How to Add Lebanese Food to Your Restaurant Menu
Lebanese cuisine is one of the fastest-growing food trends in the UK, and one of the most practical additions a Scottish restaurant or caterer can make to their menu. It covers vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, and Halal requirements simultaneously, it's deeply flavourful, and it photographs beautifully. The challenge has always been sourcing it reliably.
This guide is written for restaurant owners, head chefs, and catering managers who want to add authentic Lebanese dishes without specialist preparation, without new kitchen equipment, and without complicated supply chains. Written by Almaz Foods, Lebanon's food, made in Kirkcaldy.
Why Lebanese Food Belongs on Scottish Menus Right Now
Scottish diners are more adventurous than ever. Middle Eastern food, particularly Lebanese and Arab cuisine, has moved from niche specialist restaurants into mainstream menus, food halls, and corporate catering. What was once "exotic" is now expected.
But Lebanese food's commercial appeal goes beyond trend. It solves a problem every modern menu faces: dietary coverage. A single Lebanese dish can simultaneously be vegan, gluten-free, and Halal-certified, three of the most common dietary requirements in the UK, usually requiring three separate dishes to satisfy.
Traditional falafel is vegan, gluten-free, and Halal-friendly by nature, one dish, three dietary requirements ticked. Kubbeh in its Halal-certified form satisfies Muslim diners with a dish that has cultural resonance and genuine authenticity. No other cuisine covers these bases so cleanly.
"Lebanese cuisine is what happens when a food culture has to do a lot with a little, and ends up doing more than most."
What Usually Stops Restaurants from Adding Lebanese Food
Most restaurant operators who want to add Lebanese dishes to their menu face the same three obstacles. They're real, but they're all solvable.
1. Scratch preparation is specialist and time-consuming
Making kubbeh from scratch requires sourcing bulgur wheat, grinding fresh meat to the right consistency, making the filling separately, hand-shaping every piece, and frying to order. In a busy commercial kitchen, this isn't realistic at scale without a specialist chef.
2. Sourcing authentic ingredients is unreliable
The quality of Lebanese food lives and dies by ingredient quality, the right chickpeas, the right spice ratios, the right bulgur. Sourcing these consistently from multiple suppliers adds complexity, cost, and quality variation you can't control.
3. Consistency at volume is hard
A dish that takes 45 minutes to prepare per batch doesn't work at Friday dinner service. Restaurants need food that delivers the same result every time, regardless of who's on the pass.
The solution to all three is the same: source finished Lebanese food from a certified producer rather than making it from scratch. That's what Almaz Foods is built for.
Five Authentic Lebanese Dishes, Ready for Your Menu
Every Almaz Foods product is made at our SALSA-certified production kitchen in Kirkcaldy to traditional Lebanese family recipes. All products are frozen at peak quality, cook from frozen in under 6 minutes, and require no specialist kitchen equipment. Here's how each one works on a commercial menu.
Traditional Lebanese Falafel
Whole soaked chickpeas, fresh herbs, authentic Lebanese spices. No fillers, no flour, no compromise. Naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free, the definitive Lebanese falafel.
- Mezze starter, 4 pieces, labneh and flatbread
- Vegan / GF main, falafel salad bowl with tahini dressing
- Wrap or pitta, falafel, hummus, pickled red cabbage
- Sharing platter component
- Catering buffet, finger food with dipping sauces
- Hummus and warm flatbread
- Tahini sauce with lemon
- Tabbouleh (parsley, tomato, bulgur)
- Labneh and pomegranate molasses
- Pickled turnip, classic Lebanese accompaniment
Lebanese Falafel Burger
The same traditional falafel recipe formed into a generous burger patty. Crispy exterior, moist and flavourful centre, a plant-based option that doesn't eat like a compromise.
