Arabesque Swiss Cottage is a Middle Eastern restaurant and wine bar at 23 Winchester Road, close to Hampstead Theatre and Swiss Cottage Library. Established in 1999, it combines an elegant dining room with spacious outdoor seating and a relaxed atmosphere suited to families, couples and group meals.
Traditional Lebanese and wider Arabic cooking shapes the menu, with fresh ingredients central to the kitchen. Cold and hot mezze provide an inviting way to begin, bringing together familiar dishes such as hummus, falafel, tabbouleh and stuffed vine leaves for sharing around the table.
Grilled meats and mixed grills form a substantial part of the main selection, alongside vegetable dishes and other homemade specialities. The contrast between bright salads, dips, warm bread and smoky barbecue flavours makes the format especially well suited to a leisurely communal meal.
Lebanese wine is a particular focus of the drinks list, joined by cocktails and other bar choices. Lunch and dinner service, collection orders and more than two decades in Swiss Cottage give Arabesque the flexibility of a neighbourhood restaurant with a celebratory side.
Address: 23 Winchester Road, Swiss Cottage, London NW3 3NR, England
Arabesque Swiss Cottage Menu
Vegetarian Mezza
Hummus
Chickpea puree with tahini and lemon juice.
Hummus Beiruti
Chickpea puree with tahini and lemon juice, mixed with green chilli and parsley.
Baba Ghanouj
Grilled aubergine mixed with tahini and lemon juice.
Tabouleh
Parsley salad with tomatoes, fresh mint, bulgur wheat, onions, lemon juice and olive oil.
Warak Enab
Filled with rice, parsley and onions. Cooked in olive oil and lemon juice.
Falafel
Lovely spicy fritters of chickpeas, parsley, garlic. Shallow deep fried.
Fattoush
Yellow and green peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, baby leaves, toasted Lebanese bread, parsley and mint topped with olive oil.
Jajeek (Tzatziki)
Refreshing natural greek yoghurt with diced cucumber and olive oil.
Fatayer (3 Pieces)
Mixed filo pastry filled with (halloumi cheese), (spinach), (black olives and sun dried tomatoes).
Grilled Halloumi Cheese
Grilled halloumi cheese.
Lebnah
Strained yoghurt garnished with mint and olive oil.
Foul Mudamas
Fava beans simmered in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil.
Batata Harra
Cubes of potatoes sautéed with garlic, coriander, sweet pepper and chilli.
Greek Salad with Feta Cheese
Classic Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, green peppers, stoned kalamata olives, fresh mint, lemon juice and olive oil.
Kalaje
Halloumi cheese grilled on Lebanese flat bread with tomato, mint and olive oil.
Loubieh Bil Zeit
Fresh green beans cooked in olive oil, tomatoes, onions and garlic.
Leblebi (Hummus Sada)
Boiled chickpeas mixed with olive oil, lemon juice and garlic.
Veggie Balls
Minced mixed vegetables cooked in tomato sauce with toasted vermicelli.
Non Vegetarian Mezza
Fried Squid
Lightly coated and seasoned squid.
Lebanese Kibbeh
Lebanese specialty of minced lamb and bulgur wheat with parsley, onions ad pine nuts.
Potato Kibbeh
Iraqi specialty of delicate mashed potatoes filled with minced lamb, parsley and mixed spices.
Lamb Sambousak
Home made pastry filled with lamb, parsley, onion and mixed spices.
Chicken Sambousak
Baked Lebanese pastry filled with chicken parsley and onions.
Soujok
Home made spicy beef sausages sautéed in olive oil, tomatoes and lemon juice.
Hummus Shawarma
Hummus topped with slices of chicken or lamb shawarma.
Hot & Spicy Chicken Wings
Marinated in a fiery blend of spices and coated with a hot sauce glaze for an intense, mouth-watering heat.
Non Spicy Chicken Wings
Tender and flavourful seasoned chicken wings, offering a delicious taste.
Kraydes Crevettes
Pan fried Mediterranean prawns with garlic and lemon juice.
Chicken Liver
Marinated chicken liver sautéed with lemon and coriander.
Lamb Liver
Marinated lamb liver sautéed with lemon and spices.
Arayes
Lebanese bread filled with seasoned minced lamb, tomatoes, parsley, onions and lemon juice.
Tarmasalata
Smoked cod roe caviar.
Meat Balls
Delicious spicey meatballs with garlic.
Mega Mezza
Serves 6-8 people. Selection of 8 hot and cold mezzas of your choice. Mixed Grill platter to share. Mixed shawarma platter to share with rice and chips.
Mega Mezza
Side Dishes
Rice
Sweet Potatoes
Chips
Grilled Vegetables
Mixed Olives
Torshi (Picked Vegetables)
Children's Menu
Chicken Nuggets
Served with salad and chips or rice.
Lamb or Chicken Shawarma
Served with salad and chips or rice.
Meatballs
Served with salad and chips or rice.
Desserts
Ice Cream
Baklawa With Honey
Halwa, Date Syrup, Pistachio
Apple Pie
Main Courses
Shish Taouk
Boneless chicken cubes marinated in yoghurt, lemon juice and olive oil.
Duck Fillets
Marinated Duck fillet with coriander yoghurt and herbs.
