Paymon’s Mediterranean Cafe & Lounge

Las Vegas, United States

4.2

Open now

21 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 702-731-6030
Website:
www.paymons.com
Address:
4147 S Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, NV, 89119
University, Eastside
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.9 miRTC Bus Stop 2061
1.4 miLas Vegas Convention Center
1.6 miBally's / Paris Las Vegas
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
Yes
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Private Lot
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Open now
Local time (Las Vegas) 12:05 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Tuesday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Wednesday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Thursday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Friday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Saturday 11:00 am – 1:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am – 1:00 am

Description

Specialties

Paymon’s is one of the few true Mediterranean restaurants in Las Vegas. Its scope of cuisine encompasses many countries within the Mediterranean region making it a favorite for groups and individuals alike.

Operating since 1988 Paymon’s is a local landmark and has quite a following of tourists that regularly happen to find their way there via word of mouth. Winner of the coveted Review-​Journal «Best of» awards 25 times in five categories, Paymon’s is clearly a Desert Jewel.

Featuring Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Persian, Indian, and Vegetarian specialties such as Chicken Scaloppini, Tilapia Florentine, Spaghetti Bolognese, Farfalle Piedmonte, assorted rotisserie broiled Kabobs, Spanakopita, Moussaka, Hot Panini sandwiches, Pita sandwiches, Salads, dips and delectable desserts made daily on premise.

Paymon’s is known for its quality ingredients, friendly service, beautiful décor, large portions and casual pricing. The specialty cocktail menu is second to none.

History

Established in 1988.

Paymon Raouf founded what is now called Paymon’s Mediterranean Café & Lounge as the Middle Eastern Bazaar in 1988. As the operation grew the name was changed to the Mediterranean Café to better represent the foods that were offered from the various regions of the Mediterranean. In 2004, the second location was opened at 8380 W. Sahara Ave. During the several years of expansion Paymon’s has garnered many community awards for its Mediterranean cuisine. Some awards include: CityLife Magazine’s «Best Independently Owned Restaurant», «Best of Valley» (Best Lunch spot & Best Vegetarian, R-​J «Best of Las Vegas» 25 times in 5 categories (Best Greek, Best Other Ethnic, Best Middle Eastern, Best Vegetarian & Best Hookah Lounge), Bite of Las Vegas «Best Bite» award and Nevada Restaurant Association «Restaurateur of the Year».

Meet the Business Owner

Paymon R.

Business Owner

Paymon Raouf is the owner of Paymon’s Mediterranean Café & Lounge, which he established in 1988. Paymon opened his second Café & Lounge in February of 2004 located at 8380 W. Sahara. Both restaurants have received the highly coveted «Excellent» rating from Zagat. Paymon has previously served in several volunteer positions within the Nevada Restaurant Association including Chairman of the Board. He is affiliated with the International Food Service Executive Association and has received the Congressional Award for «Exemplary Service» in Southern Nevada and the USA. He has also been included in the Nevada’s «Who’s Who of Executives and Professionals twice. Paymon donates his time and valuable resources to many good causes including but not limited to: the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities of Nevada, AFAN and numerous organizations.

Mr. Raouf has been a Southern Nevada resident since 1987.

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21 reviews of Paymon’s Mediterranean Cafe & Lounge

