Ishbilia Restaurant — Restaurant in London

An unexpected outcome.

Atmosphere - it's tucked away from the hustle and bustle which is very nice given the local area. The restaurant has a very comfy and inviting aura about it.

Service - I can't grumble, the waiters were all well mannered, polite and genuinely seemed like they wanted to provide a good dining experience. Also they didn't get offended at us querying their policy...more on that later.

Price - for the quality, taste and location, it's actually not bad at all and very much so affordable - you can't really expect to dine in Knightsbridge with a McDonald's budget, unless you're at McDonald's or similar (is there a McDs in Knightsbridge?)

Menu / Policy - there is a clause that each person must order to a value of £35, this did irk me a fair bit, not because I didn't have the means to pay for it, but I felt the practice was a bit cheap actually, and it made me question whether this was a decent restaurant. If your food and service is good, surely your diners will eat till their heart is content and that'll most likely trump £35pp. As stated I queried it, and it turns out it's a fair challenge, they don't want people hogging their tables during busy hours eating a bowl of bread and light starters and I can see why. They must pay a premium to run their business given the location, and it gets busy, the last thing you want is people hogging tables with very low value orders. It's not about spending more = holier than thou, it's economics. Though they ought to find a better way to execute this.

Food - in hindsight I should of wrote this sooner, but hey ho. Right the lamb kebab - best I've ever had. Why? These lot cooked it to perfection, tender, juicy, flavourful. I've had diced lamb kebabs in many restaurants in many countries, and 9/10 it's overcooked and a chewy mess. I enjoyed it so much that I stole my other halfs portion!! The rest of the items we ordered were also excellent.

In conclusion, money well spent, I enjoyed my dining experience and felt the price was fair and justified given a host of reasons, venue, location, atmosphere, service & food.

Highly...

As someone who has eaten at ishbilia almost every week for the past two years, I never thought I’d be writing a review like this. But after last night’s disgraceful experience, I feel compelled to warn others.

I had made a booking for three people at 9:00 PM, well in advance, on what happened to be the evening of Arafat, a sacred day of fasting for Muslims. You’d think a Lebanese restaurant — supposedly attuned to the cultural significance of the day — would handle this with care and dignity. You’d be wrong.

Despite my reservation, we were made to wait standing around for 30 minutes, only to be seated at the worst possible table, shoved in the back, and for two people, not three. They had clearly overbooked themselves, likely chasing iftar business without any ability to manage the pressure.

But what’s absolutely unforgivable is the total lack of basic compassion. I had been fasting all day, and not once did anyone offer me so much as a glass of water or a date to break my fast — the bare minimum of hospitality on such an occasion.

By 10 PM, we were still the only table being completely ignored. I tried to speak to someone who appeared to be the manager — a British man with curly hair — and was met with sheer indifference. He looked at me like I was bothering him, gave a dismissive hand gesture as if to say “one minute,” and never came over to speak to me properly.

At that point, I walked out. After a full day of fasting, I left Ishbilia completely unfed, unacknowledged, and uncared for. Not a single member of staff followed up, apologized, or even noticed. I cannot overstate how dehumanizing and infuriating that felt.

For nearly two years, I’ve been a loyal regular. I’ve brought friends, recommended it widely, and supported this place consistently. To be treated this way — with such blatant disregard on such a meaningful evening — was not just a letdown. It was a betrayal.

Never again. Ishbilia has lost a regular — and anyone I ever...

We had just arrived at our hotel in London, we were tired and hungry. We asked the hotel staff for a restaurant recommendation and they suggested Ishbilia which was just a few minutes walk away.

TL;DR From start to finish, this place was amazing! I would give it 6 stars if I could. /TL;DR

I've lived abroad and traveled a lot. I'm not a complete foodie but I do love food. During the first few dishes of our meal at Ishbilia I was seriously considering whether it was the best meal I had ever had in my life.

The food was delicious. Each dish was something different. The vegetables all seemed bursting with freshness. Everything was top quality.

The vegetable dishes we found were the most impressive. Hard to believe a table of 5 will all agree that the broadbeans with garlic are the best dish they have tasted! The tabouleh was perfect (more than perfect, I didn't know tabouleh could be that great and I love it.) The pita was so fresh and light it was almost floating in air. The sauces were all bursting with flavor.

The waiter/maitre d' who sat us, helped us with selections and made sure all our needs were looked after, was great. He had a very dry and serious style but every now and then would say something very seriously that would surprise us... and then we would see a twinkle in his eye and realize it was a joke. He was a great character.

It was a little more high-end of a place than we were looking for but for a lifetime experience, it was so worth it!! I cannot recommend Ishbilia enough. You have to experience it, words can't do it justice! Well done, everyone at...