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Nuba Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Middle Eastern Restaurants Mediterranean Middle Eastern, Mediterranean [Edit]
207 W Hastings StVancouver, BC V6B 1H7
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 688-1655
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11 am - 4:30 pm
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Trendy
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
208 reviews for Nuba Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"The Lamb was great and Najib's Special is always great." In 24 reviews -
"Our favorite is their crispy cauliflower." In 29 reviews -
"La Feast is $28 and could easily feed three people." In 14 reviews
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208 reviews in English
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Review from Alex I.
Vancouver, BC
4/26/2012
First off, the place in beautiful. Mirror shard walls, Middle Eastern lanterns, mood lighting, wines in specially made shelves in the walls. Not quite kitschy, or at least just pleasantly so.
The food is all around great. Especially, Najib's special, the fried cauliflower. Tried making it several times and have even asked how they do it but can never get it right. I suggest coming with someone else to share the the feast. Has the cauli and pretty much everything else. I wish I was eating it now.
Never too busy, good service. -
Review from Ardis H.
Vancouver, BC
5/20/2012
Tried Nuba for dinner tonight. Atmosphere is decent - but the seating is reminiscent of cafeterias, compete with paper napkins - made from recycled paper at least.
The food as described in the menu sounds wonderful ... Unfortunately the execution was lacking. The lamb/hummus appetizer could have been lovely if the ground lamb wasn't dry and the accompanying avocado not rock hard. Najib's special cauliflower was lacking spice inspiration and didn't arrive piping hot. The spicy prawns could have been okay...if they hadn't been cooked past their prime. The roasted cheese was a texture disappointment and was served along with tomatoes that could have used quite a bit more ripening.
The saving grace to the meal was dessert. The sufle was perfectly cooked, light and fluffy and I enjoyed pouring the chocolate sauce over the entire concoction. My cuz went for the quinoa chocolate cake, which I thought would be a texture nightmare, but turned out to be decadently moist and accompanied nicely by the cardamom whipped cream. The coffee drinks were also a fab finale to the evening.
Overall, I wont likely return. -
Review from Jana D.
Ottawa, ON
4/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
We had a fabulous time at this place - it's perfect for lunch! We went to the Gastown location (apparently there's another one too) as we happened to be sightseeing in that neighbourhood anyway, and my sister felt like this type of food for lunch.
We got a comfy table for 4 (well - it was 2 square tables pressed together, one rocked so we put something under it to stop the rocking), and our friendly waitress, Amira, came over to offer us drinks. We just had water but she generously came over often to refill our glasses through the meal. I really appreciate that! We had 2 soups and felafel, and chicken and mujadra (sp??) - there was a lot, and a variety of it on that plate! - and it was very tasty and filling.
In celebration of my sister's brithday, we had an absolutely wonderful desert! I would recommend this place to visitors to Vancouver, and I would go back.
Special event alert: on April 28, 2012, they are having an art show at this restaurant. Call the restaurant for more info.
PS: The only reason I would give this 4 stars instead of 5 is that it's a little dark in there. -
Review from Jeffrey G.
5/20/2012 2 photos
Great Food and kind service. We had a hard time choosing what to eat and ordered one of the feasts which is a comb of small dishes and also the salmon entree because it sounded so good. Our waitperson was gentle and pointed out that was too much food and gave use some great suggestions and ordered the perfect amount and comb. Loved the hummus and falafel the most. They have a nice spicy sauce to go with it. Looking forward to going back and trying other things. We did not try the cauliflower because it was deep friend but sure wanted to after all the rave reviews.
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Review from Adi N.
4/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
This place has been a gem of a find.. In the heart of gastown, it was difficult to find for visitors like us. However, tucked away right on the corner of Hastings and Cambie is a sign for Nuba that is not very visible. Once you find it, walk downstairs and you're greeted by a spacious joint.
I had the turkish coffee (which was excellent) and the hummus to start with. I always order the hummus first at any mediterranean place and I like to judge the quality of the place from it. Based on the fact that the three of us polished off the hummus in a few minutes, I was ready to order more..
I had the lamb wrap, my wife had the Mjadra and our friend had the Falafel plate.. The food was, without a doubt - excellent. Even the lentil soup we ordered was marvellous. This is one of the few restaurants that I've noticed such a large offering for vegetarians and vegans and kudos for that.
