Marhaba Lebanese Cuisine Aruba — Restaurant in Aruba

Order: Hummus, Falafel (5 piece), Zaatar bread, chicken shawarma platter, Turkish coffee, Coconut mocha chino Price: $43 Positives: They have the best coffee (and best barista) on Aruba it’s worth going here just for the coffee, some of the best chicken shawarma I’ve ever seen, nice atmosphere Negatives: The wait is long, like sometimes REALLY long tldr: If want good coffee or you like middle eastern food you should absolutely stop in here, you won’t regret it, but you might need 2 hours.

Thoughts: Marahaba is a bit small and hard to find if you aren’t looking. And, as I found out later while talking to the owner, they initially started as a coffee shop. Which would also explain why their coffee is so good. The interior decor is light and bright and makes the place seem warm and welcoming. It also helps that the staff there is mostly all related and are all actually warm and welcoming.

Once we were settled in, we ordered a lot, as in hummus, a five-piece falafel, zaatar bread, a chicken shawarma platter, Turkish coffee and a coconut mocha chino (don’t judge me ok, remarkably we ate it all). The coffee was AMAZING! At this point I’d pretty much given up finding good coffee in Aruba and realized I would just have to settle for “ok” coffee. Marhaba would be where I found good coffee for the rest of the trip. Even if you don’t love Turkish coffee (you should), we got several drinks over the course of the next few days and all of them were the best we had the chance to drink on the island. The best cappuccino, the best espresso, the best coffee overall, the barista here was a wizard I’m pretty sure. While we were talking one night, she told us she learned in Columbia and this chick could 100% hold her own in any upscale coffee I’ve been to. She was an absolute pro and worked her crafter with expertise.

Ok, I’ll try really hard not to rant too much about the coffee going forward. The hummus was smooth and creamy, it had a hint of lemon and was drizzled in delicious olive oil. The zaatar bread was crunchy and slathered in seasoning, sesame seed, and lemon. Both of them were absolutely delicious and had just the right amount of seasoning. The falafel was very good but had a little bit too much salt for my preferences and was fried just a little long. The exterior had changed from the light golden brown to a darker color. It hadn’t started to affect the taste though so not too bad. This is really my only critique of the food itself.

We had really wanted to lamb shawarma, but they were out of lamb (both times we went) so we instead went with the chicken. The chicken shawarma came out in a wrap even though we ordered the platter, we came to understand that a “platter” just meant you got French fries, and some lettuce with the grilled wrap. My advice, skip the platter and just get the “sandwich” itself. It was the best chicken shawarma I’ve had in a long time, maybe even all time. The chicken was moist and succulent but the thing that brought it all together was the seasoning. I honestly don’t know all the spices they used in this, but they were magical. There was a depth of flavor in this crispy wrap that I haven’t tasted before in a shawarma wrap. I could easily eat one every day for weeks (and now I desperately wish they had lamb).

That’s the good news, and there’s is a lot of it, and it’s really good. Now for the bad news, eating here can take a while. As in the second time we can it took almost three hours to dine and we were seated immediately. I realize that the food is cooked fresh when you order it but that’s a long time. It wouldn’t stop me from eating here but I’d probably order take out a lot more often.

Marhaba has some killer good food and hands down the best coffee on the island. If I had the time, I would come here in the morning just for coffee, that’s how good the coffee, and their barista is. The food is also definitely good enough to come for on a regular basis but if you’re in a hurry you might do better to call in advance...

DISAPPOINTING - LONG WAIT - AVOID

I have been a loyal customer for over 3 years, but today I have to say goodbye. The service has always been “Barely There”, and granted I am certainly not expecting a Michelin star, however, the kitchen has always been MUCH slower than the service. I was always willing to wait a little while for the food, simply because the food is tasty but somehow the perfect storm happened tonight, and I will never be going back to this establishment again.

When we arrived, we decided that we were tired, and so we sat, and ordered our food to go. We were asked if we wanted water, which arrived about 15 minutes later (this was odd - considering that there was only ONE table at the restaurant, and they just got their check and left). About 30 minutes went by and our waitress disappeared. At this point, a large party of 10 people showed up, and the one young lady who didn’t acknowledge me, brought the people at the table menus - I sat there and watched as she handed out menus and didn’t even say hello to anyone - like it wasn’t her job to deliver menus - only to sweep.

It was getting cold outside, so my wife went to go sit in the car. I went inside and our waitress was nowhere to be found - was she in the back, or on break? I am now sitting inside and the woman who was assisting us doesn’t come back - it has now been 45 minutes. Very tired and very hungry, and almost delirious at this point (and not wanting to get verbally upset), I ask what happened to our waitress, and where is our order? Turns out - she went home???? What? Anyway, the next waitress told me she was well informed and was about to hand me an order for someone else??? Confused even more, I told the woman my order again, and she told me a few minutes. I waited again. As I was just about to walk out, she handed me my order to go at the ONE HOUR mark, and then of course the credit card machine stopped working.

Once again, I would be usually willing to wait for GREAT food, but this food it just OK, and with the extreme delays in kitchen service, and complete lack of COMMUNICATION, I will never be going back. The easiest thing in the world to do is to bring water right away or say something like “The kitchen is backed up - we apologize”, or “we will comp your meals for you”. Something - anything but silence, where I have to follow up on...

Executive summary: • Absolutely delicious. • Traditional Lebonese cuisine w creative touches • The new bowls are brilliant! • Delightful people. • 6 out of 5 stars.

Detail: Two years after my last visit, I was finally able to return to Marhaba Lebanese Cuisine. If anything, my expectation, set from previous experience, was surpassed.

Dining at or ordering takeaway from Marhaba is not without its challenges, however: We are usually a group of four & happily share dishes but after two visits, ordering liberally enough for dinner & a nice lunch of leftovers, we've barely scratched the menu's considerable surface. Now as a dedicated foodie & Mediterranean-food lover, I feel up to the task, but seriously, this is going to take a while.

Marhaba has upped that challenge with a new category: Bowls. Whatever that word conjurs in your mind, these are brilliant combos comprising a protein with rice, fries, or lettuce & scoop of tabbouleh, garlic sauce & hummus or tahine sauce. We tried one w chicken, rice, & hummus. The tabbouleh adds an herbaceous accent & the garlic sauce sets off the other flavors causing yummy sounds around the table.

If you're at a loss as to where to start, the Shish Tawook is one of the best grilled-chicken experiences I've had since... mmm... the last time we visited Marhaba. But, from our experiences thus far, I doubt you could go wrong with any selection at this gem.

Lastly, I've noticed a few reviewers taking off points for slow delivery. Two comments on those: • This isn't the US & Marhaba isn't McDonald's. Food here is made with care, not with Microwaves. It is absolutely worth every moment ofany wait you experience. • Marhaba serves an island busy w visitors w a wonderful but necessarily small dedicated team. If quick service is a must for you, call in your order, copy the address to your nav, & drive the few kilometers to pickup. You might be surprised how satisfying an experience is leaving the tourist areas & meeting new people - especially people who provide such...