Restaurant reviews

by Nadia Feddo

February 24, 2010

This Middle Eastern restaurant features a range of tasty meat dishes and some kitsch decor Nadia Feddo

What’s not to love about a place that has its own giant camel in the doorway and an electric indoor fountain? The decor at Arabia may be a little kitsch, but at least it leaves you in no doubt about the kind of food you’ll be eating: floor-to-ceiling pan-Arabic overkill with blown-up photos of the Valley of the Kings, the Palestinian flag, Arabic MTV on the various plasma screens, garish paintings of doe-eyed Arab lovelies (one, bizarrely, in a fishnet hijab) or turbanned warriors on horseback, doorways with ogee arches, chairs in wipe-clean tapestry, painted wooden tables, retired shisha pipes used as candle holders... there is literally no cliché left unturned and not an inch of undecorated space anywhere. Even the waiters are decked out in taqiyah (round caps) and embroidered waistcoats.

Rating: 3 of 5

Arabia

18 Sant Pere Més Alt 08003 Barcelona

93 319 8793

Open daily, 12.30pm-1.30am

Moderate

    As referenced by the decor, the cuisine is pan-Arabic, with many well-known dishes from Egypt, Morocco and Lebanon along with an occasional nod to Iraq, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen.

    The dishes Arabia does best are those centred around big chunks of meat: an excellently crisp lamb and beef shawarma; tender xix taouk; a towering pile of lamb couscous with the meat falling off the bones. With the notable exception of the felafel, vegetarian dishes fared less well: the fattoush salad was blah and needed much more bread, more heavily toasted for greater crunch and texture and to be far heavier on the mint and the lemon juice for anything approaching an authentic Levantine flavour; the warak inab (Lebanese stuffed vine leaves) were teeth-shrivellingly cold, having been served direct from the fridge, and the kousa mahshi (stuffed courgettes) also needed punchier seasoning to avoid the baby-food syndrome.

    Finish off with cardamom-flavoured Arabic coffee (€2.50) and good pistachio baklawa; for those with some time to kill, there are even a couple of back rooms where, for €12, you can kick back and smoke a shisha.

    Arabia, Sant Pere Més Alt 18 (Metro: Urquinaona—L1 and L4). Tel. 93 319 8793. Open daily, 12.30pm-1.30am. Set lunch €9.50, three courses à la carte with drinks around €28 a head.

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    by Nadia Feddo

    February 24, 2010

    Latest Comments

    • They used to give you mint tea FREE with the shishas here!

      What a shame. This kind of radical price hike is happening all over the city. Either they hoik the prices up or the quality nosedives. Arabia's days are probably numbered, which is a pity as it used to be a great place for a fun, cheap dinner with friends. And a camel.

      Posted by angel September 02, 2011 14:39:03

    • Never Again! Avoid this Place!

      The shisha is now a WHOPPING 20 euros!!! I've been to some expensive shisha lounges and have never paid anything close to this price. The mint tea for 2 is 10 Euros. Avois this trap at all costs!

      Posted by Karim August 30, 2011 03:10:03

    • What's for lunch: Arabia

      I get wet mouth reading through the story about the delicious Arabic food. Next time I am in town, I definitely will be having dinner there.

      Unlike other Arabic restaurant in America or Europe that I dined at, this one get my admiration, simply because it does not hide behind, Greek name or Middle Eastern name to get by. It says it as it is. Arabic! And proud of it. Take it or leave it.

      As always, brilliant work by Miss Nadia.

      Wonder if Arabic does catering or delivery.

      Posted by Mahmoud El-Yousseph March 03, 2010 04:44:16

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