Baba Ghanouj

the food here is amazing and very authentic. my first taste of mediterranean/​middle eastern food was here. had the falafel sandwich with a side of pickled turnips and other vegetables. accompanied with pita chips and a very garlicky hummus dip which was delicious. also had one of their flower teas which was unique tasting. the server was friendly and pleasant. love the décor and ambience as well. overall great experience. highly recommended.

I was really excited to try this place and had high hopes after seeing the 4 stars with over 300 reviews. I couldn’t have been more disappointed. The service and ambiance were good however the food was mediocre. It wasn’t authentic. We started out by ordering the spinach fatayer which was plain, tasteless and overpriced. I’m a vegetarian and ordered the warak siam which were tiny! Each individual one was smaller than my pinky and tasted too lemon-​y with no other spices or flavors. My friend ordered the lamb chops which were good but still overpriced for the what they gave. The only thing we did enjoy was white bean soup.

The food was delicious. My brother and I grew up eating this type of food that our mom made and we are always very critical. (No one makes stuffed grape leaves like our mom… These were damn close) Everything we had was very authentic and delicious! Lamb shank, Falafel sandwich, Kibbi Cone, Warak Enab (stuffed grape leaves). All was top notch. Neither one of us live in CA, but it was so good we may be back for dinner on our way back to LA this evening! Service was great as well! This is a must visit place!

I love this place and have taken many of my friends there who also love it.
I grew up with one parent Lebanese and our family get together a with that side of the family always had great Lebanese food. That said, I’m typically not thrilled with with most Lebanese and Mediteranian restaurants but Baba Ghanoush is really a treat. They even have a great vegetarian combo that my vegetarian friends really enjoy.
The El Shiek delight is my favorite as it’s got a little bit of everything. Don’t forget to order tabouli salad. They make the best

I tried their Kibbi be Sineeya, which is similar to a thin meat loaf or cutlet. The taste was just okay. The service was understaffed and very slow too.

I was supposed to try «The Mirage», however, I drove to this place instead. I’m very upset at the price we had to pay for the food. The exact same lunch entrees become double the price after 4pm. What??? Are you serious?! I pointed out the HUGE price difference & she advised it was because it was now dinner time. I was very hungry & so regretfully, I stayed. My plate was 3 lamb chops with 2 dippings & rice for $ 20. The meat was tender, but a bit salty for my taste.
Their staff wasn’t friendly. Our waitress, Jazz I believe, was okay. & there was another girl there with straight hair & glasses who was on her phone & did not smile at us once. Jazz went to the back & so I asked the glasses girl if we could order our appetizer. She dragged her feet towards us & asked «Do you know what you want?» Neither one smiled at us when we first walked in.
Anyway, I’m sitting on the toilet now with a KILLER stomachache! Never going back & I wouldn’t recommend it! Next time, I’ll go to The Mirage for 100% better customer service, a meal without the stomachache, & half the price!

Horrible food! The pita bread was so hard and dry, and the food super bland! Should of just taken the time to just drive down to Open Sesame where I know it won’t disappoint. The service was mediocre, she took my plate away without even asking if I was done. I would of flipped but I was over trying to force myself to eat.

Service was mediocre. When we got there about a 3^rd of the tables had leftover dirty plates on them, when we left about ¾ of the tables had leftover plates and no one ever came to clear the tables.
It took about 20 minutes for the waitress to finally take our order and about another 10 to finally get our drinks then another 35+ minutes to finally get food which was not very hot.
We ordered the sautéed potatoes for an appetizer and it seems as if the potatoes were precooked and maybe even **frozen** potatoes with sauce mixed in to mask the lack of freshness.
Food was «okay» but I wouldn’t waste my time going here again cause there was nothing «special» about this place to compensate the wait time and service for a near empty restaurant.

In my pursuit of rich flavors and good eats, I came across dinner at Baba Ghanouj. I appreciate the appetizer of it’s namesake but I wanted more… MORE flavor.
Service was great though, I felt really well taken care of.

