Arabesque
2930 Devine St, Columbia, SC, 29205
Arabesque Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Columbia for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
2930 Devine St
Columbia, SC, 29205 - Phone (803) 779-6299
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 10
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Quiet
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Faisal S.
Hands down the best Lebanese cusine in the country. You will forget west coast cuisines. 2 thumbs up!i!
(5)Juli B.
Seriously delicious food and always consistent! The hummus is homemade and literally the best I have ever had in my life. My go-to meal is the Damascus Hummus with Lamb and my boyfriend is a huge fan of the Chicken Parm. We order takeout at least once a month but we find ourselves craving it much more often than that. The pizzas are also great along with the schwarma (sp?) and babaganoush! Can't go wrong with anything here!
(5)David N.
This place is amazing and a must stop if you are ever in this city. The sampler appy, the arabesque salad, and the mixed grill were recommended by Amanda the waitress this evening. Amanda further provided descriptions of the food and was enthusiastic about everything to do with this restaurant. She was spot on! Further had a glass of the house Lebanese wine which complimented the meal. I will definitely return here and I recommend you do too!
(5)Ashlee F.
I am a service and I understand the service industry and when I went there to eat today I experienced the WORST SERVICE EVER. For starters, the coke was nasty and the table wasn't wiped down. The server had the worst customer service ever and did not care about his customers. He never asked how we were doing or how the food was and failed to take dirty dishes from the table and refill my drink. I understand waiting tables can be hard and frustrating but this was completely unnecessary. Let's just say we were thoroughly disappointed and will not be returning. So sad to see places with such great food go downhill like this.
(1)Jonis L.
Great place to eat if you're hungry for Middle Eastern food. The portions are huge and the staff are courteous and attentive. They made my dining experience special. The place is huge and they also have tables outside. They also have a bar but I didn't order any drinks so I can't say anything about that. Two thumbs up to Hasan and his staff!
(5)Tallulah Jean M.
I looked this place up and it had really great reviews. We set on our way for a nice lunch. Sadly, when we walked in they informed us that they close at 2pm and re-open for dinner at 4pm. This was a big disappointment. They need to change their times on Yelp if they're gonna do something like that. I'm sure their food is great....but...
(2)Ken H.
THE EXACT SAME MENU as Al Amir's right down the street EXCEPT everything here is about $5 dollars more expensive! C'mon people!! This place used to be called Al Amirs 6 months ago, they just changed the name and raised all the prices trying to be all schmamcy ...Perhaps in an attempt to dupe all the other retards spending butt loads of money next door at all the boutique stores that pepper Devine st. .. A candle store really!!?? (There is a newer random overpriced candle store nearby) I guess they thought they would just change the name and raise the prices thinking no one would notice?? How can anyone think this is acceptable!! Spend 30 cents more in gas and go to the same restaurant on Main st. a mile down the road For less! But at this point, really who cares if it saves you money... Do it on principle!!
(1)Kara B.
My boyfriend and I dropped into Arabesque so that we could switch it up from our typical wing night. We had THE BEST experience. Not only is the food very authentic and YUMMY, our server was great. By great, I mean she got my email address so that she can email me about the local middle eastern grocery store here in Columbia, made fantastic recommendations and explained how things were made and about the ingredients, etc. This is definitely a great date night spot, but a little on the pricier side. Our meal: Babaganoush, Fatoush Salad, Mussles & Damascus Bread, Lamb Shawarma, Lebanese beer
(4)Roger H.
Sunday at 1:30, church crowd is gone and hungover college kids are still asleep. Took a second to get sat, but there was one server for the whole restaurant it looked like, so I understand. I waited tables in plenty of places where we did the best we could when we aren't sure what to expect. It just takes a skilled server with a good attitude to get it done. We got that guy. We started with a large Hummus Appetizer and Fattoush salads. There was an issue with the Damascus Bread but our server brought us some to tide us over and then a piping hot portion when it was done. The Damascus is off the chain here. Salads were delicious. Very evenly dressed and seasoned with the perfect ratio of ingredients. I got the Falafel Wrap and the wife got a Gyro Wrap. ...keepin' it simple for lunch. Presentation was on point, as they seem to take pride in the appearance of their food. See photos - I should've snapped one of the app and salad, they were gorgeous. My wife's opinion of her Gyro Wrap? "OMG, good." And my Falafel Wrap was perfect. Again, even distribution of ingredients is key for me and they nail it. We took some to go because the portions exceed the average appetite but not the wallet. This place is underrated. They've got some local competition from other popular Mediterranean joints but they are slightly unique in some subtle ways. See for yourself. I think they get a bad wrap sometimes because the service is spotty but it's typical of a restaurant this size that doesn't have a ton of money to throw around and over staff with blonde cheerleader types who couldn't care less. If you can be patient and appreciate the quality of what you're getting, you'll like it...maybe even love it. I'm giving it 4 stars because of the spotty service at times but I really have no complaints.
