Excellent food. It was our first time and we will go back. We've already informed friends that will be visiting that we will all be eating here. Very clean and neat. Friendly, nice owner. Found it by chance. New to town.

Excellent food. Wonderful service. I know people that have been to the Middle East and claim the shawarma here is even better than over there. 10 stars out of 5.

This is simply the best Mediterranean food in Lubbock. From the lamb and beef gyro, to the chicken shawarma, to the bestest hummus ever - this place is a must for food that feels like home every time.

So, the food is GOOD. We live in Midland and have a doc in Lubbock, so stop here for lunch sometimes. Everything is uber flavored. Some things I'd never had before but wasn't disappointed, even tho it looked a slight bit weird (mini meatloaf looking sausage torpedo thingies, delicious!) Their flatbreads and rices are yummy and the make or break (imo) of a good Mediterranean style meal, the tzatziki, is subtle but delicious, as well.

The only thing I will miss when I move from Lubbock. The food is awesome (Chicken Kebab is so yummy), and the family that runs this restaurant is so awesome and sweet too. My favorite restaurant in Lubbock and of all time!

A true hidden gem in Lubbock. Clean inside and fantastic food!

Best Mediterranean food in town. Great falafel, hummus, chicken shawarma, gyro...also, definitely get the mango juice. Only drawback: they have weird hours. Make sure to check online or call ahead to be sure they're open.

The food was excellent! We just moved here and we're very glad to have found a good place for Lebanese / Mediterranean food. The owner was friendly and we can't wait to come back.

We called ahead 15 minutes before they closed. They had it ready in 10 and everything was delicious 😭. The shwarma, the rice, the falafel. So yummy!!

New location. My favorite place to eat in town. The gyro salad is so fresh! The falafel sandwich is delicious and the saffron rice is amazing! Try it all!

Great food. Great service. A1.

Really loved. Great service, good food. Worth a stop y'all or more ;)

This restaurant is only open from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, so get there when they open! The food is fresh, hot, and DELICIOUS! I had the Chicken Shawarma plate, it comes with a nice side salad of romaine, onion, and tomatoes with a nice balsamic dressing. The Chicken plate had good portions, the chicken was very tender and well seasoned. The saffron rice was fragrant and delicious! We had Dolmas (rice-stuffed grape leaves), falafel, and hummus with fresh, soft, warm pita bread. I topped it off with a bottle of cold green tea and that was a great finish. All in all, this was a really good experience and I will definitely be going back. This is a small out-of-the-way eatery, but it's not to be missed in Lubbock!

Everything is good! We love the owners as well! Our favorite is the chicken shawarma sandwich, and we love the falafel too. I always intend on taking a picture of my food, but I get too excited and eat it all before I can snap one.

The food is Amazing. The rice is perfectly made and the chicken is wonderfully flavorful. It's my first time coming here and I'm definitely going to coming here again next week. They should open up a place like this where I live. If you haven't tried this place. Stop hesitating and just go! You won't regret it.

Manara Cafe is a great little Mediterranean food place that a lot of people in Lubbock do not know about. It is definitely one of Lubbock's "Hidden Treasures"!! It is located in central Lubbock close to 34th and Boston. My family has been eating here for about 6 or 7 years now. Our favorite dish is the chicken kabob & the sauce is awesome! Their saffron rice is to die for! The beef and lamb gyro is amazing as well. Besides the food being superb, the owner and his wife are absolutely wonderful people! LOVE this place!

Delicious Lebanese food. The saffron rice is to die for. Friendly service. Cooked to order food. Took a little bit of time to get our food and SO worth it. Had the hummus, salad, and chicken Shawarma. Would highly recommend.