No registration required
Place rating: 1
Las Vegas, NV
This review is more in regard to a particular server as opposed to Paymon’s as a whole. My friends and I are regular patrons of the place, for good reason, they have good hookah. But this location certainly misses the mark in it’s customer service.
Our server Cynthia, (we actually had 3 different people tending to us, but this one in particular was the one servicing our hookah) addressed our table as normal and began conversation by telling us she hopes she gets over this sickness soon, a throat infection no-​less. Fine, that’s our prerogative if we wanted to smoke after that. But not wanting to make her feel bad, we chose to do so anyway.
We came in only for happy hour (5 – 7) for the prices. We ordered one of our hookahs 45 minutes before the end of happy hour and it did not come out until 5 minutes before happy hour was over. We could have smoked and ordered another bowl in that time. Cynthia apologized and said there was a mix up with one of tables, that was the reason for the delay. So, when we finished that hookah, I asked Cynthia if she could put this next order as happy hour pice being as their in up prevented us from doing so. She said she’d need to run it by her manager. So she did, came back, and said that was fine.
When our bill came, it was not at happy hour price… we waited another 20 minutes for someone to come by so I could address this, and no one ever came. I went up to the bar to speak with Cynthia, or anyone really, and when she saw me come up to the bar, she quickly went off to the back. So I ended up speaking with another girl and she said the manager discounted $ 4 (not happy hour priced) at this point we were just tired and defeated and ended up paying for it. But I’m leaving this review here for others to please be cautious of Cynthia…
Again, I enjoy Paymon’s, but will specifically be requesting her not be our server.
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
I love coming here for happy hour! The half priced hummus/​falafel/​stuffed grape leaves/​Athens fries are to die for! The dipping sauces aren’t all vegan, but definitely vegetarian. Tea selection is wide & varies. Staff is always friendly and knowledgeable about tea/​food/​hookah selection!
Place rating: 4
West Covina, CA
I came here around 10pm. I ordered the chicken kabob plate. It was pretty delicious. The rice was nice and fluffy. the side vegetables came out a little burnt, but that’s to be expected. It’s a little pricey for what you get, but the service is fantastic. Very attentive.
Place rating: 4
Niagara Falls, NY
Great ambience with good food. There was not a lot of hookah choices at this place thats the only reason i am giving this a four star. Overall worth giving a try.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
Their salads are delicious and hearty. I enjoyed the food and the service was courteous.
Place rating: 5
Las Vegas, NV
Best Mediterranean joint in the city. We love dining here. The falafel pita is amazing. My husband doesn’t normally eat curry, but loves the chicken curry there. My favorite dish is the chicken tandoori with their passion fruit iced tea.
Place rating: 4
Medford, MA
My boyfriend’s parents are always wanting to take us here but we’ve never made it until this recent trip. I have to say, I’m impressed with their selection and their meticulous labeling of everything.
We started with the combination platter and that was delicious, generous portions. I ordered the soup and fetosh salad: the soup was a bit watery and salad, the salad was enormous and flavorful but if you don’t like a tangy, lemon dressy then I’d ask for the dressing on the side because it’s covered in lemon. There was a little mix up with other saldas but, overall, everyone liked their food. The water was really attentive and helpful. We sat in the back room between the main entrance and the hookah lounge and it was quiet, which was great to talk.
Overall, I’d definitely suggest a visit and would go back to try a few other things.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
This is one of my favorite places to eat Greek and Mediterranean food and I’ve been coming here since college (10 years!). I love that it’s low-​key, casual, but still a nice dining vibe with your significant other, friends, or family.
Here are my go-​to dishes:
Combination Platter ($ 13.95): Hummus, Tabuli, Stuffed Grape Leaves, Falafel, Tzatziki, Baba Ganoush, and Athens Fries. It also comes with warm and toasted pita bread. This is a generous platter (as is all their dishes) of Mediterranean favorites. I love the variety and it has all my favorite things, so I don’t have to choose or order too many dishes. I love their Falafel and the Athens Fries are one of the tastiest fries in town. Also, the dipping sauce that accompanies their fries is equally delicious.
Moussaka ($ 13.95): Layered casserole of sliced eggplant, onions, potato, ground chuck, fresh herbs and spices, topped with Béchamel sauce and baked. Served with Basmati rice and house salad. We absolutely love the flavors of Moussaka. The herbs and spices with the wonderful meat, potato, vegetables, and the not-​too-​rich Béchamel.
Broiled Kabob Trio ($ 20.95): Marinated Chicken (boneless chicken breast marinated and rotisserie broiled over an open flame), Lamb (top sirloin domestic lamb marinated with Moroccan seasonings and rotisserie broiled), and Koobideh (Ground beef chuck marinated with onions and spices; rotisserie broiled). Served with Basmati rice, Vermicelli pilaf, house salad, and fire-​roasted tomato and red pepper. This is a HUGE plate with their most popular kabobs, so if you’re like me and can’t decide what you want, get a little of everything. All the meats are delicious and juicy. I also love they all have different types of seasoning. I prefer their Basmati rice (which is delicious), but their Pilaf is also good and I love that they’re both offered on this dish.
