Illusions Fayrouz Mediterranean Cuisine
Categories: Middle Eastern, Nightlife [Edit]
260 S California AvePalo Alto, CA 94306 (650) 321-6464
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Mon-Fri 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sat 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: No
26 reviews
Mountain View, CA
"I'll be honest: I consider myself an expert in the falafel/hummus category. I've eaten falafel late night in Israel at the best insider…" read more »
45 Reviews for Illusions Fayrouz Mediterranean Cuisine
Loved it! The pita was hot and fluffy and there were some menu items I had that I haven't ever had of this caliber on this continent (lebaneh with zattar, in particular).
I was extremely pleased with the quality of the food and service (music was nice too).
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Yummy yummy yummy...
Solid service..
Good atmoshphere...
Plenty of parking...
We wnet here for lunch... Had some great dishes of Middle Eastern food... Sort of healthy too....
I will be back....
Short review.. coz' I didnt really care for this place. Nothing bad.. just average (esp. for the price).
Insipid decor (strange blue lighting!) 2/3 empty on a Friday night (we got there at 9:30 though-atleast it was open!). Didn't have half the items on the menu we wanted.Very slow service.
Positives : The kefta something that my husband ordered was great! Minced lamb and beef but very delicately spiced and you could taste that its good quality meat. There was some people sitting on the patio who were smoking the hookah which smelt very nice. seemed like a chilled place to hand out.
Great food and such a wonderful selection to choose from. If you haven't tried Mediterranean food this is the place! The waiters have great ideas and were very helpful The price was way less than expected.
Service was good. Friendly waiter. Food was good, but nothing too impressive. Falafels were tasteless but the hummus was very good. I did order a glass of Chateau Kafrya for $10. It tasted almost like vinegar. The bottle must have been opened for a week or more. For that price I expected more.
Came here for the nightlife. They were hosting a special event, with middle eastern music : ) It was nice, they had a huge dance floor. The patio area was set up for smoking hooka. However, the drinks were not so great. Very expensive for the tiny sized plastic cups they were poured in. My drink was way too sweet. The bartenders also were very slow, they seemed very inexperienced for such a lively place. Also they didn't poor the shots of patron in a shot glass, it was a little cup...and the amount she poured was not equivalent to a full shot.
I have yet to dine here.
Decor, ambience, food...about a 3.5 overall. One of my neighbors is Lebanese so I've gotten a liking to some home-cooked Lebanese/Armenian food. Although this place doesn't disappoint, it also didn't impress me by way of their food. We had the Fattoush salad and Falafel to start. I like the Fattoush salad but the Falafel seemed a bit "over-fried" and dry. For entrees we had Kafta Meshwi (lamb and beef), swordfish kabob, and Farrouge Meshwi (chicken). Again, not as juicy and flavorful as some of the smaller mom & pop "mediterranean cafes I've been to. Wine list was pretty limited and marked up a bit pricey. They did offer a fav malbec of mine, Terraza, which I enjoyed with the meat offerings.
The restaurant has a larger back room that is set up to be a club (club lighting w/ DJ booth) after dinner so next time I may look into a weekend nite to see how the nite scene is here. Oh I almost forgot, during dinner there was a belly dancer that entertained the diners with her shake & jiggles which gave it a more ethnic experience.
The decent service and the nice ambience/decor brought the overall experience to a 3.5 rating. In my travels for work, every time I'm in Fresno there's a lil persian cafe, Pars Cafe, that I go and get my "kabob fix." The combo chicken and beef kabob w/ rice and salad for $14 fills me up and puts a smile on my face.
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Went there last week for bday dinner,
#1services: great.
My friend ordered an yogurt drink to try. But didn't like the taste of it, the waitress was willing to take that off the tab and replace with something else. We also brought in a cake from outside. They helped us store and cut for us after the dinner.
#2 Food: very good
we order swordfish, beef kabab and a chicken dish (forgot the name), all of which are great. Meat is not dry at all. Falafel has a bit spicy taste to is which is also very good
#3 Belly dance performance: definitely a plus.
around 8 O'clock , the music suddenly became loud and lights were dimmed, a very beautiful belly dancer came out did a great performance, she came by table by table and the whole show lasted for approx. 30min or so, she got lots of tips of course, but the performance definitely is a plus for the dinner.
