Cedars Middle Eastern Restaurant

My husband and I have been coming to Cedar’s for years, and we continue to be amazed by the quality of the food. We’ve never had anything that wasn’t absolutely delicious. If you’re into Middle Eastern and Lebanese food, or want to dine at a place where the food won’t disappoint, this is hands down the best place in Philly.
We tend to order lots of small plates to share. The baba ghannouj, kibbi and stuffed grape leaves are my favorites, while my husband loves the kibbi nayeh, falafel and hommus. Kibbi nayeh is raw meat and may not be for all tastes buds, but if you’re into this we highly recommend it. We’ve also tried the tzatziki, labni, cabbage leaves, tabouli and some of the kebob entrees and everything is delicious. Recently, they’ve made their pita bread even better and they now serve a homemade version that comes out warm and delightful. I’m getting hungry from writing this review!
For dessert, we’d always had the baklava and it’s great. Recently, though, we tried the Kanafi and it’s just unbelievable. All desserts are homemade, and the Kanafi is takes-​you-​back-​to-​childhood good.
We think the owners did a great job with the recent rennovations. The place looks great, the staff is some of the friendliest in Philadelphia, and the food is superb!

Wow the food is unbelievable. If you know good middle eastern cuisine, you’ll love the authentic baba — humus — tabouli — falafel — stuffed grape leaves — shish kebob — fresh oven to table pita bread and your favorite BYOB fabulous! super clean — friendly accommodating atmosphere — pretty décor. It simply doesn’t any better then this! Enjoy!

They have the best Middle Eastern food. Never had a bad meal there. Everything tastes great.

I’m a gluten free vegetarian and I recently went to Cedars for dinner after a friend recommended it. I’m so glad I went! I went with a friend, who happens to be vegan, and we found plenty of options! We left absolutely stuffed. We selected several appetizers including the tzatziki, cabbage leaves, mjadra (which are cooked lentils), cauliflower, and falafel. They even let us create our own salad since we both had some dietary restrictions. Everything was so flavorful and delicious! I’m so glad this is in my neighborhood. I loved our server and the owner. This place was recently renovated and had their grand re-​opening. It’s very chic — I love what they did. I will definitely be back again soon!

Best Lebanese food. Wish it was in my neighborhood, i’d be here everyday!
Can’t beat $ 8.00 for lunch. It cost mor to eat at a shitty fast food restaurant.

We had a great and very satisfying meal here on a whim and we do not regret it. The Shawarma was very well spiced and quite satisfying. The arnabeet, a new dish to us, from their hors d’œuvre sampler was particularly outstanding. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. We will be returning.

Great food! I enjoyed the arnabeet (fried cauliflower) and baba ghanoush on the cedars combo platter. Vegetarian options excellent. Friendly server.
I was happily surprised on this visit to find they have new chairs! The previous chairs were too plush, oversized and dominated the dining area. The newer chairs are much better and makes for a more pleasant dining atmosphere.

My husband and I loved this restaurant. The food is to die for: hubby said it was the best shish kebab he’s had in a long time and I loved the vegetarian choices — I chose an eggplant and vegetable dish. We also enjoyed the baklava, which was just right. We used a
coupon and because the prices are so unbelievably reasonable for the food you get, we couldn’t get the bill up to $ 50, so they kindly prorated the discount. It’s a nice location near Headhouse Square in the Society Hill area. Very attractive place. I would definitely recommend this.

Found it tucked on a side street away from the main square. We got the baba ghanouj appetizer ($ 7ish), shish kabab ($ 8ish) and chicken kabab ($ 8ish) sandwiches. Delicious, authentic, quick and kind service. If the cost was just a little lower for the portion size, it would have been perfect but still fair pricing for the neighborhood.

The best lebanese restaurant in the city. Delicious food and very friendly service! I would recommend it to all my friends and family.

Just got takeout here, one of my favorite local spots off of Headhouse. Great falafel and grape leaves. The interior, as mentioned in other reviews, is a little dated, but I think that adds to the charm. Not sure why this place isn’t rated higher. Also, doesn’t hit the wallet hard. BYOB if dining in.

Love the atmosphere and these guys are so friendly. The food is amazing. Best rice and kebabs I ever had and I’m picky! Can’t wait to come here again. Oh yeah their hummus is to die for!

Far too long since my last visit.
Here it is, the food here is VERY GOOD. It’s FRESH, Authentic, and not overpriced. just right. I cannot stress enough how good the food is, whether you dine in. or order your food to-​go (which they do). We eat Mediterranean /​Middle Eastern food all the time. Cedar’s is top notch in Philadelphia.
The setting is intimate, even romantic for a date. we also saw a group friends celebrating a birthday. It’s a BYOB, and close to other bars in Headhouse if you want to make a night out of it.
I HIGHLY recommend going here now.

