I came here once, haven't been since. I came because Mediterranean is my fav. and they are one if the only Mediterranean  restaurants In the area. The main problem I had is how ugly it is on the inside. Terrible interior, uncomfortable seats. They should have invested more into the appearance. They would probably get much more business if they did.
I had the chicken Kabobs and my fiancé had the same. They were delicious and the presentation was great. Bottom line; food good but overpriced, restaurant tacky.
I'm here right now finishing lunch. Been wanting to try this place for awhile. Everyone is right, this place is never busy. So I've always steered away from it. But it's overall not bad. The food was decent. The tarboosh hummus with chicken was surprisingly good because they use a hint of cinnamon on the chicken (I think). I had a chicken shawarma sandwich and it was pretty decent. My gf had chicken kabob, she liked it which is surprising since she is typically a picky eater.
The place is no frills, and probably one of those places you wouldn't want to see the kitchen. That's my only complaint, the place is dirty and tacky. But the food wasn't bad at all.
Service is awful and the prices are high. We were the only people in the restaurant but the items we ordered took forever! The food is hit and miss so I assume the hookah business is their bread and butter. Not sure how long this place is going to last since there are NEVER any cars in the parking lot which tells you a lot.
Review Source:I've only tried this place once, but everything on my plate was an experience all its own and had its own sort of taste from every side of the plate. If your palette loves Americanized food...you will NOT like this place!! - Drive by pretty late a while back and also noticed that they've got a pretty good 'hookah' following.
Review Source:My sisters and I decided to try this place for lunch since it is close to our office. Never again! The first clue should have been how empty the place was at lunchtime. First, they only serve bottled water and you have to pay for it.
Then, we all were ordering off of and pointing to the lunch menu on the back when ordering, but since my sister mistakenly thought her's came with two sides instead of one, they charged her the dinner price. You would think the waitress would say something especially since she saw us ordering off the LUNCH menu.
Now for the food: The salad was gross: iceberg lettuce (a little brown), canned olives, gross tomatoes, and giant cut up carrots topped by a bottled Italian dressing.
The hummus was fine I guess, not anything great. The actual entree was okay as well. Not bad, but again nothing to jump up and down for. They brought us some free baklava, which we didn't ask for, which was nice but I suspect it is because they know how crappy everything else was.
Now for the worse thing. They somehow padded my sister's bill so that we could not figure out how they got to the total. She somehow got charged for my bottled water and then there was about $4 extra for who knows what. She paid for my other sister's lunch and the total ended up being $29!! Ridiculous.
Overall, don't come to this place unless you want to be overcharged for crappy service and food. Maybe it is a good place to come smoke a hookah, but for food, not a good choice.
They're the only game in town and it would appear they know it. Their prices are unfair (gratuity is included for what is essentially horrible service), the atmosphere is bad, and the clientele is pretty trashy. The hookah itself is passable, but it can be hard to get attendance to help keep the coals going strong.
If you live in Cypress and want Hookah, Â this is pretty much your only option. It's not horrible, but man could it be better.
First off, the food was delicious. Some of the best Mediterranean I've had, and that get's them a star. And the staff was nice attentive, so they get another star. However for the prices they charged, the environment left a lot to be desired. The ceiling tiles has numerous water stains. The booth seats has not been cleaned/wiped down, leaving you to sit in smallish food particles. My wife and I both asked for water, and instead of customary free tap water, we were given bottles and charged. Honestly, I could have over looked a the water thing and even the ceiling tiles if they hadn't charged so much for their food. If a dinner for two adults and 1 child is going to come out to $50, I expect better surroundings. Oh, and let's not forget the fact they added gratuity on the bill, making 3 people the smallest party I've ever been a part of to be charged gratuity. Unless someone else is paying the bill, I'm never going again.
Review Source:My husband and I tried this place on a whim after we drove to Fuzzy's, only to find out it had closed down. We had been curious about this place ever since we moved into the neighborhood, so we decided to give it a go.
We walked in and were greeted by a girl smoking a hookah. She took us to a table and dropped off some menus. There were two other customers in there, both single males on laptops, one smoking a hookah. We looked over the menu (very small) and chose a few items. All four things we ordered were just meh. The hummus was actually alright, but I would eat most any hummus. The sandwich my husband got was okay, my tabouli was insanely sour and bitter, unlike any I had ever had before. And then we got some falafel balls, which were burned and bland. The food also took a while to come out.
I will probably not go back to this place. I was not wowed during any part of my visit. Maybe if I smoked hookah, I would enjoy it more often. But until then, I'll stay away.
This is probably the best Mediterranean restaurant I have found in the area. There aren't many. It has a great relaxing atmosphere and it is designed for you to sit back, relax, and hang out. I would not recommend this place for people who want to eat and see a movie. It is definitely a place you will want to spend two hours at and smoke. The service just isn't reliable enough otherwise.
