i came here recently because i was in the area, and wanted to try middle eastern food. i ordered the hafle beruti, which was delicious. the service was great, and Negar R was super friendly and helpful. i would come back again just for the great service read more

Hard to find parking. There was metered parking in the front. Came on a weekend afternoon. Made reservations, but according to the host, the reservation cancels after 15 minutes of not showing. Place was not full at all. Got the Veggie Sampler for Two for $15, Carousel Combo for $25, and Sarma for $10. For the Carousel Combo we got the Lula or ground beef Kebab and Lamb Shish Kebab for $4 more and substituted the cabbage salad to Lentil Soup for $2. We also got the bulgur instead of rice, fried, or fire roasted vegetables. The food was all amazing. The Sarma was on the sour side, but good. Would come back. read more

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**Negative stars for "Sam's" attitude and unprofessionalism. Hope the owner reads this and all the reviews about Sam written here in Yelp! My family and I visited Carrousel for a late lunch on a Saturday. Upon arrival, the host, Sam, informed us that the wait would be approximately 45 minutes. We added our name to the waitlist, and within about 10 minutes, the system showed that we were first in line. However, after waiting an additional 20 minutes, we still had not been seated. I approached a staff member to ask for an update, as the waitlist indicated we were next. She explained that several empty tables were being held for reservations and that the kitchen was backed up due to a large catering order. While I understand that operational challenges arise, it was frustrating to learn that dine-in guests were being delayed because the restaurant was prioritizing catering orders. From a customer's perspective, those internal issues should not significantly impact the dining experience. What was even more concerning was observing multiple walk-in customers being told by Sam that the wait would be over an hour and being encouraged to dine elsewhere. As a business owner, I would want to know if potential customers were being turned away in this manner. When I later spoke with Sam regarding the wait, his response was that customers should have made reservations. While reservations are certainly helpful, this is not a fine-dining establishment where they are typically expected for a casual lunch service. The comment came across as dismissive rather than helpful. Unfortunately, the biggest issue was not the wait itself but the level of customer service. A quick look through previous reviews shows that concerns about Sam's attitude and professionalism have been raised by other customers as well. Great hospitality can bring guests back even when food is average, but poor customer service often has the opposite effect. There are many excellent Middle Eastern restaurants in the area, and customer service plays a major role in where people choose to return. Based on this experience, I would not recommend this restaurant, nor would I choose to dine here again. read more

The take out order was missing a main item. When we called to complain, they left us hanging on the phone for a long time. The food was average, the shawarma was overly spiced and the cheese rolls very heavy. We paid about $150 for the take out and did not have a good experience. read more

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Carousel is a solid spot with really flavorful food and a lively atmosphere. I ended up going during the prix fixe menu, which I did not realize ahead of time, and it made the experience feel more expensive than I would have liked. That being said, the quality of the meat definitely stood out. Everything was well seasoned and cooked nicely, but the filet was the highlight for me. Super tender, juicy, and easily the best part of the meal. The portions were generous and the variety you get with the set menu is nice if you are coming hungry or with a group, but I think I would have enjoyed it more ordering à la carte and choosing exactly what I wanted. Overall really good food and worth trying, I would just time it differently next time to get the best value. read more

Carousel Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

Had lunch at Carousel and was transported back to the old country. The atmosphere is traditional and old school, but refined and pleasant. There is both inside and outside seating, but I preferred inside as the tables outside are on a busy street. The service was very good, with frequent check ins to make sure we were good with our food and drinks. We shared the baba ganoush, vegetarian grape leaves, and the chicken breast kebab. Everything was outstanding with the exception of the grape leaves which were too lemony for my taste. The chicken breast was tender and well marinaded, and came with grilled veggies and tomatoes. The baba ganoush was creamy and smokey just as it should be and was topped with pomegranate seeds. Overall it was a good experience which I will repeat when in the area. read more

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Wow, Had to review... were more than half way thru lent... coworker got the amazing lentil soup.. Carousel Restaurant down the block.. the lentil soup has been a house specialty since 1984 and one taste tells you why. Served hot, deeply flavorful, and perfectly seasoned, it's the kind of dish that feels timeless. Simple, comforting, and done just right... the sort of classic that never goes out of style. We will get again... read more

Carousel Restaurant - lentil soup, - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

Carousel is great for dine-in, but it's also amazing for takeout. Huge portions. Although I love their kebabs, I really love all their sides, especially the salads. Their fattoush is fantastic. Their cabbage and Greek salads are good too. And the lentil soup is to die for. read more

