Almaza Grill — Restaurant in Town of Amherst

We were driving down Transit, and realized that we missed the restaurant we had intended to go to. We saw this place, so we decided to stop and try it on the spur of the moment. If you don't take a chance, you will not get any rewards, and boy, oh boy, were we rewarded tonight.

Mind you, we eat a whole food plant-based diet, so it is rather difficult to find restaurants where we can eat more than just a salad. I have to say, we were very pleasantly surprised with the offerings at Almaza. Not only was the food tasty, but the service was excellent and friendly. And even though we don't eat meat, the smells emanating from the kitchen almost had me ordering chicken.

The baba ganouch, the falafel, the tabouli, and the hummus are some of the best I have ever had. The lentil soup is nothing short of amazing, and the loubie with rice was incredibly tasty. Nothing was over seasoned, and we were told that everything was made just like at home. You could tell that the food did not came from a can or frozen bag - the quality came from the freshness and authenticity. Did I mention the tahini dressing? It was nothing short of perfect.

Unfortunately, we did not have room for dessert. That will have to wait for our next visit, when we will also try the Turkish-style coffee. We were happy to make this find, however, and they seemed glad that we found them, too. Everyone there was happy, joyful, and welcoming. We will most certainly return to enjoy more...

Great dinner the other night at Almaza Lebanese restaurant. Started with Pitas and the best garlic dip ever, alongside an order of Lebneh, which is yogurt with olive oil and zatar. Then we had a whole charcoal rotisserie chicken, grilled lamb plate, and for sides, hummus, tabouleh, basmati rice with almonds, loubie bzeit (green beans in tomatoes and garlic), and a cucumber yogurt salad. They are known for the chicken, and apparently on many evenings you need to order ahead to ensure you get one, but we were lucky enough to walk into one. Was super flavorful with this great mahogany colored caramelized skin that we fought over, and a great spicy green coriander( I think) sauce on the side. Lamb was delicious, and the green beans out of this world, although I have a soft spot for these. The hummus was heavy on Tahiti, just how I like it too, and the Tabouleh, lots of fresh parsley, as it should be, and a tangy sumac taste. We took home a couple orders of baklava for dessert. I couldn't touch them until morning, but was four different varieties in the container. All delicious, but the pistachio was my favorite. The menu, and I, encourage sharing, with several family size options. On the night we were there, a Saturday, it appeared that the owner was hosting, cook, and waiter, along with a helper, so be ready to relax, take your time, and enjoy your meal. Don't expect to rush. It is a small place, so reservations...

If I lived in Buffalo, I would eat here all the time, and I would try every gluten-free item on the menu. Gluten free and vegan options are very well marked and quite extensive. What I did have was the falafel. I eat a lot of falafel as I try and eat vegetarian 90% of the time. But I do eat some fish. There was a fish dish on the menu that looked amazing but, well, I couldn’t pass up the falafel. Anytime I go to a new restaurant that has falafel I have to try it because falafel can be so wide ranging in its deliciousness. This was some of the best falafel I’ve eaten anywhere. I also got the vegetarian or the veggie rice. It’s cooked with lentils and some olives and oh wow I wish one of my local restaurants back in Oklahoma made this dish. We also ordered the Labneh which was fantastic and came topped with oil and za’atar. My daughter had the mujadara and she absolutely loved it. She said it was perfect. It also came topped with a cucumber, green pepper, and tomato salad with mint and parsley. This dish also was exceptional. If you’re driving across the country for example going from Maine to Oklahoma, do yourself a favor and go a few short miles off of interstate 90 and treat yourself to a wonderful meal where you will be greeted by a very warm and friendly staff. We will take great...