Cafe Munir

I don’t know why they combined a Lebanese restaurant with a whiskey bar, but I’m glad they did! We went on a weeknight and luckily got a table (reservations recommended). They have amazing mezzes, the entrees were delicious, great selection of whiskeys and also specialty cocktails. And finish it off with some yummy baklava! Good veggie options!

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. «Café Munir is a family-​friendly, local, neighborhood restaurant and whisky bar. Café 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 Café’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!
Why I loved it: A most brilliant pairing of a cozy neighborhood where local flair meets international fare. Bravo.
Cost: Average ($ 8 — $ 17.50 per dish)

Very good food, reservation is preferable as they’re not set up to accommodate if you’re waiting for a table.

Went on a Sunday evening for the Chef’s Special. Though it was a fixed menu they accommodated our food restrictions perfectly. Everything seemed of high quality, and definitely there was more than enough to fill us both. Especially liked the barley, beet and hummus appys. Very comfortable environment and great service. Want to go back and try things from the regular menu.

This food is art. It is hard to put a price on art. However for what we paid for two chefs choice I felt like we were Sharing one instead of two. The atmosphere was cool and it was worth experiencing. I will try again on a non-​chef choice night and see what the bill looks like. I am somewhat of a picky eater from the East Coast and this food was a little bit off of my palate range. If you like tubuli and chickpeas and stuff like that then you’re right in there at Café Munir. Main Course some kind of tandoori chicken was good. Desert of baklava and milk pudding was slamming. Ginger soda hits hard first sip be careful.

Disclaimer: You need a reservation to come here during dinner time. We tried to walk in on a Friday and were turned away. On Saturday we came in just before 5 and thankfully they had a table.
The food, service, atmosphere are all incredible. We ordered 4 small dishes and the lamb skewers for the three of us. The server brought us a 5^th small dish on the house and it was just as incredible as the rest.
We had the m’tabal, mukhadara alaina, salatat anthony, bubbling lamb hummous, and lamb skewers. Besara Ahmar on the house. The lamb hummous was a universal favorite.
This was my first experience with Lebanese food and I will be back!

Some of the worst «Lebanese» food I ever had the hommous was completely bland, things that should’ve been hot or warm were cold, the servings were incredibly small which took me by surprise because middle eastern food is all about large communal sized food. The wait staff were completely negligent and forgot the sauce for our main dish until the end of the meal and didn’t even apologize for it. When we were first seated the hostess was very unwelcoming, and if your not done prepping for the day why open the restaurant? Either open later or have your staff arrive sooner it’s embarrassing. These Seattle neighborhood restaurants and bakeries are overrated and terrible and I definitely avoid this place. Only good thing was the minced lamb cooked in bread.

Was so excited to try this place having been missing my favorite Lebanese cuisine from Michigan for much too long. Was recommended to this restaurant by a friend but was waiting for the continuation of their Chef’s Sunday Suppers which finally happened for us this past weekend. We had reservations and I’m sure glad we did because they were busy the entire time we were there in their cute, materialistically decorated restaurant that was bright with sunlight. I actually liked the simple décor with just a candle and flowers on our table.
So the $ 25/​pp on Sundays gets you a variety of mezzes (7 for two people), entrée, and dessert. They do ask you for allergies or intolerance but other than that it is up to the chefs on what to put on your table. For this visit we received:
1. Chunky hummus with lemon
2. Ratatouille with peppers, chickpeas, and eggplant
3. Sliced beets with olive oil
4. Tomato barley salad
5. Roasted eggplant with cheese
6. Watermelon, fennel, pomegranate and parsley salad
7. Tomato braised pinto beans
Everything was really delicious and filling with the obligatory pita bread (thank god it is real pita and not gyro bread… my biggest pet peeve here in Seattle) but I was later a bit envious of other tables getting cauliflower, beets with tahini, green bean salad, fattoush, and sauteed greens. But truly everything was spiced really well and it was fun to try all of the dishes.
We then were brought our main course which was so interesting and unique. It was a half baked chicken with onions and herbs inside a pita. The pita, thus, was nicely crispy and crunchy on the top and soaked with the chicken juices on the underside. It was so tasty especially with their top notch garlic sauce to dip in. Finally, for dessert we were brought a shared cup of milk pudding with rose water syrup and crushed pistachios and three pieces of baklava. Both very good but sending us over the edge in fullness. I will definitely be back to try another meal, Sunday night or any night!

