Went to celebrate a friends birthday. Â My first issue started with me sitting at the bar and being ignored by the bartender who had time to serve a party of four that sat down after me. I shouldn't have to flag you down at a previous empty bar.
The dining area was very crowded and horribly understaffed 02/16/13. Â My party(6) had to repeatedly ask for service and then almost trip the server to get her attention.
I went with the gyros plate since I felt as crowded and slow as the service was I would fair better with an old standard. Â Uh no!!! Â meat over cooked to crunchyness. Potates under cooked and cold. Â Weak weak drinks @ $7-10 each not cool. Â The belly dancing that has been so raved about? Â I think those people got the strong drinks on those occasions. The poor woman looked tired and not very skilled. Â I feel no need to ever go back here. I prefer Ali Baba's.
Had the divine lunch buffet. Wonderful food - 3 different garlic sauces, each more potent than the other, lamb stew, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves), with stewed Texas peaches for dessert. I couldn't believe how good the food was.
I'm a bigger fan of the original Hedary's (I like my baklava super sweet and I like the orange blossom water in the super sweet baklava at Hedary's a bit better), but Byblos, run by a Hedary family member, still gets 5 stars.
Some work friends and I went here for lunch today. Â They have a buffet for lunch with a pretty decent variety. Â There was a salads section, a "hot food" section, and a small dessert section of the buffet.
I am happy to say I was able to find several things I could eat (I am veg). Â I filled a small plate with everything from hummus to tabbouleh. Â After devouring all of the cold salad foods, I went back for round 2-roasted cauliflower and cheesy broccoli.
The hot foods were not so impressive. Â There were a few trays in the hot section that were empty, so not a lot to choose from.
The desserts were too sweet! Â I had some sort of chocolate baklava- it was so sweet and gritty I was unable to finish it. Â I felt like I just watched a nice feel-good movie that had a weird, lame ending, and left unfulfilled.
I know they have belly dancers at night/on the weekends, but none today at the lunch buffet.
So, Â I was really excited to try Lebanese food for the first time annnnnd this was not at all a great first experience. Â The food was horrible! I tried the Hummus and it tasted rubbery and gritty. I also had the roasted chicken and the sauce that was added just made it worse.. I really wasted my money on this so called food . The only good thing was the Watermelon martini and that alone will not make me go back. My search continues for great Lebanese food!
Review Source:I met up with some friends and my first impression when I walked up and saw that it was a  "Restaurant and Hookah Lounge" was "Ugh, I can't eat around smoke."  Thank goodness that the hookah lounge and restaurant are separated. Â
I'm so glad my friends are the type to try new things! Â We all ordered different things and shared, starting with Tabbulli and FTaramish (as spelled on their website menu). Â The tabbouleh was really light and fresh, and the Ftaramish was a light, crispy pita with spinach and goat cheese baked on top and was SO delicious (besides, you can't go wrong with goat cheese!). Â We were off to a great start. Â
Good thing we ordered appetizers, because it took a very long time for our food to come out. It was a Thursday night and there was a belly dancer to entertain us, but after a while, we started to wonder what happened to our order. Â There were 5 of us and one of the guys actually didn't get his order at all- it seems they had a mixup in the kitchen and the poor guy had to wait even longer! Â I played it safe and ordered the chicken shawarma "wrap" because the wrap was only $9 and the platter was $16. Â I asked for the wrap to just be unwrapped, and it came out with awesome chicken, grilled onions, tomatoes, spices and sauce over a pita with some rice. Â Perfect. Â My friends ordered the lamb chops, kabobs and ablama. Â Everyone was happy with their food and I would definitely go back for seconds! Â (Disclaimer: Â I am by no means even knowledgeable about Lebanese food and how it should taste, but I know good food, and this stuff tasted GOOD!) Â
My only beef is that they charged us $1 on our food bills for "entertainment." Â It was forced upon us for the belly dancer who we dared not to make eye contact with, so she wouldn't come over to our table and dance near us, ha. Â So what if we did enjoy her and tipped her greatly?! Â Then there would be no reason to charge on our tabs. Â I guess I'm more upset that there was no warning. Â Eh, it's a buck. Â I'm over it. Â
The crowd was also cool- there were families with young children, an older guy having a birthday party (who seemed to know the owner) and got a "happy birthday" belly dance on his table, and us mid-twenties adults looking for a chance of pace for dinner. Â Seems like a good place for all kinds of characters.
