Levant

Booking for a table of seven at this restaurant gave me cause for concern. The whole process seemed so formal, fill in this form, credit card details have to be sent by e-mail and because we were a group of seven we had to choose our menu for a limited fix menu option.

So you can see why I was dubious about this restaurant before I arrived. We were greeted a that door by a young gentleman who was very funny, friendly and by the time we had walked the two minutes to the table I think we all knew we were going to have a great night.

Far from limiting our options the fixed menus brought variety of starters, which you would expect from a Lebanese Restaurant, but these were truly amazing. Log on to their web site and have a look.

The main was a shoulder of lamb which was melt in the mouth delicious and massive. We all tucked in and eat far too much, and still there were leftovers, honestly had we not being going out I would have asked for a doggy bag. The bill came to £75 per head, but we do then to drink a lot and I lost count of how many bottles of wine we drank. (Probably on account of the cocktails we had before we even arrived) The set menu was £45 per head so I guess I work out how much we drank, but while spoil a really good night.

While the food is excellent, it’s that staff that make this place. Our waitress was lovely and was always there, none of this trying to catch her eye, and embarrassingly have to wave your arm to try and attract attention (usually for another drink!). The belly dancer (I normally hate belly dancers) was brilliant, funny and not at all like previous dour face dancers that I have seen.

I love food from the Middle East (near east even) and I have only been one other place the compares and that is another story. Go here you won’t be disappointed.

Joe
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Joe
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Friday, August 31, 2007

Went to Levant (Jason Ct.) and was amazed by this restaraunt. This has got to be the best restaraunt ive been to in London. The decor is lovely, it feels like you are actually in an arabic country.

When we arrived we were greet by the manager who lead us to the bar while we waited for a table.

There was music and beautiful belly dancers.

Food is fantastic, only down side is that the menu is set, good job that me and my boyfriend both liked meat.

When the food arrive we were gobsmacked!!!!! There was no space on the table for it!! Theres so much and its all very delicious.

We loved it there, and will definately go back, however only for special occasions.

There was only me and my boyfriend, we had 2 drinks each, meat feast and the bill was £125!!! So if you go there make sure you take a full wallet!!!
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Ana
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Monday, August 27, 2007

I absolutely love this place, and have never failed to have a great time there. It's more suited for groups of your loudest and most fun friends than it is for an intimate dinner for two. The cocktails are great and they'll serve you more food than you can shake a stick at. Love their lunch specials too.
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KL - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, August 01, 2007

I arranged a night out here for a group of 10 for a special occassion. I could tell that before we even got there that the level of service would be excellent. We had booked one of the alcoves and I was a little worried we would miss the atnosphere in the main restaurant so Levant suggested that I come in prior to the night to make sure i am happy. I popped in there with the wife and three kids one Sunday afternoon and the welcome and friendliness we were shown was so refreshing! They were so polite, friendly, non pushy and happy to accommodate whatever requests and questions we had.

Then the big night, 10 of us, 5 x couples turned up on Saturday night in a hired stretched Limo. Being the organiser I was worried that everyone should approve- turns out this should not have been a concern at all! One of the couples in our group are emigrating to Dubai so we wanted to a really special night for them and that's exactly what we got!

Upon reaching the doorway and going on throughout the whole night the service and politeness of the staff was unbelievable which made us feel really special.

The food was fantastic with lots of variety and great sized portions. Half of us were veggies and the other half carnivores and this was one of the few places I have been too where both were equally catered for. The Feast menus were brilliant with a huge array of delicious foods. The cocktails were huge, delicious and potent! The belly dancers were great fun and great looking ;o) And by the way they were not at all cheap or tacky or degrading to women- in fact quite the contrary, our wives loved the belly dancers and were all up there dancing with them and learning how to belly dance from them!

The restaurant itself was beautiful, exotic and so different to anything else in London. The whole ambience and atmosphere was better than perfect! We were going to go to a club afterwards but as we were having so much fun at levant we ended up dancing in the bar area instead till about 2am!

