Fairuz Lebanese Restaurant

Oh ho! Did you make the same mistake? Did you spot the slightly grotty-​looking exterior, randomly next to the junction, and assume this place had long been closed? You’re thinking it and I’m saying it: books, covers, judging. Don’t be that guy. (Well. You can sometimes be that guy.)
My point is that almost everyone I’ve mentioned this place to assumed the above, making an ass out of u and me. I suggested it to a mate for a birthday do (she wanted Lebanese food) and, despite my warning that it might be closed or not-​so-​good, this is where we went. Maybe part of the charm is lowered expectations, but they put on one hell of a gorgeous spread.
There are so many quirks to a little indie like this that you simply wouldn’t get from going chain and flash: The old chap in the corner who clearly eats there on a regular basis, with his whole bottle of wine to himself. (No judging here, just an observation.) The almost 3D pictures of ladies in Niqabs. The long banquet table in the centre of the space, which sort of feels a bit like a caravan or something.
The staff were lovely and very accommodating. (We drank much of their Lebanese beer. Don’t worry, there’s more recognisable brands if you’re worried.) Since we were a huge group the food was put on buffet style, and we went back for several plates — it was about £30 ph, all told, and for that we had a feast.
The meal included, but wasn’t limited to, the most delicious olives and fresh salad, houmous, beetroot style houmous, these amazing meatballs, stuffed vine leaves, pitas, these spicy saucy veggie dishes, and expertly seasoned rice. I don’t think there was a dish I wasn’t a fan of! Everything seemed fresh and the desserts were exquisite — wonderful, varied pastries.
The moral of this story is: give them a go. We had a wonderful time!

What a great little place. From the outside it looks closed up, but upon getting closer it became clear (er) that it was in fact open.
Inside was absolutely dead, with just a single guy sitting in the corner eating on his own, with the remains of a previous table the only sign that there was every any more custom.
The staff here are really friendly, but so so laid back. What I assume to be the owners kids were playing out front when we got there and then sat chatting with members of staff at the front of the restaurant. Its the sort of place that you cant help but feel comfortable in.
We went for the chefs mezze, which is basically a selection of small plates picked by the chef, followed by a main course to share.
First off the portions are HUGE, we left food and were absolutely stuffed. Secondly, the quality (especially of the small plates) was great. We had a spiced meat dish, stuffed vine leaves, baba ganoush, humous, pitta, haloumi and spinach wraps to begin, followed by a pork meatball tagine with more of the delicious stuffed vine leaves for main.
The bill for 2, along with a bottle of wine came to £50 including tip, which is phenomenal for the sheer amount of good food we were presented with.
Id definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for something a little bit different from a meal out!

This is one of my favourite restaurants in Leeds, I’ve been going here 6 years for large birthday parties and small intimate dinners. The food is consistently delicious and liked by everyone who I’ve brought here. The owner is very welcoming and remembers you each time you come. The service is very good.

I love this place. From the outside it looks pretty run down and unless you’re looking for it, you wont find it but believe me. it’s well worth it. The quality of the food is superb, great atmosphere and the owner is lovely.

I have tried to go to this place so many times after hearing how tasty it is. I love cous cous and tagines makes me think of family in France.
Every time I go its closed so rang today so as not to be disappointed again tonight only to find out they only open for big groups on Sundays and Mondays so as not to create a loss for low business.
He very nearly opened for just two of us so I am adamant that I will go one day in the not to distant future and this is my reminder to go and push to say everyone should!!!

It makes me sad to post a negative review of Fairuz as I used to hold it in high regard. However my recent visit only confirmed that they are clearly cutting a lot of corners with their ingredients and the quality of their food was very poor.
I ordered the Lamb Kofta curry, which the menu described as a mix of lamb and spices served with a fresh tomato sauce. What arrived was the bastard offspring of this promise, a plate of Campbells style meatballs drowning in a bland passata. After speaking to the chef he assured me the meatballs were homemade, but they were clearly bought in and made from a very low grade meat that had been processed to a paste and then formed into meatballs. There was no seasoning or spice to speak of, plus the tomato sauce was bitter and acrid.
After a little while the chef admitted they were a mix of beef, pork and lamb (not lamb as stated), but still insisted they were homemade, just by a machine.
I hope this is a blip, as Fairuz was once a great Lebanese restaurant, but the dinner I was given showed nothing but contempt for their customers, fingers crossed they will see the error of their ways. A return to fresh ingredients would be a good start

I would have recommended this one highly, but from my last visit I reckon it’s not as good as it used to be. They didn’t do a top job of listening to my order, until my husband arrived — they seemed to be able to hear him better Food delicious, and suits our 3 and 5 year old too. Very friendly to children.