I was craving some authentic Lebanese food and came back to this spot in Little Armenia. It was just as good as I remember, and I discovered new favorites as well! I loved the liver sauté last time and had to get it again, and it didn't disappoint. While the gamey taste is definitely still there, it is perfectly seasoned and comes with sautéed and raw onions that cut the liver flavor. My favorite appetizer was definitely the baba gannuj, a roasted eggplant dish that went well with the bread. I especially liked that it was topped with pomegranate seeds, which gave it a nice texture. I also tried the frri, which was a roasted quail dish that was seasoned very well, but a bit small. I would also recommend getting the mint tea, since they use fresh mint and it is very soothing. Our server was very accommodating and gave us a table, even though they recommend to have a reservation on weekends. The interior is very warmly lit and intimate, great for a special occasion or family gathering. read more

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Very busy night we went there. Food was delicious but somewhat inconsistent. My mom's kebab skewer was full mine seemed to be half a skewer. In general everything was amazing. Appetizers were to die for, and the meals were good too. After the appetizers we waited a long time for the meals to come and when they did it was not HOTc it was a bit cold, but still edible. With that said and since we waited long I didn't want to send it back and have another delayed meal. read more

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There's plenty of room inside and outside. They have a large amount of options. They have some great hummus options for appetizers and the meals include a salad that is fresh and filling before the meal. Staff is friendly. read more

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If you have never been to Carousel restaurant, you need to. The food is delicious, the service is great, and it's got a great ambiance for either a romantic lunch/ dinner for 2, or a family or group gathering. We went for the Dine LA tasting menu. It was $35 per person, but we got to try so much food, and had plenty of food to bring home for leftovers!! The chicken kebab and filet mignon were delicious and loved all of the side dishes as well. We will definitely come back again next year during Dine LA. Such a great value!! read more

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My favorite place to go to for birthdays, dinners, and events. The food is always exceptional and I love the variety. Lebanese cuisine is so so delicious. read more

Carousel Restaurant - Hummus, taboule, sarma, cabbage salad, mutebel, babaghanoush, cheese, olives, pickles - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

First time being here and it was worth it! The food was delicious and the ambiance was good and comfortable- however, the service could have been better (took us 10-15 minutes to get the attention of our waitress to ask for our bill and it wasn't to busy while we were there). Overall, my friends and I really enjoyed the food and the location. Ample parking as well. read more

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Food was ok ( the portions were small for the price), and it was room temperature. The service was... inattentive. 30 minutes to be seated understandable 25 minutes for our drink order to be taken excessive wait. It was just a bad experience. The restaurant was well designed though. The stars were for design and the tea was pretty good. read more

The staff was nice, and the ambiance was fun. However, my husband's lamb kebab was overcooked. I like my appetizer, Basterma Rkaat, which came out hot. The rice pilaf was excellent and they give you a generous bowl of delicious cabbage salad, however, the olives were bitter. We were underwhelmed with the dessert, Ashta B'teen. There were two large birthday parties going on, and the restaurant goes all out with sparklers and music, so it might be fun to hold a birthday party here. If I were to go again, I'd stick with the appetizers, because they don't cook their meats to be tender or juicy, but tough and rubbery, with no trace of pink. read more

Carousel Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

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This place was cool.... food was in good size portion. Drinks were okay. To me it was nothing out the ordinary. The service was average. I got the fafafel meal was good. I did ask for extra spicy sauce as I like my food hot. Overall an average place. read more

Carousel Restaurant - Fafafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

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This place never disappoints. It's perfect for large parties. Food is always amazing. amazing. It's a great place to have large birthday party dinner's. It literally cost 50% less than you going to Benihana's or shotgun in Pasadena and the food is 1000 times more better and tasty. Highly recommend. Thank you. read more

Dine LA Sunday lunch $35. I highly recommend adding carousel to your list of Dine LA restaurants to try. You literally get an amazing sampling of so many items...of which was ALL delicious. No lie, everything was delicious. The cold appetizers, hot appetizers, the kabobs & even the rice/Bulgar was to die for. The price of $35pp for lunch might sound expensive but there was so much leftover I had 2 more meals at home. The restaurant was beautiful. A great place for groups, dates, etc., it's a classy place. Our server was awesome. The food came out quickly, water was frequently filled and empty plates were quickly taken away. Plenty of parking behind the restaurant. It's all metered but if you're ok to walk a block, there were plenty of free street parking in the neighborhood behind the restaurant. If you've never had Armenian food. You're missing out. You should go ASAP. read more

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We've been coming to Carousel for many years for birthday celebrations and ordered their catering for many private events. Carousel is the first Lebanese restaurant that comes to mind in LA and their variety and consistency is really what sets them apart. I believe they recently renovated the interior of the restaurant, and it's really elevated the overall look. The service is pretty good, and we've had pleasant experiences every time. If you're going with a group, I would highly suggest ordering family style, and they have a lot of great packages depending on what you want. The most memorable dishes are the hummus, muttabal, chi kufta, kofta, fatayer, and the filet shish kebab which is so incredibly tender. You really get so much food and you're able to try a little bit of everything. read more

