Found this place randomly while being in the area and found it a good pick.
I've only had Mediterranean food twice and was craving it for some reason, and this place has a good deal!
Check in and they take $15 off your tab. Â Each kabob plate is around $15 so that's one free meal right there.
You can also hookah at the dinner tables.
The inside is very pretty and big. Â I felt like I was at a banquet party and during dinner everyone dresses really nice.
I first started off with the Hummus ($5.50) which is rich and creamy and comes with pita bread. Â Don't eat too much or else you'll be full like me before the entrees even come out.
For my salad I ordered the Yogurt & Cucumber salad thinking it was a salad greens with yogurt dressing, but its actually a yogurt mix with cucumber chunks. Â The server suggested mixing the yogurt with the yellow rice that comes with the kebabs and it was really good.
I ordered the chicken kabob ($14.95) Â and the boyfriend got the Gate Combo $15.95 which is a choice of 2 meats. Â He got lamb ($1 more) and beef. Â I personally liked the chicken the best, but he said the lamb was really good.
The plates are big and you can share it between two people. Â
I'm not familiar with Mediterranean food, but from what we ordered we enjoyed it.
Great for large group, or to hold a dinner party at.
HUGE portions, good food. Â The place is gigantic, so I imagine they must do business hosting parties, because otherwise I can't imagine how they stay in business. Â Nonetheless, I hope they do because they host some great jazz nights an the food was way better than most jazz clubs. Â WOOT!
Review Source:I've been wanting to try this place forever and finally, tonight, I talked my friend into meeting here. Â
I love Lebanese cuisine and the food here is solid. Â I got the kabob combo, chicken & lamb; my friend got the chicken kabob. Â The portions are quite large. Â I took more than half home. Â Here is the run down:
Hummus - very good, creamy and smooth
Muhummara - very good but not on Carousel's level of good (which is a very high standard, I'll admit)
Chicken Kabob - was a little dry but very flavorful
Lamb Kabob - good, but you'd better really like lamb.
Fattoush Salad - solid yumminess with lemon tart undertones
Rice - buttery moist
Ashta - oh, oh, oh...a plate of cream crack smothered in honey; insanely good!
Ambiance is very nice and the decor is just beautifully ornate; service was top, top notch. Â I was super generous with tipping a very attentive waiter as he deserved it. Â
The owner/manager was very gracious. Â
I could smell a little hookah smoke while eating but I didn't complain (I mean, really, as if I would at a Lebanese establishment). Â We got there early so we had the restaurant mostly to ourselves. Â Apparently, the real party with singers and belly dancers starts at 9:30pm. Â I bet it's a blast but I appreciated the quiet setting. Â They did not rush us in the least, so our meal was not only enjoyable but relaxing.
I will go back here again, definitely, and can recommend it for sure. Â Do note: it really is not a casual place. Â Although they had no problem with my friend's and my casual Friday attire, it is billed as fine dining. Â So gussy up a little before you go.
My friends and i were just there tonight for dinner and I randomly did a yelp Check-in and to my surprise a yelp offer popped up on my phone! Â Unfortunately, the manager refused to accept the yelp check in offer :( Why would they advertise on yelp and then not accept? Â The staff was not very friendly nor attentive, we literally had to wave them down each time we needed something. We spent over $100 on food & the manager simply could not accept a measly little yelp deal :( Overall a nice place with good food, but rejecting our Yelp offer was an insult to the Yelp community!
Review Source:We bought a Use it Now Groupon on Valentine's Day and went by the restaurant around 6pm. Upon walking in, it was clearly not busy; in fact we only saw two people eating and at least 100 seats open. When the host asked us if we had reservations (we didn't), he waved his arm across the dining room and said, "Clearly you can see we are all booked for tonight." Really?????
Why have it on Use it Now Groupon when you can't even "Use it Now"?!?!?
We ended up at an old favorite of ours down the block and after dinner, decided to drive by the Gate to see if it really was completely booked by that time. (We wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.) Guess what? NOPE!!
I always love coming here with my boyfriend when I'm in town! The service is always great, and the food is the one of the best in the area. They even had the place closed for a large event later in the evening one night, but after hearing that I had driven all the way from San Francisco and chose to eat there after my long drive, they allowed me to sit down and dine as long as I finished before the event started. I greatly appreciated it! My favorite is the chicken kabobs - the meat is very tender and juicy, the rice is very flavorful, and the grilled tomatoes and onions add an extra layer of flavor. We always start off with hummus and sarma, and I also love how instead of bringing bread like so many other places, they bring olives and radishes! The atmosphere is also wonderful - comfortable and traditional. I look forward to my next visit!
