Al Waha doesn’t scream and shout, it just quietly and reliably pours out a massive range of perfectly executed Lebanese offerings at a relaxed pace very reasonable price.

The Venue
Al Waha sits unassumingly amongst many much louder, snazzier and better known restaurants on trendy Westbourne Grove, the more genteel spot to which it moved from its original Piccadilly location. On passing, there’s really nothing to grab your attention apart from perhaps the extremely vast menu of Lebanese classics – some of them common, some of them less so. Get a bit closer and you’ll see the door is almost completely covered in five-star reviews and praise-singing quotes from hard to please critics – the first indication that inside may be something special.

The Atmosphere
Al Waha translates as The Oasis and it’s a fitting name which would have been all the more so at busy Piccadilly. The interior is simply decorated, managing to be fairly clean and modern whilst still very cosy and authentic feeling. Though staff are enormously attentive, they’re relaxed and make the restaurant an ideal place to while away the hours – which seems to be what a lot of regulars do. For the first timer, the menu is the first challenge with over eighty options to choose from but the staff are on hand to recommend, and unlike so many restaurants, take genuine pleasure in doing so.

The Food
Overwhelmed by choice, the set menus are a saving grace. A £25 dinner menu offers a selection of mezze starters, a main course of your choice and baklava to finish. Before the food arrives, a bowl of crudites and a tahini dip are placed on the table. Not your standard crudites, these include whole spring onions and radishes and, most interestingly, a whole green pepper. A nice touch, and pleasingly unique – something of a sign of what’s to come.

Starter dishes arrive as they’re ready. Falafel (£4.50 if ordered separately) are crisp and light and packed with herbs whilst the almost identical in appearance kibbeh maklieh (£5.50 if ordered separately) are rich and meaty, packed with lamb, walnuts, pine nuts and raisins. Though both deep-fried, neither have a drop of oil on them. A fattoush toasted bread salad (£4.50 if ordered separately) is fresh and crisp with a pleasant and quite unexpected vinegar tang. Hummus kawarmah (£6.00 if ordered separately) sees a rich and creamy, tahini-rich version of the now classic dip topped with crisp fried lamb and pine nuts. An extra order of moutabel aubergine dip (£4.75) is just as impressive, rich and smoky but with a burst of fresh lemon. Though good with the crudites, the freshly baked, still warm flatbread topped with sesame seeds which is handed out is just about as perfect as can be with these dips, and actually the rest of the dishes too for that matter.

The range of grills on offer for main course is almost as extensive as the starters list. A mixed grill (£11.50) is an easy way to sample the wide selection of options. There are tender, just cooked lamb cubes, crispy fried lamb, succulent lamb koftes and some spiced, very juicy chicken for good measure. A vegetarian version (£10) is also available as are grilled quail in the guise of baby chicken (£12) and a range of whole grilled fish (from £16).

Considering the size of the menu, the desserts section is fairly minimal. There’s a Lebanese milk pudding (mouhallabieh, £4), fresh fruit (£5) and, of course, baklava (£4), which are included on the set menu. Though just a touch greasy, it is impressive to see that the selection of baklava is clearly homemade and, thankfully after quite a large meal, not as sickly sweet as they can be. As with the rest of the dishes, generosity is apparent with not only the large selection which is given but also the amount of dried fruit and nuts packed into each one.

The Drink
A large wine menu boasts several very good Lebanese wines which start at about £24 and complete the Lebanese experience. The French house red is bursting with soft fruit and just a little spice and is a perfect match for the food at just £14. The Lebanese aniseed flavoured spirit arak (£3.75 per 50ml glass) is another more traditional option.

The Last Word
Al Waha is relaxed, friendly and reasonably priced with quite probably the largest selection of Lebanese dishes in London. Most impressively, they’re somehow all cooked to perfection.

venue information venue map view london review user reviews (7) image gallery (3) book a table