Sunnin has an incredible menu, and it's easy to see why they've been a local favorite for so many…read moreyears. The flavors are authentic, vibrant, and consistently delicious. They've also done a great job evolving with the times, offering plenty of clearly marked vegan options along with choices for other dietary needs, including gluten-free. Everything we ordered was excellent. The grape leaves were fantastic, the eggplant dishes were so flavorful, and the portions were very generous. The foul (bean dish) was delicious, and when we asked if they could add a little extra to it, they were happy to accommodate us. The service was warm, welcoming, and genuinely attentive. And don't skip dessert--the baklava is some of the best we've ever had. I understand they've recently changed how they make it, and the result is outstanding. It's wonderful to see a restaurant that has stood the test of time while continuing to evolve. We can't wait to return and explore more of the menu.

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.

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.

I am mad that I never drove far enough down York to discover this place and only discovered it…read moreafter it was suggested for a lunch meetup. I needed this place in my life sooner! Let's start with the drink....I'm not a fan of anything rose flavored or scented so I wanted to make sure the rose flavor wasn't too strong in the Jallab. Since I was told the rose flavor is pretty prominent, it was suggested I do the Jallab with lemonade. What a perfect selection! I didn't pick up any rose flavor and the drink was so pretty. This is a refreshing alternative if you don't want to go with a soda. I already had my heart set on the appetizers and fortunately the other person was on board with the same choices. For dippers, I always go with a yogurt and cucumber appetizer and the Babaghanouj did not disappoint. These sides came with three pieces of pita bread. Neither side was overly garlicky and paired well with my entree. If you love cheese borek like I do, get you some cheese rolls. My only regret is only getting one. The cheese rolls were perfectly flavored and not overly salty. Now for the entree...I already had my eye on three meats so the waitress said to go with The Your Way Plate, which came with a kafta and tenderloin skewer. I also added a lamb skewer on the side. Both my lamb and tenderloin skewer were cooked medium and they were perfect. Lamb is one of those dishes that can be a hit or miss because if it's not cooked right, it will be chewy - mine was perfect! And, the spices they use to cook the lamb in will have you trying to pick up every last drop of juice with your pieces of meat. No complaints with the kafta either. I chose rice as my side because I love me the carbs. We went on a weekday for lunch and parking was easy enough to find on a side street. The staff was friendly and there was indoor and outdoor seating options. This place gets a yummy in my tummy rating and I will be back sooner rather than later.

I've eaten at Skaf's On York about four times now, and it's easily become one of my favorite…read moreneighborhood spots whenever I'm craving Lebanese food. My go-to order is the lamb kebab plate with half rice and half cabbage salad. The lamb is always cooked perfectly--tender, juicy, and incredibly flavorful (I usually order it medium well). The rice is delicious, but I especially love the cabbage salad, which is tossed in a bright, refreshing mix of lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic. It's the perfect balance to the rich, savory lamb, and the meal always leaves me feeling satisfied without being overly heavy. The restaurant has very limited indoor seating, so if you can, I'd recommend dining in. This is one of those meals that's best enjoyed fresh and piping hot. I like taking my time cutting the lamb into bite-sized pieces and savoring every bite. If you're planning to order takeout instead, I'd suggest the combo plate with the chicken, tenderloin, and ground beef skewers, also with half rice and half cabbage salad. Those meats are softer and easier to enjoy on the go, especially if you're eating shortly after picking it up. And don't skip the garlic sauce--it is absolutely delicious and takes everything to the next level. Simple, fresh, and consistently well-executed, Skaf's On York has definitely earned a spot as one of my favorite restaurants in Highland Park.

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.

I've been enjoying this restaurant for many years and always like to pop in occasionally for an…read moreitem or two. While I usually enjoy the chicken sandwich toasted, today I decided to try the chicken Shawarma plate. It came with a nice side of hummus, garlic spread, tahini, and a few other tidbits to layer your flavors. The people here are always very friendly, although they did miss one of the items on my over the phone order, even though when they read it back to me all my items were there... I really like the carnival vibe on the exterior of the building and you will be surprised that the interior of the restaurant is nicer than you would expect. The location is a little out of the way and the parking lot always seems too full, but this is a great place to check out if you've never been here, highly recommend the chicken wrap sandwich, make sure you get it toasted!

