Sunderland's first Lebanese restaurant to open in former Arabesque city centre unit

Work is underway to transform the former Arabesque restaurant in High Street West into Tabbouleh Lebanese restaurant and grill.

The former Egyptian restaurant had been running for a number of years in the city and had become popular for its large portions and distinctive Egyptian decor. But the family-run restaurant closed its doors for good last year.

Named after the classic Middle Eastern mezze salad, Tabbouleh is expected to open in the coming weeks and has already stamped its own identity on the site.

The gold door and sarcophagi of Arabesque have all been removed to make way for a more toned down colour scheme.

It’s the latest in a series of developments on the Sunniside end of High Street West, which is also home to the new Pop Recs which is undergoing massive restoration as part of the Heritage Action Zone project.