AL BALAD London in City of London, Westminster

Lovely experience. Lujinee was great hostess. Definitely coming back

Delicious chicken shawarma and garlic, peace be upon you

Excellent Lebanese food, friendly and prompt service.

Finally closed I am very happy it was very bad and exploiting the business

zero stars for this restaurant.

Terrible experience. Overcharged me 75£ for 2 lamb shawrma

Even one star is a lot for this restaurant

We showed up to grab something to eat while passing through the UK (London) and since we lived nearby, we chose Al Balad. We ordered a board for 2 people ONLY + soup from the menu. At the end, it turned out that the waiter forcefully forced us to add his extras to the final bill, where instead of +/- £70, we paid £100. I complained at the cash register, but the chef started complaining about what we ordered, so I say it's not the waiter who added additional items to the bill and brought it to the table. At the end, when paying, there was a small argument, so much so that I felt like punching them in the face, but it would seem that I was a racist from Poland. I gave up. In addition, the rude staff added a waiter service fee of +11 GBP to the complaint regarding the waiter's behavior. Thieves and fraudsters. It's a shame to talk. Typical for Arabians. All over the world they cheat and cheat with fees as much as they can. I do not recommend the food because it cost more than it was supposed to cost and I was cheated, and on top of that it was all poorly seasoned. NEVER! NOT RECOMMENDED!!!

Great food and service, highly recommend.

Mariem was the best member here! super helpful and very nice too - was very attentive to us when we had finished our meals and plates needed cleaning! would go back for her xx

Very helpful sisters Maryam, Mano, Lujain, brother Mustafa and Abbas

Brilliant food and service. Mariam was awesome And very attentive . Lovely family dinner of a large group was taken care of.

I recently visited Al Balad on Edgware Road for dinner and would like to share my experience. I ordered the mixed grill platter priced at £65 and specifically asked if it was suitable for two people. The staff member confirmed this but did not clearly communicate that the hummus and salad would be charged separately as additional starters. Furthermore, the menu was taken back before I could fully review the pricing details. When the main platter arrived, the meat was undercooked, which was disappointing. Additionally, I ordered water that was charged at approximately £6. Based on the information provided, I expected the final bill to range between £70 and £75. However, the actual bill amounted to £100.05, which was 20–30% higher than anticipated. This included a £10 service fee, which I found excessive for the overall quality and experience provided. Given the lack of transparency regarding pricing, the subpar food quality, and the disproportionately high service charge, I cannot recommend this restaurant to others. I hope this feedback helps improve future customer experiences.

I visited Al Balad on Edgware Road and ordered the £65 mixed grill platter, expecting it to be enough for two people. The staff didn’t clarify that hummus and salad would be charged separately, nor did they explain the pricing clearly. The meat was undercooked, water cost £6, and the final bill was £100.05—much higher than expected, including a £10 service charge. Overall, the experience felt overpriced, with poor food quality and hidden charges. I wouldn’t recommend this restaurant

You know the food is going to be delicious when a person from the country, in this case Lebanon, advises it and the google rating is sort of low. Everything phenomenal. Steamed cod rice was great, the shwarma amazing and fattoush good to balance. Great entrees too

Too expensive! And even we didn't order hummus but they served as if complimentary and charged for it too in the end.

It is very expensive and the food is not good

Popped in for an impromptu meal after an outing nearby, and this place had its pros and cons. I’ll start by saying that we were the only ones in the restaurant who weren’t given complimentary bread at the beginning of the meal, and this is the only time I’ve been to a Lebanese restaurant and this has not happened. The staff member who dealt with us initially was either in a terrible mood or held personal grievance against us. This was only redeemed by the staff members who dealt with us at the end in a positive and friendly manner. The food took quite some time to come out, but this was consistent with other tables nearby who arrived around similar times or after us. We had a mixed shawarma and mixed grill which both tasted lovely. They were both full of flavour and spices, but not the best I’ve ever had. We also had a portion of chips and a salad. Salad was great, chips were average. The food was definitely the best part, but you can’t really go wrong with grilled food anyway. That being said, I couldn’t in good faith recommend this restaurant to a friend. (I’ve seen a couple reviews mention racism. I don’t know if our experience was due to racism because there is nothing to explicitly indicate this, but worth noting that my date and I were the only two black people inside.)

