Tarek Tay at Byblos in Lakeview
Photo by Maddie Spinner / Gambit
Byblos Mediterranean Grill may be just what the Lakeview crowd is craving.
Partners Tarek Tay, Gaby Saliba and Hicham Khodr opened the fourth location of the popular Mediterranean concept at 900 Harrison Ave. last month, and the local response has been very enthusiastic.
“We have never ever received this amazing of a welcome to a neighborhood as we have here,” says Tay, who co-founded the first Byblos 32 years ago as a partner in 3 of a Kind Restaurant Group. “When we opened in Elmwood, people were happy. But here, every day I have so many people thanking us for coming to the neighborhood.”
Byblos
What
Byblos
Where
900 Harrison Ave., (504) 249-3200; byblosrestaurants.com
When
Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun.
How
Dine-in
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The new Byblos is a large, airy restaurant with a bar and domed pizza oven, catering to families and the neighborhood. The space was previously home to Boil & Barrel, a boiled seafood concept from the same partners that lasted nine months.
“I think people are more into healthy foods, but they also don’t want to sacrifice flavor,” Tay says. “The kind of food that doesn’t compromise taste, that you can eat a few times a week.”
The partners hope Byblos will mirror the longevity of Mondo, Susan Spicer’s restaurant that lasted 10 years in the same space.
The consistency of Byblos’ Lebanese-inspired menu is one of its strengths. From outstanding hummus to shareable flatbreads with toppings like mushrooms and roasted garlic or margherita-style pizza with mozzarella, red sauce and garlic.
With the hummus, Tays says, “The secret is tahini. Most people don’t put enough in.”
Byblos, named for Saliba’s home village, has locations in Old Metairie, on Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Elmwood. The menu at the new location delivers many of its greatest hits. Popular starters include the sumac-accented fried cauliflower, baba ghanoush and spanakopita.
Diners also can share garlicky fried Brussels sprouts, smoked trout dip with fried pita wedges and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Feta cheese fingers include cream cheese and Jack cheese and are served with a drizzle of pepper jelly.
The pizza oven has long been part of the space, and now it’s used for pita bread as well as baking flatbreads and roasting seafood and meats.
It’s a big restaurant that can accommodate more than 200 guests inside and on the covered patio. The long bar is the hub, showcasing Tay’s growing collection of local and imported whiskies and bourbons, a taste he developed only in the past few years.
“I always drank scotch, but three years ago I switched to bourbon,” he says. “We carry about 150 different brands, not quite as many as in Elmwood, where I think we have the largest collection in Jefferson Parish.”
The restaurant carries all price points, from $8 shots to rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle.
There is a robust happy hour every day Byblos is open from 3 to 6 p.m. Drink specials are available throughout the restaurant, not just at the bar, but patrons sitting at the bar can order $6-$8 snacks. Offerings include a chicken gyro stuffed into a house-made pita or braised beef served on top of potato tots. There are also daily all-day drink specials, like half-priced wines on Wednesdays.
Byblos is open Wednesday through Sunday, and though it’s off to a good start, Tay is proceeding with care into the fall season before expanding hours.
“We want to get our feet under us, get more team members hired and trained, before we open every day,” he says.
Dining and Cooking