Downtown Beirut - Lebanese/ Middle Eastern Restaurant Newcastle — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

BEWARE. THE FOOD IS THAT BAD & OVERPRICED. THE REVIEWS ARE 100% FAKE!! As you can see I don't leave reviews of places usually, but this place has to be mentioned. I feel like I need to spread the word! The food is that nasty tasting, that I really feel like they need to be reported! Mainly due to prices of their food! I think the prices could normally be justified by their high good reviews they have! but I think if it was looked into, without a doubt, they know everybody that has left good reviews!! That's how insanely bad it is!! This restaurant should be ashamed of themselves. I truely feel for all the restaurants out there that sell genuinely authentic, flavour enriched food & they are barely staying open. Then you have owners of places like this, that are just taking advantage of a bad situation!! The first 4 photos and the last is the $17 very over priced (comes in a small/medium take out container) extremely weird tasting Mansaf. My husband and I have been eating Mansaf all our lives. It's meant to be very flavoursome & usually is! The chicken in their version is very plain tasting and just has a mild burnt taste. The rice usually is flavoured with cardamon and cumin. I personally usually find this dish addictive. This dish however has tomato and those black burnt seed things in it! Can anyone tell me what they are?? One of them nearly broke my tooth!! The 4th photo shows something green that was also throughout the dish (not normal) I couldn't make out what is was! Just had the unfortunate experience of trying a bit of it & it tasted off! I cringe thinking about it! This dish seems like foreigners (not lebanese) have made it, reading from a recipe for the first time. I actually feel offended, it was that bad! As you can see it's still nearly full & unfortunately will be thrown out as it's not even edible! The 5th, 6th, 7th & 8th photos is of their $12 I think, Chicken shawarma wrap. Wow, what are the words for this!! They had layered, no actually caked on it what I think is Dijon mustard! Seriously, this was revolting. When I mentioned this in my complaint to them, they said they don't put mustard on the wraps. Well as you can see clearly in the photos, there is mustard. This is also a very weird option on their menu! Shawarma is usually marinated in a yoghurt base with cardamon pods, lemon juice and other very flavoursome ingredients. This wrap would have left me speechless, except I just feel so ripped off!! I really want this post to be detailed, in the hope that word spreads! Here's a callout to anyone that has been there & without a doubt had a bad experience, but didn't leave a negative rating! Please do it now! Let's give this place the actual rating they should have! So the places that do deserve to get business, in a time like this, Do!!! Also, BEWARE! If you call them to complain about a nearly a quarter of the ordered items missing & the poor quality! You will just be argued with & definitely won't get...

"Downtown Beirut" is an expensive bad experience.

I had a bad experience at this restaurant. The owner was rude to me and made feel very uncomfortable. She was drinking with other guest throughout the night. The 3 people at my table (including me) collectively spent over $250. The food was average in taste and poorly presented. You will pay $50 for something worth $30 and the experience does not reflect the additional $20 tacked-on to your meal.

The restaurant has a take-away system which sees people lining up between the dining tables. This ruined the atmosphere as numerous people were standing very close to my table during my meal, talking and wearing fluoro work clothes. On this occasion, take-away customers kept leaving the front door to the restaurant open. It was a cold night and it had been raining. I requested wait staff to have the door closed, my request was heard but ignored. I got up and closed the door when I became too cold and to my surprise, I started receiving "dirty looks" from the owner. I closed the door more than once as take-away customer kept arriving.

Also on this occasion, someone at my table spilt a drink on the other person at the table. The person who accidentally split the glass was very sorry and both of them were embarrassed. The owner then brought a tea towel to our table and started making comments to the effect of, "How dare you spill a drink on your friend and laugh about it", "No more drinks for you", "You need to apologise", "That apology isn't good enough", "Where I come from we don't use words, we take action" and, "If someone did that to me I wouldn't take that". I kept my cool, but I felt terrible inside. My friends felt worse. I felt more distant and more alone than ever before whilst in the company of my friends.

This business employs family members and students. The staff are not properly trained, and the owner has limited management skills. The chef smokes cigarettes out the back of the restaurant, outside. The toilets are located outside of the restaurant.

"Downtown Beirut" is an expensive bad experience. As far as I'm concerned, this business and it's rude owner can go back to where they came from.

Happy to change my review if I get an apology, but I'm not going to...

An Exquisite Culinary Experience at Downtown Beirut in Newcastle.

Having recently dined at Downtown Beirut, I have nothing but praise for the restaurant's exceptional attention to detail and the quality of its ingredients. From the moment we indulged in the mouthwatering Fattoush, it became evident that every element had been meticulously chosen, resulting in a truly remarkable culinary experience.

The Fattoush, in particular, stood out for its freshness and crispness. Each ingredient, from the vibrant and flavorful capsicum to the succulent tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, and refreshing lettuce, tasted as if plucked straight from the garden and served directly on our table. The combination of these ingredients was a delightful symphony of textures and flavors, leaving our taste buds thoroughly satisfied.

For my main course, I opted for the kafta plate, but I couldn't resist adding a lamb skewer to enhance my dining experience further. The harmonious blend of carefully selected herbs elevated the already scrumptious kafta and lamb to another level of culinary perfection. Each bite was a celebration of rich flavors and well-balanced seasonings.

The overall dining experience was so remarkable that I cannot wait to return to Newcastle solely to savor the delights of Downtown Beirut once more. The commitment to culinary excellence and the meticulous attention to detail are evident in every dish served.

I highly recommend Downtown Beirut to all food enthusiasts seeking an outstanding dining experience. Whether you are a fan of Lebanese cuisine or simply appreciate the freshest and most delicious ingredients, this restaurant is an absolute must-visit. Prepare to embark on a culinary journey that will leave a lasting impression and a desire for a...