So what if I make love faces at my food?! A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of dining at Afrah Mediterranean Restaurant in Richardson. It’s a Lebanese restaurant that has been around for many years. It’s a family-owned restaurant that opened in 2003. Owner Youseef touts family recipes and oversees all food prep at his restaurant. I loved hearing his story. You can hear how much love goes into his restaurant and into upholding the quality of those recipes. I was able to taste it in the food.
We started with SO much food. It was incredible. I don’t have a lot of experience with Mediterranean food. The few places I have tried, I wasn’t a fan of their proteins and always thought they were dry. That definitely wasn’t the case here. I frequent Richardson quite a bit, have heard great things about Afrah’s, but never ventured in. That all changed this night.
To start, my blogger friends and I tried the Muhammara (roasted red pepper walnut dip), hummus, grape leaves, Tabbouleh, and greek salad with their home made pita bread. It was all incredible. The smell of that fresh bread, piping hot, is making drool just thinking about it.
The pita were perfect pillows that we enjoyed tearing and using as spoons to grab chunks of the various appetizers. Everything is made fresh and prepared in house. I loved the Tabbouleh, and the Muhammara the best of the starters.
The Fried Kibbe (below) was also a tasty favorite. It’s a football shaped puff with ground meat inside. The menu is pretty large and there’s definitely something for everyone.
As if all the starters weren’t enough, the main course takes the cake. Afrah brought their Family Dinner platter which servers 4-6 people easily.
The platter comes with Kafta Kabob, Chicken Kabob and Beef Kabob along with veggies, pita bread, side of basmati rice and various dips and garnishes. The garlic dip used for the Kafta Kabob was out of this world. Don’t expect to kiss anyone after either. All the meats are seasoned with a blend of spices and cooked really well.
We also got to try the chicken shawarma. It was moist, tender and flavorful. We also tasted the beef shawarma, different pizzas, fried cauliflower.
Despite the ridiculous amounts of food, dessert was on it’s way. When I first walked in, the glass cases containing a variety of baked goods like baklava, cookies, cakes, gelato called my name. I quickly made a mental note to save room for the homemade gelato. I’m a huge fan of pistachio and enjoyed that one the best. Glad I was able to sample the cardamon, red velvet too.
Finally, ended the night with great conversations and some mint tea. Afrah was generous enough to let us take home some goodie bags. If you’re like me and are not familiar with Lebanese or Mediterranean cuisine, it’s actually a great choice for a healthier meal and worth exploring. There are lots of veggies and good proteins to choose from to make it a great meal. There are two locations in to visit; one in Irving and Richardson.
I’d definitely recommend checking out their lunch buffet. They have quite a few options that cater to vegetarians, vegans, and those that require Gluten-free options. The buffet is $12.99 which is deal! In addition to all the yummy foods, you can also Hookah at Afrah. They have separate area/patio for that so you don’t have worry about walking into a cloudy restaurant.
[Tweet “Anyone up for Lebanese food?”]My friend Dixya of Food Pleasure and Health blog also did a great write up on the restaurant and snapped some great pics you should check out. Read her recap here.
What are some of your favorite Mediterranean eats? Leave a comment below and tell me what I should try next!
The meal provided was complimentary, however all opinions remain my own.