From the ambience, though we were there for lunch, the place had a nice earthy zest to it and the servers exuded a contagious energy. I'd love to visit this place again for dinner this time just to see it transform into a north african set from a TNT movie... I maybe asking for a lot but from what I saw of the place during the day and the awesome food we had, this is a definite visit-again place for us when we return. -
Review from Cody S.
We celebrated my 30th birthday here at Nuba and I am not disappointed. We couldn't have been happier with almost everything here!
We started with the fire grilled halloumi cheese, baba ghanooj, and hummus plates. The halloumi cheese was grilled perfect with a nice fresh slice of tomato. What a great way to start. The baba ghanooj and hummus easily made me ready for the plates to come.
We had the "Le Grand Feast" with an extra plate of lamb skewers. This was perfect for 4 people. The lamb and chicken were perfect and the sides of potato, prawns, eggplant relish and fatoush salad were amazing.
The service could have been better. Our server didn't seem interested in taking care of us the entire time. I wondered why, how our order including bottles of wine, wasn't good enough to get a personal touch. Not a big deal, but, makes me wonder, though. This is the reason for my 4 star, instead of 5, review.
Overall, we will be back here soon! -
Review from Jayna B.
Coquitlam, BC
4/9/2012
My favorite restaurant in Vancouver- by far! The ambiance is romantic and modern- it reminds me of the earthy meets funky european owned restaurants in playa del carmen, Mexico. (BONUS POINTS: When I happened to mention this observation to a server, they told me one of the owners used to live there!? Woo! Go me! Haha).
The food is so tasty and the menu has options for all types of dietary restrictions.
I try to use every occasion/celebration as an excuse to go there. Lunch with a friend, birthdays, romantic date nights, valentines, presidents day, earth day....anything! Haha
On top of ALL this, the prices are SO reasonable! No need to skip your next rent payment to afford dinner- it truly is great value for your money.
So many reviewers mention najibs's special.... I have to admit- I, in my wishful/ naive mind, thought "it's cauliflower! It's healthy!" so I'd often order two at one sitting. Let's just say there were tears in my cucumber water the night I found out it was deep fried. Yup. Probably the saddest day of my life BUT it's so tasty, I'll still order one to share with a friend every once in a while. ;)
*cough*once-a-week*cough*
Go there- take your time- enjoy! -
Review from John R.
Winnipeg, MB
Updated - 4/29/2012
I arrived for diner and was hoping for the best. However I order the vegetarian stew, and was hoping for a Hardy stew, I was disappointed with a thin topping of unremarkable stew on bed of rice, The other dish I ordered was also less then I expected. In the end I found the price too high for what I got. I was hoping to get back here to try lunch but did not... The short answer is they did not make themselves a place I wanted to return to.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/19/2011
Based on these reviews this seems to be the best place in walking distance to where I was working on… Read more »
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Review from Gagan P.
5/3/2012
visiting vancouver, looking for vegan options, found this place. food was great lebanese/middle eastern. Falafel was DELICIOUS. They have a fried cauliflower dish that is good as well - I wouldn't rave about it, but it was tasty. Ordered the vegan stew and a dessert.
The only negative was that we ordered the vegan stew and the rice was hard (not cooked fully). The waitress said she would take it off of our bill, which was cool -- BUT when we got the bill, she didn't take it off. We decided not to bother and just paid.
We had the chocolate souffle for dessert and that wasn't vegan but was really tasty. The chocolate sauce was so delicious I continue to eat that after the souffle was long gone :)
The place is also right next to a cannibas cafe - for us that was a negative since we were on foot. -
Review from Anna M.
Grandview-Woodlands, Vancouver, BC
5/17/2012
i give 10/10 for this place.. Great food.. Great Price.. Great Vibe and the place is somewhere you can chill with friends, families and partners.. A lot of healthy choices to choose from..
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Review from Jasmine O.
Vancouver, BC
Updated - 1/18/2012 ROTD 1/31/2012
My wife and I celebrated our 43-months-since-we-met--iversary here on Friday and I was soooo excited because it was her first Nuba experience and a few weeks into her becoming a vegetarian!!! It was a great date.
