I love when this happens…read more With no agenda, we ended up in West Chester PA (vs Westchester NY.) A cute town with an inordinate number of restaurants, we peered into windows and read menus. "The Mediterranean Restaurant" sparked interest. Infusing Lebanese and Italian cuisines, they garnered great reviews. Also BYOB. After running to Carlinos for a bottle of red, we took our chances at Mediterranean without a reservation. (Do indeed make one if you come for dinner.) I chatted with the couple across from us. "This is the best restaurant in West Chester," the fellow said. They live here and have been to them all. We started with what's called a Maza Platter: customer's choice of four appetizers. I selected feta & olives, tabouli, hummus and baba ghanoush. Delish!! (Unlike my husband, I wasn't a fan of feta, but this feta was infinitely better than anything I've had before.) The spreads are made inhouse. The cheese isn't. T raved about the lamb kabob, which was likely grilled. I in turn recommend their falafel encrusted chicken. Chef isn't afraid to spice things up and everything was noticeably fresh. Even the sides were stand-out. The aforementioned couple recommended Mediteranean's apple pie for dessert, a seemingly odd choice. They said it's baked in the restaurant's adjoining bakery. Since they ran out of ice cream -- what's pie if it's not a la mode?! -- T and I shared baklava. Two thumbs up. Homemade, not saturated in syrup. I'd like to give a shoutout to Jason, our delightful and efficient server. He does the restaurant proud. Note that Mediterranean has been in West Chester for 29 years. (That's a virtual lifetime in the restaurant world!) Prices we thought reasonable, and portions generous.

Flavorless hummus. It tasted like ground, canned garbanzo beans with no salt, lemon or tahini. That…read morestore hummus is even better than this. The pitas are cold and tasted worse than what you can get at Giant. Sautéed mushrooms are flavorless and in a mushroom water. Meat pie tasted like unseasoned, old meat with tomatoes. The entrees weren't any better. Ran out of beef. Not sure how one does that on a day with like 3 tables. Tried the special soup, which we sent back. The bolognese was gross. Tasted sort of like Chef Boyardee, but worse. The had to argue with the "chef" to even take it off the tab. She suggested we'd be better off eating at home. We agree. McDonald's would have been a step up. It seems like they just don't have any spices or salt in that kitchen. Plus the servers would just disappear for ages. It appeared that this was our server's first job in food service. Service was rather slow. And hour in, no entrées. It's in an hold house, which was cute. Most tables are upstairs. If you want Mediterranean food, you'd be better off cooking something from the Betty Crocker cookbook.

I meant to order the platter but accidentally only ordered sandwiches only. Eating a sandwich…read morewithout any fries on the sides feels so wrong The sandwiches are very cheap and the taste and quality reflect that. They were made very quickly so they are great for grabbing a quick bite to eat while you continue on 202

We frequent Westtown Amish Market for several things and inevitably pass by the H&L Grill almost…read moreevery single time we are there and it always looks so good; a solid crowd, usually no seats available, and wonderful smells emanating from the open front kitchen. This time we decided to sit down for a fairly early breakfast before the mainstays of the market opened. To my surprise, not only was I able to order a plethora of lunch items at breakfast, but their ENTIRE menu is available all day long. When you are a soup fanatic like myself, being able to order soup with breakfast is always a plus. Coming from a family that owned a kosher deli from 1920 through the late 1980's, I am also very critical of corned beef and its presentation, and was also excited that I could order a corned beef special so early in the day! My wife also ordered an omelet, of which, there were so many different choices. What I found the most enjoyable about this spot was the simplicity. Everything seemed to be made in-house and sourced locally or nearby, and nothing is overdone. Everything has good flavor and is just good! Not outstanding, but nothing is even close to being sub-par. Everything is simply just good. The soup was excellent as it had that homemade feel and flavor that you simply cannot replicate. The corned beef special, while being delicious, was a bit lean for my taste. The sandwich was great, and I even went to the deli to purchase a little bit of the corned beef sliced to take home to try in my own element, but it was lacking a certain something. Likely a bit of fat and a heavier curing/pickling that I associate with the very best of deli corned beef specials. The prices were reasonable and the space was exactly what I had expected after passing by so many times. Run by a fairly young staff, everyone was extremely attentive and courteous, and the entire experience was a good one. I'd like to try a few more things here, but the one thing I would definitely go back for is the piping hot soup, which I believe rotates daily in addition to the staples on hand. If you go to Westtown Market, or want a nice quick sit down breakfast or lunch and are in the shopping center for something else, definitely give H&L a shot.

