by Najat K.

Good tasty Lebanese cuisine, priced correctly - No beverage menu available, no professional menu for food, no professional menu for wine, no proper restaurant napkins. - Host who is also the founder and director of operations for Layaleena (their live entertainment) is an aggressive alpha male type. Not warm and welcoming but more inquisive and kind of rude and confusing about their pricing policies - Pricing: they require a $15 cover charge + whatever you consume at the bar + a minimum of $20 if you sit at a table + 18% gratuity that they include in your bill for you - Waitress: average service - Place is average, nothing special, a bar and an open space (square/rectangulaire shape) with average furniture. Their back door opens in the middle to a non heated hall where they have their restrooms. If they have it open you will need to have your coat on because it gets very cold in there. - Entertainment: it says on their website that it starts at 9pm (if you ask him the host will tell you it will start in 5 minutes!). I was there on a Saturday, I arrived at 9:15 pm and their entertainment never started until around 11 pm. *They had a band of 3 musicians/back singers: two were both lousy singers and musicians and the one musician that played Derboukka was terrific. * They had a young lady that sings with the band: her voice is beautiful her outfit was not. * They also had a belly dancer: She was very good - Overall the ambiance was kind of stiff not really fun and relaxed. Not one customer got up and danced. Would I go back? No, it was not fun. One funny note: I don't know what it was but there a bunch of men working there, all spiffed up in business suits and running around the whole evening!

by Mama P.

I had such high hopes for this place.  We went at 630p and there was only a table of 2 nearing the end of their meal.  By the time we placed our order (mezze combo appetizer and 2 entrees), there were 2 other tables.  Despite the near empty restaurant, the service was s-l-o-w.  There were 3 waitresses who hung out at the counter and didn't refill water nor check in with us.  After 20 min, I waved until one of the waitresses came over to ask for a status.  She said they were busy (!!) and to please be patient.  When I pointed out that there were only 3 tables of 2 there and one already had their food, she shrugged and walked away.  Ten minutes later and still no food in sight.  The food finally arrived, all at once, appetizers and entrees, 35 min after ordering.  I wish I could say the wait was worth it.  The chicken schawarma was so dry it was impossible to swallow.  The rice pilaf was crunchy from bits of raw rice.  The grape leaves were so tough, it was difficult to take a bite.  We gave up eating them and left 3.5 out of 4 grape leaves uneaten.  The one redeeming item was the baba ganoush which was not the best I've ever had but was the best item on the table.  The beef kabobs were ok but at least weren't dry like the chicken.  The cost for this kind of food was very very pricey.  Considering the low quality, we were robbed.  The evening ended when the fire alarm went off with loud piercing ringing.  We threw money on the table, way overtipping for the terrible service but desperate to leave, who cared??   SAVE your hard earned cash and do not come here.  GO to Wrappro on Mass Ave instead - fresher, basic Middle Eastern there that is value for the money!

by Danielle M.

Nice! A hop and skip away from work, I crossed through Black Magic to find this awesome new addition to the Boston/Cambridge-area Lebanese restaurant menu (although the owners are Armenian). The space inside is much smaller that you'd gather by looking at the pictures on their website, but nonetheless warm and inviting. The decorations are simple and beautiful, the curtains are gorgeous, and the layout isn't awful. Our server/hostess Deb was very nice and seemed to enjoy her job (which IMO is a huge portion of what makes the food taste good). The salad was lemony and had fresh sumac, the iceberg could have been rinsed a little better, and the cucumbers were delicious. THEIR HUMMUS IS PERFECTION. We had an order of the soujouk, which was juicy and had the right amount of spice. The basterma was alright, the tabbouleh was not. I ordered the chicken shawarma entree with fries, and was not exactly floored. The shawarma was juicy, but in an oily, not succulent, way. The essential shawarma seasonings were noticeably lacking. The side of pickles and seasoned onions was very good, but the garlicky toum was the dish's saving grace. I also tried the kafta, which was not bad, and heard the shish taouk and beef kabob were also decent. The beef shawarma was very well prepared. Bread is served warm, the flatware/drinkware is clean, and the huge open windows are a very nice touch. Not much of a view, but I will definitely enjoy sitting on the adjacent patio come the summer. They advertise a belly dancer on Sunday nights, argileh (with reservations, since it has to be on the small patio), and it seems they have a hefty-sized evening crowd. They have a well-stocked bar, and enough seating area for large groups. The restrooms were well kept, and hopefully they turn on that heater in the hallway during the colder evenings. The food in general was OK: I was dissapointed with the shawarma (which is usually my determining compass), but still I would like to come again to try more. I think I would have a higher opinion if I came at night, when the place is full, the music is playing, people are dressed up, and the overall energy is a little more festive.

