It is hard to believe that Mandaloun was once a Friendly's - best known for family-friendly…read moreinexpensive, American comfort food like burgers, sandwiches, and ice cream. The new owners have completely reimagined the space into a moderately upscale, but still family-friendly, Mediterranean oasis with a contemporary aesthetic that's also a huge culinary step up from its predecessor. The staff was friendly and super attentive without ever being overbearing and went the extra mile to ensure we had a great meal and a great experience. My dining companion and I started with the special Trio Dip ($20), a fantastic, delicious starter with shareable portions of traditional hummus, a unique avocado hummus, and perfectly smoky baba ghanoush with crunchy walnuts alongside with a basket of warmly toasted pita bread. For our entree, we decided to share the Mandaloun Mix Grill ($40) and split the three kebabs -- filet mignon shish, ground beef kofta, and grilled chicken. This platter is a masterclass in grilling with three juicy and flavorful kebabs. Mandaloun also pays attention to small details that make the dining experience so memorable. We were both huge fans of the dipping dish with a concoction of olive oil, za'atar seasoning, and sesame seeds served with the pita and the toum -- an emulsion of garlic, oil, lemon juice, and salt which creates a thick, mayonnaise-like condiment that is 100% vegan and dairy-free -- served alongside our entree that's a perfect zesty pairing for the grilled chicken. One of the staff noticed how much I enjoyed both and brought over a small 'to go' container of each for us to take home. There was also a brief "if you know, you know" moment during dinner that I am sure was entirely unintentional. Our Mandaloun Mix Grill entree came with a tasty green salad topped with crispy pita strips, which felt like a very sophisticated homage to the Friendly's Crispy Chicken Salad entree that was topped with tortilla strips. PRO TIP #1: Bring a bottle of wine or beer from home to enjoy with your meal. Mandaloun is a BYOB establishment and does not serve alcohol. PRO TIP #2: Bring cash. Mandaloun has added a small surcharge for using credit cards to pay for your meal.

Looking for a new place in a different town for our Saturday nite date/ dinner n stumbled upon…read moreMandaloun in west Caldwell w great reviews on yelp n thought we'd try it. Lovely modern restaurant on Bloomfield and w plenty of parking. Friendly welcoming staff. Tastefully decorated. I forgot it was BYOB. But the mint lemonade was so good. The strawberry lemonade ok. The owner of the restaurant was friendly n walking around n checking to make sure everyone was well taken care of. The warm house bread w a diff kind of filling was v good. We had the lentil soup n muhammara- a dip w roasted red peppers walnuts . Tasted good w the bread. Soup was good too. Had the scallops n jumbo shrimp w cous cous. Tasted really really w generous amount of shrimp. The branzino w a squash mashed potaton zucchini crisp n a garlic butter sage sauce wax to die for. Perfectly cooked n was so delicious. We topped if off w Syrian ice cream - never heard of tried it so had it and was good. Also had the desert a layered kinda cake w pistachios n cream. That was good. Thanks for a great dinner before the mamma jamma snow storm.

I've been here a few times over the years. Starting with a place to get food to my dad who had…read moreissues with traveling and then just for myself and Lovey when we were in town. It's a lovely restaurant and the owners are friendly and happy to chat. Seeing as I grew up in this town, it was kind of weird to see such a great Middle Eastern place take hold - back in the day it was Chinese or Italian and that's IT. We've tried a fairly extensive range of their offerings, appetizers to entrees, and they're uniformly well made and well presented. Lots of parking in the lot in back and other than the longish walk around the block to get to the front door, nothing to criticize about access.

Great atmosphere, great service. I personally found the food mediocre but all of it tasted fresh…read more I had the lentil soup & my wife had the chicken soup, both were bland in our opinion & the lentil soup was a really light consistency which was not what I was expecting, calamari was really 10/10 fresh with good light breading but sauce was bland & did nothing for it. I tasted piece of the chicken in the chicken salad & it was really good & well flavored so it was kind of puzzling to me that The chicken thigh lacked flavor even though the chicken itself was fresh & delicately grilled, vegetables was great especially the baby potatoes, rice was meh! But it came with no kind of sauce. There were at least 3 tables celebrating their birthday which I took for a good sign & place appears child friendly without being annoying so it seems like a great neighborhood spot. With good atmosphere & great service, & fresh ingredients, I was somewhat disappointed in the lack of flavors in several dishes but I would still cautiously recommend this place if you live in the neighborhood but I would not go out of my way to get to this restaurant.

I have been to other Turkish restaurants. This is the best I have been to, ever. The…read morecomplimentary bread they give at the beginning of the meal was incredible--it was soft and flaky and melted in my mouth. We got the mixed grill for two. The presentation of the dish was out of this world, and all the meats were delicious, tender and juicy. I thought that chicken might be dry, but it was so juicy! We also tried a traditional Turkish dessert, the kunafeh (sp?), and it was light and delicious. We needed a light dessert because the mixed grill for two filled us up. The waitress recommended the kunafeh, and she was spot-on!! Our experience was excellent. Service was great. The atmosphere was fun and festive. We would definitely go back.

