Chickpea Lebanese Restaurant & Bar

CHICKPEA LEBANESE RESTAURANT & BAR HAS CLOSED.

Chickpea Lebanese Restaurant and Bar is a little taste of the Middle East found in the heart of Coorparoo.

Located on Cavendish Road, Chickpea is a contemporary restaurant serving traditional Middle Eastern fare that has been enjoyed for thousands of years. Prepared by Syrian-born chef Rimoun Haddad, the menu is a mix of Lebanese and Syrian cuisine.

Patrons can sit inside an intimate dining space adorned with photos of Lebanon and Syria, the main dining room or in a beautiful, undercover courtyard. 

Ideal for sharing, small plates or mezza include handmade falafels with tahini sauce, grilled haloumi marinated in zaatar spices, kebbi (crunchy shells stuffed with pine nuts, mince and spices) and sambousek (pastries stuffed with lamb and spices or spinach and cheese).

Lebanese salads range from traditional tabouli and fatoush to batata harra (cubed potatoes fried with chili, lemon and coriander) and Chickpea’s house salad with chickpeas, fresh greens and house dressing.

From the charcoal grill come succulent skewers of meat like lamb, chicken, kefta (minced lamb) and whole charcoal chickens.  

Housemade dips include a variety of hommus such as chili hommus, beiruti hommus and hommus b’lahmeh, as well as baba ganouj, Syrian ganouj and beetroot dip.  If you can’t decide, order a trio of dips. 

Main meals range from plates of charcoal skewers served with salad, housemade dips and Lebanese bread, to platters for 2 and banquets (3+) with a sample of everything.

After dinner, try a homemade Lebanese sweet accompanied by Arabic tea or coffee.

A lunch menu, available from 11:30-2:30, consists of fresh wraps and rolls - filled with felafels, shish lamb or chicken shawarma - and salad bowls.

Chickpea is licensed with craft beer on tap, bottled beer, a predominantly Australian wine list and their signature cocktail Lebanese vodka lemonade.

By Deb Lidster 

The menu may have changed since this review