(4)Keegan C.
Great food. Great atmosphere and excellent food. The Damascus hummus plate is generous and the Al amir salad with mint is addictive.
(5)Sean S.
The food has gotten even better lately. When I'm not in Columbia, I crave this place. When I am, I eat here like 3 times a week. You have to try the Arabesque hummus with lamb. It's hummus topped with lamb and served with a large fluffy Damascus bread. The mussels are also an excellent appetizer. Wash it all down with an excellent Ksara wine, a Lebanese favorite, or an Almaza, a Lebanese beer. Honestly the beer alone is worth visiting for... when I moved to Boston I hunted for a restaurant that served Almaza for weeks. Also happy hour is from 4 to 7 pm on weekdays, and they do half off all alcohol, as well as most appetizers, making it BY FAR the best deal in Columbia. Where else can you get any premium beer for 2 dollars? I can't believe more people don't know about this place. If there's one restaurant you should try in Columbia, it's this one.
(5)Jerel R.
Exquisite. Arabesque has their new lebanese dinner menu. Food is even more fantastic. Who would have thought in Columbia, SC such delicious and reasonably price food? Silvana the owner, host, and sometime cook is a gem. Outdoors. Dog friendly. FULL BAR (she's Lebanese Christian). Elegant dining room where you feel you're in the Middle East. Back room for parties. Do catering. Great place to hang as well as eat. Jerel ps. but don't come if you're in a rush. :)
(5)Tanay N.
Came here for dinner the other day, we were famished. The vegetarian appetizer plate hit the spot, everything was great especially the baba ghanouj. The lamb shawarma pizza is definitely unique and it was pretty good but not amazing. The chicken kabab was good, the veggies were tasty but the rice was a little disappointing. Overall, recommended!
(4)Mike O.
Among the best restaurants I've been to in Col'a. Came here with family. We started with appetizer sampler, which was very good. I'm not a huge fan of baba ghanoush, but it was smoky and tasted great to those at the table who liked it. I'm also not a huge fan of grape leaves, but the hummus, falafel and damascus bread were awesome. The salad starters were also excellent. I don't remember the names of any of them because for some reason Arabesque doesn't publish it's menu online. Can someone take a snapshot of the menu and post it on Yelp? I had the salad that was cucumber and tomato based and others had the salad that was parsley based. Both were excellent and healthy. Our entrees were unbelievably good--truly, the best part of visiting this restaurant. I had the veggie dish that had lentils, rice and onions. The other dishes were also excellent (although I can't remember the names because I can't find the menu DARN, but they were:) lamb and rice, steak and rice, and chicken and rice. Everything was phenomenal. Huge portions. Vegetarian friendly, everything. The only aspects of this restaurant that bumped it down a star for me were that they were out of Lebanese beer on a Saturday evening, and that our server was just an odd dude. There is no other way to explain the latter, just someone who is awkward and is trying very hard. I felt for him, though. He didn't mess anything up, he was just odd.
(4)Kim W.
Amazing food, atmosphere and service. We started with the freshly made hummus and added some pine nuts- it was devine on the delicious Damascus bread. Then we had the mixed grill and it did not disappoint; great veggies and meats. I even tried a Lebanese Pilsner Almaza which was pretty darn good. The staff was very attentive and pleasant. We left very happy. We'll be back!!
(5)John S.
This place was great across the broad. The food was good and fresh and Thursdays pizzas is half off. The service was great...even with dealing a 30+ person group in the other room. Wish they were closer to Harbison.
(4)Eric S.
Excellent option for Mediterranean food: Arabesque is a Lebanese restaurant with simple, but culturally appropriate decor and ambience. Our waitress, Lisa, was incredibly attentive. It's hard to not fill up on Damascus bread and salad before the main course, but you must because the main dishes are just as good. I can't remember whether 50% off pizzas was Tues or Thursdays.
