Tripoli’s | Middle Eastern and North African Cuisine — Restaurant in Castroville

Wanted to try a new spot in the area.

Food - Everything feels incomplete, I didn’t have a chance to take photos before digging in because our toddler was being fussy, but everything we tried lacked flavor and felt like it was missing something. The “soup” we got for our son was basically oil, with chickpeas, potatoes, noodles and tomato paste. It had absolutely no flavor and because of the portion size I assume it’s a smaller version of the adult entree. My wrap was just meat , cheese and a spoonful of chopped tomatoes wrapped in what looked like store bought pita, the amount of cheese was so overpowering that it was difficult to enjoy and hard to distinguish the taste of the gyro. I got the chickpea salad which really just tasted like a small amount of chickpeas and cheese on top of arugula, no dressing, which made the dish feel very dry and difficult to eat. Arugula has a very strong taste and something like a lemon vinaigrette or flavored oil dressing could really add to this dish, even some salt and pepper could do the trick.

Atmosphere - Everything in the restaurant is very beautiful and meticulously chosen. I really like that there is a cafe in the middle that leaves you with a boutique upscale restaurant feeling but the quality and service does not match.

As fans of Mediterranean food we were left very disappointed. The price point is reasonable for the amount of food you receive and the atmosphere of the restaurant as a whole so that made up for the lack of quality in what we paid for. All 3 of us ate for about $55 , just drinks and main course. The drinks are not free to refill and have a pretty steep price for the size you receive.

Our server was very nice but seemed very nervous and made poor recommendations on food and dish choices. When we were trying to order our food our server recommended that we didn’t get certain dishes because our dish came with sides even though we explained we wanted fries for our side and a full size salad so we could share this left us very confused. She did explain to us later that she had just started 2 weeks ago, and she appeared to be a high school student. I also noticed when leaving that three other young kids seemed to be in training, my recommendation for a restaurant that seems to be going for a more upscale vibe would be to hire more experienced staff.

Leaving 2 stars overall based on food and service. This might be a place we are willing to try again later down the line when these issues get fixed, but it still feels and seems to be in the beginning stages of...

Writing this review is difficult because I wanted a positive experience at this restaurant. I was really excited to finally visit. The atmosphere was beautiful, and I could see that the owner meticulously curated this beautiful aesthetic. I wish there was this much detail put into the food. Unfortunately, this may have been one of the worst meals I've had in a long time.

We started with an appetizer of Embattan. While the meat had a lot of seasoning, it lacked salt. It was as if salt was not even on the radar, which caused the flavor to fall flat. The potato accompanying it was crispy and visually appealing, but it did not have enough flavor.

My fiancé ordered a pasta dish with chickpeas that was terribly overcooked and underseasoned. It was clear that attention was given to the flavors, but the severe lack of salt made it impossible to appreciate them. Additionally, the pasta itself was unappealing because it was so overcooked.

I ordered the Tunisian chicken and have never encountered such dry dark meat before. The skin was so tough and dried out that I couldn’t cut through it with a knife. I tried to pick it up to take a bite, but even then, I couldn’t bite through it, so I ended up setting it aside. It was as if the chicken had been cooked earlier in the day and was left in the oven to keep warm, and they forgot about it. When I tell you it was drier than the Sahara, I am not exaggerating. When the server asked how everything was going, I let him know about the chicken, and he offered a different type of chicken to go, which I appreciated. Well, that chicken had more moisture and a lot more seasoning, but it once again lacked salt. However, I appreciate their efforts to rectify the situation.

The service was fair but slow. I ordered hot tea, which came out after the appetizer, which was ordered much later than the drinks. They have hot water on tap, but you must cook the appetizer. Only one server worked that night, which I find odd on Saturday. This contributed to the slow service. When we walked in, there were only two other parties, and they were finishing up, so I don't know why our service was so slow. And I like to linger in my meals, so we ordered our appetizer, and once we were done, we ordered our meal so they wouldn't come out simultaneously. So, I am not looking for fast and furious service. Overall, it was a...

BLUF: VERY tasty burger; other food also of hi-quality

BACKGROUND: -avid foodie -experiences traveling in region

SUMMARY: -Lamb-hamburger: amazing -green tea w/mint: amazing -very nice atmosphere & décor -we will be returning

STORY: We tried this location due to San Antonio Burger Week as part of a 4-restaurant burger-survey, which was made much more doable by bringing a party of four. Of all of the places we visited, Tripoli's Lamb-burger was BY FAR the best. The spiced (not spicy) meat (infused with feta cheese)...along with their special dip, veggies, a more feta cheese...was absolutely incredible and set a very high bar for the rest of our burger-adventure which was not surpassed.

Our experience with this burger was so positive that we opted to return later that week for another round wherein we actually had an opportunity to sit inside the restaurant instead of doing as we'd done before (taking the burger to-go, quartering it, and consuming it outside in the parking lot).

Our decision to return was entirely-worthwhile: the inside had a very pleasant atmosphere, with décor that reminded me and my wife of our travels. Servers were very nice & knowledgeable, capable of offering us their recommendations when queried. We started with their green tea w/mint and persian tea. Both were good. My wife (who's a tea-guru) was especially impressed by their green tea w/mint...and I must say that I also thought it to be very tasty.

We also opted to try an item temporarily on the menu for Burger Week: their Libyan Lamburger, wherein they do the regular Lamb-hamburger but also add egg, arugula, and harissa (house made hot sauce). The these items did kick it up a notch and you'll be lucky if they keep that on future menus.

We rounded out the evening with a sampler tray of various sides (hummus, labneh, baba ganoush) which was also very tasty.

All in all, a very worthwhile tripe. We WILL be returning.

Incidentally, we might never have stopped there if not for the ingenious San Antonio Burger Week (an opportunity to support your local restaurants during this critical time while you get to eat, drink, and try new places - satxburgerweek.com ). I'd passed by it multiple times and am very glad that we took the opportunity to do so because the food/experience that we have had there...