Mark McEwan's North 44 Restaurant

Unless something extremely offensive has happened, I don’t usually write negative reviews on restaurants. Unfortunately, something extremely offensive has happened with Byblos Uptown. Two days ago my group of four people went to Byblos Uptown to enjoy their Summerlicious menu. I had been to this restaurant and their downtown location before. Each time I enjoyed the food, the service, and the general atmosphere. I therefore did not hesitate to recommend the uptown location to my friends. We arrived at the restaurant just before six, in time for our six o’clock reservation. Except for staff, the restaurant was empty. A woman who I presume was the hostess, was having a discussion with a gentleman. We stood at the front for about five minutes while this conversation took place. No one acknowledged our presence and no one came to seat us. We might as well not even have been there. After about five minutes the hostess came towards us, giving us the impression we would be seated or at least be told she would be with us shortly. Not so. She walked right by us, picked something up at the reception desk, turned around and walked right by again. No greeting, no acknowledgment, nothing. She did not even make eye contact. After another five minutes or so, and there being no indication that our presence would be recognized, we left. The restaurant was still empty when we did that. We went to a restaurant down the street where we were seated immediately and treated like our business mattered. The next day I contacted Byblos’ head office, asking for the contact person for customer service. This request was dealt with in much the same manner as our attendance at the restaurant. That is, it was ignored. So, was the food good? Don’t know. We did not eat. Was the service good? Also, don’t know. We were never seated. Do I recommend this restaurant? That I do know. No. It only takes one experience like this for me to turn my back on a restaurant forever. This was that one experience.

Had a really good experience and especially since majority of the items here is HALAL. Came down here for a birthday celebration, and do not regret it. Everything was delicious except for the fish fillet, that was okay. 10/10 overall 🔥🔥🔥

Delicious middle eastern food. Very intimate atmosphere, favorite dish for all was the pide and beef short rib. Great wine list. Very attentive staff.

I've been wanting to try Byblos for the longest time - was totally excited to finally check it out. I arrived with my dinner companion and told the hostess that I had reservations for two - based on her reaction, it didn't seem like they had a table reserved for us, but I digress. When I first laid eyes on the menu, I couldn't have been more excited. There were countless dishes that I wanted to try. We ended up ordering six items to share - the dishes were very hit or miss. The crispy stuffed olives were pretty bad. Can't say that I've ever had worse olives at a restaurant. They were battered and fried. Because the olives were so small, the batter completely overwhelmed the olives - could not taste the olives at all, let alone whatever it was stuffed with. The labneh was a very good dish. If I could bring myself to recommend this restaurant, which I can't, I would recommend this dish. The combination of all the ingredients and the pita worked so well together. That said, they gave only three small measly pieces of beets. My dinner companion told me that years ago, the dish had much larger pieces of beets - that's shrinkflation for you. The tuna tartare was a miss. The flavor was flat and one dimensional - it could have used some acid or something. The pairing of watermelon with the tuna was ok taste wise, but visually deceptive - it looked like there was a lot more tuna than there actually was. The lamb ribs were pretty good, which says a lot, as I don't typically enjoy lamb. The lamb was tender, not gamey and had a good crust for flavor. The short rib kebab was definitely a hit for me. Tender, flavorful, good portion size...it gets the chef's kiss! Lastly, the roasted cauliflower was a big miss. It was kind of inedible. It was bitter and under seasoned. The restaurant was nicely designed and provided an enjoyable atmosphere. Unfortunately, I prioritize food over atmosphere. I will not be returning. One final note, we were sharing the dishes over two courses. When the staff cleared the plates from the first course, they started to walk away, then one of the staff came to his senses asked if we wanted fresh plates and cutlery for the next course. It really shouldn't even have been a question, but kudos to the staff who realized what good service entails.

Fantastic place. One of the best culinary experiences I've had. It is pricey but for a special occasion it's acceptable. It's nice to see familiar Turkish elements fused with other Middle Eastern elements. The decor is nice as well.

I came to this place for the first time to celebrate my birthday. I liked the food, thanks for the excellent service, very tasty drinks. I definitely recommend this place if it’s a special day for you , 5/5 🤩👌

Byblos in uptown offers a fusion of Eastern Mediterranean cuisine, blending traditional and local ingredients. Their dishes highlight the region's distinctive spices and flavors through a mix of classic techniques and modern methods. I recently attended a birthday party at Byblos and was thoroughly impressed. The four-course meal was outstanding, and the staff's hospitality made the experience truly memorable.

Great ambiance but our main course was delayed and brought something else by mistake then took 20-25 minutes for the correct one to arrive when we were almost full. However they provided free desert to apologize for that. Most of the foods was a bit spicy, hot but beautifuly presented. Drinks were amazing too.

If you’re looking for authentic but unique Middle Eastern food, this is the spot. Almost every dish we tried was a 10/10. Flavors and presentation of each dish were on point and only left you wanting more. The drinks were also fantastic. Louis was our server, and he really made this experience a memorable one. Top dishes of the night were the Labneh, Lamb Pide, Octopus, Fried Shirmp, Fried Chicken, and the Branzino. Desserts were also great. Cheesecake and the Lemon Olive Oil cake were delicious. Highly recommend and definitely will be returning!

Warm and cozy spot for a family dinner or a celebration. It’s not very loud and service is pretty good. We got the lamb shoulder for the main course, it was highly recommended and the most popular dish apparently. We loved it! However, we felt it was over priced for a dinner for three.