Taza - a Lebanese Grill Woodmere — Restaurant in Woodmere

I recently had lunch at Taza - A Lebanese Grill - on Chagrin Boulevard in Woodmere, Ohio. Taza is located in Eton Mall on the north side of Chagrin Boulevard. There is plenty of free off-street parking at Eton Mall - see the video I placed under the PHOTO tab. There are two Taza locations in the Cleveland Metro area.

The decor is warm and inviting. Dark woodwork and dark, warm paint tones. The street side and one corner - where there is outside seating during warmer weather - have large windows letting in plenty of day light. One interior wall has large mirror sections above the bench seating enhancing the effect of the day light. A classy setting to dine in with cloth napkins and nice flatware.

When you enter Taza, a nice gentleman greets you and shows you to your table. Shortly after taking your seat your server greets you and takes your beverage order. Krystal is my server. She is, also, the bar tender. She had diners seating at the bar and at two top tables across from the bar. Krystal is very good at her job. She has a very pleasant personality and a great smile. During my visit, she had several regular customers who have lunch here often. Taza is adjacent to the Eton Mall office tower. Workers from the tower can dine in Taza without having to go outside and brave the NE Ohio weather. The entire staff is very friendly, helpful and attentive. While I was eating, several customers came in for take-away orders too.

When Krystal returned with my unsweetened black ice tea. Taza has several flavors of fresh brewed ice teas to select from. At the same time, Krystal brought a basket of two types of warm Pita breads with a za'atar and oil dipping sauce. Very tasty!

I ordered the small grilled veggies entree. The entree consists of marinated grilled vegetables served with Lebanese rice, vegetable bulgar and both a garlic sauce and a tahini sauce. The presentation of the food is attractive and shows thoughtfulness and purpose. It was so enticing, I dug into the meal before I realized I had not taken a picture of it. Not only is the meal appealing to the eye, the aroma, texture and depth of flavor are incredible. The depth of flavor has a light touch of spice and flavoring and is not overwhelming. A very enjoyable dish for all your senses.

Everyone in the restaurant appeared to really enjoy each of their meals. The menu has many Vegan and vegetarian selections along with meat and fish centric meals.

The restaurant is very clean and the staff quickly clear and sanitize each table after the customers leave. In late April, 2022, none of the staff are wearing face masks.

Taza does not have dedicated washrooms. However, the Eton Mall has public washrooms immediately adjacent to the restaurant. Taza has good signage directing you towards the public washrooms.

I recently returned to Taza - A Lebanese Grill for another lunch. The service and food is very good. I started with the Garlic Spinach appetizer. The spinach is sautéed in olive oil and fresh garlic topped with toasted onions and pine nuts. A very tasty dish presented well. My entree is the small portion of the Shawarma Plate which is seasoned strips of grilled beef served with fresh tomato slices, onion, sumac, parsley, a side of Tahini sauce and French fries. It is tasty, although, I prefer the small grilled veggies entree I really enjoyed on my previous visit. The depth of flavor, textures and visual appeal of the small grilled veggies entree was better.

Folks were dining out in the outdoor seating area on a nice Spring day in May. When I arrived the outdoor seating area was crowded. I will return to Taza - A Lebanese Grill again for the good food...

Have been coming here for more than a decade and never had such a disappointing experience. The owner is always welcoming guests personally. However last night, the hostess was a racially prejudiced teenager or 20 something year old. I want to believe that this is how she is raised and not how she has been trained. Walked in at 8:05 pm and asked for table for 5 people and was given a table next to the restroom despite several open tables. When asked to have a better table, her response was, “it’s closing time and we cannot open just any table”. Eventually with a frown, she moved us to a better table. Btw, closing time on the website was 9:30 pm. Didn’t know that the restaurants start closing tables more than an hour before the closing time and I think that this specific table should be used in desperation and during peak dinner time only. We also noticed her making faces towards us for the entire time she stayed on her shift as our table was next to where she stood. The owner needs to take a serious note of the behavior of this employee unless these are his standing instructions to her to use the table next to the restroom for people she does not like. Fortunately our server and the food more than compensated for this employee’s disgusting behavior. However this hostess has certainly not been...

Unfortunately this restaurant has significantly fallen off the pace, not only of its former self, but also of its direct competitors who pour their heart, soul, and passion into their food. It really is disappointing to see Arab cuisine treated with such greed. You can find countless better places for Arab and Mediterranean cuisine all around Cleveland that are much cheaper, more filling, and are extremely delicious. At Taza, all dishes are grossly overpriced. Some dishes for $30+ (you'd think you're about to receive something high quality) you receive a very, very underwhelming amount of food that isn't even seasoned. At least Choolaah across the street, with their ridiculous cost-to-food ratio, always has delicious food that makes it worth it. And all the restaurants in Pinecrest just down the road have better quantities of food. If you want to support Mediterranean cuisine, Pasha Turkish Kitchen and Ferris Shawarma are both fantastic examples of how it's done right. The former has more options, for lower prices, more delicious, and higher quality meats. The latter is what Arab cuisine is all about: honest, humble, exciting, friendly, and generous. It is really disappointing to see the standout Arab restaurant in the area not have any of...