Amazing food at an unexpected location. Dervish Turkish hit the spot…read more Came here for iftaar, and surely they raised the bar. I ordered the cige kofte and Mixed Grill platter for 3 and was pleasantly surprised. The kofte was greatly seasoned and the meat from The platter was so flavorful, and NOT DRY! The platter came with shredded lettuce and pickled cabbage. The interior of the restaurant is nice and pretty, and servers were all attentive. I would definitely come back, bringing both family and friends.

Bistro d'Azur in South Orange was the perfect place for my wife and me to host our baby shower --…read morewe truly had a spectacular time from start to finish. The decor was creative, beautiful, and thoughtfully done, making the whole space feel special and celebratory without being over-the-top. The service was outstanding throughout the event: attentive, friendly, and seamless, which let us actually relax and enjoy the day with our family and friends. A huge shoutout to our point of contact, Isabelle -- she was incredibly organized and responsive, and made planning everything feel easy. If you're looking for a venue that delivers both atmosphere and top-tier hospitality, Bistro d'Azur is a fantastic choice. Food was incredible!

What a hidden gem!! I've had my eyes on this place for a while, and finally we made it. We chose…read moreto celebrate a very special occasion here and could not have been happier with our choice. Though we had booked well in advance, we had a sudden and unavoidable change of plans. They kindly accommodated our change, and made our very special dinner feel extra, in the best way possible. The space is beautiful, the food is délicieux! Be mindful of prix-fixe menus and the bonus of BYOB. If you have a special occasion, or not, give this place a try. C'est un régal!

COME HUNGRY! I came here to celebrate my brother-in-law's birthday with my husband's family…read morerecently. There were 6 of us and we split the Efsane Family Special for 4 people and added lamb chops thinking we wouldn't have enough food lol the special also came with dessert but my sister-in-law also ordered a rice pudding. The 6 of us could've easily had the family special for 4 without ordering anything else - there was so much food and we had leftovers to take home!! For context, we all eat a LOT so to say we had leftovers is saying a lot! Quantity aside, the food itself was delicious. The bread is served fresh and steaming hot, the dips are delicious and flavorful, meat is seasoned and cooked perfectly (the chicken shish and lamb adana are my favorites), and the bitter black tea and sweet baklava are a perfect way to end the meal. I left there stuffed and so happy! The staff was also very friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back!

I just moved from Montclair, which is very near the famous middle eastern food scene in Paterson,…read moreNJ. I was very worried that, after the move, I would not be able to find middle eastern food that would compare. However, I was wrong, and Esfane definitely satisfied my craving! I was in the mood for a light lunch, so I ordered the Shepard's Salad, the Baba Ghannouj, and the Lentil Soup. The Baba Ghannouj was excellent and came with lots of pita bread. It could've been a little smokier for my taste, but overall I got a huge serving and it was very creamy and flavorful. The Sheppard's salad was similarly huge and delicious. The lentil soup tasted home-made and was so comforting to dip all of my extra bread in. At the end of lunch, I was also served some complimentary tea, which definiitely was the icing on the cake to this exceptional experience. Overall, I was extremely satisfied by the quality of the food, but also by the amount. The service was similarly excellent. My water was constantly filled and the waiters checked on me numerous times to ensure everything was going well. The decorations inside were also exceptional, and the restaurant definitely gives high-class date night vibes. I could totally see coming back for a date night with my husband. I think the only downside is that I didn't find the food to be QUITE as good as some Paterson joints like Al Basha, and the price felt like it was 1.5x-2x as much. Probably worth it though, because this has got to be one of the better restaurants around in Flanders.

It's a great spot if you're looking for a nice night out at an Italian restaurant for a good meal…read more Great food quality, presentation and execution. Prices are a bit premium so not an everyday place but nice for an occasional celebration. Zuppa di Pesce and Branzino Alla Griglia were delicious!

We were there for Mother's Day dinner at 5:30 and were enjoying our meal until we were approached…read moreby a very unpleasant man who failed to introduce himself. He immediately started barking at us about how we had made a reservation for four adults and one child, and that we would have to pay full price for the fourth adult which was $80 who did not show up. When we were seated, I had already apologized to the server that the fourth person could not make it, and the server -- who had otherwise been wonderful -- politely told us it was fine. I really thought this won't be a big deal like other establishments that are even more high end. I later learned that the individual's name was Tom. Describing his behavior as merely rude would be an understatement; his conduct was obnoxious, unprofessional, and unnecessarily aggressive. First, being charged the full $80 price for a guest who did not attend was extremely shocking and disappointing. More concerning, however, was the manner in which Tom approached and addressed us. In all my years of dining out, I have never experienced such poor service or such an inappropriate attitude from restaurant staff. Although I was eventually provided with containers to pack some food to take home, the entire experience left me feeling deeply insulted and completely ruined what was meant to be a special Mother's Day dinner. This Tom, who I was told aa a manger lacks a professionalism to be a qualified one. He needs a major attitude change.