by NIX V.

We went to Basha on a Friday night for the Greek music.  It started at about 9:30pm and initially consisted of a guy playing a Bouzouki with a back up of pre-recorded music (Bouzouki karaoke).  A little while later a singer who was pretty good joined him.  That was the extent of the Greek band.  A belly dancer performed a set and she did a nice job.The food was just okay and it was not cheap.  The best things on the menu were the chicken kabob plate which was very tasty and served with grilled vegetables, and the baklava.  The service is good although you can get forgotten as the place fills up.  I also got the feeling that the staff was still getting up to speed since the place is new.The place is great as a local neighborhood bar/restaurant.  However, I would not travel a great distance to visit it.

by Abby F.

This place is great! The service was good, but not outstanding. The hookah was tasty. The food was AMAZING. My boyfriend's family is Armenian-Lebanese, and this was the first Middle-Eastern-style restaurant that hasn't disappointed him. Everything was made in-house, and it was the best I've ever had. The hummus was garlicky, but not too much. My boyfriend loved his beef schwarma, but beware of the pickled hot pepper that comes with it! It's INSANELY hot. I got the vegetarian plate. The stuffed grape leaves have some tomato in them, which I normally don't like, but here they were delicious. The tabouleh surprised me by being just a little spicy. The falafel were delicious and had just a hint of cinnamon, I think.Admittedly, it is more pricey than your average Greek or Turkish place, but the food is absolutely worth it. We will definitely be coming back here. If you plan to get a hookah, call ahead for reservations; smoking is only allowed on the patio, which has limited seating.

by Rex J.

I'm a big fan of Middle Eastern food, and enjoy all regional variations.  I have eaten at Basha twice now and commend the quality and selection. It offers Turkish, Greek, Armenian, and other styles and not just generic.  When compared to other middle eastern restaurants Basha Cafe is higher priced.     Lunch offerings are more the typical 'deli' like middle eastern offerings such as kebabs and roll ups but still with a better quality than what you would get at family run counter place.Basha offers a more traditional restaurant setting not the family style you would see more frequently with Middle Eastern offerings (in Boston).  The quality of the selection, preparation  of the food, and presentation are in line with the prices. Everything I had was fresh and flavorful. I  especially liked the Mucver mezze, and the Lamp chops!Of course the high end of the spectrum was the Istanbul cafe, now gone, and even more of modern twist on Middle eastern, the current Oleana which the far end of the spectrum in price and style.Like the gym next door this restaurant is not expected to be found in this section of Cambridge; the hidden location and slightly higher price point might turn others off, but if you're looking for quality  Middle Eastern food and nightly entertainment, I would hope you won't be disappointed

by Naomi U.

Excellent, tasty and authentic Middle Eastern food and live music BUT very very pricey!  Their focus is on themed nightclub events in the evening, featuring the food music and entertainment of countries in the Mediterranean.  They pretty much expect reservations.Probably the best way to enjoy this place is to dress to the nines,  take a mid-sized group and have the kind of elaborate party which would take a great deal of effort to pull off in your own home.The night I went both Cantabrigian and Middle Eastern dress codes were in effect...some women were wearing pastel cashmere turtlenecks and tiny pearls others were wearing tasteful lame and sequined mini dresses, $900 shoes and yellow gold.  All men were wearing suits (even the security guys and those in the band), but not all men had a mustache!We spent ~$80 for two people (the only alcohol involved was 1 small beer)...there is a $20 per person minimum, and an automatic 18% tip on all orders, then when your bill comes you will find a line allowing you to tip additionally.The location is convenient and ingenious (where else could you put a nightclub in Cambridge??) and the appointments are very nice...tapestry fabric upholstered seating and some Turkish lamps...but the space is not exactly right....sort of like an upscale metal artist/welder's studio.

by nick h.

