Burj Al Hamam - برج الحمام — Restaurant in Masqa

Burj Al Hamam is one of the old prominent traditional Lebanese restaurants that I remember from my childhood. We went up to enjoy the Summer breeze and picturesque mountains embellished with pine trees. It is definitely an added value when you have great scenery to complement your food. While the greenery pleases mostly the older generation, they have not forgotten their younger clientele. For the little ones, they provide a pleasant area to play in. Before I delve into their cuisine, I would like to mention the service. Unfortunately, the service was extremely rushed. We struggled to finish our sentences before the waiters magically disappeared into the abyss; it made ordering our food, and requesting anything for that matter, a difficult task. It did make us laugh though, as we tried to get the words out of our mouths as quickly as we could. Even though it was indeed amusing, that did not make it any less unacceptable. On a positive note, I was glad there was no issue of plates hovering above our heads before they landed on the table. Getting to the main act; the food. The mezza (appetizers) was flavorful in general. I thought the hummus and kibbe nayye (raw kibbe) were delicious. However, I felt that the fattoush was a bit heavy on the lemon. As for the cheese rolls, although a tad oily, the melted cheese inside them was actually good. Coming to the grilled goodness, the skewered meat, kafta, and chicken were all tender. They weren’t to die for, but at least all three of them were tasty. Usually, I would like one and not the other. Even after you are full to the brim, rarely do you not get an array of fruits and oriental desserts offered on the house at Lebanese restaurants. Well, this was one of those rare times. Yet, we did still opt to enjoy the freshness the fruits provided after a wholesome hearty meal.

Update: I have visited it a couple of times again recently. The service was much better and their food was consistent. Their kibbe nayye has become one of my favorites. So, I have decided to go up to a 4 instead of a 3 as my...

We went today to Bourj El Hamam and we had the worst service ever. After arriving we didn't find anybody to greet us or show us to our table. We stood there 5 mins searching for the person who had the table list. After being seated we ordered several food items from the menu. After telling the waiter that we wanted to order the drinks, the waiter insisted to start the food order before the drinks and then come back for the drinks (which he didn't).

The order came in an unorganized fashion: We were first greeted by the hot bread plates (which we didn't have anything to have with) followed by one plate of mezza (when the bread got cold) followed by a plate of meat. After the meat, we get the plate of cashews and other nuts (that we should have had initially while waiting for the food). We then get another plate of mezza and then a plate of chicken.(note every plate came 10 mins after the one before). After 1 hour and 15 mins we got the plate of kastaleta meat. The fries plate and the mountain tomato plates didn't come to our table.

Worst service ever although It was not the waiters fault but the adminstration. They were too short handed and they didn't know how to deal with it. Most of the food was great although the kastaleta meat was rather...

I must express my disappointment with the quality of food at this restaurant. I visited with high hopes but left with a sense of dissatisfaction. The taste of the dishes I ordered was far from what I expected.

To put it frankly, the food lacked flavor and was quite bland. It felt as though the ingredients were not prepared with care or attention to seasoning. Even though the menu boasted an array of enticing options, the actual taste fell flat.

I found myself struggling to finish my meal, and it left me with a lingering sense of culinary letdown. It's unfortunate because I had heard good things about this place, but my experience did not match the expectations.

Additionally, the presentation of the dishes left much to be desired. They lacked the visual appeal that one would expect from a restaurant of this caliber. It's clear that there's room for improvement not only in taste but also in the overall dining experience.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this restaurant based on my experience with the food. While service and ambiance were acceptable, the lackluster taste of the dishes left a lasting impression of...