Shamiat Authentic Syrian Restaurant — Restaurant in Melbourne

Oh we adore Shamiat. It is an exciting Syrian cafe in the quirky Victoria Road shops near Dennis railway station. It is a cafe that has quickly and rightfully established a name. It has become quite busy in the evenings already and in addition the Uber Eats and Menulog orders fly out the door. I know because I’ve seen it for myself.

The cafe space is good and ideal for serving authentic Syrian cuisine. Shamiat have made the area work well complete with middle eastern music playing in the background. The food here is seriously good. The menu is impressive plus there’s great daily specials available too every day.

I went for lunch today and started with a large serve of baba ghanoush. The serving was huge and beautifully made. It had that beautiful smoky flavour and a gorgeous texture. It was excellent with the ample serving of lovely soft bread. Next, I had the mixed skewers, lamb and chicken. The chicken was delicious and tender as. The lamb was gorgeous too. I’m not sure that the lamb wasn’t better than the same offering at a much more fancied and much higher priced middle eastern place I went to recently. The skewers were served with a lovely hummus plus another garlic dip not listed on the menu. You also get more bread and a large side salad too. It’s a big meal but a great one. The salad was a beauty. Nice lettuce and spinach with delightful roughly chopped capsicum, cucumber and tomato. It had a terrific dressing too, maybe lemon juice and sumac. Whatever it was it was utterly delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like the garlic dip either. It is strongly and beautifully flavoured. A real treat.

Unexpectedly, I was given a beautiful piece of complimentary baklava to finish. Some baclavas leave me cold but not this one. It had a beautiful restrained yet substantive flavour. It too was really tasty.

The service was fantastic today. Warm, friendly and really efficient. Just the best sort of service and atmosphere. I got chatting with one of the owners after the meal. They came from Syria three years ago but have close relatives who have lived in Melbourne for many many years. Other close relatives are dotted around the globe including in Germany, Sweden and Canada (I think I got the countries right).

The cafe is very good value and replete with reasonably priced options for eating in, takeaway and delivery. I couldn’t fault the dishes I had today. They were terrific. I was excited to hear too that an application for a liquor licence is in complete with a BYO option. Hopefully the licence is granted soon.

This has always been a funny little shopping strip but it does have two very good cafes already for a hipster style breakfast, lunch and coffee. Shamiat is the lunch and dinner option though that the strip’s been needing for years. I’m therefore not surprised the cafe has quickly become popular particularly given what I saw today. It is very good and fantastic value.

Shamiat is a beauty. It is highly...

After a long search for authentic Levantine cuisine in Melbourne, I was thrilled to discover Shamiat Cafe in Northcote. Having dined at numerous Middle Eastern restaurants since my move here, I often found myself underwhelmed by what's available. However, my experience at Shamiat was a delightful surprise that exceeded my expectations. I ordered a selection of dishes - Foul Mdamas, Fateh Hummus, Zaa'tar manoush, and a cup of Syrian coffee. Each dish was a testament to the rich flavors and culinary traditions of the region. The Foul Mdamas was beautifully seasoned, striking the perfect balance of lemon and olive oil that elevated the dish to new heights. The Fateh Hummus was a standout, with its creamy texture complemented by the divine tanginess of tahini. The addition of pine nuts and butter provided a nutty richness that made every bite a pleasure. The Homous was cooked to perfection, and the harmonious blend of textures in the Fateh made it truly memorable. The Zaa'tar Manoush was equally impressive—delightfully tangy and soft, it was delicious enough to enjoy on its own. After my meal, I indulged in a cup of Syrian coffee which was exquisite. Rich and fragrant, it was infused with a hint of cardamom that added a delightful warmth and complexity to each sip. This aromatic beverage was a perfect way to end my meal. Visiting in the morning allowed me to savor my meal slowly as I had the cafe to myself. The service was polite and attentive without being intrusive, which added to the overall pleasant experience. I left Shamiat Cafe with a satisfied palate and a promise to return to this hidden gem. If you're in Northcote and craving authentic Levantine flavors, I highly recommend paying a visit to Shamiat. You won't be...

Me and the 8 other members of my family visited Shamiat for dinner last night, and whilst I really wanted to give a family run middle eastern restaurant a higher rating…our experience was so disappointing that it just would not be possible. I hope the management do a better job of hiring and training waitstaff rather then relying upon relatives to do the work. The incompetence of the waitstaff can’t be solely blamed on their lack of the English language because I have been to MANY restaurants, where English is barely spoken but the staff know their menu, can write down an order and then send it to the kitchen. We ordered our food at 7.40pm…our table was still empty at 9pm. We didn’t even get the Mezze we ordered! No dips, no borek no kids meals that were ordered first. In fact…the kids meals were the absolute last thing to arrive. We fed our children from our meals which, for a middle eastern restaurant, were very small portions bc they were starving. We were left hungry and disappointed at the end of the night. Told them not to bother bring out the appetizers since it was already close to 10pm by this point.

The owner/manager apologized profusely, told us the staff hadn’t put the order through properly and offered us baklava on the house. I appreciated the gesture and the apology but the stress and hunger of the evening left a bad taste in my mouth. I won’t be coming here again, but I hope they improve their service and staff so others can have the pleasure of enjoying authentic middle eastern food which Melbourne usually...