I like the food and the surroundings! waiters are nice too! Falafo is yummy!!!
Excellent food, good service, nice ambiance
My coworkers and I had a big lunch here the other day. Highlights included warm, soft pita bread, tasty grilled meats and yummy baklava. I can't tell you about the prices since everything was paid for.
Ambiance was nice. Multi-colored lighting, nice furniture, 4 foot tall bottles of alcohol.. They have a nice patio, although it probably doesn't get much use this time of year (Dec).
What else? Parking isn't much of a problem since there are pretty big lots nearby.
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The servers here are friendly and courteous, unfortunately our waitress didn't speak English to well which made ordering and getting more details about the Afghan food a little difficult.
As soon as your seated you get a warm basket of pita bread and some hummus, very tasty. A cool thing to do would be to order a whole bunch of mezzas and eat here tapas style. Unfortunately, out of the three mezzas we ordered only one stood out, the Mosakka Bodenan - baked eggplant w/garbanzo beans came out to be delicious. The other, Na'anek, grilled lamb sausage came out luke warm and shriveled up, think bbq'd vienna sausages.
The mixed grill plate was phenomenal with the kafta, chicken, and beef coming out juicy and tender on a bed of onions, bell peppers, and pickled items. A definite must order.
The belly dancer was awesome and brought in a cool cultural energy to the restaurant.
If you sit near the bar, try looking for the biggest bottle of grey goose you will ever see.
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The restaurant interior offers a posh ambiance while the outdoor seating is very pleasant on a nice summer or fall evening. While we were there on a Friday night, somehow we were not lucky enough to catch the belly dancing. I ordered lamb which was, unfortunately, gamey. The portions were also a bit small, especially for the price. Service was a bit slow.
Came for dinner. We had the appetizer sampler and Mixed grill which were large portions. My gf and I both liked the roasted eggplant the best. The falafel was great. The beef was the tastiest of all. The chicken was good but the lamb was a bit gamey. The belly dancer was entertaining, but expected to see more moves. Service was good and always on queue, but I got a glass of water with lipstick. Ambiance was nice.
I was so hungry upon my entrance that I filled up on the endless pita bread and dipping sauce. By the time any food had arrived, we had watched the charming belly dancer, I had a full conversation with friends sitting at a separate table, and our drinks were done. Does it really take so long to scoop some hummus and babaganoush? Maybe it was because Shawn always orders the dish that takes the longest! In any case, I won for best dish that night, and it wasn't on the menu. After struggling between choosing light fare or the chicken shwarma that had been recommended to me, I asked the gentleman next to me what he got...Fayrouz salad WITH Chicken Shwarma pieces that had been delightfully marinated and dripping with goodness! Breakdown of prices: Salad-$12.95, Mezza 4 hot/cold items (of THEIR choice, not yours-can be made vegetarian)-$12.50, Shikh Mehsi (eggplant dish)-$16.50.
I really like this place. I met my former boss here for lunch today. I ordered the Lebanese salad with chicken on it. It was TASTY; the lemon-mint-olive salad dressing is to die for. I'm getting hungry thinking about it, despite being stuffed on my salad. I withstood denying myself warm fresh pita bread with olive oil, sesame seeds and something that looks like yogurt. Not because of my dairy intolerance friends -- I can make it through that -- but because my wedding is in 4 weeks, and I'm HELL-BENT on looking freaking fantastic. That means no white flour products or sugar. It's hard. Especially hard at Illusions Fayrouz.
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I wasn't amazed by anything I ate, but I have no major complaints either. We ordered a bunch of small plates, as well as one of the larger plates. Some were good, others I could have done without. Overall, it was pretty uneventful.
If you're into meat this is the restaurant to go to! The meat combo was perfect! The steak, lamb and chicken were all so juicy and fresh I had to eat slowly to savor the flavors! I was a bit disappointed in the appetizers because unlike other Greek restaurants where they give you a great selection of the well known side dishes, here you have to order them individually and the portions were very tiny! Overall it was a bit pr icy but we got our moneys worth when a live belly dancer came out. Seeing all the men trying not to gawk the dancer who was barely dressed was a great performance in it of itself during my meal!
