Le Comptoir

Le Comptoir Grill and Mezze Bar in London is a dynamic Arabic dining experience that is ideally placed right next to Kensal Rise station on Station Terrace. It serves the Kensal Green community truly sublime North African and Middle Eastern cuisine in the supremely social fashion that only mezze-style dining can afford. The decor at this northwest London restaurant is genuinely on-point – cosy and rustic, but with enough space to let a little air into the proceedings – and that’s before you hit the incredible al fresco Moroccan Garden when you want to indulge in some truly sunkissed Mediterranean cuisine (weather permitting). Here, match the wonderful food with exotic Lebanese and Moroccan wines for an inimitable Arabic experience.

It’s a real relief for fans of North African and Middle Eastern cuisine of the properly gourmet type when they encounter an Arabic restaurant in London that approaches its culinary mandate with genuine respect – a strong sense of tradition plus the ability to communicate to less-experienced diners the wonders of what for many might seem a rather exotic cuisine without compromising the authenticity of the dishes brought to table. Le Comptoir does this incredibly well, paying close attention to the look and feel of its Station Terrace premises in Kensal Rise, its carefully-annotated menu, fantastically fresh ingredients and the superlative presentation of its authentic mezze-centric dishes.

For many, it’s a day of mourning if you eat Middle Eastern solo. For us, it’s quite fine to drop by such a fine establishment as Le Comptoir’s Kensal Rise outpost for an eminently snackable falafel, grilled halloumi, or cous cous salad – perfect as a quick lunchtime meal in itself. However, if you want a proper Arabic restaurant experience you need to bring a gaggle of friends and family. Order up a round of cold and hot mezze selections and find out why Middle Eastern and North African cuisine is so intimately associated with dining as a social phenomenon. Moroccan tomato and onion salad, fatoush, tabouleh, jawaneh, merguez and warak aynab are some of the familiar and unfamiliar mezze dishes on offer at Le Comptoir, but this restaurant also prepares one of London’s finest range of traditional Berber tagine dishes – the kofte and quail egg tagine is an opulent choice that comes highly recommended. Book well ahead for this cosy gem!