Cleopatra Mediterranean Grill 2

Never have I had anything even remotely close to resembling a decent meal at a restaurant in a strip mall; however, whether it is a sign of the times or just pure luck, this spot has finally changed it all.
My girlfriend and I were quickly met upon entering with a friendly, «Sit wherever you want.» I chose a spot near the kitchen so that I could watch some of the action. There were only 3 women in the front of the house, which seems appropriate when you consider the size of this establishment. Two of the girls were utilized for the 10 or so tables, and the other was manning the carry out orders. All of the girls were pleasant, but Sue, waitress and manager, took care of us very nicely.
Sue quickly approached, fetching a drink order. As I looked around, it was apparent that cleanliness is important to the manager. Besides a table that was left with a few dirty dishes on it, the place was impeccably clean. When Sue came back I ordered a few appetizers (6 different things, because the fat man inside me refuses to die), so that I could get an idea of the type of quality they were dishing out.
As I stated earlier, nearly every restaurant that I have been to inside a strip mall have been less than stellar. Cleopatra’s did NOT follow suit. Before the apps came out, they served us warm bread, salsa and garlic spread, which comes for everyone who comes in for dinner. All three tasted great.
Then came out the Mixed Maza, consisting of hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, fattoush, falafel, lamb and vegetarian grape leaves, fried kibbie, mixed vegetables and pickles. Everything was fresh and tasted amazing! My only (very small) gripe, is that the hummus and tabouli portions were fairly small; but, beyond that I was beyond pleased. The baba ghanouj was outstanding!
I also ordered the raw kibbie, which is a mixture of extra lean lamb finely ground with cracked wheat, herbs, and spices. Here is my 2^nd minor gripe. While the raw kibbie was better than most places, it’s still not up to my high standards for this dish. Ever since I learned how to make it myself there are only two other places that seem to make it as good as I do when I make it homemade, and sadly this place was not one of those two. Still, I would suggest ordering it if you’ve never had it, as it is a decent representation of what this dish is.
Then we tried some of the soups. The lamb chili, which came with black beans, was well seasoned and tasted great. Also, the lamb with vegetables soup was super delicious as well. I am not a big soup person, but if I want soup again in the future those two will be on my mind.
Finally, the main course comes. I ordered the shish combo for two, which includes one lamb kabob, two shish tawook (chicken kabobs), and two shish kafta (charbroiled lamb with parsley, onions, and house seasonings). I was amazed at how perfectly executed all of the meat was. I forgot to tell Sue how I wanted my meat cooked, and she brought it out a perfect medium, with juices flowing with every slice of the tender lamb. Served with a mound of Arabic rice and grilled vegetables like carrots, peppers and zucchini, this dish was the highlight of the evening.
Lastly, I tried the rice pudding. This kind of dessert is usually hit or miss with me. Tonight fell somewhere in between. I’m not a big fan of rosewater rice pudding, which this was; but, it wasn’t bad. On top of that, I was asked if I wanted it heated with raisins and honey, but I politely declined. If I would’ve known it was rosewater styled, I may have tried it that way. Still, I wouldn’t say it was bad by any means.
While I was on the fence about giving Cleopatra’s 4 or 5 stars, I decided on five because the service was great, the food, for the most part, was some of the best Lebanese I’ve ever had, and the presentation of the food was stellar. Lastly, when you serve Coke over any other carbonated beverage, you’ve got my vote as a top spot. Yes, sometimes you have to put aside why you don’t like something, and that is what I did here. For the very few MINOR things I did not enjoy, they were basically based on personal preference as opposed to being executed poorly. Basically, everything was executed to perfection, and this place not only deserves to keep making food for me and my family, but also to make their high-​quality food for you and yours. Go there and you will be pleased.
**Check out my pics of the food and menu. **

Ordered take out from Cleopatras– the grape leaves are amazing! Very reasonable pricing, generous portions, friendly staff. Will be returning again!

Great service and food. This was my first visit. Ordered the combo for 2 as a takeout. They give you quite a bit of food with a nice variety. Will definitely be back.

Food was really good and plentiful. I got take-​out so did not eat inside to rate service. Inside has horrible lighting so don’t look for ambience. They should do something to improve to make warmer. Looked very clean inside. I definitely will be going back for more take-​out.

I ordered take out from here and got the chicken and beef saji.
The chicken was actually good but the beef was bland at best.
Also, ordered ranch it is obviously not home made and boring kraft or hidden vally.