Based on the amazing Unilocal reviewes we decided to try this place for a friends birthday. I really wanted to like this place since the ambience etc reminded me of my favorite lebanese place in Vancouver (Nuba), but overall I left feeling unimpressed. 3.5 stars.
Lets begin with the food (since all else is forgiveable if the food is great). The idea here is that you order a bunch of small plates (mezzes) — what was missing from the menu was some sort of sampler option where you can order 3 – 4 different ones together. Anyways — we ordered the muhammara (which is wayyyy better at Harissa or Café Turko) and were a little disappointed in the taste. The flavors were lacking the punch. We also had the Balila — which was again humus topped with chickpeas — again no traditional flavor of balila. Moving on we had the sambousik bi jibneh — which was quite good.
Then came the large plates — we had shish tauk, kafta and the mudardara. The amount of meat on the plate for the price was not too great — but the meat was cooked perfectly. The mudardara was filling but again could use some more tomatoes and spices.
We ended with baklava and tea which really was the highlight — best baklava i have eaten in seattle. This will probably be the only reason to return.
Now comes the service — which was quite lacking. No suggestions on the menu, confusion and delay when we asked for more bread, and no water refills.
If you are looking for good middle eastern food try persipolis, or harissa. Way better food and quantity and flavor.
Overall this place is ok — some dishes really stand out while others are just average. Worth trying it out once. Ambience is great and décor is laid back and relaxing.

Hands down, best middle eastern food I’ve ever eaten. Delicious, refined food and sophisticated décor without being the least bit stuffy. Our stand outs were hummus topped with sizzling spiced lamb, poblanos with yogurt, and lentils with fresh tomatoes. What a gem!

After last night’s meal, my wife and I are hooked. The food was delicious. We had beets in tahini, roasted cauliflower, bubbling Hummus (don’t miss this gem), roasted figs with cheese, chicken skewers and a lamb dish. All great. The chicken is very tender and you should be shy about garlic as this dish carries a serious hit (or it could be the super power aioli side sauce). We had a group of three and the small plates worked out great as we all had a good portion of each dish.
This seems like a nice family run eatery with an eastern mediterranean vibe. Don’t expect lightning fast service. Relax and enjoy yourself. If they staffed up I would give 5 stars as the room seemed under filled but the staff was covering as best they could. One more service staff would have made a big difference. Could be someone called in sick. who knows. Go and eat there and make reservations.

I hate to be the dissenting opinion for Café Munir, but we weren’t that impressed. To start, although there were plenty of available tables, they seated us next to the window where the sun was shining directly into my face and made it difficult to see my wife. Not a big deal. We just moved to another table.
The pictures on their web site make it look like the have white tablecloths on the tables. They do, but they’re also covered with butcher paper. Tacky. The wall next to the table had lots of food splatters. Gross.
Service was efficient, though not very friendly or helpful. We wanted an order of one lamb and one chicken skewer together, but we were told they wouldn’t do that, even though there’s a picture posted here showing just that. If you’re new to this kind of food, don’t expect much help, because none was offered.
We ordered some standard fair – hummus, baba ganoush, roasted cauliflower, etc, along with one order of the lamb kofta skewers. I had a soft drink and my wife had a glass of cava. The problem with the food was that it was bland and seemed to be lacking something… spices, perhaps. The pita was thin and not soft, more like stale flour tortillas. We’ve had some crazy good Middle Eastern food, some actually in the Middle East, and this was disappointing. It wasn’t bad, but then, it wasn’t great either. My wife’s comment was, we need to go somewhere good to satisfy our craving.
The finally issue I had with Café Munir was the price and value. Our bill came to $ 51, before tip, and I left still a bit hungry. Just last week, at another local restaurant, I had what ended up being 5 thick lamb rib chops, nearly two-​thirds a rack, for just $ 14. Our order of kofta only had two disappointingly small skewers. They were each about the size of a hot dog, for $ 16! That was the only meat in the meal. The rest was made from very small portions of vegetables and chickpeas, so how could it cost so much?
As much as I really wanted to like this place, I don’t think we will be back again.

Café Munir still remains the best restaurant in Seattle.
The «Hummos bi Lahem ou Sno» (Hummus with lamb) is a must have. It is hummus with small pieces of sizzling lamb and is mind blowing.
The lamb kebab is amazing as well. It is very excellently spiced.
The chicken kebab is better — succulent, juicy and spicy!
The Lamb Shank (which was a special) was not all that great.
On Sunday nights, they have a special where they bring you lots of appetizers and only appetizers which is a great way to try the different things on the menu.
The arak, if you have never had it is like sambooka, very powerful and something that turns milky when you add water to it.
The restaurant itself is unassuming, cosy, intimate. It is best for groups upto four.
The service is excellent. Unobtrusive, polite, efficient and knowledgeable.
Overall, my best restaurant in Seattle.

