Ms. B

Review of Tabbuli Grill

So this is not the worst late night Mediterranean ...

So this is not the worst late night Mediterranean spot I've been to, but it's by far the best. Maybe one reason it sticks out so much in Charleston is because there is a lack of competition. I did not eat the food so this review is solely on the atmosphere, drinks and the hookah.

One important note I want to make is that there is a cover charge after a certain hour and I believe it's around 10p. We arrived shortly after 10p and stumbled across two seats at the bar. We were advised upon entry that there was over an hour wait for a seat in the restaurant. The bar seating the ok. There was a nice breeze in the air and we could people watch a bit. The DJ was playing some tunes and we watched some people dance on the stage. Casual. Relaxed yet groovy. Comfortable. Yea that the vibe.

SERVICE: Now this is where we start to go down hill. We were greeted in a timely manner but the bartenders seemed very rushed. They were the smiley talkative type you could "expect" (yes expect) at a late night atmosphere. It was no "Hey guys, welcome...."....it was more a deep stare and a "Are you ready to order?" and if there was no immediately answer..... "on to the next." (M'am, I need a minute to review this high priced hookah...) were the thoughts running through my head. I attempted to spark conversation by asking about the most popular flavors but I gathered she was just listed whichever came to her head first. I just didn't get that personable, warm and fuzzy feeling that I expected.

I don't know which of the high priced hookah's I ordered but I do know that the base was made with milk. I was excited to give this a try and it only seems right that the milk would make it extra creamy. Well, my hookah showed up with soda in it. Yes. Soda. When I inquired that there must be a mix up, I was told by one of the hookah ladies that they ran out of milk so they just substituted. (Ummmm, no one thought to check with me to see if I might want to change my order??) I just asked her to take it off and I didn't re-order.

I ordered two drinks that were extremely weak in my opinion. Kind of watered down and not worth the money. It should be noted that I did not order a fruity drink...I'm a whisky girl so if I say it was watery, it was watery.

If you took away the late night hours and the DJ, I don't think this place would be around long. However, it gets by with mediocre service because downtown Charleston is trying to keep itself alive. I wish I had a better experience for a better review, but it is what it is. I'm not sure that I would give them a try again.

PROs: Late night. DJ
CONs: Long wait for a table, cover charge after a certain hour, terrible service, pay for parking