Phoenicia

by Sandra

I'm Egyptian so I'm always looking for a good shi-sha lounge. By far the worst lounge I have ever been to. I walked in on a Tuesday night we were seated right away but service was terrible. Extremely slow! We were given menus but no one took our order. Main courses came before appetizers. Drinks came after the food. I had to ask for missing plates we had ordered and I asked 5 times for my drink. The hookahs are very good but asking for a refill on the charcoal is crazy. We asked 4 times for charcoal and when I asked the woman the 3rd time she said ok no problem and turned around to stand in the corner people watching. The table next to me a guest yelling because his wife asked for water so many times and it took them half an hour to bring it. The food was terrible but I have to admit the fattoush is very good but that is because it's fresh salad everything else tastes like its microwaved. Being an arab trust me when I tell u their food is bad. Their prices are not bad but but the tab had an 18% gratuity charge which I have no problem with my my party was only a group of 4 on top of that they ask for additional tip. My biggest problem was the additional charges on my tab of platters I never ordered. Very very disappointed.

by Jennifer G.

THE. BEST. MIDDLE EASTERN. EVER.Perfect for a large group, they have special Mezza platters for parties of 2, 4, 6, etc., providing you the opportunity to taste many of their specialties like lamb kebob, hommus, falafel, tabbouleh, the list goes on and on. When my family is in town, the first place my parents want to eat out is this place because of the excellent, fresh, tasty food and the authentically Lebanese ambiance, especially if you go on Friday or Saturday night for the music and belly dancing. (Definately eat in the outdoor patio, when you're there.) We're a mixed race family and stuck out like a sore thumb, but no one seemed to notice or care, everyone was sitting back in their chairs, relaxed, talking, munching, and enjoying the evening. Very enjoyable experience to watch whole families dancing to the music, from grandma to little kids. You'll feel like you stumbled upon a wedding and the hosts welcomed you to stay and eat.This is also a great place for take-out, just call ahead and they might even bring it out to your car if the valet is full. The hommus and fattoush (salad) are a great meal for one or use them as appetizers for a potluck. Hommus is one of my favorite things to eat and this place has given me the stuff dreams are made of. It's perfect. Second only to the hommus I ate in Israel. Which reminds me that they also have hookah (flavored tabacco)!

by Julia W.

I totally recommend the "festival" section sampler platters.  4 of us ordered the "Arz" - and it was great!!! And sooo much food!  I tried a number of things for the first time - and let me say - the soujouk was so tasty! And the kibbeh nayeh was a total surprise!  The food was great, and the service was awesome! Can't wait to go back and try the fish!

by Eileen K.

this is a great place to go with a group or for a datethey're food is middle eastern lebanese.kabob, hummus, sharwama, lamb, salad !fattoush salad is amazingly gooood =] they have hoookah along with a fulll bar.yaaah the prices are kinda high.appetizers $5-$8dinner $12-$20 (a plate)but it's worth it to get dresssed up go have great food.its also live entertainment Friday Saturday Sunday. BellyDancers around 11pm.

by Lucy K.

I finally got around to coming to Phoenicia. I am a big fan of Carousel and was hoping this would be along the same lines. The place is very nice there is outside seating with a plasma and inside seating.I came in for lunch and it was fairly empty. We ordered a bunch of appetizers. The fotoush salad was great so was the kebbeh nayea. The hommos was good. We also had the kebbeh makli which was a little dry.For my lunch entree I had the kastalleta. I asked for medium and received 4 well done lamb chops. I wasn't too pleased. My sister and mom had beef shawerma and chicken shawerma which seemed like they were on the spittle for too long and had a crazy charr on them. Not appetizing at all.Over all I would rather go to Carousel then come here. the food was okay, but Carousel is far better

by ROD C.

one of the best looking places.  slow service.  generic tasting kabobs, humus, etc.  high light is the warm pita bread.  low light is the lipstick imprint on the glass of water they gave me.  c'mon fo real?!

by Ken M.

