A great place for Middle Eastern food that's fresh, flavoursome and authentic. It's a smallish, cosy venue and the staff are friendly and attentive.
Had a selection of salads, dips, falafel and skewers and mostly everything was very tasty. The Baba Ganoush dish was our favourite, very garlic-y though. Would recommend the grilled chicken skewers over the lamb. The chicken is very tender and juicy and the portion is considerably larger than the lamb. Although we left full, the food was a little on the expensive side but it was an enjoyable night out.
Tasty food and friendly service for a late lunch. Chicken with humus and salads are all great and the Laffa wrap bread was awesome.
Lunch menu is reasonable and varied.
If you’re looking for a feast of Middle Eastern spices, flavoursome dips and succulent meats then look no further than Tavlin. Located in Caulfield South, the restaurant stands out brightly on a corner block and beckons you in.
We ate at Tavlin last night, party of 4. The service was impeccable , attentive and very friendly. The food was very fresh, and delicious , and the lafa bread was just as I like it, very hot and fresh. I recommend this restaurant to all lovers of food.
Cheers, Ted.
Got delivered from there, made really good kebab. The baklava was good but extremely expensive. The portion of a plate was quite expensive. The bread wasn’t very special, maybe because it’s already cold by the time we got the food
A Chronicle Of Gastronomy
+3.5
Tavlin means spice in Hebrew, and it’s a fitting name for a restaurant that brings hearty flavours and Middle Eastern spices to the plate. Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Turkish harissa, Fried eggplant, Corn, Israeli olives and pickled cucumber (Six salads and two laffas $25). A selection of dips gets things started – Hummus, Baba Ganoush, Turkish Harissa, Fried eggplant, Corn, Israeli olives and pickled cucumber. The tangy baba ganoush is their second most popular dip after the creamy hummous – they make over 80kg of this chickpea dip every single week.
Jennifer Makovec Knight
+5
Everything here is fresh and delicious!! I am a regular, and have never left disappointed. Schnitzel is crunchy and tasty, would also recommend and of the skewers, they are all well seasoned and well cooked. Salads and laffa are fresh and simple.
Good finds! Food were awesome and staff were very friendly and accomodating. We had the laffa bread and the dips (hummus, baba ganoush and turkish), grilled lamb and chicken skewers, and falafel balls with green tahini. The chilli was also very good!!! Two thumbs up! We also tried the grape juice which is also nice. First time here and will definitely be back!
This was our second visit to Tavlin. Being Christmas night they were doing a great job seemingly short staffed. Young female staff member was great. Food was very nice. Unfortunately our experience was tainted by a male waiter who was really quite arrogant. He missed our tabouli order, which happens,. but he argued and was adamant we didn't order it. When he collected the bill folder with our payment his way of asking if it was ready to take was to say nothing, raise an eyebrow and point at it and when he returned with our change he didn't make eye contact or acknowledge us in any way. I will go there again for the food but will ask for a different staff member if he is there.
What a find! Felt like middle eastern food and came across Tavlin. Not knowing what Israeli cuisine is, thought we'd give it a go. The food is fabulous, was so excited I did the over-order - falafel, kibbeh, chicken liver skewers, kofta skewers, beef skewers, dips, salad, moroccan cigars and a few more...not one of these dishes disappointed. Fabulous food and great service.
Ratio Decidendi: In Malaysia, bread is synonymous with the Gardenia brand and their catch phrase “so good you can even eat it on its own”. Truer words could not be said about Tavlin’s laffa bread which is an Israeli flatbread baked in a Tandoor oven. Each bite brought back childhood memories of tearing through the most pillowey soft naan bread and while I would have been more than happy to “eat it on its own” I was even happier to have more-ish baba ganoush to dip it in. Crispy Moroccan beef cigars were also a joy, perfectly complemented with creamy tahini dip.
Never tried Israeli cuisine before. We went there today, at 1 pm the place was empty. Ordered chicken schnitzel, lamb skewer, Moroccan cigars, dips with laffa bread, tabouli salad, falafels, dessert and a glass of wine. Service was friendly and quick, orders arrived fast, tasted great. Flavours were amazing! Quality - very good! Prices - reasonable. Overall - highly recommended.
Beautiful authentic Israeli cuisine! Adi and his staff were friendly, hospitable and completely spoilt us with the gorgeous and very generous spread for Father's Day lunch. Loved the flavours and the grilled meat was DELICIOUS. Will definitely be back again!!!