This is one of those long overdue reviews for a restaurant that my family has been to more times than I can count. Â Byblos has been the very closest we have come to delicious Arabic food outside of my father's extremely delicious cooking. Â Not only do we venture there for their buffet all the time, but we have always enjoyed a few of their belly-dancing shows as well. Â The owners are wonderful, friendly, and truly pride themselves on delicious, authentic food. Â
Byblos even catered our wedding, and I am still being told that it was the best food Arabic food anyone had ever eaten, as well as the best wedding food they had ever eaten or seen. Â Yes, seen... the display was spectacular. Â I am so very glad that Byblos was part of this very special day.
I really can't rate this restaurant, because when we got there we were still full from our late lunch, so we only order an appetizer...ARAMISH which is a toasted pita bread topped with mozzarela cheese, tomato scuares and oregano, It was "ok" too oily for my taste (I guess it's the cheese filtration) other than that it have a very good taste. I did enjoyed the belly dancer presentation (one dancer only). It was only a few of us, for a friday night I was expecting the place to be pack. Two stars rating becuase the ambiance was nice, the servers very polite and the belly dance show very entretaining. I'll have to go back and enjoy the food. FYI: reservations are for group of 7or larger and belly dance presentation THU/FRI/SAT @ 8pm. Â Byblos is very popular for the HOOKAH LOUNGE on which you need to be a member ($10.00 x 12month) to get in, the good thing is that members can bring a guest -NO ADDITIONAL CHARGE- and refills for hookah's -buy 1, get 1 free- Â on MON/TUE/WED, so if you are a hookah fan that's a great deal.
Review Source:LUNCH BUFFET- 1st week in May!!!!
Went to Byblos Lebanese Restaurant for lunch- Buffet!
The food was of good quality and fresh. The selection was good.
Let's see- there was the.....
Salad section- which included but not limited to hummus, red pepper hummus, tabouli (outstanding), cous cous salad (yummy), Greek salad- that's all I remember- but there was more.....
Meats- two different types of chicken & sirloin (opps I don't eat beef) . The chicken was good.
The falafels - by far the best I've had since living in Houston. Perfect in texture & taste
Desserts- baklava, chocolate baklava, banana dessert, rice pudding- I enjojyed the baklava, didn't try the rest- was too full.
Good ambience, great food- good times!
We went for dinner, drinks, belly dance show and hookah on Saturday night and had a wonderful time. Â I don't know why there were negative reviews.
Belly dancer was fun, food was amazing! Â I had the Fattoush salad and added lamb. Â My lamb was much better than my companion's. Â It appeared to be prepared differently, a simple cube on a kabob with veggies as opposed to his formed into a long tube. Â Any which way, he still loved his food.
The drinks were yummy but not very strong, I had a frozen pina coloda and the mango drink special. Â I liked that they had Lebanese wine, although it was far too hot to drink winel
We ordered an orange and mint hookah. Â Now these people know how to do hookah right! Â Beautiful hookahs, comfy lounge with red plush sofas and delicious smoke. Â There were four of us smoking and the hookah lasted at least an hour!
Service was attentive but delightfully non-intrusive. Â He made recommendations, was very kind and welcoming all night, could not have hoped for a better host.
Great place!
OH MY HOLY THE LUNCH BUFFET WAS SO FREAKING GOOD! Yes, it was around $10, which is a bit high for lunch in my personal opinion, but it was oh SO SO GOOD. Usually, I can only eat small portions at each sitting, but I eat frequently, so that evens it out. But since this was a buffet and the food was delicious, I was packing food away until the very end. I went with seven other people and they were just sitting there watching me eat at the very end.
This was my first time at Byblos. We went there for an office lunch and were catering to the vegan needs of the big boss. When we got to the restaurant, I knew that I'd like it. It looks kind of hole in the wall from the outside. Inside, its kind of dim, and has really big TVs showing ladies belly dancing. There's also this orange tent in the middle of the restaurant. I forgot what the sign said specifically, but it was something to the effect that live dancers would be there at a certain time, which sounds really cool.
It was an awesome experience. I was so excited with every new item that I'd taste that I unintentionally made faces and exclamations after every first bite. SO seriously blissful. Â When I walked away to get seconds, I noticed that my whole table was laughing. Apparently they were laughing at how enthusiastically I was eating.
*3.5 stars
We love Mediterranean food. Plus, as vegetarians, we can always count on being able to eat well at a Mediterranean restaraunt, especially out here in Beef-Land, otherwise known as "Texas."
The best option on the menu by far is Mezza. They will bring 10-12 small appetizers, and the variety is always interesting. You can basically count on receiving hummus, baba ganoush, and falafel any time you order this option. Mezza may be split with two people, and both will leave feeling full.