Gyros Pita ($ 8.75) OR Gyros Salad ($ 9.75) OR Gyros Platter ($ 10.95): It’s no secret that I love gyro meat, so anyway I can eat, I’ll get it. All of these options are essentially the same — Gyros, vegetables, rice/​pita — and it just depends on my mood. A sandwich (I love the fresh vegetables and Tzatziki sauce here), a salad (lose the pita for a low-​carb option and you get a mountain of fresh vegetables) or a plate (rice and salad).
Service is always nice and we’ve never had any trouble with our food or bill. It’s a bit away from us and their other location is a slightly closer, so we’ll visit when in the area.
They sell their spice blends including the Athens Fries mix on location.
Also, Wednesdays 5−9PM is Customer Appreciation Night and it’s 25% off your bill (dine-​in café only).
Place rating: 4
Eastside, Las Vegas, NV
My cousin took my cousin from Canada and I here to you know try this place, I ordered the lamb kabob it was good season but the thing is the meat I can smell it and I’m not a big fan of that, but it’s good tho
Place rating: 5
El Cerrito, CA
What a nice server lady they have. She is so professional and great. Food was filling and rich. Taste perfect :) atmosphere was calm. Our long hair server lady was the great part of this experience of new place. We are more looking to find out about people who gave their life and love to their job what makes their hard job making easy on those who work hard.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
I’ve always heard so much about this place and I’m so glad I finally got to try it! I stopped in on a Tuesday for their happy hour. I love that it runs later, 5 – 7, so that I’m still able to catch it after work.
My friend and I shared the Athens fries, hummus with pesto and falafel. All of the dishes were very good, fresh and in large portions.
The only reasons for not giving this place a 5 star review would be the amount of options on the happy hour menu and the minimal amount of seating available in the hookah lounge area which is where you need to sit in order to get the happy hour specials. I just wish their was an option for a small size gyro or meat dish too. That would just make everything perfect.
Other than those minor set backs I’m very impressed and will definitely be retuning again soon!
Place rating: 5
Riverside, CA
My favorite Mediterranean food place in Las Vegas! I always stop here after a weekend in LV.
Seating/​Service: the patio seating area is so casual, the seats are comfortable and the employees here do a great job at maintaining that vibe. They aren’t intrusive while still making sure you always have what you need (water, sides, check, etc.)
Steak Plates/​Kabobs: so good. They are juicy, hot and fresh. But the plates are so big you can definitely share one with someone.
Athens Fries: my favorite fries. Especially dipped with tahini and hummus. I’d even recommend to have them with the yogurt sauce. They are always so hot and fresh with the perfect amount of seasoning. I love them.
Honestly, I’ve yet to be disappointed by anything here. Everything is made fresh and delicious. I would recommend this place to anyone in the Vegas area.
Place rating: 5
Long Beach, CA
This place is a hidden treasure. This is a place you want to go to escape the Vegas strips over priced mediocre food. They’re famous for their ice tea and french fries. Judy sold us on those items. French fries were very flavorful. You have to love garlic to like these fries. The ice tea was tropical. I can’t put my finger on it but it was refreshing on a hot october day. The first time I was there got the gyro. That was tasty and a huge portion. They’re whole menu portion is huge. This last time I went I had the ground beef kabob (Koobideh). It was really good. I ended up taking that back to the hotel. It saved me later that night when I drank a little too much. Over all really tasty. Judy was wonderful.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
Short review that I will hopefully update at a later time.
We had planned on going to Paymons after having a couple drinks at The Garage last weekend. Paymons says its open until 2 am. At 1:10 they were closed. Located on hookah lounge door btw.
Perhaps an emergency. I was totally disappointed though. :(
We are coming back before 1 am soon!
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
Pretty chill place. I love the décor. Great drink selection. Service is great too!
Stole a couple of fries from a friend to try as I had already eaten dinner. The spices that coated the fries were excellent. Didn’t need ketchup or their special sauce.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
Thank you Paymon’s for being open on a weekend day. This may sound odd, but I was put off by Stephano’s down the street who was closed on a Saturday when I attempted to try them for the first time. Luckily Paymon’s was located right down the street.
I put in a to-​go order with the very congenial hostess when I arrived. They had just opened, but as I waited for my order, what seemed like regulars streamed in at a decent pace.
For my husband and I —
An order of Athens fries — a HUGE portion with oregano and other flavorings peppered all over, and it also came with their very distinct fry dipping sauce which I loved.
Two gyros — these were amazingly large and actually served for our lunch on Saturday and our lunch on Sunday as well. I was so pleased with how big these were and the amount of meat allotted to each. The meat was also succulent and delicately flavored. Of course I had mine with tzatziki sauce which was heavenly. My husband opted for his on the side and actually ended up dipping his portion of the fries into his.
I would definitely recommend Paymon’s. Their food was beautifully done, full portioned, and the wait for my take out order was mere minutes.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
Paymon’s is an institution! My dad used to take me here when I was a little girl and we needed some good Middle Eastern food that the other half of our family didn’t appreciate. They have a plush dining room with attached hookah bar, and a covered patio that adjoins the two with a pretty fountain in the middle and ornate tapestries and curtains. There’s a large menu selection offering Greek, Indian, and Middle Eastern food.