I loved that my lamb kabob pita here was as tender as if I’d special ordered a medium rare chop.
Some kabob places don’t bother. I guess they figure it’s an under-​$ 10 sandwich, so why be perfectionists about it? But Baba Gannouj cares.
They also give plenty of that creamy garlic sauce to dump on if you’d like, and a nice square plate of smooth, oiled hummus for your crispy pita chips.
The place was fancier and then menu more extensive than I’d expected, and I didn’t go in hungry enough to graze on a bunch of appetizers or a whole dinner plate, but next time I am hungry enough to do those things, I’ll definitely return.

I like this place. ⁴⁄₅ is appropriate. Food is good. Adequate vegan options for my family. Prices are a bit high for the quality, but not unreasonable.
Recommendations: lentil soup, fattoush salad
Tip: they don’t take reservations on «First Friday’s»

Went here for my girlfriends birhtday, her choice.
It is a pleasant place situated on the high street
The service was good and meals reasonably price

Average Labanese food (had better). My boyfriend and I went for lunch and ordered:
Grape leaves with beef: lacking flavor 2 stars
Lamb chops: tasty 3 stars
Crusted ground beef: well seasoned 4 stars
Garlic sauce: good
Egg plant dip: good
Hummus: good
Parsley salad: good
It had cute décor and nice ambiance. Customer service was ok. It wasn’t busy maybe like 6 other patrons (2 tables). The waitress seemed annoyed that we decided to sit outside after she told us to sit anywhere. She wasnt on it. Only came by to give us food and take plates when we were done. She didnt come by to fill our water or ask if we needed anythingelse. Maybe she was having a bad day. I took off a star for customer service.

Food is good, definitely not the best Lebanese I have ever had, but it is the best in the area (which sadly lacks not only any decent food, but def. any Lebanese). Dishes can be hit or miss, either really great or super bland and lackluster, but when they do it right, it really is good.
Biggest problem for me with them is the price to portion ratio. I don’t mind paying a lot for something mind-​blowing, or for something ok with a big enough portion to be fully satisfied, however, if both taste and quantity are sub-​par, it is really hard to try to justify charging at least 50% higher than your competitors…
I’ve never experienced the service issues some others complain about. For me, service has always been wonderful! The people I’ve dealt with have always been sweet, accommodating, and knowledgeable about the menu. Even when I make crazy requests or ask for substitutions, they have always been nice about it and tried to fulfill my requests to the best of their ability.
Décor and ambiance are pleasant. Tastefully done, comfy, cozy, and appropriate to the mood/​feeling of their cuisine, without being kitchy or overly theme-​y.

A strong 4!
We were visiting our friends in Long Beach and they suggested either Mexican or Lebanese for lunch. I had no idea what Lebanese food was, and when they threw out a few examples, I was all about it. I guess they come here quite frequently, so I’m SO glad they weren’t overly tired of it and suggested Baba Ghanouj!
I started out with the Feta Mix, which was so yummy! If you’re a big fan of cheese, this appetizer is for you. Paired with their delicious pita chips or warm pita bread, it really hits the spot! I followed that with a Mediterranean Salad and the salad was decent. It was really the Feta Mix that did it for me though. My husband ordered the Chicken Shawarma and he really enjoyed it as well… and he’s eaten Shawarmas in the Middle East, so he’s no novice =)
Service was great, no complaints here. I hope to be back the next time I’m in Long Beach!

I must say, I’m kinda disappointed with this place :(I had a party of 5 come in on a tuesday afternoon and there was only one other party in the whole restaurant, which was nice since we did not have to wait.
Anyways, we ordered a pot of tea but the waitress brought a pitcher of iced tea (my bad for not clarifying hot tea) but at most middle eastern restaurants you go to, you can order a hot pot of tea for the table to share. Not here (no problem).
We ordered cheese borek and warek enab as appetizers, both were great.
We then had the chicken shawerma, shrimp skewers, el sheik entre, and kibbe be sinneye as entrees. I only had the chicken shawarma so my review is just for that.
The chicken shawarma, was not grilled/​cooked on a spit, which is what the whole idea behind shawarma is. It was cooked in a pan… and one of my biggest issues when i eat arabic food out… is shawarma cooked in a pan –_​_​_​– major points off! second, the hummus had ZERO flavor… ZERO, but the garlic sauce was pretty good. I feel like the portion sizes here are also on the smaller side for the prices they are charging. I don’t mind smaller sized plates bc i rarely finish a plate anyways, but the prices should reflect that as well.
Also on a side note, the waitress brought us bread before the appetizers came out so we can share it… that was strange to me because i’ve never had pita bread offered with nothing to dip it in. Ps, décor here is nice… so that’s a good thing.
All in all, this is not somewhere I would consider coming back to eat.