I have been coming to carousel for fancy Armenian dinners for a very long time. I was surprised to see that I hadn't left a review yet, so here goes! I posted pictures of my last two visits to carousel. Last time we got the feast for 2, it was a ton of food, dare I say it can feed 3 actually. That's what I usually get what I go there, it's always really great and gives you a solid variety of the food at carousel. If you don't know what you want, or you love alot of their menu, I suggest ordering this. My most recent visit was for my moms 76th birthday . This is my moms favorite restaurant, so we went there. This time I wanted to change it up for us. My mom loves lamb so do I, so we ordered the vegetarian platter to get a good variety of the appetizers and dips, then we ordered the lamb, and.. OMG , I never knew what I was missing, their lamb was so tender and juicy and fatty, it was one of the best lamb chops I've had, even better than bougier restaurants I've been to. The most awesome part was the desert at the end, they have a sparkler they light if it's your birthday and they play happy birthday on their loud speakers. It's quite the show and my mom loved it. read more

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Worst experience ever! Service - bad Food - awful It is not armenian at all!!!! In the menu there is not a single Armenian dish. Even that armenian salad is full of spices and smells awful. Bad experience ever!!!! Waste of money and waste of time Very disappointed Not recommended at all!!! Never go if you are looking for Armenian kitchen. I will recommend Hatsatoun if you want to eat very fresh and yummiest Armenian food and have a great time with great live music read more

Our party of five came for the first time. We started with the appetizers Mutabbal baba gannuj, Fatayer with cheese filling and Muhammara of roasted red peppers, crushed walnuts and pomegranate, flaming soujouk bahadoura sausage followed by entrees of salmon kebab, lulu kebab of ground beef, chicken breast kebab with roasted vegetables, bulgur, rice and fries. The salmon was my favorite of all the kebabs bc it was cooked perfectly and not dry just the way I like my salmon! Highly recommend the beautiful Ossmalieh with crispy shredded pastry and Ashta cream filling for dessert. We also had the Ashta b'tween with homemade fig jam and Ashta. Everything was delicious, wonderful service was provided by our female server with glasses mentioned in a previous post, beautiful ambience, outside patio seating. We parked on the street. There's another Carousel in Thai Town, Hollywood with a different ambience. We chose to come to the one in Glendale to acknowledge Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, 4/24. read more

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Ambiance - very spacious restaurant with Middle Eastern decor. Service - our server was professional, friendly and very well-groomed. He was attentive and took care of us very well. We came in the restaurant at 3:30 pm and we have not had anything to eat. It was great that service was quick and food was promptly served. Food - we ordered beef Lula kebab and yogurt beef Lula kebab from the Specialty Entrees menu. The order comes with your choice of rice, bulgur wheat pilaf or grilled veges. I opted for the grilled veges and my husband chose the rice. Differences between our orders is his had a topping of yogurt, mine did not but came with a bed of crushed stewed tomatoes. His was in a bed of sliced fresh tomatoes. Both came with pita bread. I asked for garlic aioli which were given to us free of charge. I remember Raffi's charging us extra for this request. The beef was juicy, flavorful and tender. The servings were generous. The pita bread which were provided with our orders was perfectly thin and had a very thin layer of a crushed tomato-like sauce. The grilled veges consisting g of large slices of zucchini and carrots were equally flavorful and perfectly grilled. Overall, the whole meal was very satisfying. We were so hungry, we forgot to take pictures of the food. Anyway, we love this place. By the way, there is metered street parking, another plus, compared to paying a more expensive valet parking at Raffi's. Finally, our server told us that their cooking style is more Lebanese whereas Raffi's is more Persian. read more

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Carousel is an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant in Glendale. There are plenty of parking spots behind the restaurant. I was lucky to find a spot easily. They have also a valet parking. It was my second choice in case I could not find a parking spot. The restaurant has gorgeous decor and vivid and dynamic vibes. They had both indoor and outdoor seating. We preferred to stay outside since the weather was great. The hostesses were very welcoming and genuinely warm. Their menu were so tempting. I chose Khash-Khash Kebab. It served with tomatoes, peppers, onion-parsley mix, seasoned pita, and pickled turnips. The Kebab was heavenly. It was savory, flavorful and very juicy. It was such a perfect night. What an incredible restaurant to hangout with friends or family and enjoy your time. read more

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The food and the service was amazing! Our waiter, Bassam, was very attentive and nice! Will definitely come again sometime

The food- unbelievably delicious! The new style in the restaurant is gorgeous, it represents their vibe. Have no words for the service- it is fantastic. You never can go wrong with this place. read more

