Mandaloun Restaurant

by Nic Z.

I loved Mandaloun!  It was delicious!  Big thank you and shout out to George T who recommended it to me!  It was really great!  The best part about Mandaloun is the mezze's which are small appetizer dishes.  They are so reasonably priced and you can easily get several of them for what you would normally pay for a whole meal. We ordered a bunch of stuff!  We got the hummus which was thick and had a nice flavor to it.  It was really good!  The tabbouleh was great, I loved how it wasn't too lemony.  We also tried this spicy potato dish which was good but it wasn't what I expected.  I was hoping for more of a spicy potato spread, not little bite sized cubes of potatoes but it was still good.  It was really spicy, Paul loved that part!   The falafel was really great, not greasy at all and I loved how it had a kick to it.  It was a totally different taste than I am used not, I have never eaten falafel that has a spicy hot kick to it but I liked it!  Paul also got the sambousek and the basturma (my apologies if I spelled the names of these two dishes wrong, I googled them to see how they were spelled!).  He loved the sambousek but wasn't a big fan of the basturma.  We both LOVED the fresh warm pita bread, that was great!  Everything was so fresh and so tasty.  We really loved it.  Also, they don't bring everything out at the same time, which is great.  They just kept bringing more food out, I loved it!  All the portions are pretty big, we pretty much had leftovers of everything which was great considering how inexpensive everything was.  We spent about $40 which isn't bad considering we got six mezza's and Paul got a coke.  The service was great too.  Very prompt and quite friendly.  One odd thing, when we first walked in, we noticed people smoking cigar's inside!  We were not fans of that.  When they asked us where we wanted to sit, and I remarked anywhere besides where folks are smoking, the waiter suggested we sit outside on the patio.  That was rather odd, aren't smoking sections normally outdoors?  But, anyway...we loved it there and the food was great.Paul is soooo not a fan of any type of middle eastern food but he really loved Mandaloun.  He mentioned that the best part is how fresh everything tasted and how you could pretty much taste how fresh each of the ingredients were.  Very cool compliment, especially considering how little he likes going out for middle eastern food!

by George T.