I came here for an outdoor mingler event. The appetizers were good. However, these idiots charged me for someone ELSE's tab at the bar, even after I pointed out that it was not mine and made them re-do it and only signed the correct one (which I was charged for as well). I just don't have patience for that kind of bullshit.
Update: Up 2 stars because the manager promptly returned my call and refunded the overcharge. Mistakes can happen, I suppose. :P
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I'd have to say that this restaurant is rather vegetarian unfriendly, with very few veggie choices. That said, the dish I ordered absolutely rocked. The appetizers were incredible as well, we went through all the pita and almost the second round of pita too. Simply delicious. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place, with plenty of space, warm heaters, chill conversation. The belly dancer was an interesting twist, I can't say I've seen that in Palo Alto before. I found it somewhat disturbing when a 7 or so year old kid was stuffing dollar bills down her pants, but both parents were around and they seemed to approve, so what the heck.
All my friends seemed to dig the food, so I'd almost give it 5 stars, if not for the so so Turkish coffee and the lack of more vegetarian options for me. Service, atmosphere, food, and price were all impeccable.
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Had the chicken shwarma. Large portions and very flavorful, but it was pretty salty. Good service though and nice decor inside. Nice outside patio too.
Positives:
The atmosphere and ambience was awesome
Food was tasty and interesting. Let me tell you again. I am not a Greek Food fan, or a lebonanese food fan either. But it was definitely good.
There is a bar and t.v.
On some nights they have a live belly dance. Which is so cool,
Negatives:
The acoustics, is horrible. Its extremely hard to talk to other people. The noise bounces off the walls cancelling each other out. Its just plan loud there.
The service was not to good. It may be an isolated incident. But our help didnt tell us the specials. Didnt greet us. Rarely came by. And poured different bottles of wine in the same glass instead of exchanging the old with a new. one.
In general, I think its a defiinite place to try out. Things are looking up for this area.
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I've been to Illusions (the party space you can rent out) for two entirely different events - a networking mixer for techies called Stirr, and that Stanford grad students' birthday party that Fen mentioned.
So for Stirr, I do have to say the wide open space of the area was a pleasant surprise for once, because we're usually crammed into smaller spaces (or just oddly shaped ones which make wading thru crowds difficult). And for the Stanford party... the DJs were able to play their mediocre music way too freaking loud.
And for some time, we were bewitched, bothered, and bewildered by shapely women belly dancing on the big screens scattered about. Kinda odd.
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The pita & dip appetizer was nice. Beats the bread & butter/oil you get at many other places. For dinner, we both ordered house dishes. He got Shakshouka with feta cheese and I got Kashkash. I felt like my dish tasted a lot like American meatloaf with some Middle Eastern spices and vegetables placed on top. I didn't expect it to be so meatloafy as meatloaf is a heavy dish. My friend was happy with his food. Altogether, the food was good and the atmosphere nice (lots of Middle Eastern/belly dance music playing in the background) but a little pricey considering there's another Mediterranean place down the street with great food for way less.
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We wandered down here on a Sunday night after passing the rest of the crowded restaurants on California Ave. We were almost deterred by the photos of bellydancers posted outside but we were really hungry. The restaurant has a very long bar and tables to one side and a small dining room to the other. Also an outdoor courtyard with tables that you walk through before entering the restaurant. Not sure where the dancers perform but on a Sunday night they never appeared. We were given a starter of pita bread and yogurt, I think it is called labneh. Seemed like a decent wine list, other diners brought in their own so it can't be too high of a corkage. We had black and tans since they have Guiness and Bass on tap. Also Fat Tire which I love.
The restaurant specializes in Lebanese cuisine. I was feeling wary and I had an appetizer of falafel which was very good - 5 to an order. I followed with the chicken shawarma, which was small pieces of chicken cooked with onions and came with brown rice and cut up pickles. Absolutely delicious and a large portion for me, I had to take some to go. My husband ordered a lamb kebab which he definitely enjoyed.
