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| Lebanese and Syrian food is a company with a local service area. | |
Lebanese cooking came with migrants in the 1980s, Syrian after 2015, and both changed the offering.
Mezze
A table of small dishes: hummus, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, kibbeh, halloumi. Sharing is the form, and it suits how the Dutch eat out.
The Syrian wave
After 2015 tens of thousands of Syrians came to the Netherlands. From around 2018 the first restaurants opened, often with council support or through hospitality programmes.
What is good
Fresh flatbreads from their own oven, and sweets with pistachio and blossom water. Both take craft that cannot be improvised.
Shawarma and the difference
The Dutch shawarma shop is Turkish in origin and differently spiced. A Lebanese or Syrian place uses other marinades and other sides.
Without alcohol
Many places serve no alcohol, offering fresh juices and tea instead. Not a limitation but a different model.
Where to look
Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam, and mid-sized cities with recent openings.
Where to try it
Places in our directory that serve this
Restaurant in Amsterdam 1233 · Restaurant in Den Haag 748 · Restaurant in Rotterdam 753 · Restaurant in Arnhem 194 · Restaurant in Almere 190 · Restaurant in Ede 48