Decent Lebanese food but not as good as the Google rating: Restaurant Le Cèdre Maurice (26. August 2020)
The Le Cèdre already exists for quite a while in Zurich – more than 10 years, I believe. However, they have opened new branches with time and the “Le Cèdre Maurice” is the newest one. Given of all the three there are, it was the best-rated, I decided to give it a try and went for a nice ride through their menu. We had a selection of different little nibbles like “tabbouleh (delicious salad with thinly cut parsley, fresh peppermint, tomato dices, bulgur)” (CHF 13.50)” and “Babaghanouj / moutabbal batinjen (fresh grilled, peeled, and mashed eggplants mixed with sesame sauce and olive oil)” (CHF 14.50) and both were great. Admittedly, I wasn’t such a big fan of the babaghanouj as it was a bit “too grilled” for me. But still, enjoyable.
The “Fattoush (tomato and cucumber dices, lettuce, skilfully seasoned, olive oil, lemon juice, toasted bread pieces)” (CHF 19.50) was absolutely refreshing and overall enjoyable. A bit too big a portion almost (and I couldn’t find a smaller portion on the menu) but definitely generous and delicious.
My absolute favourite dish of the evening was the “hommos bi lahme (lamb filet, chickpeas pureed, finely cut fried lamb)” (CHF 18.50). It just reminded me of the time when I was working in Bahrain and had hummus every day for breakfast and dinner. The “falafel (fried chickpea balls, beans and seasoning, served with sesame sauce)” (CHF 13.50) were okay but they were not even close to the deliciousness of the hummus.
The “maschewi (3 different skewers, lamb, kafta, chicken)” (CHF 29.90) was great on the other hand so it compensated again. If I’d had to pick which dishes I would order again, it would definitely be the maschewi, the hummus, and the tabbouleh.
The place is rather simple and frankly in terms of atmosphere not that appealing. Especially, since you cannot sit outside. In the other two Le Cèdre there is a rather big area where you can sit outside. Okay, this one has an area too but it is tiny and you have no view.
However, the waiter was friendly and swift (after we have managed to place the initial order) and we even got “fresh watermelon” as a ‘gift’ for dessert which was absolutely nice. So, all in all, I liked Le Cèdre Maurice as the food is good and the service was nice. However, the 4.4 Google rating is one I do not share. They are good, but it’s more like a 3.5 than a 4.4.
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Le Cèdre Maurice
Nüschelerstrasse 31
8001 Zürich (CH)
Tel.: +41 44 221 98 02
E-Mail: contact@libanesisch.ch
Homepage: http://www.libanesisch.ch
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
