Came here on a Monday evening with my girlfriend. First time dining out in the great city of Albany. Also first time trying Lebanese cuisine. For appetizers, we had the Mezze Platter. It comprised of hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, grape leaves, tabbouleh, and mujaddara. I wasn't familiar with a lot of dishes included with the appetizers, but I was able to research the ones I wasn't too familiar with. The Baba Ganoush was very good. It was an eggplant dish or dip. It was very creamy and had a nice tart taste. I ate it by itself and with the pita bread and chips provided. The Tabbouleh was like some kind of salsa with a variety of vegetables. I loved the freshness and acidity of the dish. It really paired well with the pita bread and chips. The Mujaddara was a chickpea dish. It was mashed and had a nice creamy texture. Loved it along with the other aforementioned spreads and dips. The hummus was lovely. Glad to have tasted the hummus with the bread and chips. The falafel was nice. Had a nice crunch and acidity. The grape leaves were good with its sour taste and tender outside. The inside was filled with rice. It was pretty good overall. We definitely enjoyed our appetizers here. For our entree, we had the Beef and Lamb Shawarma Plate. The plate was served with Basmati rice and a mixed vegetable salad. I felt that the meat was a little bit overcooked. After a few bites, I could not tell if I was eating beef or lamb. The rice was cooked well and actually paired well with our appetizer. The meat tastes okay once I combined it with the appetizers. Service was pretty good. Our hostess and server was very attentive and friendly. Even though she was the only one there, she made sure that our evening was a pleasant one. The guy who brought us our food was also friendly. The ambiance is pretty nice. It was classy and I have read on Yelp they do live bands sometimes. The setting in this place is quite romantic with some seats also outside. Not too bad of a place. read more

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My favorite Indian food spot on Solano. Great food. Great service. I tried the lamb and the veggie samosa. I definitely recommend! read more

Make sure you call first! Yelp says they are open from 11:30-9:00 pm Not true! They have been closed from 1:00 to 4 pm. I called and there is no message of when they open! In a town that is difficult to find parking, it's disappointing when your 87 year old aunt has to walk so far just to find they are not open!!! read more

Lovely food and owner. I wish they didn't use so much plastic for take-out. One meal and we end up with a pile of black plastic containers that are not recyclable or reusable. read more

Generous portions, excellent flavors in the mezza platter. Enjoyed the wine. Friendly service. Have been here 5 times, a consistently excellent Friday dinner rendezvous. read more

Yesterday Nina and I had lunch here. I hadn't been here since just before the pandemic shutdown so I had forgotten how generous the portions were. Nina was already seated when I arrived. I walked in and was greeted by Ali, the owner. We already had menus on the table. We decided to share a mezze platter to start and then she wanted a beet salad and I ordered a Caesar. We both ordered tea to drink. The mezze was delivered first and it was abundant. See my previous review to see what it contained. We each had a falafel and a dolmas. I put mine into a wedge of pita and smashed it, adding some hummus, baba ganoush and tabuleh. The rest of the hummus and baba ganoush we scooped up w/ pita chips, which we both loved. Everything was delicious. Nina had a few bites of her beet salad, which had lots of beets, in contrast to the paltry number in the beet salad at Walnut Tavern. I couldn't eat my Caesar, so I took it home and had some of it w/ dinner last night. It had been sitting in the dressing since lunch, so it was just the way I like it. Nina took home the rest of her salad and what remained of the mezze, mostly tabuleh and bits of this and that, along w/ the pita, because I didn't want any of it, having more than enough food in the house. No question I will return sooner than close to 4 years. Nina and I agreed that we want to add it to our lunch rotation. read more

Most amazing beet salad I have ever had. Perfectly cooked through and absolutely delicious. read more

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Great intimate mom and pop restaurant with quality Lebanese dishes and a variety of solid wine options. Service was fast and the owner made us feel very welcome. read more

Chez Mansour - Mezze plate - Lebanese Near Me - Albany, California

I tried this place via delivery and looks like they are adding more takeout friendly foods to their menu (like shawarma rice plates) for the delivery apps. Can't comment on the wine bar aspect of this place but I really like their takeout! The mezze plate was full of delicious and fresh dips and spreads, and the lamb/beef kebab and chicken shawarma plates were also well seasoned and fragrant. The only thing I wish for were crispier pita chips / softer pita bread (which come with the mezze), as they were a little stale. I will definitely order again! read more

