by Anika G.
It's 2am and Kelly's Pub just closed and you're starving. Walk a few steps and you're in Exotic Bites aka Hummus Heaven. I have been all over the world but no one makes Hummus like Exotic Bites. It's so rich and the warm pita is to die for. You have not lived until you've tried their hummus.When I go for a meal I typically get hummus, falafel and lady fingers.I've been going there since 2007 and I have yet to have a bad experience.The belly dancing and hookahs are a great plus to this location.
by Julie A.
A few months ago, I get a random pic message on the phone. A picture of some really yummy looking food from my foodie buddy Mr. Picky Tables. Caption reads "Egyptian food." Huh? I did a double take. I wanted to "eat like an E-gyp-tian" (har har!). So before my friend and I head down to MIA, I set out to find this place. Exotic Bites is a small mom and pop spot in the cute area of Hollywood, Florida, north of Miami. This area really looks like riverside in Jacksonville with streets lined with shops and that cute walkable feel to it but not too crowded. As for the restaurant, we had a really sweet waitress, Lana, who was very friendly and smiled alot. I met the Egyptian owner of the restaurant, and he was really nice, too. Customer service is excellent here. Several of the customers who showed up later in the night wanted to sit outside, so the staff went inside and pulled out tables specifically for these guests.For starters, we had a hookah. Mr. Picky Tables was being picky with his flavors and did not want to try mango. We got jasmine, and it tasted good. My chick friend tried hookah for the first time, but she had a coughing reaction. Lol. So, how was the Egyptian food? Dishes were general middle eastern style cuisine. So, if you've had Lebanese or anything in that general location, then you've pretty much had something similar.The appetizer was simple hummus with pita. The hummus was much tastier than the one at Cedar's in Orlando, even without the shawarma. I ordered Gyro Kebab (slices of delicious beef, and not on a stick as most of us might think) and my chick friend got Lamb Shank (a leg of lamb in a tomato-based sauce), and she's now a fan of lamb. My Gyro Kebab came with 2 sauces to dip the meat in: Tzaziki sauce (which was creamy and reminded me of the texture of sour cream), and a type of hot sauce.As usual, one of the members in the party orders a better dish than mine. Mr. Picky Tables got the Kefta Kebab, which is like a sausage with yummy spices and meat inside. If he wasn't paying for this meal, I might have ganked the entire thing off his plate. Hahaha.The entrees came with tabbouleh (tasty), more hummus, pasta balls (tiny balls of pasta), and Mediterranean salad (very fresh). For dessert we had some dessert that tasted like shredded wheat with guava fruit in the middle. It was served atop rose-flavored water (lightly sweet and exotic). We had some hot mint tea to drink with the meal. Really good. It was evening weather so the tea got cold a bit too fast for my slow speed. (I tend to savor the flavor of each exotic bite.) Mr. Picky Tables comes here often. Apparently Exotic Bites stays open till 2am. Wow. Great place to quell the munchies after a night of drinking. They also have bellydancers that perform here on some nights.If you live in the area, and you haven't been here, definitely check it out. Delicious dishes, great service, and cute atmosphere.
by Cherine A.
I could eat Middle Eastern food every day of the week, so I was excited to try another restaurant down here that serves it. This place did not disappoint.My friend and I decided to sit outside, and that was a mistake. A bus drove by every 10-15 minutes and stopped by us, with its exhaust pipe pointed right in our direction. That was quite unfortunate, but not the restaurant's fault. I won't make that mistake again though.I ordered the chicken kabobs with hummus and tabouli. The chicken was well-marinated and very tasty. The hummus was decent, but abandoned in favor of the delicious tabouli, which was so good I ordered more.I don't make it down to Hollywood much, but I would go out of my way to eat here again :)