I've been here many times and am never disappointed! The food is fantastic and the service is pretty good for a family run restaurant.Normally I get the chicken shawarma platter but today I tried the chicken shawarma pita sandwich. It was still AMAZING! The sauce you get with it is to die for!! For appetizers we had done hummus, babaganoush, and falafel. I really liked the falafel. The hummus wasn't very flavorful in my opinion

Went here with friends for early afternoon dinner and I had the mixed kebob which was great and the saffron rice was delicious and everyone really enjoyed they’re food! The place itself is nice and clean and has a mellow atmosphere! Will definitely be coming back!

The Best Falafel sandwich I ever had. Extremely fresh. Big. Just Excellent. Husband and Wife working the place. Always a good combo. Highly recommend

Have NEVER had lebanese food and fell in love with the food. We got the chicken sandwich, chicken plate, and the beef and lamb plate. They gave HUGE portions and it was all very delicious. Got like 3 different sauces and the pita is sooooo good and thick

Delicious and authentic middle eastern cuisine.

+1

It was hard to find this place on TripAdvisor because they don't have a "Mediterranean" category for restaurants in Lubbock. (If so, our decision would have been easily made!). We were in town for lunch on a Monday and it's hard to find a place that's open. This place was open until 2 o'clock and the owner was nice enough to serve us even though we got there at 1:45. We had falafel sandwiches, french fries and mango juice. The prices were very reasonable and the food very good. It was clean, decorated nicely and the staff was very friendly. We will be back the next time we are in Lubbock!

Have been coming here for years. Large portions, excellent food. The saffron rice is my favorite part, but the meat is also excellent. Friendly owner, always have great service.

Authentic, made from scratch, delicious. The gyros are perfect. The hummus is excellent. The baklava is baked there! Locally owned and operated. I make it a point to eat here often, because I love the food!

Really good food. Friendly staff. Very clean. Had Kefta Kabobs plate and Beef and Lamb Shwarma plate . Both were excellent. UPDATE June 29,2023 Still really awesome food , awesome service and really clean place. Try it , you won't regret it!

The food is clean, well cooked, and well prepared. Also, there is a variety of food that you would taste with reasonable prices. It’s the only Arabian restaurant available in Lubbock serving very delicious dishes. The staff are very kind and friendly.

I am a lover of Mediterranean food and I can say that I am an expert on this subject. This place has delicious Mediterranean food, baklavas ok, very clean place and extremely good treatment by the owner. Fresh food made for you the moment you order it. food may take a little longer to be served, especially at busy times. I will be back when I visit Lubbock

This is possibly my favorite restaurant in Lubbock. The gyro meat is spectacular, the tzatziki sauce is spectacular, the special spicy sauce is to die for (I like to lick it out), and the saffron rice is possibly the best thing I've ever tasted. You must go. There might be a wait, but it's so worth it!

This is by far an excellent restaurant for authentic Lebanese / Mediterranean food. The owner is very welcoming. They've been closed for since August 3rd and are reopening September 12th. I hope it was for a well deserved vacation. We'll be back!!

I enjoyed a meal with my friend, Hasan Al Mekdash. The food was great! Authentic flavors. The vegetarian platter is sensible in size and replete with variety. Everything is home cooked. Took a little longer, but the wait was well worth it. Highly recommend to anyone with a tase for good healthy homemade food.

Best lamb and beef gyro in town! They're back! I've never been so happy to see a restaurant reopen! The owner "Frank" did much of the renovation.

Truly a remarkable authentic Lebanese/Mediterranean cafe with flavorful food! I have tried numerous places in San Antonio (current hometown) and this place tops it by a long shot! Whenever I come back to Lubbock to visit, this is where we’ll come back to!

Authentic Mediterranean style food that is prepared from scratch and comes out of the kitchen fast.

The food was amazing!! We got the chicken shawarma and beef and lamb plate and both were excellent! I’d recommend the combo plate if you can’t decide. The saffron rice was the best I’d ever had. Lunch was so delicious we ended with baklava’s. We’ll definitely be returning to this gem!

