Nuba has come a long way, baby. I remember merely a few years ago, I used to go to their hole in the wall place for lunch. Then, they bought out the Mexican restaurant on Cambie and Hastings and revamped their look (think sleek, modern, fresh- even serving you cucumber infused water).
Nuba is a fresh lebanese restaurant that aims to use fresh ingredients, as well as some organic ingredients too. Every time I eat there, I get such a good feeling, post-stuffing-my-face. I liken eating at Nuba to doing yoga- you just feel really good afterward, its like you just filled your body with healthiness and it responds by feeling invigorated.
Then they opened up another Nuba near Main Street, then another one near Davie Street, and the newest one near Clark at the newly revamped Waldorf Hotel (where they apparently filmed Alvin and the Chipmunks, might I add!).
The menu is fresh and oh-so-delicious. The hummus is so creamy- it has a perfect amount of garlic in it. They are also very generous with their pitas, enough pitas for your lentil soup, hummus, baba ghanooj, and your main meal.
Portions are good, though depending on what you order. The garden falafel is $7.50 and is a little on the small side but beautifully presented (see somewhat discoloured iPhone photo I took). The feast is literally a feast. It’s meant to be shared by two (though I would say three would be sufficient too) and costs $28. The first part of the feast includes hummus, baba ghanooj etc and the second part of the feast is all the entree type stuff you would get if you ordered a la cart. One of my favourite things is the cauliflower. Normally I pretty much detest cauliflower, but they burn/toast the cauliflower and add some garlicky-lemon to it to make it so tasty.
Another change that came with expansion was getting licensed. You can now have sangria (mmm… sangria….) with your chicken tawook. They also serve Turkish coffee (I remember trying it once and it was quite strong).
Nuba’s a great place to eat at, though it has gotten a little pricier and the falafel portions seem smaller. Definitely a must-eat in Vancouver, though you should probably get their early otherwise you’ll be waiting a while for a seat.
Readers: Vancourites, have you tried Nuba yet? What do you think? If you’re not from Vancouver, have you ever tried cucumber slices in water? Any good lebanese restaurants in your city or town?
I must confess that I like baba ganush much more than hummus.
We have Nicolas’ in Portland and they always have a big line there. They serve huge portion of food and we always have a lot of left over to take home. The Mrs. is making hummus this afternoon and thanks for suggesting sangria, we’ll have some of that too.
@Retireby40- Glad to hear you’re having a leisurely Good Friday (Sangria definitely makes it even more leisurely!). Nicolas, eh? I’ll be sure to check it out next time I’m in Portland. I love going to the places that have line ups- that means the food is usually really good.
You are making me hungry! We have a Lebanese (Cafe du Liban) restaurant near us in Los Angeles that has the best food. Another newer place called Hummus Bar has the best hummus with mushrooms and fresh pita.
@krantcents- hummus and mushroom? mmm that sounds really good! Is it just the button mushrooms? Somehow I can’t imagine it. Okay so now I can go to LA and Portland and know where to eat, thanks guys!
Just curious, what are the yellow slices on the plate? Fruit? Squash?
@Two Degrees- They’re avocados
The flash on the iphone made them look yellow 
Yum all of that sounds good esp the baba ghanooj (which I had no idea how to spell until just now haha). Don’t think I’ve ever been to a Lebanese restaurant before so I’ll have to go look for one in San Fran on yelp. And yes I’ve had cucumber water at a a spa once – so refreshing! -Sydney
@Untemplater- I think there are variations to spelling baba ghanooj. I’ve seen it spelled bab ghanoosh before too
I’m sure there are tons of Lebanese restaurants in San Fran, there’s so much good food to be eaten in San Fran. Cucumber water is so posh, isn’t it?
The bf is fond of cucumbers in water with a splash of vinegar actually. I remain skeptical …
@CF- vinegar eh?? I usually love vinegar but it sounds weird with cucumbers. I do like vinegar and turnips/carrots (like the ones they have in Vietnamese food)… yumm… mouth is watering!
It makes me hungry.
That food looks amazing! I just saw that you said those were avocados… once I read that my stomach started going crazy! Thanks for another amazing post!!
@Eva- LOL you’re welcome. Glad you liked it! Yeah they don’t look like avocados do they?
Have only had Lebanese food in Lebanon sitting on a fantastic roof terrace overlooking the city and eating tabbouleh and humous. Great to know there is somewhere closer! Looks delicious.
@zoltan- OMG. I would trade that in a heart beat lol.
. . . I think I’m headed for Vancouver and I’m going to straight to Nuba.
” . . . they burn/toast the cauliflower and add some garlicky-lemon to it to make it so tasty.” This sounds incredible!
It’s great to hear about a restaurant that is so committed to “healthy”. I’ve almost given up on restaurants because of so much processed foods coming in their back doors.
Yeah Nuba!
Thx,
Bert
@Bert- Good thing is this trend of health eating is getting popular!