They have a very nice conservatory and we chose to sit in it, the table was outlooking the terrace, we only had appetisers and they were very good, I recommend the Falafel, they're very crunchy.
Great place for lunch, we sat outside on the beautifully decorated Terrace, we had the falafel plate and hummus for appetisers and the mixed grill, the food was superb and the service was very good.
will recommend
![Zomato]( "Recensione")
St John’s Wood is a lovely area. It is the last bit of City of Westminster before it falls under Camden council. In fact as you walk north up Abbey Road, as soon as you happen upon the sign telling you that you are leaving Westminster, the grim tower blocks and social housing replace the mansions and period buildings. The affluent residents get to enjoy nearby Regent’s Park, a spot of cricket at Lord’s Cricket Ground and if you have the talent, the recording facilities of the infamous Abbey Road Studios.
The area is mainly residential with little clusters of salons, retail and restaurants. An older crowd with money and family dominate the area and with it’s own resident American school, there are also wealthy expats settlers. One of these clusters on Blenheim Terrace is home to Yasmeen. An attractive Lebanese restaurant with a conservatory and al fresco terrace. This space is contemporary but with elements of middle Eastern wonders. The décor is not too overpowering instead settling for warm and muted colours, clean lines and a minimalistic approach. There is nothing tacky about this place, it has the right amount of traditional meets west.
Within the restaurant there is a cute little bar and the facilities are rather posh with little hand towels over paper ones. It must run up a bit of a laundry bill, but this is one of the many touches that makes this place special.
You are greeted by an upbeat team who genuinely seem happy to have you there. Once seated you are given an impressive menu made of the sturdy stuff, with etchings of their logo and an interesting ‘who we are’ intro on the inside cover. Past that there is a selection of Lebanese classics with helpful English descriptions. If you have been to a Lebanese restaurant before, you will recognise a few of the dishes. We had the option of selecting our dishes or taking a leap of faith for the house to choose. We opted for the latter as this type of food is best enjoyed with the direction of those who know it best. Good call! An array of starters arrived which included the most orgasmic puree of smoked aubergine. There was also freshly made flat bread to mop of creamy hummus. Vine leaves, grilled halloumi, borak potato and kibbeh (crushed wheat with minced meat) were some of the other dishes to start out dining journey.
For our main courses there was the obligatory mixed grill taking advantage of their charcoal grill. Chicken, lamb, minced lamb and jumbo king prawns complimented with yellow rice. All of the meat had that lovely charcoal aroma, were tender and tasty. I must give the prawns a special mention as these were the biggest I had ever seen. I am talking mutant prawns. I love prawns so I was happy to devour this white meat.
Lebanese wine is not something I have tried before, but the recommended bottle was dry and crisp, very tasty. Dessert is really not my thing. It is a very rare occasion where I would order it, let alone enjoy it. It was good in respect of my limited experience. What completed the experience was the two gentlemen working the room, talking to guests, demonstrating impeccable service. Whilst St John’s Wood may be a little out of the way for me, I would highly recommend it to anyone beyond a stone’s throw away. Yasmeen is the perfect location for a family outing, to bring your parents or that special occasion to be spoilt.
Perhaps the best Lebanese in town! Fantastic food, fantastic service! Brilliant
Try the chicken fettet, and the hummus beiruty. The falafel is scrumptious and the kebabs are as good as any you will find.
Apparently fish and chips is the latest trend in the Parisian gastro scene which got me thinking about transplanted food cultures and influences. Would a Parisian fish supper be acceptable to the average Brit? What did this gastro invasion mean for French culinary culture which is globalising faster than Donald Trump changes his mind on…just about everything. I was considering these weighty issues when invited to review Yasmeen, a Lebanese restaurant in St John’s Wood who just won the Time Out Love London Awards for best restaurant in St John’s Wood. It’s also the restaurant’s first anniversary so it seemed like a good time to see how it has bedded in.
As the music played softly in the background, a veritable potential soundtrack to the Prince of Persia series (the Sand of Times one comes to mind), I could have easily been transposed back to that restaurant in a back alley of Hurghada, should I have closed my eyes. I’ve never fully understood why my wanderlust has such a peculiar effect on me whenever I go to a Middle Eastern restaurant.