My family and I had dinner at Carousel Restaurant last Saturday, and it reminded us why it's one of our favorite restaurants. We've been coming here for many years and order takeout often. The manager Sam, always makes us feel welcome. He greeted us warmly and had us seated right away. Given how busy they were at the time the food came out surprisingly fast and was delicious. What keeps us coming back is not just the amazing food, but also the outstanding hospitality and amazing servers and staff. We look forward to every visit and highly recommend Carousel to anyone looking for the best Mediterranean food in town. read more

You can never go wrong with it Carousel. Every single one of their appetizers are insanely delicious. I wish I could name a few but it would probably be all of them. Their new renovation and space looks great and so welcoming, I just wish they had their live music back. Service is always great and food is just delicious! read more

Carousel restaurant definitely exceeded my expectations. The food seemed super authentic, and I loved getting to try so many new dishes for the first time. Each one had unique flavors and was clearly made with care. The ambience and service were both also warm. That said, the real star of the experience was the seemingly endless spread of food, just when you think you're done, they bring out more to enjoy. An amazing spot for anyone who loves great food and discovering new flavors. read more

Carousel Restaurant - spread - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

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Best restaurant in Glendale! We've been coming to Carousel almost every Sunday, even during their busiest times, and the service is always outstanding. The entire staff is friendly, welcoming, and consistently has a positive attitude. A special shoutout to Sam, the manager, who is truly exceptional. He is always smiling, professional, and goes above and beyond to make every guest feel valued. Even when we walk in without a reservation, he somehow always finds a way to accommodate us so we can enjoy a great meal. Carousel is lucky to have a manager like Sam and such an amazing team. The food is exceptional, and there's simply no other place that serves Mediterranean food quite like Carousel. Every visit reminds us of home in Lebanon. Highly recommended! read more

I noticed that a lot of the low ratings for this restaurant as of late are specifically about the service. I can confirm it's true. Horribly rude hostess and staff. It's a shame because the food was actually delicious. Maybe the Hollywood location is better but this one is not worth it. There are too many other delicious options in the area to be treated like $hit here. The only reason I'm giving two stars is because the food is good. read more

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First time at this restaurant and I was impressed at the staff, food and decor. Came on a Saturday night and almost every table was celebrating a birthday! It was beautiful to see people who have never met clap and celebrate each other. Beautiful atmosphere! Parking is behind the restaurant for a small fee. I will be back!! read more

Carousel Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

Took the family here as a treat water our daughter's piano recital. We walked in with no reservation on a Sunday at about 2 pm. Place was busy but we were able to get a table on the patio. We were in the sun, and they were very gracious and kind to move us inside once a table opened up. A lot of happy families were gathered breaking bread. Our server was excellent, and the food was amazing as always. I ordered the salmon kabob, and it was cooked to perfection. My wife and daughters had the filet mignon, which they loved. Step up and pay the two dollars extra to get the Armenian salad. Absolutely worth it. Hummus was a great appetizer, and the rice that comes with the meal is so tasty. We love the relaxed atmosphere. This is what a well run high quality family restaurant is supposed to be. Enjoy whenever you can. read more

Can not go wrong with carousel! The food is amazing and is perfect for groups! I love the spread here so much! Make it easy and go with the carousel feast! $48pp and you get so much food! read more

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I've been coming here since 2002, and it's about time I finally write a review. This is truly my favorite Lebanese restaurant! The food and service are always fabulous and consistently on point. Everything is absolutely delicious. I bring friends all the time and they always end up raving about it too. My go-to dishes are the Hafleh Beiruti or the Carousel Feast. It has everything and never disappoints. Love this place! read more

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Great food and a really nice atmosphere. Everything we ordered was fresh and full of flavor. Our server Bassan was excellent, very attentive, friendly, and made sure we had everything we needed. His service really made the experience even better. read more

BASSAM was an absolute GENTLEMAN. He was so patient. He listened to the type of food we liked and he made the recommendations. The chandeliers in the restaurant are beautiful... so much love in The room....baby shower, birthday and going home celebrations. The food was delicious! The service was top tier. We had so much fun. You've got to try the fried "red snapper"! It was aweeeesommme and the tabouleh was bon appetite! We had the AFTERNOON APRICOT Drink STRONG but yummy! To be honest we got the family meal 4 HAFLEH BEIRUTI to cover all bases and we were not disappointed! Can't wait to come back! read more

Carousel Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

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Food here is amazing! Service is quick and the food is always on point! I ordered the chicken shawarma and it was really flavorful! There's definitely a lot of seating indoor and outside so no worries there. I definitely recommend this place if you're in the area. read more

Carousel Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Glendale, California

The waitress lady was great, but the host limited access to online reservations for two via OpenTable. I wasn't too happy about that. If they had gotten that down without any problems, I'd give them 5 Stars. The food and atmosphere were good. It rained today. The restaurant was half empty, which to me was a huge let down due to them blocking OpenTable reservations. read more

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