rice was yummy too (we got a side for my LO). However, I saw most prices for entrees were ~$ 10, so I thought the mixed grill ~$ 20 would be enough for 2, and it really wasn’t. It says the Phoenician Mixed Grill is meant for 2 so maybe that’s what I have to try next time ($ 30).
I don’t know if any of you have been to Zankou Chicken in LA (which is awesome), but we were missing it and found this place. This place has better quality, but is pricier. At Zankou, we could get a combo dinner for $ 10 — and they have this heavenly garlic sauce.
The garlic sauce here is also yummy, but it was a small side — I’m going to have to ask for extra next time!
Inside décor was nice. Service was friendly (we did take out).
Only negative was since it was right on highway, it was a bit difficult to pull out when it’s a busy time. The pitas also weren’t warm (I don’t think they usually warm for takeout), but we’ll have to dine in and try it with the warmer.
Oh, and I’m not usually a baby jannouj fan, but this was the best I’ve ever had — I would choose that over hummus next time.
Definitely on my list for date night spots!

This place is amazing! Our new favorite thing is to get take out & we’ve been slowly trying the menu & have loved everything so far. Great hummus! Prices are reasonable too.
Look Austin, this is a new location just outside of Rainey. Come make sure this Mediterranean treat sticks around. Until then? More of that excellent hummus for me.

This review is real. And 3.5 star.
I’ve had my eye on this place ever since I saw the listing on Unilocal.So, I was obviously glad when an opportunity to visit presented itself. Those of you searching for the name of the restaurant on google maps will not find it, use the address.
We had made reservations despite it being Sunday night, and what do you know, a couple of minutes after we were seated, the place got kinda full.
The décor is not Lebanese, so if you’re a fan of vernacular architecture, you’re not gonna like it at all. The room is brightly lit, with 3 tv s, the remote to which the owners will gladly give you if you ask.
Straight off the bat, the first aspect that was brought to my attention was slow service. I love a good mom and pop shop, when it’s run well. Not having an extra wait staff looks like it’s taking its toll on the owners, who were darting from one table to the next. I assume this is because it’s a new business, and they’re trying to save where they can.
Onto the food.
Vegetarian Plate :
Your choice of 5 apps on the plate, for which we chose hummus, babaganouj, Phoenician eggplant, Lebanese potatoes and falafel. So, here’s the deal. There are plenty of excellent Mediterranean restaurants in the Austin area; one naturally tends to compare tastes. So you can imagine my disappointment at rubber like pita that was cold in the middle, and very commercial tasting falafel/​hummus. I don’t want to declare that they’re store bought– but they sure tasted that way. Granted, the falafel was soft, but I still felt it tasted like the falafel I buy at Costco.
The babaganouj and potatoes were pretty spot on, which actually helped me finish that awful pita.
Falafel sandwich :
Nothing of significance here, it’s a regular pita pocket with falafel.
The portions are okay; I wouldn’t say they skimp.
It’s a nice place, I give them that. (Tmi, but I gotta mention the ultra soft TP in the restroom). But they seriously could do with a few changes with regard to wait staff. Like I said before, mom and pop shops are great– but this place is too swanky to be called mom and pop, naturally, expectations are going to be high.
I’m not sure about the whole «fake review» thing, maybe those reviewers really did enjoy the food. But this ain’t no 5 star.
With a few changes, they can easily go onto that 5 star rating.

