Either Yelp is messing with my mind, or somehow I have managed to never write a review for one of my favorite places to get takeout near me. I was fairly sure I had given this place 5 stars in the past, and posted photos. But alas, I don't see a review from me. So here it is... 5 stars! I'm sorry that I don't even have pictures, usually we just get the food To Go and bring it home, then get to eating. I love their hummus, it's so creamy and smooth! We generally order the combo plate with kabobs of grilled chicken pieces, ground chicken, and beef/lamb. This comes with delicious basmati rice, small salad, grilled onion & tomatoes, hummus, and a piece of pita bread. I also like to try a different item each time and I think the pecan baklava is awesome so I usually get that too. We've been coming here for years, I think we ate inside the restaurant just once or twice. It's clean and plenty of seating and the staff are friendly. Next time I'll take pictures and post them. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Golden Restaurant Bakery is an Afghan restaurant + bakery in between Tempe and Scottsdale. Their menu has a wide range of authentic dishes and more. I ordered the chicken shawarma on flat bread and it was about a 10 min or so wait until my take out order was ready. It was delicious and filling! The restaurant is pretty spacious and next to the counter is a case of different pastries to try. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Chicken Shawarma / Labani Wrap (Wahsh) - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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I was absolutely delighted to find this place so close to home! Can't believe I hadn't noticed it before. I was browsing Uber Eats for Mediterranean food when I found Golden and realized they had something that looks an awful lot like Khachapuri (here it's on the menu as Aldo). So I abandoned my plans of delivery food and promptly made my way in to eat. We got a solid sampling of the menu: - hummus/foul - Aldo with cheese and an over easy egg (I think their default may be scrambled but they do over easy if you ask!) - stuffed grape leaves - labani + black olive flatbread - kufta with tomato sauce - shawarma chicken wrap Lord above, my heart was so happy. The foul is exceptionally garlicky. Perfectly so. My partner said the hummus was his favorite thing we ordered, and he's a pretty discerning dude! The Aldo was excellent. The grape leaves came out hot, which surprised me, but again - solid! Flatbread? Stellar. Maybe even better the next day. The kufta didn't particularly excite me, but I wasn't the one who ordered it, and my partner was happy. My shawarma wrap? Oh boy, that garlic sauce. They even perfectly portion the innards so your pickles aren't all stuck to one side and the fries to the other. You can have pickles in almost every bite! We also got several desserts to take home. I haven't sampled them yet, but the hazelnut baklava in particular intrigues me. Casual ambiance. Options for booths or tables, inside or outside. I am so thrilled to have found Golden - they'll be a regular spot for me! read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Aldo with cheese and egg - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Excellent service and food and desserts are fresh and delicious! Very kind staff and if you can pay with cash as this small business is also being robbed with fees- merchant fees! Great place for a first date or a meet and greet! read more

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This place has so many options and everything I tried was really good! Serving authentic Arab food you can get everything you've ever dreamed of here! From pizza to shawarmas to rice plates and more. Definitely a must check out spot for a more lowkey cozy feel with amazing taste! They also have a wide array of drink options in that fridge and make sure to check it out!! The cardamom karak chai in there was so good I dream about it. That and the labneh zaatar bread! read more

First time here was extremely excited to try. We walk in no one greets us at the door to be seated ,we wait. Mind you there's none in restaurant but one table so it's not busy when we arrived. Then we walk to get service in front and staff is all hanging out just staring at us with zero hospitality no hello . As a Lebanese this isn't welcoming. I order when I'm about to pay there's a 3.5% service fee for using a card which is illegal to do. Staff member was rude because of me saying this isn't legal to do. Every business has to pay this for being open no matter where you. They just lost my business and anyone I know in Arizona. Do better. read more

We found the Viral Dubai Chocolate at this Tempe restaurant. You'll find Dubai bars, Dubai bon bons and Dubai hearts. These hearts are the perfect sweet gift for valentines. Stop by this small mom and pop business and support local. We experienced friendly service, casual dine in seating and great eats and treats. They have some amazing dishes, quality dishes, scratch made hummus and shawarma beef plate is so filling. I tried something new and fell in love with Kibbeh. So much delicious food. read more

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The Dubai chocolate cookies are everything I didn't know I needed! It's soft, chocolatey, and the right amount of pistachio for a heavenly balance. They have water and tea for while you're waiting if you choose to take things to go and I LOVE that station! It's always so good and the mint super fresh! We tried the Philly cheese wrap and it was so yummy with freshly baked wrap and a great balance of peppers and cheese. Only issue we have is we are located in North Phoenix. Go check them out and ask a friendly worker about the menu...they give great advice and history on ingredients and recipes! read more

Food is amazing specially the Safiyeh Staff and service is good Not fancy but tidy n clean. We were visiting from Texas n found this gem. Took food before our flight. read more

Lots of Mediterranean food choices. Decent food for the price. Great chicken meat kabobs Great service!