- Plant-based burger, brioche bun, tahini slaw, pickles
- Vegan main on its own with salad
- Pitta wrap with hummus and roasted peppers
- Catering events, vegan burger option at BBQs or banquets
- Tahini coleslaw
- Roasted red pepper sauce
- Pickled cucumber and red onion
- Fattoush salad on the side
Mince Beef Kubbeh
Lebanon's national dish, a crispy bulgur wheat shell filled with warmly spiced Halal-certified minced beef and caramelised onion. The authentic version, made in Scotland.
- Lebanese mezze starter, 2 pieces, yoghurt dip, lemon
- Sharing platter with falafel and dips
- Halal main course, 4 pieces, tabbouleh, flatbread
- Canapé or finger food at events (1 piece per serve)
- Middle Eastern tasting menu component
- Yoghurt with dried mint, the classic Lebanese pairing
- Tahini sauce and lemon wedges
- Tabbouleh, the acid cuts through the richness
- Warm flatbread and hummus
- Sumac-dressed onion salad
Spicy Chicken Kubbeh
A contemporary Lebanese variation, the same crispy bulgur wheat shell, filled with warmly spiced Halal-certified chicken. Heat that builds, not burns, genuine Lebanese spicing.
- Starter, 2 pieces, cooling labneh and cucumber
- Snack or small plate in a bar or tapas-style menu
- Sharing platter alongside beef kubbeh and falafel
- Halal main, 4 pieces with rice and salad
- Street food / festival catering, accessible price point
- Labneh and cucumber to cool the heat
- Lemon wedges, brightens the spice
- Flatbread and hummus
- Fresh herb salad (parsley, mint, coriander)
Mixed Vegetable Kubbeh
All the texture and authenticity of traditional Lebanese kubbeh, with a vibrant seasoned mixed vegetable filling. Fully vegan, Halal-friendly, and made to the same traditional recipe standard.
- Vegan starter, 2 pieces, tahini, lemon
- Vegan main, 4 pieces, tabbouleh, flatbread
- Mixed mezze platter, alongside falafel and dips
- Catering, the vegan centrepiece on a Lebanese spread
- Halal dining, satisfies vegan AND halal-conscious diners simultaneously
- Tahini sauce with garlic and lemon
- Fattoush salad
- Warm flatbread and olive oil
- Roasted red pepper and walnut dip (muhammara)
Building a Lebanese Menu Section That Works
You don't need to overhaul your menu to add Lebanese food. The most effective approach is to start with two or three dishes that give you breadth across dietary requirements, then expand based on what your diners respond to.
For a mixed restaurant menu (covering all dietary bases)
Traditional Falafel (vegan/GF/Halal) + Mince Beef Kubbeh (Halal) + Mixed Veg Kubbeh (vegan/Halal), three dishes, every dietary requirement covered, one supplier.
For a Halal-focused menu
Mince Beef Kubbeh + Spicy Chicken Kubbeh + Traditional Falafel, a complete Halal Lebanese spread with meat, chicken, and vegan options, all Halal certified or Halal-friendly.
For a plant-based or vegan-forward menu
Traditional Falafel + Falafel Burger + Mixed Veg Kubbeh, a fully vegan Lebanese range that brings real texture, flavour, and protein without any animal products.
- All products cook from frozen, no defrost required for the non-fried format
- Deep fry at 170°C for 5 minutes for the non-fried format, same oil as your existing fryer
- Ready-to-heat format: microwave 1 minute or air fryer 2 minutes at 190°C, minimal kitchen setup
- 1kg catering packs available for high-volume service, no repackaging required
- All products are no nuts added, simplifies allergen management
Why Almaz Foods for Your Kitchen
Almaz Foods is based at Mitchelston Industrial Estate in Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland's only SALSA-certified Arab and Lebanese food manufacturer. We make everything on site to traditional Lebanese family recipes, freeze at peak quality, and supply restaurants, caterers, and retailers across Scotland and the UK.
SALSA certification means our kitchen has been independently audited to the food safety standard required by major UK retailers and food service operators. Our Halal certification covers all meat products. Everything in our range is zero preservatives, no artificial additives, and no nuts added.
We supply trade accounts with 1kg catering packs on all products. Samples are available for qualifying trade accounts before you commit to stocking.