Assanabel — Restaurant in Paris

A very nice restaurant I had booked through their website which was very quick and simple. We came in on Valentine’s day and they had a special 4 course meal for the event, which we chose. The restaurant is relatively small but even when full is still pretty quiet. There is some light jazz music in the background which accompanied our meal very well. On arrival we were greeted and sat at a table and immediately brought olives, two types of bread and a pink pickled thing which I didn’t know what it was but tasted very good. The two types of bread was a thin crunchy type and a thicker pita-like breads.

We were then given some sauces like humus which with the bread tasted delicious and was a great aperitif. The came the first course, a small salad with pomegranate seeds which not only tasted great on its own but with the sauces tasted even better. I even made a little sandwich type thing with the salad, bread and sauces. After that came the second starter: a selection of 3 different warm small pastry type things, similar to a spring roll but better. There was a meat one, a cheese one and a leaf one. Each one was shaped different and each was better than the last.

Then came the first main which was dear meat, aubergine and some pieces of crunchy pita bread, all topped with a yogurt like sauce. This one tasted great and very diverse. The second hot main was a variety of grilled meats and grilled vegetables all presented elegantly covered with a big sheet of pita bread. This one was great and especially the chicken was really well seasoned.

Lastly the dessert, the waiter came and gave us a variety of options explaining each one in depth. I chose an ice-cream topped with pistachio which was great and my father chose a traditional dish which when I tried which amazing and cream-like.

In conclusion it’s a great little restaurant with amazing service. The waiters constantly checked up on us and explained to us anything we wanted to know. They spoke excellent english and even gave us a yummy fruit salad on the house with a large variety of fruit. Very nice people, very nice food, very...

Yes, you should definitely come here.

We were greeted by Clara and Zak and they made us feel very welcome. We didn't have a reservation but they didn't let that stop them from finding us an amazing table. And the entire time we were there they were so kind and took such great care of us. We genuinely like them and I know you will too.

The restaurant location is in the best part of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. And the views from the tables are picture perfect. The entire time we were at Assanabel we felt lucky to be there. The interior is also very charming and comfortable. In other words, the ambiance is off the charts.

The food is the best Lebanese food I have ever tasted, and I have been to many Lebanese and Armenian restaurants in my day. I dare you to find a better Fattoush salad or Fatayer spinach pastry anywhere in the world. And the hummus with truffles was so delicious that we ordered it twice. We ate vegan but I could tell the other diners were loving the grilled meats and chicken.

I have no doubt that we will return...

Loved it so much we came back for a second night! This is a really good restaurant with a variety of vegetarian (and vegan) options. We ordered the chef's tasting platter of vegetarian dishes and got 7-8 small dishes along with pita each night. There were a few items that remained the same from one night to the next, but about 1/3 to 1/2 of the dishes were different. The selection is very broad and I would recommend the chef's tasting menu because of this. The location is ideal and easy to find--it's right by the Deux Magots and Laduree. An important note: the restaurant opens at 7 PM. Get there at 7 or make a reservation to be sure you'll get a table. The place fills up very quickly--clearly it is extremely popular. Most of the other guests at the restaurant were speaking French, which is quite notable because the French usually dine later--apparently the buzz about Assanabel is good enough to draw them out early. Will definitely go...