(5)Jolande M.
Food was wonderful after a rocky start. We were seated for 20 min and still no server. Don't know what was going on but my husband finally went up to the hostess stand to ask if someone could serve us. After that Trent took great care of us. Kudos to the manager for discounting our meal unsolicited. We will definitely be back!
(5)Adam B. J.
Menu seemed very close to when it use to be an Al-amir. Even called things Al-amir, so I'm assuming it is a part of the same restaurant group? Very understaffed. Two servers and one kitchen person (heard the waitress tell another table). Hummus was dry and not as good as Al-Amir, Med. Tea Room, and others. The sampler platter was good, and all apps are 1/2 off at happy hour which is a plus. Wife got the Pizza and she thought it was better at Al-Amir on Main as well as the new one up Main St. I got the Chicken Schwarma. It was excellent. Summer Salad, is the best side salad in town. Server was in the weeds so service wasn't great. Couldn't tell us what beers they served, so ended up with two Coors Lights. Happy hour prices will bring us back.
(3)Ted K.
Best restaurant in the Columbia area. Much better than any Al-Amir. Absolutely delicious. Every aspect of the service was amazing. They have the best hummus here I have ever tasted. Their Turkish coffee is so delicious, and their baklava is the freshest of anywhere I have ever had. The owner personally came out to check on us many times, and even helped serve. I can't recommend this place enough.
(5)Karen S.
I'm not much of a Lebonese / Mediterranean cuisine person, so it's hard to compare to some of the other places (food-wise) in the Columbia area, but thought food was food. I had ordered the Pusha (sp?) Chicken over rice (most of their dinner selections come over rice or pita bread). Spices on both the chicken and rice made the disk tasteful. Portion sizes were OK. I could have done without the special sauce and vegetables that came with the dish and maybe more of the main course, as well as a slightly bigger side salad 9which there were a variety of choices to choose from). I ordered a small portion of their Damascus Bread as an appetizer, and it was HUGE. Our waitress had told a couple people in the party that were ordering small pizzas that the diameter of the pizza (along with the crust) was the same size of the small portion of the Damascus bread. (Beware - the seeds on the bread kept falling off!) We had somewhat of a large group last night and they were able to seat our group towards the back of the restaurant (right by the kitchen). Could not tell if there was another room that could also be used if you have big groups dining here. Our waitress was good on checking in on our group (there was about 15 of us in attendance). I have to agree with one of the other yelpers, there really is not much of a hostess station to check in when you arrive (you're walking into the bar area) and made it difficult to see who might be able to direct to where my group was.
(3)Kara W.
The food is good and fresh but service is always very slow. Not sure if this is because we are always there at lunch or if it is always slow.
(3)Kristen R.
Yum! This was our first visit here and we will def be back! The food and service were excellent!
(5)A M.
Finally I stopped by Arabesque to give it a try. Wow! I was pleasantly surprised. I had lamb kabobs and the mussels. The food arrived promptly. The portions were great. I highly recommend this place to everyone in Columbia. What really sets this place apart are the owners. They made my dining experience even better by their attention to the customers. Other restaurants in Columbia should learn from Arabesque, what true customer service is about!
(5)Khadija E.
This is an update on my previous review. I have officially stopped going to this restaurant, and I don't miss it. I have discovered Al Amir, particularly their branch called The Epicurean - their menu is almost the same as Arabesque's and their service is so much better. I have also become a fan of Ariana's Greek Restaurant in West Columbia.
(1)Tyler L.