The best thing they have going for them is their hooka (One of the two things that I go her for). It's some of the best I have ever had primarily because it last so long. They have deals on it most of the week, gradually increasing the price the closer you get to Friday. So if you want Hooka, this is a great place to go.
I love their hummus most of the time, some times it is the best I have ever had, and other times it is just good (the second thing I go here for).
I have generally stuck with gyros over the kabaab plate. Even though the kabaab is tasty, it is a bit more expensive. I also don't usually get side dishes since I always get a hummus appetizer. Paying 2-4$ extra for sides just isn't worth it. Its just too much food.
I think the food and service lacks some consistency. It really depends on who is working and how many people are working. You may have to make an effort to get what you want. I have gotten used to just getting up if the waitress isn't stopping by. The waiters I have had there tend to be much more attentive.
I went back two weeks ago............same problems. Â And two women smoking hookahs inside???? Â I don't mind the smell actually but it could be a problem for others- they have a patio- I thought that is what it was for.
I couldn't even get a refill on my coke. Â Shame....the food tastes pretty good.
I had really wanted to try Tarboosh since it opened being the only hookah bar in the Northwest area. Â However, I was extremely (to say the least) disappointed by this place. Â It took 10 minutes to even get noticed when walking in. Â It also took 40 minutes to get our to-go order on a lazy Sunday evening. Â Finally, eating the food was the worst part of the experience. Â The shwarma was insipid and unsavory, the hummus bland, and the lamb was chewy. Â Not a good experience overall.
Review Source:Tarboosh was the only hookah lounge near the Katy/Cypress/Jersey Village area so I decided to try it out not once... but twice with a few friends.
The first time we got Code 69 (as read from a previous review). The flavor was delicious... for what little time it had flavor. It tasted of gummies and some sort of other candies. The shisha was packed into the head and  burned ridiculously quick so we had to tend to the hookah a lot more than we should've had to. The price was slightly high for the quality of the shisha. Drinking all of our water trying to get more the staff was almost non-existent. Needless to say, we couldn't stand more than the 1 head/bowl we got.  Trip 1: dissatisfied.
The second time of going I decided to get a recommendation from one of the workers. She recommended guava & mint. The mixture was excellent... again... for what little time it lasted. This time the flavors/shisha gave me a headache. I thought water and some hummus and fries would cure or at least ease the pain. Again, the staff was almost non-existent. The shisha tasted burnt and not at all appetizing. I went in and complained to the lady. She apologized and she gave me a new head... but still charged me $5. The flavors didn't even mix this time and the headache turned into a stomach ache. Upon paying, I could barely sign the receipt and went immediately to throw up in the restroom. I couldn't even drive home and upon getting out of the car threw up again. Trip 2: highly dissatisfied.
I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. If you're looking for cheaper better quality hookah, I would recommend driving that extra bit to Ranosh.
Incendio! On a cold-ish (for Houston in May) late afternoon after a tedious day of work why not go on the hunt for some charcoal fueled hookahness and some tasty food to warm up with before hitting the elite party at Fox Hollow?
Tarboosh is a place I had been curious about for a decent while since its pretty far away from us in downtowny/midtowny, yet everyone says skip Ranosh (near the Galleria) and hit this one instead. Truth be told on the drive here I discovered why - you pass Carl's Junior. Â Yes! I will stop by there I think! And then it gets even better: Steak and Shake. YES. I am going to need a forklift to move me if I spend much more time on this side of town.
Tarboosh has a funny name. That is why it became a bookmark, just like the Spicy Pickle on Old Spanish Trail did with all of its mature innuendo. Tarboosh, like the Spicy Pickle, is not quite as sexy as you think it would be given the name.
It is a standalone structure in the corner of a strip mall parking lot. Pretty isolated at first, but then as the traffic roars by on Jones you discover you are not too alone.
The interior of the restaurant is sort of a generic looking diner, it really has that feel to it that it could almost be a Cracker Barrel if you stripped away the gaudy, tacky stuff and made it look like authentic home cookin' places in the deep South (or at least what my imagination tells me they would look like.) The restrooms are at the rear and are single occupancy, so you might have to wait a while if there is a crowd.
When you step through the door you come up to the counter and get to be amazed by the baklava just lined up there, asking you to eat it. It looks sooooo good. And then you look at the hookah menu and place your order there. We went with the Starbuzz Code 69 because we are the most mature people in the world - as you could clearly tell by the Tarboosh and Spicy Pickle comments. However we had never tried Code 69 as an option before so we asked the girl behind the counter what it was like and she let us smell the tin and tobacco. It smells like Hawaiian Punch - yes! Great success!
You then take your seat out on the patio facing Jones Road and your hookah is brought out in short order and then the food menus start getting seriously looked at.