Review Source:This is a beautiful room.  Has a Jazz Jam Session that's high quality on Wednesday nights. On Tuesdays there's an R&B 9 piece horn band that plays great old school songs for dancing and listening.  Some Monday nights they have big bands, small jazz groups, sometimes famous jazz or R&B or pop people.  For info, <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cathysegalgarcia.com&s=aa8fc53c22249d8ac602db223be2d4721803c2d6b27589de109c4d1a7156c56d" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.cathysegalgar…</a>.  Cathy is a jazz singer, and together with saxophonist Allan Walker, they produce these three nights at The Gate.  Mostly no cover, $10 minimum.  Great Mediterranean food and full bar
Review Source:I didn't get to try their food, so my review is solely based on drinks, hookah and entertainment.
Drinks: strong, in large glasses... suddenly you're on the dance floor.
Hookah: Â lasts all night, no need for refills. NO STARBUZZ.
Entertainment: Â live singer, belly dancing, large dance floor.
I did see a cockroach behind my chair and went into complete panic mode. The waiter who fixes your hookah/charcoal killed it and cleaned up the mess... but still, that's disgusting. WARNING: do not go here unless you plan on paying around $100 per person. It is worth it, though.
Came here for the live Jazz session held here every Weds. Â Well last night was the last of this year, but they will be starting again on Jan 6th.
The atmosphere was not what I expected at all. Â I was under the impression that it was not a restaurant, just a bar. Â So to my surprise its actually a very upscale looking type of place. Â
Took a quick look at the food menu and it has all the Mediterranean staples. Â Shawarma, Hummus, Kabobs, etc... Â Not to pricey, but I didn't get a chance to see portion size, so I'll have to come back and see how the food is.
The drinks are quite expensive in my opinion. Â I ordered two Jack & Cokes, while my friend ordered Jamison on the rocks. Â So in total for 3 drinks it was about $48. Â That's including tax and 18% gratuity. Â Now when its a party of two, I don't think gratuity should be included. Â But whatever, I didn't mind that much to say anything about it.
The atmosphere was pretty laid back, the service staff was very polite and professional.
I will definitely be coming back to try the food and of course, for the live Jazz.
Did I mention they also have Hookah. Â
Did not know something like this existed in the Valley.
I really got's to get out more!
Definitely something different. I liked the Chicken Shawarma and Mediterranean appetizers. Some hookah smoking, but it didn't bother any of us, and we're all nonsmokers. We found the service to be very friendly and only slightly relaxed. We've been there twice and had a great time both times.
I tried the vegetarian plate, and it wasn't my favorite. Go for the Shawarma, skewers, hummus, full bar and unique environment.
I wasn't sure about this place since I am very picky about food but it was for a work, to have a fun night out and a few of my coworkers are middle eastern so they were very pushing for this place! We had a group of 10 and we were seated immediately right in front of the dance floor. Got out drinks ordered within seconds and food was brought out super fast!!! Then more parties started coming in and started getting more lively. The music was a bit too loud but we were the first ones to get up and dance and had such a blast!!! I would definitely come back to this restaurant again. It definitely brought out the best side of my coworkers!
Review Source:The service here was awful and unprofessional.
After being seated, we were ignored by employees for at least 15 minutes. We were finally able to chase down a waiter. The restaurant wasn't very busy but the waiter seemed rushed & stressed out.
At least 2 groups of people who arrived after us were served immediately with waiters frequently checking in on their table & stopping to chat. A man who appeared to be the manager was hanging out by the front of the restaurant, seemingly unconcerned by the neglected tables in the restaurant.
We had to repeatedly flag down our waiter & ask for beverages. The food was OK. The only time any of the employees seemed to notice or care about us was when we were ready to pay the bill. We felt very unwelcome.
It was our first and last time here.
Please do not waste your time and money. Â On my second chance with this place. Incredibly poor service - we haven't seen our waiter in over 2 1/2 hours. Half of our party left without eating. The beef was inedible. Â The chicken was drenched in sumac. There are so many great restaurants in the area, so go anywhere else but here.
The owner (his brother I guess) had no interest in our complaint.
If you don't want to heed my warning, ask to not be seated in the Syrian waiter's section. He is probably the worst of them all. The servers were great. That is why I give it one star.