I was really looking forward to eating here. I hadn't had Lebanese/Arab cuisine in a while and really love that type of food. I noticed the good ratings on Yelp and knew it would be great. I must be the exception because my experience was a disappointment and I will not go back on principle. Keep in mind, I love giving good reviews because they are usually shorter. But I have to be honest so people who read this will get a more accurate picture of the experience at Arabesque. I went there with my wife and another married couple that loves Lebanese cuisine. The first thing that went wrong, although small, was that they were out of the only Lebanese beer they carried. It's a Lebanese restaurant, they had Lebanese beer on the menu, but were out of it. This is a very small setback, although a little disappointing. But it turns out, they were out of a lot of beers that were on the menu that they didn't have so they server had to make a hand-written list of available beers, which was appreciated. Second, the server, although very nice, was scatter-brained. She was extremely nice but she kept forgetting things, giving people wrong drinks, leaving lots of plates and empty bottles on the table, and seeming very unsure of what she was doing and saying. She would start to say something, then say "never mind". But again, she was very polite. My food was pretty good, so there is nothing to complain about there. But my friends ordered a pizza and they put ground beef all over it even though it was only supposed to be on half the pizza. I love ground beef, but evidently one of them hated it and did not want it. The server said it might take a while to make another one since they were busy. What she should have said was that they will make another one immediately since we had already been there a long time before it got busy. The manager did come out and say she would take it off the bill, which was very kind of her. And, she offered each one of us a free drink, which seemed awesome at the time. You're probably wondering why in the world I would only give it two stars at this point. I'll get to that. When the bill came, I was charged full price for an appetizer even though it was supposed to be half price due to happy hour. And the thing that got me was that I was billed for something that I didn't even order. On the menu, they have beef kabobs for $13, and beef tenderloin kabobs for $16. I ordered the beef kabobs for $13 but was billed for the beef tenderloin kebabs. I showed the server the appetizer discrepancy and where I was billed for the wrong item. She admitted that the appetizer should be half off and also admitted that she did bill me for the wrong item. She said she rung it in as the beef tenderloin and that is what I did get, but she remembered that I only said beef kebab, not tenderloin. She came back to the table with the amended check and said the manager was willing to take half off the appetizer but would not change the charge for the beef tenderloin even though we all know I did not order it. Had I known it was the beef tenderloin, I would have said something. I was eating it and it tasted no more tender than a sirloin steak, not a tenderloin. The manager personally came out to us when things went wrong at first, making things right. But when it came to wrongly billing me, she hid in the kitchen and let the server come out and deliver the bad news. I am the most forgiving and understanding restaurant patron, but the manager was basically saying that I was lying. The server even told her just to take it out of her tip, which I told her that I was NOT going to do. This was something I could not deal with, although I actually did and paid the dang bill. The free drinks for the screw ups were a nice gesture, but telling me that the bill would not be corrected to accurately depict what I actually ordered crossed the line. The manager just lost a future customer over $3. She told the server that she had already taken enough off the bill. The service was slow, the server kept forgetting things and seemed frazzled the entire time, and food came out incorrectly. All that would have been fine until the manager insisted I pay for something I did not order. That was an unwise move because I will never go back now. And I'll tell everybody I know never to go there. $3 is almost nothing to me. But not changing the bill to what I actually ordered because I ate it unknowingly wasn't cool. The server messed up, the manager was unwilling to make it right. The pizza my friends ordered was mediocre. My food was pretty dang good, not great though. But the manager insinuating I was a liar by not making the bill right and hiding in the back to let the server tell me.....well, that is pathetic and disrespectful. And that is just bad business.
(2)Emily E.
The only time I've had good Lebanese food was in CA...until today! Was pleasantly surprised to find this place really delivers on flavor! I tried the Al Amir salad to start which was light and crisp with citrus and mint flavors that were spot on. The main entree I tried was the lamb shawarma with tender perfectly seasoned vegetables and delicious rice. Also you must try the Damascus hummus and bread. Simply amazing!
(5)Jessica K.
Great place on Devine st! They have excellent brick oven pizzas and their falafel is amazing. I am a huge fan of falafel and theirs gets my seal of approval. They do serve alcohol which is nice to have. Wine and pizza always go well together. Only down side is the 4 times we have been there we had to wait almost an hour for our pizzas. We keep going back hoping it will be quicker because we do enjoy the food. Last time we went if was incredibly warm inside, maybe their air conditioner broke, but if was hard to eat the food. Overall I do love the place, just might get carryout next time.
(3)Eater Of Food S.
I've had some bad experiences here but lately it's been better. They are trying harder with customer service. I'm still not ready to eat in due to bad experiences but the take out lately has been excellent. Our standard order is pizza, hummus, baba and fetoush salad. Really it's all excellent and delicious.
(4)Elizabeth F.