Went here yesterday for lunch & was SUPER happy! My friend & I got the starter combo; we’re not a fan of tabbouleh so we got double hummus instead. Wish we would have gotten double baba ghanooj because it was FABULOUS! The hummus was good also, but not as thick as we feel it should be. Their pita bread is baked in a stone fired oven & was decent; wish it wasn’t as dense, but still a good pita bread. The garlic sauce was really good & for me, this is a staple «must» for any Lebanese restaurant. I got the chicken shwarma sandwich w/​rice. I really liked the pita bread as it had a touch of sweetness to it, which was a pleasant surprise & the chicken was juicy & flavorful. The rice pilaf was good as well… they do give you a LOT of rice too! My friend had the fattoush tawook salad, it was HUGE! The chicken breast was really flavorful & there was a LOT of it. This salad is definitely something that could be shared w/​2 people. We both agree we’ll visit again, sooner than later!

Been here a couple times with my husband. The lamb shawarma is always tender and so flavorful. The fresh bread and garlic dip is delicious.

Wife and I tried it when it first opened up and were disappointed. We tried it again a few weeks later and glad we did. The chicken Swarma, fattousch salad, and raw kibbee are very good. We get it at least twice a week now.

A very good first visit for us a few weeks ago.
Falafel Sandwich, Chicken Shawarma, soups, and hummus.
The pitas and garlic dip kept the kids full. The Falafel and Chicken Shawarma wraps were very large and filling too.
The place looks great. Very clean restrooms also!
Our only complaints:
The Soup was incredibly HOT! We could not even eat it until well after our sandwiches arrived.
Food staging was off and we ended up with more plate than we could fit on our table.
We will certainly be back though!

We were enjoying our meal. I ordered Sauté‘Tender pieces of lamb sautéed with Mushrooms, cilantro, garlic and herb lemon sauce. Just loved it and very tasty. Defenetly a place I can recommend and I will back again. Hubby enjoyed Salmon Ghallaba zesty. Just outstanding food and great atmosphere and service. Will be back soon.

I just recently noticed this new restaurant in my neighborhood. Mediterranean food is not plentiful near me so I was glad to see it.
Walked in not knowing what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. Clean, bright, tables set well, a counter to dine at, and the menu was very nice in its content and design.
Several items on the menu that intrigued me but my best judge of a restaurant is if my favorite item is good. I ordered the chicken shawarma, received hot bread, garlic sauce, and their variation of a salsa. That right there prompted me to order some hummus. Everything was fabulous!
The food was awesome and I took a carry out menu with me so I can call in for pick ups. Sooooo happy to have this restaurant in my neighborhood and looking forward to my return.
My reason behind the four star rating was because servers need a bit more training. One of the servers took my hummus to another table, argued with the kitchen, and then my server took my hummus away from that table to bring to me. YUCK! Bad moves all around. Training is needed.
I’ll be back

Enjoyed lunch here today with a group of four. We were served hot fresh bread with garlic and a type of Egyptian salsa. This stuff was very good. We ordered a large spicey hummus. Just the right amount of spice. We all had schwarma wraps for entrees. Chicken and lamb were both excellent. The facility is very clean and the staff is friendly.

Tried this with hubby for the first time. We love middle eastern food, and eat it quite often. It was just ok. Not the best, not the worst we have had. Start with the Pita. Brought to the table fresh and hot, along with garlic paste and «salsa». Smelled amazing. Since I am gluten free, (not by choice!), I could not partake, and was tortured! However, the bread was too thick, so hubby commented that it was dough-​y, (and it appeared to be when split open). First disappointment. Lentil soup seemed watered down. Although flavored with a cumin like spice, (which was nice), and improved somewhat when we added salt, it could have been better. Again, seemed watered down. I had the lamb ghallub (? Spelling?). Hubby have shish tawook, lemon and garlic. One of the amazing things about middle eastern food is good tender the meat typically is… See where I’m going? My lamb was tough and chewy, hubby days chicken was not as tender as normal. Couple of pluses: hummas was very good, nitt overly garlic or tahini tasting. Also, portions were HUGE, and service was quick. Although, while very nice, the impression we had was the waitress was but very experienced. She held the trays incorrectly, we had to ask for water, etc. So, it did warrant giving them another try, but I’ve had better.