Golden Nights Restaurant

by C L.

My friends and I have been looking for a Middle Eastern type place since Ali Baba's closed down.  Ali Baba's was a Persian place but some of the offerings of this Libyian place hits the right spot.First of all, I have to say that I am impressed by what a pretty restaurant this is.  One of the reviewers compared it to a gaudy Las Vegas hotel and that is true.  But the nice stone facade with the marble like interior is really asthetically pleasing.  I was even more surprised by the lovely hookah patio filled with fountains and small bridge covered pond.  This is definitely a place that impresses.  What was even more amazing was that it seemed to block out the noise of busy Beach Blvd!But I digress ... on to the food.  We ordered the baba ghanouj and hummus.  I don't know what it was, the seasoning or the freshness of the ingredients but they were absolutely terrific.  I usually don't like baba ghanouj but I ended up fighting my friends for it!  The hummus was also fantastic.  We ended up practically licking the plates clean and asked for seconds on the pita bread and the appetizers that come automatically (pickled bell peppers, marinated olives and pickled turnip?).My chicken schwarma was tender and flavorful.  My friend also liked his beef shwarma.  The only so-so review came from my friend's chicken and eggplant kabob (called Golden nights).  The marinade didn't penetrate the chicken breast and made it somewhat bland.  But there was more raving over the fluffy buttery rice with crunchy almond slivers.Overall, I would have given 5 stars except for the inconsistent service.  Our waitress was initially very attentive but left us alone after our main dishes were served.  We had trouble getting our drinks refreshed and waited almost 20 minutes after our meal was finished waiting for the check.

by dana c.

Two words.  Chicken schwarma.  Need I say more?  My God!  This dish is the only thing I've had at Golden Nights other than the tabbouleh and the hummus, but it's definitely what keeps me going back again and again.I always come to this restaurant  with my co-workers since it's just a hop, skip, and a jump from my job.  The first time I went to GN, there was a huge group of Muslim women celebrating and dining.  Usually, the restaurant is pretty empty since I go during the week at lunchtime, but I can only imagine the grandiose events that must take place at GN as the place is massive, flashy, and has a huge patio area for entertaining.But getting back to the chicken schwarma, the large dish is served with grilled onions, peppers, and rice with delicate slivers of peanuts.  There's also a garlic sauce that comes on the side that is so utterly amazing that it leaves your breath smelling like garlic for days.  Seriously, in addition to brushing your teeth, you'll have to brush your lips to get rid of the smell, but it is so worth the extra toothpaste.Although the service can be slow at times (even though I'm always there when it's virtually empty), the servers are always friendly.  If you live in the L.A. area, the chicken schwarma alone is definitely worth the drive to Buena Park.

by Max p.

Yesturday i went to Golden Nights for Thanksgiving Dinner.  OMG that was best experice i have ever had .  The turkey was cooked perfectly the serves was great and the hook a was very good.  the outsitting was very good ( i cant wait for new canapys to go up) in the outside.  I recananmed Golden Nights to every one that has time to have fun and to people that have who are not in a hurry to go somewhere ( or you will not feel the good experice that i had.

by Loanie H.

4.5 Stars for hookah3.5 Stars for ambience-5 Stars for serviceI'd been here several times and the service is always hit-or-miss with regard to friendliness, but consistently on the slower end.  The pickles and appetizers are great, the hookah fantastic, and the immense size is conducive to relaxing with a group of people.  I wouldn't really call the belly dancers "entertaining" by any means, but watching restaurant patrons get up and dance to the live music in the dining room redeems that aspect of this place.  This review is based on my most recent -- and LAST -- visit to Golden Nights.We went on a Friday night in a group of six some time in Mid-April.  We had dinner elsewhere and wanted to enjoy the rest of our evening under the clear Southern California skies and good hookah.  We arrived just after 8pm and were one of a dozen or so other patrons in the outside area (quite empty for a Friday night).  The first thing our rude waiter said to me was that we all had to spend at least $30 per person; if not the difference would be added to our bill.  Although a bit offended by his presumption that my group would not spend that much, we decided to shrug it off and continue enjoying our evening.  As he took our orders for drinks, he told us that we would all have to order at least 2 alcoholic drinks.  Two of the people in our group were designated drivers, so they had no plans to drink.  The rest of us tried to make nice with the rude waiter by telling him that we were definitely planning on drinking enough for everyone.  We then ordered two hookah's for our table, to which the waiter replied that we had to order at least 3 for a group our size.  Now this was getting ridiculous...do customers have any options at this place with this waiter or what?An hour and only one drink later, our glasses are all empty.  The waiter was sitting on his rude ass inside the dining area while we tried to flag him down.  When he finally pays us some attention and takes the orders for our second round of drinks, he returns with the wrong ones.  But he rushed to leave before anyone can say anything to him.  More time passed and our glasses were empty again.  No sign of the waiter.  By the time he finally happened to pass our table again, we decided we'd had enough and asked for our check.  When he returned, he THREW the check down onto the table, knocking my glass over, and without a single word, walked away.  The looks on the people's faces sitting at the next table indicated that it was not just in my head.  I very loudly said something to the effect of, "What is the matter with you?!" and he actually returned to our table.  He then proceeded to argue with me and the rest of the people at my table about whether or not he really threw down the check.  After giving him a piece of my mind by reminding him of how patient we were with his rudeness all night, I decided it was a lost cause to try and have a reasonable dialogue with this guy.  Of course, we took it up with the owner of the restaurant, who pretty much dismissed our frustrations.  The most amusing part of this experience: the waiter included a "Service charge" to our bill.  No way.Try it for yourself, but don't take sh*t from any unfriendly or demeaning waiter.  Demand to get a new waiter immediately and your experience might be more than 1-star.

by Fifi H.