Café Munir is a cozy, charming Lebanese restaurant with a Euro bistro feel and great Middle Eastern cuisine. My fiancé and I shared several mezzes and an entrée, plus dessert and drinks, and we were stuffed. We shared the hommous bil lahm (hummus with lamb), muhammara (roasted red pepper, walnut, and pomegranate seeds), mudar’dara (lentil rice onion dish), kibbeh (lamb meatballs), and a spicy barley side dish. Everything was delicious. Only complaints are that the hummus was kinda bland (we make better hummus at home) and the onions in the mudar’dara were supposed to be caramelized, but they were fried and crunchy. Still tasty though. And the pistachio tart for dessert was super rich, dense and yummy. I’d come back again.

I came here with my bf and we didn’t know what exactly Lebanese food was. We decided to give this place a try since it had such a high rating. Today (Sunday) was apparently chef’s menu, meaning that the dinner was basically already set with a 3 course meal. I mean for $ 25 I guess it doesn’t sound too bad right?
For drinks I got a «homemade» grapefruit soda and my bf got a whiskey sour. The grapefruit soda was actually pretty good :). Next the waitress came by with our mezze dishes, I guess it’s like naan bread with a lot of random dishes. I think there were like 7 small dishes but man if we kept eating these we wouldn’t finish dinner. After that she came by with a half chicken baked in bread. HOMG. It was delicious. PERFECT balance of herbs and sweetness. I’m not too into herb filled dishes, but man I would love to throw my face into another one of the dish. At the end of all of that, the waitress came by with some rose water pudding and pistachio baklava. I’ve never tried baklava, but boy was I in for a treat. It was good :) the dripping oil kind of concerned me though haha.
Overall the dinner was worth $ 25. I do however wish I went where I could order their kebabs. :c

Café Munir is a great little Lebanese Restaurant in Crown Hill. Lebanese food is some thing new to most people, including myself so be sure not to assume anything about familiar sounding items on the menu.
The portions are slightly small for the price, especially considering the location. But the flavor they pack more than make up for their small stature.
Try the roasted cauliflower and the «Philo Cigars stuffed with Lamb», the sweet and savory combination of that dish are unbelievable. Stick around for some of their unique baklava as well!

Here is one of those just-​right places. 85^th and 24^th is a fairly quiet intersection, even though there are some old businesses on each corner – the buildings have that flat-​roof mid-​century look with the flimsy-​looking tin doorframes; the whole setup has that Eisenhower-​era Seattle feel to it. But everything inside everywhere looks much newer to be sure.
Munir makes a very small splash outside, with just a bit of gold paint in the window to let you know it’s here. It wasn’t very packed, so I certainly wouldn’t hold it against them if they put up a big bright sign outside to catch people’s eye a bit more.
Inside, it’s very tastefully appointed. There are two long shoebox spaces; one has the host station, one big table, and then the long kitchen. The other side has all the rest of the tables, along with some aboriginal-​looking art and artifacts, ostensibly Lebanese in origin. There are also big framed photos of pomegranates and other key ingredients.
The tables and chairs all seem to match, and all the tables boast a butcher paper tablecloth with a candle at the side. Feels almost romantic, but you realize pretty quickly how much olive oil you drizzle over the butcher paper, which makes it seem equally as fun (at least) as it is romantic.
The music mix walks a similar line between classically tasteful and fun, with plenty of acoustic 50s and 60s jazz, Howlin’ Wolf, The Doors, Blondie, some R&B, and other music that all just works together because it’s all good, even if it’s a stylistic mishmash.
The front of the house staff is younger and American, with a mix of caucasian and olive-​skinned faces visible in the kitchen. Our server was very helpful, funny, cool, and nice. She explained dishes and helped make sure we got a good variety on the table, and pointed out which stuff was always on the menu and which stuff really was unusual or seasonal. I wish all servers were this good.
The menu seems short, printed on construction paper, with a special sheet in the middle. There are about a dozen and a half appetizers («mezzes»), and half a dozen pastries. You want one or two of these per person at the table. You will put them away, no problem. There are half a dozen more mezzes in the specials, and a couple more pastries.
There are half a dozen entrees, and a couple more among the specials. You want to split one of these between two people, after all the small plates. It’s all family style.
We had golden beets in olive oil, figs with goat cheese, pears in a creamy sauce with nice savory crunch from parsley, almond pastries, finely ground lamb, and lemony kale. We pretty much turned into blabbering idiots oohing and aahing over how good everything was. They bring out lightly warmed, soft pita-​type bread to pick up and soak up everything.
We had lamb skewers for the entrée, which just kinda showed up a few minutes after the pastry, which just kinda showed up a few minutes after the other dishes. It all rolls together, with a very welcoming and informal feel to the rhythm of the meal, playing well with the tastefulness of the surroundings.
They have some nice whiskys and after-​dinner drinks, along with a very short beer list and a few wines. The Lebanese red wine we had was a very jammy 2010 that settled down after a few minutes and became a nice balanced counterpoint to the meal. We skipped after-​dinner drinks, but had delectable milk pudding, pistachio tart, and mango slices with cheese for dessert.
What a spectacular meal from start to finish – and, for a bottle of wine and ten servings of food on the table, it was $ 102. Definitely going to be back here many times.

