December 24, 2016 Tripoli North Lebanon Lebanon Middle East

Al Shater Hassan Palace: Good Service, But Not Great Food!
Authentic & Traditional

RATING:62/100

Welcoming: 3/5

Food Temperature: 7/10

Ambiance / Music: 7/10

Menu Choice: 4/5

Food Taste: 16/30

Architecture / Interior: 6/10

Food presentation: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Value for money: 6/10

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Nestled on a hill in Rass Masqa, just outside Tripoli, is Al Shater Hassan, a restaurant many have been talking about for years. Al Shater Hassan is considered to be one of the North’s most prestigious restaurants; serving Lebanese mezze, seafood specialities, shisha and arak.

shater-hassan-tripoli-lebanese-restaurant62016-12-24-11-24-51

With a view over the Mediterranean Sea, this restaurant is huge. Under a five-meter high ceiling, it is referred to as a palace. There are glass tables with luxurious chairs around them, set with paper place mats, water and wine glasses. The ceiling is painted beige, there is a glass facade for you to enjoy the view, large ceramic tiles cover the floor and decorative marbles and a gigantic chandelier give this place a palatial feel. I was happy to be having dinner here... The first impression was a great one. 

As we arrived, a breadbasket was brought to us and a glass bottle of water. I was positively surprised to discover that garlic and onions are not used abundantly in every dish. Hummus without garlic, fattoush without onions… and more.

We ordered a bottle of Brun Arak and waited to be served.

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Now for the food: average...

  • Goat Labneh is literally tasteless.
  • Stuffed grapevine leaves need more lemon and are in dire need of more flavor.
  • Fattoush is fresh but is spoiled by very sour and salty pomegranate molasses. I couldn't finish my portion.
  • Hummus made without garlic is not bad at all. Creamy and smooth, it's beautifully paired with kebbeh or sambousik.
  • Samkeh 7arra: as good as the one at Abou Fadi.
  • Hummus Al Shater has too much tahini.
  • Sambousik is well cooked but the pastry is stale.
  • Cheese triangles have an aftertaste of oil.
  • Grilled birds wrapped in bread are too tiny and taste bitter.
  • The only plate I'd order again is the delicious makanek in tomato sauce; juicy and perfectly peppered with an intense taste of spices.
  • The meat came last; lamb meat, fatty and surprisingly tender but unfortunately too salty.

After dinner, we were offered a platter of fruits, katayef, mafroukeh and mouhallabiya. Desserts are definitely better than the dinner itself.

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Must change:

  • With such opulent decor, paper place mats are not appropriate.
  • More passion should be poured into the food.
  • I'm not sure putting serving spoons on the plates helps us to take nice photos to share on social media.
  • Dessert plates look and feel dirty.

I walked in with high expectations... The service is good but the food is below average. I really would have liked to recommend this place to my friends.

Suitable For: Authentic & Traditional

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