Lebanese Taverna Market

Tanion and Marie Abi-Najm opened the first Lebanese Taverna in 1979 in the Westover neighborhood of Arlington. In 1976, Tanios and Marie Ahad fled the civil war in Lebanon with their five young children and moved to Arlington, where they had friends and family. After working in other local restaurants, they decided to open their own in the same neighborhood where they were raising their family. Ironically, their first location opened as a sub sandwich and pizza shop, but their customers would come in and see the traditional Lebanese food their family was eating for dinner and request that instead. They soon switched to include a full Lebanese menu, but you could still get a pepperoni pizza for the first twenty years they operated. 

The Lebanese Taverna name has a unique story. Their first restaurant was originally named the Mediterranean Taverna – taverna being a traditional Greek name for cafe. At that time, the family did not have enough money to change the sign, so they just removed the Mediterranean part and added Lebanese. Even though they are aware of copycat restaurants elsewhere, they know they were the first because of this unique story. A cedar tree was later added to the logo as a proud traditional symbol of Lebanon.

Today, Lebanese Taverna has twelve locations in the metro area, three of which are in Arlington. Notably, two Arlington locations are legacy businesses that have been open for over thirty years. The one we are most familiar with on Langston Boulevard is the Lebanese Taverna Market, which opened across from the Lee Heights Shopping Center in 1991. It is a market, deli, cooking school, and the corporate offices for all the restaurants. They have become famous for their high-quality traditional Lebanese cuisine. So much so that José Andrés partnered with them on the recipes when he opened his first Zaytina restaurant in 2002; they even have six recipes in the Zaytina cookbook, including their traditional Lebanese hommus.

These days, Tanios and Marie have stepped back from the operation of the restaurants, and the second generation is now running it. However, it is said that Marie at 81 still checks in on all the restaurants to make sure their quality is up to her high standards. All five of the Abi-Najm children followed in their parent’s footsteps, taking over the back-of-the-house management for restaurant group. Grace Shea is the youngest of five siblings who manage Lebanese Taverna. She says that none of the siblings received formal culinary training; instead, they learned on the job by working in restaurants from a young age. She also states that each of the siblings brings a unique personality and talents that have helped them to grow and remain successful.

Grace believes that Lebanese Taverna is about food and family – it’s who they are and who they want their restaurants to serve. They see Arlington as part of their extended family, and it holds a very special place in their heart. When they first immigrated to the community, neighbors and locals were their biggest cheerleaders, wanting and helping them to succeed. Grace has never forgotten the kindness of her neighbors helping her with her homework when she was young because her parents didn’t speak English. The Abi-Najm family feels like they are integrated with the lives of many local families because food is an important part of any family event. It is not unusual for them to cater events for multiple generations of families whom they have become friends with through the years. They also see their employees as part of the family, with many of the Arlington staff, working for Lebanese Taverna for 20, 25, and even 30 years. 

The Abi-Najm family believes in giving back to the Arlington community that has helped them so much. They regularly donate to silent auctions, benefits, and events and serve on local boards. LBA is grateful for a long partnership with Lebanese Taverna, and Grace also served with us on the renaming committee for Langston Boulevard. This tradition will continue along the boulevard and throughout Arlington as all of the grandchildren spend time working in the restaurants. LBA is glad that the legacy will continue and is happy to have such a valuable community partner for years to come.