New Mediterranean eatery is a beacon for punchy mezze in Phoenix

When a new spot opens in town, we’re eager to check it out, let you know our initial impressions, share photos and dish about menu items. First Taste, as the name implies, is not a full-blown review but instead a peek inside restaurants that have just opened – an occasion to sample a few items and satisfy curiosities (both yours and ours).

When the team behind Noor began teasing its arrival in Phoenix late last year, it promised to bring “a new light to Mediterranean dining.”

Noor, which means light in Arabic, opened at the northeast corner of Tatum and Shea boulevards in December. The restaurant draws inspiration from Levantine cuisine of the Middle Eastern region that abuts the Mediterranean Sea. 

Syrian chef Dima Al-Chaar crafted Noor’s menu. She is a “Top Chef Middle East” semifinalist who consults on restaurants around the world. Local cocktail expert Maxwell Berlin developed Noor’s drink menu. Berlin previously helmed the dual downtown lounge Quartz and is no stranger to curating drinks inspired by cuisine — he formerly tended bar at the revered Thai restaurant Glai Baan.

Noor has found its home in a space that, in recent years, housed sports bars. The previous two occupants were the upscale lounge Vintage XIV and an outpost of the casual brewpub Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap. In its evolution to become Noor, the restaurant received layers of luxe updates throughout.

Elements nodding to the restaurant’s Syrian inspiration now adorn the dining room. There’s an octagonal fountain covered in intricately arranged geometric stone tile. It quietly bubbles in the heart of the space, shaded by a faux olive tree. A mural across the room depicts a village square with a fountain at the center. Those pieces sit amid sleek-lined tables and booths that fill with couples and groups out for girls’ nights. Woven textiles drip from the ceiling like chandeliers, while brass lights cast a soft glow from above and tableside.

Cocktails to try at Noor

Noor’s list of tipples highlights classics — martinis, margaritas and old fashioneds — infused with fig, Medjool date, rose, pomegranate and other Middle Eastern flavors. Signature sips range from $16 to $18.

At the table, we chatter over the drink options and peruse the large menu of salads, hummus and dips, raw dishes, flatbreads, hot and cold mezze and entrees. 

It’s the front-end of the dinner rush on a recent weeknight, and the restaurant is beginning to fill, but it’s by no means packed. Servers move swiftly by us to other tables. We wait several minutes until eventually ours arrives. Apologetic, he promptly takes our drink order and brings out a cup of crisp crackers to dip into a dish of labneh studded with pomegranate arils and a half-moon of zaatar-laced olive oil.

The cocktails, a riff on a southside and an old fashioned, arrive with social media-approved pomp and circumstance. 

The Medjool Thief Old Fashioned is tucked away in an ornate box. When the server flips the lid open, smoke rolls out, revealing a crystal rocks glass. The roasted aroma lingers after the server departs. Date, cinnamon and cherry reinforce the warmth of the rye that is the backbone of this boozy tipple. A date garnish balances on the massive ice cube in the glass.

The Souk Southside, meanwhile, is a refreshing honeydew gin sipper. The pale green drink is made with cucumber, lime and an herbaceous blend of mint, parsley and mastic. A honeydew melon ball and a tuft of mint garnish this crushable drink, which tastes like spa water sipped poolside.

Fattoush, muhuamara and more mezze

The term Mediterranean has become muddled by restaurants seeking to capitalize on the buzzy phrase. It’s often used as a catch-all for a sometimes disjointed tableau of European, Middle Eastern and North African dishes. At Noor, there’s much more personality and a clearer point of view presented on the menu. There are familiar items alongside plenty of dishes the average diner may not recognize. The restaurant’s staff is well-versed and eager to share details about any plate or ingredient.

To eat, we start with an array of mezze: eggplant fattoush salad, hummus with short ribs, muhamara and a zaatar flatbread. The sluggishness of service quickly evaporates, and these plates arrive rapidly. Soon, we’re playing Tetris to fit each plate and bowl onto our twee turquoise table. 

Out of the gate, Noor’s starters and mezze, which range in cost from $10 to $24, pack a punch.

The short rib hummus, though a tad thick, has the nutty warmth of tahini and unctuous depth from a mound of spicy, tomato-spiked short rib at its center. A scattering of pickles brings welcome pops of acid. It comes with a basket of three freshly baked puffed pitas, which we rip open to use as vessels for this warming, savory spread.

The muhamara is a sweet and tangy dip that keeps us coming back for another taste. The roasted red pepper shines in this mezze, lifted by tart pomegranate molasses, earthy walnuts and a hint of heat from chili paste. It’s the kind of dip that we were soon testing with just about everything else on the table. Luckily, we carb-overloaded with a crisp, spiced flatbread, too.

The salad is a splashy display of texture and rife with the floral tang of sumac, pomegranate and fresh mint. It’s assertive and crunchy in all the best ways, just be sure to eat it quickly. The cucumber, radish, tomato and crisped bits of pita hold firm against the bracing dressing, but the fried eggplant, at first crisp outside and creamy inside, turns to mush once it marinates a bit longer.

For the final course, we opt to share a platter of Shish Tawook, $32. The hunks of chicken and charred vegetables are presented atop the grates of a gilded gold tabletop grill. This is all for show; there’s nothing going on in the firebox. Despite being marinated and grilled, the chicken is disappointingly bland. The vegetables and side of garlic aioli did what they could to add more flavor, but the dish simply did not deliver. The restaurant’s entree prices climb as high as $68, which pushes expectations up and narrows the room for error. After so many assertive, bold flavors to start the meal, this entree fell flat.

Noor does offer a new light in north Phoenix, but sometimes it flickers. Nevertheless, we’ll be back for the memorable mezze and cocktails.

When we return, we’ll bring a group, because the restaurant’s deep menu of shareables begs for a boisterous night of family-style eating and a few rounds of drinks. We were eyeing the halloumi flambeed in a sour cherry sauce, a tuna tartare with bulgur and beefy croquettes, Kebbeh Meqliyeh. And that was before our server started describing the restaurant’s ice cream sundae, which is topped with rose water, pistachio and cotton candy. In spite of a few stumbles, we’re still hungry to taste more from Noor.

Noor

10625 N. Tatum Blvd., #150