Leila's Authentic Lebanese Cuisine

Opened by a Lebanese-Estonian couple in 2018, Leila’s restaurant is tucked away on a quiet Budapest backstreet in District 6, near downtown. With Lebanese and Syrian cooks in the kitchen, Leila’s is indeed an authentic restaurant, using traditional recipes and spices — most plates are abundantly dressed in parsley, sumac, thyme, and lemon juice.

Unfortunately, the dishes are a bit overpriced and still a work-in-progress. On the positive side, the hummus with spicy lamb (hummus lahmeh; €7), the creamy labneh (€4), and the kibbeh (€7), a deep-fried croquette of bulgur and minced meat spruced up with herbs and pine nuts are very good. The main letdown was the dry and undersized beef kebab (kafta; €11); you’re better off with the shish taouk, a juicier and nicely charred skewered chicken. The chef’s dessert is the halawet el-jibn, a light treat of cheese dough stuffed with sweet cream — it's very tasty I just wished it wasn't so tiny. Note that Leila's does serve alcohol, including beer and Hungarian wines.

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