Chez Mansour - a variety of dishes - Lebanese Near Me - Albany, California

Bad service. The waitress didn't know what she is talking about and was trying to convince us that we don't know the difference between baklava and kounafa. She kept saying Tapas, and she doesn't know what tapas is. Food is below average . I would not go there again read more

Fantastic med cuisine. Best chicken kabab I've had. Came on a small live music night for the holidays, which made the evening fantastic. The owner, Ali, maybe?, was there and brought us baklava randomly without any charge. Just cuz. Looking forward to returning soon! read more

Taking a lunch break to meet my brother. Limited seating in the converted street/ parking lot alfresco set up. A lot of regulars dropped in to say hi and or get take out. Freshly made and tasting ingredients. I got kabob platter with ground beef. It was solid, but not over the moon. They have a purple potato garlic spread (not Ube) If you like garlic....order it! Goes well on complimentary pita. As well as your main course or just with your finger... yep that good. Friendly staff and owner. Service A little slow understandably with only two folks working the front. A wee bit tardy on filling water on a em warm day. If you want it casual and leisurely, and it's nice out, solid all a round. read more

I loved the experience and the ambiance definitely will be back to try the food . I also really loved the service . read more

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The baba Ghanouche was spectacular. So fresh, so light, so flavorful. I loved the sprinkle of pomegranate seeds on top! The pita bread sampler had a nice variety of bread and pita chips. The chicken kabob plate with roasted potatoes was a huge hit with my hubby, who devoured it all before I had a chance to try it! The chicken shawarma plate with rice was great too. Falafels were also moist and fresh, not too dense. Wonderful dining experience! read more

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There really is a lot to say about this place but I only have so much time and one thumb to type it all into my phone with at this time. Each plate had its own unique flavors which were delicious in their own right. read more

Everything was great. Food is delicious and nutritious. We got the mezze platter and chicken shawarma. Wine was delicious and reasonable priced. read more

Wow! Pretty good food + sh*tty service = 2 stars for Chez Mansour. Periodt. I came here with my cousin for dinner and we both couldn't believe how the night ended. My cousin is vegetarian, so I wanted to find a restaurant in the area that would appease her tastes. I remembered that this new Lebanese spot had opened nearby and we decided to give it a go. When we first walked in, we were greeted and seated immediately. We perused over the menu and everything sounded pretty appetizing. We decided to order the mezza plater which included a large sampling of their appetizers. We also ordered baked eggplant with blue cheese and pine nut, and a Fattoush salad to share. Our waitress was kind of pushy and kept telling us that we should order the salmon. I did want to try some kind of meat for myself while I was there and inquired about the jumbo shrimp. I asked her if they came on skewers and she said that they did. I asked her how many skewers came with it and she said that there would be two skewers. I thought that for the price, 2 skewers of jumbo shrimp was decent so I ordered it. I guess it comes with either sautéed bell peppers or potatoes. I couldn't immediately decide which one that I wanted, so she offered to let me have both. The mezze platter came out first and it was absolutely beautiful. Not only did it look good, but it tasted great as well. The hummus dip, falafel, and dolmas were delicious and tasted freshly prepared. I even enjoyed the baba ghanoush which I'm generally not a huge fan of. The quality really made it tasteful for me. We were given pita bread and pita chips for the platter. The pita bread was average but still good. The chips were a bit overcooked, however. Next up was the eggplant appetizer with blue cheese and pine nut. This too was extremely tasty. I loved the culmination of the blue cheese and eggplant. It seemed to be paired perfectly. Everything was going well until I received my "jumbo shrimp skewers". ...Jumbo shrimp skewers? WHERE?! Do you know that they delivered this plate to our table with two pieces of shrimp. TWO pieces of shrimp. Just TWO. Hol' up! I just really had to process this for a moment. My cousin and I looked at each other like WTF? We asked the gentleman who delivered our dish if it was for the right table and he said yes, this is the jumbo shrimp. Are you kidding? This sh*t is laughable! Who the f*ck would order 2 PIECES of f*cking shrimp for $10?? What are two pieces of shrimp going to do for this tummy? Nada! Of course, our waitress wasn't to be found until about 5 minutes later. We asked her if this was the "jumbo shrimp plate" with the two skewers of shrimp that she told us that it came with. Her reply 'Yes, this is it. There's two grilled shrimp there". Uuuuummm... WTFAAAACK?? Let me take it back for a moment... why would ANY restaurant put anything on their menu with only TWO F*CKING pieces of shrimp on it?? At this point I was perturbed and it was clear that we weren't gonna get anywhere with this. Oh yeah and those potatoes AND bell peppers that she promised me? Nope. Didn't get both. Got a couple of soggy ass bell peppers and a few green leaves characterized as a "salad". It was as if homegirl was talkin' out of her ass and had never even tried anything off the menu. After that we basically didn't see her. We had to flag her down for water refills and extra napkins. To make matters worse, she forgot to bring our Fattoush salad. When she finally "remembered", we were pretty much done with our meal. Her excuse was that it was "soooo busy" but the place wasn't packed to the brim the way that she made it seem. I told her that we didn't want it anymore, and she tried to say that they had already made the salad. Um, bullsh*t! Again, I refused and told her that we were done eating. Then this broad had the nerve to ask us if we wanted dessert?! HA! We just wanted to get the ef up out of there at this point. When it came time for the bill, we told her that we'd split it evenly. I had cash and my cousin had a card. The first thing out of her mouth was "There's a $10 card minimum". ........ Did you even look at our f*cking bill? CLEARLY what we ordered totaled more than 3 times the card minimum. We were splitting the bill in half. Why would you even feel the need to mention this? We gave her our payment and she acted like it was such a struggle for her to split the bill. Like wtf? I cannot believe that you have this lady out here serving the public like this, and a brand NEW establishment at that. The food was good but not good enough for me or anyone else to endure that type of horrid attitude and service. The two stars is honestly for the food alone. Would I come back? F*CK no! Here's to hoping that they improve their service before they end up closing down. read more