I went with the Tarboosh hummus - an amazingly huge portion of hummus with an even larger portion of shawarma meat on top, sprinkled sparsely with lettuce throughout, and a big big serving of pita. This was a lot of food. I could not even come close to finishing it. But it was so good. So tasty. Such a nice blend of flavors. And something unique as I have never personally put shawarma meat on top of hummus and said "PERFECTION!" then eaten it. But it works. It works well.
The other half went with the chicken kabob gyro. There were a lot of vegetables and a lot of sauce, it gets a bit messy so be warned. I took a bite of it in exchange for some hummus, and I thought the chicken was incredible. The chicken was very soft, tender, and juicy. The sauce was perfect even if there was a lot of it. And I really liked the vegetables being a reckoning force, not just a tiny little scrap you are not sure was even there. It was a good sandwich.
This is a very good M.E./Mediterranean option if you are (a) missing home, (b) you like hookah, (c) you like good food, (d) you are tired of going to the same boring M.E./Mediterranean place you always go to, or (e) all of the above.
Plus it has my Lord Voldemort seal of approval - what else do you need?
The first time we ate at Tarboosh the food was excellent. But I wish I could say the same for the second (and LAST) time. We ordered the kibbe, which was excellent, and the hummus for starters. The hummus needs alot of work. The decorative pools of tahini (sesame seed oil) in the hummus is disgusting and distracts from what could be good hummus.
We, too, had to flag down our waitress several times to bring us stuff or when we asked what something was she had to ask several people. Frankly, she was an airhead
For dinner we each ordered different kebab plates. One chicken, one beef and one ground beef. The two beef plates tasted decent but not good as well as the chicken. Then my mother got to a piece of chicken that wasn't quite done. The food was no where near as good as the previous time.
Not even 10 minutes after leaving, all three of us started feeling incredibly sick. For rest of the night we were all sick and kept getting up in middle of the night. For two days afterward I was sick after eating at Tarboosh. NEVER AGAIN!
Meh. This place is just ok. I like the fact you get a hookah (kinda expensive though at $10 for one.) The baklava is really good and the food is decent but the service SUCKS. My bf and I have been here twice and had the same waitress both times. She doesn't ever come to see if you need anything else or fill up your drink glasses...even when you are finally able to flag her down.
Review Source:Food was pretty good. I really enjoyed the Hummus, it was very creamy with a nice mild flavor. I think that the menu should be expanded to give those who are not at versed in Mediterranean fare more details about what you are ordering. The services was OK, but I will give them some time to work out the kinks since it's new and appears to be family run. We had the Chicken Sandwich and the Kafka Sandwich. The rice was very good & the portion sizes were such that we both had food for a second meal the following day. There are a few things on the menu I would like to try on my next visit and it would be nice if they had a liquor license for beer and wine because the virgin drinks just are not it ! LOL I enjoyed the music as well, even if I didn't know what they were singing about LOL. I will try again since it's close to home & I don't have to travel to Midtown or the Galleria area for evening Mediterranean food.
Review Source:I think since this is a new place, this may explain the rocky reviews this place got in the beginning.
My husband and I were curious about this place since it's close to home. Â The food was very good and flavorful. Â We were a little concerned when we went for dinner since there weren't that many people there. Â But the waitress was friendly, even if you could tell she was a bit unexperienced. Â She explained the stuff we weren't familiar with. Â We got the falafel and baba ghounoush for appetizers. Â They were flavorful and tasty. Â I loved that the baba had very flavorful olive oil on it. Â The falafel was tasty and full of spices. Â We ordered a mixed kabob meal to share between us; it was more than enough food. Â Everything was cooked perfectly, bursting with flavors and spice. Â The hummus was delicious. Â I especially liked the grilled veggies and the seasoned ground beef. Â I'm not much of a red meat eater but my hubby loved it. Â The chicken was good too.
After a while the place was getting full, so I don't think that it will suffer too much. Â The set up of the restaurant is a little weird because you can tell before it was a cafe it was some sort of fast food joint. Â But the food makes up for it. Â Give it a chance, it has potential :)
I enjoyed Tarboosh with a friend. The hummus was very good, we had a attentive waitress, and the Middle Eastern music on the patio was a plus! I am big on tea, hot or cold, and they didn't bring out a pot with loose leaf tea. That was really the only downer. Authentic Middle Eastern restaurants need wonderful hot tea.
Review Source:I enjoyed a nice sunny lunch on the patio with the coolest Yelper in Texas Summer "Summa Summa Time" H.
The best feature of this place is the patio though there's not a fantastic view, only the cars passing by on West Road. But it was a beautiful day and the interior is not so nice. I know this place just opened so maybe there will be some improvements on creating an atmosphere inside.
I got the falafel sandwich with fries and rice because I love my starches :) The falafel was really well seasoned and all the ingredients were fresh. The rice was bland and generic. I tasted some of Summer's hummus and it was good. Not fantastic.
Unfortunately, there's nothing else really like this out in the 'burbs so if I can't drive within the loop then this is okay for a quick fix. But I much prefer Manny's hummus and pita.
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