My husband and I found this restaurant on Instagram and, honestly, we were a little hesitant…read morebecause so much of what you see on social media can be misleading. But we were craving Mediterranean food, so we decided to give it a try and we're glad we did. The food was really good, and John took care of us. His recommendations were excellent and definitely made the experience even better. The atmosphere was nice, and I recommend making a reservation, especially if you want to make sure you can see the belly dance show on Saturdays. The only downside for us was that the chairs were a bit uncomfortable. Other than that, we had a very good experience and would definitely come back.

Coming in, the smell of the restaurant was incredible. Fragrant, and aromatic. Immediately captured…read moreby the ambiance and trans-lounge music. We were sat Immediately, unknowingly, we were sat right next to the unisex bathroom when there were other tables available in the restaurant. Not good. Great service from our server, Felipe, who was superb! Very attentive and professional. The lamb chops were delicious! The Moscow Mule yummy. Dessert was a flop. The baklava was gross. It was a cheap version made with what appeared to be croissant as opposed to philo. No honey. Dry and tasteless. I do not recommend.

Amazing spot. Good food, service, and vibes! We went for date night and loved it. Highly recommend…read moreif you're in SoFlo!

INCREDIBLE food, there's so much love and heart in this whole restaurant. The grilled watermelon…read morehalloumi was absolutely delicious. Victoria was amazing and so kind to us. Such a relaxing experience and would recommend anyone. Ahmed made us feel so welcome--will definitely be back soon!

This is such a great spot to go to and order a bunch of different appetizers to share. We loved…read moretheir hummus and got a few other items too. There wasn't anything we tried there and didn't like. The drinks were amazing too, they have a mixologist who made great mocktails and cocktails! Honestly it's hard finding a spot that makes enjoyable mocktails because most of the time it's just sugar overload but I really enjoyed the ones he made for me.

Two Sundays ago hubby and I tried out this restaurant and were pleasantly surprised!…read more The service, food and ambiance -- with Bossa Nova covers playing in the background -- was just the vibe we needed for a Sunday afternoon :) It was a perfect setting and timing, as we got to choose from the once a year "Taste the Gables" 3-course menu! Definitely give it a try!

Mandolin Aegean Bistro was high on our list mainly because the whole vibe feels like the closest…read morething to actually being in Santorini. We went to Santorini for our honeymoon and my husband and I were celebrating our 16th anniversary. Reservations are hard to get here, especially on the weekend. Luckily I have Gold Status with OpenTable through work and was able to get on the Priority Notify list where I would be the first to know when tables open up on my desired date/time. And that's how we snagged this reservation on OpenTable on a busy Saturday on our actual anniversary. Woot woot!!! First off, this spot is ALL THE FEELS!!! So beautiful and absolutely charming. Just like Santorini. When we arrived, we checked in and only waited for maybe 10 minutes until they sat us. Meanwhile, there were many people waiting. When our table was ready, the hostess seated us to this cute little two top towards the back area, very intimate. For our anniversary, they gave us complimentary champagne. Very cool. Matias was our server and he was wonderful. Informative, attentive and friendly. They had small menu with specials for the day along with their regular menu. Below is everything we ordered: * Karpouzi Fresco $21 * Baked Feta $18 * Grilled Grouper with Orzo $42 * Grilled Lamb Chops $61 Got the Karpouzi Fresco with watermelon, mint, prosecco. The cocktail was perfect for the ambiance and so refreshing. Baked Feta was ridonkulously good with heirloom tomatoes with greek oregano and sumac. So fresh with lots of flavor and served with warm bread right out of the oven. Dinner was at another level and incredibly generous portions but also ELITE!!! Grilled Grouper with orzo was nice and the small shrimp was a nice surprise, funny enough when this dish came out, the grouper was hidden under the orzo and we thought they brought out the wrong dish. That was odd. Grilled Lamb Chops were cooked on point and so juicy with good flavor. Everything was just delicious! We opted not to have desserts here as we wanted to walk around Miami and find another spot for dessert. All in all, we had a lovely anniversary dinner and this place was perfect. So happy we finally got to come here. It's just as charming as the photos show. If you want a small piece of Greece, come here. I don't think you'll be disappointed. It has all the Santorini vibes!

We visited Mandolin during our stay in Miami because we love Mediterranean cuisine, and overall, it…read morewas a solid experience. For appetizers, we ordered the Ali Nazik and Eggplant Carpaccio. The Ali Nazik was phenomenal. We were given a side of bread, which paired really well with the dish. The lamb was packed with flavor, and the smoked eggplant yogurt was fire. The two complemented each other perfectly. The Eggplant Carpaccio was good as well. I will say, though, that if you aren't a fan of dishes with a heavy vinegar flavor, this may not be for you. I'd also be curious to see how this dish would taste served warm. For our entree, we ordered the Beef Souvlaki, which came with six skewers of filet mignon. The beef was perfectly cooked and very tender, so no complaints there. However, the rest of the dish didn't really stand out to me. The fries were decent, but nothing crazy. As a first-time visitor, I also feel like this probably wasn't the best dish to order if you want to get a full sense of what the restaurant has to offer. One of my biggest disappointments was that the restaurant primarily had outdoor seating. Maybe it was just the night we went, but it was extremely hot and humid, and the fans in our area weren't cutting it. It was also very dark, making it difficult to see the menus and even our food. I think better lighting, especially toward the front of the restaurant, would make a big difference. The food came out very quickly, which we appreciated. I do wish our server had been a little more helpful, though. We wanted to learn more about the menu and were hoping for some guidance and recommendations, but he didn't really guide us through the menu the way I had hoped. Overall, Mandolin was a solid experience, and the Ali Nazik in particular was a standout. I'd be interested in coming back and trying some of their other dishes to get a better feel for what the restaurant does best.