A double dinner date night landed us here. Amazing how similar Lebanese cuisine is to Greek or overall Mediterranean cuisine.
Check in on Unilocal and get a free appetizer and baklawa with a purchase of 2 entrees. What we ordered:
Baba Ghanouj: so delicious! You can really taste the char-​grill on the eggplants.
Warak Siam: we learned to make this while traveling in Greece. Very good and healthy.
Beef Shish kabab: steak was cooked med-​well, just as I asked. and the rice was so flavorful, the sides of hummus and yogurt were great for dipping.
Baba Ghanouj Chicken: though I didn’t get a taste, my friend said it was very good, tender and packed with flavor.
Beef Shawarma: not my usual favorite, but the boyfriend sure enjoyed it.
Baklawa: sweetness, flakey crunch, and not overly sticky.
There was only one server and as the night got later, a few more tables filled up. She was still attentive and didn’t look like she was struggling with 6 tables to look after. We did notice the food took a little long, but just as we acknowledge it, the plates started to arrive.
Would definitely come back here.

Service was excellent at a very busy part of the lunch hour. Food was excellent. I tried kibbi and really enjoyed it. Loved all the sides, sauces, and dips. I tasted my friends lamb but it was a little too gamey for my taste.

It was the weekend and time to take dad out for dinner. I wanted to try somewhere other than one of our «usual» spots, so I searched Unilocal for different options and this place is what caught my eye.
We arrive, I check in and this offer pops up — one free corkage charge! I didn’t bring a bottle of wine, so couldn’t take advantage.
SERVICE: Was polite and very friendly. After our meal arrived they checked on us once or maybe twice. I did have to ask to have my water glass refilled a couple times. The décor is nice and has a very authentic feel.
FOOD: To start with I ordered the Roasted potatoes (garlic, lemon, chili, cilantro & tahini — $ 6.25). These were very tasty and had a bit of a «zing» due to the lemon and garlic. My dad didn’t really care for them because of a slightly spicy kick, so it was up to me to finish them. It was a bit too much for me to finish, with everything else I ordered.
Bread for filling up on before the other dishes arrive, LOL.
The Spinach Fatayer (onion, spinach, lemon, olive oil and walnuts — $ 6.95). This sounded somewhat similar to Greek spanakopites, so I ordered it. This was tasty, not the same as the Greek dish too, but tasty. I wasn’t a fan of the walnuts however.
White bean soup (included with the entrée).
I ordered the Kibbi Be Sineeya ($ 16.95). this is ground lamb mixed with cracked wheat, layered with pine nuts and baked. This is quite different both flavor and texture wise, not something I’m accustomed to and don’t think I’d order it again. It was pretty dry and much better when you spread the yogurt sauce on it.
Baba Ghanouj Chicken ($ 12.95) baked chicken seasoned with spices & garlic. Served with hummus, rice & garlic sauce. The chicken was very tender and had a great flavor! Dad seemed to enjoy it.
OVERALL: If you want an authentic (as far as I know) middle eastern restaurant experience with authentic food, Baba Ghanouj is a good place to go!

Friday Fun Club (Lunch) with Co-​Workers…
Made the executive decision to try Lebanese. Some people’s first and a few veterans.
Word to the wise:
Plan to spend at least a total of 90-​minutes for lunch, including parking.
First impression for this restaurant was that the décor was clean and decent. Wasn’t crowded around 11:30am, but it quickly became crowded around 12:00noon.
Ordered the vegetarian combo and was pleasantly surprised. The items in the dish contained the following:
Falafel, tabouli, hummus, baba ghanouj, grape leaves, olives, spinach fatayer with tahini and pita chips.
Delish.
Would definitely recommend if you’re looking for Lebanese, or if you’ve never had it before. A coworker ordered the baba ghanouj chicken (dark meat) and it was awesome.
Enjoy!