The mezzas impressed her although she was afraid of the foreign look of the plates (she usually just orders the chicken to be "safe") and she loved all of the flavor combinations. She could barely finish the falafels which were heartier than any she's ever had... "Those are real falafels" I told her and she agreed that the taste felt authentic and we rolled out happy and full. She had such a surprised look when I told her everything we ordered had been vegan. Wow. It was a treat. We'll be going back regularly, hopefully as a special date night spot, and I'm sure I can get her to venture even further into the deliciousnes of fresh ingredients used at this amazing restaurant.Listed in: Greatest Hits, Where you'll find me, date night late night
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/15/2010
So we finally dined at Nuba last night.
It was our anniversary so I decided to reserve a table just… Read more »
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Review from Nancy W.
2/12/2012
Before Nancy and I started blogging, we already talked about which restaurants we like to go to. We have learned about each other's taste and luckily it's very compatible. What we do not discuss much is the setting of the restaurant. For example, I do not enjoy fine dining where the plate is gigantic and the single scallop is the center piece. I seek authenticity, unpretentious, generous portion meals. I do not particular enjoy Northwest Cuisine in a restaurant setting because I've had too many at mediocre restaurants. If I see another grilled salmon on a bed of asparagus with mash potatoes, I'm going to _ _ _ _.
I'm glad I live in Vancouver. As a foodie, you get to sample cuisines from different authenticities. For a long time, I've been dying to visit Nuba. I've had no expectations or experience in Lebanese Cuisine, so my deepest apology in the description of the dishes. I will try my best with descriptions given by my palate.
May I first point out that Nuba is situated in a gorgeous building. You are led down the stairway into a beautiful, and romantic space. The seating is not crowded at all. There is also an effort to display a Middle Eastern vibe to help strengthen the dining experience.
Lamb Hushwie: Sautéed lamb with onions, pine nuts, and spices, served over hummus and avocado: First of all, you can't go wrong with pine nuts and lamb. The earthy taste of pine nuts just adds a punch with lamb. Lamb is soft, along with the acidic hummus served on top of the protein.
Spiced Tiger Prawns: Sautéed prawns, warm spiced eggplant, tomato & onions with a spicy oil: This dish is a great introduction to any main course. Crunchy tiger prawns sitting on a bed of spicy eggplant. The mild spiciness encourages you to anticipate the main course.
Duck magret ful medames: Fraser Valley pan seared cardamom-spiced duck breast with fava bean stew, roasted peppers, crispy duck skin, Brussel sprouts: The lean duck breast assisted by the bean stew were packed with flavours. The duck meat wasn't chewy at all. The brussel sprouts and stew added a great bite along with the duck breast.
Beverage: We had a cocktail by the name of breaded lady: Don't let this cute drink fool you. It's pretty darn strong. Bulleit Bourbon, bitters, raw sugar cube, sparkling wine, and citrus zest.
This was a great way to introduce myself to Lebanese cuisine. I can't wait till the next time I come and try other items in their menu., Overall, I've had such a wonderful experience at Nuba. I hope everyone can step out of their comfort zone and try something different. -
Review from Ashley B.
Vancouver, BC
3/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
Been here 3 times now, and every time I love it! This is great tapa style, healthy, lebanese food.
We tend to go with a appy, salad, meat and vegetable dish with a glass of wine and the bill has never been over $42-45 for 2.
They have a great back room with pillows for more of lounge feel.
I have not been to any of the other locations, but I would definitely recommend this spot if your in the gastown area. -
Review from Diana L.
3/21/2012 1 Check-in Here
Although I have been here a few times with family, I will write about the experience I had yesterday because it was very special. I had the privilege of dining with Mr. Vincent N. (@VincentNg) and Ms. Tess M. (@TessTattles) from Yelp along with my father (@LumWes) and....wait for it....one of the owners from Nuba, Victor! Wow, what an experience hearing all of his wonderful stories and experience. This man is so humble for being such a restaurant genius! All of use were taken aback by his vitality and passion for what he does. It is no wonder that this particular location and all of the others have done so well. There is no doubt that Victor has an emotional investment in the food he creates. It was more than inspiring to hear how he wants to educate people about food and give people new experiences. Sitting down with him epitomized his vision for his food: uniting, educating, and enjoying.
The food itself was awesome, as usual. We had a couple sharing plates and some skewers. We also shared three desserts. Everything on the menu is beyond satisfying and always cooked to perfection. One of the coolest things about Nuba is the extensive drink list. They use the best ingredients to concoct a plethora of different drink innovations. They are not scared to mix fresh ingredients to make wild new flavours.
