When all diners disappeared from our country, one grabbed that opportunity, taking almost all the market share and spreading Lebanese know-how to all continents. "Lord of the Wings" started as a specialist of wings, so special and professional that we thought at first it’s an international franchise. Today, this famous diner went to Africa, the Middle East and beyond showing what Lebanese are capable of. It’s been some time since I last visited Lord of the Wings...
A great first impression! Fresh vibes, sports playing on the dozen screens, a bar, an open kitchen and a handful of tables set along a brown leather bench. We were welcomed by Elie, a professional waiter who knows and understands the brand.
I was impressed by Lord of the Wings’ menu: the famous wings, normal and boneless, shareable appetizers, flatbreads, quesadillas, fresh salads, better burgers, hearty sandwiches, wraps, signature platters, kids meals, essential desserts, liquides and shakes. Interesting items to look out for: open wings, soft tacos, chicken cheese fondue, pretzels, cheddar jalapeños sticks, pizzas and Mexican quesadillas, refreshing salads, loaded burgers, build your own burger, interesting wraps, the club sandwich, pasta, ribs, shakes the “New York Black Tap” way, free soft drink refill.
Details I loved:
- Because soft drink is free, a pitcher landed on our table. Generosity is key at Lord of the Wings. I was happy to feel that Elie acts as of this place is his, not a franchise.
- The menu rocks! Rich, loaded with choices and beautifully designed.
- The photos are so mouthwatering and professionally shot.
Yummy American diner food:
- Start with the nachos covered with cheese and decorated with sliced jalapeños.
- Continue and plunge into a plate of Canadian poutine, Lebanon’s only poutine made with delicious cheese and mouthwatering gravy. Unfortunately, fries were undercooked but I’m sure it was a mistake.
- And then, the famous wings. Good quality wings, boneless or normal wings, dipped in honey hot sauce or barbecue smokey with a side of blue cheese. Breaded and deep fried the boneless wings are really good. The other wings are loaded with chicken meat, enjoyable like peanuts.
- The burger: excellent meat quality! I was positively impressed by the patty’s texture, softness, and quality. This is an exceptional patty few diners know how to do or even understand. Good bread and good ingredients but it’s not enough: each ingredient is good, but they don’t blend. Bread is cold; cheese is not melting, the avocado sauce is cold, bun needs buttering and toasting... in few words, it needs to be prepared with knowhow. Make the ingredients blend together to create a balanced burger.
- The pulled pork burger: same issue! Good meat that doesn’t blend with the burger. A cold bun, too much coleslaw, an unpleasant saltiness and way too much sauce! I would have preordered the bun to be buttered and toasted, use less sauce, more meat and separate the pork from the coleslaw not to end up eating a mayonnaise salad.
- All three kinds of fries are undercooked: oil is too hot, in the kitchen.
Have a dessert: the fried cinnamon banana fingers served with vanilla ice cream are to die for! I loved their crunch, the molten ripe bananas, the aromas of cinnamon and the caramel drizzle to give the needed sweetness. A must try.
Star of our lunch: Elie! Thank you for being such a professional manager caring about a brand that’s not even yours as if it was your baby. People like this guy are becoming rare to find.
PS: it smells frying oil at the restaurant. Fix or clean the hoods.
Lebanese Lord of the Wings branches around the world: Australia, Egypt, Ghana, KSA, Kuwait, Lebanon, Moldova, Qatar.
