The Art of The Charcoal Grill
Everything that matters happens over fire. Lamb on the skewer, flatbread against the wall of the oven, eggplant blistered until the skin lifts away. No shortcuts, no gas.
Our storyTables That Linger
At Zahra the coals are lit at four and the last plate goes out when the room empties. Twenty-seven years of Lebanese cooking in Melbourne’s north — charcoal, mezze, and a table nobody hurries you off.
Signature plates View full menu
From theCoals
Mixed Charcoal Plate$46
Lamb skewer, chicken taouk and kafta over charcoal, with garlic toum, pickled turnip and hot bread.
Lamb Shoulder, Nine Hours$62
Slow-roasted shoulder rubbed with seven spice, pulled at the table over freekeh and roasted almond.
Chicken Taouk$32
Marinated overnight in yoghurt, lemon and white pepper, then grilled hard and fast.
Fattoush & Burnt Eggplant$24
Charred eggplant folded through tahini, with sumac, pomegranate and crisp bread.
Kibbeh Nayyeh$28
Hand-pounded lamb and burghul, olive oil, mint and onion. The way it has been made here since 1998.
The Charcoal Pit
Lit at four every afternoon and not touched by gas. It is the reason the room smells the way it does.
The Mezze Table
Fourteen small plates made fresh each morning. Order six and let the table sort itself out.
Twenty-Seven Years
One family, one room on Sydney Road, and a great many Saturday nights.
The bar Open drinks list
Drinks thatKeep Up
Arak poured properly, Lebanese wine worth the trip, and a short list of cocktails built for smoke and salt.
Arak & Ice$14
Poured in the right order over one block of ice, the way it is done at home.
Sumac Margarita$22
Tequila, lime and a sumac salt rim. Sharp enough to cut through the lamb.
Rose & Pistachio Sour$23
Rosewater, lemon and pistachio orgeat, shaken hard and served short.
Jallab$9
Date molasses, rosewater and pine nuts over crushed ice. No alcohol, no compromise.
ZAHRA ZAHRA ZAHRA ZAHRA
A birthday, a thank you, or an apology that needs weight behind it — a Zahra card puts people around the same table.
Order a gift card