Byblos Lebanese Cuisine — Restaurant in Baltimore

My husband is Lebanese, so we're always searching for nice Lebanese restaurants wherever we go. We came across this place some years ago, and the experience was good. However, we had dinner last week and the experience was far from ok. First, they welcome us with two glasses of warm water, no ice. When I asked for ice they brought two of the tiniest ones. Maybe they run out of ice? We ordered the meat pie and the falafel plater. The meat pie was good, but extremely small and definitely not authentic. I understand that you can't expect the real thing as if you're in Lebanon, and this one an americanized version of that. Then, the falafel was horrible. We paid 14$" for a plate with 3 tiny balls of reheated falafel, hard in some parts, 2 tablespoons of salad and 2 tablespoons of the worst hummus I've tried. When I was having the hummus I felt that it tasted exactly like my first try in making hummus : it was bland, no taste, weird texture. The pita bread they give you is reheated. Why? In Lebanon it's a no no to heat your bread... Unless it's not fresh, in which case you make it feel moist again. The service was correct until we finished, our waitress disappeared behind the kitchen while a man cleaned up some tables (he looked at us multiple times, and he saw we were done). We really had a bad experience as I left with 20$ less in my pocket and sad for my husband, since he really enjoys Lebanese food and it's hard to see food from your country being badly cooked. We are not picky eaters, and I never leave bad reviews, but I feel that maybe it can bring a different perspective on how this restaurant is not "authentic" in any way. Won't be coming...

This is frankly the worst Lebanese food I’ve ever eaten. Shawarma is my favorite food, bar none and while walking around fed hill today, we decided to give Byblos a try. We seated ourselves, and after 10 minutes, one of the employees who had passed us by a number of times stopped at the table next to us to ask if they were ready to order. They said they’d already ordered and the man walked away until my friend flagged him down, letting him know we’d like to order. He seemed surprised. He took our order-the beef shawarma and foul and we waited eagerly (we were starving!), only to be disappointed. The sandwich had about five pieces total of beef, the seasoning (what little existed) tasted nothing like shawarma, and the wrap was mostly made up of iceberg lettuce, with a fair amount of raw onion and a few stingy pieces of beef. The foul, another of my favorite dishes, was almost as unappetizing-the meal’s saving grace was the single piece (??) of clearly not-fresh, store bought flatbread, that we dipped into the olive oil/lemon picture that the fava beans were sitting in. It was shockingly disappointing and even moreso, because we were so hungry, most anything would have been satisfying.

Super confused at the number of positive reviews, and definitely do not recommend and based on both the quality of the food and the lack of care/poor service would not...

Resident of NYC Yea, we have Lebanese restaurants. Yea, we have good food But... Good food means someone cares... Good food takes time, be patient. ---NOT a McDonald's... Good food is Byblos (Sammy and Hela/husband and wife) owns, cooks, and showcases their food with care and patience. I ordered three signature dishes that arguably define Lebanese dishes.

1. Coffee Served with two servings Earthy, rich, and tasteful.
2. Lamb and chicken combo Soft separated rice, slightly seasoned salad, and perfectly cooked lamp and chicken with layers of flavor.
3. Konafa This beats any NYC Konafa period. I can not stress the importance for everyone who goes to Byblos to get this home-made Konafa that your mom, if she happens to be Lebanese, would say it's better than my Konafa. Oops.

There's no secret to good food. People who care cook their cuisine well and Hela, cares. Two of the nicest people...