Zahli hits Surry Hills

Zahli has just opened its doors in Elizabeth Street Surry Hills, raising the bar for modern Middle Eastern cuisine in Sydney with its distinctive take on traditional Lebanese dining. You may have been to a Lebanese restaurant before. But none of them were quite like Zahli.

Owner Mohammad Issmail wanted to take the rich tradition of Lebanon’s famous mezza from the Zahli region along the beautiful banks of the Bardouni River near Mount Sannine to Sydney’s Inner East – with a fresh, contemporary twist. With a long history of restaurant partnerships in Lebanon and Dubai, Zahli is Mohammad’s first Sydney restaurant. Passionate about creating an extraordinary experience for diners, the restaurant offers amazing food, service and ambience.

With interior design expertise provided by Kylie Grimwood of Quattro design, Mohammad has created an environment, atmosphere and menu designed to transport diners to the banks of the Sannine on a warm night. Obsessed with delivering excellence – in taste, service, experience and memories – Head

Chef Abdul Shams takes the traditional as a starting point and confounds the clichés to create unique dishes packed with flavour. An expert in authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, Abdul comes to Zahli from stints in popular Dubai restaurants Amaseena at the Ritz Carlton and Al Tannour at the Crowne Plaza where he acquired the finesse and delicate touch to impress in both flavour, texture and modern presentation.

Start with a selection of freshly made dips, salads or share hot mezza such as potato coriander, sambousik, ladies fingers and falafel. Vegetarians are also well catered for, with a mouth-watering fare the whole table will want to try. Mains sound traditional but are refreshingly distinct under Shams’s expert guidance. Zahli’s signatures dishes like mansaf lamb, mixed grill, shawarma lamb and chicken, lemon garlic chicken will make you return to dine again and again. There’s also an extensive seafood selection that gives Sydney’s favourites an exciting modern Middle Eastern makeover.

Some of the best wines from Australia, New Zealand and Italy were hand picked by Mohammad and his expert team to complement to Zahli’s dining experience. There is also a wide selection of exceptional cocktails featuring the classics, with a twist, which you can enjoy at the grand marble bar.

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