If you're going to serve hookah, you SHOULD have a hookah menu. The waitress comes up to us and asks us what we want to drink and if we're going to smoke hookah. We say yes and she stares at us for about a minute. I ask where the hookah menu is and she says "I'm the menu!" Very unprofessional and unsatisfied with this place and its parking.
Review Source:This place is absolutely gorgeous! Â The chandeliers are AMAZING and the decor is absolutely fantastic and perfect for large parties. Â The food is great ever since the new chef came in. Â The hummos is the best in the valley...so close to my boyfriends mom who actually makes the best hummos in the WORLD! Â Anyway, they have live performances Thursday through Sunday and the lights are low which I like when I'm dancing on the dance floor. Â There's comfortable seating and the hookahs are decent. Â The reason this place doesn't get 5 stars from me is because of the slow service and the hookah's inconsistency. Â Sometimes I go there and it is on fire and sometimes I go there and I need to leave immediately because I'm not feelin the hookah. Â DON"T MESS WITH MY HOOKAH! Â lol
So, over all this place is a gem, accept for the slow service (although quite friendly so it makes up for the slowness) and the inconsistency of quality of hookah. Â I would definitely recommend Thursday nights for sure...they are the most fun and the best singer is there....Farrah! Â :)
Very nice authentic Lebanese restaurant. I love the live entertainment and the fact that they have a huge dance floor (with seating a comfortable distance away if you want to be more quiet/private). Â Hookah is impressively offered with fruit heads and real wood chips to burn the tobacco. Â Food and drinks were awesome (the night i was here there must have been a million different dishes on the table to choose from all delicious). Â Very large tastefully decorated space with high ceilings (no smokey air) and comfortable tables. Â Too bad its not in Hollywood I would come more often =))
Review Source:The restaurant itself is very spacious and dimly lit. There's a small parking lot in back so you don't have to pay for the meters, which is nice. Maybe this place is fun when there's entertainment but we went on a weekday night so naturally there weren't very many people inside.
They offer hookah so I can imagine on busier nights it could get very smokey. Something to look out for if you have respiratory problems! It wasn't too bad on the night we went as only one table had hookah and they promptly finished smoking after our group arrived.
My FI and I shared the Gate Combo, which is your choice of 2 kebabs on a bed of rice, with grilled vegetables on the side. We opted for the chicken and shish kebab. They weren't bad but they weren't great either. There really wasn't a lot of meat. The veggies were the typical grilled veggies with that deceitful onion that looks fully cooked but never is! It always brings tears to my eyes (literally) with the after-burn!
We also had the Greek Salad which I was looking forward to. Sadly, it was just okay. There were huge chunks of parsley in it that made it hard to chew and the salad itself was more room temperature while the squares of feta were cold so that was a little odd.
The hummus was my favorite out of what we had. It wasn't the best I've had but at least it came with warm pita squares!
I personally wouldn't go back to this restaurant. Service was nice and ambiance wasn't bad but the food just didn't do it for me.
Wow! I mean... WOW!
I was here with my parents before catching a flight to Colombia. We were tired and hungry and wanted someplace not too pricey. I went to Groupon and voila! They had a $20 for $40 dealio. So I said, "Perfect!" Â
1. The atmosphere was incredible. It is a large restaurant, with ornate architecture and perfect ambiance. It was relaxing.
2. The staff was incredible. Our server was very welcoming and over delivered. We asked for two glasses of water each so we could use one for Airborne before the flight. She brought the waters with a smile. She was attentive, but not overbearing. We never felt rushed.
3. The food was incredible. I had felafel and hummus. Oh my sweet baby Jesus! That was some good hummus. Yummy. At the end, she even gave us free dessert, small baklava. Not too sweet, just perfect. They were dreamy.
4. The prices were reasonable.
Let me just state, Groupon or no Groupon I will be back. This place was amazing.
I have been here many times for dinner and entertainment. The food is great! Many many appetizers and the kabab is awesome! The music is very good. They play mostly Arabic and some persian upon request. The dancers were great as well as the service.
Thank you Andrew and associates for all your hospitality  A+++
Eric R
We came here for lunch a few weeks ago on a Sunday. They were playing live jazz here. Â It was a bit too loud for the restaurant. It was full blown which is a bit much for lunch time and would be better suited for evening hours. Music was great but we found it difficult to talk amongst ourselves.