Solid variety of middle eastern food, great kabobs and traditional dips as well as incredible bakery that has everything covered from yummy meat / vegetarian pies to great hard to find desserts read more

It was alright. I was looking for something outside of my recentl repeated take out option. I decided to head back to Golden and ordered through Yelp. I of course stuck with the falafel and almost went for the tabbouleh again because I read my previous review... but thought it would be great to switch it up. And so, I decided the fattoush salad would be a good try. The falafel was good, though the tahini wasn't consistently distributed the pickles did add necessary moisture and flavor combination where tahini seemed lacking. I was grateful for the amount of pickle used and tomato, no onion or anything else... falafel, pickle, tomato and a smidge of tahini. The fattoush salad was disappointing and underwhelming. I read the menu on here prior to making my selection and there were no green bells or onion. It was chopped iceberg, a few shreds of red cabbage, some cucumber, tomato, radishes with toasty bready bits atop. Again, it was alright but I am regretful I didn't stick with the tabbouleh.. I was surprised to learn they do offer late night, the delivery fees through DD are what forced me to place a pick up order... but it's good to know if I have a late night hankering this is an available option. The lady working was kind, attentive and pleasant in the food swap. Though it was empty so, not much concern with attention in an empty moment between lunch and dinner. Grateful for the meal but it didn't impress me quite the same as last time. When I come back I absolutely must try those wings and step away from my standard ordering habits. read more

I have passed this restaurant many times and finally visited recently. They were having a fundraiser for Palestine so of course I had to support. I placed an order online and set my pickup time for 45 minutes later. We wanted to try a variety of items since it was our first time trying this place. We got a lamb kabob entree, beef shawarma entree (entrees come with salad, hummus, rice and pita bread). We also got their falafel plate (6 pieces), chicken kabob wrap, cheese & zaatar flatbread, and a muhammara flatbread. I arrived and my order was in the process of being packed up. I'm glad I had a few minutes when I arrived because I was checking out their offers and the restaurant itself, which is nice with decent amount of seating. They have multiple tv screens that rotate through slides and one of them is a Ramadan special: free lentil soup and 3 piece sambusas with any entree order. I asked the friendly woman employee if I could get that added on to my order, and she was very gracious about it and asked one of the cooks to prepare the food in a timely manner, though I was fine waiting. We got the food home and had it for dinner. I enjoyed my chicken kabob wrap, lots of pickles which I love. The flatbreads were thin and I enjoyed eating them cold the next day. The hummus was delicious and the lamb kabob was good. The beef shawarma had a weird texture to it, not used to it so I'd probably pass on ordering it again. The falafel bites were tasty especially with the tahini sauce. And the sambusas were bite-size and filled with meat and veggie, good stuff. Lastly, I tried the lentil soup and it was nice, glad I got to taste it. Customer service was excellent here! Several people dining in, picking up orders, and the employee was handling it all like a champ. I recommend trying this restaurant and supporting a local business! read more

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CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS. Food is great. But they are scam artists, placed a to go order and while checking out the screen selecting the tip options flashed by and I couldn't select an option, they automatically add 20% onto your order without your consent. Brought this up to the gentleman who helped me and him and a woman gave me the go around claiming they couldn't void the transaction and they eventually did after I insisted. Times are tough I get it but do not steal from your customers or you won't have many left. Customers are not stupid $42 for 4 flatbreads does not make sense. Can't imagine how much they steal from bigger orders. Ask for a printed receipt every time. And check it. read more

