Assanabel Paris - Alésia — Restaurant in Paris

We’re fairly skeptical of rave reviews- so we were expecting, well, average to good, but the menu has a great selection and we were looking forward to a nice meal when we made reservations just as they opened at 7 pm. The reviews were spot on; in a week of dining out morning, noon and night, we enjoyed the finest meal we had in Paris. Every appetizer could have been a main course, and the main course selections had me regretting eating breakfast and lunch- why eat lesser meals when having dinner here? Creamy lentil soup unlike any we’ve ever had, luscious hummus with warm, pillowy pitas, a mezza that could easily make a main course. The mixed grill was a melange of tastes and textures and the chicken was so savory and tender I needed to take what I couldn’t finish back to the hotel to enjoy hours later- food this delicious you don’t let go to waste! The staff is both friendly and efficient; attentive but not overbearing, we never lacked a thing and felt well cared for from the instant we were welcomed in through our goodbyes. Be aware that places this great don’t lack hungry and appreciative audiences; even if they didn’t suggest early diners not plan on spending the entire evening here, it’s hard to imagine noticing the lines of hungry aficionado’s lined up outside. Once you sample the fare, you’ll understand why the usual Parisian hospitality of lingering over another glass for hours simply isn’t fair to those waiting to discover the delights...

Rude service and average food. Waiter starts to take our order and then picks up the phone several times to take takeaway orders....took a long time to actually order what we want. When one person out of three only wanted one plate of falafels he said ‘no you need to order 2dishes it is a Saturday night each person needs to order more than one’ so we felt pressured to (did not state on the menu or premises) he then served one of the mains with a sauce not mentioned on the menu and when asked if they could do it without he said “you should have told me” when serving water one of our guests said “not for me thanks”’to which this “friendly” waiter says “well for him then” really rudely. Would not come back here and would not reccomend to friends.

Have never had such bad service before. I believe he...

Not an enjoyable food experience. I had prepared myself for an evening of well cooked lebanese classic dishes. Unfortunately I was surprised with how badly some of the dishes were prepared. Mjaddara for an example was pureed lentils with a couple of rice grains scattered in the dish (nothing to do with mjaddara). When asked about the cheese in the pasties we were told it is halloumi when in fact it was Akawi cheese. Some of the yoghurt had split and in our fatteh and was grainy, the Toum (garlic) was lumpy and started seeping water. I can understand disasters in the kitchen, but I wouldn't serve these dishes to customers. You definitely need to change the chef. As for the service, it was really good, the staff were nice, attentive and cordial. But with the current chef I wouldn't recommend this...