Have you ever tried Syrian food? Well I hadn’t so I was very keen to try Bab Tooma on Goodramgate. It opened at the very end of 2022 and we have been saying ‘we should try there’ ever since!
I have looked at the menu board many times in passing, so was very happy to be invited to try it out. Bab Tooma started life in Bradford in 2016 and have since opened restaurants in Leeds and most recently this one in York.
As soon as you enter the restaurant it feels like you been transported to the Middle East and really sets the scene for the feast ahead. The furniture is heavy, dark oak with a vibrant pattern in reds and cream (and was very comfy!). The ceiling is a feature, draped in greenery and gorgeous lighting. There is also a neon Bab Tooma sign (perfectly instagrammable!)
The restaurant does not serve alcohol, but you can take your own with you and they will not charge a corkage fee. It’s worth trying their specialty drinks though as these were really something else. We tried both the lemon and mint and the strawberry mojito, which were both delicious.
We started the meal with the Bab Tooma cold platter (Hummus, Mutabbal, smoky Baba Ghanoug, Yalanji, and vibrant Muhammara dip, served with freshly baked Arabic bread). This was a really good opportunity to try lots of different flavours at once and we shared it between the four of us. The overall favourite was the Muhammara – a dip made from roasted red peppers, almonds, breadcrumbs, and spices.
The main course was the star of the show though. We plumped for ‘The Beast’ a sharing grill for four. This included two kebab skewers, two lamb fillets, four lamb chops, two taouk skewers, four chicken fillets and four wings. It was served with rice, bread and chips.
You can see that it really was a feast, and, like our starter, it was a really good opportunity to try a bit of everything. I must also mention that the bread and the rice it was served with were delicious too.
The people at the table next to us were so impressed that they asked what we had ordered and then ordered the same themselves! If meat isn’t your thing, then they also sell salmon and seabass as well as many veggie and vegan options. On another visit I would like to try the Hot Mezze for things like Sujuk, Hot Potatoes, Cheesy Rolls, Crispy Chicken Rolls.
I took some photos of the menus, and will share below but their full menu is on their website.
We were invited to visit and review – but as always all opinions are my own.