Okay, first of all, I've worked in restaurants, and I understand it can be difficult to manage four or five tables at one time. That said, though, the service at this place was among the worst I've ever experienced. When we were seated, there was only one other group, and it filled up slowly over the almost two hours that we were there. It took forever to get our food. It was almost impossible to get a refill on water --- and when we did, the water tasted the pitcher had iced tea in it and hadn't been washed. Our salad plated sat on the table forever after we finished with them. The waiter had zero personality and if anything seemed annoyed that we were there. He was downright crabby about having to split our check, even though he never asked how we were paying at the beginning. The food was good, though, and if the service had been better I would have given this a much, much better rating. The only thing I didn't like was the apple/feta (don't remember the name) salad. It would have been good, but there was way, way too much dressing on it. I'd go back, but only if I knew I was going to get a different server.
(2)Michael R.
First, right now I want to give them 1 star. At other times - I want nothing more than to give them 5 stars. The problem here is that they CANNOT seem to get take out food done with any amount of quality. It's the most amazing thing I have ever seen. My girlfriend and I love eating there in person. Food is traditional and made with care. We love ethnic food of all stripes but really enjoy Mediterranean. Add to that, the restaurant is right in the neighborhood. So, if you grab a table and they know you will see the food on your plate - chances are you will love it. If you happen to want to grab some food on the way home. PASS THIS BY. I held off writing this until the 4th time our take out was screwed. 1st was a burnt pizza. 2nd was a screwed up Damascus bread. 3rd was a really messed up salad that remained messed up after opening it to check (after the first two times) and still got it wrong. Fourth was another messed up salad that looked like to may have been dug out of the trash. I was just too tired to remember to look and correct their inevitable mistakes. So, I am conflicted. Amazing experience in-house. However, I may never go back, period since they don't give a crap enough to take care of their customers that won't catch their errors in time to do anything about it. Be warned. They won't be open long enough if this keeps up anyway and it's a shame/
(2)Wesley D.
Big fan. Very authentic. One of the best ethnic cuisines in all of Columbia. The hummus is fantastic. I love the shawarma wrap.
(5)John P.
It didn't take long to try this place again. Another good experience. Servers have been excellent. I was able to try new dishes this time, and was very happy. I recommend the entrees they are known for. Happy hour till 7, half price beers, wine, and apps. Have to try Damascus bread too!
(5)Gilbert T.
Wow this place was great. Tried the lamb shawarma wrap. It's was amazing. Will def come again. The only reason I giving 3 stars is because the service wasn't that great. I get there before a waiter is about to go home and he didn't want to help me. He was waiting for someone else to get there so he could clock out. Then the waiter that ended up helping me took off to Starbucks while I was eating. I understand it's Sunday and I'm the only one here. But wtf really? He couldn't wait until I was done?
(3)Naomi R.
Everything about our experience was wonderful! It's like eating at your Middle Eastern Grandmother's house. Well it was for us. Victoria prepared our food for us. We had the grape leaves and falafel for an appetizer. The grape leaves were perfect. Not too vinegary or oily. Falafel was fresh just like you find it in Jerusalem! We had the Damascus bread with lamb. Yummmmm..... The portion sizes were great and were fitting for the prices charged. Forget Al Amir. Arabesque is far above any Al Amir location which is run by the same owner anyhow. We are now Arabesque customers only!
(5)Maggie s.
Fantastic as always. Beautiful day to sit outside and enjoy the hummus and very authentic swarma. Owners are always delightful and staff is very friendly.
(5)Riz S.
Amazing food with solid service. They're menu has something for everyone. If your a vegetarian they're falafel is crispy and delicious. Looking for ethnic fare? They're Damascus bread/Baba ghanouj/Hummus/grape leaves is filled with rich flavor and seems to be made with quality ingredients, all of which comes in the Arabesque sampler! You may not expect pizza to be a hot item at a Lebanese restaurant but it was amazing. Thin crust, beef pepperoni, chicken, and gyro meat all under a layer of melty mozzarella will make you weep in awe!
(5)Jon F.
Horrible Horrible Service by our waiter. He was very unenthusiastic to us and almost seemed crabby. I have been a waiter in restaurants before and I know having a lot of tables at once can be hard at times, but when we got there there was only one other table eating. We finally got our order taken and got our salads. I would recommend asking for the dressing on the side unless you like your salads loaded with dressing. About 15 min after us being done with our salads our food cam out and our salad plates were still sitting there on the edge of the table. Enough said about service, the food was pretty good tasting, I would go back but ask for a different server if I get the one I had.
(2)S H.
