A veggie sampler plate I ordered contained most of the vegetarian items that are served. The Veggie Cabbage Roll was quite good, being hand rolled with rice, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans cooked with lemon juice. Although only one cabbage roll was served, there were enough other items so that it was a substantial meal.

Houmos was a vegetarian side dish, and is also served on a number of the meat plates. This was more flavorful than most, the texture was just right, and there was enough olive oil to make this a good dip for the pita bread. In the early days of going to Nunu's I thought the garlic overwhelmed the other flavors, but over time this has evolved from a good dish to a great one, with the flavorings (and not the garlic) becoming more pronounced.

Tabouli was very fresh and well balanced. There is quite a bit of competition around the city with good tabouli, though, so I am not ready to say the one here is my favorite.

The cabbage roll was served on a bed of Lentil and Rice Pilaf, a very fresh and filling serving of this vegetable mixture with onions mixed in for flavor.

Lentil pilaf

The Lentil Pilaf is also served by itself as a main dish, but I thought the flavor was not as vibrant as some of the other vegetarian dishes. I prefer the pilaf as a complement to other items rather than a main dish.

Lentil soup comes in a cup or a bowl (shown in photo)

A fresh home made style Lentil Soup was so full of carrots and other vegetables that it provided a good complement to the lentils. The soup also had a strong lemon flavor. The soup comes in either a cup or bowl, and is my favorite regular menu item at Nunu's. Although the flavor is excellent, probably the best feature is that a bowl (the large size) has enough lentils to be filling almost as a meal in itself. Lentil soup comes with a toasted pita bread that is very good.

Fatoosh side salad

The menu also includes a plate of fatoosh with chicken breast or fatoosh with kafta, and this offers a more inexpensive way of ordering these items than ordering each one separately.

Falafel plate with a side order of cabbage rolls

The Falafel Plate has been very good recently after some early experiences of it being dry and disappointing, as is now one of the best choices for a vegetarian dish at Nunu's. The flavor, freshness, and texture are very good, and it tastes as if it is one of the many dishes here that come from family recipes. The tahini sauce is also a big plus to the version at Nunu's. A falafel sandwich is available, and I usually prefer this because of the large amount of tahini that is included. For all sandwiches, though, side dishes have to be ordered separately.

Cabbage roll plate with houmos and tabouli

One of the best meat items is the Cabbage Roll Plate made with beef, spices, and clarified butter. These were not only good, they were the type of cabbage roll that will make me want to return whenever possible for a "fix." A slight sour taste made them seem a little like German style food, but the mixture of spices were an excellent representation of Middle Eastern cooking. Although I was sorry to see Eddy's close with its signature cabbage rolls, the ones as Nunu's are the best replacement I have found so far.

Chicken kabob on a bed of hashwa

The Chicken Kabob was perfectly cooked with excellent quality meat. I liked it because it had enough seasoning to make it appetizing but not so much that I felt I was being overwhelmed by garlic and other spices. This is definitely one of Nunu's better dishes.

Hashwa is Nunu's signature dish (according to the menu), and consists of rice and beef cooked with clarified butter and topped with toasted almonds. It is ususally served as a side dish or a "bed" underneath a meat item, although a Hashwa Plate is also available. I thought this was one of Nunu's best items, and was quite a bit better than the lentil and rice pilaf (the vegetarian version).

Mediterranean chicken salad sandwich with tomato basil soup

The sandwiches are wrapped in pita bread (and do not photograph well), but generally they are one of my favorite items to order at Nunu's. One that was quite enjoyable was the Mediterranean Chicken Salad Sandwich served with a basil pesto mayonnaise dressing. The chicken was substantial, and the kalamata olives gave it a good flavor.

The Tomato Basil Soup was excellent, and I thought it had just the right amount of spices.

The Pita bread is an item that I think ranks in about the middle of the city's Middle Eastern restaurants, but it is more than adequate for the houmos or other dips that Nunu's serves.

Nunu's hot tea ranks near the bottom of my list, but I also must note that several Middle Eastern restaurants in Oklahoma City do not even serve hot tea. In 2012 Nunu's began serving a very refreshing looking home made Lebanese lemonade, but I have not yet tried it.

Several types of Baklava and home made desserts are served, and all I have tried have been excellent (in fact, among the best I have eaten). The best feature of Nunu's is that you can choose between several types of baklava.

Nunu's is open until 8:00 p.m. weekdays and Saturday (although the Facebook page I saw listed the old closing time of 7:00 p.m.). The restaurant is casual, with food served on paper plates, but this has not been a negative for me except for the drink cups that are used. There is an outdoor patio shared with Yakimono Japanese Grill which offers a great spot to eat when the weather is nice. I find the dining room quite comfortable, and one feature of interest is the large number of tables that can seat between six and ten people (and I think for Mediterranean food only Zorba's and the buffet restaurants are better equipped to handle large groups than Nunu's).

Janet ("Nunu") is almost always present, and has close supervision over the day to day operations of the restaurant. I think this is one of the main reasons this restaurant ranks near the top of the city's Middle Eastern restaurants (but of course the other reason is Nunu's delicious recipes).

Special Dishes

Nunu's offers daily specials that seem to be as good or better than the regular dishes. One example was Sheik El Mihshee, a beef and eggplant dish that was served with Salata, a Lebanese style salad. Although the regular menu is somewhat limited, ordering the specials provides a much broader experience of Lebanese cuisine.

Eggplant casserole served as a special

The Eggplant Casserole was equally good, but like the Sheik El Mihshee is listed on the specials board infrequently. Janet (Nunu) explained that she has had trouble finding eggplant, but even when it is available the specials are rotated so that they are usually served about once or twice a month (but always on the same day of the week). In the case of eggplant casserole it is served every other Thursday (when the eggplant is available).

My enjoyment of eggplant dishes is largely determined by the texture of the vegetable, and I found this one to be tender and very good. The tomato and spices, though, made it one of the best I can remember. The eggplant casserole is made with beef (chuck), giving it an improved flavor in my opinion (but since it is pre-prepared I don't think they can omit the meat to make it vegetarian).

Meat and cheese pies served as specials

When the Meat Pie is on the special menu this is also a good choice. I thought it had a very good seasoning and a good tasting crust.

The Cheese Pie has never been something that I enjoyed as much as the other pies.

Chicken kabob and spinach pies

Spinach Pies are not on the menu and not served as specials, but I found out they are often available if you ask for them. The inside of the pie obviously has a spinach texture, but the seasoning makes it so that the spinach flavor is not as strong as it would be in a regular spinach dish. The dough is a perfect compliment to the spinach.

Lamb dishes are available on weekends (Fri. and Sat.), but come only on large plates (and so far I have not ordered them).

Chocolate Tiara cake

The menu says to "Ask about our other specialty desserts" (besides baklava), and one very good one is the Chocolate Tiara Cake.