"What It Is: A Middle Eastern restaurant in the Arts District from the same team as Bestia Perfect For: Date Night, Impressing Out Of Towners, People Watching An update that probably won’t shock you: the new restaurant from the people behind Arts District OG Bestia is incredible. They’d been open just over a week when we visited, but the dining room was packed and the whole operation was already running very smoothly. Like Bestia, Bavel is in a converted warehouse, but this one feels less like a dark abandoned factory - it’s bright, and filled with greenery and booths. All of which will blur quickly into the background once the food starts arriving. Everything we tried, from the hummus to the flatbread to the grilled prawns to the enormous lamb neck shawarma was fantastic. Reservations are already pretty impossible to come by, so be prepared to eat at 10pm on a weeknight, or be waiting to get in until July. The Verdict: It’s already going to be tough to get into Bavel, but definitely find a way to do so. It’s going on the Hit List." - jess basser sanders, brant cox, brett keating
