Cafe Munir

Written by mojdeh on June 20, 2015 in I Eat Seattle, I Eat...Out with 0 Comments

(cafemunir.com) – Ballard/Loyal Heights neighborhood, Seattle, Washington

How I heard of this place: After a summer concert of the Phinney Neighborhood Community Chorus, we bumped into a group of our friends who invited us to join them for dinner. Boy, are we glad we did!

Type of cuisine: Lebanese. “Cafe Munir is a family-friendly, local, neighborhood restaurant and whisky bar. Cafe Munir was born of a desire to reconnect with the flavors and smells of my youth. The familiar tastes I grew up eating in Lebanon and Jordan. Tastes that were not well represented by the Seattle food community. I want to have these flavors work, unadulterated and authentically, not re-purposed through the guise of Fast-food! The food of the Middle East and especially Lebanon are some of the most delicately balanced, wholesome and varied cuisines in the world and it is my goal to represent them as truthfully as possible.”

Ambiance: A quaint neighborhood dining establishment, tastefully decorated and romantically lit,

with rounded doorways, hardwood floors, elegant lighting and music to set the mood.

The perfect place for a romantic dinner with your significant other, a cozy gathering of long-time friends, and everything in between.

What I ordered: A small group of us, upon enjoying a local summer concert, also enjoyed everything on this small Cafe’s menu. My husband and I started with the Hommous bi Lahm ou Snobar ($8): the house classic with bubbling spiced lamb and pine nuts,

among our party, there was also one order of the Hommous bi Tahini ($6): the classic.

For another appetizer, we saw the party order the Batinjaan Taher ($7): grilled eggplant, fresh cow cheese, tomato concentrate and mint,

For our main entrée, my husband and I shared the Shish Taouk ($16): grilled lemon chicken skewers with garlic sauce,

and Besara Ahmar ($6): local lentils ground with roasted garlic and tomato.

What I loved: Very pleasantly surprised by the sizzling, spiced lamb, that appetizer was a thing of beauty, sent from the gods. Everything in our main entrée, too, seemed to outdo the last bite; the garlic sauce adding a perfect blend of pungency and spice to each bite!