556/2, Marine Drive, Colombo 3.
This place has closed down
Hazari's has managed to maintain their Middle-Eastern standard while moving to their new Marine Drive location.
With some new Middle Eastern restaurants opening up in Colombo we thought we'd revisit Hazari's. While their desserts still need work, the mains are meaty, ample in portion and spicy.
Hazari's has been around since 2012, and has gained a dedicated customer base. As of late the Middle Eastern food scene in Colombo has grown with the additions of Sama and the new Arabian Knights. The menu at Hazari's is slightly different from the others with stuff like mushaltat and Arabic pizzas. The only downside being that meats are limited to beef and chicken. The prices are also very reasonable with dishes priced between Rs. 280 to Rs. 1500. The great thing is that even the less expensive dishes come in large, filling portions. While the mains we tried were satisfying, we can't really say the same about the desserts which still requires some fine tuning.
We started off with the beef fatteh (Rs. 490) which is a hummus dish served with chunks of grilled beef, chickpeas, toasted kubz, caramelized onions and chillies. So far I'd say this is the best of the hummus dishes I've tried in Colombo. This is also one of the few places that offers hummus and meats. We'd say this one falls somewhere between a starter and a main, but the portion is still quite large and should suffice unless you're very hungry. The beef was grilled and seasoned very well with the caramelized onions adding both texture and sweetness to the creamy hummus.
The Kabsa rice with grilled chicken (Rs. 920) was also well prepared, if a bit on the spicy side. The kabsa rice was very flavoursome with plenty of spices, saffron and cardamoms. It's served with a sizeable piece of grilled chicken, sauteed veges, roasted potatoes and aubergines. The chicken was cooked very well, but we felt it was just a tad bit too spicy. If you're a spice buff you'll likely love this one but it tends to overpower the other flavours. This one has personal preference involved so perhaps let the waiter know how much heat you prefer.
The dessert was the only real letdown for us here. We got the oddly named strawberry and cheese (Rs. 265) hoping it would be something similar to Middle Eastern spin on a strawberry cheesecake with some fresh strawberries. While the Middle Eastern spin part remained somewhat true with the roti, there were no actual strawberries, with strawberry syrup and jam being substituted instead. The biggest problem here was that the syrup on the outside and jam on the inside had such contrasting artificial taste that the entire dish was unbalanced.
Hazari's is located in Thimbirigasyaya, which is fast becoming one of the best foodie neighborhoods in Colombo with recent additions like Giovanni's, Domenico's and The Bread Company. The interior is very simple with seating for around 30 with large glass windows which allow plenty of natural light to flow in.
We didn't have any complaints about the service at Hazari's which was both fast and helpful. The young waiter was enthusiastic, knew the dishes well and also told us about the dishes that weren't listed on the menu yet. From what we've experienced their delivery is also very efficient.
We've seen consistent improvement at Hazari's over the past couple of years. They're already one of the Colombo's best Middle Eastern restaurants. All they need to do is get their desserts sorted.
Hazari's has managed to maintain their standard while moving to their new Marine Drive location.
With some new Middle Eastern restaurants opening up in Colombo we thought we'd revisit Hazari's. While their desserts still need work, the mains are meaty, ample in portion and spicy.
Hazari's is one of the nicest Arabic restaurants in town. We were wrong in our first review to call it just OK. They serve different and thoughtful Middle Eastern food with good service and delivery.
Hazari's has managed to maintain their Middle-Eastern standard while moving to their new Marine Drive location.
සිංහල මෙතනින් නියම අරාබි රස ගන්න පුළුවන්. ඇවිල්ල හොඳට කාල, එහා පැත්තෙ තියෙන ඉන්දියන් සාගරේත් සිරිය පොඩ්ඩක් නරඹලා යන්න.
සිංහල ලාභ, ඉක්මණ් ඒත් සුවිශේෂ නොවන අරාබි කෑම
தமிழ் "ஹஸரீஸ்" புதிதாய் ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள அராபிய உணவகம். இது திம்பிரிகஸ்யாய வீதியில் பைவ் வீதிக்கு அருகில் அமைந்துள்ளது.
Address
556/2, Marine Drive, Colombo 3.
Directions
Former Redberry's location.
Contacts
Report InaccuracyThis place has closed down
Cuisine
Price Range
Ratings Breakdown
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1/5
Absolutely horrible service ! I made my first visit to Hazari's today. I'd made a reservation 40 minutes prior to arrival. When I got here, they have not reserved a table nor taken down the details for the reservation. They just rushed us into a basement, which from the looks of it is hardly ever used. The tables are covered with a thin layer of dust and the entire room smells of dust. The waiter only made his way downstairs to take our order after 20 minutes.
Extremely disappointed with the service. Hazaris please learn to serve your customers a little better, it wouldn't kill you.
Love most of the reviews on here but have to disagree with this one.
