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Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge
Categories: Restaurants Mediterranean Restaurants Greek Mediterranean, Greek [Edit]
1960 Rahncliff CtEagan, MN 55122
(651) 452-0999
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 2 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge
12 reviews in English
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Review from Meghann F.
Minneapolis, MN
1/15/2010
Good sized portions can be found here. And good food, haven't had a bad experience yet.
The gyros are delcious. And huge!
Have also tried the mezza platter - a sampler with tabouli, humus, gyros, chicken kabobs - wow everything was really good!
The sinks in the bathrooms are pretty sweet!!!
They also have belly dancing on the weekends which is fun to watch for a little free entertainment!
They have drink specials regularly and all you can eat crab legs - i forget which night - maybe mondays - definitely would recommend going!Comment from David A. of Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge 9/22/2011
Thank you Meghann, hope to see you again soon! More » -
Review from Francois B.
Apple Valley, MN
11/30/2011
If you like slow service and so-so gyro meat then try it, otherwise head to Dino's for a better tasting fare. This place is an old Bakers Square and you can't shine a turd, so the decor is not very sophisticated. I think Caribbean Cruise Cafe is better, although the same family runs both.
-
Review from Bev L.
Minneapolis, MN
9/19/2011
A big step-up in atmosphere from the old Mediterranean Cruise nearby.
Big eaters will like this place! Decent Mediterranean food with ample portions and fun dancers on the weekend . No surprises on the menu, but everything is done well and there are many combos so you can get several of your favorites. Service is rushed and ragged -- salads came out a minute after our appetizer and the entrees before we were half done with the salads. Got the impression it's more about the drinks here.Comment from David A. of Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge 9/20/2011
Thank you Bev, I'm glad you enjoyed the Food & Atmosphere of… More » -
Review from Karl H.
Inver Grove Heights, MN
9/1/2010
Ok so this is not normal for me. I usually always give a place a good shot, usually two but this was too much. My wife and I had heard about this place and since I have Lebanese ties and love the food we thought we'd try it out.
We walked in and were greeted by a sweet fish tank and then seated rather promptly. Immediately after sitting down we noticed the booth was absolutely filthy. Crumbs all over, in the cracks of the seats, on top of the seats and the walls were painted with food. On top of that my wife's cloth napkin had dried leftover food on it and the menu's were speckled with food as well. The place is just not kept very clean.
All of that aside we opened up the menus with the tips of our fingers and looked it over. We weren't very impressed. They had a whole lot of american fare mixed in with a couple Lebanese/Mediterranean dishes that to be honest didn't sound all to authentic. We would have tried it out had the prices been reasonable but in comparison to some great Lebanese places like Emily's or Beirut it was actually more expensive. That was the last straw so we bolted to the door and headed to Doolittles down the street, which didn't disappoint.
Like I said, I've never left a restaurant, ok maybe one other time, but this was just too much. I'd give it a 1 star but I figured since we didn't try the food that'd be a bit harsh.Comment from David A. of Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge 9/20/2011
Karl, thank you for your feedback. Sorry it took so long to… More » -
Review from Michael N.
Minneapolis, MN
I'd say it's about a 2.5. It'd be a 2 if it were in Minneapolis and for the suburbs I guess maybe a 3. The fish tank in the entry way is pretty cool and the bar seemed alright. The restaurant area has too much of the baker's square feel from the former tenants. We thought it might be interesting for the belly dancing but were a little disappointed. I guess it's different and somewhat entertaining compared to other restaurants, but it won't get me to come back.
We had the mezza platter and the spanakopita. The gyro meat was the best part, everything else was just ok.Comment from David A. of Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge 9/22/2011
Come back and try our new upgraded menu and remodel! More » -
Review from Jennifer S.
Saint Paul, MN
5/5/2009
Really_ good_ food.
The appetizer sampler platter for 4 for $25 - fed 5 of us. The spanakopita was soft and heavy, instead of light and crisp and flaky. Shared a lamb shank entree with 2 others and we each enjoyed it.
Quite a large variety of beers and full bar available.
What REALLY made the experience *great* was "Tim", the bartender, who was our waiter for a group of 8 people. His uncle owns the place. -
Review from Amy B.
Eagan, MN
5/14/2009
It's hard for to give this place anything higher, as my loyalties lie with the Cruise (Mediterranean Cafe), and from what I heard, it's a spinoff of the Cruise gone angry. I did like our waitress alot, and she brought me my gyro exactly the way I asked (I got the gyro wrap, spicy, with lemon garlic, tahini sauce and extra spicy sauce all on the side). It was really good and I ate the other half for lunch the next day. Not a huge fan of the greek potatoes (maybe if they double fried them?). They were a little "limp" for my taste.