Where can you find one of the best falafel wraps in Cambridge?Where can you find $4 beers like BBC IPA and Stella on draft?Where can you enjoy Middle Eastern delights like Baba Ghanoush, Kibbee, and Shawarma?Where can you see Belly Dancing on Wednesday nights, as well as live music and salsa?If you find yourself asking any of these questions, look no further than Basha Cafe, a fresh new spot in an obscure part of Cambridge. I've reached an age-old dilemma with this place: on the one hand I want more people to flock here because of all they have to offer, but on the other hand it is right on my way home from work and I really would prefer that Basha and I keep our little affair under wraps (pardon the pun).Those who do read this review - go once to try Basha, but then keep it to yourself.

by Andrea R.

Food was great.  What was no so great, however, was taking the food away while we were still eating it.  3 out of 5 for value.  Odd location, amateur staff, authentic flavors, over priced.  Still, groupon made it sweeeeet.......

by Steven L.

I'm not going to spend my time talking about the location nor decor.  We have museums for that stuff. The food was good, but not worth the price.  The appetizer sampler was 25, a steep price for a portion that barely feeds 2.  The entrees are overpriced at 17-20 for a portion smaller than mom and pop stores.  The beef kabob was overcooked and poorly seasoned.  At the end, we were hit with 2 dollars per serving of water for each person.  Coke was 1.50 and 1.50 per refill.  Are you kidding me?  Even with a groupon, this place was trash.  Don't waste your time.

by Amanda S.

Basha is located in kind of an odd, out-of-the-way location so I probably never would have stumbled upon it had it not been for the Groupon I purchased online.  I really can't say enough good things about the staff who went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and enjoyed our experience there- they were genuinely friendly and helpful (I had a lot of menu questions!).  The food was great- I had the zucchini patties, and the chicken kabobs which came with a salad.  I thought the prices were fair- our app. was around $8, entrees around $15.  The decor felt a bit bare and cafeteria-like, but I'm thinking they are new and maybe still working on this?  One thing I really liked was that they had live middle eastern music, which was a nice touch.  And if you're into hookah, that's an option if you sit out on the patio.

by Susie A.

Totally mixed feelings! The food was good and the entertainment was nice, but it seems a bit overpriced for what it is. I definitely would have given 3.5 stars if I could, but 4 just seemed too high. And 3 means A-OK, which it was.They do have an awesome cocktail list and is the only place I've ever seen that has bubblegum vodka! Not that I'd want bubblegum vodka everywhere, but you've got to try it once. The Bubble-07 tasted exactly like bubblegum; it was crazy!!!We loved the fried kibbeh we had for an appetizer. I got the vegetarian platter for a meal and thought the stuffed grape leaves were marvelous!! The tabbouleh was nothing special and a super small portion. And the falafel was seriously as hard as a rock and super dry. It hurt to swallow it. Chris had the kafta and beef kabobs and thought they were very good, tender, etc.They served pita before the meal, but I thought it was odd they didn't serve anything with it. No hummus ($7 to order as an appetizer), no oil with spices, nothing!The Turkish band that was playing the night we went (Friday) was pretty great, but they didn't start until 9:30.I also thought it was ridiculous that they automatically tack on an 18% tip (for 2 people!). At first I thought it was because we were using a Groupon and they were afraid we were cheap or because we look young, but it sound like they do it often. What is the point of a tip?? Isn't it supposed to be for service?? Honestly, I usually give 20% unless something is really wrong, so really, they missed out on that.I'm glad I got to try out Basha (and the bubblegum vodka!) but I can think of lots of super cheap Middle Eastern food in the city that is also pretty fabulous. And a million places with better falafel. It was great to have the Groupon for $50, but we still ended up spending another $60+.

by Ermal G.