Manara is a hidden gem! I lived here for years before I knew it existed and am kicking myself for missing out on this food for so long. The people are extremely nice and personable, and the food is delicious. I will be a frequent patron of this wonderful establishment from here on out!!

Pretty good! I was hoping to find good Mediterranean in town and was not disappointed! Price may be a bit high but definitely still worth it. Yes the owner is a bit on the quiet side but is very nice. Low staff so slightly slow service but food comes out pretty fast and it really is no problem at all overall. A generous amount of pita bread is provided to either eat with hummus included with the veggie dinner plate or the two sauces with any of the other meat entrees. All the meat entrees were amazing both in amount and taste and you could tell they put honest effort into them. The dessert is a bit small but I’d say it’s worth to give it a try as it is an interesting mix between an apple pie and something a lot more flaky. It’s definitely a good place to come in and eat out of curiosity.

Phe-nom-o-nal... The food is stellar. Service is on point. Vibes are great. No complaints. No notes.

My husband and I LOVE the food here! It is my FAVORITE place to eat in Lubbock. We like the beef/lamb plate and gyro. I really like to get the baklava, too. They have moved recently to a nice, new location. We also order take-out from here. The only downside are that the hours are pretty few. Occassionally, they aren't open during their posted hours, especially during summer. I suggest calling before you leave to go there just in case they are not open for some reason. If they are open, you won't be disappointed!

I love this place so much. The owner is an absolutely lovely person. Every menu item is incredible, however, the falafel as well as the chicken shawarma are worth all of your money. That being said, everything is super reasonably priced. Oh the saffron rice is really special as well. All other rice is inferior. Don't waste another meal out on sad fast food or a chain restaurant. This is one of the best spots in town.

I enjoyed the falafel sandwich and saffron rice as a vegetarian option. My friend always gets the chicken kebab.

Very tasty food. Not the widest selection and the dining area is simple, but that does not take away from a delicious gyro plate and baba ghanoush. Would certainly visit again for quality Mediterranean food.

1st off...So clean! That is important to me. 2nd, amazing food. Amazing service. Loved it!

I really think this place has the best falafel in the country. There’s a few places in New York that come close, but something about the falafel here is magical. Everyone is super friendly, quick service, very chill atmosphere. Anytime we’re in Lubbock we have to make sure we eat here!

Tried the Chicken Shwarma and was blown away. Definitely recommend this spot if you're feeling adventurous or you're already a fan of the food culture. Flavors were spot on or amazing, service was great, the gentleman who attended to us was polite and very helpful.

Love this place! After moving from Chicago, it’s been hard to find authentic, clean, fresh food at a mom-and-pop restaurant. The food here is not only delicious, but it’s truly authentic. My favorite dishes so far (because I’ll be back!) are the falafel and the chicken shawarma plate. I also enjoy how thin they serve their pita bread pieces.

I must say I was quite impressed with this place. I absolutely love Mediterranean cuisine and I am not sure why I had not tried Manara sooner. The food is excellent, by far the best Mediterranean food in Lubbock. The prices are fair and you get a healthy portion of food for the price. I loved the mixed kabob plate and you can't go wrong with the shawarma plate. The meats are so fresh and cooked well alongside the very tasty rice, generous serving of pita, and the tasty sauces.It is definitely worth a try and I will definitely be going back soon!

We always go to manara cafe every time we go to lubbock ! The quantity and the price is perfect ! We always get the platters ! We got served hot n fresh food within 5 mins of ordering. The garlic sauce, hummus, baba ganoush oh n the hot n crispy flafels !! I never regret getting their food. Its yum yum !

I love this restaurant. The food is always so delicious and I never get tired of it. You can't beat the kind of food you get for the price. The owner/server is always extremely kind and generous. I highly recommend this authentic spot... just plan ahead if visiting during lunch time as it can get pretty busy!