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Updating as I'm still delighted by this charming and homey spot! Have gone in several times since my original review, for lunch/snacks, and my review stands. The wine list is extensive and affordable, and the owners are still delightful. Having talked to them more I like them even more... somehow feel like a regular even when I'm not. Their renovations didn't make anything unrecognizable, and they clearly respect the long history of the space. Plus, it's open 7 days a week, and later than many area spots. I keep meaning to go in on a Sunday night to hear live music ...Django! PS: Try the dolma. I'm not usually that excited about dolma in restaurants. But these are wonderful. read more

Chez Mansour takes over Britt Marie's space. infrastructure may be similar. Lebanese foods is rarely seen in the bay area. Danny Thomas and Ralph Nader are the only Lebanese prescence i've ever experienced. offerings: mezza, salads, kebabs, desserts, entrees, appetizers. eats: olives bites tasty -beef & lamb kebab (14) fried pita crunchy, tasty, regular pita bread bland beef cubes had minimal tenderness, little flavoring lamb cubes tender, semi-juicy, minamally spiced. spring mix salad fresh with sparse dressing. roast potato naturally flavored, upgrades preferred. -coffee expresso (2) touch of cardonam -baked blue cheese eggplant (3/6) heavy blue cheese taste with crunch of pine nuts on top crunch of eggplant skin felt, eggplant "meat' not. leftovers: -menu isn't well organized. entrees, appetizers posted all over -flavors nuanced, not heavily spiced. foods only naturally flavored foods may taste bland as it's not loaded with salt, sugar, msg saturated fats. -pics of foods with menu or separate volume would be helpful. no idea what some dishes look like. could only guess. -wine bar not ready yet. read more

Really nice people, delicious, freshly-prepared Lebanese specialties and a wonderful selection of wines. They have covered outdoor seating, too. Favorites? I'd have to say the okra with tomatoes and olive oil, the hummus, the seasoned roasted potatoes, the falafel and the beet salad with arugula and balsamic. Honorable mention for the baba ganoush, the dolma and the pita chips. Everything was very nicely prepared and the prices are more than fair for the quality and the quantity. It was a lovely place for a family brunch. One more thing: there are TONS OF VEGAN OPTIONS! Stop by this place; you won't be disappointed. read more