According to the website it functions as a nightclub Thur., Fri. and Sat. and has entertainment until 2AM. But if you want to experience a really good Mediterranean restaurant with a nice ambiance, excellent food, and where you can hear your date, go on the other nights of the week and you won't be disappointed.
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Four stars for the club space at Illusions, 3 stars for the party actually thrown here.
Imagine being thrown in a room full of awesome first year Stanford Law students *but the music is too loud to talk to any of them*! And talk you must because the only other option is booty dancing with a 1L. And that's just ... not right.
The dance floor was oddly slippery and sticky for a club. Perhaps the open bar earlier in the night made people less careful about their precious drinkies. Something about having that otherwise 7 dollar drink be free must make people want to fling it to the ground, I guess.
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Is it called Illusions or Fayrouz? It took me a moment to realize that "Super Club" was a pun and not a typo. I'm not exactly sure where the nightclub ends and the Lebanese restaurant begins, but I am impressed by the decor and excellent service at this large venue, which used to be the Edge nightclub at the end of California Ave. in Palo Alto (Vortex and Keystone before that.) The food is pretty good, although I need to order more of the mezzas next time to sample a wider variety of dishes.
After we got settled, a basket of warm sliced pita bread arrived with a plate of sour cream and spiced olive oil. The dip created a perfect blend to whet the appetite. During our meal we asked for (and received) a refill of dip so we could finish the pita, since we scarfed up the first batch.
We ordered only two dishes on this first visit, both main courses. First arrived a fresh green salad, followed soon thereafter by dinner. This felt a bit rushed, as we had only started our salads, and had to shuffle plates and shovel food a bit to make room on the table.
Chicken Shawarma ($15.95) had a bright flavor profile, although it seemed a bit simple. A small mound of chopped marinated chicken white meat came mixed with bits of bell pepper, alongside some pickle slices, rice pallau and yogurt sauce. I probably wouldn't order this again, in preference for something more uniquely flavored.
The Kafta-Meshwi ($15.95) reminded me of the kubideh that I have often enjoyed at Rose Market on Castro St. in Mountain View. A tender and flavorful skewer of spiced ground lamb and beef arrived on a platter with rice pallau and sliced onion. Such skewers can become dry and mealy when overcooked, but this one was perfectly succulent. I made savory little bite-sized sandwiched with the pita and my extra salad.
We ordered a pot of mint tea ($4) which complemented the herbs in the meal nicely. The wine list struck me as rather overpriced, with some of the mark-ups hovering at 300% over retail. I've made this point elsewhere, but I'll say it again here: if a restaurant charges a fair mark-up on their wine list (double wholesale for example) they will sell more wine and make more money in the long run. I can't imagine paying $325 for Opus One or $225 for Dom Perignon. On the other hand, I do want to try the more affordable Lebanese wine that Illusions offers. Corkage fee runs $15, which might be a worthwhile option for connoiseurs.
Overall, we felt inclined to return to Illusions (or Fayrouz, or whatever it's called) to sample more of its cuisine. The club also advertises belly dancing on Friday nights, but we're likely to avoid those nights in preference for a slightly calmer environment. (www.flavornotes.com)
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We found out from the waitress that they serve Lebanese food after we have placed our order. This dinner was like an adventure for us with no prior knowledge of what we were getting. We don't eat Mediterranean Cuisine often and we thought Mediterranean meant coastal Spanish or Greek cuisine etc.
We ordered the messa sampler, soup of the day (lentil), Lamb couscous, Shish Kabob (replaced lamb with beef). We thought we ordered a snapper fish dish too, but the waitress didn't write it down. Even with a missing order, the food was plenty enough to feed our family of four. Our kids loved the hot pita bread so much that they were already half full before the dishes came. They served the hot pita bread with a sour cream dip. We found out later that the messa we ordered were supposed to go with the pita bread too. It was a mistake because we were already stuffed with the pita bread before the messa came. My kids liked the hummus on pita bread. They liked the falafel too. I ordered a yogurt drink and my kid had a sip, made a face and said she wanted to puke. The drink was sour and salty. I found it okay. But it would taste better if it was sweet.