I first visited Mandaloun in Dec '05 for my office's Holiday luncheon.  We had a great time lounging on the back patio for a nice, prolonged, Lebanese-style 5 hour feast; munching on mezze (appetizers) sipping "arak" (Lebanese anise-liquor that turns milky white when ice water is added) and some well regarded Lebanese Chateau Musar red wine (my uncle worked the winery).  Then, inexplicably, the place closed for a year.  Not for lack of business, but evidently some business dispute amongst owners.  One recently opened a Lebanese place in Glendale called "Phoenicia" (every town with a Lebanese place has one called Phoenicia).  The other owner recently re-opened Mandaloun.  Its on the 2nd floor of a building at Maryland and Harvard in Glendale (near Brand and Broadway).  You can park in the structure across the street and they'll validate the first few hours with a max of about $6 parking if they didn't validate.  You take the elevator up to Mandaloun.  Inside is a cavernous place w/ a stage, medium sized dance floor, tables, a bar, a windowed oven to watch them bake fresh pita bread and a very spacious back patio (which is highly recommended).  The patio seats about 100 folks, and has the advantage of being covered and heated and the only place where one can enjoy the hookahs with flavored tobacco such as apple; apple-strawberry; mint; rose; mixed fruit (which is a bit bland due to so many flavors).  The food is good, but not as good as it was in its older 2005 incarnation.  The pita bread wasn't as puffy and light.  The mezze were serviceable, but not as I recalled.  Although some stood out.fried kibbe:  perhaps the best I've had outside of a few family gatherings . . . the key is to make the outer lining/skin very, very thin . . . the filling was a nice blend of ground beef, onions, sauteed pine nuts and spices, including allspice . . . the outer layer on this version did not appear to be the traditional mixture of fine cracked wheat with veal or lamb . . . this appeared to be made of semolina mixed with the meat . . . it was more elastic and thus able to be made very thinquail:  had it on another visit . . . tasty marinadezaatar:  on a 2d visit; tasty; on freshly made breadtabouli:  OK; why don't ME restaurants provide Romaine lettuce with their tabouli?  It was not as lemony as the tabouli at Wahib's  fattoush (fattouche) salad:  well below Marouch's version, but not too bad, at least they did not add vinegar to it like they do at Carousel (note, NO vinegar in the dressing for fattoush, only olive oil, lemon and salt)sambousek/fatayer (cheese turnovers):  light and flaky outside and light inside, a bit bland, but nice, served a bit hot.  CUIDADO 'cause hot cheese can burn your upper palatesoujoukh:  this traditional (and fiery) Armenian sausage was served appetizer style in bite-sized pieces, but too small a portionpita bread:  they bake it fresh here and its good, but it used to be very light and airy.  I think the old baker must have gone elsewhere kebabs: they are pretty good here, but not as good as Carousel in Hollywood:  beef, chicken, luleh (ground beef)On weekends, there is a $42/head fixed menu for large groups (one qualm, no raw kibbe??) .  The full bar sells bottles of Arak such as Massaya, Razzoukh and wine (including some Lebanese wines (like Chateau Musar, Ksara and Kefraya) as well as Lebanese beer (al-Maza) Its a fun place for a large group.  There are "international" singers (which translates to an Armenian guy who can sing in his native tongue as well as Arabic, Greek, Farsi, Italian and French . . . oh, and English with a thick accent.  You are encouraged to get up and dance.  Then, belly dancers will come out.  There is a certain "Armenian Sopranos" element, but its Glendale, so enjoy watching the Armenian equivalent of Bobby Bacala and Christopher Moltisanti and their overly-made-up, dressy girlfriends, its part of the authentic atmosphere.What is the selling point?  None of the dishes are bad, many are decent and the atmosphere is nice.  But the selling point is the spacious patio where one can enjoy their entire meal, or just retire for coffee, fresh fruit, dessert made of "ashtah" fresh clotted cream, ground pistachios and sugar-sweetened rose water and hookah smoking.  You can enjoy the music from here and the belly dancers will pay you a visit too.      If you want very good shish-kebab, go to Carousel in Hollywood.  If you want very good mezze, go to Marouch in Hollywood.  If you want an all-around entertaining evening, come here and stay the night.Warning:  its a bit pricey, so beware.  You'll pay $50 per  (without drinks) and more like $100 per with booze.  But, you can stay all night, eat, drink, watch belly dancers, listen to music, smoke, and dance; so there is some value in it.  All in all, it rivals or beats Carousel in Glendale for the full package. Great patio.

by Laura M.

Awful! On a Saturday night, we had no choice but to order the $50 prix fixe.  When we called to ask about reservations, no one told us that there was no menu on Saturdays and that we had no choice but to receive this $50 "entertainment package." When we got there, no one asked if we had any dietary restrictions. There was no wine list -- not even if you were willing to order a bottle -- only a choice between a glass of chardonnay or merlot (pronounced "mer-LOTT" by our hostess). First there was the stale, cold, grocery store-bought pita bread, followed by a plate of greasy appetizers with ham and cheese slices. Then we got courses consisting of a three salty chicken wings with plain white rice, something that tasted like the inside of a chicken pot pie (i.e., cream of mushroom soup with cheese and chicken bits), and some beef and pork kebab. (The beef kebab were salty but reasonably tasty.) Then, for dessert, a fruit plate consisting of mostly underripe melon and grapes that tasted like they hadn't been washed. It was like bad buffet food from some tacky Lebanese wedding.  The waitress didn't even ask if we eat pork (we don't, but we didn't think to let her know, given that most of the Middle East doesn't eat pork either). Even though the restaurant was nearly empty, the service was so slow that it took over two hours before the check finally came, at last liberating us from an experience so awful that we burst into laughter once we got outside. I only wish it hadn't been such a costly lesson.  I guess Mandaloun might be a reasonably fun time for the local Armenian-American crowd that seems to be its staple clientele, but hugely disappointing for anyone interested in good Lebanese food. Rarely have I been so disappointed in a dining experience. We could have had much better food for 1/2 to 1/3 of the price at any hole-in-the-wall Middle Eastern joint.

by Ally-Gator Y.

Haven't been here in several months, but every dining experience I have had here has been blissful. Their fresh bread is almost too good to be true.Lunch is always a nice time to sit on the terrace.The small appetizer dishes are a home run!

by Teresa M.