CHANGE THE NAME TO "CHEZ WOMAN-SOUR" Disrespectful, dishonest, discriminating. Husband and I and our son went to celebrate our engagement anniversary. We were approached at the front by an extremely rude lady. She saw us approaching from the window and immediately looked me up and down all concerned. Not a single hello or a smile, she just blocked the door and said "we are closed for private party" then closed the door on us. But I looked into the windows and there were 3 separate tables of regular customers all enjoying meals. There was clearly no "private party." Bothered, I called and pretended we just wanted to eat lunch. I called and asked the lady "is there a wait right now for 3 ppl for lunch?" She replied, "no wait" then asked "are there children in your party?" I asked "why?" She told me parties with kids can only sit in their heated/covered outdoor patio, and parties without kids are allowed inside. I hung up. Told my husband to put our son in the car. I walked back to the restaurant and opened the door. She looked at me and tried to ignore me. I called out loudly "excuse me, can I speak with you about the private party you mentioned?!" I told her I just called and the person speaking told me there was NO wait and that we could've been seated on your patio. Yet YOU told me there was a private party happening at the moment. So which is it?!" Flustered she told me "that was me on the phone" so I told her loudly, "horrible and dishonest service won't get you anywhere" so she asked "go ahead and sit outside then if you want" and I told her "I wouldn't give you a dime if we were starving" read more

Lowering my rating to 1 start since the owner is not telling the truth in his reply to my review. The owner greated me at the door in person and told me I can sit there. They prepared the table for me. It was one of their large outdoor tables. About about 5 minutes later, they took my order. After about 15 minutes my food was ready. It all started when they served me my food. They got a last minute reservation. They told me a "large" group is coming and I need to move to a different table. They apologized me multiple times and I moved me a to different table. However, that large group was only a group of four people. They had other available tables for 4 and also there was a group of 3 sitting at a table for 6. It is obvious that they chose to pushed me away from a prime table to please new customers. Now, the owner is blaiming me for in their reply for their rude and poor decision. After reading the other complaints and owner's unprofessionally written replies, it is clear to me that my experience wasn't just a coincidence. My opinion about their food stays the same. Their food was good. I hope they improve their hospitality. Because good food served with bad hospitality still leaves a bad taste in customer's mouth. read more

We came as a group of four for dinner. The atmosphere was intimate, but the music playing was loud, and it was a little hard to have a conversation. The entrees were tasty, but not amazing, and the portions were very small. $20 scallop plate with two (small to medium size) scallops?! The service and atmosphere were great--but at this price point I don't think I would return. read more

Food - Fantastic!! Love the Kafta Lamb patty platter, So yummy. 5/5 Ambience - Lovely, Charming & Relaxing 5/5 Service - Could be improved, doable, I'd like to be checked on more often and I wish the server hung out within view especially when it's slow and they're not doing anything else. read more

I was more than disappointed: I was embarrassed that I brought friends here. We arrived at 4:30 and the space was empty - even so, the woman at the front acted like we were an inconvenience. She then brought us an appetizer we didn't order and insisted that we did order it. The food was simply not good. As we were leaving she asked if we liked everything an my friend said that it was a little dry and lacked flavor. The waitress said it wasn't their fault - the city of Berkeley doesn't let them use some flavor or others. I hope it was just an off night but I won't risk going back. read more

First time here. First, the bad customer service: Lady at the front seemed annoyed that I was asking about the difference between the $10 gyro plate and the $16 gyro plate, which the menu didn't make clear. She seemed even more annoyed that I asked for my salad dressing to be put on the side, even though I got the order to go. She asked me if I had allergies (as of to hint that she would only accommodate me if I did) and rolled her eyes. I responded that I didn't but I wouldn't eat the meal until later and didn't want my salad to be soggy. It's standard for restaurants to put dressing on the side if it's a to-go order, so I did not appreciate her response. The food: what you are looking at is a $20 meal including tax and tip. Dry, tasteless meat. Salad squished with the "gyro" and potatoes underneath. Nothing special. Would've also appreciated a second box to separate the hot items from the salad. Lots of better places around Berkeley with tastier food and much friendlier, welcoming service. Won't be coming back. read more

Chez Mansour - Lebanese Near Me - Albany, California

So happy I found this spot near our place! The beef kabobs were perfectly cooked. Well balanced meal with great portions. Highly recommend! & great service. Looking forward to dining in next time :) read more

