Middle Eastern Restaurants near Melbourne, FL

“Arabesque Flavors of the Middle East 7640 N. Wockham Rd., Melbourne, FL 32940 4 Stars Does having Arab blood coursing through my veins like a sirocco whipping through the Sahara make me an expert on Middle Eastern food? Not necessarily. What does are my over 600 restaurant reviews and, of course, eating this type of food for the entirety of my years. Arabesque Flavors of the Middle East of Melbourne is one of many joints offering this type of fare. As previously mentioned, Middle Eastern eats are popping up all over the place these days. Emma was my server for the meal and once again, I was attended to by an outstanding wait staff. This is nine in a row (but who's counting?). All praise The Streak! I asked Exemplary Emma for an order of Labenah, a regular mixed Kabob and some Lamb Tagine. The place was sparsely populated at this time of day and as such, Exceptional Emma soon brought forth my afternoon repast. As I allowed the complex flavors of the Labenah (Strained Yogurt) to wash over my palate, I had to admit I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered it with a pre-determined notion that it would be pre-made. This was house-made, which is NOT easy to do. The process is not overly complicated, but it is excessively time-consuming and there is a knack to preserving the distinctive sour taste of yogurt while removing most of the whey. This was an unforeseen walk-off home run and a great way to start my meal. Reluctantly placing my remaining Labenah to the side, I proceeded with the mixed Kabob. The meat was bursting with the flavors of the Middle East and exploding across my taste buds like a sandstorm in the Syrian desert. The sad part was that it was over-cooked and as dry as a sand viper's tongue. The tahini and hummus were above average and I would hazard a guess that they were as freshly made as the Labenah. The flavors were truly laudable. This came with a side salad I found to be average and Greek? Strangely enough, this place is almost 100% Arabic in its menu offerings and it serves a Greek salad. I surmise their thinking was along the lines of Why reinvent the wheel? This brings me to the final item up for review on this visit, the Lamb Tagine. Tagine is a Maghreb dish originating from the Northwestern part of the African Continent. Tagine refers to the dish as well as the earthenware pot in which it is cooked (similar to the Indian Tandoori dishes). Arabesque Flavors of the Middle East has some fine chefs in the back, as this Tagine was loaded with flavor and the lamb was superb. Both sides of rice were also tasty and cooked to perfection. The Big Boy says, “The salad and overcooked meat knock it down to a 4-star review. With such stiff competition, unless they pick it up, they won't be for long in this rapidly growing niche market.”“

“Chef Toni is an amazing cook. I have eaten here twice and have had an incredible experience both times! If you are a foodie I highly recommend Cedars. Both times we asked her to just cook for us and she did just that! Thank you again Chef Toni! We cannot wait to book a Chefs tasting ❤️“

“Well priced Delicious food!“

“Al-Houda Restaurant - Palm Bay - 5 Stars Hidden Gem Alert Wow, what a great find! It actually took me 24 hours to think of an opening to this review. Al-Houda is the kind of restaurant that is why I do this day in and day out, looking for that one special place, that one special morsel of food, that single flavor that makes you go....WOW!!!!! Well, it's all here at Al-Houda. Let me further preface that my father's side of the family immigrated from Syria at the turn of the last century, so I spent many years eating a wonderful surprise of authentic Middle Eastern dishes. Most Middle Eastern restaurants have Americanized the region's food, and it's so rare to find authentic recipes that I don't even look anymore. Given this history, it was with great joy and happiness that I found Al-Houda's cuisine. Now all is not perfect in Al-Houda land. For one, it is a very small dining area with limited seating. I also found out later this restaurant mainly caters to the Florida Tech Arab group, so their hours are cut back drastically during the summer. The lady who greets you, who I assume is an owner, has very little grasp of the English language, to put it mildly. If you are willing to try this amazing food you will need to either order what I ordered or be prepared to point. The menu has a half-hearted English explanation of each item. (See the menu photos). The server will not be able to espouse the great wonders that await you. Furthermore, they only serve bottled drinks. I chose an Aryan (pronounced R-yawn) yogurt drink which is essentially Middle Eastern buttermilk. It was quite good and addicting with a sour finish that is actually enjoyable. For the main meal, I ordered lamb kafta with baba ghnouj. The baba was made in-house. There were tiny chunks of eggplant you don't get from the distributor. I do not believe the Kafta was chef-prepared from scratch with fresh ingredients but it was high quality, better than I have found locally otherwise. The crowning dish I consumed was Molokhia, which is a chicken stew with greens. The morsels of chicken are so tender and juicy they should put a whole chicken in it. As I repeatedly tell my readers I am not a chef, but I know enough to tell you about execution and presentation. When it comes to ingredients, if they are non-standard I can't always discern exactly what they are. In this dish, I know there are greens they call jute. Beyond that and the chicken all I can tell you is it is one of the best flavor sensations I have ever experienced - I mean ever. This dish is so flavorful and enjoyable you can't stop eating it. The Big Boy wants you to stop and give Al-Houda a try. Whether you are a Middle Eastern cuisine veteran or virgin, I promise you won't be disappointed“

“Delicious food. Great location. Friendly service.“