Lately I have been really getting into middle eastern foods so an opportunity to check out Yasmeen in St John’s Wood was always going to be on the cards. The premises have undergone a big refurbishment under the current owners and suffice to say, they have presented with a beautiful setting both indoors and out.
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Middle Eastern cuisine is one of the top foodie trends of 2015. Since visiting Marrakech late last year, I have become quite the fan, even though I don't find myself eating as much of it as id like too. Lebanese in particular is one cuisine I haven't had the pleasure of experiencing thus far to date, so I was most excited when asked to come along and review this newly eating space in St Johns Wood.
Bashir, the manager of the restaurant welcomed us in with open arms and once sat down, explained to us the menu items and his recommendations for the evening. I actually love it when someone orders for me. These days, I either want to order everything off the menu or I just become way too indecisive. Life problems I tell ya ;)
The restaurant itself is filled with plenty of natural light due to the massive conservatory out front. The decor is also pleasing to the eye, with a promenant display of the Yasmin flower throughout.
To start we had a selection of pickles and tomato with summak. Both the wines (white and red) Bashir ordered for us were from Lebanon and I have to say went down rather nicely. Bashir suggested we have some hot and cold plates to share first then followed by two mains and some dessert. Im already thinking about how I am going to fit all of this in.. ekk!
Just to give you an idea on what we had sprawled across the table, were ranging from hummus beiruty, fattoush, orka and vine leaves. 'Oh those vine leaves were just outstanding'. I was super happy that I had picked this one of the menu. For the hotter options, we had the fatayer, kibbek, halloumi cheese and falafel balls.
For the main courses, we had the taouk, lahem meskui with kofta yogurtliek (in other words lamb kofta with a mint and garlic yogurt dressing). Ive always been a fan of aioli but this dressing is really addictive plus its healthy, so go on mad on the stuff!
After the truckloads of scrumptious food, it was fair to say that we had both reached our quota for the evening although there's always room for the best meal of the day - dessert of course.
The mint fresh mint tea after supper is always a good idea and because it came out in a sophisticated teapot with pint size glass cup, it made it all that much better.. oh and the digestion... yes that too! Bashir wanted to give us the full Yasmeen experience so to finish off the evening, we headed outside to the terrace. Surrounding us were gorgeous styled outdoor furniture equipped with heating on those extra chilly wintery nights.
Bought to the table were a few decorated plate of pistachio tart, the traditional baklava and custard. All of which I love and have tried in the past except for the tart which was totally off the hook. In fact, by this point I felt like I was going to explode but I just had to take one more bite for extra measure and because I really hate wasting food!
Me and Brucine agreed that without Bashirs friendly, passionate and interactive service, the night just wouldnt have been the same. Dining out is meant to be an experience to remember and look back on and at Yasmeen, im giving the big thumbs because I know im never going to forget it!
Everything was on point, we had the most enjoyable time with a bit of humorous banter thrown in there. Highly commendable!
As we entered Yasmeen Restaurant we were welcomed with a smile and seated immediately.There were ten of us altogether out on a work do and I'm always skeptical when in a group that the service won't be able to manage all of our expectations, but I must say... I was very pleasantly surprised. The waitresses were attentive, the ambiance was comfortable and the Lebanese food was delicious and served fresh in good time. I, and a few of my colleagues had the shish taouk main which I'd recommend as we all thought it was very tender. Some of my other colleagues had the falafel, baba ganoushe and kibbeh etc... at the end of the evening, it was clear that everyone really enjoyed their meal!All in all this place is definitely somewhere I will go back to and will be recommending to my friends and family. Keep it up Yasmeen!
Skip from St John’s wood station along Grove end Road and you’ll come to the famous Abbey Road crossing surrounded by the obligatory swarm of tourists. We wormed our way through and up to Blenheim Terrace to Yasmeen. As we walked up past Abbey Road studios we also passed plenty of beautiful flats & houses, playing the dream home game. I found mine!