Despite the fact that the place looks like it hasn’t updated its interior since the 1950’s, Cedars serves a pretty tasty Lebanese fare.
We asked for «Lebanese alcohol,» and the server recommended wine. We weren’t looking for wine, and a after a quick wiki, we knew we wanted Arak. Surely they did have Arak, just not on the menu. It was the first time I had Arak so I don’t have any frame of reference, but it’s pretty effing strong. I sipped a shot glass equivalent throughout the meal.
We got (in pictures):
Kibbi for starters, pretty delicious.
Salmon with Fries — I’m not a fan of the thick layer or creamy sauce on a nicely grilled piece of fish, but in case ambivalent. The sauce was good.
Lamb with Hummus and Tabbouleh — My main complaint is that 3 small pieces pep kebab stick didn’t justify the price tag. The lamb it self was nicely charred on the outside, and tender inside. Hummus and Tabbouleh, refreshing as always.
Capped the meal with Turkish coffee and baklava.

My Sunday stroll around South Street made me stumble into this little gem! (You like that alliteration?) Friend and I weren’t as hungry, but we decided to check it out anyway. Décor is a bit outdated, with several praises and awards going back to 1991 and 1996, but hey, the chairs were comfortable! It also seemed that there were some regulars there which is a good sign.
We ordered the Kibbi (three mini hot pockets filled with ground meat) and Shish Taouk (grilled chicken and veggie skewers with rice) to share, and they were delish! However, the pita bread that came to us before our dinner came was meh. Warm, yes, but very chewy. I really liked the skewers, and the rice was cooked to perfection. The yogurt sauce that comes with the dish delivers, and I smothered that all over everything.
Some added pluses is that it’s a BYO and accept card. If Fez isn’t open yet, go to Cedars!

We had the best time at Cedars
The food is awesome and the place is great
We have been there before and I wanted to go back
The very next day I was craving the food
Will be back there next month when my brother comes
To visit. It brings mr back to my grandmothers
Lebanese food. We love Cedars!

Delicious authentic Lebanese food. A little restaurant with a soft ambiance tucked away off of South Street.
I’m not sure if it’s because of the location or something else but it’s always been empty when I’ve gone here. I’m not complaining, just a bit curious. The staff is extremely accommodating and it’s always a relaxing meal here.

Luckily I had a Groupon, or I would have felt guilty spending more money to come here. For dinner at 8PM on a Wed night, we were the only ones in here. The waiter was extremely nice and attentive which is the main reason I’m giving this place 2 stars instead of 1. Unfortunately, the food just wasn’t very good.
For apps we got the Taramasalta which was overwhelmingly salty and the pita it came with tasted kind of stale. We also got the grilled octopus which came over a salad dressed w/​a balsamic dressing. The octopus tasted like rubber. I’ve actually have never had such bad octopus before.
Entrees: The lamb kabobs came as 2 tiny skewers with a total of 4 small pieces of lamb. The lamb was also so overcooked and totally stuck to the metal skewers that I could barely get it off. The rice it came with, however, was pretty good. We also got this salmon entrée with some kind of tahini cream sauce over it which was the only redeeming aspect of the meal. It was pretty good, although the salmon was undercooked and we had to send it back once.
The baklava was also pretty good for dessert. All in all, I probably won’t come back here again.

You go to places like this and you never know what you’re going to get. The reviews seem to yo-​yo, but we caught them on a good night. It’s a solid four stars, but the slightly outdated interior and the automatic 25% tip on the Groupon made me think about dropping one. The BYOB aspect sealed the deal.
The caviar appetizer is unlike anything I’ve ever had, and it was absolutely delicious. It’s like a whipped, fluffy cream with caviar mixed in. It’s not overpowering and has a wonderfully delicate flavor with a nice hit of acidity. The grilled octopus appetizer is decent, but not nearly as good as the one at Zorbas, which is outlandishly good.
Both our entrees were very good. I had mixed seafood dish, which was light and nicely portioned. My partner had the lamb kabobs, which were great, but they could have given you a third for the price.
The desserts are fine, but not all that impressive, and certainly not worth the price.

I’ve been to this place a few times, but it’s been a while. I was hoping it would still be as good as I remember.
We were seated inside. The décor is exactly what you’d expect for a Middle Eastern restaurant… its a bit ‘off’ but upscale, clean, and very nice. Just not what I’d call ‘stylish’.
We were seated by the window which in my eyes is always a plus. We had a
$ 25 voucher and you have to order 2 Maza’s. I’m a vegetarian, and my boyfriend is quite the opposite… so I was a bit concerned that I’d get the typical veggieburger treatment.
Not in the least! They just kept bringing out plates and plates of food– fallafel, hummus, baba ganoush, these fried meat-​ball things that my boyfried was gaga over, bean salad, taboulli, a veggie and rice dish (my boyfriend got lamb and chicken shish kabobs), by the time we left, we were literally about to fall over. EVERYTHING was worth a) the price we paid, and b) the space it took up in my stomach. The pace was a bit quick, but our waitress recognized us stalling a bit, and told the kitchen to slow it down without us even having to say anything… so obviously the service rocked.
BEST PART– this place is a BYO so grab a bottle of wine or a growler of beer and enjoy.
We walked out with a $ 40 bill, some leftovers, and a big smile on our faces. I wouldn’t recommend the Maza if you’re headed out afterwards, as you’ll fall asleep, but I recommend Cedars for every meal you’ll ever eat. Its delicious, reasonably priced, conveniently located, the service is great, etc. A true gem right off of South Street.