Delicious fresh food from Golden Restaurant! I checked this place out on a Thursday night and wasn't disappointed. Everything was tasty and made to order! (There's a sign inside that said that and they weren't kidding it made a big difference) We got the fattoosh salad, combo platter, and pistachio baklava. Fattoosh salad - Lebanese bread salad and the star was the crispy pita on top. Could just eat this with hummus. Combo platter - massive amount of food for $20 and you get 3 big skewers of marinated chicken, ground chicken and lamb/beef kebab. Favorite here was the ground chicken which was so flavorful and unique while wifey loved the chicken. All three were delicious and juicy though! Roast onion was a nice touch here as well. Pistachio baklava - Was good but meh for me maybe I ordered wrong? They have so many varieties so I want to try some other flavors like my fave cream. Service was quick and easy I appreciated the fast casual vibe of DIY where you can get in and out quick. I'll def be back! (They also got some dank flatbreads that looked really good. Honestly with the huge menu I gotta come back and try more) read more

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11/9/24 Short version: wow, what a plethora of meal, drinks, and dessert options. So many choices it was difficult to choose. Friendly staff, clean restaurant. Very happy with the experience. Longer version: there is plenty of parking, patio seating, and it's pretty large inside. While looking at the menu, I noticed a small alcove further inside -- and saw a few more dessert choices. Yummy! The gentleman back there was super nice, explaining what was in "his" counter. The guy at the menu register was also very polite, and was happy to explain about the Jamaica juice in their fridge. We ordered two different flavors of the Freez carbonated drinks (I regret not buying more to sample at home); the pineapple & coconut was very tasty. The Jamaica juice does not have sugar and even so, it was still pretty good, although I may add some Sprite, or even OJ to the rest. We ordered the beef shawarma plate and hummus beef shawarma. My sister said the rice was not as flavorful as she has had elsewhere, I thoroughly enjoyed my hummus. And the pita? Oh man, it came out hot and was so good. The one guy behind the counter probably thought I was rude for staring but I was watching him brush off the flour (?) from the oven and start forming what I assume would become pita. It seriously looked so good, I told my sister, "I wonder if they'd sell us raw dough." :-) The rice pudding with pistachio was so thick and creamy, I devoured it. The cheese dessert was also delicious, very mild flavor, but I only had a couple bites. I was saving it for a midnight snack. Golden Restaurant is well worth a visit, and return visit, and more return visits. read more

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Seriously best middle eastern food in the Tempe/scottsdale area! They give you tons of food so I say their prices are reasonable! The owner is of Palestinian descent so it feels good to support them too! The service in general is a bit slow but for good reason- they're making excellent food. The restaurant is open for buffet style dinner - which I'm trying next- so it's cute and cozy vibes. read more

Ordered through GRUBHUB and I was not disappointed . This has to be the most delicious take out I have had in quite some time!! 10/10 The Muhammara was exceptional the Shawarma Chicken wrap was easily shareable and delicious and the Shakshoka flatbread was so light yet tasty! we definitely be back read more

Authentic middle eastern food. Generous portion of delicious food. Friendly service.

What's not to love about this place. Authentic and delicious food with friendly service. We had too many options so I recommend the entire menu. Try this place!! read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

This is the real deal. The falafel sandwich was the best I've had in a very long time. They press it panini-style which is so nice because the ingredients don't fall out. The falafel was well seasoned and the pepperocinis added good texture and flavor. The labne was good but needed a little salt. The fava bean dip is a tasty hummus alternative. My husband loved his kebbeh and we both very much enjoyed the complimentary tea. I will definitely return! read more

