The Cedar Restaurant Kensal Rise — Restaurant in London

We were in the neighbourhood last Sunday and decided to check out the place after a friend recommended it. The place is a short walk both from Kensal Rise and Kensal Green stations. We took the Bakerloo line from Charing Cross. The restaurant is a short, 4 minutes walk from Kensal Green station. There is a small residential high street in front of the local Library building and the middle of it is where this gem is located. They have an open kitchen so the chefs make everything in front of your eyes, the grill was fired up when we got there around 6pm. They have about 10 tables inside and 3 tables outside. We decided to sit outside as it was dry and not too cold in the evening. ITs a great spot for people watching. I took the recommendation from the waitress and ordered the baby chicken which is essentially a small-ish whole chicken deboned from all bones except the wings and char grilled to perfection and comes with rice or chips. We also ordered chicken liver (Sauda), pitta bread (which we were told they make in house!), Za'atar flatbread, and the same with cheese(all breads were served warm). Fattoush salad. Everything was made fresh. The salads were fresh and crispy. The meat dishes had very balanced, nice seasoning and great flavours. Service was welcoming, polite, and helpful with all the recommendations. Our waitress spoke perfect Arabic, English and French!. We ended up trying the baklava too, which I didn't really want as I never had one that I enjoyed. Well, that changed that day, because I finally got to try a nice flaky pastry baklava with enough nuts to be enjoyable and just a touch of syrup on it to give it some sweetness. By far the best baklava I ever had in a Lebanese restaurant. I have to say we enjoyed every drink and every dish we had. They had several takeaways while we were there as true testament for the quality of food. Compliments to the chefs for striking the right balance of flavour with every dish. The place is a real neighbourhood gem. We are planning to be back in a few months when we are in...

I visited this gem of a restaurant a few weeks ago based on a recommendation from one of my friends and colleagues, and I was absolutely blown away by the excellent service and great food. We arrived early and had the entire place to ourselves, which meant all the attention was on us , leading to an unforgettable dining experience. Naturally, I had to come back specifically to try their falafel and see if they could impress me again, and wow, they did not disappoint!

This time, I tried their falafel and other stuff, and let me tell you , it’s some of the best I’ve had in London. And I know my falafel, having grown up with it. It was perfectly crispy on the outside, fluffy and flavorful on the inside, and absolutely delicious. I also recommend their Kunafeh. 👌

The same waitress was there, and honestly, she’s an absolute legend. So friendly, accommodating, and clearly passionate about making sure every customer feels valued. It’s so refreshing to see a place that takes both food and customer service this seriously.

This spot has officially become one of my favorites. I highly recommend it for both the incredible food and the exceptional...

My mum visited the restaurant midday on 10/02/23. The service was extremely poor even though the restaurant was empty on a Friday afternoon. No one was available to seat them upon entry and they were ignored. The restaurant was very short staffed and she had to flag down a waitress to place the order. It took 20 mins for the order to be taken then another 20 mins for the cold starters to arrive. The staff were rude about ordering tap water with the meal and refused to bring back the glasses with water. The falafel order failed to arrive, when the order was chased, the staff refused to follow up and implied it was not their responsibility as the order was not placed with that individual. She tried to get the waitress’ name to complain however the waitress stated they have no name and they don’t take complaints. She complained to the chef on the way out who was smoking on the street and he said he would pass the feedback on. The food is by no means cheap and the service provided has put us off returning. Might be worth going to the Maida Vale branch to order instead or Maroush which is...