BINGHAM FARMS — With black leather chairs, white curtains, an elegant piano and modern art hung on the walls, Mandaloun Bistro looks like a contemporary restaurant on the east coast. But the Bingham Farms eatery specializes in the most traditional, homemade, northern Lebanese cuisine. 

Owner Melissa Bitar said northern Lebanese food includes the same dishes as mainstream Levantine cuisine. “But the preparation differs from one region to another.” 

Bitar is a fifth-generation restaurant owner. According to her mother, Malake Bitar, who is the head chef at Mandaloun, the family’s roots in the culinary and food industry go back 140 years. Melissa Bitar’s great-great grandmother operated a restaurant in Hatay Province in what is today Turkey, before the family immigrated to Lebanon. 

Bitar, who is in her mid-20s, said she has been exposed to the restaurant business since she was 8— helping and working at her family’s eateries on the east side of Metro Detroit. 

Southeast Michigan is home to hundreds of Arabic eateries. Bitar said what makes her restaurant special is that it serves homemade hearty dishes that are not usually prepared at other restaurants. 

The bistro’s menu boasts items like lubiyeh, green beans sautéed in a tomato sauce with onions and garlic; moughrabiyeh, couscous balls, onions and chickpeas simmered in chicken broth; and burgul with tomatoes, cracked wheat, onions and green peppers cocked in fresh tomato sauce.

Such dishes are considered “grandma’s cooking,” Malake Bitar said. She added that her food preserves the old country’s strong flavors and preparation style.

The cooking is authentic and traditional, but where the restaurant does get innovative is in the presentation of the food.  

Melissa Bitar said she is looking to modernize the way traditional dishes are served. For example, stuffed zucchini and eggplants are conventionally served in a bowl of tomato sauce, but Mandaloun is serving them in an assorted white plate with the sauce on the side, creating a colorful, tasty tableau. Bitar said she envisioned the design of the restaurant.  “I wanted that Hollywood glam, while preserving the northern Lebanese taste and authenticity.” 

Mandaloun Bistro is located on Telegraph Road between 12 Mile and 13 Mile Road. To make a reservation, call

248-723-7960.