Natalie’s Taste of Lebanon

I really wanted to like Natalie's because really love what they're doing to employ disabled people; however, I was let down by the experience. I spend a significant amount of time in Lebanon, so my review is constructive and hope that they can improve to make these tastes of Lebanon better. The restaurant was completely empty for the entire one and a half hours I was there on a Thursday peak dinner service. FOOD / PRICES: - Ordered the Mixed Platter for 2 for $65 - included Shish Tawouk (Chicken), Kofta Kebab, Lamb, and Short Rib. It was ultimately a hit or miss with the tastes here - the chicken was juicy but lacked flavor, the kofta was rubbery, but the short rib was flavorful and tender. - Meze was the highlight - the hummus and baba gannoush were flavorful and the highlight of the night. The pita was inconsistent as the first batch was undercooked and didn't puff or brown, but the last batch was exactly what you'd want in pita. - There was no Manakish on the menu, nor Chankleesh PRICES: - $65 for 4 small skewers on the Mixed Platter is extremely pricey even compared to upscale NYC/DC Lebanese restaurants. - Every single item on the Menu is priced for ultra fine-dining. There are no budget options, even the vegetarian options are at least $26 for crispy cauliflower. - This is not a fine dining experience, but priced like one. Other restaurants in RVA that are fine dining have far more competitive prices for food because they make up their margin on drinks. SERVICE: - We didn't feel welcomed by any means - we walked in to a completely empty restaurant and thought it was closed. It felt like there was no hospitality the whole time, and we had to ask the waitress a few times for refills. Overall, their pricing is completely off point and makes the restaurant inaccessible to the people they're trying to serve. The food itself has a good foundation and I'm confident they're capable of doing far better. The service lacked warmth. While the food has potential, it doesn't fully capture the essence of Lebanese cuisine. I hope they improve so we can have a place in Richmond that we can confidently take our friends to.

Spent $65 here. That’s how all the meals looked. The refused to sell mixed grill to me saying it’s available only in the evening. Had me buy each grill I wanted separately. No vegetables just bland rice with tasteless grilled meat. Horrible!! I was scammed. Service was very slow!!!!

5/5 Stars!! Extremely wonderful service and food. I ordered the mixed grilled kebab and my girlfriend ordered the watermelon and cucumber salad with the flat bread w/ cheese. Everything that was edible was utterly delicious and fantastic. This is definitely the best Mediterranean restaurant I've eaten at since coming back from the Mediterranean in '92. Highly recommend this place to everyone looking for something out of the ordinary and craving something different, this gives both in abundance. The service is absolutely outstanding. Our waitress was on point!! She was extremely knowledgeable about the dishes and how they were prepared. Very impressive.

Our server Chloe was so amazing, sweet and professional!!! Date night was very enjoyable ❤️

Excellent food.. everything is very tasty.. our kids loved and enjoyed every dish.