The food on the other hand was decent and in large portions. The Greek salad and lentil soup were great. I had the shawarma beef which was bit on the salty side, chopped  up, however, not the best cut of meat. It was proabably made out of rump roast since i could see and feel the ligaments. Came with hummus and rice which were both great. Dishs are good for two people.
Service was good and accomodating. Â This restaurant is quite large compared to most places. The decor and open ceiling make it great for a date night.
Came here for a birthday party, but found myself a new spot to eat.
I had one of the best tartar's (Kebbeh nayyeh) and one of the better hummus's.
For the main dishes i had the Shawarma and Falafel
The entertainment was delightful and i was called on the dance floor to shake what my mommy gave me.
I feel this place might be calling me to come back to do it anything. lol
Love this place!!!! Amazing food, very friendly staff and their entertainment is great!!!!
I love going there on the weekends... They have a set menu at night with entertainment which I
Love!!!
You get to sample a lot of their amazing appetizers!!!
And the belly dancer is amazing!!!
If only yelp had a ten star rating....
NEVER GOING BACK!
Ugh.. I don't really want to waste my time writing this review but I NEED to so people don't experience what we experienced.
My husband made reservations several hours in advance on a weekend night. He told them on the phone that we were going to see the band that was playing there.
We get there on time. We walk in.
We wait awkwardly for a hostess or a waiter... ANYONE to come by.
We wait a couple minutes and still, NO ONE.
(Aren't places like these strict about 'waiting to be seated'???)
I have a bad feeling already.
Okay, fine. So we seat ourselves at the nearest table we can find, which also happens to be very far from center stage, seeing all the other tables that are near center stage are filled.
We made reservations and specifically said we were gonna eat and watch the band.
I'm thinking to my self, "I hope we can get a better table.."
We wait about 15-20 minutes and a waiter FINALLY realizes we have sat down.
He looks at us like we don't belong there and without even apologizing for making us wait, he says
"Would you guys...like menus?"
At this point I'm just too frustrated and shocked to say anything.
I nod my head really slow.
I should've said to him "Why would you think we want menus? This is a place to eat." Geeeez.
I ask the waiter "We had reservations and we thought we were going to be seated by the band. Is there a table where we can see them better?"
Waiter: "Did you ask to be seated by the band?"
Okay, if we mentioned that we were there to dine and watch the band, isn't it obvious we want to be able to see them well????
I really wonder where we were going to be seated, if they had actually seated us.
Obviously, MAKING A RESERVATION IS POINTLESS!!!!!
We start looking at the menu but I've already LOST MY APPETITE from all this and I didn't want to give them my money anyway.
And guess what?
They NEVER came back to even ask what we wanted to order.
I even purposefully had the menu open in my hands forever to see if anyone would come by and possibly think that I was going to order something.
So we left.
Thanks for RUINING what was going to be a romantic night.
Don't be fooled by their decor and what not.
They need to train their employees. aaaaaargh.
Fantastic! Great Mediterranean food. I had something simple, their chicken kabobs with rice and hummus. So flavorful! I sampled a friend's shrimp and that was equally good.
I've found the staff and service to be great. Polite and fast service.
This is a real hang for a lot of Armenians and there's a lot of hookah smoking going on too! I've never tried it. Maybe next time. :-)
"Hell's Gate"
Friday night I arrive at 9pm and ask for a table for 2. The hostess told me I could not have a table unless me and my friend ordered a "set menu" for $39 each rather than a typical $10-15 meal. She said it was a special event with music. And that by buying this ridiculous amount of food for $39 I was earning a right to sit inside. And listen to music...
Naturally I found this very odd. Very sketchy.
After asking her coworkers the hostess then gave me the news that I could order from their normal menu with normal prices IF I sat outside...She also went on to inform me and my friend that we could not dance to the music inside because we were not buying the "set menu"! That was fine considering we were just interested in eating. Because that is usually what people do at restaurants. But apparently The Gate is a wanna be exclusive nightclub...
Keep in mind this place is 95% empty. Nobody was on the "dance-floor". And the "special entertainment / music" was some guy with a a laptop playing techno on his itunes...
Sitting outside was not so bad though. Except for all the hookah smoke. And except for a junkie lady who came by to yell at us a few times. The first time this woman bothered us, staff asked her to leave. The 2 other times the staff ignored while she asked us again for money and then without waiting for a response told us to go to hell again and again...
The staff was slightly pathetic. When they finally brought our meal. We still had no utensils...After I gave them my card to pay they left me with a receipt to sign with no pen. And the next morning when I took the doggy bag out of the fridge about 6oz of olive oil leaked onto the floor because the box was not properly sealed!