I went for iftar while 36 weeks pregnant and fasting. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing. Our table was the last to be served, even though two other tables that arrived after us received their full starters and soups before we did. The waiter was rude and didn’t take our order properly. When the soup finally arrived, it was cold, and no one checked on us afterward. As someone with diabetes, I couldn’t wait any longer and had to leave. Very disappointing experience

I regret not looking at the restaurant reviews before coming. Four of us went for dinner. We waited 45 minutes for the food and even when we asked for water, we waited 15 minutes. Even after waiting for a long time, my friend's food did not come. Also, when you call the waiters, they do not come to you. There is very loud music. Like a club. Disappointment !!!

Went here mid week and it was empty except for us. We had two lamb kebabs ( about £10 each) and sat in to eat them. Meat was good and plenty of it, but a little salty and didnt come with any salad except a couple of slices of gherkin and radish. I felt the service a little lacklustre; nothing specific, just felt like the guy couldnt be bothered. Overall that made the experience a little disappointing. My partner wished we had gone somewhere else.

Food wasn’t very nice, the seasoning was strange and all the food tasted the same because of that. Also the service was quite slow and the waiters didn’t seem very friendly. Don’t really recommend it

The lamb doner was overly salty and excessively oily, making it an unpleasant meal. To make matters worse, the wrap was poorly assembled and fell apart, causing the oil to spill everywhere. It ended up leaking not just inside my car but also all over my clothes, leaving a frustrating mess. Overall, a deeply disappointing experience.

Tasty food. Was quite busy when we visited hence slow service. Be patient.

One of the most delicious restaurants I ate shawarma in in London The chicken shawarma is delicious and I find the price is reasonable The employees are very friendly and welcome customers Thank you, Abu Ali

I've seen this resteraunt had mixed reviews. However, I thought the food was nice, it seemed fresh, the salad was tasty, good falafel, my family said the meat was nice. The only problem was the food all came at different times, se we had basically finished when my husbands food arrived, it was also quite expensive, just under £100 for 4 people.

Popped in here late after getting back from an Arsenal game. Great food, very friendly staff, reasonable wait time for food (we did take away). Would recommend

Super authentic yummy food Tried shawerma meat and chicken

“Terrible Experience – Racism and Discrimination” I had the most disappointing and unacceptable experience at this restaurant. From the start, it was clear that we were being treated differently because of our race. We waited for over an hour for something as simple as pita bread and hummus, which requires no cooking. Meanwhile, other customers were served promptly, despite arriving after us. When we inquired about canceling the order after such a long wait, we were rudely dismissed and told to leave, with no apology or explanation. The behavior was shocking and made us feel completely unwelcome. Racism and discrimination have no place in the service industry or anywhere else. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and addresses this unacceptable behavior. I will never recommend this restaurant to anyone and would advise people to avoid it entirely.

Totally racist, there is no service sense in this restaurant, waste of money and time. Made us wait for more than an hour, but none of the staff was concerned about the table, people who joined us later were served quickly. When asked to cancel the order as it took way longer, the staff member rudely waved his hands by showing us the door to get out.

The restaurant is very expensive and the food is sometimes not good and not nice

The food is sweet The service is slow

The best shawarma in London without a doubt the best shawerma in london Undisputed Find the best Shawarma in London

We had 4 wraps Chicken Lamb Mixed It was fast service, food tasted fresh, good and attentive service, and clean toilets. There is good parking space, paid machines.

Excellent service, lovely food and high prices.

Greatest restaurant in the area, and very friendly staff. We enjoyed the food while listening to Arabic music.

Everyone was so nice and very friendly.

My wallet made its way to your restaurant today after it was stolen from me. How it ended up at a restaurant to which I have never been, I will never know. Several charges were made on my credit cards for a total of $30,000.00. They have all been disputed and the cards have been cancelled. However, the wallet does have sentimental value for me and I'm sorry that I won't see it again. I hope that whomever uses it next uses it in good health. Inshallah.