Staying true to the street style of dining, Tavlin’s menu is designed to share with a selection of small and medium plates designed by owner and chef Adi Daboush, whose career in hospitality spans a lifetime. The menu is a contemporary take on family recipes brought from Damascus, Tripoli and Tel Aviv which takes inspiration from his travels through the Middle East, South, Central and North America, Europe and Asia.
Brilliant food. Ordered the two course banquet-the dips, fried cauliflower and laffa bread are very flavoursome. I was quite full before the second course-all the meat was tender and well cooked. Overall a great experience.
Simonne Winecier Blatman
+5
Great food ,Best Hummus, love the corn salad too. We order from here almost every week and are never disappointed! Best middle eastern food near us, it's one of our favourite locals
Ok so I started with some dips and bread, oh my god the hummus and the bread!!! Then we shared some beef and lamb skewers, they were juicy and cooked perfectly. Despite being absolutely full our dinner guests demanded we try the malabi dessert - save room if you can because it is amazing. Definitely going back!!!
We had chicken skewer, lamb skewer and kofta with the dips and red cabbage salad.
Food is tasty but the portions are very small, especially the skewers.
Dinner for 2 - Really enjoyed the dips & laffa bread (Laffa bread really fresh, enjoyed it a lot more when it came fresh out of the oven rather than when it was cooled down). The chicken & kofta skewers are good as well. Overall a nice cosy place, quiet on a Monday night but we still booked.
Very impressive . I went here only once and it was a fantastic experience. Service was fine but it was the quality of the food that was most impressive. The servings, the kebab sticks followed by the dips. By the time it was over, it was the most satisfying meal I have ever had. I had cauliflower with melted cheese.
The only reason why I haven't been back here is the distance. If I lived locally i'd be in here more often. A highly recommended place to visit.
Ramieleatsshootsandleaves
+4
Would love to come back to have dinner here. The smells from the grill are so good!
Gets busy too, best to make reservations when dinnertime.
Their small dessert choices are nice - typical traditional items :)
Best Middle Eastern food in Melbourne... Deliciously spiced meat cigars, smoky babaganoush, fresh fluffy laffa, juicy top cuts of lamb... Efficient and very friendly service! Loved it!
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Tasty takeaway. I've never been to Tavlin (spice in Hebrew) but its hearty fare showed up at a friend's house recently when l was over for a weeknight dinner.
For $38 between two, we received a lot of food. Eight fab falafel balls and three beef Moroccan cigars - tantalising and not greasy at all - together with an equally pleasing chicken schnitzel platter, with two large crumbed fillets, chips, Israeli salad (chopped tomato and cucumber) plus a large laffa bread (similar to Turkish), hummus & green and red chilli pastes. The schnitzel was not my choice but my friend was spot on - it was excellent, with juicy meat and a crisp coating - not at all greasy. The laffa bread was soft, warm & the perfect accompaniment. The chips didn't like the delivery in the pseudo polystyrene container but l probably need reasons not to eat too many of those.
Be warned - ordering over the phone can be a trying and traumatic affair. My friend gave her order and credit card details many times before they registered. She enjoys their food but will use the online ordering system and pay the $5 premium next time. I'd happily visit the shop front and try more of the menu.
A little gem on Glen Huntley Road, great selection of dishes and dips. The owner is very attentive and friendly, great place for a quick lunch or a family dinner.
Went there on a Saturday night. Food and drinks were awesome, flavours are very authentic and tahini/hommus was moreish. We had the beef cigars and the lamb croquettes for entree. For main, we had the lamb skewers, beef skewers and the liver skewers. The food was so so so filling..... but the only complain was that our food took 1hr because they "lost" our order.
But we will come back!!!
Nice place, great food. Worth getting recommendation from waiter if you're not sure what to order. The Iraqi main was sensational. Nice baklava for dessert too. Food is very fresh and the felafel were the best I've had in Melbourne.
Always delicious food! The freshly baked lafa bread is heaven, the dips are so tasty and the meat has that awesome coal barbecue flavour. Just as good as eating in the Middle East!
Tavlin is a pretty nice place to go and I would recommend trying it if you are in the area and have a craving for Middle Eastern food.
The laffa bread is soft and fluffy so I would definitely recommend the dips. My favourite was the eggplant dip (which was really more like cubed eggplants)
Chicken liver isn't really my thing but it's not bad!
Top notch laffa - so soft and delicious 👌 My favourite dish is the mushroom hummus, though everything I've tried here has been delicious. Worth the trip to Caulfield South.