Went to this place in the middle of nowhere a few weeks ago with my gf and my cousin visiting. I would rate the food 3-4 if it wasn't for how rude and retarded the DJ was. The waiter was very polite but trying to eat and have a conversation with the music blasting when there are only 4 people in the entire restaurant is impossible. Never going there again. Ermal

by Kelli W.

To cut to the chase, average food plus poor service means two stars. The full story is below. After seeing a chick flick at Fresh Pond with a group of girlfriends one Sunday evening, we decided we wanted to grab something to drink and talk about the movie. Rather than negotiating the traffic circle to get to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts, we decided to try Basha. As with other reviewers, we (six of us) walk in and wait by the hostess stand. Both the host and one of the servers looks at us like "what are they waiting for and where are we going to seat them?" The restaurant was not remotely full. The host finally comes over and directs us to a table in the center of the room. The server (same one) comes by to take our order. She doesn't seem to be able to hear what a few of us are asking, but continues to stand a the head of the table, forcing me to repeat many things. Why not walk around to take orders??? Not really sure, but okay. We order a couple of appetizers and a few drinks. My friend then asks to add something to her order, the server shakes her head as to say "sure, I'll add that" and then walks away. A few minutes later, our order arrives, with out the additional item. My friend reminds her and she says "oh, you wanted XYZ??" I start to eat my calamari only to notice a long brown hair. There's no way I'm eating this. I call her over and whisper that there is a hair in my food. She responds "where?" as if I am not telling the truth. I show her the long hair and she says "do you want another order of calamari?" I decide "no" as the batter was not very tasty and needed some seasoning. I ended up ordering hummus which took another 5 minutes. Maybe its me, but if a patron is willing to try your food despite having found a hair, you might want to bring her new order, that does not require cooking, ASAP! The hummus, too, was average.  I could get equally good at Shaws.  I was disappointed that the pita bread was out of the refrigerator and not heated.  I am not a middle eastern food expert, but I think pita bread should be warm.So here's the kicker. We finish up and ask for the check. It takes a while to bring it. Four of us are paying by credit card. Since I am closest to the kitchen and our server, I collect the cards, do the math and tell her to apply $13 to each credit card and use the cash for the remainder of the bill. 10 minutes later (yes, really 10 minutes) she comes back and says "according to my calculation, there should be a charge of $16 to each card to cover the full bill." In my head I'm thinking "look chick, I'm a finance professional...I do math in my head all day, every day...there's no way I screwed up this calculation." I then look in the bill holder and realize she did not apply the cash. I turn to her and say "put $13 on each card and the cash will cover the remainder of the bill and your tip." She responds "ohhhh...okay." The likelihood of my return to Basha is nil.

by Bethany F.

Tasty food, over-priced menu.I bought 2 Groupons here and have gone twice. I really enjoyed the food, especially the grape leaves (soo tasty! especially love it with extra lemon juice on top). However, I def wouldn't be going here unless I had the Groupon, which is sad, because the food is really good.The martini/drink menu is cool. I don't love martini's but tried one anyway. I didn't think it was worth $10, but it was ok. My friend got one and loved it though.The owner and staff are super nice. They always make sure you are happy and taken care of. Especially where the hookah is concerned!

by Jen S.

Wow! Is this what middle-eastern food is?! If so, I've been missing out. So fresh, mostly vegetables, great. I need to go back and try more things...  I had shrimp scampi and vegetables, which isn't the Italian version of schrimp scampi.  Instead, it is garlicky grilled shrimp, and I loved it!  They are not skimpy on the food at all.  They also have a nice bar, outdoor seating, and I'm not sure but they might also have hookahs (at least for decoration).  The place gets pretty packed later in the evening on weekends.

by Joe M.