Nuba is not just a place to eat. It's a place to learn and experience. I love how it has fine-dine worthy food in the least pretentious atmosphere. They pride themselves on being fresh, which shows since none of the restaurants have a microwave or a can opener; they do not believe in processed foods. I love eating here because there is so much integrity in the food, and Victor doesn't just talk the talk, but he walks the walk.
Don't be afraid to try this restaurant. You will walk away full, satisfied, and inspired. -
Review from Robin M.
12/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Ridiculous.
Totally lives up to the hype. Totally always going to be drinking cucumber water at home. I'm talking All. the time, people. It's luxurious in the best of cheap ways.
Fresh, healthy, and soso good, the food made by the good folks at Nuba has yet to let me down. Quick bites, long lunches, extended dinners -- what can't they do? Vegan friends, meatatarian friends, liquid-loving friends, me -- we're all happy here.
Najib's Special is bomb. What the hell are they doing to the cauliflower to make it that freaking amazing?? For real though, how is it this good?
Friendly staff, great food, killer atmosphere -- Nuba is an entirely safe bet for just about any meal.Listed in: Vegetarian Eats Vancouver
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Review from Harley W.
Vancouver, BC
2/19/2012
Went here last night after making reservations earlier this week.
Low and behold, they didn't have our reservation for 2 and were fully booked. Didnt try to reconcile the mix up at all, just sent us on our way. POOR FORM.
Ended up at Rogue Kitchen and Wet Bar and had a LOVELY anniversary dinner. Glad the mistake happened.
I expected better from Nuba. Even a "Would you like to try again tomorrow or next week, we have an opening then".
Discusted with this. All my friends told me how incredible the food was. Too bad I will never get to try it and give a good review. -
Review from Tai V.
2/1/2012 1 Check-in Here
Just went the other night, was pretty good.
I had najib's special (fried Cauliflower) The taste was really nice but there was a lot of oil in the bottom of my shallow bowl when I hot to the bottom so I wont be having that again unless I asked for it patted down :D
I wanted to have a salad but dont like mixed greens at all so asked if they had a substitute and the server said no we have no other lettuce...Then my bf got his Tabuleh salad (he said to write it was very minty and it overpowered the flavour of the dish) and there were 2 big beautiful pieces of romaine for his garnish...
I asked the server if there was a way they could put romaine in my salad instead and she said no the kitchen refuses to do that... The romaine is only a garnish. Nothing else.
ok ok I get it, but really I wanted a light meal thats why I came, I don't understand why everyone is using mixed greens now?! They are a little bitter and kind of remind me of when I used to eat dandelions.
So I had the veggie falafel, it was decent.
BF had the Short Ribs and he was very pleased and said that the dish is not something that could be made at home.
All in all we were pretty satisfied... -
Review from Kat S.
1/4/2012
Wonderful food and service. I have really enjoyed the experience both times that I have been here.
The first visit was as a UYE, so I couldn't review, but I finally got the opportunity to go back when some friends were visiting from out of town. We were lucky enough to get squeezed in, because other attempts at coming here without reservations were thwarted by the long lines. This time, however, the found us a space. For 4, no less.
The share plates are really the way to go. Everything is well flavoured and plentiful. I left so full. Yes, my pocket was a little lighter, but the food value is very fair for what you get. They don't seem to have to option to choose which meats you want on the grand feast anymore, but the selection was good. The only thing I wasn't that excited about was the chicken. It was a tad on the dry side.
Our server was attentive and friendly, and all around very good. Our food loving friends from the North really enjoyed the meal, too. Tip: Get the halumi cheese. Chewy good fun.Listed in: Treat Yourself
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Review from Jessica Q.
Coquitlam, BC
3/10/2012 1 Check-in Here
I know, I know...I am very picky to give 5 stars but Nuba definitely deserves them!.
What a great time we had!. Great food and great service.
We were seated right away even though the place was packed.
The menu was appetizing, I wasn'sure what to get so our waitress (who btw was awesome!!!), recommended "la feast". It is a sample platter for 2 and we just LOVED IT!!!.
The first round were the appetizers: tabouleh salad, hummus (chickpeas spread), babaganush (smoked eggplants spread with tahini), pickled cabbage and pita bread.