I love the food here, specifically the falafel, veggie curry and hummus with damascus bread. I'm thrilled they are within walking distance to my home. :) That being said, do yourself a huge favor and do NOT go here if you are in any sort of hurry or ravenously hungry. Because you will have an angry, long wait. They have a more European approach to service and while that's great when you've got time to relax at one of their outdoor tables, it's not so great when you are hungry and pressed for time. (They do have one server that works very hard and I've seen him scrambling about trying to cover all of his tables while another server lazily half-skips to her smaller number of tables. It's a weird description, but if you've ever spoken with her, you'd understand what I mean.) This place is very vegan friendly as well, which always gets more respect from me. We love to get it for take-out or we'll often bring our dogs and sit on their patio. They are kind enough to provide water (and one time, treats!) for our babies. This location has changed names numerous times but the food is always the same. I'm not entirely sure what's going on, I just hope they stick around!
(4)Laura H.
I want SO badly to love this restaurant. Growing up in a Lebanese family left me with very high standards for this type of cuisine and let me just say that the food here is not the problem. It is actually the only reason our party did not walk out of the restaurant after a nearly 2.5 hour wait for our meals. The birthday girl ended up taking her entree in a to-go box because it was such an ordeal. Our appetizers (all dips and spreads) took an hour to make it to our table and the Damascus bread we were to eat it with took 15 more minutes. That left us all staring at a bunch of food we weren't able to eat. Entrees were an hour longer and one of them came out cold. Our waitress was young and inexperienced but apologized profusely as anyone should. Mind you, we were only one of two tables in the entire restaurant. I don't expect to ever return to this establishment solely based on the fact that if I wanted to wait 2.5 hours on Lebanese food, I would just drive the distance to Leila's in Charleston and save myself the disappointment.
(2)Chuck W.
I absolutely love this place. The atmosphere is warm and cozy. They have middle eastern music playing softly over the intercom which helps set the mood. The wait staff is VERY friendly. The humus is by far the best I have ever eaten. I had the beef tips over rice. Came with a salad. Everything was seasoned to perfection. I was a little skeptical of Lebanese food, because to be honesty, I was not really sure what it was. So glad I tried it. There was six in our party. We all love it. This is a gem of Columbia!!!
(5)Aaron Z.
Name change from Al Amir and cultural change. Arabesque has beer, wine and Hookah! This place has way better pizza than Za's and if you are not scared try the rest of the menu, it is delicious.
(4)Katie D.
This is a joke of a restaurant. Went here for lunch and there was one woman working the entire (busy) place, who doubled as hostess and waitress. I should have known that the dining experience would be less than up to par when I noticed that the entire front room and bar was in the process of being renovated and had tools laying on the floor and EXPOSED WIRES hanging from the ceiling. The restaurant's single waitress failed to refill our water glasses and take our orders until we had been there 30 minutes. They still use the menus from when the restaurant was Al-Amir. The food was incredibly slow to come out, and when I explained that I had to get back to work and had been waiting over an hour the waitress was incredibly rude and gave me attitude and told me I was waiting because my "falafel was the reason it was taking so long." (were they growing the chick peas themselves in the kitchen or something?) The most laughable part of the whole experience was when we ordered a hookah and she brought it out and asked if we had a lighter. Then she gave us a little flip lighter and told us to hold it on the coal for at least two minutes (a task we couldn't complete without burning our fingers.) She then gave us attitude and told us we were doing it wrong, though she couldn't light the thing without burning herself either. We were there almost a total of two hours for two glasses of water (refilled once) a glass of tea (nearly undrinkable it was so strong) and a half-baked attempt at hookah (which they didn't charge us for because nobody could light it). All in all, I wouldn't have been nearly so upset if the waitress hadn't been so incredibly rude to us. Don't eat here, there are plenty of legitimate businesses that provide quality Mediterranean food in Columbia. This is not one of them.
(1)Jeff P.
We had such a great family meal here! Every dish, side dish and salad was superb. The waitress Shelley was so nice, I imagine she was part of the family that owns the restaurant. Our kids liked the food as much as the adults, HIGHLY recommend.
(5)Jennifer R.
Went here for lunch with some out of town friends. Had never been before and we were all very happy with our food & experience! We had the hummus and it was delicious! I had the shwarma and it was great. Service was prompt and our waiter was very friendly. Great place-we are glad we found it & will be back!
(5)Valery H.
