By Ebony L. Morman 

At Habibi Lebanon in Davidson, the day begins long before the first guest walks through the door.

Executive chef and owner Nazira Atme is usually in the kitchen by 6 a.m., sometimes earlier, starting the long list of tasks that prepare the restaurant for lunch and dinner service.

The work begins with the building blocks of Lebanese cuisine: dips, vegetables, and slow, careful preparation. The kitchen staff makes hummus and eggplant dips from scratch; tomatoes, onions, and parsley are chopped by hand for fresh tabbouleh salad; and lentil soup is prepared daily — and rarely lasts until closing.

“We’re very particular in our restaurant to invest a lot of time in prepping and making sure everything is the quality our customers have come to expect,” Atme says. “I don’t like to take shortcuts.”

It’s an approach that’s rooted in her childhood. Born in France to a Lebanese father and French mother, Atme grew up in a household where food was central to family gatherings. Her upbringing shaped both her curiosity and confidence in the kitchen. Atme remembers cooking alongside her parents from a young age, experimenting with ingredients and learning through trial and error.

“As I grew up, we had the responsibility to choose what we wanted to eat,” she says. “If you had an idea, you’d implement that at the house.”

Her early curiosity eventually turned into a career. Atme studied in Switzerland at the University of Lausanne before entering the hospitality world, working across Europe and Canada before arriving in the United States in 2009.

In 2014, Atme took over the space at 408 South Main Street in Davidson, opening Restaurant X. The restaurant featured an eclectic European-style menu, but Lebanese flavors gradually began to appear.

“I started entering the hummus, getting the falafel, doing some grills,” she says. “People just couldn’t get enough.”

Customers began requesting more Lebanese dishes, even asking for them at catered events. Eventually, the demand made the next step clear. After operating Restaurant X in the space for 10 years, Atme was ready for a change. By March 2024, she’d already written an entirely authentic Lebanese menu and officially rebranded the restaurant as Habibi Lebanon. 

The community embraced Habibi Lebanon immediately.

“It was an instant success,” she says. “People just were over the moon that, finally, in Davidson, somebody had opened an authentic Lebanese restaurant.”

Today, the menu emphasizes freshness and flexibility. Since the small restaurant works with limited storage space, the team selects ingredients carefully and uses them quickly. Atme sources many ingredients locally through Davidson Market, and she imports spices from Lebanon. All meats served at the restaurant are halal.

The menu reflects both tradition and variety, from vegetable-forward dishes to grilled meats and seafood. Among her personal favorites is the chef’s signature mixed grill (beef kebab, kafta kebab, chicken skewer), which brings together several flavors on a single plate.

Another standout is the Habibi grill, designed for lamb lovers and served with lamb chops, lamb kebab, and lamb kafta alongside rice and sauces.

For Atme, who loves engaging with people, hospitality is just as important as the food. It’s an opportunity to connect — one that extends far beyond the dining room and helps create a welcoming space for everyone who walks through the door.

“If somebody comes thirsty or hungry and cannot afford it,” she says, “I’m there to welcome them either way.”

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