Peri-Peri Chicken
Succulent chicken breast marinated in our freshly prepared peri-peri sauce.
Chicken And Chorizo Kebab
Chicken and cubes marinated in yoghurt, olive oil, skewered with smoked chorizo sausages.
Boneless Baby Chicken
Marinated in yoghurt, olive oil and fresh herbs.
Chicken Shawarma
Roasted slices of marinated chicken in yoghurt, lemon juice, olive oil and chef’s spices.
Lamb Shawarma
Roasted slices of marinated lamb.
Lamb Cubes
Tender lamb cubes chargrilled served with grilled tomatoes and onions.
Lamb Chops
Flour lamb chops chargrilled served with grilled tomatoes and onions.
Minced Lamb Kebab
Minced lamb mixed with onions, parsley, and chef’s spice served with grilled tomatoes and onions.
Chicken and Lamb Cubes
Tender chicken and lamb cubes served with grilled tomatoes and onions.
BBQ Mixgrill
Skewer of chicken cubes, Minced Lamb kebab, Lamb cubes and lamb chops, Served with salad, rice, chips or sweet potatoes.
Fish
Served with salad, rice, chips, or sweet potatoes.
Sea Bream
Chargrilled whole fish marinated with saffron and garlic.
Sea Bass
Char grilled whole fish marinated with saffron and garlic.
Vegetarian
Vegetarian Mezzes Selection
Falafel, hommons, taboulch, 1 fatayar spinach, 1 fatayar hallourhi cheese, vine leaves and lebnah (strained yoghurt).
Mediterranean Stuffed Vegetables
Peppers, aubergine, courgettes, vine leaves, onions stuffed with rice and fresh herbs. Served with herbs.
Tabsi
Layers of potatoes, aubergine, peppers, mushroom, courgettes, onions and tomatoes. Oven baked in tomato sauce, served with rice and herb salads.
Vegetarian Biryani
Rice cooked with veggie balls, chef’s spices and mixed vegetables (potato, aubergine, cauliflower, carrot and peas).
Okra
Okra cooked with tomato sauce, garlic, coriander with olive oil and lemon juice. Served with rice or chips and salad.
Pre Theatre Menu – Non Vegetarian
Taouk Meal
Skewer o chicken cubes, baba ghanouj (aubergine dip), fattoush, lamb sambousak and jajeek.
Kufta and Lamb Cubes
Lamb minced kebab, lamb cubes, hummus, jajeek, chips and salad.
Kastaleta Meal
Three lamb cutlets, aubergine dip, tabouleh, lebnah and chips.
Chicken & Lamb Shawarma
Roasted slices of marinated chicken and lamb served with hummus, mixed salad, rice or chips.
Soups
Lentil Soup
Chicken Soup
Cold Drinks
Fresh Lemonade
Pomegranate Juice
Mango Juice
Coke, D-Coke, Sprite, Fanta
Mineral
Elderflower Sparkling (L)
Elderflower Sparkling (S)
Still Water (Large)
Still Water (Small)
Tea
Moroccan Mint Tea
Chai Tea With Cardamon
Saffron Tea
Cinnamon Tea
Lebanese Wine (Red)
Rogue Passion-Couteaux Du Liban
A blend of Cabernet – Sauvignon, Syrah, Carignan and Grenache grapes with a ruby colour and complex fruity aromas.
Domaine Des Tourelles
It has a wonderfully rich ruby hue while the nose gives hints of Morella cherries and other spices. In the mouth berry fruits are underpinned with silky tannins.
Reserve Du Couvent – Chateau Ksara
A delivious complex wine that resonate with the subtle combination of spicy fruits Oak and vanilla tones. Issued from Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cab-Franc.
Jeune Red – Chateau Musar
A blend of Rhone varieties Cinsault and Syrah plus, Cabernet Sauvignon from organic vineyards gives rich characters of blackcurrants, redcurrants, cherries and raspberries with a hint of eastern spice.
European and Other Wine (Red)
Rioja – Spain
Made in a modern, unoaked style, the wine is full of vibrant summer fruit. Well balanced, soft and approachable.
Fondstone Shiraz – Berton Vineyards
This Shiraz display vanillin cigar-box and black cherries on the nose, with a rich mouth feel that leads to lovely ripe black cherry with complex hints of spice and herbs on the plate.
Chianti Gentilesco – Tuscany
Dry and velvety with an intense bouquet and a wupple, lingering finish.
Melbec – Mendoza – Argentina
European and Other Wine (White)
Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia – Veneto Italy
Fresh, fruity and dry with nice weight and hint of spice and lemon on the finish.
Chablis – France
Clean fruit with balanced acidity and a dry, crisp finish. Typical fresh, mineral notes on nose and palate.
Sancerre – France
Vibrant Sauvignon notes of grapefruit and Lemon with good weight and clean crisp finish.
Vina Sol – Original Spain
Beer
Beirut Beer/Lebanese Beer
Efes / Turkish Beer
Peroni
Liqueurs and Vermouth
Martini Rosso
Served in 50ml or upon request for a single measure of 25ml.
Cointreau
Served in 50ml or upon request for a single measure of 25ml.
Tequillar Sierra Silver
Served in 50ml or upon request for a single measure of 25ml.