The food at Chez Mansour is absolutely amazing. I have a mother who is an extremely picky eater and she enjoyed the hummus and assortment of bread that came with it. When it came to the lamb kabobs my mom's eyes lit up and before she could completed a full bite, she quickly said "this is delicious." The rest of our meals were equally delicious. And the service is second to none. Their welcoming demeanor and sense of humor made the experience that more pleasurable. This family owned business is certainly one to add to your list of dining. Needless to say, my mother enjoyed her birthday lunch and we will be back. I also hear that a Sunday evenings have live music. Thank you Chez Mansour! read more

Ordered apps at 1:20pm and the meze plate was quite good. We waited for the server to come back for our mains order but he never came out again (we were seated outside). At about 2:20pm a server dropped a plate on another customer and came and told us the kitchen was closed. She was pretty hard nosed and told us they could not offer us anything else. There was no mention of this closure time either on the menu or the window of the resto. Crazy that nobody came to check if we wanted to order anything else read more

If you haven't already, you must check out Chez Mansour. Its a lovely little restaurant and wine bar on Albany's delightful Solano Avenue. This placed helped me to realize I love Lebanese cuisine. You really can't go wrong with any dish here. I love when they bring out the big basket of pita. I'm a bit of carb addict these days, and those pita wedges are so delicious. Don't forget to try the five types of olives. These are Kalamata olives, and they are flavorful and robust. But save some room for dinner. The food is well seasoned, and the lamb kabob is my goto favorite. I have a friend who swears by the Mazza plate and shrimp kabab. When they ask you if you want rice or potatoes with your kabob, the right answer is rice. Its delicious. Thanks for staying open for take-out during the pandemic, Chez Mansour! We love ya! read more

A friend took me there for my 1st time and the owner came out to greet us. He was very congenial and the food was great. The ambiance is so European, and eclectic. I will definitely return! read more

I was blown away by the wine selection at Chez Mansour. While his wine list offered mostly California wines, when I said I wS a fan of French Bordeaux, he offered tastes of two delicious wines from affordable wineries. When I asked about wines from regions I didn't know well that excluded Napa and Sonoma, he gave me a glass of a barbera from Amador County, east of here, in the Sierra foothills on yhe way to Yosemite. It was only $10 for a generous glass and was delicious. Chez Mansour has a beautiful old-fashioned bars and severAl tables like you would fine in a French village. I was alone but I felt like it would be a perfect place to share wine and a light meal with others. read more

Falafels were so burnt they tasted terrible, the tabouleh had too much tomatoes was soggy with no taste. Waste of money! Don't go there. read more

The food is excellent especially the chicken or game hen kabob. Very juicy and well seasoned! The lamb kabob was good but not as juicy. The plates for lunch are abundant. The wooden bench at the tables inside were not as comfortable and could use more cushioning. read more

Service very rushed, pushy. Food was fair. Hummus was very good, lamb had little flavor. Chicken was decent. Other than the Hummus, No wow factor at all.. unfortunately there was some live very loud music we didn't know about so that killed us being able to have any decent conversations. It should have been mentioned when the reservation was made!! read more

A crowded night with the over loud live music. Sat at the bar, ordered, whereupon the condescending Brazilian bi**h slammed down a "reserved" placard in front of me. "They can't serve you," she announced. Not coming back. Food's mediocre anyway. read more

Grat Food and ambiance. And friendly and welcoming service. A special place that offers food, wine, and music, unique to the East Bay.

The food was good but the portion size was rather skimpy for the price. I had the chicken shawarma and it was well seasoned. Good thing I shared the Meza platter. The baklava was absolutely tiny! I ate it in two bites to make it last, but it was really a one bite piece. I think there was only 1 person waiting on all the tables, so service was rather spotty. I don't think I would go back. read more

Excellent food, nice service, nice wine selections and relaxed ambience. We like to take friends out to dine here.

$100 cheap Mediterranean dinner with rude service and too loud of jazz. Came here hoping for a nice date with a reservation after long work week but was treated like garbage. Waitress was aggressively rude to me and my girlfriend. Questioning our choices and acting like cooking food would get in the way of the music? Truly bizarre and insulting. Everyone else was welcomed on a first name basis. Seemed like an insular crowd of elderly locals who don't want anyone else inside. read more