Tiba Grill, owned by Ghassan Farrah, opened in 2020 and offers authentic ethnic Mediterranean cuisine and a market within the restaurant.

Tiba Grill and Market is not your typical Mediterranean restaurant. Opened in April 2020 by owner Ghassan Farrah, Tiba Grill is one-of-a-kind eating and shopping experience in the East Texas area.

Farrah moved to the United States from Kuwait, where he was born, in 1984 and moved to Tyler from Arlington in 2020 at the suggestion of a friend.

“A friend of mine had moved to Tyler and told me I needed to come to Tyler and open my restaurant because there was nothing like it in the area,” Farrah said.

Tiba specializes in authentic Greek and Lebanese food such as beef and chicken shawarma, falafel, gyros, lamb chops, kebabs, and baba ghanoush, as well as desserts like baklava.

Farrah said he felt the restaurant was a good fit for the area and was excited to bring new flavors to East Texas.

“I was happy to bring new tastes and healthy, fresh food to the area,” he said. “There are a lot of people that like Lebanese food and have to drive to Dallas or Houston to get it; now they can eat it here in Tyler.”

“I cook and prepare the food fresh daily,” Farrah said.

Friends Muhammad Sehgal, Yusuf Boothe, and Mohammed Mudassir frequent the restaurant and say not only do they love the food but also the environment.

Mudassir, a student at UT Tyler, said Tiba is a great place to go for college students.

“It’s a nice spot for college people; often times we’ll come here and grab something to eat and just sit down and talk about assignments and homework,” he said. “We can spend hours here.”

Tiba Grill also offers vegetarian dishes and has a daily special.

A year after opening the restaurant, Farrah opened a Mediterranean market within the restaurant.

“I opened the grocery side to sell the food and ingredients that I use for my cuisine at the restaurant,” Farrah said. “Some people ask me what is in the dishes and now I can show them right there in the market.”

The market offers a wide variety of foods, spices, candy, and more, including Lebanese pickles and olives, lentils, bulgur and other ethnic items not found in area grocery stores.

Farrah plans to open a cafeteria side to the restaurant in the near future.

Farrah said he is happy he made the move and enjoys serving the Tyler community.

“I am happy that I did take this step, people in Tyler are very friendly and a lot of them like the food we are serving,” he said.

Tiba Grill is located at 211 Shelley Drive and can be reached at 903-561-8335.

For more information or to order online, visit the Tiba Grill website.