We came here courtesy of a Groupon recently. For the food I would give it 4 stars, but for everything else, 2, so I guess 3 is a fair assessment.The food was really good, we shared falafel, grape leaves, taboule, hummus and kafta kebab between three. Most of it was well-spiced and well-cooked. The grape leaves were stuffed with over-cooked mushy rice, so they did not fare too well, but everything else was very tasty, in particular the falafels. As others have mentioned, the food IS expensive though $19 for a veg. plate of falafel, taboule and grape leaves is a bit steep.The location and general ambiance really leaves a lot to be desired though. It's tucked away between car wrecking yards and the interior really needs a face-lift. The space is bland and brown and open, while randomly-placed middle-eastern objects abound. The bathrooms are in a completely unadorned hall through a door that looks like it might lead into a meat locker. I think if they are to charge premium prices for home-style food, they really need to do a good job of making the space match the upscale cost.Overall, a decent place if you have a coupon, but not worth the expense otherwise.

by Elizabeth F.

Comfortably situated between car-wrecking lots, this expensive, out-of-the-way restaurant boasts a strange decor of kinda-nice mixed with what-the-f*ck-were-they-thinking.The host seemed confused when we walked in at 7pm on a Saturday night without a reservation. He looked around the empty space, at a loss for where to seat us. Finally, with a flourish, he removed the "Reserved" sign from one of the tables. "They won't be in until 9," he said, "So I guess I can put you here."We ordered the Basha sampler platter, beef kebab, and lamb chops. The food on the platter (falafel, fried kibbe, babaganoush, hummus, and stuffed grape leaves) was all delicious. The menu had said our main courses came with salad, so we expected to each get a tongful of lettuce on the sides of our plates, but no. We each got a generous bowl of fresh salad with a fresh, light dressing before our main dishes were served. Our over-cooked main dishes. Yikes. But the vegetables on the side were roasted to absolute perfection.I can't say I have any desire to come back. The weird location, the dizzying decor (there's a painting of an orgy on one wall, and flat screen TV's and a sign for the restrooms which someone printed out on their office printer and then sloppily cut out and taped to the door on the other walls), the dry meat, and the ridiculous prices were too uninviting.

by Stephanie G.

I had a total, absolute blast here last night.This post is long because there was just so much incredible stuff that happened.I was so unprepared for what awaited me, after reading the other yelps reviews for this place. I went with my Arabic teacher and we got there at 9, which I thought was strange because  usually she likes to go to bed early.But 9:00 is just when this place starts to pick up. There was an oud player and people were talking. I liked the decor - pretty Middle Eastern, from my own experience. The cocktail list was great - lots of cool drinks (and they use canton and st. germaine in a bunch, which are my favorite). We got some food and the hummus and baba ghanoush were really great.By 10:00 more bands members came and joined the oud player. Some people started dancing next to the band but sat down pretty quickly. Some people danced a little in their seats. It was full of tension, but no one was dancing yet.At maybe 10:40 the band put on a great song, and maybe a third of the whole restaurant got up to dance. The music was loud and the band was soo good. People started throwing one dollar bills on the floor in front of the band - like fifteen at a time!11:00 - the belly dancer comes. Now, I've been to other Middle Eastern restaurants with belly dancers, and I HATE how they dance to individuals tables. It is so awkward. And you're supposed to tuck the dollar bills into their skirts? Belly dancers are not strippers! Anyway, this belly dancer was fantastic (although my teacher said the other one she had seen there had been much better). She was a great performer and people were throwing one dollar bills - and no one was touching her (which they wouldn't dare do in the middle east either).11:45 - 1:00 The belly dancer finished and all hell breaks lose in the restaurant. The band plays great music with great drum beats and everyone is up dancing. There are dollar bills all over the floor (I later saw them sweeping them up with a broom) and I'm holding a strangers hand as they show me how to circle dance. The songs are all in Arabic and everyone is singing along (there were maybe only four people at the restaurant who didn't speak Arabic, at this point). Nobody was sloppy drunk, but this is the Middle East with alcohol - and it's great. I had so much fun. The other non-authentic thing I would say is that none of the men there hit on me (hurray! That's always the most awkward part about the Middle East, for me anyway). But everyone was having a great time and the music and dancing was so good!I would guess, from reading the other reviews, and from my arabic teacher, that you really only want to go to this place after 9 - or even 11. Good news - now it's open until 2 (starting next week!). So go, wear your biggest hoop earrings, rock your arabic dancing, and have a great time!