Yasmin Libanees Restaurant — Restaurant in Hilversum

Great food. The place is run by a Syrian family who used to have a restaurant in their former homecountry and both the food and the restaurant have a very ‘homy’ feel. The restaurant itself is quite small and this adds to the feeling that you are actually in a livingroom. But if you plan to come with a larger group (more than three or four) you would be well advised to check by phone beforehand to make sure you can be accommodated. I know Middle Eastern food really well and I can confirm there is a very good and authentic touch to the food. They serve the regular items like mezze and grilled meat that you will find in any decent restaurant in the Middle East, but all is prepared with attention and care. The menu card offers enough options for vegetarians and vegans since many items in the Lebanese and Syrian kitchen are actually vegan/veggie. Just ask the owner. And the prices are really modest and half of what you would pay in comparable restaurants in Amsterdam. And finally, their Arabic coffee is the best in town, with the rich flavor...

I don't know if all the other people that shared a review had exclusively stones in their diet before eating here, or we were just very unlucky. The experience we had was not 5 stars. The dishes we had were very oily but not tasty at all, the chicken Tarator and the Kibbeh were the only thing with some taste, nice. For the rest, nothing. The falafels were more of a fried dough than some actual legumes mix, also no taste. When ordering the Kebab the description says "meat", without specifying the animal, which turned out to be lamb, no calf or chicken as usual. We do not eat lamb. How is it even legal to not specify the ingredients it's a mystery to me, might as well write "food" in every dish description and we are good :D We tried the Arayes too, also no taste and just oily. So again, i don't know if we were just unlucky and this batch of prep was not good, hopefully. Anyway, here is my review, as all those 5 stars really tricked me into ordering. This was FAR from a 5 stars meal,...

Truly a gem!! We placed order for Lebanese food take out: Yasmin Combo (for 2): it was plenty for 2 adults and 2 kids: a feast for approx 60€ including many delicious cold & warm appetizers, tabbouleh, chicken, beef, lamb grills, fries, drinks and desserts. We ordered extra stuffed aubergine or makdoos, delish!

Impressed by the quality and portion size, being a Lebanese myself, I am happy to have a taste from home Lebanon in Hilversum. Kudos to the chef Mr Ali, and to the lovely lady chatting in Arabic on the phone. We will be...