Food is nasty and these guys are thieves . They charge you arm and leg for a bit of nasty food plus service chargers .

Recommended to me by a high school teacher of mine who used to go to college in London. It's pretty tasty. Don't really understand why the rating is so low.I've never been one to demand much in the way of service. Because I'm used to being charged a non-existent service fee in one of those £15 a dessert restaurants in London😅 Hummus,Lamb and rice is great, sandwiches are average, pickles are a bit salty. Will go again with my friend.

The fat Lebanese bald man is very rude to customers

THE FOOD WAS TERRIBLE AND THE SERVICE WAS AWFULL WE WAİT FOR 1 HOUR FOR CHICKEN WRAP

Best shawarma I have ever had and the fresh Lemmon and mint drink is out of this world!!!

Usually hommos is good but today it’s disgusting

Such a poor menu! Bringing up shame to the lebanese cuisine's reputation! Very expensive, slow service, and stingy quantity..

Sad deterioration of this one time favourite restaurant of ours. The starters (including hummus) were bland and stale. Any supermarket hummus is better. In the mains, the quantity of chicken and lamb is half of what it used to be in 2022. However, overflowing with rice. We had ordered mixed grill, mixed shawarma and okra & lamb stew. All grilled and shawarma items were very dry. Some of the items were tough as leather. The stew was tasteless and oily. Cannot see us coming back here.

I ordered Quzi and okra, and okra was supposed to be included in the order. According to Al-Quzi and Okra, there are two requirements. A short, skinny person wearing black clothes. This is a first class fraud. . The best restaurant and most honorable people is a Kuwaiti restaurant called Freej Swaileh. People who are full and fear God.

Don’t go here. They scam people. They charged 15 pounds for 2 teas. Absolutely worst place in London

Horrible experience, zero service, hygiene too A bottle of water for £6 is pure theft. Run away

Thank you to employee Muhammad for the good service A very respectable person..and the service is very nice

I fail to deal with and exploit me

If I could give 0 stars I would have. Terrible service. Thieves. They offer extras that charge us at the end. Hummus and a salad to cry. When I ask where this comes from they tell me it's separate and I tell them that I was never given this and it was included. The price is not the same. It's already expensive, but this is even worse. Chicken not cooked. A green salad that I didn't touch. Grandma no rice. And to top it all off, he charges me for a dish that is not mine. I was on the verge of coming back to see them to tell them that they were thieves. Lack of hygiene. The bread is not served immediately and not even a goodbye. Not even a calculation pays and get out of there. The price was not worth the service. Nor the dish. The worst experience in London. Run away, you won't regret going there.

Frankly, one was more hungry than the other, and thank God we were able to find excellent shawarma and grill at the restaurant

I get the feeling they are only inviting to arabs, anyone else feels like they look down on. The restaurent had no atmosphere was very cold even though they seemed to have heating on. Food was ok not the best not the worst. They added £5 service charge yet there was no real service or no warm welcome. I would not recommend at all.

Staff were very rude from the door and when we told them we would only be having desert and tea became even ruder. Smashing plates on top of each other and talking condescendingly. The mhalabia had too much rose water with no design just a white goo on the plate ( looked like cat food ), the kunafe was disgusting and made with chewy mozzarella ( not even the correct cheese for kunafe ) and the tea was extremely bitter ( I asked for another cup and the server slammed the table with the cup ) Has to be one of the worst places I’ve been to with no sort of respect to the customers and will definitely not be coming back.

The chef was amazing and fast. Food can’t be better.

Food was amazing the staff were super friendly especially chef(Jamil)was super friendly and nice, great service and fast preparations.Portion sizes were really good.

Excellent service and the treatment of the staff is very nice. The food is excellent. I tried the shawarma plate + grape leaves + meat kabsa 👌.. The prices are frankly high.

My family and I came here for lunch on Sunday. Although we were a big group, the service and the food were fast. Overall the food was amazing and we ordered a big selection. Shoutout to Jamil for the great food. I definitely recommend the restaurant and would come back again.

The food was incredible. Hot, fresh and fast! Price was good for the area with generous portions. Jamil is fantastic!