Friendly ambiance and newly renovated bar area! The tabouli is exactly the way my mom made it and I ordered the Turkish pizza with mint and feta and spinach- it was delicious! The waitress informed me that the baklava is made in house as well and it tasted that way too- crispy and sweet! I will be back for sure to try the lamb gyro at lunch!
(4)Ravi T.
The falafel wrap here is legit good. Have it with their homemade hot sauce. Both times I have been there the service was attentive, maybe that's because both times I came in after the lunch rush and was the only one there....hrrmm
(4)Kelly D.
Not sure how food really was because service was so bad I only had a salad... The salad however was drowned in dressing and had mushy pepporcini. We waited for at least 25 minutes before noticing half of our order sitting on the counter. Once we noticed, we waited another 5 minutes before saying anything. When we asked the waitress, she argued with about the amount of time the food had been sitting there and said she was waiting on bread. However, another table that arrived after us, got bread so not sure what their problem was. If you want snotty waitresses and really long waits, this is the place to go!!!
(1)Daisy B.
I am giving this 3 stars because the food was good, but this is NOT the place to go for lunch or you will never get back to work on time. We were a table of two people and there were only three tables total occupied although a few filled later. It took almost 45 minutes to receive our food (I had to ask the waitress when we could expect our food as I had to get back to work), and the waitress (the only one) never refilled our drinks. We watched as people who arrived later than us received some of their food before us. Our order was not complicated (damascus hummus combo and falafel wrap) so it should never have taken as long as it did. From reading another review, it seems they had the same experience we did although the waitress was not rude, just not attentive. But I will say the Damascus hummus combo was quite good, better than Al Amir on Main St. across from the University.
(3)Melissa W.
Arabesque is probably my favorite restaurant in Columbia. Order the Damascus bread, Baba Ganoush, or anything else for that matter. I have never ordered anything which I did not thoroughly enjoy! They also make some of the best pizza to be found in town. The wait staff is quite helpful if you are unsure of what to order, and it is a pleasure to be treated so warmly in a restaurant. I am not sure where the commenter Katie D. ate, but I can assure you that I have eaten at Arabesque over a dozen times and never had a bad experience. Yes, there are times when they are busy, but a meal is to be enjoyed, not rushed through at all costs to hurry back to work. I also question why if she were in a such a hurry to get back to work after lunch, she chose to enjoy the narhile (hookah). If you want real Mediterranean food (not the typical cookie cutter/chain food), this is the restaurant you should try.
(5)Lauren B.
This is an all around great place with great ambience, wonderful service, and delicious food. It's a neighborhood favorite and we feel at home there. Our favorites include: Damascus hummus, lamb shawarma, fresh baklava, unbelievable pizzas, and a super wine selection! My parents live around the corner and frequent Arabesque ever other week. We visit from Colorado every summer and we plan our menus around what nights we're having the Turkish fatayer pizza!!! You'll love the welcoming friendly staff!
(5)Anna D.
yeah yeah yeah... i'm ready for another trip! I came with my hubby and two other friends (another Anna from Yelp). I must say I did enjoy their hummus and babaganoush (combo appetizer recommended by the waiter-which by the way is half off all appetizers before 7pm). Both the service and the food was good. It was pretty slow at the restaurant but on a weekday i guess that's expected. For my entree i got the lamb shwarma and it was gooooood. In fact, it was so good i was talking about going there again earlier. What can i say, shwarma warms my heart and my belly. There's one other place in Kansas City that I enjoyed eating their lamb dish but it was not as a convenient drive as Arabesque is. Good thing for me i'm just a few mins of a drive to good food.
(5)Linda O.
Yes! Perfection! This has got to have the best ambience and most contemporary, comfortable, and stylish setting in all of Columbia. The comfy cushions and most adorable chairs were heavenly. The service was impeccable. The prices are extremely reasonable. Food was exquisite and fresh! This place is vegan and vegetarian friendly as well as for those who are health conscience. I had the spinach fatayer (which doesn't have cheese) and is made with FRESH rolled dough daily (the same that is used for the Damascus bread) so it isn't oily or buttery... Absolutely perfect! Then I had the hummus with pine nuts and olive tapenade. Although these were both appetizers I made them my meal. The place was also incredibly clean and I have absolutely zero complaints and nothing but raves (I can't remember the last time I have been able to say that about a restaurant.)
(5)