Well, here I am back in La La Land doing some work that needed to be done…read more Staying at my dear friend's condo in Westwood with a view of the Mormon Temple and Santa Catalina. Being so close to a zillion restaurants at my feet, my friend's "significant" said let's do some Mediterranean food tonight. I put my thumbs-up and it was unanimous: Sunnin Lebanese Cafe on Westwood Blvd. and Santa Monica Blvd. it was. Well, I never heard of this place, but I said "let's Go"! When we pulled up to this strip mall entrance that was overflowing with human beings wanting a table at very happy this very we had a RESY. We ordered: * Hummus of course - which was delicious * Babaganouj - which was creamy and extremely dippicle [sic] * Beef Kafta Kebab - just lovely * Taboulah Salad - that was excellent * Fool or Ful depending on what Mideast country - was deepened with fava beans * Alamaza Lebanese beer that paired perfectly with our dinner. The staff here were friendly, helpful and accommodating. I've been gone from Los Angeles close to five years now, and every time I come back, I get a nice surprise like I did at Sunnin.

At Sunnin, enjoy delicious Lebanese dishes. Get an assortment of mezze and dive into a…read moreMediterranean style of eating. Tear off some pita, scoop up some of the dips, and embrace the delicious small bites. Stuffed Squash and Eggplant: You can get either squash or eggplant, or both. I prefer the squash. The zucchini is firm, just soft enough, but still with the perfect amount of structure. It has been hollowed out and stuffed with ingredients similar to a dolma (stuffed grape leaf). The filling of rice and ground beef is soft. The eggplant is much softer. They are cooked in a tomato sauce and served with a cool creamy yogurt. Babaganouj: This mezze is a roasted eggplant dip. The eggplant is mashed with tahini and lemon juice for a smoky and slightly bitter flavor. It's smooth, creamy, and a bit chunky. Parking: There's a little lot to the side. There's also metered street parking on Westwood Blvd.

Our dance group came here after our performance in LA to celebrate his birthday! We had a…read morereservation for 9. The waiter or owner Baba, was so very welcoming and wanted us to feel like we were at home. He was very attentive and described our dishes perfectly! Delicious Would definitely recommend coming here! Charming and cozy and friendly!

The food was delicious! We had several items and all are delicious! Service was excellent- very…read morefriendly and accommodating! Cabbage salad, baba ghanoush, chicken kebab and shawarma were all top notch. The interior felt very clean and nice. Don't let the parking lot or neighborhood turn you off. It's absolutely worth going here. We observed many people picking up to-go orders as well. I'm so glad someone had suggested it to us.

Levant Bistro (the bakery part has merged with the actual restaurant) is so special. My friend and…read moreI planned to meet here for Lebanese brunch on a gorgeous Saturday. It was such an unforgettable and refreshing experience. Chef Anita has such a vision. Every detail was well thought of, from the outdoor patio dining surrounded by olive bushes to the indoor wooden and oak touches with Fairouz playing overhead. What's even better is EVERY single dish is labelled clearly for allergy diners! AHHHH as a nut allergy girly this had me geekin. All the celiac diners can enjoy their dining experience without any triggering fears as well. I went with their famous Lebanese egg pie and my friend got the grilled salmon plate. We shared the ful mudammas, my fave dish. The gluten-free pita bread def changed my brain wiring. I don't enjoy gluten-free food, and I was drooling. The pita was pillow soft, like how do you do that? Magic, I tell you. The egg pie was SO special. Pillow soft as well and super filling. The flavors of every dish were legendary. We couldn't stop talking about the colors, the plating, the top tier service. Everything about Levant deserves to be raved about. Come one come all. Def coming to Levant next time I'm in Echo Park.

Levant Bistro is charming, the staff are warm and welcoming, and the food is absolutely…read moreoutstanding. From start to finish my experience was everything I could ask for. We arrived midday on a Sunday and we're promptly sat, having been given the option for patio or indoor. We chose the patio, and between the clematis, lantana, and olive trees it is a very lovely setting in which to enjoy a meal. We were promptly brought a bottle of cold water and glasses, and our beverage orders were taken. I had a honey lavender latte with oat milk, and my husband had Lebanese coffee (no milk no sugar.) my latte was fragrant, the perfect temperature, and just the right amount of sweet. The Lebanese coffee was smooth, floral without being perfume, and excellent. We started with the falafel and the batata harra. Both absolutely excellent. For our entrees we selected the shakshuka and the Lebanese egg pie. Both were also excellent. Everything was well cooked, well presented, flavorful without being overwhelmed by any component. We took home a baklava tart, because we simply did not have the ability to eat more at the table. It was tender, moist, not too sweet, the pistachio flavor coming through as nutty and grassy, seriously so good! And it's worth noting, this whole restaurant is gluten free. I would not have realised if I had not known ahead of time. The texture of the pita with the shakshuka was exactly what one would expect, as was the bread of the egg pie. The pastry of the tart was flakey and delicious. And having said all of that, the service is what puts it above and beyond. Everyone was warm and pleasant, and seemed to genuinely appreciate the compliments. Staff seemed like they liked their jobs, which for me is always a good sign.

