Baba Ganouj — Restaurant in Brisbane City

What a disappointment! We've eyed this place up many times on our exit from South Bank and finally tried it tonight. Start with the positive which is that the food tasted nice though my wife's lamb was luke warm. My son had the mixed schwarma and it tasted great, probably the nicest of the meals. That's where the positives end. Starting with the service, we ordered and Asher waiting 15 mins for a bread and baba ganouj starter to share my wife's ended up going to ask what was happening. It then came out but my wife's main arrived 1 minute later. Mine arrived after another 2 mins and then my wife and I were half way through our mains before our son's meal arrived and this is where it gets really interesting. I asked the guy who delivered the meal if this service was normal where make come out haphazardly and he said "no, this meal just got left behind." It was so nonchalant I was stunned and pointed out that the service was terrible of they think this is ok. His response: "ok". Not an apology, not an I'm so sorry for this, nothing. I suggested that as a restaurant they should be pretty ashamed of they think this ok. His response: "ok". Could not care less. Incredible.

A girl who was our main waitress came over later and asked how we were getting on and my wife explained that it was a shame about how things have rolled tonight and again, no apology, just excuses like the chef is making the meals and they come out at different times as if this is normal restaurant behavior despite the fact we already know from the last guy that they just left it behind. There was then the story of them opening something else on the other side and so they're now short on staff... If you don't have enough staff to run your main restaurant and your extra thing then why would you do it??

Ask for the bill and get the guy from earlier. I paid the bill and said thank you very politely hoping that maybe some customer service might appear and we get an apology for the evening.... Nope, just a black look and not a thank you in return for the $150 I just spent on three meals.

This was a three star review but the experience at the end work guy when paying the bill was my last straw.The sad thing is a little humility and a sorry for the experience would have saved this and we would have tried it again perhaps. I will never return now and unless you want a poor service experience, I recommend others...

My wife and I recently dined at Baba Ganouj in South Bank and, unfortunately, the experience was disappointing. While the service was good and the staff were polite, the food fell far below expectations.

We ordered several dishes, but many lacked the love and authenticity I associate with traditional Middle Eastern cuisine. Sadly, we had to send two meals back due to issues with quality and flavor. To be honest considering the price we should have sent more back.

The Garlic & Cheese Saj was extremely overpowering with garlic, making it unpleasant to eat. Definitely did not represent the four cheeses advertised with the crispy salty bread.

The Makdous (Pickles), which should be a highlight, were straight from a jar—something I use at home, to add a lift to some of my dishes, but would expect a restaurant to prepare fresh.

The Fattoush Salad was drenched in dressing, leaving the salad soggy and unappetizing. This was one of the dishes we sent back. Similarly, the Potatoes, which should have been a simple, crispy flavorful side, were swimming in oil, soggy and loaded with dried za’atar and garlic to the point they were inedible.

My son’s Cheese Pizza was so doughy he refused to eat it, and the Lamb Moussaka, a dish I typically love, was bland, lacking both flavor and texture.

The chips was wrinkled band stale m, indicating that they were not fresh and had beer sitting under a heat lamp. moreover lacked seasoning and crunch ( everything you hope a chip would be).

As a chef myself, I was incredibly disappointed with the lack of care and effort that seemed to go into these dishes.

The potential is there, as the menu reads quite nicely but the execution needs significant improvement.

I hope the team takes this feedback constructively and works to elevate the quality of their food to match the service...

Incredibly disappointing. Dips (on veg plate) reduced from 3 to 2 – and what used to be a good amount now ridiculously tiny. about a mouthful (one dessert spoon full), and not a mistake – meant to be this way, to avoid ‘waste’ apparently. But both the amount now, and explanation/excuse are ridiculous. Plates are meant to be (and used to be) a compete meal, with ENOUGH of everything (Which is why we kept coming back). Now not at all. Price has gone up too, which is ok (‘inflation’ as they said), but the dip portion amount is really disappointing and ludicrous for what you pay$$. Talk about paying more for less. Gave feedback to owner/manager while there, but the (always unsmiling, non friendly) lady seemed quite unconcerned, even when I said how we’re regulars and ‘very disappointed’ and ‘shocked’ . Nothing done. (Still charged full $ for the extra homus). Something about some not eating all the dips (waste). But the answer isn’t to then make the amount so obviously woefully inadequate (for a plate, which is meant to be a complete meal) in order to avoid any chance of any waste. $100 for two (!) (had to order extra dips on the side). Seem to be very profit/$ (not happy customer) focussed. Walked away feeling ripped off, very disappointed (and not full like we used to be, and which for me is a first for Lebanese cuisine, which I’ve eaten countless times, many places). Crazy. :( (past and current photos attached): One star for service and (consistently) unfriendly/cold:blank attitude of the boss and tiny portion size. (2 star overall as food itself still same good quality, but no longer worth it). Incredibly disappointing. Won’t be back. Big...