Middle Eastern Cooking Class in Vienna with Syrian Chef

A Syrian baker's three-hour kitchen in Vienna, where lahmacun and conversation happen at the same time.

This three-hour cooking class in Vienna teaches you how to make lahmacun—a Middle Eastern flatbread topped with minced meat, vegetables and herbs—in the home of Omar, a Syrian chef and artist who worked in his father's bakery in Syria and has lived in Vienna for ten years. You'll start with tea and snacks, move through the hands-on cooking, and finish with dinner together; the class is offered in English, German, or Arabic.

The Experience

Omar welcomes you into his Vienna home, where the first thing you get is tea and snacks—the setup itself signals you're not in a cooking school but in someone's kitchen. From there, you move straight into making lahmacun, the flatbread that defined his family's bakery work in Syria. He shows you how to layer minced meat, onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers and parsley onto dough, and you make it yourself, not watch a demonstration. The three hours move between his hands guiding yours and the stories that come with the work—his background as an artist in Vienna, the gastronomy that shaped his family, the Eastern culture that shaped both.

Dinner comes at the end, so you eat what you've made together. Meze and tzatziki round out the meal. The class runs in English, German, or Arabic, so language is not a barrier to understanding either the technique or the person teaching it.

What’s included

• Hands-on instruction in making lahmacun.
• dinner with the lahmacun you've made plus meze and tzatziki.
• tea and snacks at the start.
• conversation about Syrian culture, Omar's bakery background and the Vienna art scene.

Good to know

Pets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Lokal Bond

Is this one for you?Book this class if you want to learn a specific dish by making it yourself in someone's home rather than in a formal kitchen, and if you're interested in the culture and story behind the food as much as the technique itself.

Top questions

What exactly is lahmacun and what goes into it?

Lahmacun is a traditional Middle Eastern flatbread—sometimes called Turkish pizza—topped with minced meat, minced vegetables and herbs including onions, garlic, tomatoes, red peppers and parsley. You make it from scratch during the class.

Do I eat what I cook, or is this just instruction?

You eat dinner together at the end of the class, so the lahmacun you've made is part of the meal, along with meze and tzatziki.

What language does Omar teach in?

The class is offered in English, German, or Arabic, so you can choose the language that works best for you when you book.

How long does the whole experience take?

The class runs for three hours from start to finish, including the hands-on cooking, the meal and time to talk about Omar's background and the culture behind the food.

Where is Omar's home located in Vienna?

The class takes place in Omar's home in central Vienna; public transportation options are available nearby to reach it.