Just had the absolute pleasure of a Pulled Brisket Burger and I would strongly and highly recommend it.....Even though everything else looked tempting. Will be back.......
The hummus basar lived up to expectations. This place makes me want to eat until I'm sick. The chef is a wizard. The waitress is super friendly. I'd add pictures but I devoured it all before I could.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
We love eating the food at Tavlin! Never disappoints!
The hummus with mushrooms is definitely a must to try!
Extremely friendly staff.
Thanks Tavlin :)
One of the best MidEast family eateries around. I have never left this place hungry. The food is plentiful and superb. I can not fault the food or the friendly staff. My favourites starters are the cigars and the hummus. The meat skewers are so tender they mealt in your mouth. Great place.
A cozy restaurant with what just might be the best hummus I've had in Australia. The mushroom hummus; sauteed mushrooms and onions inside the thick flavoursome dip, might be actually addictive. The lamb and chicken skewers were grilled to perfection.
The homemade limonana, a lemonade with mint leaves, was perfect after a hot day.
But it was the baklava and mousse that truly made my meal. So much deliciousness. This place is now a favourite.
Firstly.... The service is phenomenal. Secondly.... The food is incredible! The best Falafel, baklava & meat skewers we have ever eaten. The dips are off the chain, ain't nothing to complain (I'm a rappa in trainin').
I'm a fan of middle eastern food and this has to be one of my favourites. The falafel plate is so good as are their kebabs on skewers. And I love the fact that they home deliver!
Great little place for Middle Eastern. I've been here twice in two weeks now. My favourite has go to be the freshly made laffa and homemade dips. Friendly service too.
We ordered the banquet - great variety of food, all delicious and very generous portions for the price. Highlights were the lamb cigars, fried cauliflower and skewers
We have eaten here twice now, fresh, tasty food proportioned sized. The skewers have been cooked perfectly both times and the service is friendly.
Elizabeth Sutherland
+3.5
The food here is mostly delicious and plentiful. We had a kebab plate between two, which was plenty with a couple of entrées. The morrocan cigars arrived steaming hot and nicely spiced. Avoid the Dixie wings and order extra hummus instead.
Really goood Middleeast restaurant. I always get some dips and chicken skewer and beautiful homemade laffa! Laffa looks like came directly from the oven, sooo yammyyy.
We started with some crispy felaffels and mixed pickles. Lots of garlic, yummy. Then we shared a chicken plate - one skewer of chicken, tasty fries, hummus laffa bread and salad as well as a serve of chicken schnitzel. Just enough for two, should have added an extra dip- I'd like to have tried the corn dip.
Went here for my birthday dinner. We had some really authentic Middle eastern dishes. I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to have Israeli foods. The laafa with dips were great, especially the hummus and babagonush! Chicken, lamb and beef skewers are a must try. That was a birthday well spent!
Came here a couple of nights ago and was rather impressed! Never experienced this type of food before and was rather pleased with the main of chicken skewers! What looked like a small meal turned out to be a rather filling one! The tomato and cucumber salad was definitely a refreshing side and the seasoning on the chips was perfect! As a fan of hommus this place was my kind of restaurant! Staff were really friendly and the atmosphere was great!
Came in on a busy Thursday night, the waitress was very attentive and foods were served pretty quickly. The chicken plate was enough to fill me up but I wanted more and my friend made a good comment, the salad would be better with the red onion in it.
We love the food here. It's fresh, tasty and good service. Worth making a booking as often very busy. Very child friendly and the kids loved the food
I thought about keeping this place a secret as it is too good to share, however, out of pure guilt I have decided to share ; ) some of the best Levantine cuisine in Melbourne! Very authentic originating from Israel. I cannot believe I found authentic kibbie! The jewel of the Mediterranean! Love all the dips and entree dishes (I could live on them - especially the lamb cigars!). And then... There are the meat skewers .. Oh flavor, tenderness and cooked to perfection! And then ... there is the bread! Absolutely fresh and airy and unbelievably satisfying- could be eaten on its own!.. I have learned my lesson to keep some room for dessert next time! Simple interior, very clean, love the Israeli memorabilia on the walls! : )
Came here for dinner and was presently surprised. Falafel with humas, pickles and chilii. Perfectly cooked chicken schnitzel and kofta, this is a nice change. I'd go back for sure.
A great experience!
Every single dish we ordered was delicious, which is very rare on restaurant trips.