I’m a big fan of this place. They have great food, and the guy there always seems happy to see you when you walk in which kind of makes you as the customer feel happy to be there. They’re actually impressively quick compared to lots of other restaurants, considering I usually see 1 or so employees handling both the restaurant and the carry outs, I never cease to be impressed by how fast and how good my food comes out. I’d say in it’s category, it’s the best I’ve tried in the area. Would highly recommend

I really enjoyed my beef and lamb gyro sandwich. Generous portion, flavorful meat, fresh veggies, soft pita bread and a great sauce. I will be back next time I'm in Lubbock.

The food is good. There are certain items I would recommend if it is your first time here. The veggie platter is really good and gives a variety of their dishes. The baklava is very comforting and I enjoy it every time.

This is our favorite place to eat in Lubbock. My husband and I frequent Manara every 6 weeks or so with our daughter. We get the same dish every time (gyro plate) because it’s just so good we don’t want to try anything else 😀 highly recommend if your are looking for fresh, authentic, delicious Mediterranean food without all the fluff.

Best gyro in town! Some of the best hummus I’ve ever had. Everything I’ve had is amazing. Glad to see some diversity of food options in Lubbock.

hollie bryan

I have eaten at Manara Cafe a handful of times and it is consistently delicious and authentic. Although I consider myself an adventurous eater, I’ve taken a few picky eaters here (including an 8 year old picky eater) who also walked away fully loving it. The vegetarian plate is filling and delicious. The lamb and beef is incredible. Best hummus in town by a long shot!

Jessica Gorman

Wow. Chicken shawarma wrap, hummus, and yellow rice were unbelievably good. Everything is fresh and obviously scratch made. What other Mediterranean restaurants in town want to be. The garlic sauce is also perfect. I don't know how I've lived here 20 years and just discovered this place. Prices are also very reasonable for the amount of food you get. The hummus comes with 3 large, warm pitas.

Jaden Muller

This is my favorite restaurant in Lubbock, and one of the best in the entire city. It is the only place in town with authentic Middle Eastern style Mediterranean food. The hummus is especially perfect and the saffron rice is next level. I always get the gyro platter as well, but the chicken, falafel, and everything else on the menu is delicious.

Abbad Tahir

Visiting from Dallas, a friend took us out for lunch. Felt like I was eating at friends house!!!!!!! Highly recommend for anyone looking for authentic Lebaneese food!

Yoto Froto

great food and the soft serve is delicious. Their bread is house made daily.

Abdul Awal Opu

One of the best halal food in town. I tried two different platter. One mixed combo of gyro and chicken kafta kabab and another one with gyro and chicken shwarma platter. I liked the former one more. Platters are served with rice, pita bread, 2 dips and salad. Must try if you are visiting lubbock.

Kalani Quick

Very quaint eatery. The food was amazing! It came out not longer than 25 minutes after we ordered it. We were given our salad pretty quickly, and that cut down on the time we were waiting for our food. The atmosphere is quiet. Close-quarters seating, but a good place to bring a small family to enjoy a meal. Not a whole lot of seating, so it's not the best venue for a large gathering. The gentleman there was very respectful and polite. The overall appearance of the establishment was clean.

C S

The food is worth journeying far. I will be coming back! I had the dolmades and chicken shawarma plate. The dolmades pack a punch. The leaves were tender and easy to cut. The side salad had a dressing that was standout. The saffron rice has real saffron, it's not just yellow colored. The chicken shawarma was so easy to eat, with a nice warm tomato-based sauce, but in a good portion that will leave you full. The pita, oh goodness. Soft and flavorful bread, I want the recipe! And the sauces I received on the side of my shawarma plate were very tasty. If you're serious about flavorful food, give Manara a try!

Jill Chao

Manara is a Lubbock gem! Delicious Lebanese food. I love their garlic sauce and pretty much everything else as well. My go-tos are chicken shawarma and kofta kabob. They have clean bathrooms. The owner is really nice. Prices are very decent.

