Tartousa Mediterranean Bistro

by Leeora B.

On the Peninsula, it takes a lot of hope and faith to find a restaurant with a kitchen open past 8:30.  Why do Californians eat so cotton-pickin early?  Even in the City, it is difficult to find food afer 10.  Its sad. I tried this place in July because it had a kitchen open at 9.  I have returned countless times since.  The food here is consistently good, and the service is warm and attentive.  By now, I would say I've tried nearly everything on the menu.  Some of the highlights are the Shrimp Fattoush salad and Shrimp Kebob.  The lamb chops are also good.  But the real winners are the cold and hot mezze.  They also carry hot and cold mezze platters with generous portions of 5 or  6 different mezze each.  The hummus, tabouleh and baba ghannouj are incredible.I've tried Waterfront in FC and Tarboosh in RWC, but I like Tartousa best.   I return habitually for the food and service.  It is the type of place that will relax you and facilitate conversation, so you can catch up with your dinner date and enjoy the evening.

by Nancy T.

This a reply to the owner's message : Nancy we at tartousa greatly apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused upon you and your friends. A few pointers to consider though...When your party of 10 people walked the kitchen had been already closed for the evening and just for your party we had our chef jump back in and open it.  Also we did bring your table out menus but they wanted to have the chef make them whatever he saw fit.  It seemed like all the food was eaten and there were also two hookas if we remember correctly which means food, drinks, entertainment, and hooka for ten people broke down to roughly $18-$20....... *** We were7 not 10 and there was one hookah and one beer if you call that  ALCOHOL !!! The chef was already cooking in the kitchen there was no jumping back and the fact that the green salad we had costs $22 that's what  made me write my review. No to forget your attitude when we questioned items not  ordered on our bill that you gladly refused to modify. Entertainment was a plus but remmeber we were at your restaurant for 30minutes. I think you could have simply told us we are done for the day and if you want me to keep the kitchen open I'm just going to charge whatever the hell I want (i.e green salad for $22)...........................just a note for your next customers. I really wanted to like this place and and even come here every weekend and  bring business.…

by tracey c.

im not from around the area, so a few of us went to search for a place to eat at a late hour. we saw a mexican restaurant that looked open, but it was closed. then.. i saw an open sign! and it was tartousa. it was fate that brought us to this wonderful place! the food was great and the price was awesome!!! our table ordered their special salmon with a side salad that they totally loved! plus the bobbaganoosh (sorry i dont know how to spell it lol), cheese rolls, and calamari! everything tasted great! for dessert, we had their baklava and a special dessert that was just made! it was cool too! it was orange and had a rose taste. yummm!! :) it was such a perfect place to go to! plus there's mediterranean music! it is loud, but i enjoyed it; it made me want to dance! and our server and everyone there seemed super nice :) have fun at the restaurant!

by claire m.

I really liked this place from the moment I walked in. I was hoping that the decor matched the food and it did! We sat in the outdoor patio which was fabulous. They have hookas, fire pit and an old fashioned fire place.  They have happy hour on the weekends where other restaurants don't. They brought us fried chips and a yogurt/tomato/herb dip which was reallllly great. Chips are a little over fried for my taste. Sangria was pretty good but I've had better. We had the shrimp salad which was SOOO yummy. Tart salad dressing was sooo good. We could have used more shrimp but it had the shrimp had a nice chilean flavor. We had fresh tomato and mozzarella drizzled with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and basil. Very fresh, very yummy. Hummus is very good.I highly recommend this place for sure!

by Leeora B.Nancy T.Allie S.Amy C.Gina S.