Very good service friendly staff

Excellent service with delicious food and not too heavy on the pocket. All around good and would highly recommend it.

The shawerma was amazinnggg! And one of the staff heard me tell my friend the pickled chilli is great, which it was, so he just refilled it for us without asking! Overall great service and even better food 👍👍

So rude staffs. This is the first time in my life in the UK I have witnessed worst discrimination from this Arab restaurant! We have ordered chicken shawarma, and the way they were staring at us, is as if we should have ordered more menu instead of ordering just a shawarma. Their foods were pricey as well. After finishing their meal, I went to opposite restaurant and brought better wrap and their Arab Chef was staring at me with cheap smile and was drinking water. Never will I recommend anyone this place. Pathetic, sick and lunatics!!!

The reception is good and the service is nice, but the prices are high for sandwiches, but the food is good and the restaurant has everything in it.

Overall an atmospheric place, the quality of the food is good, BUT!!! the service is kind of a nightmare, the waiters speak poor English, they didn’t give us pita bread/flatbread, which, as we understood, is served to all guests for a snack while the order is being prepared, during our meal they began to take our table, arguing that a company of 6 people would come now and they needed an additional table (we met this for the first time), they moved it to the one opposite the open door, from which it was very cold, and when they were fully seated, for some reason they made the background music even louder, so they had to speak in a raised voice. In general they treat their foreign guests with disdain. Impressions from this establishment were negative.

Where do I begin? We were disappointed with the amount of places to eat around Oxford Street. We were starving and out of hopelessness we decided to eat here. On second thought, I would rather starve to death on the streets than have to pay for this. The seats are extremely cramped. I thought I had to carry the table and chairs on my head before I could sit. It's not to say I'm obese. We ordered kebab with chicken. Because that seemed the most familiar to us. Another wrong choice. We got a snack for this. I didn't even touch it because it looked awful. My friend does. 1 green pepper with a sauce and that's it. He wasn't convinced. Then the kebab was really not recommended. The fries were tasty. It's sad to say, but the corner salad was the best of the entire meal. On the side you also got pickled pickle and something that was pink. Sickening. The chicken itself wasn't really what you could call kebab. To me it looked like a fried chicken that they pulled into fries and threw on the plate. The herbs will remain on my stomach for another 7 years. Everything will probably come out tonight. When we got the bill it was wrong too. For the kebab it was £17 and we were charged £42. We had to pay a whopping £4.75 for the service? Excuse me? Act normal! We saw the bill and almost fell backwards. The prices are criminal, they had to lock up the boss. The service was not worth a bad franc because there was no smile and friendliness. The worst kebab I've ever eaten. A nightmare about this for years

Very cheap people, customers service is very bad, they are so rude for not reason. Overall I would never go there again or I would not recommend it to anyone. Please don’t waste your money. Instead got FATOUSH Lebanese restaurant very good restaurant.

The worst staff I came craving shawarma, the staff is very rude they talked to me in a very bad way , the worst managers he ripped the bill in my face , and we ordered two shawarma rap , the waiter said to me why only shawarma order more , a horrible restaurant with horrible staff. Don’t even come by it they ruined my new years

Absolutely horrible experience at this place. Rude customer service. No manners from most of the staff. Food was okay but atmosphere really really bad. I would avoid at all costs. They treated me and my wife with a lot of disrespect and I will never be back again. If I was you I would avoid this place. If I could give 0 stars I would have given them 0 stars. AVOID THIS PLACE

If there was an option to give no stars, I would choose that option! Staff were not friendly and so stingy with sauce also not to mention the price for the whole meal for 7 people. It was overpriced for what it was, the staff talk about you in their own language while staring at you and trick you into buying more and the portion size is terrible. The mango juice is also from a big tin costing under £2 (they were not shy to advertise the tins to customers leaving it on the side) while charging customers £5 per glass. Never going here again!

Horrible staff. The waiters are very rude and dismissive, they don't even talk to you. Items in the menu which appear to be included in the dish are sold separately when they give you the bill and they don't care if you complain. Also, avoid the toilets if you are a woman. My wife was stuck inside the restroom and she was banging on the door and after making a lot of noise the door suddenly opened. She believes someone locked her inside or was holding the door, but only told me when we came home.