The second round was a nice presented platter. I really enjoyed everything! Lentils with avocado, stewed vegetables with that lebanese flavour (tasted like my grandmom's), fatoush salad, oh my god the fried coliflower!!!! (I wish that was botomless!), olives and feta cheese, rice, everything was so good.
We order one of the lamb plates, it was a very well seasoned ground lamb on top of hummus. I could definitely taste the spices in that meat (cinnamon, pepper, cardamon, oh my...so tasty!).
I was stuffed but how could I leave the place without trying a dessert! I got the dates mamoul and it was to die for! I can still remember its taste. The actual dough on the outside was delicious, filling was dates and rosewater, so juicy, sweet and yummy! Definitely freshly made.
Pricewise, very reasonable.
If you want to enjoy the flavours of the homemade lebanese cuisine, Nuba is the place to go.
5 stars for everything! -
Review from Teresita C.
11/15/2011
The dictionary defines addiction as "being enslaved to a practice or habit" and the crispy cauliflower with spices instantly turned me into an addicted, beady-eyed, Gollum.
Since becoming vegan I've eschewed many of my favorite foods but eating at Nuba with meat eaters and semi-vegetarians was a simple, sublime pleasure brimming with tahini, baba ghanouj and lip-smacking vegan stew.
Everyone had something wonderfully fragrant and delectable to eat, and aside from my covetous behavior over the cauliflower, the meat eater happily chomped on almost everything from the vegan feast for two after polishing off his perfectly cooked lamb kebabs.
Give me a full week in Vancouver please, so I can return to Nuba nightly, drink in the cucumber water and inhale platter after platter of those enslaving dusky flower-buds. -
Review from Buster B.
Vancouver, BC
11/21/2011
Okay, okay. Nuba is trendy and offers pretty good food and beyond average cocktails. That's right. It's pretty good. It's not great and the portions fall on the small side. Najib's special, a lemony fried cauliflower, is the only outstanding dish I've had.
Last night, the wait time was crazy (40 minutes between appetizers and entrees), and although the waiter was very apologetic and mumbled something about the lamb being over-cooked and needing to start again, that's still 40 minutes of wait! An apology is great, but nothing says sorry like free appetizers. (A note: the place was only half full, so it's not like there was a dinner rush.)
I ordered "le grand feast" for two and when it finally arrived, I was shocked - SHOCKED - at the meagre amount of food. Yes, it was tastefully displayed, but four skewers, a handful of shrimp, and three bowls of sides does not a feast make, much less a grand feast. For $50. My god!
When the bill came, I was resentful and still hungry, but could not risk ordering another dish for fear of waiting another 40 minutes. I'll return to Nuba for lunch, specifically for the Najib's special and a cocktail, but I value my time and money, so I'll stay away for dinner. -
Review from Ryan G.
2/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
I really like the feel of this place. When I go down the stairs, take my chair and sit, am served and begin eating there's a sense of my memories as a Torontonian... Good group of local people, good fresh food, reasonable prices, and a relaxed atmosphere... and place not to be judged by what you wear, or what you eat... Nuba, I'll be back for more... oh and by the way.. tip for those who want to go when it's busy... skip the line and sit at the bar. It's the best service in town.
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Review from Alex V.
North Vancouver, BC
11/6/2011
So I can see this restaurant is not short of good reviews, but it doesn't hurt to add another!
The night started off a little iffy seeing as they were so busy they mixed up not only our reservations, but another party's. But they quickly remedied that with giving us our first round of drinks on the house - I definitely recommend their organic red sangria! Me and my sister shared La feast, and even with both of us being big eaters, and me being the most carnivorous of carnivores, it managed to stuff us! Our favourites were najib's special (notably the hot sauce which had some kick to it!) and the baba ghanooj. Definitely a place that fosters long, relaxed meals with good friends.. -
Review from Cynthia G.
Toronto, ON
11/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been here now four times now and the place is great. I just love it, from the very interesting drinks, to the vegan food and very knowleadgeable services and bar staff. In the 1980's there was a small middle eastern place on Broadway (before it became a popluar cusine) that NUBA reminds me of that place........
I called earlier in the week from Toronto to make reservations and left a message on their voice mail. Didn't think I would get a call back, since they would have to call long distance and to my suprise, they did call back and confirm the reservation.