I'm providing this honest review as a constructive feedback for improvement…read more We came across this place online but were only able to try it recently...I was honestly disappointed by many things: First, when a place advertises shawarma meat and posts videos of the famous Lebanese shawarma revolving cone that grills the marinated meat as the cone turns, you would expect that the shawarma plate you order is an authentic shawarma meat cut off the shawarma cone...unfortunately, this was not the case at cafe baladi. I respect the owner who's advertising authentic homemade Lebanese food but the shawarma meat we got was not an authentic shawarma meat...this was meat that was cooked either in a pan or in the oven and was not tender because it was not probably marinated and it's not grilled on the shawarma cone. Placed that have the famous shawarma cone you can usually see in the restaurant either behind the counter or through a window in the back - this was not the case. Second the plate included the choice of hummus or baba ghannouj and tabbouleh...we picked baba ghannouj and we got the tabbouleh...again, the baba ghannouj did not taste at all authentic nor homemade...it tasted like the baba ghannouj in a conserved can that you find in grocery stores. Authentic baba ghannouj is made from grilled eggplant tahini lemon juice and salt. Third, the Lebanese tabboule is made from finely chopped vegetables (parsley, tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, and burgul). Unfortunately again this tabbouleh was not finely chopped and it lacked the burgul. We were really disappointed. The only positive thing was that the service was quick.

Unassuming and beautiful interior design. Family owned and operated. Attentive waitstaff. The food…read morewas perfect. The crispy dippers (so good its hard not to order extra rounds) and filling entrees were great. Ask about the homemade icecream options.

This was the best food truck food I've ever had! I got the chicken kebab with fries and Greek…read moresalad! I'll definitely be coming back very soon! (my kid's review but I loved it too)

From not being able to be on campus anymore, anytime I am up in West Chester now, I make it my…read morepriority to stop by. Their chicken gyros are PHENOMENAL! Also the greek fries are even better. They are so crispy, with the feta cheese on them, you don't even need extra toppings or sauce. The platters fill you up and you are definitely getting what you paid for. Will continue going here time and time again!!

Food was fabulous!! The owner was very funny and entertaining. Great atmosphere! Visiting from…read moreout of town but when I come back I will definitely visit this place again. 5 star rating!!

Food was fantastic, large portions, fabulous flavors . Desserts were delicious, in fact best bread…read morepudding I've ever had. Service was wonderful as well! Our server really made our dining experience one we won't forget! We are thrilled to have found this place. We will be back when come back to Philly area.

This is one of my favorite spots for Mediterranean food. The food is amazing, service is wonderful,…read moreand I appreciate the homey but fast casual approach of the dining room. I discovered this place from Yelp and am so glad that I did. I really like their shawarma platters. All of the meats (chicken, beef, lamb) are good. I am usually not a fan of lamb because of the games taste but it is not noticeable here. I like the hummus as a side and it comes with a delicious piece of bread, that smells amazing if you pop it in the oven for a few minutes. They also have an option to sub the rice for veggies in the platters. I enjoy dining in because the service and ambiance are nice. It is also convenient for take out. My only gripe is that they use styrofoam takeout containers so the hot food does burn into the containers, which releases toxic chemicals. Definitely worth a stop for food! Located in a plaza with plenty of parking.

Casual, clean restaurant. You order at the counter and they give you a beeper for when your order…read moreis ready. Lamb shawarma wrap was delicious. I didn't hold out hope for battered fries, but they were surprisingly good for frozen fries. I didn't give them a 5 because of the hummus appetizer. The hummus was unnaturally smooth. It tasted fine, but whipped texture was a little disconcerting. Pita bread is kept is little plastic bags that they might microwave before serving. Bread is fresh and warm when you open the bag, but it degrades quickly.

Food was fresh and delicious. My daughter and I shared a…read morepear salad, and portabello pita. Fresh warm out of the oven pita.... One person had the mussels and they won lunch but everyone loved their food. Service was warm, friendly....ambience.......hmmmm.....someone's a dead head....and needs a glow up because the place has great food and accommodated our party of 5 adults and two quiet but messy kids... The hummus yum .......special jazzed up lebnah with grilled apricot, dill...whaaaat.yum

Ok so I'd driven past this place a hundred times and finally stopped in and now I'm annoyed I…read morewaited so long. Got the Hummus and Chicken Shawarma and Shakshuka platters, and honestly it was way more food than we expected for the price. Super fresh. Already thinking about when I can go back.

Food was amazing. Met the owner - brings in ingredients from his family farm in Lebanon. Lovely…read moreman. Everything fresh and delicious. First of many trips.

Upscale Lebanese cuisine in a beautifully redecorated restaurant-- everything we had was absolutely…read moredelicious. The owner was kind, friendly and warm. We will definitely be back.