Of all the cuisines making a big break in London right now, Lebanese seems to be stuck in a rut. Across the dining scene some cuisines have simply either had their time, some fallen out of fashion, while others have been ignored because of the huge gastronomic influx – some have even been forgotten about altogether. The British curry house in central London is a prime example – there really isn’t many around any more. We’re not talking about Indian food however, but Lebanese – a cuisine I’ve not eaten much of for a while but after my feast of a lunch here at Yasmeen – I don’t think I can ever ignore this delicious middle eastern staple for much longer. St Johns Wood isn’t an area I visit much, but it may be now. Yasmeen is the newest addition to this part of town, serving up Lebanese cuisine – with an added touch of luxury. The outdoor terrace is gorgeous too and the Lebanese wine, is oh-so quaffable.
Mr Hakim. Quality food for the quality people I enjoyed the food and service was really perfect for sure will come back again
All the best
Accidentally discovering Yasmeen on th Google map, I tried Bahrain and Morocco cusines for the first time, the kind and warm staff's explaination and serving made us feel comfortable and have a great experience there. The staff recommended us to visit Bath, I hope to do nex time. Thank You so much~!!
Anyway I sincerely recommend this restaurant to anyone wants to try the cusines or plan to go Abbey Road Cross of Beatles!!!
Just had early dinner at this restaurant and it was absolutely great. The staff were polite and service was friendly. We told them that we just moved into their neighborhood and the guy welcomed us very pleasantly. Food was very good. We had moussaka and butter chilly prawns and both were delicious. We also tried their chicken and lamb wraps and they were pretty good too. Definitely will return . Thank you again for the hospitality and great service.Cheers!!
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Some of the dishes we had, particularly when it came to the cold mezzes, gave us a good idea as to why Yasmeen Restaurant & Cafe has, in a short period, received a number of awards.
We're confident in saying that the Hummus, Vine Leaves and Moutabel were some of the best we've had. However, while the starters were, on the whole, impressive, the two mains didn't quite maintain the high standards, despite the Mixed Grill of kebabs being thoroughly enjoyed.
And though one of the two desserts will have us cooing for some time to come, overall, we concluded that this Lebanese restaurant serves above average dishes, with a few outstanding ones, in an elegant setting.
Apparently, the restaurant also does a Kunafa that takes 24-hours to freshly prepare, and, we were assured, would beat any Kunafa out there. Sadly, we only learned of this half way through and, thus, didn't get a chance to test the claim.
There's a discretionary service charge of 12.5% added to the bill. Yasmeen Restaurant & Cafe also offers a full catering service.
Menu Recommendation
Drink - Champagne
Starter - Hummus/ Vine Leaves
Main - Mixed Grill
Dessert - Mouhalabia
HALAL STATUS: Alcohol served
Superb food and service. Our top favourite restaurant in London so far.
*update* we had the chance to try the revamped menu tonight, and we love Yasmeen even more (if that was possible) - a lot of new starters (including the calamari and chargrilled lamb/cheese pita sandwich), and a new selection of Moroccan mains, including plenty of tajines. The presentation of the dishes and the flavours are even better! The terrasse has been beautiful redone as well. Always such a treat to have dinner at Yasmeen, thank you!
A favourite of ours - the hors d'œuvre are all delicious (the Humus Kawarma, with minced lamb, the Fatayer and the Prawns Fried are all amazing), and the mains are very generous (the Damascus Kafta, delicious lamb meatballs in a tomato sauce served with rice) is big enough to be shared by 2. Plus, in the summer, the quiet terrasse is lovely, with enough space (for once!) between tables and comfortable chairs. And you can book a table outside! Service is attentive and lovely, and the Lebanese house wine at 24£ is perfect.
One of the closest restaurants near home.
First visit in 03rd June 2018. It was during Ramadan; we were given some dates for iftar
Very welcoming and polite staff. The restaurant is off Abbey Rd, on side street.
The food is absolutely delicious. Very polite and professional customer service and very easy to contact. Great quality food worth every penny! Thank you again!
Very highly recommended, authentic kitchen full of great food, very generous meal with great service and value ! Who needs more than that..
Dropped in because we read their reviews. We were not disappointed! Fabulous food, wonderful service and an introduction to a great Lebanese wine. We had a great time, thoroughly recommend! We will be back@
Excellent service. From start to finish. Food and service were of very good standard. Wouldn't hesitate to recommend or return. Definitely a little gem in St. John's Wood. Lebanese wine is worth a try, lots of character and uniqueness. Their food equally shared the spirit of Lebanese cuisine. Thumbs up all the way.
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