The short answer: get a chicken shawarma plate or a gyro wrap, and put an order of hummus in the middle of the table for everyone to tear into. That's a complete first visit. Ask us anything you want along the way, because there's no wrong way to order here.
How the Menu Is Laid Out
The menu looks long the first time you open it. It's really five ideas. Find the row that sounds like your mood and start there.
| Section | What it is | Order it if |
|---|---|---|
| Start small | Cold dips and hot bites: hummus, baba ghannouj, labneh, tabbouleh, warak enab, falafel, kibbeh, cheese rolls | You want to taste a lot before committing |
| Wraps | Chicken or beef rolled up with lettuce, tomato, onion and sauce, with rice pilaf, bulgur or fries | You want lunch you can hold in one hand |
| From the broiler | Kebobs and shawarma plates, char-grilled over open flame and served over rice pilaf | You came hungry and want the main event |
| Fitness Bowls | One bowl, everything in it: chicken shawarma, falafel or salmon over rice or bulgur pilaf | You want a plate's worth of food without the plate |
| Share the table | The Flight of Dips, the Family Mezza, family-style dinners and The Feast | You brought people and you want the table covered |
Every dish with a photo and a description, or order online for pickup or delivery in Fresno.
Mo Hmaidan opened this place at First and Herndon in 2003. His son Tarek owns it and runs it today, and he still sources most of our spices directly from Lebanon. Plenty of people drive past our Lebanese kitchen in north Fresno for years before they pull in. So walk in and say it's your first time. Our servers hear that every day.
What the Words on the Menu Mean
Start with the meat. Shawarma is chicken or beef marinated in a seven-spice blend built on allspice, coriander, cinnamon, cumin and black pepper, then char-grilled in small batches and sliced fresh when you order. Gyro is the Greek cousin, a seasoned beef-and-lamb blend with cool tzatziki, and a chicken version sits next to it on the menu. Kefta is ground beef and lamb mixed with parsley and onion, pressed onto a skewer and grilled. Kibbeh is a bulgur shell stuffed with seasoned ground beef, pine nuts and onion, then fried until the outside crackles.
Then the things you scoop. Toum is our house-made garlic sauce, whipped until it is white and creamy, and it's stronger than it looks. Baba ghannouj is fire-roasted eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, lemon and yogurt, which is where the smoky flavor comes from. Labneh is yogurt cream, thick like cream cheese, with finely chopped garlic and mint stirred through it. Tahini shows up in several of these, and it is made from sesame, worth knowing if sesame is a problem for you.
Last, the green things. Tabbouleh is a parsley salad, cut fine, with tomato, onion and bulgur, dressed in lemon and olive oil. It's mostly herbs, not mostly grain, and that surprises people. Fattoush is lettuce, cucumber, tomato and onion with crunchy fried pita chips and sumac, which is the tart red spice you'll taste and not be able to name. Warak enab is grape leaves rolled by hand around rice, tomato, parsley and lemon, served cold.
How to Actually Order on a First Visit
Order for the table, not for yourself. That's the one habit that changes the whole meal. In a Lebanese house the small plates land in the middle and everybody reaches. Two people can share a Flight of Dips, split a wrap, and still have room for a plate off the broiler.
Get the hummus. We make it in our kitchen every day, and it's the fair test of any Lebanese restaurant. If you can't pick a dip, the Flight of Dips brings three at once with pita bread. The Family Mezza puts eight of our appetizers on one platter, from hummus and falafel to warak enab and cheese rolls.
Then pick one hot dish per person and let the table sort itself out. Everything is made fresh to order, so give the kitchen a few minutes on the plates. Our dishes are signature compositions: you pick the dish, we cook it from the family recipes we opened with. If you have an allergy, tell your server before you order, or check our allergen guide first.
Not every dish comes with pita, so if you want bread on the table, ask for it as a side.
Where We Are and When to Come
We are at 1025 E Herndon Ave #106, in the corner at First and Herndon in north Fresno. Open 11am to 9pm Monday through Saturday and 11am to 8pm on Sunday, lunch and dinner every day.
Walk-ins are welcome any day. If your party is six or more, call us at (559) 261-2747 before you come so we can put the table together. We don't take reservations online. If you'd rather try us at home first, order for pickup or delivery and read the full menu at your table.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I order at a Lebanese restaurant for the first time?
Order hummus for the table and one hot dish per person. A chicken shawarma plate or a gyro wrap is the easiest first main at Phoenician Garden, and the Flight of Dips is the easiest way to taste several of our appetizers at once. There's no wrong order, and your server will happily tell you what most first-timers pick.
Is Lebanese food spicy?
Mostly no. Lebanese cooking leans on warm spices like allspice, cinnamon and cumin, which are savory rather than hot. If you do want heat, ask for the Spicy Chicken or the Phoenician Spicy Bowl. If you want none at all, almost everything else on the menu is mild.
What is the difference between shawarma and a gyro?
Shawarma is Lebanese: chicken or beef marinated in seven spices and finished with garlic sauce. Gyro is Greek: a seasoned beef-and-lamb blend with cool cucumber-and-yogurt tzatziki. We char-grill both in small batches and slice them fresh when you order.
Do I need a reservation at Phoenician Garden?
No. Walk-ins are welcome for parties under six. If you are bringing six or more, call (559) 261-2747 ahead so we can seat the group together. There's no online reservation system.
Where is Phoenician Garden in Fresno, and what are the hours?
Phoenician Garden is at 1025 E Herndon Ave #106, Fresno, CA 93720, at First and Herndon in north Fresno. We are open 11am to 9pm Monday through Saturday and 11am to 8pm on Sunday, serving lunch and dinner every day.
