REVIEW: Albasha Greek & Lebanese Restaurant

1958 North U.S. Hwy. 190
Covington, LA

View the website

---

Overall:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Food:
Price:

Pros: Near perfect gyro and chicken shawarma.
Cons: They don’t have a location next door to our house.
Bottom Line: Really good Greek & Lebanese food at a great price!

---

In the middle of a half mile stretch of Hwy 190 where there are not one, not two, but three Thai restaurants, sits a lone Greek and Lebanese restaurant, Albasha. Albasha has several locations in Southeast Louisiana – we were big fans of the ones in Baton Rouge, and, fortunately, the Covington one does not disappoint. Greek and Lebanese, in our opinion, is a great category of cuisine in that it is appealing because it is "ethnic" - it's cuisine from another region of the world - but it is also not overly intimidating. Most dishes use relatively standard ingredients and simple cooking methods, so there isn't anything that should scare away timid eaters. It's a great introduction to global cuisine for those with trepidation.

The restaurant itself has an open, bright feeling without seeming cheesy or fake. It's a nice enough place to bring a date but casual enough to stop in with the family and kids.

On the menu, Albasha offers a significant number of appetizer options, many of which are vegetarian. The only downside is there are no “sampler platters”, which are great for pleasing a diverse crowd or for introducing this style of food to some newbies. We started with the meat-stuffed grape leaves. These were delicious, as was the creamy sauce with which it was served.

In the entree category, you can’t go wrong with the Greek staples – gyro (lamb) and chicken shawarma platters. (If you can’t decide between the two, don't fret - there is a combination platter.) The chicken shawarma is juicy and delicious. The gyro, however, is near perfection. Tender, flavorful, and almost melts in your mouth. That is what’s great about well-executed Mediterranean food – it’s simple, but so delicious. No crazy preparation tricks, just well-marinated, slow-cooked delicious meats. The sides stand their own as well. The hummus is very good and has the right amount of boldness, the salad is solid (though they seemed to have switched from an oil-and-vinegar-dressed salad topped with feta crumbles to a salad topped with a creamy feta dressing), and the rice is decent yet forgettable. Overall, Albasha makes one of the best-rounded platters that we have tried in the area. And they really stand out where it counts – with the meats. Not to mention they serve generous portions at reasonable prices (the platters are just over $10).

Albasha offers a wide range of Greek and Lebanese dishes and executes them well. If you're the kind who doesn't like to venture out of the ordinary, Albasha is a great place to cautiously break out of your rut. Give it a try once, and we're sure you'll be back for more.

REVIEW: Babylon Cafe

7724 Maple St.
New Orleans, LA

---

Overall:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Food:
Price:

Pros: Standard Greek & Lebanese dishes done well.
Cons: Not our favorite hummus.
Bottom Line: Delicious flavors that outshine the other Middle Eastern places we’ve tried in the area.

---

Babylon is a small Middle Eastern restaurant located close to Tulane’s campus. The restaurant works well for its largely collegiate audience. The space is long and narrow, slightly dark, and decorated with colorful Middle Eastern murals on the wall. This creates a cozy and casual atmosphere. The menu here features typical Greek and Lebanese dishes: chicken schwarma and gyro sandwiches in pita bread, the same meats offered in platters, and a few main dish salads and seafood plates. In addition to these standards, Babylon offers a few more options to complete its menu - from shish kabobs with various meat combinations to eggplant sandwiches on freshly baked bread.

After we ordered, the kitchen sent out a complimentary order of hummus with pita bread. This was unexpected and gratefully received. The hummus was average – it had a relatively mild flavor. This is not ideal for garlic lovers or those looking for bold flavors but is nice for those who aren’t huge hummus fans…hummus skeptics may enjoy Babylon’s tame version of the dip.

For our meals, we ordered a chicken shish kabob sandwich on a wheat pita (nice to have that option!) and a gyro platter. The sandwiches here don’t come with sides, so we ordered a salad with feta and olives to go with the sandwich. We expected this to be a typical side salad, especially since the price was only about $5, but this salad was enormous. It was generously topped with loads of feta. The salad was dressed in a simple but delicious oil & vinegar combination and was not saturated with too much oil. This salad tasted great and was large enough that it could have easily been shared between two people as a side dish. The chicken shish kabob sandwich was also delicious. We’re not sure what was in the sauce that dressed this sandwich (it wasn't a Tzatziki sauce), but it was great! The chicken was tender and flavorful. Definitely a good choice.

The gyro platter was another good dish. It comes with a choice of two sides, and we chose hummus and a salad. The salad wasn’t quite up to our expectations, as it didn’t come with olives or feta as is usually the case. However, this is a mild infraction and was easily made up for by the great flavors of the meat, which was moist and well-seasoned.

Babylon is a great option for Middle Eastern food. They do the standard dishes well and offer a few more choices that other restaurants of this type do not. The service and atmosphere create a casual and relaxed place to meet up with friends and enjoy a delicious, reasonably-priced meal.