We just got home from dinner here and my wife and I loved it. The food was absolutely top notch. We…read morestarted with the potatoes in garlic sauce and an order of the haroumi and watermelon. What a great kick off! As for our mains, we both ordered a variation of the combo plates. I had the chicken tawook and beef. The Mrs. had the chicken and lamb. All good. Based on the food alone, we would recommend this place to anyone with a beating heart and more importantly, a mouth. This is quality food at a quality price. The atmosphere? Really great. It's a little dark and twinkly inside which sets a nice tone. There is cool artwork adorning every piece of wall, the place is very easy on the eyes...including the restrooms. Very clean. Our sever, didn't catch his name, but what a nice dude. Was super helpful without being "too much" he should teach a server class. He's pretty much who you want taking care of your table. He knew the menu well and made great suggestions. It was actually refreshing. We will come back, most likely with the family. Our waiter told us that they can accommodate larger groups which is great. I recently ate food at Saffy's and I didn't enjoy it one bit. The servings there are too small, too pretentious and too overpriced. Open Sesame is the exact opposite and that's why it rules. A wonderful experience in Beverly Boulevard.

How Do I Start This Rationally ? Atmosphere Is A 5/5. Service Is 5/5. Food was 2.5/5. I Will…read moreExplain. If You A Charging $145 For A Group Platter, Then Everything Must Me PERFECT ! The Chicken Shawarma Was Inedible Because Is Was Obviously Dry And Lying Around For The Next Customer. The Beef Was Good. The Beef Shawarma Was AMAZING ! Probably The Best Thing. On The Menu. Tabouli Was Great. $260 With Tip Divided By Three Is Too Expensive For My First Experience Here. I Told The Manager That They Shouldn't Have Served The Chicken Shawarma If It Was Dry. Anyways.

We ordered stuffed jallab, grape leaves, babaganoush, fried cauliflower, and the tenderloin and…read morechicken kabobs. It was all SO good. We let the waiter know it was our first time trying Lebanese food and he went through the whole menu with us, which was extremely helpful. I love rose flavored drinks and desserts, so I was excited to try the jallab recommended by the waiter; it's now probably in the top 5 drinks I've ever had. The grape leaves and babaganoush were a must for us, since we wanted to try dishes that were different from what we have tried before. The grape leaves were herby and hearty, and the babaganoush was flavorful without the tang of a hummus, which I enjoyed. The fried cauliflower was crispy and hot with a creamy sauce that paired well. We liked the tenderloin kabobs a bit more than the chicken since it was juicer and more flavored. The interior is bright and airy, complimenting the hot afternoon perfectly. There was unfortunately no dedicated parking lot but there is street parking in the surrounding neighborhood. Overall an outstanding first experience with Lebanese food, can't wait to be back!

I've been here a few times before and always enjoyed it - great food, great service, and a great…read moreatmosphere. Unfortunately, my experience tonight was so frustrating. ​I placed an online order directly through their website for dinner (two chicken shawarma wraps, a falafel appetizer, and dolma). When I arrived for pickup, there was some back-and-forth at the front counter before the employee admitted she had given my order away to someone else. It's incredibly annoying because this could have been completely avoided if they had just verified the name or order ID before handing it off. ​To make things worse, when we asked them to remake it, they told us they were completely out of chicken shawarma anyway. They initially offered to give us a similar meal and a single free side, but after already wasting our time, that didn't feel like a fair solution, so we asked to cancel. Only after we were visibly annoyed did they offer to comp the whole meal, but by that point, we just wanted to leave. ​To their credit, they did try to make it right by giving us a $40 credit, which I appreciate. But the bottom line is that the whole headache came down to a total lack of basic order verification at the counter. ​Order ID: HPVXBKBQESYQ8