On the Peninsula, it takes a lot of hope and faith to find a restaurant with a kitchen open past 8:30.  Why do Californians eat so cotton-pickin early?  Even in the City, it is difficult to find food afer 10.  Its sad. I tried this place in July because it had a kitchen open at 9.  I have returned countless times since.  The food here is consistently good, and the service is warm and attentive.  By now, I would say I've tried nearly everything on the menu.  Some of the highlights are the Shrimp Fattoush salad and Shrimp Kebob.  The lamb chops are also good.  But the real winners are the cold and hot mezze.  They also carry hot and cold mezze platters with generous portions of 5 or  6 different mezze each.  The hummus, tabouleh and baba ghannouj are incredible.I've tried Waterfront in FC and Tarboosh in RWC, but I like Tartousa best.   I return habitually for the food and service.  It is the type of place that will relax you and facilitate conversation, so you can catch up with your dinner date and enjoy the evening.This a reply to the owner's message : Nancy we at tartousa greatly apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused upon you and your friends. A few pointers to consider though...When your party of 10 people walked the kitchen had been already closed for the evening and just for your party we had our chef jump back in and open it.  Also we did bring your table out menus but they wanted to have the chef make them whatever he saw fit.  It seemed like all the food was eaten and there were also two hookas if we remember correctly which means food, drinks, entertainment, and hooka for ten people broke down to roughly $18-$20....... *** We were7 not 10 and there was one hookah and one beer if you call that  ALCOHOL !!! The chef was already cooking in the kitchen there was no jumping back and the fact that the green salad we had costs $22 that's what  made me write my review. No to forget your attitude when we questioned items not  ordered on our bill that you gladly refused to modify. Entertainment was a plus but remmeber we were at your restaurant for 30minutes. I think you could have simply told us we are done for the day and if you want me to keep the kitchen open I'm just going to charge whatever the hell I want (i.e green salad for $22)...........................just a note for your next customers. I really wanted to like this place and and even come here every weekend and  bring business.… I sat with two friends on the back patio of Tartousa yesterday for a late lunch and some happy our drinks... I was in San Mateo running an errand. The owner (I think) was VERY friendly, relaxed and welcoming and seemed to be having a pretty good time hanging out back there himself. The patio is spacious and has both a fire pit and a fountain. Definitely a great atmosphere for sunny days, too bad I didn't stay for a hookah. We each got an appetizer; dolmas, cheese rolls and olives. All were delicious. The pita bread and hummus were also delicious. There were no kebabs or other meat entrees on the lunch menu, so the waitress brought us dinner menus (after coming back with lunch menus again first, by accident). I had a very large  combination platter of lamb kebab (absolutely delicious) and shrimp (waaaay too salty)($19). It came with saffron rice and roasted vegetables. One friend had a ground lamb burger and fries ($13) that had just as much food as my plate did. It was apparently mouth-watering. Here's where the star docking comes in: my other friend ordered the lamb chops ($24) that the waitress was very enthusiastic about. They came over some strange mashed potato concoction. There were four lamb chops that each looked like they came more from a lamb embryo than an actual young animal. Each lamb chop was one good sized bite. Now how did our other two plates each have three times as much food and were both cheaper? I understand lamb chops cost more, but not THAT much more. He's a big dude so I gave him half my kebab. It's a good thing I'm a tiny person.Then the waitress forgot to take half off our drink orders for happy hour because she was "the only one here and there's a large party inside and it's overwhelming". They gladly fixed that for us, and the "huge party" was a family of six, and the only other table in the place. The service I got from the owner, the very friendly attitude of all the employees and the dishes we were happy with get five stars. The lamb chops and spotty waitstaff get two stars.3.5 all together, I'd definitely suggest the place, just not the lamb chops unless you are not very hungry and have lots of money to blow.Tartousa has a great ambiance!  The entrance is not much to look at, but the physical appearance of the restaurant is absolutely adorable.  They have a stage for musical entertainment on certain nights and they have a back patio that is quaint and perfect for a hot night.  After reviewing Tartousa on Yelp, I was very excited to bring my parents to dinner before they were jet setting off to Asia for a month.  However, after having experienced it myself, I am quite surprised by the tremendous amount of 5 star reviews.  I found the food to be below average.  Tartousa certainly gets an extra point for their free appetizer of pita chips and dip.  But it's not much different than any other Mexican restaurant giving out free chips and salsa.   They don't offer many choices, the entire menu consisted of 2 pages.  I asked the waiter for his recommendations and he recommended the cold mezza platter, a shrimp salad and a kebab meal.  The $15 cold mezza platter consisted of 2 piles of hummus drenched in olive oil, tahini and 1 small bowl of tabouli.  It was quite tasty but certainly not the best hummus and certainly not worth that much money.  I really disliked the shrimp salad.  Not only were there only 4 pieces of shrimp, but the salad dressing was unpalatable.  The mixture of ground beef and lamb kebab was dry and tasteless.  I had to dab it in tahini sauce just to swallow.  Overall, I did not enjoy my meal at Tartousa and I will not be returning again.  I am very disappointed that I took my parents there as their last meal before leaving on their trip.If I could give this place a million stars I totally would!The food is absolutely tantalizing!The Hookah and Outdoor Patio tops any other place in the area!They are very accommodating to "late-nighters" like my friends and I Come here on Thursday,Friday, Saturdays- its a party to Damascus!

by Jennifer W.

