There’s a particular kind of pride that comes from watching a family table grow. Marouf and Houda Abouzaki set just one table on Edgware Road, determined to bring the flavours of home to a city that was only beginning to fall in love with world food. Today, six Maroush restaurant London addresses carry that same table forward, each one a little different, each one unmistakably Lebanese.
This is the story of how one Edgware Road restaurant became six Maroush locations London diners now call their own.
The original at Edgware Road
Every family has a table where it all began. For us, that’s Edgware Road.
Marouf and Houda opened the doors here at a time when Londoners were only discovering food beyond their own borders. Lebanon was in the grip of war, and leaving family behind was never easy, but the welcome they found in London gave them the courage to share their own culture back.
The Edgware Road restaurant grew into a lively, two-floor space seating for guests: a casual dining room upstairs and a larger room below. Early evenings bring families in for mezze and grills.
Beauchamp Place
At 38 Beauchamp Place, Maroush found a home among the antique dealers and boutiques of one of London’s most polished postcodes, yet the welcome inside is as warm as ever. Guests settle in for elegant first-floor dining, sharing our hot and cold mezze long into the night.
Because Beauchamp Place draws such a mixed crowd of locals, shoppers and late-night diners, we built out a wide range of vegetarian and gluten-free dishes here too. Whoever walks through the door, there’s a plate for them.
Earls Court
Some neighbourhoods move fast, and Earls Court is one of them. Our restaurant at 131 Earls Court Road was built to match that pace without ever losing the care that goes into every dish.
Here, our chefs prepare the signature chicken shawarma fresh throughout the day, from breakfast right through to the small hours the kitchen runs.
Kings Road
Chelsea has always had its own rhythm, and 338 Kings Road fits right into it. Around the corner from the Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square and the Chelsea Antiques Market, our Kings Road spot has become the reward at the end of a long afternoon of browsing.
Guests grab a wrap on the move or settle in with old friends over a sharing platter, channelling a little of Beirut’s spirit into a Chelsea afternoon. Our open kitchen means you can watch the shawarma turning as it’s carved; there’s something honest about seeing your food made in front of you.
High Street Kensington
At 86 High Street, Kensington, we wanted somewhere that felt like a pause button for a busy street. The décor here is smart but relaxed, and the cosy booths invite you to slow down, even for twenty minutes.
Whether it’s a shawarma to takeaway, a freshly squeezed juice, or a proper Arabic coffee to finish, this location has quietly become a Kensington institution among locals who know exactly what they’re after.
St John’s Wood at Crockers Folly
Of all six, this is the one that surprises people first.
Housed inside a beautifully preserved Victorian pub building on Aberdeen Place, Maroush at Crockers Folly is split across four distinct spaces: The Bar for cocktails, the Marble Room for relaxed dining, the more intimate Lords Dining Room beneath its original crystal chandelier, and an outdoor terrace for warmer evenings. It’s the kind of setting where a birthday dinner and a business celebration can happen side by side, each guest finding their own corner.
What unites them all
Six addresses, six neighbourhoods, six slightly different rhythms of London life.
It comes down to a few things we’ve never been willing to compromise on:
- Daily-fresh mezze and grills nothing sits around, because Lebanese food is meant to be eaten at its best
- A halal menu built for every guest at the table, family or first date, solo diner or large group
- The sharing philosophy at the heart of Lebanese culture: small plates, big conversations
- That same warm welcome Marouf and Houda gave their first guests, still extended today
Numbers on a page can only tell you so much, though. The real measure is in the room: the clink of glasses, the smell of fresh bread arriving warm, a table of strangers becoming friends over a shared plate of hummus.
Whichever neighbourhood you’re closest to, there’s a Maroush table waiting. Book a table at your nearest location, or read more about the family behind it all.