It was the Lebanese menu that first enticed us but the grilled chicken that brought us back. We were not alone. The Lebanese Mill restaurant offers the traditional fare of mezzes and grilled meats, but is renowned in the neighbourhood for its chicken: flat-grilled as well as rotisserie.
On any given evening a multicultural crowd squeezes into the 34-seat restaurant on 13th Street, just east of Najda (across from Le Pain Quotidien) in the Tourist Club Area, on a block lined with sweet shops. Those not inside the restaurant queue up for their take-away chickens - at the kitchen window or in the line of double-parked cars. The grilled chicken - "Mill chicken" on the menu - is a half-chicken marinated in lemon juice and barbecued flat over wood coals inside a rotating metal drum. The chicken arrives moist and tangy, on a bed of fries and pita, and joins the usual accompaniments of hummus, garlic paste, giant arugula leaves and an assortment of pickles and olives.
This tasty feast comes in at a family-friendly Dh17. The other chicken option is rotisserie, spit-roasted and Dh2 more than the Mill variety. The atmosphere is noisy, friendly and informal. Tables turn quickly so don't worry about a wait. Just be sure to bring your appetite.