Suraya Restaurant
4.4 ★ average from 13 reviews
Chic and spacious Lebanese cafe, market, and restaurant with a bar and an outdoor garden.
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Recent reviews
- ★★★★★
We came to Suraya as a (belated) birthday dinner and it was a really wonderful experience. The space is lovely, atmosphere warm, and, most importantly, the food is delicious. Absolutely recommend the tasting menu if you go because you don't want to miss ALL of the dips to try; I wouldn't be able to choose just one if we had ordered a la carte. Dessert (not pictured) was also great: if you go while they have the strawberry rhubarb ice cream dish, that's the one to get!!! Overall great, and I can't wait to bring friends here. I also really appreciated the vegetarian options and how they were thoughtful.
- ★★★★★
Good atmosphere and food 👌
- ★★★★★
Great food and service. Everything was delicious. Really enjoyed the lunch specials with the lamb
- ★★★★★
We tried Suraya, a truly excellent Lebanese restaurant, and the experience was outstanding from start to finish. The hummus, as expected, was beautifully creamy, generously finished with olive oil, and had a lovely garlic aroma that made it irresistible. The muhammara, a roasted red pepper and walnut dip, was equally impressive, rich, smoky, and perfectly balanced. One of the highlights was the Arnabeet Mekle. Crispy cauliflower tossed with chillies, golden hazelnuts, and raisins, it was exceptional, so flavourful, crunchy, and addictive. The Fasolia bi Fatar with white beans and oyster mushroom kebab was another winner, incredibly meaty in texture, deeply satisfying, and cooked to perfection. Service deserves a special mention. It was attentive without being intrusive. Our water glasses were refilled 5 to 6 times, and the staff checked on us regularly, always polite and welcoming. For dessert, we had the vanilla and apricot vacherin, featuring vanilla ice cream, poppy seed and pepper meringue, and apricot sorbet. It was a refreshing and well executed finish to a fantastic meal. Overall, a memorable dining experience with excellent food and genuinely thoughtful service. Highly recommended.
- ★☆☆☆☆
The food was not good. I thought It was going to be this special thing but it wasn’t. My salmon was under in several places and my drink tasted like rubbing alcohol.
- ★★☆☆☆
Our bar drinks came AFTER the food. Appetizers came with the entree. Some of the Salmon was under cooked and some was perfect. 1 of the octopus was overcooked, one was under cooked and 2 were correct. The lamb was good. Overall poor experience.
- ★★★★★
Wow was I blown away. From the very start, the atmosphere sets the tone. I was greeted by hostesses who immediately congratulated my girlfriend and I on our anniversary (it was just listed in our reservation note). Honestly, it felt like every member of staff congratulated us. It was super sweet, and the cherry on top of our special night. Now, the food. We both ordered the tasting menu and were put into a food coma (in the best way possible). The starters were unique, flavorful, fresh, and delicious. We even got some to take home for the next day! It seriously feels like you can't go wrong with any order here, every thing we saw and tasted was incredible. Our favorites were the hummus and the labneh. The back porch was also the perfect date destination. On top of enjoying top of the line food, we were say in the most serene, lowly-lit area. Nothing but incredible things to say about the place, I will definitely be returning. This is now my new favorite restaurant in Philly.
- ★★★★★
Delicious food, very accommodating to allergies/ dietary restrictions. Amazing service. Tara is the best!!!! So attentive and kind!
- ★★★★★S K C
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️5 STARS FOR EVERYTHING! On Fridays and Saturdays, they have a special tasting menu - GO FOR THIS EXPERIENCE. The Lebanese cuisine here is beautifully curated and the taste is out of this world transcendent!!! Joletta was our server, and she anticipated our every need. She DID NOT MISS. We had AN AMAZING experience because of her attention to detail and kindness!! We enjoyed the dips, hummous was our favorite. Baba ganoush, labneh were a close second. Homemade pita, but I recommend you don’t fill up on this! You can take your dips to go - and they box it up for you too! For appetizers, we tried the fatteh - buttery, crisp, umami, you name it. Rakakat was crisp and had a lemony cheese, flavors I’d never imagine. For the main dish, we enjoyed the kawarma and halabi kebab. Lamb was extremely tender, did not taste gamey, roasted to perfection. The dessert was the perfect layered combination of complex flavors, honoring Lebanese cuisine. The chocolate cake with pistachio and tahini caramel was chefs kiss. We thought it couldn’t get any better, then we tried the rhubarb dessert- so fresh, sour, tangy, fruity, creamy, surprise lavender pieces. I cannot stress this enough, just eat here! There’s an option to sit indoors, at the bar, or outdoors. I recommend booking far in advance because it is highly popular and books out. The outside ambiance is beautiful. Inside the restaurant, it is a bit dark and the tables are a little small but the waitresses keep the plates moving so you never feel like the tables are too small! Parking is free on the street in front of the restaurant but it can get crowded at dinner time because it is a residential area. They serve coffee and tea and sell merchandise in the storefront before the hostess stand.
- ★★★★★Evan H
My friend took me here for dinner on my quick visit to Philly. We are both foodies and she definitely needed me to try Suraya. I'm happy she did. Reservations are a breeze online. However, this place is popular so I'd recommend a little planning a head of time. We were able to get a bar seat for an early dinner because the rest of the evening was already booked a week in advance. The service and food here is fantastic. Our bartender made sure we had plenty of fresh pita and our water was always full. We ordered a wide sample of food. The flavors were fresh and vibrant. I really enjoyed the Muhammara and Kawarma. If you are ever craving some Lebanese food while in Philly make sure to put Suraya at the top of your list.