The salad and vegetables were so fresh and tasty, the meat tender and high quality, and the dips were unique and full of depth.
The bread was a large serving and beautifully baked, but was a tiny bit too burnt in places.
The eggplant entree was quite small for the price.
The price was generally good for the quality you received.
The place is family run and the staff are very friendly and helpful, however it can be a very casual dining experience, might not suit everyone.
Yummy food. Their bread is the highlight of the menu
Dips are yummy too
Will definitely be back
Delicious meal. We attended as a large group, and had the $36 set menu. Everything was outstanding, great selection of dips, salads and bread to start followed by a wide selection of meats with chips and salads. We ordered desserts, all of which were amazing, the chocolate mousse in particular was delicious. You can't go past this place for a beautiful meal, and for the price, it's just insane value! Will definitely be back.
Amazing food. Quick service and friendly staff. I highly recommend this restaurant to every one who want to try the best Middle East food
I know it sounds scary, but they have the best chicken liver! Always cooked to perfectly medium as requested! Thumbs up to the chef! Also, the bread is just so goooodddd!!!!!!!!!!!
Lovely local. This place has a lovely ambience, great food all round- but the laffa is especially to die for!
No doubt the best middle eastern in Melbourne..... Love middle eastern food and have been to plenty of places in Melbourne, this place is amazing! I ate here last night, tried a few of the different skewers, the meat was cooked to perfection and amazing flavours. My friend loved the salmon skewer. Salads and dips are delicious, especially the hummus. Great value for what you get, the people next to us got the banquet, amazing amount of food for the price. The owner is really lovely and was training a new waiter who was great for one of his first shifts.
Definitely coming back to this place.
Love this place. Absolutely love this place in caulfield. Great for when you want to go to a family friendly low key restaurant with extremely delicious freshly made food. Good value for money. Friendly service.
Simply brilliant food and lovely atmosphere. Fresh food and wonderful Middle Eastern flavours. My husband and I ate here tonight and got very nostalgic as it reminded us of our honeymoon in Israel. A great addition to the area and highly recommended!
Had an amazing meal here last night. So much do that I can't wait to get back and try some of the other dishes. Everyone enjoyed what they had. The food was delicious - made with obvious attention to detail and the flavours were something special.
Great food and attentive staff. A very very pleasant suburban surprise - amazing food at very reasonable prices. No need to look north of the river for middle eastern food. Everything we ordered was great - from the best ever hummus, falafel, green tahini and beef cigars. And that's just the starters. Had to struggle through to the main courses which did not disappoint any of us. Very highly recommended. As a btw, it was 36C outside and the aircon kept the place very cool.
What a meal! Incredible, authentic flavours, great service and super value. Great with the kids (crayons, paper, high chairs and excellent tolerance!). With all the delicious sides it's easy to get full without the guilt. What more could I want! I'll be back ... Or ordering take away often.
Gem. Just a wonderful meal. Those meat cigars are amongst the best in Melbourne. Just good quality suburban no fuss food. So rare these days
Brilliant food. The only place in Melbourne to get authentic Hummus like in Israel!
Consistently great food. I ate again at Tavlin tonight and the food is consistently delicious! I love the hummus, the best I have had in Melbourne. The meat cigars, baba ganoush and cauliflower are also great and another highlight is their home made laffa bread, yummmmm. Will continue to go back because it is by far the best Middle Eastern food in the area and very reasonably priced for what you get. Well done team Tavlin
Authentic Israeli Food. First time dinners. Very impressed with the quality of food. A+ for falafel and dips. Quick service despite being full on Saturday night.
A little bit cramped for space but doesn't detract from overall experience.
Time to expand guys!
Delicious food. I booked a table for a function at Tavlin based on reviews. I'm glad I did, the food was delicious and plenty of it. Everyone at the table was extremely happy. Staff were great and always offering their assistance. If you are in the Caulfield area try this little gem out. Thanks Tavlin for a fantastic night out.
Spectacularly good .... We went due to its 92% rating. Clean. Fast. Excellent menu with great variety. Thank you Urban Spoon.
Can't get enough!. Delicious food and great vibe. I highly recommend the chicken shashlik and must try the dips, they come with an unbelievable house made laffa bread YUM!
Loved it. Delicious food. Hard to say what we liked the best as well loved it all. Clean. Friendly service. Thumbs up from us!
Best Salads ever!. Wonderful restaurant boasting authentic middle eastern food. The freshly made flat bread is exquisite.. The salads and dips are just so yummy.
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