4 places to try Lebanese cuisine in Columbus

Many of you have likely eaten Lebanese food recently — it's very popular in Greater Columbus. Still, I wonder how many of you associate hummus, falafel and kebabs with Lebanon?

The following restaurants certainly do, as they all cite Lebanon — which is alternately called a Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and West Asian nation — as their primary culinary inspiration for such dishes. Moreover, all the Lebanese-leaning eateries in the roundup below also offer certain “if you know you know” healthy yet delicious combo-style meals that deliver a lot of bang and variety for your buck. These multicomponent standouts I’m highlighting are also perfect for the dog days of summer because, while quite filling, they’re not heavy.

For the sake of flexibility, I’ve picked two meals for single diners, a meal built for two, and a feast designed to feed a group.

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Brassica

Multiple locations, brassicas.com

Whenever I eat at Brassica — and it’s often — I mumble something like, “How do they do it?” By “it” I mean consistently dish up delicious yet nutritious food in good portions and for good prices in a stylish and hip setting. Frankly, it’s hard to think of a more impressive restaurant chain than Brassica, which is under the same business umbrella as the Northstar Cafes and Third & Hollywood, and was (according to Brassica’s website) “inspired by the Lebanese heritage” of co-owner/co-founder Kevin Malhame’s grandfather.

Lunch or dinner for one:

Get the colorful “salad” ($11.90) — a too-humble designation for a veritable buffet in a bowl — and get it with Brassica’s zesty-crispy falafel ($2 extra) or fragrant, shawarma-like chicken ($3). Then, take advantage of what makes Brassica special by requesting all of the (free!) flavor-bomb veggie add-ons you encounter on the cafeteria-style line. You’ll wind up with a dynamic meal whose many components begin with a base of good dips (hummus and/or baba ghanoush) above brightly dressed quality minced greens and hearty grains like curry-scented brown rice and lentils. Above this will be a selection of excellent sauces (like spicy-minty zhug) plus scoops of refreshingly pickled plant matter (cabbage, cucumbers and radishes) plus sweet-tart beets. The crowning glories are incredible vegetables roasted to tender and sweet and wonderfully seasoned, like carrots uplifted by spicy harissa; jalapeno-and-vinegar-enhanced cauliflower; plus marinated eggplant that — like this zippy, bright, spice-kissed and nuanced veggie-fest in general — tastes better than it has any right to.

Aladdin's

Multiple locations, aladdins.com

Aladdin's isn’t exactly a hidden gem. The Cleveland-based company comprises a fairly large and longstanding chain of casual outlets whose assets — a versatile menu of reliably prepared, veggie-friendly “Lebanese-American” fare sold at reasonable prices — can make it easy to take Aladdin’s for granted.

And while full-service and comfortable operations, Aladdin’s eateries are hardly “special occasion” restaurants. All this said, ordering the following gem of a generously portioned, value-forward and tasty combo platter will make your meal and your day feel like they just got a little special.

Lunch or dinner for one:

Genie’s combo plate ($12.50) gives you the raw and the cooked, the grilled and the fried, your dinner and probably leftovers. The centerpiece is smoke-scented slices of skinless and boneless, chargrilled chicken with an enticing shawarma-style spicing. Its multiple partners are hefty florets of cauliflower lightly fried to golden-brown, sweet and appealingly tender; drizzles of tahini sauce; plenty of smooth and lemony hummus; Lebanese salata — a little salad of chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, scallions, parsley and lemon; funky, briny and addictive pickled turnips; brown rice interwoven with vermicelli; and warm pita. Note: When inevitably asked if you want a side of house hot sauce, the answer should be a resounding “yes!” as that spicy vinaigrette-like condiment makes almost everything here taste even better.

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Mazah Mediterranean Eatery

1453 Grandview Ave., 614-488-3633, mazah-eatery.com

Mazah Mediterranean Eatery is directly linked to what was likely the first Lebanese eatery in town: groundbreaking Sinbad’s, a dinky Old North operation that helped put once-exotic hummus onto the Columbus dining map several decades ago. For about the past decade, Mazah — a casual, cheery, accommodating and altogether excellent full-service Grandview restaurant — has been building on its stash of cherished, Sinbad’s-era family recipes to create some of the best Lebanese-influenced food in town.

Lunch or dinner for two:

Mazah’s dinner sampler for two ($35) tastes just as great indoors as it does outside, but it’s like a picnic waiting to happen. The multicourse meal served with plenty of warm, puffy pita starts with: creamy and terrific hummus brightened with lemon; tangy, smoky, top-notch baba ghanoush; mayo-free, hard-to-stop-eating potato salad; a three-bean salad whose dressing counters its earthiness; and a refreshing, not-slaw cabbage salad.

The second stage is a choice of hearty and peppery lentil soup or a good Greek salad enhanced by first-rate feta. Both are winners, but the latter is better if you’re actually picnicking.

Round three is crispy and zesty falafel plus good turmeric rice and a protein choice. Proteinwise, I love Mazah’s kefta kebabs — sausage-like, seared and juicy beef-and-lamb patties perfumed with parsley, onion and allspice ($5 extra) — but if going lighter, Mazah’s distinct chicken shawarma — curry-like, turmeric-tinted, lean but flavorful breast meat — is hard to beat.

Olive & Lime Cafe

4519 N. High St., 614-826-3020, oliveandlimecafe.com

Lemon is prevalent in the cuisine of Lebanon, but lime? Not so much. Consequently, you won’t taste much lime in the fine dishes of this self-described Lebanese-Mediterranean eatery in Clintonville. See, its name was a “plan b” alteration to its original moniker of Olive & Thyme (due to trademark issues). Citrus usage aside, what you’ll taste from this roomy, friendly, casual and high-achieving restaurant and bakery will make you quickly forget that its name can be confusing.

Feeding a group:

Clear off the couch and get out those house-lounging pants because after eating this gigantic feast, you’ll need to relax. But Olive’s “small” family platter ($60) — it allegedly feeds two to three, but I guarantee it’ll feed at least four — provides quality along with quantity.

The phenomenal spread includes (take a deep breath): sumptuous, lemon-brightened hummus; tangy, uncommonly rich baba ghanoush; juicy chargrilled chicken kebabs with real cookout flavor; crowd-pleasing chicken kefta kebabs as well a beef and lamb kefta; boatloads of fragrant beef and chicken shawarma; an impressive fattoush salad (romaine, tomato, cucumber, radish, onion, mint and parsley elevated by a bright and lively dressing and fried pita “croutons”); good saffron rice; killer, salsa-like house hot sauce; fluffy garlic sauce; concentrated tahini sauce; house-pickled turnips with a horseradish-like kick; plus a week’s supply of good house-baked bread.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 4 Lebanese-leaning eateries to try in Columbus