Though we didn't order salad, the served us a large plate of salad to share. I assume that came with the entrees we ordered. The salad was very very fresh, every bite was a crunch. We loved it.
The Lamb couscous was delicious, but the meat to couscous ratio was like 1 to 10 by volume. I would like it more if they gave me more lamb and less couscous. The lamb was so tender that it melted in the mouth.
The shish kabob was very good with combination of several kinds of meat. The beef was cooked just right, medium rare, tasty. The chicken meat was half and half, some still very tender and juicy, some too dry depending where the meat was located on the skewer. The minced beef+lamb tasted okay like gyro. Everything tasted good.
My wife enjoyed the latte too. She said it was like the coffee she had in Europe. But she got insomnia later at night.
I saw the sign outside that said they have belly dance performance Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. I probably would come back again for the great food. Not sure if they let kids see the belly dance though.
We went through home remodelling recently. So we've grown a habit of checking other places' decorations and construction workmanship. We thought the contractor did an excellent job in the carpetry, painting etc. in this place. Not a sloppy job at all. We wish our contractor was as good.
The food here was fantastic. I had the veggie combo (I think it was called that) which included lots of great options- it was almost like an appetizer combo platter of vegetarian options (but not just vegetables). The warm pita bread was absolutely wonderful, as was the hummous and the falafel. They're still working on the service, but the waitress we had was incredibly nice, which made up for the length of time it took to get our bill.
Illusions has become one of my favorite restaurants for lunch on California Ave. I have been on a Mediterranean food thing lately and this contemporary Lebanese food hits the spot. Everything I have tried so far is really tasty, especially the Shish Tawouk (tender, marinated chicken kabob), Ghanam Meshwi (lamb) and Chicken Shawarma. All the lunch entrees are plated nicely and served with rice, hummus, babganouge, and barbecued tomatoe for about $12.00. My latest discovery is the falafel salad for $7.95. A huge salad of lettuce, cucmbers, tomatos and 4 falafel balls. Perfectly dressed with a tangy, tahini dressing. Very tasty. I recommend sitting out in the courtyard on a sunny afternoon. Clean, well spiced food. Highly recommended.
Note: ok so I'm not the first to review this restaurant because it's better know as Fahrouz Mediteranean Supperclub or something. Either way it's the restaurant that is in the building where I used to see Greg Kihn in the 80's (the Keystone) many other bands in the 90's (The Edge) or even before that it was a Purity market in the 60's.
Fabulous!
It's more tapas style Mediterranean/Middle Eastern food, but it's hella good (I emphasize the hella). We got about 8 dishes, all of them were wonderful. Also, we sat out on this beautiful little patio, it was great to just chat and take our time with dinner.
The service was great, the wine was excellent, and I really enjoyed my experience here. It's a great place for a date, or to make an evening of a slow dinner with friends.
***Visit number 2: Still awesome! All of the mezza (small plates) were very delicious, wonderfully flavored and overall just delicious. We hookah-ed afterwards, and it was really nice, relaxing on their patio.
Also, this place looks horribly tacky from the outside and has an even worse name... but it's actually very beautiful inside, and has excellent service. Highly recommended!
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Really good food, super nice staff, but the service was painfully slow. They seemed to kiss ass for the "VIP" section and forget about us commoners seated only 10 feet away.
That said, they have good entertainment, though it is pricey. But you do have the option of staying in the outer, non-supper-club area for just food/bar.
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This place just opened up a month ago in place of the (good riddance) Edge nightclub, and I hope it stays around! It's confusing, but this place has two names- I think the "Fayrouz" part applies to lunch and "Illusions" is for dinner and the evening bellydancing shows. I stopped in for lunch and everything I had was delicious, even the spread that came with the pita bread at the start. The dishes are predominantly Lebanese (including several vegetarian items), and they even have Lebanese wine! (I asked and was told the chef is Lebanese, while the owner's Persian.) I don't think I saw it on the menu, but they have Turkish coffee if you ask for it. Also, there's a giant screen above the bar showing women doing bellydancing routines, if you're into that sort of thing (and I am :P).
