Almaza

I decided to give almaza a try as it was nearby my job. Of course, I was craving a chicken fattoush salad and decided to check them out. It was not on the regular menu, but I asked if they could check with the chef. He kindly agreed to make my favorite salad. It was very tasty and a nice sized portion. Service was friendly and there was a nice atmosphere. Overall, pretty good experience. I plan to visit again.

* Changing Times — I started out as an Almaza fan! with their Gyro as crisp as crisp can be. A simple menu (which is now a standard for most of the places serving this kinda food. The gyro sandwich, the shawarma, the lamb shank etc
# But of late their chef changes and some restructure, had made their food below par and not having its usual bite. So I downgraded its rating from 4 – 3.
* Economical Mean — Gyro comes under 10 $ with fries and a drink in their lunch specials which they dis-​continue time and again.
* Favorite Meal — Their lamb shank is one of the better around. But the problem is that it is not available always. Infant me and my friends have tried to go there and have it now and then and have been sticking to the shawarma or gyro about 80% of the time.
* Hostess — I’ve had a variety experience with Almaza also. As in other places, the waitress change after every semester with new students willing to work and old dropping out for better places. One was especially bad last year — she kept being really rude (don’t know if its me being india etc).
* Location — since it very close to house, i go there often on my way back home especially when I am tired of cooking etc.

I got the chicken shwarma platter and grape leaves. The best part of the meal was the side salad. I wanted it to be better, but the chicken was very dry. It would have been ok if I could dip it in the side of hummus, but that was a very strange hummus. The hummus almost seemed watered down and with no flavor. The rice also had no flavor. The grape leaves didn’t taste right.

From the moment we walked in to Almaza’s, we knew that this was going to be a much different dining experience than anywhere else in the LSU area. The music playing was at the perfect volume for its calm, peaceful notes to set a tone in the place that was immediately apparent. The people around us were sitting at tables already cleared, enjoying each other’s conversation. Needless to say, this has been our favorite date spot.
On to the food. To begin with, we ordered the fried cheese and a plate of hummus. Take it from a man who is not cheese’s biggest fan, this is a must have. There is a bit of vinegar supplied at the table, which pairs perfectly with the smooth taste and texture of the hummus. The timing of the food and service was truly exceptional.
For our entrees, we ordered the boneless chicken kabob and gyro platter. I personally was responsible for the destruction of the boneless chicken kabobs, while my significant other went to town on the gyro platter. The chicken was tender and well cooked while still very juicy. It was quite the experience.
As the head chef of a local restaurant, I understand the effort that was put into the food, service, and atmosphere. I cannot recommend Almaza’s enough.

Not sure how this place got all these awesome reviews — maybe it was better in the past???
Gyro meat dry.
Chicken dry but tasty.
Rice unremarkable.
Hummus runny and bland!
Waitress friendly.
Out of spinach pie.
Desserts on menu unavailable.
Tried «baklava cake» — stale. But even if fresh, tasteless…
Lebanese tea was pitiful.
With all the awesome Mediterranean restaurants in Baton Rouge, surprised this one is still open…

Almaza is located on East Boyd Drive near the South gates of campus. The food here is amazing. Whether you go for an authentic Lebanese or Mediterranean dish it will always taste mind blowingly good
I tried the chicken sandwich and it was great. I highly recommend checking this place out even though it doesn’t get a lot of buzz, it’s a golden jem.

Solid gyros. Not the greatest ever, but consistent enough to keep me coming back for lunch when I get a craving. Always clean with good service. I also like their hummus.

Delicious halal burgers! Thats all we ever order lol. This place is definitely somewhere to stop by if your in BR and lookibg for good halal food.

Simple but really good food. I haven’t been here on business in almost 5 years and wanted to go for sure as soon as i got here. Glad its as good as i remember.

Went here for the first time tonight. They had a sandwich special where you could get a gyro or shawarma pita with a side and drink for $ 6.99. For the sides you can get fries, hummus, rice pilaf, or salad. My chicken shawarma was great, but the rice pilaf wasn’t good at all. I plan on getting the hummus next time.

One of my favorite restaurant when i visit Baton Rouge. Halal and close to Middle Eastern Persian/​Iranian food especially the lamb shank I wish there is someone in Boston who know how to do it like them. :) word of advice make a website page for your restaurant.

