AL-BASHA Lebanese Restaurant

Location: Samora Avenue, Bridge street, TTCL building,Heritage hotel

Price range: starting from Tshs. 12,000

Service time: 15 minutes approximately

Children play area: not available

I am usually not the kind of person to try different food, let alone different cuisines. When it comes to Arabic food i am only familiar with the popular shawarma. But one day, a friend of mine was leaving the country, and me and a group of friends decided to bid her farewell with a lovely lunch. A large majority voted for lunch at Al-Basha. I was slightly hesitant and was hoping we would go somewhere else, but at the end of the day i was far from being disappointed. 

The menu had a lot of variety which was quite refreshing. The main dishes were of Arab origin so its bound to be a feast for your taste buds. I decided to start with some pita bread, feta cheese and hummus. It was a lovely combination where you dip the bread in the hummus and the cheese which was sprinkled with mini tomatoes. It is a great starter and i would advise it for any one who plans to visit Al-Basha. For those not aware about hummus, it is a Middle Eastern and Arabic food dip or spread made from cooked, mashed chickpeas blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. I should add i liked the presentation of the pita bread which came in a cute little basket. Good presentation stimulates a good appetite in my opinion.

On towards the main course, i went for the sheesh tawouk which consisted of two skewers of grilled chicken, some lovely bread and fries ( or rice if you wish ). The chicken was so soft and full of flavor, it was grilled just right! But i did find the bread too hot and spicy for my liking. So if you are not a fan of crazy chilli, stay away from the bread. The chicken burger was alright in my opinion. Although it would be better if they would add a little bit more chicken and more lettuce and Mayo. The bun seemed to over power the whole burger. But all in all it was alright.

On a positive note, Al-Basha is very generous with their food portions. It is quite a lot, so if you are really hungry and would like to get the most out of your money, Al-Basha is the place to be. The restaurant it self is quite nice. The service was good. There were a lot of waiters ready to serve you.

 It is located in the city center and the layout inside is quite lovely. But being in the city center comes with its limitations, particularly in parking. The parking is limited. Although we went on a weekend afternoon it was quite alright, but i wonder on a normal busy weekday if we would be lucky with the parking. All in all Al-Basha is worth the visit if you love Arabic cuisine or if you are looking for unique food to try in Dar. And there is free WIFI as well!

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