مكس شاورما لذيذه الكبه لذيذه بس شويه شاربه زيت شوربة العدس

الأكل لذيذ لكن الأسعار مبالغ فيها، وأحد الطلبات تأخر كثيراً ووصلنا قبل مغادرتنا. لكن الموظفين كالعادة لطيفين

I had best shawarma here, taste was authentic arabic. Recommended

The food tasted very old, the service was extremely poor and the atmosphere was very bleak.

This restaurant is one of the best restaurants in the area serving all kinds of dishes always fresh and delicious. Credit goes to Jamil for great service and communication and for 10/10 food. He gave us tea and sweets on the house too. We are regular costumers and always have a great experience.

Simply They are the best , all dishes gets 5 star

Great Lebanese food! Great staff and nice locations!

My recent visit to Al Balad Restaurant was an absolute disaster. After waiting an hour for my order, the waitress responded rudely, claiming they were busy. When I decided to leave, the chef (Jamil) threatened me, forcing me to make a quick exit. The overall experience was horrible - from the service to the downright intimidating behavior. I strongly recommend avoiding this establishment unless you're a fan of terrible service and feeling genuinely unsafe.

We wait for an hour for our food then we asked for that but they respond extremely rude...even their chef and one of the waitress are soo rude and kind of attacked us. That was my worst experience here ever.

I was served by Jamil/Jameel he made us some delicious shawarmas Lebanese style, and served us with great warmth and hospitality.

Great middle east food. The lunch time offer for one is very good. The falafel is first class. The prices are reasonable for west end. Staff are friendly, especially Jemal and Samir.

The most beautiful thing get my impression is the professionallity of the hospitality of Fayrouze The restaurant is right place to visit in London to taste special food

BAD service, and POOR quality food. The food was Lahem Meshwi £17: a plate with a bit of Tesco salad and a very poor quality meet. One bottle of natural water “Rim” is the brand (£6). No comment about the bread.

The best chef jamil he’s expert , Also the manager Ammar top service I recommend every one ask for chef jamil

I've had mixed experiences at this restaurant. On the positive side, the food is quite impressive, especially the hummus, lamb roast, and sandwiches. However, I must mention that I encountered issues with the staff. Their attitude was consistently poor, and they didn't handle customer orders or service properly. Polite and attentive service could significantly enhance the overall dining experience here.

Delicious Lebanese foods The best in London All serving halal foods

تجربة ما عجبتني ، مشغلين الاغاني ومعازف

الاكل لذيييذ.. الاجواء قللت نجماتها عشان ريحة الشيشة

فيه واحد شغال ياخذ الطلبات اصلع متين يعاملك كانه يحاسب عنك. المضحك بالموضوع الطاولة اللي جنبنا يرحب فيهم واحنا عشان خليجيين يعاملنا غير . انصح اي خليجي يشوف غيره يا كثر المطاعم

Very nice food and customer service 👌 we were served by mhanna, I really recommend this restaurant and will come again 😀

lamb doner was very salty and very oily. The wrap wasn't wrapped properly. The oil leaked inside my car and all over my clothes. Disappointed 😞

المطعم لذذيذذ جداا الحمص والمتبل حلوييين مره الكبه عاديه جدا كبسة اللحم مميزه الخروف المحششي يممميي لحمهم مره زييين المشويات عاديه النقطه المهمه شيكو على الفاتوره من وراهم يزيدون اشياء ما طلبتوها ويحاسبونكم عليها

اتمنى الانتباه على الطلبات لأن فيه لخبطه تطلب شي ويجيك شي اكثر منه ويحسب عليك لكن ما قصر الاخ خضر حل الموضوع بما يرضينا 👍🏻

Delicious food, fresh made and good portions. Love the food. Went back again the next day. Will visit every time when in London.

Amazing service, even better food! Thank you Ali Balad!

Great food and service , would love to visit again

Everything was awful. They brought soup after we finished the meal, and it took them at least 30 mins to get our last meal

Bad services and rubbish food there is no organisation at all!