Fairouz Cafe

I've eaten at Fairouz a few times now and so this review is for all of the beautiful meals I've had. Consistently the service and food are top notch. Excellent selection of seasonal cocktails and fun wines to try. I highly recommend sharing all the dishes so that you can try a bit of everything. You'll probably order too much, but that's ok too since the leftovers make for an excellent lunch!

We were here yesterday for desserts. After a long time, found a place where they make every thing from scratch, with focus on flavor and texture. It was a play of all elements in the dessert creations. One of the dessert we really loved was chocolate tamarind mousse with plum lemongrass compote and compressed plums with beet root meringue.

I have been to fairouzottawa and enjoyed it back when they were on Somerset St, and was decided to try their lunch menu with friends, as we were at bywardmarket ! My Instagram: mimi.munches 💖 . We decided to share everything tapas-style. The appetizers were: . Hummus with Pulled Lamb🐑, with chickpeas, paprika, and 2pc pita ($18): the pulled lamb was super tender on the hummus, and the hummus itself was delicious. . Baba Ghanoush - eggplant dip with pomegranate, fresh herbs, and 2pc pita ($10): this is a dip I always need to order in Middle Eastern restaurants, as I LOVE eggplant. This was rich but refreshing! . Phoenician Fries , with sumac, za'atar, toum, and harissa ($10): these fries were CRISPY! With the spices, it was flavourful, and there was a good amount of sauce. . For mains, we shared: . Fattoush Salad with Chicken, with sumac dressing, pita crisps, and pomegranate ($20): A light option if you don't want something heavy. The chicken was grilled well, and the salad had a nice balance of salty/sour. . Kofte Burger , with mint labneh, sumac onion, sweety drop peppers, served with fries/salad ($24): A good heartier option. The kofte was tender and nicely spiced. . Manakeesh (middle eastern flatbread) with house pickles - we chose the "Chicken & Artichoke" version, with tomato sauce and toum ($15): The flatbread itself is thin, and had a good amount of toppings. . And for desserts, we decided to try both menu offerings, which were the Baklava (4pc, $8), and the Orange & Cardamom Sponge Cake , with citrus yogurt, apricot purée, and pistachio ($15). We were all pleasantly surprised by their desserts, and personally, I thought it was the highlight of the meal. Both were presented beautifully, not too sweet, had a LOT of pistachios, and were the perfect way to end the meal! . We dined outdoors on their patio, which I recommend to soak up the lovely summer sun ☀️, and for great people watching, as the patio is right on Clarence Street!

Service was good. Over priced for what we got. $24 for 3 dips and 6 pita. $18 for halloumi plate. Dips were fantastic. Both halloumi and main chicken dishes super bland. Gorgeous atmosphere would be good to hold private functions. Just wish the food was out of this world because it looks like it would be!

Visited Fairouz while in town due to the good reviews however the meal was a big let down. The service was good as the staff was quick and attentive. The first app we got was the vegetarian kibbeh, which had no flavour and were slightly overcooked leading to a bitter taste. The next app we had was the seared halloumi which for $18 was pretty small in portion. It was roughly 3 small chunks of cheese and was served with a relatively sweet and sour cranberry compote. The dish did not flow well together and lacked on depth of flavour. The third app we got was the most popular item on their menu which was the cauliflower. The cauliflower was soggy and had absorbed quite a bit of oil, indicated the temperature of oil it was fried in was too low. The pomegranate was a nice touch as it added some texture contrast and the acidity helped cut through the cauliflower. This was the best dish we had but still at 3/5 at best. For the main we decided to split the shish tawook platter and it was a 1/5. The chicken breast was very overdone leading to a leather like texture. The dish listed shishito peppers but we got some type of zucchini instead which was basically raw. The dish did not come together at all and lacked flavour and depth. Would have been nice if the dish came with a piece of pita at least, it costs the restaurant maybe 20 cents to through one on the plate. Unfortunately we could not bring these concerns up to the staff as the kitchen was closed due to new restrictions. The bill came to $135 for 2 people with drinks. Would not come again. This place is about ambiance and not the food.

I’d come back just for the service. My partner and I went yesterday for our anniversary and I’ve always wanted to go here. The atmosphere is amazing, the food very good. Our server Skylar was also awesome as they got us a celebratory baklava, and recommended everything I wanted to try. Overall it’s a great place for a nice date, the manakeesh in particular was out of this world. I had the kofteh burger with fries, my partner had the fried cauliflower and fries with cheese manakeesh.