This was my second visit. And, unfortunately, it was not as good as I remembered. We visited at…read moreabout 2 PM on a Friday. My companion and I both ordered the salad with grilled salmon for $20 each. The salmon was a handful of tiny cubes of salmon filet with skin on and was a bit fishy. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. The service was fine. But, I do not know that I would return.

First time I came I was SO impressed. This time I was equally disappointed. My friend and I came…read morefor a late lunch. We both ordered the salmon salad for $18. Perhaps I wrongly assumed we would get a salad with piece of salmon on top. We got a chopped salad - which was fresh and tasty and well-dressed, that included literally 4 at best, 1 inch x 1 inch chunks of salmon - with the skin on. And the salmon tasted fishy. For the price, one expects at least a small filet of salmon on top of the salad. And at the very least one that doesn't taste fishy and aged. Not sure I want to take a chance again.

- Shares a small parking lot with a few other businesses; the dining room is spacious with plenty…read moreof tables for dine-in, but the space feels a bit dated with noticeable wear and tear on some tables and chairs; surprisingly empty on a Saturday afternoon during lunch--we were the only dine-in customers, with just a couple of takeout orders coming through - Service was friendly overall, but not very attentive; we tried a few times to get our server's attention for extra utensils and eventually had to grab them ourselves - Unfortunately, food was just OK--we ordered the Gyro Sandwich, Kofta Kebab Sandwich, and Chicken Shawarma Sandwich: gyro and kofta were underwhelming--the meats weren't very hot and didn't taste particularly fresh, and the portions felt a bit light; chicken shawarma came in a wrap instead of the advertised pita, but the chicken itself was hot, flavorful, and generously portioned; the fries served with the sandwiches were well seasoned and one of the better parts of the meal

THE GOOD ----------------…read more+ Solid Mediterranean/Middle Eastern Sandwiches. ++++ Kofta Kebab and Gyro Sandwiches - Both were packed into an open-ended pita bread. Sandwich had decent flavor, white sauce mixed in and a good amount of vegetables inside, but could have definitely used more meat. ++++ Chicken Shawarma Sandwich - Much better than the other 2 sandwiches we had. The sandwich was served in a wrap and there was A LOTTTT of chicken shawarma packed into it. Chicken was juicy, tender and flavorful. + Plenty of tables and chairs inside. + Employee who served us was friendly and our food came out super quick. + Smallish private parking lot outside, but there aren't many businesses at this little strip mall. THE NOT SO GOOD ---------------------------- - Nada. MIXED THOUGHTS --------------------------- = Nada. RANDOM OBSERVATIONS -------------------------------------- = Quiet on an early Saturday afternoon at 11:30-1. No one else was dining inside, but there were a few pick up orders.

We took our Dad here to celebrate his birthday. He absolutely loved it. The atmosphere transported…read moreus to Morocco. The service was superb and the food was BOMB! We were stuffed! We will certainly be back .

We came here on a Saturday night for a birthday party. Nice spot and very cultured and the food is…read morepretty good. They have a live show belly dancer and pretty good music. You can't also smoke hookah in there aswell. There is a parking lot outside. Service is quick and each table has a server.

This establishment touts themselves as a healthy food restaurant, which they definitely have…read more However, they also have not so healthy items like an array of fried foods which are mostly on the kids menu. We tried a mango pineapple smoothie which is only made with almond milk. Unfortunately, with an almond allergy we asked them to use water only, so the consistency was different, but was still tasty. We also tried the crispy chicken wrap, Caesar salad wrap, grilled protein bowl, and a Dubai chocolate cheese cake. Everything was ok to good. It was all very fresh, but the steak in the protein bowl was chewy, some things lacked a little flavor, while others were very flavorful. So just a bit inconsistent. Service was friendly and helpful. The restaurant itself is intimate and cute. I would return if in the area, and try something different.

Grill and Greens kept popping up on my FYP, so I was excited to finally give them a try. For the…read morefood alone, I'd give them a solid 4.The dishes are tasty and well priced. But I'm giving them five stars because of the staff. They were incredibly friendly and so sweet to my toddler, who was definitely not on his best behavior. They even gave us a free drink to try. Their kindness and patience made me a customer for life, especially since I was juggling an indecisive human and a cranky toddler. We ordered the shrimp and salmon wrap, the tenders and fries, a Turkish soda, and a fountain drink. The wraps were flavorful and delicious. The salmon tasted fresh and wasn't overcooked. The Turkish soda was something I'd never tried before, and I was amazed by how light yet flavorful it was, all while having half the sugar of regular sodas. They also have parking, which is a huge plus, and they offer delivery themselves. Overall, such a great experience!