We had reservations for 7:30 and my friend Keith and I got there a little early so we sat at the bar. had wonderful converstaions with the bartender as she was very knowleadgeable about beer, wine and drinks and provided information that was very helpful.
When our other dinner guest Ashley arrived we were escorted to our table. We all were very hungey and placed our order; We were all going to share and ordered which consistaed of le feist which is a sampling of many popular items on the menu such as homus, vegan stew, cheese, olives, tabouli and a side of baba ganoush and crispy cauliflower, as well as Sea Scallops and Chicken Tawook Skewers.
The middle eastern flavours are just wonderful. Love the delicate pickled cabbage and all the little dips and sauces.
The decor is very low key and minimalistic, but kind of trendy. They do have a section at the back that has low tables and lounge chairs. Do remember if they had music, but the accoustics are great and you don't hear conversations from the next table.
Wish they had a location in Toronto !Listed in: 30-Day Yelp Challenge, Nov…, VANCOUVER HITS
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Review from Nicole B.
Vancouver, BC
12/15/2011
This place is less than one block from my new home and I'm a little worried I may soon be going up a size as I am in LOVE.
I always make a reso when I come here, even if it's the same day. They almost always accommodate and it saves me a wait and with the popularity of this hidden gem, I would highly recommend it.
The bf & I always order the Grand Fest as it's a great date option with lots of variation, more than enough food for 2, and only $48. If you don't want to go that route, you absolutely MUST try the Najib's Special and the Lamp Chops (mmmmmm *drool*). -
Review from Siri W.
9/17/2011
I had heard a lot about this restaurant, and so, as someone who used to live in the Middle East, naturally I was intrigued. I have missed the food so much and find it so difficult to find truly authentic Middle Eastern food in this city. So I had high hopes for Nuba, and they were not disappointed!
I met a friend and decided to go for the tapas idea, although they do have some mains as well. We went for the Baba Ganoush (I've missed it so since coming back to Canada - and no, that stuff they sell in plastic tins at the grocery store and Costco is NOT Baba Ganoush, I don't care what you say.
The Baba Ganoush here (I just like saying Baba Ganoush, can you tell?) was incredible! So smooth, and rich and just as flavourful as I remembered it. The flatbread also seemed to be unlimited, which was a good thing as these were some hefty portions and I personally like to take a "no man left behind" approach to my meals.
We then had the crispy cauliflower, which was just amazing. The flavour was so unique and tangy - lots of lemon. Who knew cauliflower could be so delicious? We also had the lamb (with avocado), which was my friend's choice - not my favourite since I'm not a huge lamb enthusiast, but she enjoyed it very much and I would chalk it up to me rather than the lamb!
Lastly...we had to split the white chocolate and almond souffle. It was calling to us. The menu said to allow fifteen minutes to prepare and oohhh man was it worth it. It came with a chocolate sauce (I'm not gonna lie, I totally lapped it up with a spoon afterwards. I have no shame) and the souffle itself - so perfect. It was fluffy, light, flavourful and still piping hot from the oven. Colour me satisfied. Even if souffle isn't what you would call an authentic Middle Eastern dessert - God knows I'm not complaining!
This place was sooo delish. Takes me back to my old life as an expat. Go and enjoy it, you won't be sorry!Listed in: Post Five With Friends
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Review from Nadya R.
Vancouver, BC
3/15/2012
Excellent food, great veggie options, great lunch spot.
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Review from Joanne M.
Vancouver, BC
12/5/2011
Wickedly good place! Just tucked underground, its easy to miss this restaurant. Try the Najib's special and hummous! If you are big group there is a nice private lounge to share tapa's and some drinks. Drink's are a bit on the pricey side compared to the food prices and servers are a bit spacey, but all in all a solid place to relax with some friends.
Will definitely come back. -
Review from BURB G.
Newmarket, ON
3/5/2012
We enjoyed our lunch there. We thought the portions were ok but a slight bit of on the small side. We had to wait a long time for our bill.
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Review from Amy C.
Vancouver, BC
10/31/2011
This Nuba is my fav of the Vancouver options - mostly because a friend and I had such a spectacular waitress the first time around. She did everything from bring us samples of white wine (which made it harder, if anything, to narrow it down) and helped us with our order flavours and portions. We were first-timers, and she told us not to worry about ordering too much, that she would adjust the size/price accordingly, and recommended that we get a bunch of mezze plates to share.
