Little gem downstairs. Great food, have been going for years! Love that it's family run. Great service from Dad & 2 sons so friendly & kind. Everything on menu is delicious.
Camille A.
Tastes like home! Some of the best authentic Lebanese food I've had in nyc. We went on a Saturday evening and had no trouble getting a table. The spinach pie, hummus, and fattoush salad were delicious.
Emily
Came for dinner for 2 on a Saturday night. The restaurant is hidden away in the basement. We split the lebni (which we enjoyed) and the mixed grill which surprised me with how good it was. It came with regular lamb, ground lamb, and chicken. I normally don’t like chicken but their chicken was nicely seasoned and not dry. The other lamb pieces were also deliciously seasoned. I wish I had gotten my own mixed grill instead of splitting it because I wanted to eat more. It came with buttered rice and a salad. It does take a bit for the grilled dishes to come out, but they do warn you about this on the menu. We will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mixed Grill, Lebni
Rouba S.
Best middleastern restaurant I've ever been to. The place is very clean, food is authentic and so delicious, and the service is very friendly. It takes me back home for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mandy Kuo
Loved the food and there were many vegetarian and vegan options, even entrees. Many of the entree options were pretty unique so definitely looking forward to coming back. The fava bran appetizer was unique as well served warm nicely flavored with garlic. Prices were also very affordable compared to most Mediterranean restaurants.The restaurant is located in the basement and had a nice setting making us feel like we were in Lebanon!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lauren D.
This restaurant brings such an homey feel to your experience at their restaurant. This is a family owned restaurant that has all the family members working and giving such excellent customer service. Every dish is so well balanced and you can tell comes from love and many generations of authenticity. We spoke with the family and they have had this restaurant opened since the 1970s from when their grandparents from when they first started. All the food was so comforting and not overdone American style. The amount of food you get is so fulfilling and very affordable. We'll definitely be going back with family and friends.
Leo G.
My family has been eating here for 20-30 plus years. The malfoof is incredible and overall this restaurant has been a neighborhood mainstay for many many years.
One Of Us
After posting the review below, the restaurant felt necessary to post a rebuttal. That's fair. But sadly they chose to also question my integrity.So before you go on reading, know that my late grandparents were Palestinian, so I know middle eastern cuisine well.I also worked myself in the restaurant business years ago. One of the rules I learned is that it doesn't matter if you successfully served a community for decades (as the folks in Tripoli pride themselves). What matters is who's cooking tonight.Lastly, please don't take my word for it. NYC has plenty of middle eastern joints. Have hummus at Naya, or spinach pie at Souk El Shater, or fresh hot-from-the-oven pita at any bakery, and so on, and then visit Tripoli. Then please fill your own rating..And now, the original review -- - - - - - - - - -Only for those who don't know what middle eastern cuisine should taste likeFollowing the reviews on this site, we ordered the Mezze for two.What a mistake.Basically, most of the tasty items were those that came from outside the kitchen - olives, feta cheese, labneh cheese, pickled turnip.But what involved the kitchen was somewhere between mediocre to bad - from the hummus, through the spinach pie to the kafta.The falafel deserves a special mention - I haven't had such bad falafel in a long time. Was it made from the commercial mix that comes in packets?And what's with the toasted pita bread? You can still tell the bread was not fresh.Bottomline: Very friendly service, but it doesn't make up for the food. Should have tried one of the other middle eastern restaurants in the neighborhood.P.S.Please leave an air freshener in the bathroom. It smells.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
David Bertozzi
Come for a date, get the 20+ dishes menu option for splitting between two people, and discover new things you may have not tried before.
charles taylor
This is an amazing spot never had Lebanons food and it was so delicious and cravable , family atmosphere and extremely friendly, recommended this to everyone !
If you are looking for some authentic, homemade Lebanese or middle eastern food- look no further and go to Tripoli. The food is the best middle eastern food I've had in nyc. The service was very friendly and the server gave great recommendations for what entrees we might like best. My husband and I ordered the three mezze sampler (this is how hummus should taste, and with tahini!), mujaddara and lamb kebabs. But don't miss out on the flakey, syrupy baklava! The place is BYOB so also brought a bottle of wine. Quality serving sizes, fair price, top notch food.
Rajarshi Das
This place is amazing! It could be easy to miss but I really hope you don’t. It is located downstairs of Swallow cafe. We reached here by accident after being turned away from another restaurant, but in retrospect it turned out to be such a memorable sunday night family dinner.Food: If you like fish, definitely order the Sumki Hara. I don’t think I have tasted anything similar ever. The lamb and chicken in the mixed grill were spectacular as well. The chicken curry was mild and heartwarming. All of the dishes came with rice which was coated with either ghee or butter and also had vermicelli which was different and so delicious. Amazing staff! We will be back!
Recommended dishes: Lebanese Traditional Meza, Sumki Hara
Alex Grebe
Nice low key neighborhood joint. The table next to us got the mezze sampler and I might do that next time. Everything was good, might be my palate but I had to add salt to the dishes. Friendly service.
Sara R.
This place is so underrated. We had lots of food including the mezze, mixed grill, dumplings, eggplants. Service was great. Food came out really hot and fresh. Would recommend 10/10.