Stopped by because I was craving some middle eastern food. They had a wide variety of things, so if your party has vegetarians and meat eaters this place will have something for everyone. I got the spinach and meat pie. I like that their dough is really thin. The spices they used for both were a little different than what I expected, but they were still flavorful. For the spinach pie I expect air to have a little tart bite from some pomegranate molasses and some walnuts for texture. This was quintessentially spinach! The meat pie also had a different flavor, but I couldn't identify the spices. The meat to bread ratio was good and I didn't have too much crust around the outside. Maybe next time I'll try their cheese boat and kabobs. While I didn't originally go in to get desserts, there was someone assembling various baklava sweets in trays. I asked him about it and he offered me a sample. The cashew finger was still warm from the oven and it melts in your mouth. I took a box immediately and have no regrets! I did not dine-in, but there was plenty of seating indoors and there were a few tables outside. It seemed very busy when I stopped by for lunch on a weekend so make sure you don't mind waiting since they bake your food fresh! read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Freshly baked Baklava Assorted Tray - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Meal was ehhh then. Ordered the chesse/hotdog pizza which we thought there's no way they put actual hotdog on a pizza well they really surprised us! Wouldn't not recommend this place. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Hot dog pizza - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Heard about this place through the web and since I was close by, I decided to give it a try out. My mom and I decided to share the zatar flat bread, cheese boat, and a triple kabob combo plate. We got the cheese boat and zatar flat bread first. You can tell the bread is homemade. The zatar on top of the flat bread really elevated the bread with all the zatar flavor, sour and savory. The cheese boat itself was really like surprisingly even with all the cheese. The cheese itself wasn't salty so it didn't overpower your tastebuds. We then got the triple kabob combo: 1 chicken (subbed out ground chicken), 1 lamb and 1 ground beef. The chicken and lamb were cooked perfectly, very tender and lots of flavor. The only critique I have is that the ground beef kabob seemed deep fried, which made the meat super dry and unpleasant to eat. The rest of the sides complemented well. I then got a hazelnut baklava to go and it really went well with the tea I made back at the hotel. Overall, it was a great meal and worth the stop! read more

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The lamb and beef was so good and very cery flavorful. Definitely be back very soon. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Food was amazing the lamb & beef was so good very very flavorful. Definitely be back again soon. - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Continues to be my absolute favorite restaurant! The best staff works here and their food never fails to be delicious! Tried the cream baklava for the first time and was blown away! Absolutely delicious!! read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Warbat (Cream Baklava) - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

We got the chicken shawarma plate and the Gyro plate...both outstanding. Great flavors and a lot of good for the money. We also got a piece of tiramisu which was good! Service was great! Ambiance at restaurant was good. Easy to get to location with ample parking. Highly recommend! read more

Great service and food, especially the desserts. Plenty of seating and very welcoming staff

We got a variety of items on our DoorDash order - Kebbeh, Shawarma Chicken Wrap, Lamb Shish Kebab wrap & Eggplant pie. The wraps were filling & delicious. The eggplant pie was not my favorite, it didn't have any flavor and was dry. The Kebbeh was the favorite by far. We'll try other dishes next time. read more

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The real OG Mediterranean. None of that dipped stuff. Flavors just pop and cooked to perfection read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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I really hoped this was going to compare to my favorite place I moved farther away from, so I'd have a new "go-to" for Indian/Mediterranean cuisine. Unfortunately, this was pretty underwhelming & doesn't even come close. Let's start with the hummus & pita. I did not appreciate a pile of whole chickpeas taking up half the container & only the bottom portion being actual hummus. If the intent here was presentation- yeah, it was pretty. But, I wanted straight hummus, not having to make the other half of it manually (luckily I have the ingredients so the whole peas don't go to waste). Flavor was just okay- not a lot to it. And I didn't like the pita very much. It was so thin it barely passed for a pita bread instead of a very flaky tortilla. Very good portion, but not so much executed well to meet what traditional should be. Although, it balanced out a the half-portion of hummus. Maybe that was the intent? I've come to find I love the kofta (they call it kefta here) kebab most. It usually is the most flavorful, so instead of going with the variety meat combo platter as I usually enjoy them all- I went with the kefta platter- which comes with 2 kebabs, rice, side salad, hummus & a pita. Honestly, it was dry & bland. First, I do not understand the entire half of a tomato on top of the salad. Did someone just get too lazy to cut the thing? I mean, is there any reason I'd want to enjoy half of a raw tomato in it's whole form while trying to consume the salad... was that considered "garnish"? The salad was literally lettuce, some chopped tomato, the entire half of a tomato & a dressing pre-applied. Which had no flavor at all. It was straight water & olive oil with what looked like an attempt at a dash of pepper. Not good or anything at all that really made it a salad. The kefta was flavorless & on the dry side. Definitely overcooked, but there was really no flavor to it, either. A slight hint on the exterior, but lost in the dryness. The rice was not traditional- literally jasmine rice which someone attempted to toss some sort of spice/flavor on top, but it only lightly covered a small bit so entirety of the rice was just straight, plain & no flavor at all. Just like you'd get at an oriental restaurant, minus the sticky. I wasn't too thrilled, it didn't match the description or expectations much. The "mini spinach pie" (also known as spanakopita) just was not good at all. I could not get through 3 bites. The dough/shell is actually perfect! Cooked to perfection, but the problem is the filling. I don't know what spices or how much of an overload was placed in this batch, but it was just foul in overpowering & over spiced flavor. And, the filling was even weak, on the lesser side! I don't enjoy knocking someone's dish this badly, but I could not stomach something that usually is a favorite. Lastly, the baklava. Which was the star of the show, here. But, what I don't like is having to order a minimum of 6 of just one flavor. It would be nice if there was a "combo" option or being able to select a certain quantity. Because the baklava is really good. I tried the hazelnut, which is unique to this entity- it was one of the better I've tried! So, in this case I don't mind the quantity of 6... but, I just would have liked to try the other flavors without having to order 1/2 a dozen of each only to sample. Food for thought. As of now having just tried this & it being a backup to my favorite now out of the way... I'll go out of my way. With the baklava being the only thing I was really happy with here, it likely won't be memorable enough to consider again. Seems like there needs to be some adjustments with the recipes or chefs- most of what I ordered was lacking or not good enough to justify the expense or craving. If I do return, it will be for the baklava. read more