She delivered - the portions were perfect (we ordered 5 small plates between us) and the food tasted great. I bet everyone that's had the cauliflower includes that in their comments, it's such a tasty vegetarian dish!! I have definitely lost a few moments daydreaming about that bad boy since.
The vibe was good. Big crowd (it was Friday night) but still good service. The decor is pretty no-frills, but I don't care about things like plastic cups when I'm getting cucumber water served to me inside them.
I'd go back again, (especially given their array of vegetarian options) especially if I was with people I knew had similar tastes to me and I wanted to impress! Bring on that cauliflower!!! Nom nom nom. -
Review from matt m.
West Vancouver, BC
9/25/2011
Really dissapointed after all the rave reviews...
The tiger prawns were overcooked and chewy, the short ribs were terrible, tough, and the waiters were running around confused about which table to bring the food out to.
Our group of 5 had food meant for other tables delivered at least 3 times during our 90 minute dining experience... when our own dishes came out (after the waiter tried to drop it off at another table, sigh), I was less than impressed.
This place is always packed, but I'm real confused as to why. -
Review from Judy H.
Vancouver, BC
1/29/2012
Good food, great company, fantastic evening.
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Review from Dee D.
Burnaby, BC
11/14/2011
The menu is simple and straight forward. Our water was cucumber flavoured -if you haven't tried this out, you should - it's a great way to help drink more water every day.
Anyway, back to the menu - it's best to share dishes and since there were four of us - we ordered several dishes.
Our first dish was the Chicken Tawook ($9). They were chicken skewers marinated with "middle eastern spices" and served atop slices of avocado and hummus. The chicken was tender and a hint of the seasoning.
Up next was the Garden Falafel ($7.50). I'm a big fan of falafel mostly because it's one of the few ways I enjoy chickpeas and beans (other than hummus). I'm so accustomed to the not so fabulous fast-food fare - so this was very tasty - it was a decently portioned falafel too. It was also served alongside avocado slices, hummus and pickled cabbage.
We ordered Najib's Special ($7) as everyone was telling me to try this dish. To be honest, I am not a big fan of cauliflower. BUT this was amazing. Some of it was slightly burnt, but the rest was crispy and bursting with delicious tartness from the lemon and saltiness from it's sea salt. Much better tasting when dipped in the Tahini (ie, sesame) sauce. Probably my favourite dish of the evening.
We also ordered Le petit feast ($15) that includes hummus, taboulleh, baba ghanooj and homemade pickled cabbage. The presentation was very nice and the taste of the baba ghanooj was amazing. The taboulleh was very poignant, I found the taste to be very sharp compared to other places I've had taboulleh and I liked it. Since there was so much hummus going around - I did enjoy it too, but I felt it could be a little more tart.
Finally, we ordered Lamb kibosh spinach ($8). These were mini patties with vegetables, pine nuts, burghul and spices. I'm not a fan of lamb so I passed on this, but my best friend said it was great in taste, not too gamey and not too dry.
[continued on gastrofork.ca] -
Review from Vincci L.
Been back recently and it just wasn't as good. The Halloumi cheese and tomato seemed different, the seared scallops not as flavourful, and the biggest disappointment was the crispy cauliflower. They didn't even bother cutting up the cauliflower which resulted in just 4 large chunks of cauliflower, defeating the whole purpose of 'crispy.'
My entree, the fish of the day was good. Grilled, and then served in a tahini based sauce, this was more outstanding than the other dishes we had that night.4 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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12/8/2010
Mmmmm.....mezze....
Between the 2 of us, we ordered a whole lot of mezzes to share. Probably too much… Read more »
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Review from J P.
9/22/2011
The location of Nuba was easy to overlook as it is in the downstairs corner of a building. We were looking at ground level and just couldn't see it. Dur!
Two of us went for dinner and shared hot & cold "mezze" dishes...basically, appetizer plates, as well as a large fattoush salad (delish!), beer for DH, and wine for me (I wish I could remember the name of it...a white wine...started with the letter "v", recommended by waitress and very good).
Our appetizers included a vegan stew; we're not vegan or vegetarian and I don't know what my carnivorous DH was thinking when he ordered it, but it was great, so flavorful; we both liked it a lot. Also had tabbouleh; and shish tawook (grilled chicken skewers) on a bed of the creamiest hummus ever. We initially were set to order more, but our waitress talked us down and she was right. We had just the right amount of food. We did all but lick our plates clean and felt satisfied, and not overly-full. So we had room for dessert.
