Abla Amad was born in Lebanon and arrived in Australia in 1954 at the age of nineteen. In 1979 at the urging of friends and family she opened Abla’s, a restaurant that has become a Melbourne institution.
Ever since it opened, diners have returned time and again to experience her special brand of traditional, homemade Lebanese food.
For Abla it is a cuisine that can only be made from the heart – that’s why she is widely regarded as ‘the queen of Lebanese cooking’.
BYO is now available on Thursdays - We fill up quickly so be sure to book!
Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Wine
Experiences
Standard Banquet
A$72.00 per person
Multiple dates available
On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, groups of 8 or more must enjoy our set menu.
Children under 12 will be able to order from the a la carte menu.
We can cater to most dietary requirements; please give us a call if you would like to discuss.
Standard Banquet Menu:
Hummus, Baba Gannouj, Labnee
Makaneek
Ladies Fingers
Loubyeh
Chicken wings
Tabouleh
Kafta
Skewer of lamb or chicken
Chicken and rice
Lebanese coffee/tea with Baklawa and Turkish delight
Weeknight/Lunch Banquet
A$60.00 per person
Multiple dates available
On Thursdays groups of 8 or more must enjoy our weeknight or standard banquet menu.
We can cater to most dietary requirements; please give us a call if you would like to discuss.
Weeknight Banquet Menu:
Hummus, Baba Gannouj, Labne
Ladies fingers
Loubyeh
Chicken wings
Tabouleh
Kafta
Chicken and rice
Lebanese Coffee/Tea
Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant
4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
4.8Food
4.8Service
4.4Ambience
4.6Value
Noise • Energetic
Loved For
Melbourne
Vegetarian-friendly
Inner City North
Best Overall
Inner City North
Best Value
Inner City North
Good for business meals
Inner City North
Healthy
Inner City North
Vegetarian-friendly
Review summary
AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Abla's offers a "wonderful" dining experience with its "delicious, fresh, clean, tasty traditional Lebanese food." Known as a "Melbourne institution," it provides a warm atmosphere and "excellent service." The menu is praised for standout dishes like hummus, tabbouleh, and lamb skewers, making it "nirvana in your mouth."
14 Reviews
S
Sanchia
Melbourne
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 11 December 2024
Overall 4
Food 3
Service 4
Ambience 3
Abla’s is a Melbourne institution. First came 30 plus year ago and this visit was after a ten year break. Food is reliable standard Lebanese fare. Good for a group night out. Staff lovely.
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P
Paula
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 9 December 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Delicious food and a warm, friendly atmosphere, can’t wait to return.
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L
Lozi
Melbourne
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 5 December 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
The food was unreal! Some of the best I have had and my friends agreed. We couldn’t how amazing it was !!! And the whole team was super lovely. We will be back for sure. Highly recommend this to everyone !!!
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J
John
New York City
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on 19 November 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 4
Ablas is the finest example of home style refined Lebanese cuisine in Melbourne
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U
Umesh
Sydney
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 12 November 2024
Overall 4
Food 3
Service 3
Ambience 4
Nice homely Lebanese food but nothing really exceptional. Service was slow but that made us eat at a leisurely pace and we had a nice long evening of good conversation. Abla's could do with a little more enhancement of the menu with a few new and innovative dishes.
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T
Tamara
San Francisco
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on 2 November 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
An absolute Melbourne tradition- you cannot go past Abla for traditional family Lebanese.
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M
Mike
Melbourne
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 16 October 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Wonderful food, great wine and fine company
Great recipe for a delicious dinner
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M
Michelle
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 9 October 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Absolutely A1. Sublime. Can’t imagine there would be any better Lebanese food in Australia. A nice surprise was the spicy cauliflower and the Makanek. Hummus and tabbouleh outstanding. I can make my own fairly decent one at home but it doesn’t hold a candle to theirs. The Lamb skewers - I don’t have adequate superlatives to describe how great it was. Baklawa the perfect balance of sweet nuts pastry and syrup. We wanted to move in. Nirvana in your mouth for the entire meal.
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J
Jack
New York City
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 1 October 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Ablas is always the same. You know what you're going to get and what you're going to get is delicious, fresh, clean, tasty traditional Lebanese food and you're going to get looked after.
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C
Claire
Melbourne
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 18 September 2024
Overall 5
Food 5
Service 5
Ambience 5
Great food and excellent service. We went for the banquet option to try a few different things. Nothing disappointed, but the loubyeh and chicken and rice were stand outs. We made the mistake of filling up on the dips, but they were just too good not to.
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FAQs
Abla's is rated 4.8 stars by 14 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.