I wish there were a place like this in Portland.
It is the kind of café you’d find in so many places along the Mediterranean. The atmosphere is breezy and relaxed, and there’s an open kitchen. We ordered an impressive variety of small plates, and all of the food was devoured. You probably can’t go wrong. The plates are on the small side (at least for my appetite), but the prices per plate are quite reasonable. Knafeh, though not on the menu, was miraculously procured for our dessert. Watch out for the tea kettles, which all seem to leak when you pour your tea. Service was quite good.

Café Munir, you are currently my favorite restaurant in Seattle. Hubby and I came here a week ago on a Friday night just after dropping off our daughter for her very first overnight (with my sis). I needed a place to take my mind off my little one being away from me AND hubby for an entire night, hubby just needed to celebrate a night where above said little one wasn’t sleeping right smack in between us.
The ambiance is hidden chic. Don’t expect fancy décor, just simply amazing FOOD glorious FOOD!
Delicious, tasty Lebanese food where I can take my vegetarian family and carnivorous friends all at the same time. Go for the Mezzes (appetizers) which I thought were the stars of the night. Expect everything to be served family style… meaning dishes will be placed one at a time on the table all night, which is (IMHO) perfection! ;)
We ordered the Baba Ghanoush (smoky perfection), and a selection of savory pastries– Arayess (spiced lamb stuffed arabic bread grilled over fire), Sambousik bi Jibneh (fried crescents filled with cheese, chili, and mint), and Lamb bi Agine (spiced lamb, peppers, and chili filled turbans). For main, we shared the Shish Taouk (grilled chicken skewers marinated in lemon, with garlic sauce). We took dessert home– one of the most delicious baklavas I have ever had the pleasure of tasting, and in fact the chef/​owner gave us an extra piece (normally it come with 5 pcs). He heard that we wanted one piece to share and the rest boxed up (we needed to have some but were full to our gills!!!) He heard we were two and insisted that we could not possibly share a piece, but still wrapped up 4 to go. My belly complained, but my heart was warmed by the generosity.
Drink-​wise, hubby had the best glass of whiskey he’s ever had in his entire life :) We also shared a bottle of Lebanese red wine, after all, food that grows together goes together… so even though it wasn’t the smoothest I’ve ever had, the earthy wine was a delicious compliment to the earthy food.
I’m already planning my next visit, and I hope no one has plans here on my birthday in 3 months as I plan on renting out the whole place for a P-​A-​R-​T-​Y! (If even a possibility…)

I had one of the best dishes I’ve had in some time here– the hummus with lamb and pine nuts fried in butter. It’s simply divine!
The service is great and the restaurant itself is intimate, inviting, and everything one would envision and hope for in a cozy neighborhood restaurant. Their menu changes with the seasons and the weeks so you might not get the same dishes one night as you would another.
The menu is broken up into mezzes (small plates), grilled items, main plates, and pastries and desserts.
The dishes range from several varieties of hummus to black eyed peas to kale to beets and cardamom cauliflower with the items being creative, tasty, and for the most part, healthful.
The baklava is wonderful as is the hibiscus soda. In fact every item I’ve had here has boasted clean flavors and fresh taste while being absolutely delicious.
Much of their menu is vegetarian and vegan so people with dietary restrictions can eat here with peace of mind.
The owner’s passion for whisky is evident in the whisky offerings. The old fashioned is perfect.
I love this restaurant and can’t wait to visit again and again! Prices are very affordable, too.
On Sundays they offer a $ 25/​person chef’s choice where they give you several mezzes and a kebab and dessert. It’s a great deal and you get to try a wide variety of dishes!