The food always tastes fresh, and it is definitely yummy. It's not as fabulous as other Mediterranean restaurants at which we have eaten, but it's satisfactory. The pita bread is awesome, though! They cook it fresh in a large brick oven; so, you may have to wait for it at times. They will only bring about two pieces for a party of three. Yet, the bread is filling, and we've always received more when we have asked.
On our most recent trip, they were a little late to open. In an attempt to make up for this very minor inconvienence, they gave our daughter a balloon. I don't mean just a plain balloon, but a giant mylar, helium Dora balloon! Â Um. Wow!
That brings me another point, this is a Medeterranian restaurant that has kid's options on the menu. These are bit pricy, in my opinion, but if you have a taste for hummus and a finicky child, then it's good to know that you can go to Byblos to get your fix and still feed the kid.
Of the many times that we've been, we always miss the belly dancers. I really would like to attend one night when they do have dancers. According to the menu, there is a $1 entertainment fee for everyone in your party when dancers are performing.
In short, if you're near downtown and suddenly want some mushed up chickpeas, then drive down to Byblos. You can enjoy something that isn't Tex-Mex and listen to something other than country music.
You know, having lived in the middle east for all my life, I know quite a bit about middle eastern cuisine and culture. Let's start with the ambiance. Overall, the place is not badly decorated, with a minimalist approach although the lebanese embellishments do not seem out of place. There is a large screen projection TV in the back near the hookah "lounge" (which is more of a small sectioned-off area) which seems to constantly play Lebanese music videos (Nancy Ajram, anyone?).
The buffet is actually fairly well done. The Hommous was actually quite smooth and well-made, the Tabouleh is suitably fresh and the Falafel is crisp and not overly oily. There is only one meat dish on offer, roasted chicken. I'm not sure if it rotates during the week, but the chicken was surprisingly the worst part of the buffet, since it was very dry. Fresh hot arabic bread (a flatter version of pita bread) is delivered to the table.
The live "entertainment" was the reason the rating is a 3 and not a 4. Let's get one thing clear right off the bat. Belly Dancers ARE NOT STRIPPERS. Unfortunately, this particular dancer, who did not seems to know the mechanics of belly dancing in the first place, had dollar bills in her belt. Thankfully, she didn't drag anyone from our table up, although she did manage to get someone to dance with her from another table. So very much a negative point toward the overall score. Perhaps other belly dancers who work at Byblos are better, but do not come here just for the entertainment.
Thankfully, the food does save the restaurant's reputation somewhat. This is a decent place for a good meal and conversation (especially during the week when it is quiet). The waiter was superb and very well versed in the foods. He was quite attentive, so that's a definite plus.
Thursday night buffet is $11.95 per head. Drinks average 4-12 depending on complexity and shelf.
There is a waiter at this establishment (self proclaimed name: MAGIC) who is the type of person who thinks that he's witty, funny, and well liked by everyone. He is an egomaniac, who will take up your entire meal by telling you about how good he is at magic tricks, while telling you jokes that are not funny. You don't get to talk to whoever you are there with because he can't stand it if he's not the center of attention at your table. If you do the Hookah Lounge, he will smoke out of your hookah, and no matter what type you order, he'll bring you whatever flavor he thinks "you look like." He claims to have an ability to interpret, based on someone's looks, what type of Hookah they should be smoking and doesn't let you get what you want to try.
Saturday night, (the last night I'll ever go there) I ordered a sandwich with no tomatoes and he told me a story about how his uncle didn't like tomatoes and he held him down, sliced one open over his face and forced the tomato down his throat. Then he told me that it was good that I didn't eat tomatoes because it would make my vagina taste bad. He said this in front of my boyfriend and a table right next to us with a family and a little girl. If I wanted to go to "Dick's Last Resort" I would have. Â We were seated in the Hookah lounge for dinner because the restaurant was packed that evening and we were promised we could have Hookah while we ate. Â Then we asked for Hookah, shortly after being seated. Â Magic said we couldn't have any because we didn't have our membership cards with us. He said he was going to look us up in the computer but never did. (even though we bought a membership the last time we were there.) Â Then he started talking about us to another couple, using us as an example for why someone should bring his membership card.
We got up and left, because we had been seated for 40 minutes in the hookah lounge with no hookah, a waiter who sexually harassed me because I didn't like tomatoes, and without food. We were also nervous that this weirdo was going to purposely screw up our order to mess with us, and we were so hungry, we had chipotle instead.
I should have slapped his face or called him several names, but instead we paid for our drinks and left him no tip. Â We stood up and left in front of other patrons, which was the nicest we could possibly stand to be.