Some meals deserve a novel - at least with this one, we're lucky to have a COOKBOOK. A…read morehusband-and-wife team has taken Middle Eastern fusion next-level on all fronts, centered in the ARTS DISTRICT - if you sit in the bar, you can eat under a waterfall of pathos & take suggestions from SAM & MULLIN. Food is best enjoyed family-style, but not if you don't want to share, as in my case. It's magical in the way only LA can be, beautiful because Genevieve is hands-on with artful touches (in atmosphere and PASTRIES), and 100% delicious for all senses. To begin, CHERRY TOMATO a BOMB @ss party in my mouth!!! One dish that's actually more delicious than it is beautiful (and it IS both) - silken feta, like yogurt without fermentation, underlies genuinely sweet cherry tomatoes and strawberries that are a bright, fruity POP next to roasted harissa & cilantro - cuts through like FIRECRACKERS with sesame crunch. It's MAGIC. Second, some FRIED QUAIL - THE MOST ELEGANT fried thing I've ever eaten, and I mean that in the BEST way. SO tender, moist quail in the crispiest, tastiest buttermilk semolina coating with XO (a little bit spicy, a lotta bit savory - not ashamed to say I licked the plate) and a sprinkling of ROSE petals. GET IT, SHARE IT, no more than 2 per plate (and you may want an encore...). THIRD, an otherworldly DUCK HUMMUS - SMOOTH like butter, SAVORY like 'NDUJA and slightly curried with fluffy HOT PITA fresh from the oven. I dare you to find better, please tell me if you do. A proverbial cherry-on-top (except this one is a...) PEACH TART! Perfect peaches fanned over a buttery crust that melts in the mouth - it's a marrying of barely-there crust and creamy center (underlying whip is barely sweet, like happy clouds). My greatest disappointment is not having friends to share my delight & order more - I have no doubts everything on the menu is equally exceptional, and CANNOT WAIT for the day we return together!

We went to Bavel for a special dinner and, overall, had a good experience, although it was…read moredefinitely on the pricey side. I made an OpenTable reservation about 10-15 minutes before arriving, and I'm glad I did because there was already a short line when we got there. There's valet parking for $13 for smaller cars/SUVs and $20 for larger trucks, plus tip, so definitely factor that into the meal cost. Street parking looked pretty difficult, so we were happy to just hand over the keys and not worry about it. Even with a reservation, we waited about 10 minutes. The restaurant is beautiful, and as you walk toward the dining room, you can see the fire blazing in the background. Unfortunately, our table was close enough to the fire that one side of us was basically being slow-roasted. We asked to move, and the staff was incredibly nice and switched us to another table immediately. Food-wise, this was definitely a mixed bag. The 26 oz prime ribeye ($185) was the biggest disappointment. I know it's an expensive special-occasion dish, and I saw a Yelp review calling it 10/10, so we thought, why not? Sadly, it was probably the worst ribeye I've ever had. There was a lot of silver skin/tough connective tissue throughout the meat, and for $185, I just don't think it was worth it. 1/5 for me. The grilled prawns were my favorite dish of the night and were excellent. My husband loved the lamb neck shawarma ($61). It was a little too rich for me, but I can see why he liked it, and at $61, it actually felt like one of the better values of the meal. We also enjoyed the duck hummus. The hummus with two pieces of pita was $19, but that definitely wasn't enough for three people, so we ordered two more pieces for another $10. That brought us to $29 for hummus and four pieces of pita. Delicious? Yes. A bargain? Absolutely not. Even in California, that's a lot of pita math. We also tried the Samira cocktail ($18), which they said was their most popular drink. It was good, but not particularly memorable for that price. There's also a 4% "Healthy LA" charge, so that's something to keep in mind when looking at the menu prices. For three people, our total was about $375 before tip, or a little over $120 per person. That's actually more than we spent at Nobu, so yes, I think Bavel is overpriced. But was the food good overall? Also yes. I'm glad we tried it, and I'd probably come back for the grilled prawns and maybe the shawarma. But the $185 ribeye? That one can stay at Bavel.

Recently ordered from one of my favorite places to eat. Used to come here a while back. I can't…read morefind any place I've been to like this one. Always great food, quick service, family oriented and friendly . - Rebekah

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!!!

So I was out here last week flown out from Sacramento airport (I live in Stockton CA) visiting Long…read moreBeach staying at a successful friends crib and I had a great time and had too much great food. So.. Mediterranean/ Arab type food... have I had it before? Not quite really but we stopped by this place and I snapped a photo but quite can't remember the name but I know it's kebab and something else like beef as medium - and one thing I was taught by the SoCal homie is get your steak medium, or medium rare if you fancy - and not chicken as a main .. dish but maybe as a side. And from what I was told Mediterranean food is kinda healthy. I straight up devoured this plate clean and it was delicious. Very delicious and yes I'm back in NorCal and I couldn't find anything near me that compares so I'd have to go out of town. But this experience and food here at open sesame is worth stopping by for good eats. And when we were done the waitress asked if we'd like to rinse our hands- she got this wand of some sort out and sprinkled it and the water had some scent. Now that's world class customer service and surely tip well generously. I plan to come to visit Long Beach every summer to get out from the hellfire 100+ degree heat in the Central Valley in Stockton and then damn mosquitoes- and likely we will dine here again!

5 stars! We had a small issue with our order and Chris, the GM, went absolutely above and beyond to…read morepersonally make it right. Seriously some of the best customer service I've ever experienced. And the food is phenomenal. The Chicken Tawook, Ali's Favorite, and the falafel are my go-to's , I'm not kidding when I say I eat here 3-4 times a week . This is exactly why we love Open Sesame. Amazing food and even better people. Huge shoutout to Chris and the entire team!