Also, I received the best service out of all the restaurants I've been to in Palo Alto, and I'm sure it wasn't because I was wearing a Yelp shirt at the time. (Have any of you felt like you get better service when you're sporting Yelp paraphernalia? I have. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.)
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10 stars! Yes, 10/5, that's my official rating.
I'm middle eastern and have been eating middle eastern food my whole life and I can honestly say this place has, hands down, some of the best middle eastern food I've ever had. My mom always says that Lebanese know how to cook and this place further supports that slightly stereotypical saying.
You can get the mezza (appetizers) that function almost like tapas or an entree. For 2 people I'd suggest 1-2 appetizers and 1 entree (especially if you go with the combo meat platter- so much food!) And once you sit down I think they have some complementary Labneh and bread at the table (strained yogurt that results in a thick, creamy spread)
My personal favorites:
Kebbeh Maklieh (hot mezza)- hands down the best kebbeh i've had in my entire life. It's like crack I crave it so bad sometimes.
Sambousek (hot mezza). aka Spinach pie. A slightly tart spinach and onion filling inside a soft delicate bread. mmmmmmmmmmm.
Kafta Meshwi (entree). Also the best kafta kabob I've ever had in my entire life. It's included in the combo meat platter so you could get that as well if you'd like to try the chicken and cubed beef as well.
Kenafeh (dessert). It's shredded Kataife dough filled with cream and drizzled with rosewater syrup (served warm). Pure heaven. If you think baklava is good- wait until you try this. I've never had this dessert before but its up there as one of my favorite foods ever.
I've been here a few times but always gravitate toward the same amazing food. Hopefully one day i'll venture out into their other dishes because (a) they sound amazing and (b) i haven't had anything here that was bad.
As a side note: the belly dancing show is great too. I take lessons from the Friday night dancer (Sandra) and she is one of the best belly dancers I've ever seen. Someone seemed concerned about having children watch but it's quite traditional and very kid and family friendly dancing (no slutty stripper moves) but she shakes her hips unlike anything I've seen.
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This place is distinctly yummy. Although I didn't have an entree, I can unconditionally vouch for (a) the pita bread (the only pita bread in my life that's so good that it tastes better alone); (b) the appetizers -- like, all of them, and (c) the turkish coffee, which was simply perfect. I was there for a friend's surprise birthday dinner, so we were a huge group of people who they handled very efficiently and pleasantly.
Also, they have a bellydancer who dances with a tray of candles on her head. I couldn't find any scorch marks on the floor.
The only things that keep this place from getting five stars are: a) the incredibly loud bar mitzvah that was happening in the private room next to the main dining room (was it strictly necessary to let the rock band they hired play at FULL volume through the thin walls and door?); and b) the sticker shock: fifteen people ended up at over six hundred dollars with tip. My share absolutely horrified me, especially since all I'd done was participate in the appetizers and wine and order some coffee, no entree.
My co-worker and I went to have lunch there today and we both had Shish Tawook (marinated tender pieces of chicken, $11.95). As you can see in the picture, the presentation was beautiful and so appetizing, and it was totally delicious. I had no problem cleaning up the entire plate :-) Baba Ghannouge was really awesome! The warm bread and dip (sour cream?, olive oil and herbs) that came before the meal were also great. We were sitting in the patio under the trees, it's such a perfect place for lunch on a perfect sunny California summer day like this. Easy access from the public parking structure on Cambridge/New Mayfield.
Been here twice in the last month and I would readily go back when considering Mediterranean cuisine. The first time we went the service was phenomenal and the second time we went it was a bit slower. I think on our second round they were also hosting a large party in the back (the old nightclub). But the food is outstanding and served in good proportions (if not a bit large!). We also used to patronize Tarboosh in RWC and thanks to Meredith's review below, know why the food is not the same as it used to be a year ago! We are thrilled to find the chef at Fayrouz.