A coworker and I just dined for lunch and we split a Greek salad which was abundant with fresh veggies, feta, and kalamata, tossed with a tangy lemon dressing. We split the combo platter, which came with tabbouleh, hummus, baba ganoush, tahini dressing, falafel, dolmas, seasoned fries, and pita. It was plenty of food for the two of us, and the falafel was perfectly crunchy and crispy on the outside but steaming and moist on the inside.
I had the most incredible tea, it was a rose/​mint combo, I didn’t add any sweetener and it had just the slightest hint of honey! Great place, great service, always packed for lunch, local favorite.
Place rating: 5
Henderson, NV
This is the best Mediterranean restaurant in this part of town. They have a huge menu with a variety of options and they are all good. Let me get out of the way that you are coming here for the food and the food alone. The actual restaurant isn’t fancy or in the best part of town. I’ve been here several times and they always take forever to greet you when you walk in. Move on because the food is worth it.
My favorite starters are the pesto hummus and the Athens fries. My mouth is watering as I type this. Their hummus is perfection to begin with, but the pesto topping just takes it to the next level. The Athens fries are loaded with a savory seasoning and served with an addictive sauce on the side.
I order the same entrée every visit. That is the gyros platter. This is definitely enough food for at least two people. The lamb is thinly shaved and full of flavorful. The rice is my favorite because it contains pine nuts which is a nice addition and really adds to the flavor. The house salad is yummy and covered in plenty of traditional Greek dressing. When I came here for a work dinner we all had different items and everybody was happy with their dishes.
Place rating: 5
Wassenberg, Nordrhein-Westfalen
Das Essen dort schmeckt sehr sehr gut. Es ist eine schöné ruhige Atmosphäre freundliche Angestellte und viel Auswahl.
Place rating: 3
Redwood City, CA
My cousin picked Paymon’s for dinner one night during our last stay in Vegas so I ended up dining here a couple of days ago. Paymon’s is located a couple of miles off the strip so it was nice to get away from all the lights and hustle bustle for a change. At the peak dinner time the restaurant was empty with only two other patrons inside. It also felt very small like only a small section of the restaurant was open for dinner service (I’m not sure but I’m guessing there was a hookah section to the left which ate up some of the space of the restaurant making the open section look tiny). The lighting was also very dim which made for an intimate setting not a family eating environment.
The server who took care of us was very friendly and made the dining experience more enjoyable that what it was. Most people in our group got standard Mediterranean dishes like the Gyro Platter ($ 11.95) and the Chicken Kabab ($ 15.95) along with a side of fries ($ 2.95) and some kids pasta ($ 3.75). I decided to be a little more enterprising and got the Fesenjan ($ 13.95) on the recommendation of the server (he did mention that it was a sweet so in case I did not like sweet I should get something else). The wait for the food was very long. After 20 minutes we were just about to cancel our orders and leave when the first plate was delivered which was slowly followed by other orders.
Taste-​wise it was hit and miss with more misses than hits. Let’s start with the good stuff. The Chicken Kabab was hands down the best dish served. The kabab was completely cooked through yet nice and juice. The rice and other stuff on the plate was also good. The gyro was hard and rubbery like it had been chopped up earlier and refrigerated and then was microwaved before being sent to the table or alternatively it could be that it was grilled for so long that it had become completely dehydrated and fit for the dustbin. The Fesenjan which is basically Iranian chicken stew made from pomegranate molasses and ground walnuts that give the stew a sweet and tart flavor, was by itself very good but the white rice in the center was almost raw like it had been hurriedly steamed and added to the plate. Maybe steaming the white rice was the reason for the extremely long wait but that’s what my gut feel is as the rice that came with the Chicken kabab and the gyro platter was the flavored rice which was cooked right. Anyway it made eating that dish almost impossible and even tough I was hungry I could not eat more that half of the Fesenjan which was a shame as it was pretty good.
Overall I was not completely satisfied with Paymon’s. If it would have not been for the friendliness of our server I would have rated this place only 2 stars. I’m not sure if I will return.
Place rating: 4
Las Vegas, NV
It has been years since I have visited Paymon’s. We went over the weekend and it was still as good as I remembered. For a Saturday night it was not too busy. I remember this place having long waits for service and a hip young crowd. I guess things have changed slightly with new management. Despite all that it was an overall good experience. The service was prompt and attentive. The ambiance of the restaurant was pleasant and comfortable.
I went with the steak kabob which was serve with grilled vegetables like onions, peppers, zucchini and served with a side of rice and Greek salad. This dish was very fresh tasting and the ingredients were good quality. My better half had the Falamus pita which has always been my favorite. This is a falafel pita with hummus, lettuce and tomatoes. You must get the Athenian fries for any meal. They are seasoned so delicious and also come with this amazing dipping sauce that will have you licking your fingers for more.
I was surprised to see they offered Italian, Greek, and Middle Eastern dishes. They are also connected to the Hookah Lounge which can be a nice and relaxing place to enjoy a few beverages.