Dabka

Wenn man gerade in Amsterdam ist und sich in der Nähe von «Chinatown», dem Rotlichtviertel oder Bahnhof befindet sollte man auf jeden Fall bei diesem Restaurant vorbeischauen!
Das Dabka hat nicht nur eine super Lage und Plätze direkt am Kanal, sondern überzeugte uns auch voll uns ganz in seinem Geschmack. Der Service ist hier sehr nett, schnell und zuvorkommend und die Karte nicht nur umfangreich, sondern findet man hier echt einige Leckereien.
Wir hatten uns für zwei Vorspeisen entschieden einmal Humus und kleine Bällchen, die aussagen wie frittierter Couscous mit Fleischfüllung mit einer Art Jogurth-​Soße. Dazu haben wir ein typisch libanesisches Brot bestellt. Letzteres sah aus wie ein aufgeblähter Balloon (manche kennen Ähnliches aus der indischen Küche), aber mit einem dunklen Mehl. Alle drei Vorspeisen waren sehr gut, also besser hätte es nicht schmecken können. Selbst der Hummus war unglaublich gut, der beste, den ich je aß.
Beim Hauptgericht hatten wir uns für verschiedene gegrillte Spezialitäten entschieden. Ich hatte verschiedene Fleischspieße mit Reis, Salat und einem kleinen Brot, das aussah wie eine Pizza ohne Belag. Das Fleisch war unglaublich zart, sehr gut gewürzt und einfach nur unglaublich schmackhaft. Der Reis hat uns beide überrascht, denn er war mit Kichererbsen und verschiedenen Gewürzen versehen und war einfach nur der Hammer. Alles in allem, war die Portion sehr groß (Preis war um die ¹⁵⁄₁₆ €) und total lecker.
Wir können das Restaurant mehr als nur empfehlen und das Preis-​Leistungs-​Verhältnis ist auch wirklich gut.

Sehr gutes Essen und freundliche Bedienung.
Kleines «günstiges» Restaurant.
Wer um die 10 € einen reichhaltigen Hauptgang sucht ist hier richtig.

Amazing food! Started off with houmous and taboleh with warm bread and finished with falafels! Yum yum yum. Was delicious and the service was very good and fast!

We were given very friendly accommodation for our group of six. We waited at an outside table nursing our beer while waiting for the staff to ready tables as they turned over. We were greeted by a warm interior suffused with pleasant kitchen smells to fend off the cold rain outside. We were treated to a wide range of different dishes and all were well pleased by the tasty variety of appetizers and entrees as well as the fresh bread. Despite being busy, it was not loud inside. The prices were moderate by Amsterdam standards. Service was very good.

There are no so many Arabic restaurants in Amsterdam and so to have a Lebanese one which is considered the best cuisine in the Arabic world is quite unusual. I have been to Beirut on my travels and so I have some reference points on what this should taste like.
I chose the Kofta Meshwi which unlike Turkish Kofta was a skewer of spiced lamb served with Lebanese salad and rice. The Lamb skewers were quite tender and tastefully spiced, but I could have done with a bit more heat for my palate. The rice was brilliant however with the little noodle pieces and chick peas, it was one of the tastiest things I have had as an accompaniment in a long time. The salad was refreshing to go alongside. It was pretty good.
Inside the restaurant has a modern feel with dark wooden tables and chairs. There is bench seating along the side and back which looked a bit too low. The rest of the feel is exposed bricks and dominating the rear wall is a image of the Romain ruin of the temple of Bacchus, in Baalbek, with some dancers in front of it.
I was the only person in there so the service was personal and the price for this with 2 soft drinks was 20 euros.

Nice décor, had some of the starters tabbouleh was very nice. The bread is made fresh. Staff were very friendly. The Lebanise pizza was large and very tasty. If your craving middle eastern food come here.

One of my favorite parts of Amsterdam is the diversity of cultures and cuisines. Dabka is a little gem of a Lebanese café on one of the quieter canals of the Wallen. This little second floor bistro serves up affordable and extremely tasty mediterranean treats in a relaxed environment.
We stopped in for an early dinner, which was perfect after a busy day of crowds. Started with the baba ganoush, which was great, but the star of the show was freshly baked whole grain bread. It puffed up like a balloon, so when you broke a piece off, it released an amazing aroma and steam. It’s the little things like that that make a place go from good to great.
Dinner itself was also delicious, with a range of Lebanese dishes that go beyond the usual kebabs and schawarmas. We had the kofte in a rich tomatoe sauce and a perfectly roasted, spice rubbed chicken. Great flavors, fresh ingredients and excellent service.
This place really is a gem that’s easy to overlook. But as I experience again and again in this world class city, usually the best things take a little exploring to find.