Beirut Cafe: Lebanese Cuisine & Farr Better Ice Cream — Restaurant in Murray

As the pandemic quarantine started to ease, and restaurants were starting to open their doors to dine in, we were definitely looking up new places to try. After a couple of quick searches, we came across Beirut Cafe--I'm not sure how we didn't try this place yet! After reading a couple of reviews, we decided to give this place a try. We called them up to make sure they were open for dine in, and headed their way. We decided to order at the restaurant, after analyzing the menu another ten times.

The restaurant is tucked away in a plaza, between a gas station and a self car wash. The plaza has some parking spaces in front of the restaurant. Inside the restaurant, it's divided into Farr's ice cream shop on the left and Beirut Cafe on the right. There's ample seating inside and outside the restaurant. After glancing over the menu again, we were ready to order. It's setup like a fast food place, where you order and pay in the front, and then wait for your food. We usually like trying as many items on the menu to get a holistic taste of their food. As they have various kabobs and shawarmas, we decided to order their Mix Grill (one skewer of chicken tikka, one skewer of lamb tikka, and one ground beef kabob), and Mix Shawarma (chicken and beef shawarma). Since we had to order and pay for everything up front, we asked for the Kunafa towards the end of our meal.

The food took some time to come, as there were only two workers that were shifting between the ice cream shop, restaurant, and the drive thru customers. The food was colder than expected when it arrived, especially there weren't any unforeseen delays after it was prepared, as we waited a long time. Initial observations were the portion size and the food arrangement on the plate. Portion was definitely on the smaller side, and the entree, side, and sauces were cramped on the plate. The Mix Grill meats were piled on top of the rice, a side of steamed veggies, and the sauces took up precious food real estate on the plate. The Mixed Shawarma was a similar setup, but instead of veggies, it came with hummus and pita. The kabobs and shawarmas were okay, nothing special. The lamb tikka was a little chewy and hard (under cooked). The steamed veggies were soggy with no flavor (no seasonings). The hummus had a lot of oil on top, and didn't taste like it was prepared in house. The pita was a little too doughy. The garlic sauce was strong, very garlicky. Maybe it would've tasted better if the food was warmer.

We were looking forward to the Kunafa dessert to make up for the meal. We tried Kunafa in many restaurants, including preparing it at home. This one was soaked in rose water and orange blossom water. Orange blossom flavor was something new for us. The orange flavor was overpowering, and smelled sickening. The Kunafa wasn't baked long enough, as it was still soft and mushy. Ideally it should be baked till the crust forms a golden crunch. The crushed pistachio garnished on top was very dark, looked like boiled broccoli.

Nevertheless, I'm glad I came across another ethnic restaurant in the area, but I expected better. The prices were higher for a fast food setting, and the smaller food portion. They have potential to become a better restaurant if they worked out the kinks. Probably not going to return for their entrees, but may check out other items on their menu...

I'll open with a disclaimer that we have never actually dined in at the Beirut Cafe. My family and I ate their first during the pandemic and have ordered to go ever since because we were so pleased with the quality of the Mediterranean cuisine compared to all the other Greek \ Lebanese restaurants we had tried in the Salt Lake area. So I cannot speak to the service or staff other than the cook and the cashier who have helped us.

I grew up down south and fell in love with a Greek \ Lebanese restaurant down in Baton Rouge that was my first exposure to this cuisine. Ever since my teenage years I have been looking for a Mediterranean food experience that matches my memories of Roman's in Baton Rouge. Half of that is probably just nostalgia on my part, but I will say that no other Greek restaurant in Utah has come close to matching the pleasure I got from those childhood experiences EXCEPT for Beirut Cafe.

I cannot claim that Beirut is any more or less authentic as far as Lebanese food goes as I a m.not Greek or Lebanese and have never visited the region, but I can tell you that the food here, from the Pita to the Hummus, to the Dolmades and Kibbeh, to the Gyros and Shawarma is all prepared fresh, seasoned perfectly, and served in generous affordable portions. This is not the food-service quality, cafeteria gyros you have had at a dozen Greek spots in Salt Lake.

Every time we order my whole family, including two picky teenagers, are comforted and pleased by our meal. We could make a meal on just the Pita and Hummus, but we all also love the Gyros, Shawarma, and the lamb skewers. They bake their pita fresh, make the hummus and appetizers like the Dolmades (grape leaves) and Kibbeh (crispy meat puppies) in house, so that alone sets them apart from most places I've tried.

We have always called our order in and we have received good service every time. They have never been hard to reach or slow, never caused us to turn around and take that annoying trip back to correct a to-go order, and have never let us down on the quality and freshness of the food. They serve it got, package it well, and keep it warm.

If you've been let down by Greek \ Lebanese restaurants in the salt lake area before, or even if you've loved one or two, you owe it to yourself to try Beirut Cafe as it has been my family's favorite for the last...

What a sweet find this restaurant was. Drove past this restaurant a few times in the last few weeks and finally decided to stop in. The staff/owners were extremely friendly and I found myself at home right away. We started with the spinach and cheese pie, which was much larger than we expected compared to the price and it was delicious. Incredibly creamy and equally seasoned it was well worth the order. For my main entree, I ordered the mixed grill plate. It came with lamb/chicken skewers and tasted phenomenal. The chicken was not only well seasoned but perfectly cooked allowing the outside to be crispy, yet the inside to be very tender and moist. The lamb was incredibly tender and rivetted my taste buds. I found the rice to be a little under seasoned and dry, but the flavorful meats and hummus made up for it. My roommate ordered the beef shawarma plate which was fantastic. Both plates were served with complimentary pita bread as well. We finished our meal with the cheese kunafa; one of the most interesting desserts I've ever had. /Mad with rose and orange blossom water the dessert was from another world. Creamy yet crunchy due to the pistachios and the rosewater gives it it's very unique and amazing taste. Overall the experience here was great. Service was phenomenal, I felt like I was part of the family. I would love to see better plating of the food to add the extra wow factor. The fact that there is an ice cream shop also operating in the location drew away from the vibe a bit, but sitting outside rather than inside provides a much nicer ambiance. The food isn't incredibly unique, but it's tasty and for that, I believe it...