Cafe Munir

Wife and I were invited to a party of eight at Cafe Munir tonight. Two of the couples are long-timers but for us this was a first. Easy to miss from a signage perspective but maps are accurate. Parking in surrounding residential streets was pretty easy and safe. Relatively small place that ABSOLUTELY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING!! We went with "there's eight of us, bring us what you want, and some wine and whiskies!" We sat at 7:30 and they were out of some items, so I suggest an earlier dining time. Waitstaff was attentive, and sufficiently staffed for the evening.This was a first Lebanese dinner for me. Looking at the menu, the mezzes (spreads, small dishes) seem hard to distinguish from each other for a newcomer, but "bring it all" brought an amazing education! My faves were the beets, hommous with sizzling lamb and pine nuts, and the lentils ground with caramelized onions. But everything I tried was incredible and all of this with fresh warm flatbreads. You have very little room for much more, so two plates of chicken skewers with garlic sauce, was all we needed as a "main". Missed the lamb tonight so bummed about that. Passed around a couple of the milk pudding with orange blossom water - totally delightful, mild, new experience. LOVED the night. So pleased when someone expands your palette with skill and care. Tipped heavy. Will be back!! (Sorry for the single photo, was enjoying myself too much!)

Was severely disappointed by this place. Located in the Ballard neighborhood, this restaurant is on a relatively quiet street and street parking is easy to find. We came as a table of 4 with no reservation on a Friday around 7pm and we were seated immediately. The service was quite friendly though it seemed like we had 2 different waiters and were asked if we wanted dessert twice as a result :)My complaint is about the portion sizes (or the cost). I know this is a family run restaurant, but the portions you get for the price is not remotely reasonable. Basically, one entree gives you 2 skewers...for 28 dollars. We ordered 4 entrees, 8 skewers I guess, and were just given a singular plate. This photo is almost 120$ and there was one pita bread. What you could do instead, if two skewers is all you can give for 28$, is to have 4 separate plates (one per entree) with the two skewers and plate it with rice and salad. But with just one plate for 4 entrees, this is just unacceptable.

Here's my 2 cents. I'm Lebanese by origin so it goes without saying that I'm going be critical about a restaurant that is "Lebanese". The hummus was drowning in olive oil (no seriously guys there was way too much tahini and olive oil...please do something about this or at least use a less cheap olive oil brand). The labneh tasted like sour cream essentially. I was surprised with the consistency. I didn't think you could go wrong with labneh. Guess I was wrong. And the muhamara was probably the biggest disappointment out of the 3 mezzas we ordered. The presentation of it was awful! It looked like kibbeh nayeh /see the photos for yourself. At least serve it in the same bowl as the labneh. Also, it needed to be in the blender for a longer amount of time. The walnut pieces were huge. I had to chew through them. Anddd it didn't taste anything like muhamara (it needs way more roasted red pepper and seasoning). I had high expectations coming to this restaurant because I know this place has been around for so long, so I mean I thought it must be really good. The place was packed, which also got me all hyped up. Too bad I am definitely not going to be a repeat customer. Not sure what was up with our server.She might have been having a bad day. We didn't even get a friendly smile. *Summary *Don't bother with the mezzas mentioned above. Maybe some of their other mezzas taste better (I wouldn't know). - What was good: the chicken shish tawouk (I forgot to take a photo of this). It was cooked well and tasted delicious. Also, their Arabic bread was good.

D-licious!!! My fiancé found this place not too far from our home. It was surprising we had never been before considering how much we love Mediterranean cuisine.Get. The. Lamb. Hummus. Dear lord! I could have enjoyed that as my main and it's highly likely I will in the future. The lamb was so tender and melts in your mouth. I had the realization that although I could differentiate the meat from hummus in each bite, the lamb's texture nicely melded into the hummus. The aromatics of the spices are amazing! There are strong notes of cinnamon with a very subtle taste that doesn't overpower the lamb. The pita bread was more thin than others I've tried, which only means you can enjoy more! We asked for some type of veggie on the side that I could use for the hummus since I'm Celiac. At first they looked like basic carrots. They were sliced around 1/4" thick for dipping, zested with a citrus juice and topped with fennel. I will be making this at home now. It's hard to actually enjoy vegetables sometimes and this was a brilliant way to elevate them.We also got the beet appetizer. They were cooked perfectly. Not hard or crunch in the center and not mushy. I could have gone without the parsley garnish personally. My fiancé puts Italian Parsley on pretty much everything so he really enjoyed the beets with it topped.Main courses: I got the chicken and my fiancé got the beef skewers. The serving size was large with two skewers each. After apps I could only finish one skewer, which I was happy about because that means leftovers!! Both were seasoned perfectly. And the dipping sauces...the beef came with a tomato sauce flavor explosion - I could eat by the spoonful, on its own. And the chicken was served with an amazing garlic dipping sauce. I had to ask what it was made of because the texture was a little like butter (don't let that put you off). It's 4 simple ingredients most people have at home. It'll try making it and let you know how it compares. Will be going back, and we will be bringing people to enjoy this lovely meal with us. Do make reservations if you can. We didn't and were told there was a good chance we'd be seated if we came early. They open at 4:30 and we arrive between then and 5. There was only one other table seated. By the time we left there was a wait list.Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this delicious food for your next meal!!!

This place is overrated and over priced. Food takes forever to come out and when you ask for gluten free substitutes you will be met with a massive up charge on your bill (see receipt). They told us NOTHING about the up charges. It was $7 for one carrot.... ONE CARROT.The food is okay but nothing to rave about and I'm confused with all the reviews. I found the front of the house was unprofessional. Date night was ruined.

I was recommended this restaurant by a friend and it did not disappoint! I'm Lebanese American and it's hard to find authentic Levantine cuisine (most places end up leaning Greek) but when the bread was brought out I immediately knew this was GOOD! I've revisited multiple times, and brought my siblings and their spouses here for a family dinner after burying our Sitti. It was the perfect way to connect as a family, remember our Sitti, and enjoy comforting food. Thank you for bringing delicious Levantine cuisine to Seattle

food was alright, but absurdly expensive for the minuscule portion sizes, even by seattle standards.

I love Lebanese food, and it's especially nice when you try a new place and are presented with dishes you haven't seen before. For me it was the lamb hummus and cheese stuffed flatbread. I don't even really enjoy lamb, but I loved this hummus with sizzling hot mince lamb. The Arabic bread was light and crispy. All of the dishes we ordered were fresh and delicious, with a nice variety of choices you don't see everywhere. Little flourishes like a sprinkle of of pomegranate seeds or the variety of vibrant colors courtesy of beets and roasted puréed carrots enhanced the deliciousness of earthy dishes like rice and lentils. I am giving Munir 5-stars despite some of the complaints I have seen in other reviews: spotty service, portion size and price. All valid points but I don't care because the food was so enjoyable. Highly recommend!

Unsure why this place doesn't have too many reviews, given so many people recommended it to me. Food was amazing! Definitely get the crispy beans on top of hummus and get more of the meze to share for the table. Really enjoyed the eggplant hummus as well! Not pictured but chicken breast skewer was moist and flavorful with the garlic butter it was served with. Very filling!

I am a cook and a restauranteur and I dream about their hummus. There are crispy roasted spiced chickpeas on top to guild the already impressive lily. Enough said. Go eat some in their beautiful room, with the white tablecloths, and the warm service. Try to go on a warm starlit night when the restaurant wide doors are thrown open to the world. I withheld a star because I agree with some other diners here. The prices are a little much for what you get. But sometimes you just can't care about that, right?