Why did I even go there in the first place?
Well I had enjoyed it a while ago when it was "Mirage".
The one positive thing was my incredibly chill hot date. Hopefully we will hang out again. And maybe even at a place with better staff and service.
Like McDonald's.
I went with my mom and son for lunch on a Saturday. We ordered the set menu and it was really good. $20 includes hot and cold appetizers, chicken, beef and kafta kebabs (and a drink too!). Pretty good deal. I do have to point out that the mutabal was excellent (and I'm comparing it to my mom's which in my opinion is how mutabal should taste). The shanklish was surprisingly good, maybe even homemade.
I wasn't expecting the best service but I must say that our server was great. He gets 5 stars! He was very attentive and sweet. Told us about the friday/saturday night entertainment. I'll definitely be back.
Let's start by saying this place is really awesome especially Friday and Saturday Nights. They have a live band there. Â We always goin in a group of 5 people and we really appreciate the great service they have here. Food is awesome and really great, the hookahs are the bomb dot com. I have never been here and not had a great time. I like this place alot.
I have to agree with Nancy below on this
1.) Lunch specials
2.) HUGE portions - try the chicken kabob
3.) Babaganoush - YUMMY!
4.) Hummus is so smooth and yummy!
5.) Warm fresh pita bread. Â Oooh it's made homemade!
6.) Very friendly and attentive staff.
Went here for lunch yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. It's a large space and was not very busy for lunch. I think they probably get more of a dinner crowd.
Service was great, our waiter was very attentive and got everything right including some substitutions. The food was great. I ordered the ground beef kabab lunch special. For $9 you get A LOT OF FOOD. Everything tasted fresh, the meat was spiced tasty and the rice was great too. I liked that they included a grilled tomato, onion, and hot pepper (considering this was a lunch special).
My friends had chicken kabab and were happy with the meal as well. Overall a good experience, and a great value for the lunch special.
Walked in it was completely empty except for a group of older people smoking hookah in the corner.. the owner and friends most likely. The restaurant has nice decor, very elaborate and goddy-- like we were in a middle eastern palace.
I ordered some food to go... Chicken Schwarma $14 (rice, veggies, hummus) the Schwarma was just ok.. kinda dry and not flavorful. The hummus was good and tasted fresh and homemade. I also ordered the Baba Ganush appetizer and it was amazing!!!!!!!
The food took around 15 mins.. kinda long but I guess that means its fresh not frozen... the server was also very nice and refilled our drinks before we left which was cool since he really didn't have to do that.
I would  definitely return again but will try a different entree for dinner.  Another thing that bothered me was that they only gave us 3 pieces of pita for 2 people so make sure to ask for extra!
My grandparents live in Encino and we like to try every new restaurant that opens up along the "Boulevard". Â We like Middle Eastern food so this was a no-brainer. Â That is, of course, until we got our food....
There were about 30 people there including about six 5 year olds for a birthday party. Â With live music. Â Maybe they told them all to behave until we ordered because that's when it all broke loose.
First, the place is all wide open and people smoking on the patio/entrance didn't seem concerned that their smoke was blowing into the restaurant like a fog machine. Â The kids were running around like wild banshees. Â And the music was so loud I had to scream at my grandparents from a foot away. Â And, we were the only other people in the restaurant yet they told us it was still open and not closed for this private party.
Then the food showed up. Â Dry and bland are about all the descriptors I will offer. Â You would think they could get it right considering there was nobody else in the restaurant. Â But, the chef and what looked like the manager seemed more concerned with sitting on the patio and blowing smoke into the restaurant.
All in all, it was terrible. Â But the waiter was nice and very apologetic. Â Unless you like being surrounded by people who smoke like chimneys and shitty music you hoped would have been left behind in the old country, I recommend Carnivale on Woodman. Â This place will be closed by the middle of next year...
Reasons to go:
1.) Lunch specials
2.) HUGE portions - try the chicken kabob
3.) Babaganoush - YUMMY!
4.) Hummus is so smooth and yummy!
5.) Warm fresh pita bread. Â Oooh it's made homemade!
6.) Very friendly and attentive staff.
7.) Wonderful ambiance and decor.
8.) Coupon for yelp check-in. Â LOL Â :)
9.) Outdoor seating and hookah.
10.) Live music and alcohol.
Now if this doesn't get you to go...what will?!?!
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