DH had the vegan sorbet (again with the vegan!), and he LOVED it. It was dark chocolate with some sort of citrus sauce. And I had the special dessert they were featuring...a white chocolate and almond souffle. It had a mousse-like sauce to drizzle over the warm souffle, along with what looked like finely ground almonds with some grains of black sea salt. The combo of salt & chocolate was perf.
We'd go back in an instant if not for miles between us and that pesky US border. -
Review from Melissa E.
Vancouver, BC
10/3/2011
Been meaning to come here for ages and a friends birthday offered the perfect opportunity. We were a large-ish crowd so didn't have access to the full menu...rather when we arrived there was a large and exhaustive drink list followed by a teeny tiny little food menu. I like your thinking Nuba.
To kick it off i had the hat trick...a yummy gin and ginger drink that I had convinced my cold-germy self wasn't really drinking because it was infused with so much yummy germ-killing ginger. 5 stars.
We were then offered a plate of hummus and baba ghanoush that was pretty good (i don't know, i just can't get that excited over it) with what was the low point of the evening...the pita bread. Good god that was some lame pita. Very Safeway-brand like, cold. Yucca.
The meal itself was pretty awesome. We were served a HUGE platter of food including the crack-like cauliflower which i would steal a small child for, lentils, salad, olives, feta, rice, eggplant it went on and on. Everythign was amazing. The "main" was not really a main though...it was either one skewer of 3 shrimp, chicken, a few thin slices of halloumi or the big ball of shredded dry lamb which i unfortunately opted for. STAY AWAY FROM THE BIG BALL OF LAMB!!! Terrible. This is why people don't like lamb. I felt bad that an animal was slaughtered for that.
BUT it was all saved by the dessert...oh lord. It was apparently a tiramisu but it kinda wasn't. It was yummy puffy light very-espresso-y cafe pieces surrounded by endless yummy whipped cream. If i could live somewhere for the rest of my life it would be in that dessert. Really simple, but unbelievably delicious.Listed in: Yelp's 30 day Challenge
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Review from Tiffani L.
Richmond, BC
We ordered "la feast", "crispy cauliflower", and "frozen yogurt".
First, we have the "la feast" part one, we were thinking that is already the whole XD. but i think we shouldnt order the crispy cauliflower while we have la feast! Because it already has the cauliflower in the la feast! The best is the dessert "frozen yogurt" , its like the sore ice cream with berries topping. So tasty XD -
Review from Eva B.
7/14/2011
I brought a friend here last night for dinner. For a Tuesday night I was surprised how busy they were. So I would suggest making a reservation if you want to give it a try.
For some reason I remember the service being much faster, the portions being larger and the food being so much better. Then again I haven't been here since they opened so I guess I should expect things to change. However, I was hoping for the better.
I must admit though, the cocktails were pretty good. -
Review from Donna M.
6/28/2011
I arrived at 5 pm and the place was empty. Here for a conference I was on my own, and subsequently it took the hostess over 5 minutes to seat me. She asked if I wanted to sit at the bar. Never a good sign.In the hour I was there, the place started to fill up however was by no means full.
I ordered the most expensive item on the menu, lamp chops over a bed of hummus, and somehow no bread was offered to me to eat the hummus. When I was finally able to catch the eye of my waitress who was busy chatting with the bartender, I was able to get some pita. The lamb and hummus was good, not great. Perhaps I ordered the wrong thing and should of stuck with the Mezze, the primary offering on the menu.
Obviously this place is well loved, by looking at the other reviews, however it left me somewhat hungry (the lamp chops were tiny) and overall unsatisfied. I know Lebanese food, and really enjoy it. Personally, I think this restaurant is just ok. -
Review from Goos Y.
8/13/2011
Was here for a tradeshow last week. One of my co-worker was a vegan and found this place. There was a steady stream of people which was a great sign that the food would be good. I never had lebanese food before and wasn't sure if I would like it. I had the seasonal fish which was the lincod. It was one amazing. Very flavorful with a spicy kick. My co-workers also enjoyed their duck breast and Vegan stew.
The staff was great and the drinks all seem to have a canadian twist to them. First time I had a bloody mary with beet juice. I will definitely be back the next time i'm in town.