Carousel is hands down the best Mediterranean spot. I've been coming here for years and it never…read moredisappoints. Their arayes are a must -- it's basically like a lahmajun with two pieces pressed together, and it's insanely good. I usually go all in and order the tabbouleh, babaganoush, a pound of lula kebab, and shish kebab. Honestly, if you're with 2+ people (or even just really hungry), ordering by the pound with sides is way better value than getting individual plates. You get more variety and it just feels like the right way to eat here. Every now and then I'll switch it up and get the liver plate -- it comes with tons of greens and onions, and when you wrap everything in their fresh pita, it's incredible. Not an everyday order, but when you're in the mood for it, it hits. If you dine in, the indoor decor is super nice and really gives that authentic Mediterranean vibe. They also play a lot of 90s music, which somehow fits perfectly and adds to the whole experience. I've dined in plenty of times and the service is always solid -- staff is friendly and attentive. Just a heads up, food can take a little longer sometimes, but that's because they're always busy and everything is made fresh, so it's worth the wait. I've also done takeout here more times than I can count -- probably over 100 orders at this point -- which says everything. This is easily one of my go-to spots and I keep coming back for a reason.

The food was okay, nothing extraordinary, but decent. Unfortunately, the service was, without…read moreexaggeration, one of the worst I've ever experienced in my life. From the moment we arrived, the vibe felt off. The host who seated us (who later turned out to also be a server) left us at the table, and no one approached us for about 10 minutes. When a server finally came over, the first thing she said was "Ready? Ready?", no greeting, no welcome, nothing. We were never brought water. I had to ask a busser for it because the server walked past our table multiple times, clearly saw us, and chose to ignore us. The food runner was also rude, he dropped the plates on the table without saying a single word. Throughout the entire meal, no one checked on us. No "How is everything?" No "Do you need anything?" Nothing at all. Meanwhile, we noticed that nearby tables were being greeted, checked on, and treated kindly. When we asked for the check, the server literally threw it on the table without saying a word. The experience was so bad that we decided not to leave a tip; Something we never do, especially since we truly value good service and I personally work in the restaurant industry. I don't know if the treatment had anything to do with how we looked or how we were dressed, but I've never felt so ignored and uncomfortable in a restaurant before. The food may be fine, but the service completely ruins the experience. I would not return or recommend this place.

If I could only recommend one restaurant in LA, hands down, it would be Bavel. It's technically the…read moresister restaurant to Bestia, but in my opinion, it's even better. What we ordered- We always start with the duck hummus and chicken liver, rich, flavorful, and pairs perfectly with their fluffy pita. The lamb neck shawarma is a non-negotiable, falls right off the bone, juicy, and comes with the perfect accompaniments. We also got the grilled dorade and oyster mushrooms, both are consistently excellent. This time we swapped our usual shrimp for the crudo and peach salad, and honestly, both were amazing. Still team shrimp overall, but it just goes to show you really can't go wrong with anything on this menu. Service is always attentive and the ambiance is upscale with lots of natural lights and greenery. Parking - There is valet parking and a pay to park lot across the street by Girl and the Goat. While there is street parking in the area, I've noticed a lot of smashed glass from break ins. (I've also had my car broken into before by the pottery studio ... they stole my pink picnic blanket)

Bavel absolutely lives up to the hype when it comes to the food--every dish was outstanding…read more The service, however, was a huge disappointment. For a restaurant of this caliber, I expected far better.

Very extensive menu made it hard to choose! Very friendly…read morestaff helped us choose some really delicious dishes! The hummus was great as was the rest of our meal. Very simple set up with great food! We will be back soon!!!

Absolutely love the food at this place. I had never had Lebanese food before but, this place made…read moreme a fan. They've always been super accommodating because my coworkers and I make pretty big orders and when I arrive, it's always ready and pack. Which is super helpful when you have to drive during rush hour. Now let's talk about the food. You have to get the beef shawarma wrap. I've had wraps here and there but, never have I had a wrap as good as the one I've had here. As soon as the took my first bite, my head started nodding up and down. As in yes, yes, yes....this is amazing. My other favorite food option is the Lahme. I never had anything like it. It flavorful and just keeps opening up the more you eat it. There is no lack of seasoning in any of food and everything a depth of flavor I've never experienced before. You can feed 1-2 people with either the beef shawarma or chicken shawarma plate. They are not shy with either protein. If I can give you some advice, it would be to eat there. Because if you get it to go, you will be starving and hangry all the way home because everything smells just as good as it taste. All the way to work I can hear my stomach rumbling because of how good everything smells.