Sergio Villagomez

Owner took our order and served us the food, service was great and the food was amazing. Would definitely recommend and will definitely be coming back again. Probably the best chicken shawarma i’ve ever had. The sauce was great too !

Paul Shivers

The food is absolutely wonderful here, if you like Kabobs this is the place to go. Not Mediterranean, but the French Fries are some of the best I've ever had! 😋

Erin Hennesay

Gyro was good. Chicken had hood spice mixture. Husband really liked the spicy sauce. Baklava ok.

Jerry Generalao

This is one of my favorite restaurants to eat at. The food here is authentic and delicious. I had the mixed kabob plate and my wife had a falafel wrap. If you’re looking for great Mediterranean/ Lebanese food, this is the spot.

Rachel Dunn

Amazing as always! A hidden gem of Lubbock. Fresh and delicious food. One of my favorite restaurants in town.

Derek Corzine

Fantastic Lebanese food! This is a great little mom and pop restaurant that's full of fresh flavor. My wife and I started with the Falafel appetizer. I'm normally not big on falafel but this one tasted amazing with a nice outer crust. I had the Beef and Lamb Gyro. The meat had tons of flavor and the pita was slightly crispy. My wife had the Chicken Kebab platter and it was super delicious with large pieces of chicken. We split a baklava which made the perfect email to a nice lunch. We will definitely be back when we're passing through Lubbock

A new a unique addition to Lubbock. Good food and the staff is friendly. I hope this restaurant is here to last in the Hub city. Only reason I did not give 5 stars is the lack of free refills and lack of variety on menu.

The food was tasty and the platter was filling. I preferred the lamb and beef over the chicken. There was a garlicky butter sauce that was incredible, and made the saffron rice really stand out.

Must try their chicken shawarma and mixed kabob plate. The saffron rice is absolutely delicious. The sauces served with the plate are good too. Charge for just water is off putting.

Great place, I love it..we come here on the weekly and the portions and the taste are always consistent. However, they seriously need to hire someone for the lunch rush. We waited over an hour for food and most people here waited 20-30 minutes before they even got water.

I wasn't sure what to expect of Lebanese food in Lubbock, but this place is a nice spot. I had the vegetarian plate and the dolmates were very good. I normally love hummus, but the flavor was bland and I couldn't tell if it was the tahini, the lack of full bodied sumac (I think it might have been sprinkled with paprika unfortunately), or the lack of lemon. Overall, the service was good and the food was fresh.

After searching nearly all of Lubbock, using google reviews, and as a Middle Eastern myself, this place is actually pretty good! The food is a good size and price and my gosh it's so filling that I couldn't even finish my plate. For those who like Mediterranean restaurants, this place is a really good try.

This is the best Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine in Lubbock. Coming from Dallas/Fort-Worth area, all of the other places do not compare to this restaurant. The food is actually cooked and seasoned really well. The only thing that I would change would be the pita bread. Other than that, this will be my go to place from now on.

Food is amazing. But half the time when I go during the hours that it’s supposed to be open, the parking lot is chained off and nobody seems to be there.

The food here is delicious. You can tell just by walking in and smelling it! The rice is fantastic and the gyro is delicious and the shawarma was amazing. The only reason I’m not giving this place five stars is that you have to pay for water, which is a bit odd.

I was happy to have stopped in for lunch the other day. The spices used are distinctive and stands out. Not boring compared to the norm chain restaurants within Lubbock. If you ever feel like you want to excite your taste buds go here and thank me later. They are only open for lunch BTW.

Rebecca Young

Love the family-like vibes!!!🫶🏻 I got beef and lamb gyro plate which came with a salad and a pita bread. It was fine. Gyro was kinda too salty, but overall it tasted good. They didn’t come and ask if we’re doing ok so it was pretty chill😂 but you need to walk to the cashier to ask for things. water cost extra but these made sense since the price was pretty low! They are all nice people! Overall worth it!!

prathamesh patange

Fine Mediterranean food restaurant. We had baba ghanoush with chicken and beef plate. The chicken was tender with mild spicy sauce. Sauce had strong flavor of chicken stock. The beef was nice and little bit crispy. Rice was cooked with whole spices and had really good taste. I loved the baba ghanoush. This place is small with small menu. Had to wait for the order bit long but food was awesome for low price.