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despite being completely ignored for about 5 minutes after walking in the door, our overall experience was pleasant. the food was really good. beware of the free pita bread on the table with the dip. i have no idea what it's called nor what's in it, but it was unbelievably good, so restrain yourself to save room for dinner. the appetizers we had, the falafel and some meat in pastry crust was pretty good. the kabab platter is very large, and i sampled all the meats, which were really tasty and very tender. i had the snapper, which was excellent. the desserts were OK. we took the waitress' recommendation and tried her favorite... i think it was too adventurous for our liking.. tasted like we were eating soap. i think it had rose petals in it or something.
the restaurant itself is really nice. it looks like they put a lot into fixing the place up. live belly dancing was cool too. the downside is that it does get pretty noisy, especially if you're there after their club opens up --which you don't get to go to for free even though you've had dinner there. i'm not sure why they don't allow it since the club was pretty empty.
if not for the spotty service, i'd probably give this place 5 stars. it's a great place to go if you have a big group (we had 9)
oh yes, and i must mention that our friend took home all of our left overs and swears he got food poisoning after eating it.. though i am skeptical because we all ate the same food and no one got sick... but i just thought this might be worth mentioning... doesn't affect my rating though. i'd still go back.
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What's up with having two names? C'mon. Seriously. How the hell do you expect customers to tell people about your restaurant if YOU CAN"T FIGURE OUT WHICH NAME TO USE??? Is it Fayrouz or Illusions? In this hurly-burly world, who has time to figure out such nonsense? Surely not I.
So, thanks to my lovely friends Hamid and Nilou for breaking the code. Turns out this place is actually quite good. On their advice, we stuck with the mezzes; they don't think the entrees measure up. I was game as 1) my friends know good Middle Eastern food and 2) I love a meal with lots of tasty bites. The mezzes were, indeed, outstanding. The presentation was quite lovely. And, we even had a surprisingly nice bottle of Lebanese wine to satisfy ourselves.
While the dessert menu looked interesting it was the hookah menu that really caught my eye. Next time...
The redo (previously a nightclub) of the space is nice. With a private little terrace out-front, a nice sized bar and smallish seating area for the restaurant you would never know that there is an additional space (dubbed the "ballroom") that can hold up to 1,000 people for a party!
So while I recommend this place highly for the mezzes I do have one disclaimer... on Friday and Saturday evenings they apparently have belly dancing. The cheese factor is just too high for me on that one.
eating here for lunch with some ex-hp colleagues.
i hope its great!!!
review forthcoming...
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Update 1JUNE07:
The above review was made while actually _sitting in_ the Illusions restaurant on my PDA.
I had super-high expectations based on 2 things:
1) the high number of 5 star reviews and the subsequent 4 star rating.
2) a recommendation from damon.
It was a fantastic day for lunch, great company from hp, great weather, but so-so food and even worse experience in trying to "revive" this review on Yelp! I write this particular review in Helsinki, Finland (see: http://yelp.com/l/JuSN... ) when I should be working at 1AM... Thank god for jet-lagged review energy, I'll really NEVER forget this place.
Pros:
+ Semi-convenient street parking
+ Great courtyard for outdoor dining
+ Nice ambiance and decor
+ Beautiful presentation for food
+ Decent Wine Card (however the hp folks didn't indulge, so i didn't)
Cons:
- lack of strong flavors
- (-1 STAR) for not having the Meat Shwaerma (sp?) plate available. WTH?
- (-1 STAR) for lukewarm dry tasteless overpriced chicken shwaerma (sp?). It's truly sad that they got this wrong. I really expected the meat to be hot-off the grill, flavorful, succulent and tender.
- (Potential -1/2 STAR) highish lunch prices (apx $13 for one lunch plate - total $18/pp) Poor dollar to value ratio. I'd rather have eaten at the Mediterranean Wraps (see: http://www.yelp.com/bi... ) down the street !
- (Potential -1/2 STAR) for inattentive, aloof service, two different waitresses came by on two occasions and did NOT offer to refill my empty soda until I asked
Final judgement: 3 Stars however -1 STAR for sicking the Yelp! police on my review for allegedly violating the terms of service. hm...
I would come back if someone was treating but would not recommend (sorry Damon! - I normally love ALL your recommendations except this time!!!). Caveat Emptor.