As far as Middle Eastern food goes, this is one of the best places I've been to. Food: Really, really tasty. All the appetizers and mezzes are amazing (good use of spices). Kabobs are really juicy and I love the sauce they spread on the pita bread. Entertainment: Live Arabic music, and belly dancing to boot. Service: Everyone was really kind and the food arrived fairly quick considering how much we ordered. ** Sit inside for a good view of the entertainment (which usually begins after 9pm) and sit outside if you want to enjoy a good hookah with your meal (they have a bunch of different flavors)!

by John S.

My cousin got married here last summer.  I've been to many Armenian weddings, but I think this was the first one I attended that took place in a restaurant rather than a banquet hall or hotel.The space itself is all right.  I'm not really into the way it's decorated, but by Armenian standards of interior decorating--which are slightly tackier than Armenian standards of women's fashion--it's very subtle.  The service was excellent, and although there's not too much main-course-wise for a vegetarian to eat, the appetizers were delicious.After the wedding, I heard a little something something about a different price being charged than was originally quoted, but Yelp doesn't like hearsay--or any say, really--so I won't let that color my review.The patio thing is OK, although it is tacky in a not-so-subtle way.  I like that you take an elevator up just to the restaurant.  How often do you see that anymore?

by Frederick G.

Came here over the weekend with a fun group of people. I love Lebanese food and have not eaten any in a long time so it was a good opportunity to  sample a variety of typical dishes -- big group = good selection.Mandaloun is a large restaurant, luxuriously appointed, with a stage for a band, dance floor and outdoor terrace. We sat in the patio and ended up getting a set menu, which at $42 per person was a good deal. George selected the combinations we would get and did a good job mixing it up. I have no idea of the names of the dishes as I was not in food critic guise but rather party mode and had left my trusty notepad behind. However falafel, tabouleh, sausages, stuffed grape leaves, fried cheese, rice, several varieties of grilled meats are some of the many items we sampled and they were all very tasty and disappeared quickly, along with endless supplies of fresh baked pita bread. All washed down with some Lebanese Cabernet, quite decent, and Araq, that very tasty anise flavored aperitif. By the time we got to the meat dish, a lot of us were full already, but we soldiered on. Over the course of the evening, we were entertained by the live band playing some very danceable music and quite a few practiced their dance moves, M-E style! And then the belly dancers came out and started their thing. Needless to say, a few of us were quite interested, scientifically, of course. How does a body do that? Upon closer observation and with the aid of a few strategically placed bills, we were able to get a better idea. But it does bear further inspection.At the end of the meal after the fruits, we were treated to  cream custard flavored with rose water; unusual and a soothing way to end the feast. And then, out came 2 water pipes, or hookah, one with citrus flavored tobacco and the other, rose flavored. Smooth, cool, no hacking, just a nice little buzz. Along with a cup of strong Arabic coffee the illusion was complete, we were in a foreign world and all was good.When we finally left 5 hours later, I was the lucky recipient of the leftover meats, as nobody wanted any more. Call me greedy, call me cheap, but I took it all and the next day was very happy I did. Still very delicious. This is definitely a place to come back to.see pix posted

by SAM Y.

my friend, its 5 am but i must write a review about this splendid place. if you want good middle eastern food, wonderful friendly staff, live traditional music, belly dancing, hooka pipes, some of the most tender kabobs, and an array of appetizers. then this is your place my friend.my friend, i tell you cuz you are my friend, but if you want the best in middle eastern/armenian food, this my friend will be your best friend!go there and tell them you are my friend, my friend.

by Mary N.

As of 2008 a new owner has taken over Mandaloun is NO longer LEBANESE he IS ARMENIAN MANDALOUNS OLD OWNER OPENED UP PHEONICIA  restaurant on Central lexington Ive been there its excellenti came here on a sat night with family no more belly dancing the live entertainment was great russian armenian singers a woman a man then came tango dancers for an hour thats it. food as far as appetizers salads BBQ was ok chicken BBQ was great butother than that nothing biggo GREAT true ARMENIAN STYLE THEY DO NOT BAKE THERE PITA HERE NO LONGER its STORE BOUGHt. NO MORE HOOKAH AS FAR AS I KNOW :(