Let me start with the hostess; Beautiful and beautifully dressed. Absolutely lovely...the wait…read morestaff was excellent and they made excellent recommendations. Service was impeccable. The food was really good and had nice presentation and the cocktails were delicious. We had baba ghanoush, stuffed grape leaves , and zucchini and eggplant chips to start. The chips were definite standouts and were scrumptious! Main entrees were kebabs of meat and shrimp. Perfectly seasoned and well cooked Lychee and lemon drop martinis and for dessert the date cake and Kanafe Yummy all around The restaurant is beautifully decorated and wonderfully lit so the ambiance is excellent whether celebrating a birthday or on a date. Will definitely be back

Yalla!!!!! Another spot that I can't believe it's taken me so long to get to! My wife and I had an…read moreamazing experience checking out Amal. Being Lebanese whenever I go out to Lebanese restaurants I have a high standard having had eaten home cooked meals growing up and Amal does not disappoint. Beyond the food being amazing, the service is top notch! We were well taken care of by our server Sara and we were greeted and shown to our seats as soon as we walked in by the host. They have a BOMB Miami spice and if you pick anything else off the menu, you wouldn't have a bad time. Go check it out!

Super cute spot that's been here for years and never even noticed, I'm so glad we decided to check…read moreit out! The staff is very friendly and very attentive. The food was delicious made fresh and came out pretty quickly. Parking was easy to find since it's in shopping center. Highly recommend to anyone!

I returned specifically for the appetizers, hoping to recapture what I remembered from my previous…read morevisit. Unfortunately, this experience fell well short of expectations. The lentil soup was remarkably bland and lacked the depth and seasoning that had made it memorable before. The chicken wings were dry and arrived without being tossed in the sauce. I brought the issue to the server's attention after tasting one of the wings and explained that I was a returning customer with very specific expectations of the wings based on my previous experience. His response was a shrug, and the item remained on my bill. I took both the soup and wings home and attempted to rescue them myself--adding vegetables and seasoning to the lentils and air-frying the wings with additional seasoning and sauce. They were considerably better after the intervention. That, unfortunately, was the takeaway: when a restaurant has previously given you something worth returning for, consistency matters. So does acknowledging a guest's feedback when the experience misses the mark. I left disappointed, but perhaps the meal served as a reminder that sometimes the best version is still the one I make at home. The two cold appetizers - hummus and baba ghanoush with pita bread were edible. Disappointed overall.

We now know why Jesus was Jewish: the food is from heaven. This place has thee best Israeli cuisine…read moreI've ever had in my life--and I've been to Israel 6 times! Every bite felt like a unique texture and flavor, yet came together in harmony. We did the Tayim--tasting menu--to ensure we could get a sampling of lots of items. It was worth every penny. Cannot wait to come back.

The food honestly is not great and there's not a lot of options. Also wait staff will not leave you…read morealone. They probably came around our table maybe 20 times and I was just trying to enjoy dinner with my family and it was honestly annoying. Whenever my 12-year-old complained about her meal because it was two seasoned instead of the manager, sending it back he still charged it to our bill, even when we said we did not want it.

My husband and I went here for happy hour, and we had such a great experience…read moreWe had the margaritas, hummus, and chicken lollipops, and everything was delicious! The service was excellent, and we really enjoyed the atmosphere. We had a wonderful time and will definitely be coming back! Highly recommend this place for a great happy hour experience

Atmosphere: 4/5 Food: 4/5…read more Flavor: 3.8/5 Presentation: 4/5 Service: 4/5 Value: 5/5 Happy Hour at the bar with my love. Lovely ambience to match. The culture perforates the structure. Motek is trip to the Mediterranean for a fraction of the cost. Fun fact, Motek is actually Hebrew for "sweetheart" and they nearly captured mine with their extensive happy hour menu comprised of quality selections that were equally plentiful in quantity. Perfect for a quick bite or an intimate dinner. Will be back for brunch. Cheers! Or, dare I say, !

Mint Beirut exceeded my expectations! Melissa was fantastic and helped me plan the perfect amount…read moreof food for a last-minute party. The food was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. My guests couldn't stop talking about it, and I received compliments all night. While the location is small, it is exceptionally clean and has a warm, inviting atmosphere. Highly recommend!

Delicious! had the chicken kabobs over rice , with humus and pita on the side. The garlic sauce…read moreis also amazing . Very good service also.

A group of 6 of us visited Abbale' for dinner on a Sunday night (Memorial Day weekend), sitting at…read moreone of the outdoor tables. Our server was great! Very helpful and he explained all the dishes and was a good advocate for the restaurant. We had two gluten free diners in our party, one with celiac, and our sever and Chef handled it well and adopted as best they could. We tried a lot of different dishes. The salatim trio, the persian cucumber, and steak shawarma hummus & pita (one of everyone's favorites) were all great. The local fish ceviche was very good as was the feta & pistachio. For main meals we tried the branzino (2). Also the braised beef short rib was excellent (hearty and moist) and the double cut lamb chop was cooked perfectly. It was a fun evening for sure - the tarp above us keep spilling water near the table (not on anyone) and we had fun with it.

A South Beach restaurant for foodies not (just) tourists! Amazing food, amazing service, amazing…read morevibe. The Persian Braised Bone-In Beef Short Rib with its pomegranate-red wine jus and apricots exceeded my high expectations! The Prime Steak Shashlik was lovely. The Moroccan Cigars were the surprise of the evening, always order these! I ordered a trio of Roasted Beets, Whipped Feta and Pistachio, Walnut (from the 7 options available) and the Pistachio is my clear favorite. I enjoy a ~local beer and the Goldstar Dark Lager was wonderful, neither bitter nor sweet.