The Castle Restaurant 861 Mount Alexander Road, Essendon, Victoria 3040

"Ridiculous serving, i paid $150 for two banquets and wasn't well worth the money, presentation of plates is unacceptable and taste was definitely not to our expectations. Dips were all on one plate, bowl of chips was like a regular chips, kebbeh nayyeh wasnt flavoursome and was freezing cold, one spoon of selek bzet in the tiniest plate, 2 makanek pieces heated in the microwave and 2 wings undercooked and inedible , the funniest was the sweets plate which had 2 bakalava pieces and one nammoura piece cut in half! The banquets were $70 each but was told the price went up to $75 upon making payment. I wouldn't recommend this place and won't come back."

"Spur of the moment decision resulted in this gem of a discovery. The Castle surprised us with its bright and cheerful ambience. We were quickly shown to our table. Service was prompt and efficient. No shortage of staff here. A bottle of Adelaide Hills Pinot Gris accompanied beautifully with the various authentic Lebanese dishes. There's no rushed service here. They allowed plenty of time before serving the Lebanese coffee and delicious cakes. Sugar is a must in the coffee. A most attentive Manager with a sense of humour and happy to impart some Lebanese language knowledge. Will be back with a larger group soon. Thank you for a wonderful evening."

"The castle helped me celebrate my 40th. I did not get one complaint about the quality of the food or staff. The whole team provided excellent A1 customer service, they pleased all guests and myself . The night was perfect and I would highly highly recommend the castle for any event - small or big. You definitely won't be disappointed of your event & especially with an understanding manager."

"Came here for a family dinner and got to try a bit of everything. The highlights were the kibbeh nayeh (our first time trying and it was lovely - staff even gave us a smaller portion because we didn’t want a huge serving), the Battata Harra (always a great choice - these were particularly sour and spicy and so delicious), all of their skewers which were cooked and seasoned perfectly (probably the most tender chicken breast I’ve had). The lowlights were the dips - the hummus particularly was tasteless, the garlic was good and so was the babagannoush. Nothing to write home about though. The fries were average, nothing special either but can’t complain. The whole chicken was unfortunately undercooked in some parts of the chicken, making it inedible. The flavour was lovely though, a shame it wasn’t cooked thoroughly. The staff here are really helpful and hospitable, they were happy to accommodate any needs we had. The food took a little long to come out but at least it meant the food was fresh. It’s a newer spot in the area but worth a visit for their skewers alone."

"The Castle Restaurant is a traditional Middle Eastern restaurant with humble service and a great menu. We were treated to a banquet of dishes, a great way to sample the fine dishes. The meats were cooked perfectly with lots of flavour and the sides very delish too. There is a function room upstairs too which is a great idea for those wanting a private experience. Thanks for the invite, we had a great time!"