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.

The food absolutely blew me away. Everything was cooked to perfection! For the pro move, order the…read morecheese fatayer and dip it in the labneh. You will not regret it. Honestly every dish we ordered from the lamb kabob to the vegetarian plate was a hit. Super nice staff in a traditional environment. 10/10

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!

First time visiting this all gluten free restaurant & bakery for a birthday dinner. It's clean and…read morespacious, with lots of indoor and outdoor seating with a small private parking lot. Service was a little slow, we had to remind them to get our drinks and desserts a few times. But overall we had a good experience, it's a great place to hang out and chill. The food was fantastic, we enjoyed everything we ordered. For appetizers we got the mezza sampler (Hummus, Baba Ghannoush, Falafel, Cheese Sambousek, Heirloom Tomatoes, Marinated Olives, pita). The pita bread was so good! We also really like the chicken sambousek, I wish they had beef too. The Fattoush salad was refreshing & super tasty, I really liked the pomegranate lemon dressing. For main entrees we enjoyed the Mediterranean Chicken Manoush (pizza). It was a good size, next time we will try the Merguez Sausage pizza. We also really like the Braised Short Ribs and the Mediterranean Halibut. Both dishes were tender & flavorful, just wish they were bigger. We really liked their fresh squeezed hibiscus lemonade and the fresh mint lemonade. Unfortunately the desserts were only ok, they were a little dry. We tried the bread pudding, pistachio rose cake, Nutella jam cookie and carrot cake. We will definitely return to try more items on the menu.

This place is comically bad, like a parody of bad. Literally every aspect of our experience was…read morebad, and we seem to like most restaurants. Both times the waitstaff were strangely rude, like remarkably unfriendly, and hard to get a hold of. The entrees we ordered were oddly small portions, like bizarro small. And for being kinda pricy and so small, the food was just okay. And the atmosphere was not good either! It was cold, with all the doors open, and the music was so loud we could barely hear each other. I really wanted to like it, how nice to have a Lebanese place close to my house, and returned thinking maybe it was a fluke the first time.

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.

The ambiance was spectacular, for a small and intimate seating area. There are a lot of customers…read morehere, but no area felt crowded or stuffed in. Great music playing throughout the evening! But the real winner... The food was AMAZING! Had the Saturday special lamb shank with saffron-infused basmati rice and raisins. Our server described the experience I'd have to a tee. Meat feel right off the bone. Ended the evening with some baklava and chocolate molten cake and hazelnut ice cream. Nuff said. Bring your friends. Bring your family. Ask for Danny. But don't tell him I gave you his name

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!

Just moved into the neighborhood. Had to stop by and try…read moreall the most recommended places. This one is up there with the best. The food is exquisite. Fresh, simple, clean. Customer service is polite. Everything is pricy now, but I was disappointed that they charge for the side house sauce.

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.

Middle Eastern restaurant in downtown LA. I didn't realize this was the sister restaurant of…read moreBestia. Overall, I enjoyed every dish we got. I would consider reordering everything we got. Definitely on our list of restaurants to visit again when we're in the area. Ordered: - Hummus Duck 'Nduja - First off, we need to take a moment for the blistered pita. That stuff was soooooo yummy might be my favorite pita I ever consumed. Hummus was also good, nice balance of flavors that complimented each other well. - Grilled Octopus - Had a good amount of chew and wasn't too chewy. Dill flavor was a bit on the strong side but I don't mind it. - Potato Flatbread - Very light and also good. - Slow Roast Lamb Neck Shawarma - Soooo tender fell off the bone so nicely. My favorite dishes were the lamb neck shawarma and the blistered pita. Family style restaurant. We were recommended to order 2 spreads, 3 appetizers, and 1 entree for 3 people. We ended up doing 1 spread, 2 appetizers, and 1 entree and I'm very happy with our decision. We were soooo full after our meal. I think if we did the 2 spread and 3 appetizers as recommend we wouldn't be able to eat the entree at all. Seems like a really popular celebration restaurant (saw many graduations). We did make a reservation and I would recommend doing that. All tables were filled when we were there, not sure how the walk in situation is. Music is a bit loud inside the restaurant but I don't think it was as bad as Bestia. The outside patio was good though in my opinion. I didn't feel like i was yelling across the table to talk on the patio.

The food is still stellar - updating to state that the new-to-me-menu items (peach salad, smoked…read moretrout, chicken tagine and whole lamb rack) are all superb. The tagine in particular was a pleasant surprise; I almost never order chicken, I can cook it plenty fine at home. However: this dish was a revelation (the olives transform during the braise - so creamy/delicious). The only nit to pick: Bavel please change up the playlist; I enjoy Bad Bunny as much as the next person, but the same 4 songs were on repeat all night long.

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!!!

Food: - Beef kabob wrap: juicy beef with tomatoes and…read morelettuce, wrap tastes like it's made in house - Mini zaatar: made out of thicker bread, good flavoring, not overpowering - Adjarski with scrambled eggs: tasted delicious since I got it fresh out of the oven, on the chewier side with crusty outsides