Noujaim's Bistro — Restaurant in Winchester

We were very excited to try this place as we are both very fond of Middle Eastern cuisine. Full disclosure at this point, we were giving them the benefit of the doubt as they had a big party in, but I have a feeling that it didn't make a difference to the food. Also, we did not complain to the waitresses, they were rushed off their feet and we didn't think that complaining would make much of a difference tbh. We were seated at a table for two that we could barely squeeze onto (my husband is 6ft 5.) and which had only one glass and place serving. We then had to wait 20 mins for someone to even come and offer us a drink/water with no apology just a demand to know if we had a reservation, I mean why else would we be sitting there? We were finally given our drinks and some hummus and pita. I was surprised that the pita was cold and flabby and not toasted - an omen of things to come? Yes. Our main courses arrived super quickly, which aroused a bit of suspicion, my husband had the chimichurri steak and I had the chicken shawarma. Both dishes were entirely cold and tasteless (I asked for more garlic sauce so that my meal actually tasted of something etc.) My chicken was extremely dry and the portions were off, I had twice the rice and green beans that my husband did. My husband asked for his steak rare and it came blue. It felt as if the food had been sitting around all day and had been microwaved to order, my rice was freezing but with a super hot core that made me nervous. There were no specials, the fish hadn't been delivered that day and they were out of various things on the menu. I appreciate that this is no one's fault per se, but it's disappointing and none of these things seem appropriate for a restaurant that has a 4.7 rating. We both had desert, my husband had a 'brick' of flabby Baklava and I had a desert that was supposed to be filled with a rose syrup cream, it was either curdled or it was more like a lumpy ricotta, it had a really unpleasant texture and tasted of nothing, it was just sweet. This is only decent Middle Eastern cookery to anyone who has never tasted truly decent Middle Eastern cookery and that's a shame. It was utterly uninspired, where were the extra touches, pomegranate, garnishes, seasonings, anything?! As I say, so disappointing and we...

You must eat here. WOW! My foodie sister and I were traveling home from the Berkshires when she remembered going to this restaurant with a friend in the past. We came in late, 45 minutes before closing. We were seated immediately, by a terrific waitress. When presented with the hummus and garlic pita chips we were told this was the "World's Best" hummus. Let me tell you something - it lives up to the hype. Unlike the hummus I've had before it has a subtle nutty flavor. When I asked the owner he advised it was from the sesame paste. We ordered the spanakopita as an appetizer and the combo shawarma plate. The shawarma serving size was enough for three people. Another WOW. The spanakopita was not dense, it was flaky and perfect, it was served with some sort of quinoa salad with a vinegar maybe. I'm not too sure, it was great! The shawarma had chicken, lamb, and falafel. The seasoning is just mouth watering. In the center was a tahini and then the most amazing garlic sauce. I'm still not sure what is in it, maybe greek yogurt, garlic and parsley? We met the chef for a few moments, he was friendly and seemed to be as excited by the food as we were. I clapped when he came out! Overall amazing experience. 10/10 would recommend and I...

I have found it's rare to experience an eatery with 5 stars on ALL levels until now: NOUJAIM'S! From the start, we were greeted by owner George and he truly cared about our preferences. He gave us a brief tour & history as we admired the ambiance. After being seated, we learned that George the owner wears many hats: he is also a great host and is also the sole chef! On one of his visits to our table, he proudly told us that every item served in his restaurant is made by him. Needless to say the food is the freshest you can find and extremely tasty! The service is second to none, as both he and the waitress checked on us several times. Imagine the owner, who is the host, who is also the sole chef actually comes out of the kitchen several times to greet and check on each guest. As a middleeasterner myself, I can truly arrest to the fact that this is as good and as fresh as it gets, folks...truly the BEST hummus! We drove an hour to experience all this restaurant offers and we won't hesitate again. Thank you...