Ta'bleyah Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Spring

Let me preface this review by stating right up front - I have a deep passion for all things Middle & Far East. Therefore, I am always on the prowl for great, unique, authentic places to try to indulge that passion. After scouring reviews looking for a new place, I decided to make the short drive to Spring to try Ta’bleyah. And I am soooooooo glad I did! I made my way into the parking lot of the nondescript shopping center and rounded the corner and there it was - I walked in and it was quiet for a Sunday pre-dinner rush and oddly inviting - which, sadly, isn’t the norm these days. I had no sooner opened the door before being greeted by Rami from behind the buffet. What a guy! Rami took great care to share details of each dish offered on the buffet - which made me wanna make a bib and go all in for under $20! The food was so neatly displayed in small portions so everything was so fresh and it all looked and smelled beyond delicious - I could actually cause myself injury at this kind of buffet. See photos & videos - I was careful to include the name and corresponding dish for your viewing pleasure. Since I was solo and grabbing dinner to go: I had to try the Kafta Kabob plate which is, hands down, my absolute favorite comfort food of all time. Some love crazy Mac & Cheese, some love pasta, some love pizza - I love the delicacy that is a perfect, fine ground, exquisitely seasoned, grilled lamb kabob plate. The best - and this was the best I’ve had in a long time. Cooked perfectly! Seasoned richly, so tender - just outstanding! I also ordered the chicken kabob plate as well - and please know - these plates are $14.99! Like what?!!!? Sooooooooo generous in the portions - abundant, honestly. You get to choose two sides to go with it - of course the rice is a non-negotiable and it was sooooo good! Then I chose the mixed grilled vegetable salad - which was outstanding! It’s a mix of zucchini & squash & perfect button mushrooms all marinated in the most amazing, bright & flavorful dressing and served cold, which I love! Then for the other side I chose the cucumber & tomato salad. We ended up sharing both because they were just soooooo good! The restaurant is so warm and inviting - the love of this family just exudes from this place. The tables are spacious and family style - which speak to the heart of what these people are all about. They have made an art of the act of loving on strangers through amazing food - sharing their beautiful, rich heritage through generations of recipes crafted with love, care and excellence - day after day. This allows normal ol’ Americans to take a brief trip into their world and that is so special to me. This is not your run of the mill establishment - I cannot wait to take a night to go truly enjoy a bite of everything on their buffet one day soon - like tomorrow (if I’m not still full from tonight - which, by the way I still have 2/3 of it left for my greedy little grubby tummy later on which is a HUGE WIN! It’s very important to note - that while I was waiting for my food (I ordered when I arrived and I was out the door in less than 15-20 minutes) Rami made me two (he offered me as many as I wanted which is dangerous, Rami) freshly grilled flatbread cakes and told me to help myself to the fresh hummus while I waited and photographed everything. These were no ordinary cakes - they have a crispness that denoted how fresh they were and the perfection of the panini press used to grill them. One bite and I could immediately detect that they are using stone ground wheat flour - which, because I know bread - is not the cheap route - oh, but it is the best thing ever. Texture and just delectable. The hummus was this creamy, deeply flavored delight. The olive oil was rich and drinkable it was so good. Just hospitality that is above and beyond. They can accommodate large family groups and they offer catering which is phenomenal. The use the Toast platform and I received over $5 in credits when I added my $30 receipt. That’s probably a first time guest thing ☺️ Thanks, Rami -...

(Our experience, as detailed below, was at the location in the mall) The food was okay but I've had better. It wasn't bad, but the price was really high and the service was bad. I've never had a place that labeled taziki sauce as a separate side and charged you $3 for it. I asked what plate or combo I could get that included falafel cause I really like that and then somehow there was a misunderstanding and they gave me falafel with rice and some salad or slaw. When I questioned them on it and told them what I was wanting was hummus and falafel, they told me I had requested the rice and not the hummus. After minutes of discussion they said "I will go ahead and give you the hummus, but you ordered the rice". which I really don't remember doing cause I don't even like rice with my Mediterranean food. It took between 10 and 20 minutes to be ready which is a long time to wait for food in a food court. And there was one person ahead of me waiting for food so it wasn't that they were slammed with customers or anything. It was not a good value because it's overpriced and you have to pay for every little thing, whereas any other Mediterranean restaurant I've been to will charge you for the meats and hummus but not for tzatziki sauce, the rice the food goes on, etc. There is another place right next to it in the food court that also sells gyros and other Mediterranean food that I felt myself longing to have go to instead.

All in all I wouldn't return and I regretted choosing it instead of other places in the food court. If the food was amazing, life-changing Mediterranean I could probably forgive all of this but it was just okay so it wasn't worth the time and...

5 stars for FOOD! Wow! This was such an unexpected surprise. (We were in the mall food court, ya know?) The Gyro was filled with fresh ingredients, including delelicious cuts of well seasoned lamb. We loved their Tzatziki Sauce. It can sometimes taste bitter, but this was a well-balanced, creamy, salty&sweet combination! I ordered and loved a side of Bean/Lentil Salad. We will be back!

4 stars for SERVICE: I want to offer grace concerning the service we received - the server's seemingly disinterested, dismissive manner may simply be a cultural difference thing. I think that is a real possibility. But, maybe it was that the server was truly having a difficult time with life and was wishing he didn't have to be at work at all that day. - let alone greet customers with a friendly smile and helpful attitude. Regardless, it seemed we stepped up at the wrong time, thus the low customer service rating.

Atmosphere 2: This was due to no fault of the establishment or its owner. After all, we were in the Mall.

That all being said.....EATING WELL is 99% about the FOOD, right? And it was enjoyable enough for us to give TA'BLEYAH another opportunity by eating at the Sawdust Rd location. We hope we will find it to have delicious food served in a Mediterranean atmospheric venue with the kind of gracious hospitality the Mediterranean region is famous for.

Watch for...