Beirut Kitchen - Cantine du levant — Restaurant in Bordeaux

There’s something humbling about stepping into a restaurant where you don’t really know what you're doing, where the menu reads like poetry in a language you think you speak but clearly don’t. That was us, walking into this Lebanese spot, thinking we had it all figured out. I mean, how hard could it be, right? Well, as it turns out, harder than we thought.

The place had this warm, inviting vibe—aromas of spices, garlic, and grilled meats filled the air. You could tell this was the real deal. The kind of restaurant that specializes in food so rich in history and tradition, you almost feel like you’re trespassing into someone’s kitchen. We sat down, armed with our patchy French and a mountain of confidence we didn’t quite deserve. The waitress, sensing our struggle, kindly offered help in English. But no, we were determined to stick with our butchered French. We read what we could, pointed to a few items that looked familiar enough, and proudly placed our order.

Then came the food. Plates started arriving, one by one. Small plates. Side dishes. No main courses. We didn’t quite know what we had done, but there was no turning back. Embarrassed to ask if this was the full meal—or worse, admit we had no clue what we’d just ordered—we sat there in silence. And we ate.

But here’s the thing: what we had was incredible. Warm, fluffy hummus with a drizzle of olive oil, crispy sausages that crunched in all the right ways, vibrant and bursting with fresh parsley and lemon. Each bite felt like a revelation, as if we had stumbled upon a secret that even we weren’t meant to uncover. The food was so good, in fact, that we convinced ourselves this was exactly what we wanted all along. Who needs a main course when the sides are this good?

But there was that nagging question as we left, quietly slipping away with our pride slightly bruised: If the sides were this great, what about the main dishes? We’ll never know, at least not this time. But what we do know is that we’ll be back. Next time, though, we’ll come armed with a bit more humility, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll ask a few more questions. Because if the side dishes were this remarkable, there’s no telling what wonders the rest of...

I had some expectations for this restaurant based on the reviews, but unfortunately, my experience wasn't the best. However the service was very friendly and attentive, even though the food didn’t match up.

I ordered a dish with eggplant, falafel, and a few vegetables, but it was a dissapointment..

The eggplant slices were slightly undercooked. There were a few grilled pieces of zucchini as well, but they were bland and lacked any seasoning or char that would give them depth of flavor. The portion of tahini sauce was too small — not enough to cover a full dish.

Additionally, the dish looked uninspired. A couple of slices of not-so-fresh tomato were thrown in, making it feel like a side salad rather than a complete meal. The falafel pieces were decent, but nothing special.

Just the presentation seemed a bit..boring. Just everything put on a plate without much thought.

For 12 euros, I expected something more vibrant and colorful. The dish lacked greens, spices, or any element that would tie it together. It felt more like a basic snack or kids meal than a proper restaurant meal.

Maybe the other dishes on the menu offer a...

Overrated ,overpriced : We ordered plate of kebbeh + poulet mariné + assortiment 4 mezzés.

You cannot call the plate "poulet mariné" shawarma! Absolutely not the chicken meat nor the sauce .where is the garlic?!

The kebbeh ,moussakaa ,and baba ghanouj are good . The fatayers épinards require more seasoning .The laban is weird.

I just wanted to eat lebanese in Bordeaux and i checked google and i saw your good rate , but i was...