Very tasty and authentic Lebanese/​Mediterranean food!
Some of the best hummus I’ve had outside of the Middle East and the Phoenician Get Started was a very tasty appetizer (and came with a nifty pita warmer thing!). The mixed grill was really good (the beef, chicken, and kafta were all excellent) and the babaganouj and Greek salad sides were also tasty. We got a nice bottle of wine (an Argentinian Malbec) for not too much and overall the prices were quite good considering the large portions and really nice flavors and ingredients.
The only thing keeping this from a perfect 5-​star review is that the service was pretty slow, like many other reviews have mentioned. Even on a Sunday night when we were the only people in there for most of our meal, it took quite awhile to place the order, then a long time to get our main courses, and a decently long time to get the check. That being said, the waitress was very nice and helpful!
As for some of these reviews being fake, maybe some of them are, I don’t know, but at least some of them are real. This one is definitely real. Take a look at the many other reviews I’ve written (for stuff around Austin, where I live, as well as many other places I’ve travelled). I’m a Unilocal Elite and like sharing my experiences with people.
In summary, enjoy this place — I’ll certainly be back to try more of the menu (including dessert)!!

So clear that these reviews are fake. What a joke.
Overpriced. Seems like the falafel came from a box. The chicken was so so so dry. The «gyro» meat was in strips, clearly not from a gyro spit, perhaps some weird lamb cutlets? I don’t know. Tea came from powder. Fries from Sysco. The highlight was the lemon cauliflower, but at five bucks for a side, it wasn’t THAT GOOD.
50 bucks later, wish I’d gone to a food truck.
Stupid fake Unilocalers. YOU ARE RUINING Unilocal.

reading previous reviews, it seemed as though many were fake. Out of the thirty 5 star reviews, only 3 reviewers were actually from Austin. It made me super suspicious of the actual quality of the food. Surprisingly, the food was not only extremely fresh and clean but authentic at the same time.
We shared the Phoenician starter plate…
$ 4.00 for a pinch of thyme (Zaater), 4 olives and a spoonful of yogurt. While this might seem as a «steal,» I personally wouldn’t order it again. It’s nor filling or worth the price. The olives were also not that fresh. So my suggestion is to go straight to the entrée though i should admit the bread heater thing was neat
We ordered three entrees:
1. Chicken shwarma plate 9.99
2.Falafel sandwich 7.50
3. Mixed grill 19.99
to my surprise, all of the entrees were excellent. The chicken shawarma plate was perfect. Even though i am huge fan of Kismet’s shawarma, this entrée might be a legitimate competitor. It had the right amount of spices and was perfectly cooked. Well worth the price even though it could of have been a bigger portion.
My friend enjoyed his mixed grill. i had a bit and it was probably the best mixed grill plate that i have tasted at any of the middle eastern places in Texas. Though, it is very overpriced. I have been to basically every middle eastern restaurant/​Lebanese place in Houston and Austin and I have never seen a mixed grill plate priced so high.
The falafel sandwich at 7.50 was very good. My sister substituted her side with another of salad and was charged seperately for a regular size salad. No surprise from a middle eastern place. They nickel and dime you, but the food is so good that it almost makes it okay.
the baklava was also excellent to my surprise. Overpriced, yes. Delicious? No doubt.
This place does not cater to other Lebanese people or middle eastern people in this case, but it is truly authentic in the most important areas: the food.
Lebenese food will always be the best part of the middle eastern cuisine and despite having just an ok experience in terms of service and prices, i must give credit where it’s due. The food is excellent.
I always hated when my friends would say «Lebanese food is the best.» I argued that it’s all Arab food. With my recent trip to Lebanon, I totally agree that Lebanese food is more fresh and overall tastes better. This restaurant forever supports my claim.
Will i go again? Maybe for a special occasion. Was it worth what we paid? YES!

Came here on a whim and based on the other 5-​star reviews. My boyfriend swore he hated Mediterranean food, but was raving about his lamb and beef kababs by the end of the meal.
The outside looks a little sketchy, but the ambience inside is very nice and clean. Service was very friendly and attentive. Each of our meals came out to around $ 20 with tip.

We enjoyed our visit to Phoenician! The restaurant is really beautiful with nice wood work and décor throughout. The service was fantastic, but best of all was the food. Everything was extremely fresh and the presentation was wonderful. We are excited to have a nice Lebanese restaurant to eat at in Austin. Best of all it is walking distance from our place on Rainey Street!