We went to Phoenicia for the first time last night.  My wife wanted to see the entertainment so we sat inside instead of  the patio.  We ordered the Baba Ganouj appetizer, one order of chicken Shawarma, and one Phoenicia Mixed Grill (beef, chicken, and Kafta kebab).  The service and food were both very good.There was a large group celebrating a Lebanese engagement/wedding at the restaurant and it was fun watching them have a great time.  The entertainer was very good, singing songs in Armenian, French, Spanish, English, etc, but the volume was LOUD, very loud, and even painful at times.  Holding a conversation was impossible so my wife and I just ate, smiled, and enjoyed to festivities.  The belly dancer was a no-show last night, but watching those gorgeous Lebanese ladies dance was good enough for me.We will definitely return to Phoenicia again, but will probably sit out on the patio with the hookah and cigar smokers just to be able to have a conversation.

by Blair G.

Wow!This place blew me away! My boyfriend lives only a few blocks away and I did not feel like cooking on such a nice summer night, so we walked on over to a well decorated but not pretentious new restaurant. Since I grew up around a lot of Armenians,  I thought I knew Middle Eastern food beyond Zankou.We had an appetizer platter that they don't list on the menu but is for couples, so it's not as bountiful as the regular family sized platter. We also ordered chicken kebobs.There were 4 dips that came on the platter: Baba Ganaouj, Hommus, Taboleh, and Labneh. All were equally delicious-- the best I have ever had. The pitas were served griled and warm.  The chicken came with a large plate of lemony and garlicky salad, rice, and more hommus. I found myself still eating even though I was very full. The atmosphere was great and enhanced the flavors of the meal.They also offer hookah service! On Friday and Saturday nights, there is a "cover charge" that includes, basically, an "all you can eat" type deal and live entertainment (belly dancing!).This is a good place for groups or for a quiet, intimate meal. I can't emphasize the awesomeness of the food, either. Why are you still reading this? Go!

by George T.

A very typical name for a Lebanese place.  Phoenicia is the ancient name for Lebanon, and the very proud Lebanese (especially the Maronite Christians) often refer to their selves not as Arabs, but as Phoenicians.  The owner of Phoenicia, Ara Kalfayan (yes an Armenian from Beirut's once huge Armenian community) was once a partner in the Mandaloun venture.  When the two owners parted ways, Phoenicia was opened.  The restaurant is located off the beaten path on Central and Lexington.  Its just a block west  and up a bit from Brand Boulevard's landmark Carousel and the nearby Mandaloun (which is a block to the east of Brand).  I still prefer the less pretentious East Hollywood for straight grubbing (Carousel on Hollywood or Marouch on Santa Monica) the Glendale venues are all about entertaining large groups.The weekend evening fixed menu is the tried and true mix of Lebanese and Armenian appetizers with perhaps a very slight nod to the former Soviet Armenians who often bring large groups to celebrate things as simple as a child's baptism with tons of vodka and lots of food.  Often the kids come and party or pass out late into the evening.    Here is the Plus/MinusPlus:+the owner, Mr. Kalfayan is a gentleman and will do his best to accommodate a group or any special requests+the outdoor, covered, heated patio (though not as nice as Mandaloun's) is a nice spot for an after dinner nergila/hookah session.  +there is a full bar+the wine list is fair and affordable with $20-$30 bottles of Ksara and Chateau Kefraya, but for a Lebanese place it is missing the flagship Lebanese wine and perhaps the only true heavyweight contender . . . Chateau Musar+many appetizers are decent, especially the "muhammara" (red pepper paste, bread crumbs, walnuts, pine nuts, and pomegranate syrup) a great dish to whet the appetite+decent kibbe nyee (raw appetizer made with beef or lamb or veal, mixed with "bulghur" (cracked wheat) and spices+nice touch to wrap the kebab in lavash bread (very authentic Armenian touch) to keep it warm+the chicken kebab was nicely done and not overcooked+the fatayer or beoreg (hot cheese pastry) was nice (albeit smallish)Minus:-the arak (anise flavored liquor) was served in tall shot glasses with ice. Where to start . . . a tall shot glass is OK if the arak is neat, otherwise, most folks who drink arak like it cloudy with a splash of water and ice.  If in a shot glass, its near impossible to swirl the glass and marry the flavors-the cold appetizers were pre-set on the table for our group of 12 . . . even if they are cold appetizers, its nicer to wait for people to arrive and quickly set the table (otherwise it seems like the food has been sitting there a while)-grill a few more vegetables with the kebab (they're not expensive and its sad to see one lonely grilled tomato with a big plate of kebab . . . who gets the tomato? the guest? the person who drove the farthest to get there?)-its very LOUD in there . . . the live bands were very loud for the surroundings . . . I guess their amps go to 11?  You cannot have a conversation without yelling . . . even the dinner music was set to 11-the ceiling is quite low . . . I only noticed this when a drunk Armenian guy tried to balance his ouzo on his head when he heard Greek music-the hummus was whipped like cake batter . . . I'm not a fan of the pseudo-hummus (i.e.  Tuscan rustic hummus with chunks of chick peas, but this was almost like a milk shake)-the wine list is the size of a billboard (hard to show to people or pass on)-the kebab?  I guess Carousel Hollywood should sponsor a seminar on how to marinate and grill beef, because this shish kebab tasted like liver - - the rice pilaf?  Akkkhhhhh . . . a sad looking plate with a teaspoon to serve the rice??  Rice pilaf is often a centerpiece, but not this one . . . Its not expensive to make, so pile the plate high . . . I'm glad I did not have relatives in my group of 12 . . . first of all, rice pilaf should have something more than just buttered and salted rice . . . i.e. some fine noodles sauteed in clarified butter or perhaps pinenuts or almond slivers, but not just rice . . . that's for Chinese restaurants . . . and use a serving spoon or at least a big tablespoon . . . forget that!  a serving spoon is a must!-the fattouche salad?  when will Lebanese (who should know better) stop putting lettuce in their fattouche?  Yes, Americans like lettuce in their salad, but fattouche is not supposed to have lettuce . . . why you ask? because lettuce wilts relatively fast and fattouche is supposed to be very crunchy (just tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, purslane when in season, and toasted pita bread is enough . . . parsley or mint optional . . . olive oil, lemon, salt and sumac . . . that's it, I just gave the recipe)All in all, this place ranks 3rd behind Carousel and Mandaloun in the Glendale Big 3 . . . its solid, but has much room for improvement