I find this place serves some of the tastiest food in Colombo. Interesting, unique, delicate flavours and most certainly not Lankan.
Despite originally being from London, with all the 1000s of Arabic restaurants there, there are things on the menu at Hazari's that I've never come across there. This seemed a sign of particular "street foody" Arabic authenticity as opposed to any "Lankafication".
Perhaps you didn't order the best dishes. The fatayer with ground beef and cinnamon (even better with added cheese) and the zatar and cheese manakish (delicious flatbread with special Arabic herb mixture) are both ridiculously yummy.
The desert fatayers are also amazing…especially the chocolate cinnamon and strawberry cheese.
I guess a lot does depend on one's fondness for their bread dishes….all are freshly cooked to order in their huge custom built oven and I think they ARE especially awesome ;)
Ever wondered why Arabic food has not picked up in Sri Lanka like Chinese and Thai, etc.? It's because Arabic food is an acquired taste, something not a lot of Sri Lankans will warm up to. And Arabic cuisine is far from spicy, too. I know this, because I have lived in the Middle East for a fairly long time and desperately miss the food! I, on the other hand have searched this country for the most authentic Arabic restaurant and came across Habibi, (which is now The Floor by O!), run by an Egyptian. In Hazari's case, they have had to tweek their flavours to suit the local palate and as a result, I feel, they have completely lost the plot.
Myself and 3 of my friends stopped by this place for dinner and were amazed with the service they offer. The food was excellent, not heavy and filling but, stays true to the taste it promises. The owners were really friendly giving us suggestions and explaining what each food item is made of. Their tea is excellent and a definite winner for me.
Your review is not fair at all. I frequent this place, and I find the food absolutely amazing. Service is excellent too, and the gentleman (Owner I think) behind the counter is very obliging. We love this place.
Beg to differ, as the lunch hour looms the restaurant is deserted. Food was substandard as toppings were sparsely used (cost saving prolly) compared arabic food in the Middle East. This coming from a person who was born, lived and travelled quite a fair bit (13 years and counting).
Prices are completely different to the ones mentioned above.
Verdict: Doesn't live up to the name, poor customer service. And owner/Floor Manager has quite a bit of an Ego for which he believes his food is authentic middle eastern; quite the opposite infact. His Exact words " This is the way manaquish is supposed to be made, the staff were trained by a foreign chef, If you want it you can take it or leave it!" - So much for customer service!
Amazing Service and great food ! The Grilled Chicken with with Khubs Bread was awesome and will be coming back for more.
The food here is absolutely amazing and I recommend it to anyone who wants to have a tasty and affordable meal.
The review here is extremely unfair and so not true.
This is a good review and I wonder why some complained about unfair review?
I visited this place and the price is reasonable.
Food is good but as agree with Indi that it is not superb.
I went there last week and the place and the food were awesome. And the place is damn cheap. Although I won't recommend the biriyani, the beef fatteh was really good.
impressed that you have decided to revist and re-assess your first opinions - this kind of transparency and having an open mind is what makes yamu a step above all other reviewers in sri lanka
Food was not great. Wrong choose of meals maybe but we had ordered5 different items and none were good unfortunately.
This restaurant has higher price and very poor quality food . If anyone know how their kitchen looks and the hygiene not a single person will go there. it is just a tip . I was there 4 weeks ago and that was the last time ever. But there is a nice restaurant called sensal near Jawaththa junction which is bit expensive but better quality.
Saman
samanvithanage
"there is a nice restaurant called sensal near Jawaththa junction"
……
…….LOL
Very disappointed potion r very small and very spice no flever the chicken meal very burn
Don't go any one
Reading some of the comments left here, its very apparent that the bad comments are from those who do not appreciate a slight twist to an already super Arabic dish or just don't know what Arabic food is like. I lived in the Middle East for quite a significant time and I must say Hazaris brings back all that nostalgia in all its glory. As for my reviews, fantastic service - The waiters are helpful and and cope with a large or small crowd equally well. Good manners and they know the menus well enough to give the right suggestions to the Arabic food novice. Food, needless I say more, it was just great. Full of flavour, texture and well balanced spice levels, keeping the essence of the meal true to its origins of taste. Nice ambience. And finally… money well spent. Being a typical Sri Lankan, who wants to make every spent cent count, I am delighted when I finish a meal here knowing every penny (cent) was well worth it. Eating a couple of Shawarmas here fills you up so much and cost you around Rs. 550/=. And that itself is a meal! So keep up the good work guys. We love U!
This place has been closed on quite a number of occasions that I've tried to dine there, mostly for that whole roast chicken. Ordered the grilled chicken with khubz once and it was very disappointing, dry, tough and not worth the money. It might have been arranged pretty but there was barely anything on the plate to warrant the price.
5/5
Amman Lantra
The best ever Shawarma ever tasted in Colombo😍
2/5
ajlalwani
It used to be really good when it was on thimbri
5/5
sonali_isme
Rated 5/5