Small plates and big hearts is the motto for Habibi Tapas Grill.
After more than a year of patiently waiting to open to the public, owners Bassem Jawhari and Selina Kersey are excited to welcome the community into their newly renovated space.
Jawhari moved from Calgary over a year ago, after a long time career in the hair industry to try his hand at something new and pursue a long-time dream of opening a family-based restaurant.
“Coming to Kelowna, I thought I’m maybe not gonna hang up my scissors or my comb but I’m definitely going to be picking up some pans and making some noise in this town,” laughed Jawhari.
“I’m very grateful, everyone has been fantastic. People have been challenging me to create really authentic dishes whether it's from Isreal, Spain, or Italy. So I’m definitely going to surprise Kelowna with some fabulous stuff this fall.”
Habibi will be offering a number of traditional Mediterranean and Lebanese tapas-style dishes, something that is meant to be shared with the entire table, a great way to try a variety of things on the menu.
Homemade hummus, traditional tabouli, fattoush, artichoke, baba ganoush, kibbeh, kabobs, shawarma, shish tawook burger, and lahm bi ajeen are just a few items that stand out in their menu.
“Really the whole concept here is that this food is meant to be shared, and we want you to have a little bit of this and a little bit of that and have the opportunity to try as much as you possibly can,” explained Kersey.
“Our smoked baba ganoush seems to be the big hit on the menu, for sure.”
This duo is in the kitchen every morning at 7 am prepping their fresh ingredients from local farmers, and their menu will consistently be rotated to accommodate seasonal ingredients.
Having only been open for less than a week, they’ve already seen a number of successful dinners, along with their quick-to-go lunches that have definitely been a hit in the Landmark district.
Not only will they be offering these delectable bites, but from Thursday to Saturday they'll be hosting live entertainment, with belly dancers coming in to entertain guests in the evening.
“If I can get a chance to treat you like you’re coming in as family and hoping you leave friends, to me that’s success right there, that’s basically our recipe,” added Jawhari.
Those looking to snag a table are encouraged to book a reservation in advance with limited seating on the inside maxed to about 22, with an additional 14 on the patio
For more information head to their website here, or check out their socials for up-to-date information on when you can catch some live entertainment with your meal.
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