I normally do not re-review a place unless there has been a significant change to what I had talked about in my first review, be it good or bad.  But, I really felt compelled to write this update.  It has been a few months since I originally ate here and was pleasantly surprised with the fresh taste of the food.  Well, this time back, we decided to stay and eat versus grab and go and took a seat in the outside area.  What a remarkable little retreat away that area is.  I almost didn't want to mention it in fear that my new little escape place would be revealed.  It is so quiet and nice, with the sound of running fountains in the background.  The service is pleasant and the food is still absolutely delicious.  I have had a lot of Middle Eastern food, and I cannot stress how fresh and tasteful their food is.  The hummus is served in a huge portion with olive oil drizzled in the middle and warm fresh made pitas in a basket to the side.  The fries that accompany many dishes are served with a delicious seasoning and a catsup and garlic dip.  Their lavosh sandwiches are filled with juicy meat and a wonderful garlic spread.  The falafels are perfectly made and yet still remain light and fluffy with every bite.  This place makes me want to come back often for the solace and comfort it offers on hectic days and the wonderful food it serves. Absolutely the best falafael I have had.  The food here is authentic, light, and delicious.…

by Gina S.

If I could give this place a million stars I totally would!The food is absolutely tantalizing!The Hookah and Outdoor Patio tops any other place in the area!They are very accommodating to "late-nighters" like my friends and I Come here on Thursday,Friday, Saturdays- its a party to Damascus!

by bridget B.

This is our "local".  Now that we have a 2 year old this is a PERFECT place for a relaxing night out.  The owners are AMAZING, the food is good and the ambiance is superb.  Try it ;)

by Allie S.

I sat with two friends on the back patio of Tartousa yesterday for a late lunch and some happy our drinks... I was in San Mateo running an errand. The owner (I think) was VERY friendly, relaxed and welcoming and seemed to be having a pretty good time hanging out back there himself. The patio is spacious and has both a fire pit and a fountain. Definitely a great atmosphere for sunny days, too bad I didn't stay for a hookah. We each got an appetizer; dolmas, cheese rolls and olives. All were delicious. The pita bread and hummus were also delicious. There were no kebabs or other meat entrees on the lunch menu, so the waitress brought us dinner menus (after coming back with lunch menus again first, by accident). I had a very large  combination platter of lamb kebab (absolutely delicious) and shrimp (waaaay too salty)($19). It came with saffron rice and roasted vegetables. One friend had a ground lamb burger and fries ($13) that had just as much food as my plate did. It was apparently mouth-watering. Here's where the star docking comes in: my other friend ordered the lamb chops ($24) that the waitress was very enthusiastic about. They came over some strange mashed potato concoction. There were four lamb chops that each looked like they came more from a lamb embryo than an actual young animal. Each lamb chop was one good sized bite. Now how did our other two plates each have three times as much food and were both cheaper? I understand lamb chops cost more, but not THAT much more. He's a big dude so I gave him half my kebab. It's a good thing I'm a tiny person.Then the waitress forgot to take half off our drink orders for happy hour because she was "the only one here and there's a large party inside and it's overwhelming". They gladly fixed that for us, and the "huge party" was a family of six, and the only other table in the place. The service I got from the owner, the very friendly attitude of all the employees and the dishes we were happy with get five stars. The lamb chops and spotty waitstaff get two stars.3.5 all together, I'd definitely suggest the place, just not the lamb chops unless you are not very hungry and have lots of money to blow.

by Michele R.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! The outdoor seating is absolutely fabulous complete with a water fountain, fire pit and hookas! They will give you a nice appetizer free during happy hour. There is great thin crusted pizza for lunch and their house salad is huge and you can add chicken or prawns for a few bucks more. Now I am not a dessert person but their baklava is insanely good. Light buttery crispy crust (ie not soggy like some) - Also do not forget to try the best lamb burger (not always on the menu but ask)  I have ever had (and I have had my share) with a variety of cheeses and a huge mound of fries lightly seasoned and relatively thin and crispy. They are accomodating so if you prefer no bun or fries (for you lo carb folks) they will sub a salad. The only reason I hate writing reviews is that I get so hungry after I write them!