+2

I came here and got the gyro and falafel, which are the two dishes I use to judge any Greek/Lebanese restaurant. The building is really nice and cozy inside. Dimly lit and relaxing. The woman working there the day I went, while friendly, seemed painfully shy and made me feel a little awkward ordering my food. The food was made fresh and took about 10 minutes to come out to me, but to be honest I was not impressed. The portions were fine, but the falafel was not thoroughly fried and thus soggy and raw in the center and the gyro had French dressing on it instead of tzatziki sauce, which I had never seen before. I looked it up when I got home and evidently it's fairly common, but I am definitely not a fan and was tempted to send it back and ask for authentic sauce, but instead I just bit my tongue and finished my mediocre meal. I love Mediterranean cuisine, but I have not returned to Manara and have no plans to.

Bhavin Amin

Group of 6 went there about 1830 hours and waited for about 10 minutes in line to be the next person in line to give order. I noticed that the person taking the order was going in the kitchen and bringing the food out to tables to serve (Possible hygiene issues). So obviously they didn't have any help. He came to counter and told us that the restaurant closes in 15 minutes. We were little disappointed, but we asked if we can take it to go, he said that's fine. We ended up taking it back to hotel and ate. Food was OK. May try it again just to see if we have any better luck.

+6

I ate lunch here today, and I was surprised that there are so many five star reviews. It wasn't the worst food I've ever eaten. But I'm pretty sure it had all been frozen and microwaved. Served on disposable plates with plasticware. And the waiter never even stopped by my table once while I was eating, despite the fact that I was the only patron there. All of this would be fine if the meal cost $5, but it was almost $15. Will not return.

Horrible experience. We went on my lunch break at 1 and waited almost 30 minutes just for someone to take our order. After being there 45 minutes we still hadn’t got our drinks. There is one person taking orders, getting drinks, and waiting tables. The owner or manager or whoever it was that took our order was not friendly or the least bit apologetic about our long wait and lack of service. I only get one hour for lunch so we got up and walked out. I will never set foot in that business again and would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. I would give it zero stars if I could.

My husband and I attempted to eat here today. The door they are now using has a very low hanging awning. My husband is over 6 ft tall. He now has a large bleeding gash in the front of his head. We entered and waited to be seated while the guy stared at us awkwardly. After we sat down, he came over and asked for our drink order. Then he told us they close at 2pm (awkward close for lunch time). He was very short mannered with us so we politely offered to leave. He did not do this to the couple that came in after us. We came in just after 1:30!! Not worth the bruises or the insult when we have other places to get dolmas and hummus who are friendly and want to survive in the restaurant businness.

Unfortunately, there’s no option to leave less than one star. The owner was extremely aggressive and showed no sense of hospitality whatsoever. Would you like a version that’s more formal, humorous, or direct?

I've never encountered an attitude like the owner's. He made me feel disrespected, as if letting me in was some kind of favor. It was an unwelcoming experience.

Tanzum Rahman

Food was not even close to authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Heard a lot of good things about this restaurant. But we got to eat over fried Falafel and didn’t feel physically good after having the chicken shawarma. Maybe years ago it was a good place to go but not anymore. And cherry on top is that the host was very loud to us and he barely smiles dealing with the customers and serving his awful food.

Hisham Adam

Worst service ever in USA. The place is old and food is tasteless. I ordered mix kabab but I got none cooked chicken (yellow) . The service was bad. They service dine in food in very cheap to go plates. The food fall down in my table as the plate broken and they didn't care to replace my plate