Chicken schwarma… YES! Mediterranean gyro salad… YES! The meat is seasoned great!

My roommate heard about this place, and we sort of became friends because of our love of trying new and interesting foods. So, one night, we decide to try it, because neither of us had ever really had Persian food. We loaded into the truck and headed down there. This is truly an interesting restaurant; they serve several different types of food: American, Greek and Persian.
We each tried something different. I got the Lamb Shank roasted with mint, onions and garlic. I have never eaten much lamb, but this was delicious, and what made it even better was how tender and juicy it was. It was falling off the bone. It came with a side of rice, and the rice was ok.
For a side, I had the hummus. I liked the hummus ok, but the best hummus I have had is still found at Roman’s. They also made me sad because they did not have any desserts. It turns out that they outsource the dessert making, so be prepared for them to be out some days.
Overall, go try it when you are in the mood for something a bit different.

I love Almaza. The only place in BTR to have any Persian dishes. Although they are «Greek and Lebanese food» they do offer some Persian dishes on the back of the menu. If you’re Muslium its great because during Ramadan they will bring you tea and dates to break your fast. Friendly service and great prices. Try the the lamb shank plate and ask for mint and grilled onions. The stuffed grape leaves are mouth watering. Yumm. The only bad part is that its next door to Shady’s so it can get loud on the weekend.

Incredible food. Traditional greek and lebanese fare. Chicken schwarma, gyro.

I hit this place about once a week. The prices are reasonable and their portions are huge. The cheeseburger is always a safe bet and one of the best in town. I also have yet to have a catfish platter that didn’t satisfy. If you’re feeling adventurous try the gyro platter or sandwich, but be warned if you’re a bit early for lunch or dinner the meat may be a little dry so it’s best to order when there is a lot of business. Also give the fried kibbe and side Greek salad a taste!

This place gets very crowded during lunch. The chicken shwarma was a bit too dry for my taste. However, the Greek side salad was excellent. I loved the fresh lettuce, olives, and feta cheese combination. Also, the lamb shank was splendid. The meat was very tender & slid right off of the bone. It was spiced very well. The waitress was nice & she gave me my last drink refill in a to-​go cup. Overall, it was a great middle eastern lunch place.

Almaza is a rather «underrated» or «overlooked» restaurant in the Baton Rouge Greek/​Lebanese/​Middle Eastern market. There is only one location in town, and it’s relatively hard to get to, given the traffic on East Boyd. That, and, it’s rather «hidden» as East Boyd is a «side street,» and it’s opposite to other well-​established eateries in the south LSU area, like Mellow Mushroom and Plucker’s. It doesn’t get as much publicity as other restaurants located immediately north or south of campus.
I have found that the quality of the food is pretty good. Until recently, it was better to eat at Atcha as it was cheaper and better prepared; however, Almaza has improved its quality while Atcha has gone downhill. I find the salad to be very well-​prepared and surprisingly spicy, although it’s strange they bring it to your table before the main entrée, and the meat and hummus are generally in the above-​average category.
Almaza may not be the best Greek restaurant in Baton Rouge (I feel Albasha fits that bill), but it does have a nice variety of meals – both Middle Eastern and some American dishes (although I have not eaten American).
Service varies – they usually only have one person working at all hours. This is fine during rush times, but it can be a tad hectic. Regardless, the service has never been below average, and they usually do a good job.
Price-​wise, it’s near par with Albasha but lower than Serop’s and Roman’s with the portions being at, or slightly greater than, Albasha. Today, Atcha is not much cheaper than Almaza. One setback is that Almaza doesn’t have a lunch menu.
In short, I think Almaza is slowly but surely getting better, but it doesn’t have the reputation that many other Greek and Lebanese restaurants have in town. It’s relatively similar in terms of price and portion to Albasha, and still has a ways to go before it reaches Albasha’s qualities. Regardless, I’ll take Almaza over Serop’s or Roman’s or Atcha anytime. I’d give it 3.5÷5 but will round up to 4.

This is the ONLY persian restaurant in BR so I will come back… but it is really not very good at all. It isn’t awful though… just eh…
Really wish a good persian restaurant would open in BR…

Decent Mediterranean food, it’s main positive is the closeness to campus. If you’re looking for something a little better I’d go with Albasha though.