Ishbilia, Belgravia: A quiet slice of Lebanese luxury that brings back old-school West End class
If it was legal to marry a food, I think I’d probably present a ring to Ishbilia’s hummus and pitas
The kind of Mayfair that seems to exist in all 2000s American films about the big smoke can feel like it barely exists in 2026, between the hyped TikTok spots and natural wine bars that are made fun of in all sitcoms. It can be rare to wander around Belgravia’s bougie backstreets, walking the embassy-lined crescents and stumble across a spot that blends a family taverna feel with some of the best and freshest dishes around.
Luckily that’s exactly what Ishbilia in Belgravia / Victoria does, serving up the largest menu of traditional Lebanese dishes which will leave you both feeling like you’ve indulged in some kind of fairytale-esque kingly feast, and like you’ve hit not just your five a day but your 30-a-week.
One of London’s longest-standing Lebanese restaurants, Ishbilia has just re-opened in Belgravia following a big old refurb and a slightly refreshed menu. We escaped the sweltering London streets, swapping the tube for the terrace and tested out some of the marvellous mezze and traditional dishes on offer.
Where is it?
Tucked down a Mayfair side street, Ishbilia’s closest station is Knightsbridge, but it’s just a short (and scenic) walk from Victoria station too. It's conveniently placed for people trying to meet halfway between both their home and their office, or people coming into central for the day.
What’s special?
As mentioned, Ishbilia is one of London’s longest standing Lebanese restaurants and the broadest menu serving up almost every traditional (and reimagined) Lebanese dish you can think of. Seriously, the menu is like the culinary equivalent of War & Peace, but less daunting to get stuck into and less Russian to learn. It’s proper, authentic Lebanese food done ridiculously well. No gimmicks, no tricks, no fancy collabs, just the kind of high quality food from knowledgeable lovely people that reminds you why food is community.
What's new?
After kicking off way back in the late 90s, Ishbilia recently took a quick break as it had a wee spruce up and refreshed its look and feel. So although it’s not a new new place, it’s got that just-opened feel without any of the teething problems that can come with the realities of going to a freshly opened spot.
Who should you bring?
There was a bit of a mix when we went, from families of four to friends catching up with cold glasses of wine, and even a date or two. From our visit, it seems like a lovely spot to catch up with a friend, where you can actually hear each other talk (no thumping music, no noisy car engines) and the atmosphere is that alchemistic mix of calmly laid back but gently busy so that it’s not devoid of a vibe.
What should you wear?
Like most haunts in the more affluent areas of London, the general dress code seems to go up a level. In translation: no ripped jeans, no tracksuits, no outfits that you wouldn’t wear to see your Gran who still gets a blow out every week.
Whilst jeans are okay, you want to lean toward the smarter end of the jean spectrum with a nice top. If you’re coming straight from the office which requires smart-casual attire then you’ll be grand. It's a low-key classy place so tailor your 'fit to match.
What will you pay?
It’s not a cheap spot, and there is a minimum spend of £50 per person for dinner. Whilst that sounds pretty steep, you’ll find it (perhaps too) easy to reach; cold mezze like Hummus, Labneh, and Moutabal are priced around £11 and £12 per plate. Hot mezze like grilled halloumi, falafel, and lamb or Makanek (lamb sausages) range between £13 - £17 per plate depending on what you’re going for, with veggie options on the lower end.
Whilst you’ll probably associate traditional Arabic cooking with a lot of mezze style plates, and fresh vegetarian dishes, there are plenty of meaty mains from their BBQ, and their mixed grill is priced at £30 to give you a ballpark of how much these will set you back.
What should you drink?
For a spot that is known for its food, Ishbilia’s drinks are not to be overlooked. They keep the cocktail offerings short and surface level simple: a trio of classics were on the menu when we visited, but they all had their own twist. We kicked off with a Saffron Negroni and a Pomegranate Margarita, both of which were as fresh and flavourful as each dish we ate. There’s an attention to detail in the cocktails and a craft that you don’t often find in restaurants. Or some London bars, even.
Cocktails aside, the drinks menu spotlights beers and wines from the Levant, like a Palestinian golden beer, and a Lebanon Pilsner. We tried Massaya – a traditional Lebanese Rose, which comes by the glass. Whilst it's not something we would naturally go for, it complemented the food well, with a darker colour and stronger taste than the more floral blush Rosé's usually downed by the magnum.
Three must try dishes
Okay, we’re going to sound like that basic girl coming back from her gap year and asking everyone if they’ve tried Pad Thai and Mei Goreng before. However, there is a reason these particular dishes get talked about so much — they were incredible. Honestly, we could recommend everything we tried, so narrowing it down to just a couple was difficult enough. When we arrived, our wonderful server Mahmood gave us the option of ordering for ourselves, or he could select a range of their bestsellers for us to try – and obviously, we went with his recommendations over our own stabs in the dark.
It felt borderline illegal to go there and not try some of the classic cold mezze, and now we have sampled it, our opinion is only heightened. You have to try their hummus which comes topped with toasted honeyed pine nuts, and has the texture of silk. Dip in their fresh, claybaked pittas and you’ll start hearing angels singing. Moutabal was another winner – it’s a little like a Baba Ganoush as its hero ingredient is aubergine, but unlike Baba Ganoush Moutabal is much smokier, thanks in part to the char-grilling used on said aubergine. It’s like the mezze equivalent of mezcal after only trying tequila. The final jewel in our saucy trio was Muhamarah – a blend of mediterranean nuts which get blended with red peppers and chilli. Imagine a red pesto but with far more flavour and chunky texture. Don’t underestimate the punch it packs too, thanks to the chilli you’ll get a wave of fresh spice which brings a little bit of fire to the plate.
The star of the show (and by that we mean the plate we fought over who got to finish) was the Fatoush. Although we were somewhat au fait with Fatoush thanks to a Mob style salad recipe hastily experimented with during lockdown, this Fatoush put our concoction to shame. For those not in the know, Fatoush is a traditional Lebanese salad, which uses the leftover lebanese bread and toasts it with plenty of spices and oil in small chips to bring a crunchy, aromatic kick to a base of tomatoes, cucumber, radicchio, cabbage, and mixed leaves. This was our number one "do not forget to order” dish.
Otherwise, our final must try would be the falafel – again, don’t think us basic bitches and forget any memories of supermarket discounted tubs of bready, cold, starchy balls. This falafel is a croquette style offering blending chickpeas and fava beans with a delicious tahini dipping sauce, hot and fresh straight from the oven. Our only complaint was now they have ruined all other falafel for us.
The lamb in particular was the star meaty dish, with the Koftas just pipping the post for the favourite. We had them alongside some traditional Lebanese vermicelli rice (10/10) and a veggie moussaka which was reminiscent of a spicy bean stew (again, excellent).
If it was legal to marry a food, I think I’d probably present a ring to Ishbilia’s hummus and pitas. And Fatoush. And Falafel. Polygamy has never looked so good.
Get on the Guestlist?
Ishbilia is one of those smart and sophisticated places that you’ll be pleased to know about. It’s not trend-chasing, it’s not hyped, and somehow it’s all the better. It’s unassuming in decoration, and on first glance you might think you know what the menu will hold as familiar names like hummus and falafel wash across the page.
However, the food is stunning, and the quiet hubub, plus knowledgeable whilst incredibly attentive staff, elevate it from “this place I know” to this “seriously underrated gem”. No gimmicks, just joy — it has stood the test of time for a reason.
(The Fatoush. That’s the reason).
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