Didia Domtemi
I like this restaurant, the food is very yummy, prices are affordable, good quality of food, taste delicious.
Little gem downstairs. Great food, have been going for years! Love that it's family run. Great service from Dad & 2 sons so friendly & kind. Everything on menu is delicious.
Tastes like home! Some of the best authentic Lebanese food I've had in nyc. We went on a Saturday evening and had no trouble getting a table. The spinach pie, hummus, and fattoush salad were delicious.
Came for dinner for 2 on a Saturday night. The restaurant is hidden away in the basement. We split the lebni (which we enjoyed) and the mixed grill which surprised me with how good it was. It came with regular lamb, ground lamb, and chicken. I normally don’t like chicken but their chicken was nicely seasoned and not dry. The other lamb pieces were also deliciously seasoned. I wish I had gotten my own mixed grill instead of splitting it because I wanted to eat more. It came with buttered rice and a salad. It does take a bit for the grilled dishes to come out, but they do warn you about this on the menu. We will definitely be coming back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Mixed Grill, Lebni
Best middleastern restaurant I've ever been to. The place is very clean, food is authentic and so delicious, and the service is very friendly. It takes me back home for sure!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Loved the food and there were many vegetarian and vegan options, even entrees. Many of the entree options were pretty unique so definitely looking forward to coming back. The fava bran appetizer was unique as well served warm nicely flavored with garlic. Prices were also very affordable compared to most Mediterranean restaurants.The restaurant is located in the basement and had a nice setting making us feel like we were in Lebanon!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
This restaurant brings such an homey feel to your experience at their restaurant. This is a family owned restaurant that has all the family members working and giving such excellent customer service. Every dish is so well balanced and you can tell comes from love and many generations of authenticity. We spoke with the family and they have had this restaurant opened since the 1970s from when their grandparents from when they first started. All the food was so comforting and not overdone American style. The amount of food you get is so fulfilling and very affordable. We'll definitely be going back with family and friends.
My family has been eating here for 20-30 plus years. The malfoof is incredible and overall this restaurant has been a neighborhood mainstay for many many years.
After posting the review below, the restaurant felt necessary to post a rebuttal. That's fair. But sadly they chose to also question my integrity.So before you go on reading, know that my late grandparents were Palestinian, so I know middle eastern cuisine well.I also worked myself in the restaurant business years ago. One of the rules I learned is that it doesn't matter if you successfully served a community for decades (as the folks in Tripoli pride themselves). What matters is who's cooking tonight.Lastly, please don't take my word for it. NYC has plenty of middle eastern joints. Have hummus at Naya, or spinach pie at Souk El Shater, or fresh hot-from-the-oven pita at any bakery, and so on, and then visit Tripoli. Then please fill your own rating..And now, the original review -- - - - - - - - - -Only for those who don't know what middle eastern cuisine should taste likeFollowing the reviews on this site, we ordered the Mezze for two.What a mistake.Basically, most of the tasty items were those that came from outside the kitchen - olives, feta cheese, labneh cheese, pickled turnip.But what involved the kitchen was somewhere between mediocre to bad - from the hummus, through the spinach pie to the kafta.The falafel deserves a special mention - I haven't had such bad falafel in a long time. Was it made from the commercial mix that comes in packets?And what's with the toasted pita bread? You can still tell the bread was not fresh.Bottomline: Very friendly service, but it doesn't make up for the food. Should have tried one of the other middle eastern restaurants in the neighborhood.P.S.Please leave an air freshener in the bathroom. It smells.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Come for a date, get the 20+ dishes menu option for splitting between two people, and discover new things you may have not tried before.
This is an amazing spot never had Lebanons food and it was so delicious and cravable , family atmosphere and extremely friendly, recommended this to everyone !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
If you are looking for some authentic, homemade Lebanese or middle eastern food- look no further and go to Tripoli. The food is the best middle eastern food I've had in nyc. The service was very friendly and the server gave great recommendations for what entrees we might like best. My husband and I ordered the three mezze sampler (this is how hummus should taste, and with tahini!), mujaddara and lamb kebabs. But don't miss out on the flakey, syrupy baklava! The place is BYOB so also brought a bottle of wine. Quality serving sizes, fair price, top notch food.
This place is amazing! It could be easy to miss but I really hope you don’t. It is located downstairs of Swallow cafe. We reached here by accident after being turned away from another restaurant, but in retrospect it turned out to be such a memorable sunday night family dinner.Food: If you like fish, definitely order the Sumki Hara. I don’t think I have tasted anything similar ever. The lamb and chicken in the mixed grill were spectacular as well. The chicken curry was mild and heartwarming. All of the dishes came with rice which was coated with either ghee or butter and also had vermicelli which was different and so delicious. Amazing staff! We will be back!
Recommended dishes: Lebanese Traditional Meza, Sumki Hara
Nice low key neighborhood joint. The table next to us got the mezze sampler and I might do that next time. Everything was good, might be my palate but I had to add salt to the dishes. Friendly service.
This place is so underrated. We had lots of food including the mezze, mixed grill, dumplings, eggplants. Service was great. Food came out really hot and fresh. Would recommend 10/10.
I like this restaurant, the food is very yummy, prices are affordable, good quality of food, taste delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5