For some reason the name of this place caused a brain/song lock of BOOGIE NIGHTS!We went on a Monday afternoon and NO ONE was there, so our experience isn't the norm.  Warmly welcomed, we sat on the back patio and they turned on all the fountains (it drowns out the Beach Blvd. traffic).I'm a complete foodie and will try anything, my hubbie, not so much.  He put on his brave boots and we ordered beef kabobs, chicken shwarma, mutabul, and something I can't remember how to spell, like empanadas but filled with will meat and pine nuts.-The chicken shwarma was crispy and overcooked, not the way it should be.  - Mutabul was great, pita was great- Meat pies were like crack- Beef kabobs were amazing- Most of all, the service was amazing, I know we were the only people there, but it was very nice.Its expensive, but the place is beautiful.  We'll save up and visit again.

by Kim N.

I wanted to like this place, as I am just starting to discover Middle Eastern food, but I was not impressed.  The food was dry and not tasty and the service was so-so.  I went with my friends and they too did not find it good either.  The only thing I really enjoyed about this place (and the reason it gets 2 stars instead of 1) is that they have a nice outside patio that is especially lovely in the summers.

by tina marie k.

this was my first time at golden nights and it was ehh... we had girls night out at golden nights and in one word i would describe it as interesting. the parking lot was full of ferraris and other very expensive foreign cars. when we were seated they have a very nice outside patio  so we decided to sit out there. we were told since we had a big party (10) we didnt have a choice on what we wanted to eat, they said it was 35$ pp and they would bring us a few appetizers and other dishes. it was a fun time and a great ambiance. i do have to warn you if you are sensitive to smoke do not sit outside!! there were hookahs at just about every table. some of them pleasant smelling and some not so much... the food was ok. the falafels and almond rice were out of this world but everything else tasted massed produced. i do not think charging 35$ pp was right. none of us ate even $10 worth of food so we all felt a little ripped off..

by Cecilia J.

This restaurant may be like a gaudy, Vegas hotel. It's huge with high ceilings and murals painted on the walls. Then there are the floor to ceiling windows that wrap around the restaurant with a view of their spacious, outdoor, rock patio. Not to mention a large fountain outside. But the food is actually pretty decent. Once I ordered, my food came to my table 10 minutes later. I ordered the lamb kabob, which came with almond pilaf and grilled vegetables. They also give you some pickled olives and radishes with a basket of pita for an appetizer. Since it was Tuesday night, it was pretty empty..but the waiter said that on weekends the place gets really crowded, they have a belly dancer there and a live band.

by serj g.

This place by far is the best middle eastern resturaunt i have ever been too. Their service is incredible  on top of their food selection and quality . Awsome place to take a date .

by Posh P.

This is my 3rd time and my LAST TIME. I went here last night for my aniversary and it was the worst experience of my intire life.THE BEGINING:My "server" was this repulsive arabic hag that was so bitter from the second she came to are table saying "are you ready what do you want" the first 60seconds we were seated. We asked her to come back in a little bit....A little bit does not mean 2 minutes.... Anyways we ordered are drinks and hookah. 2 cokes, and MINT. She returns with sprite we say we asked for coke she stands there arguing for 2 minutes saying we said sprite.... OK WHATVER so then thy bring us are hookah. Is it mint? NOPE it's grape. I tell her this is grape she said "This is what you order" at that point i found her funny. After 5 minutes of arguing that we said grape not mint she finally just walks away with the grape and someone else returns with a mint 15minutes later.FOOD:We order the food with the busser because are "server" was so busy sitting at a table with her friends she did not bother to take are order. They bring out are eggplant dip with no bread to eat it with. We ordered chicken kabob and steak kabob. It was served quickly. The food is not bad i will say that. I'm not going to say anything negative about the food.MIDDLE:The hookah has been out of coal for about 45 minutes. We asked 6 times I REPEAT 6 times for more coal and they just looked at us and walked to a table with their own kind. Are "server" walked by 4 times and each time we said "excuse me" and she heard us but continued to ignore us. Here we sit outside with dirty plates in front of us with empty glasses with a hookah that has no coals. We ask for coals 3 more times...Anything? Nope. Out of no where the "server" just throws the bill on the table and walks away. She had the nerve to charge some kind of 20% service charge. I asked her what it's for we got no service and she replys "Because it's friday."HERE COMES THE DRAMA:We payed the bill and attempted to walk out. She sees us leaving and says "Did you pay?" I said "It's on the table."We begin walking to the car and i hear her comming after us saying "EXCUSE ME" we turn around. She says "You are short of pay you only paid for the total where is my extra tip?!" At that point i snapped. I went off on her telling her she has nerve 1.asking for a tip and 2.thinking she deserves anything.She made it into a huge scene! I swear! She had the nerve to tell us we were there for over 3 hours smoking hookah and asking for constant refills.Funny part is we only got to smoke that hookah about 12 minutes because they would not give us coals and we did not get one refill on are drinks. HAHAHABEWARE:These people only take care of there own. It's Lebanese owned and Lebanese operated. All the clients are Leb. The table next to us was an Indian guy and girl and they were poorly served. If your not lebanese don't go here...Shit if you are human don't go here.If i could give this -5 stars i would in a heartbeat