The atmosphere is a oddly corporate, but maybe that's because its in the old Baker's Square. However, their bathroom sinks are amazing. I'm curious on their happy hour/evening crowd, and hope that the warmth of the Cruise somehow flows to this place, as the new Cruise location is going to be a little far from my home. -
Review from kiki d.
Sunnyvale, CA
3/5/2009
Ansari's is tucked away off the road in Eagan, we drove past it twice (turn in at the Dairy Queen).
We sat in the restaurant area, although there's also tables in the bar. At 8 on a Saturday, the restaurant was nearly full, and the bar area was packed.
The food was really good, and the portions large. Entrees seemed expensive when I was looking at the menu, but considering that I got a second full meal from my takeout box, I'd say it was a good value.
The only thing I was disappointed in was the hummus. I guess hummus is a pretty basic dish, but it pretty much tasted like the hummus I make at home.
There's bellydancing! And I saw some hookahs, but i'm not sure if they are for display or if they have a hookah bar somewhere. -
Review from michelle t.
Saint Paul, MN
1/9/2010
Great experience. Met a colleague for happy hour. Enjoyed cosmo's by Theresa (FABULOUS bartender) and the appetizer sampler platter. Very impressed with the falfael - crisp on the outside moist in the middle, fresh hot pita bread served with tray, gyros meat, fresh greek (feta, tomatos, onions, lettuce) salad and the style of spanakopita was good as well - more a baked pastry versus flaky filo - mixture of spinach, feta and seasonings. Kibbi baked very tasty - wish there was more! Hummus good for my taste. Waiter very knowledgeable and friendly with excellent customer service. This is more family friendly and relaxed. Good people watching. Adjacent to the Hilton Garden Hotel.
They also have belly dancing as entertainment. Highly recommend. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Minnetonka Mills, MN
6/20/2010
I joined some old friends here specifically to watch belly-dancing and have a night out - my friend was able to reserve a table right by the stage, so that was wonderful. The live entertainment was great!
The table had six seats though, and three of them had their backs to the stage - viewing would've been awkward from those chairs, luckily we had a couple of people who couldn't make it so we didn't have to feel weird about the seating too much.
I ordered Turkish Coffee, which was great - but we sat there for a long time before we were asked if we wanted anything else (like water...). When the last of our party arrived, we ordered (ordering was done close to 20 minutes after the last person sat down) - there were four of us - my girlfriend and I ordered the Vegetarian Sampler, Greek Potatoes and Saganaki (one of the other diners ordered lamb kabobs, but mentioned that they were acting more like mutton than lamb, but that she's had the lamb on other occasions and it was wonderful) - we received our Saganaki quickly (appetizer) and it was delicious, but nothing out of this world. When our sampler platter arrived, we started on that - the food was just average, although the falafel was pleasantly spicy. The Greek Potatoes never came, so we reminded them that they had been ordered. About a 1/2 hour later we reminded them again... I think the fries came out just before dessert!
The dessert was good, I had the Tiramusu and my girlfriend had the Baklava - another diner had the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake.
The Baklava was served on a mound of ice cream, my Tiramisu was "ok" - again, standard fare. I heard rave reviews of the cheesecake, however!
When the bill came it was split three ways - although there were four diners.
Diner 1 was on bill 1
Diner 2 was on bill 1 & 2
Diner 3 was on bill 1 & 2
Diner 4 was on bill 3
I appreciate separate bills when dining with a group, but that was a little bizarre. Thankfully no one had too much to drink so we were able to figure out the math... would've been easier with one bill, probably! Also - we were still charged for the item that we had to remind the staff to bring us twice. I'm of the mind that if you mess something up more than once, it should be free.
All in all I had a good time, but it had more to do with the company and the entertainment than the food, service and atmosphere.
I would come back, but only for the entertainment!
If you go for the belly-dancing, make sure out have a $5.00 (or several $1.00's) to tuck in the performer's waistband - they really put forth an effort up there and you don't want to be caught empty-handed when they come and shake it by your table!! -
Review from Deepak B.
Rockville, MD
12/12/2010
Surprisingly really good food at reasonable prices. It's not a classy place but more for the local hangout. Being open till 2am is certain plus for late night travelers. Pizza is great too.
Comment from David A. of Ansari's Mediterranean Grill & Lounge 9/20/2011
Thanks Deepak, stop in again when you come back into town! More » -
Review from Cheryl L.
Inver Grove Heights, MN
4/23/2010
Spent a very enjoyable evening here with a 6 friends. We shared the Mediterranean Sampler Platter 4 for $25 and a couple of Saganaki (flamed cheese/brandy), and finished up with Baklava. Everything was delicious and fresh. Wait staff was incredibly friendly and our belly dancer was very entertaining.
