What to expect when Western Sydney dining staple Al Aseel opens new north shore restaurant

An award-winning western Sydney restaurant famed for its authentic Middle Eastern fare is making an expansion move across the harbour bridge. See where it’s opening.

A much revered western Sydney Lebanese dining institution is embarking on a bold expansion move across the other side of Sydney Harbour as it prepares to open a new restaurant on the lower north shore.

Award-winning Al Aseel restaurant famed for its authentic Middle Eastern fare is set to launch a new outlet at Chatswood Chase shopping centre after being granted planning approval by Willoughby Council.

Showered with awards since it opened its first outpost in Greenacre two decades ago, Al Aseel is regularly touted as one of Sydney’s leading Lebanese dining destinations with its popularity spawning a further six further restaurants including at Liverpool, Parramatta and Homebush.

The restaurant is known for its traditional family-style feasting with recipes having been passed down through generations.

Al Aseel group general manager George Badr said the new restaurant in Chatswood was about breaking ground in a new part of Sydney.

Al Aseel is planning to open its first restaurant on the north shore.

“It’s a different demographic on the north shore to the west but Lebanese cuisine has become so popular across Sydney that it’s no longer exclusive demographically to certain areas,” he said.

“We have some customers who drive from northern Sydney just to come to our restaurants so we think Chatswood will have big potential.

“It’s also the first time we’ve tried a smaller model restaurant because it’s a new and different area for us and the restaurant is also located in a shopping centre so we’re not expecting as many big group bookings.

A photo of the fit-out works for the new Chatswood restaurant.

A photo inside the under-construction restaurant.

“We’re hoping to create a more personalised dining experience.”

Mr Badr said the menu will offer items including hot and cold mezzes, grill mains, feats and traditional desserts

The restaurant will be located at the lower ground level of Chatswood Chase with doors set to open towards the end of August.

The new restaurant is due to open this month.

Al Aseel specialises in Middle Eastern cuisine.

The $480,000 fit-out of tenancy comes amid a broader redevelopment of Chatswood Chase which involved major reconfigurations to large sections of the lower levels of the shopping centre to make way for new dining and retail outlets.

Vicinity Centres – which operates Chatswood Chase – in a statement said “Al Aseel will provide the north chore an authentic taste of family-style Middle Eastern fare to feast on”.

Al Aseel is not the first western Sydney foodie favourite to expand onto the north shore with popular chicken chain El Jannah – founded in Granville in 1998 – opening its first northern Sydney restaurant in Crows Nest last year.