by Lori K.

I've now been here at least half a dozen times for events such as engagements, Christenings and baby showers so I feel justified in giving this place a poor review. The first time I went here for an event was during their soft opening and I was impressed! The place wasn't even fully finished, yet they managed to pull off a private event without a hitch and the food was amazing. The second time I was there I noticed the silverware hadn't been washed properly and there were food remnants on the forks and knives. During another event I noticed an ugly cart filled with dirty dishes the crew was using to clear the tables sitting in between tables. I'm not saying they shouldn't use the cart, but there were no employees in sight using it. It had just been left there. About six months ago, my cousin had her daughter's Christening lunch here and when we all got there after the church service the area for our group wasn't set up! The tables were bare, it took t hem 20 minutes to even get water and glasses out to guests. More recently, I was there for another cousin's baby shower. We arrived an hour before the event and the tables had been set up the night before. One would think this would be a good thing...BUT they were set up for another event that was happening the next day, not our event! There were no staff members around to help us correct the mistake so we had to start removing the place settings and table cloths and napkins ourselves. When the person in charge finally arrived she mostly cared about ensuring the linens for the next days party were folded and stored properly...ummm HELLO? What about making sure our tables our ready for TODAY'S party? You know, the one guests would be arriving for in about half an hour? The woman didn't seem apologetic or overly helpful and let us continue correcting their mistake. After asking her three times for table numbers she brought out clear plastic holders with white copy paper folded up in each one (in different sizes) with numbers written on them in black marker.  They were putrid and I was horrified that she handed them to us to use! Had I known she was just going to make them on the spot I would have come up with something more creative myself. The tablecloths were stained, the chairs stained, the plates and silver ware looked haggard like they had been in use since the 60's. Throughout the event we kept having to move those contraptions that hold trays. The waiters would use them to put their trays on but then disappear and leave them sitting around. The clearing cart was also spotted hanging out a few times. Aesthetically those things aren't too pleasing to have around.I did give them one star for helping load up the car with the presents but I've got to say I felt it was more of an attempt to shew our party out of there instead of be helpful. The other star is for the food which was good and they do pack up leftovers which is good because these types of events always seem to have too much food and I think it's wasteful. The waiters work hard here, but the events and venue are poorly managed. If you can have your event someplace else I highly recommend you save yourself the unnecessary frustration of dealing with the management.