The Heathrow Express is running, the air is thick with SPF and sultry ambition, and your WhatsApp group chat has gone suspiciously quiet. Which can only mean one thing: summer is here — and everyone is in London.
Between pop-ups in Primrose Hill and Dior cafés in Mayfair, one trend quietly taking over this season isn’t buzzy, it’s deeply rooted: Arab cuisine, in all its regional, spicy, comforting, utterly unbothered glory. But this isn’t your cousin’s hummus plate. Across the capital, chefs are updating family recipes with floral garnishes, fermented butter, live-fire theatrics — and the occasional rooftop view.
So whether you’re looking for Palestinian comfort food in a Notting Hill townhouse, a bottle-popping Beiruti supper club in Knightsbridge, or simply the best za’atar chicken this side of the Levant, here’s where to book a table (or three).
T by Tamara – Marylebone
Tamara Al Saadi came to London with za’atar, pistachio cream, and a very particular vision. After helming a cult bakery in Amman, the Palestinian-Jordanian chef and founder brought her Levantine lexicon to Marylebone, where T by Tamara now functions as both a salon and a sanctuary. The palette is blush; the perfume is cardamom. But what Al Saadi is really offering is escape — a place where rosewater flows and the only thing more carefully curated than the mezze and fatteh bar is the clientele.
The Cedar – Maida Vale
A Lebanese classic with zero flash and plenty of heart. Locals swear by the kibbeh, the fattoush still crunches, and the mixed grill smells like something out of a mountain village wedding feast. Family-run, fuss-free, and completely delicious.
Palestine House – Acton
Part cultural centre, part restaurant, entirely powerful. Palestine House serves up musakhan, warak enab, and slow-cooked maqluba alongside spoken word events and community programming. Food with a mission — and a memory.
Abd El Wahab – Belgravia
With locations across the Arab world, this…