We did not eat here, so our rating is not based on the food. Â We went to Byblos on a Friday night for the Hookah Lounge. Â Some of our friends had gone before and had a good time. Â One of them had a membership, which our group got into the lounge on. Â
The host of the lounge was a jerk the whole night. Â He refused to make the hookah we wanted (cantaloupe mixed with mint) because he did not like the combination, even though they were both on the menu. Â After we decided on plain mint, because he would not give us what we really wanted, he rolled his eyes, and left. Â He never came back - with our hookah or with our friends drinks. Â 20 minutes later, another waiter came to our table to ask if he could take our order. Â He did not know that we had been waiting in the lounge for a minimum of 30 minutes already. Â Our first order was never put in by the jack a$$ that originally took our order. Â While sitting there, the music playing went off and the host started yelling, using curse words for the whole room to hear him about how his magic trick was ruined. Â
Our hookah was never tended to and the waiter never came back around to see if we wanted more drinks. Â As we were leaving, the host was trying to intimidate his new guests by getting angry that they were laughing at some joke he was not a part of. Â
This is not New York and host - you are not the soup nazi. Â Our only regret is that we did not get up and leave after the first order was taken.
Definitely a reasonable buffet, but nothing was too great here. Â For the price you pay, you get a nice selection of pretty good Lebanese cuisine. Â Lamb, chicken, eggplant, and hummus are all offered. Â Your typical Lebanese offerings are good here, but I can't remember anything outstanding in particular. Â If you are in the Stockyards and want something really different, give this one a try.
Review Source:This place is all about the lunch time buffet. For ten dollars you can get all you can eat freaking delicious Mediterranean food. Hookah lounge is great though filled with high school seniors. A great healthy lunchtime deal, for people in a hurry. The atmosphere is nice, decent service and wonderful food.
Review Source:Soooo...the girls and I all headed out to Byblos on a Saturday afternoon for the brunch. Â The food was...ok. Though, it looked like it had been sitting out for a while. Â The salads were very good, but they ran out of the yogurt cucumbers and never "restocked" them. Â Additionally, we killed the falafel and they didn't restock it. Â I dunno if the cook was chillin' with a hookah or what but I was disappointed as that's the whole reason I wanted to go there. Â The pita bread was dry and lacked flavor. Â The desserts were not to my liking.
oh - one last thing...my friend found a hair in her hummus. Â A big, black, long one. Â They didn't discount or comp the price of her buffet.
Don't think we'll be going back.
Byblos is a casual place, with red lighting, big screen TVs in the corners showing Lebanese music and belly dancing videos, a tent-covering over the belly dancing stage. As we scarfed down hot pita and creamy hummus and baba ganoush, a belly dancer circulated the crowd, eventually pulling up a willing victim to join her for some hip shaking. The belly dancers seem to be good at reading body language and won't swing by your table if you don't want.
The last time we were there I had the curious experience of watching a another table with their eyes transfixed on the belly dancing to TV while a real life (and more talented) belly dancer was dancing next to them. WTF?
We always seem to eat too much. The portions are generous and the pita is quite filling. While most dishes are tasty and well made, the falafel plate is a big disappointment. Think 8-10 falafel balls stacked next to some lettuce and pickles. The falafels are delicious, for sure, but at most Middle Eastern restaurants this dish will include hummus, tabbouleh, baba ganoush, etc so you can fashion your falafel "sandwiches" with the provided pita. Because we had consumed the hummus and baba ganoush as appetizers, I was left with the falafel balls.
Being of the quasi-vegan persuasion, I am always stoked to find a menu in Panther City that is fully stocked with veggie options.
I like to conclude a fine Byblos meal with an order of Lebanese coffee. This is a thick brew that using finely ground coffee, finer than an espresso grind, so some of the "grounds" end up in your cup. It's best with a packet or two of sugar; I find this really brings out the cardamom flavors.
With our bellies full and our hearts racing from the caffeine, we retired to the Hookah lounge. The Hookah Lounge is a good sized room with colorful fabrics draping down from the 20 ft high ceiling. Pillows litter the floor and comfy, inviting couches line the walls. Red lighting and Middle Eastern music made this a mellow place to take a Hookah, a water pipe through which one smokes flavored tobacco.
At its best, the Hookah Lounge is a relaxing place to wrap up an evening, digest, have a final drink and mellow out. On the weekends, it can get quite crowded with Drakkar Noir drenched teenaged boys and their dates.
I am not a smoker, but the flavored tobacco, especially after it's been cooled and cleansed by the water pipe is very easy to smoke. Hookah isn't dirty chemical vapor like cigarettes or a fistful of flavor like cigars; it's a subtle and casual form of smoking.
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