For a different and special night out this place just has to be done!
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Ajay - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, August 01, 2007

The restaurant is lovely, the service was ok, and the food was nice but then it should be at £40 a head without alcohol.

The music got cranked up every time the bellydancer trotted out and was so loud we couldn't hear one another speak, the dancing thing was a bit tacky.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Thursday, July 26, 2007

The overall experience was great including the great standard of food, friendly staff, belly dancing and shisha pipes. Would recommend to anyone after a superb cultural evening witgh great food!
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Sharif-Paul - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 06, 2007

I spent one of the most pleasurable restaurant related nights of my life last night. I had booked a table there after having being dragged there for Shisha one night and having enjoyed the bar thought the restaurant would be good too. I was not disappointed. This is one of the restaurants you have to go to before you die.

From the point of booking I knew that this was going to be interesting. I called in to book a table for three and they were courteous and responsive to my questions. They called to confirm early on the day and just seemed...well...considerate.

After having traipsed my friend half way across London on foot (so that he could se the sights of course) we came to the little tucked away corner that is Levant and went down the stairs to Lebanon. The atmosphere was dark and mysterious and heavily scented with the smell of shisha. We had a drink at the bar to begin (highly recommend the non-alcoholic Lebanese delight) and were able to relax and wipe away the horrific memory of crossing busy roads in London to get here.

We were ushered to our seats and given menus that seemed a little confusing. The waiter must have been psychic as he warmly explained what was on offer and what to expect when we ordered the MEAT FEAST. Which brings me on to the food.

The food was fantastic. Mouthwatering dips and breads with fallafel and other nibbles until we were replete would have been enough but it didn't end there. Perfectly cooked lamb and chicken kebabs formed the main course that were absolutely wonderful. We polished off a couple of bottles of wine by the point that we moved onto desert, which was a beautifully arranged fresh fruit platter and baklawa, pistachios and turkish delight all neatly stacked and served with mint tea.

The service was well beyond the level of a place in London. We never felt rushed and the waiters were always friendly and helpful. When the belly dancing started we were enthralled by how willing the dancer was to get everyone involved. We even saw the Maitre d' carrying one of the customers (whose ankle was in plaster) to their table.

The thing that capped this place off though was the Shisha. It really added to the experience and it will be a real shame when the smoking ban comes in about this.

We were a little put off by the bill when it arrived. It came to around £60 per head and was more than we had bargained for. However, bearing in mind that we were there from 7.30 until 11.30 and had not only had a great (in all senses) meal, but also been entertained and drunk a vast amount as well it was actually a bargain.

I will certainly recommend this place to my friends and look forward to returning soon! This place is just so unlike many London restaurants it has to be done!
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Paul Arnold
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Seven of us went to Levant on the weekend for the first time on recommendations from a friend. The atmosphere and ambiance is lovely - it hits you when you walk in. I really must say also that the staff, all of them, were the nicest that I have encountered in any resturant! The food was yummy and beautifully served and the belly dancers were great. If you're looking for a special night out I would definitely recommend Levant. I will definitely be going back there again.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, June 26, 2007

I spent a very pleasant Friday evening with a group of friends at Levant.

Because there were 8 of us, they seated us in their private booth at the back of the restaurant, which was beautiful, and in no way detracted from the experience of the restaurant. The decor is beautiful, the food fantastic, and the service was excellent, especially the belly dancers for the boys, which I have to say was not offensive in anyway.

The set menu for large parties is not cheap, and is probably somewhere you would go for a special occassion or a treat, but the quality and quatity of the food, for both meat eaters and veggies, makes it worth every penny.

Highly recommended.
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julie
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Monday, June 18, 2007

Beautiful place..a must see..just the entrance makes you feel like royalty. Steps full of rose petals...gorg setting with candles...food and service also great.
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Henah Mirza
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, June 13, 2007