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After living in the middle east for just a few months, I have acquired a high standard for hummus. Golden Restaurant exceeds that standard, serving the best hummus I have tasted in America. The hummus is accompanied by a generous portion of pita bread, as well as olive oil and whole chickpeas embedded in the bowl. To die for. If you aren't super hungry, the flatbreads are a good option. My favorites are the safiha (meat-based) and the zataar flatbreads. The flatbreads are generously seasoned, so your lighter meal will not be lacking in flavor. Not pictured, but I would highly recommend the baklava as well. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Hummus - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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I placed an order using doordash and I ordered a plate of lamp Kabob That was supposed to come with the rice hummus and salad and they advertise you get a free lentil soup and three Borax with that I also ordered one side order of tabula . One my order was delivered I got one sandwich of falafel and one sandwich of some meat that's barely meat on that sandwich ridiculous when I called them they say unfortunately we cannot do anything you have to call doordash to get you a refund if you want. They didn't even send a fork or a napkin with the order even though I said at a hotel I am visiting from California to Arizona this is the service I got the wrong order delivered I paid $60 for the order and I got a sandwich wow read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

So many delicious foods here. It is always hard to decide what to order. I tend to order too many food. Golden combo with three kinds of grilled meats is to die for. Flatbread is also tasty and they have many options to put on the flatbread. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Zatar and Libani Flatbread, and Baba Ghannouj - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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Such a wonderful family run business-- and a great excuse to support a Palestinian-owned restaurant! Their prices are great, variety on the menu is unmatched and I was already planning my second trip after finishing a Baba Ghannouj Plate in one sitting we went during a VERY busy fundraiser night, and despite the large crowd every single employee was welcoming & patient. cannot wait to return! read more

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I loved my baba ganoush and my lamb plate. My bread was delicious too. My salad was fresh and crispy. No complaints from my part.

AVOID THIS PlACE AT ALL COSTS! This place gave my roommate and I the worst food poisoning of our lives. One of us was in the er for a week. We missed work. The food also tasted super bland. Chicken gyro. Dont eat here, please!!! read more

Don't come here if you're used to eating food with flavors. It has the bare minimum spices to make it middle eastern food. All the food (meat pies and the boat pie) was sour from lemon juice i think. Tastes like they just sprinkled the excessive lemon juice on top. The only thing that tastes not as sour is the Shakshouka and that's because the tomato offset it. No flavor at all. Tastes very bland other than the lemon juice. The food was very fresh and hot. Kunafa was greasy and tastes old. Not fresh. Cheese barely stretched. Rice pudding tastes bland I barely taste the milk at all. Just lots of rosemary water. Overall. They cater to white people or they just suck. Outside patio were dirty and dusty. So does the patio furniture. This place is truly the definition of the bare minimum. read more

Just sad. Food portion size was so small and mediocre at best. Spent $40 and feel like we got nothing. read more

Golden Restaurant & Bakery - Smallest saddest Beef Shawarma Meat Wrap ever - Mediterranean Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Prices are fine for the region, and portions are big. Authentic Middle Eastern food, and you can find all sorts of deserts like knafeh and baklava read more