Open Sesame

Open Sesame has been one of my go to restaurants in Long Beach for 8 years now. We used to go once a week but over the last year we have had some bad experiences with the portions and consistency of the food. While we prefer to eat at the restaurant it is a fantastic option for a weeknight relaxing dinner at home with leftovers for the next day.
Our order at the restaurant is $ 70 to $ 80 and is closer to $ 50 when we get takeout but every time they are quick to nickel and dime us over a small side of garlic sauce or one extra pita. This is something that definitely changed as they have grown. We order medium rare and rarely get anything less than medium well. One visit the portions are extremely large with plenty of rice and the next time a lunch size portion of chicken schawarma and ½ a scoop of rice. I still love the food and atmosphere at the restaurant.

My all time favorite restaurant for almost 10 years. Whether you’re veggie or you eat meat — they got the goods. You can pretty much order anything and it will be a taste of heaven.
In the last 10 years, they’ve expanded and now have three locations on the street. I would say 2 of 3 are totally acceptable and inviting, however the newest location (used to be Rocky Mountain chocolate factory) is completely intolerable. It’s very cold feeling-​tile floors and minimal wall décor, so it’s got a constant reverb and the small room seriously smells like a toilet. Very confused about this location, considering the other two locations on the street are so well done. Hopefully they are still in the works of renovation. I will continue to ask to wait for a seat at the other two locations to eat my delicious meal!

I could live off Mediterranean cuisine for the rest of my life, and Open Sesame would be a key player in that scenario.
We came here on Christmas Day. Advance planners that we are, we had no reservations. Still, we got seated within 20 minutes. They’ll text you when you’re table is ready, so you can go stroll along 2^nd Street while waiting. It was a little chilly in Long Beach that night (i.e., perfectly normal for anyone outside of SoCal), but their enclosed, heated space out front was super comfortable.
We ordered the Open Sesame and Vegetarian Combos. For two, that was plenty of food. They’ll also bring you more pita if you’d like. We paired that with an Ixsir Altitudes white wine. I say «paired» as though there was a ton of thought in selecting that wine to enhance these dishes versus just going with the cheapest white wine on the menu. In any case, it was a great wine and *did* go well with our dishes. The prices are a little high, but the quality of the food justifies that in my opinion.
Service was attentive without being annoying and generally friendly. It was a really busy night, so they were somewhat rushed. That’s totally expected on Christmas Day, though.
I’ll definitely be back whenever I’m in Long Beach.

EAT THE FRIED POTATOES OR DIE WITH REGRET.
They’re so good. I am glad I don’t live super close otherwise I would be 50lbs heavier by now. I always have them when I am here. For lunch I have the chicken shawarma with an open sesame salad, but if it’s dinner time I’ll go for the lamb plate. So tender and wonderfully marinated — wish I knew the recipe.
Other must haves are spicy hummus, topped with kibbeh or babaghanouj.
It’s always super busy but I always take that as a good sign. Restaurants that aren’t busy are usually empty for a reason — open sesame is always full of patrons because its so nice!
Side note: The staff is super attentive and friendly. I always feel well taken care of when I am here! cannot wait to come back!

I have been to open sesame numerous times and since the very beginning. It used to be a place you could get a great meal for a great value and be served well. My last few experiences here have been below average and with the price of their food so high now I can’t in good faith recommend this place.
Tonight I picked up a salad to go with added chicken tawook. I should have ordered the dressing on the side but I just assumed that like most restaurants when you order salad to do they pack the dressing separately. They drenched the salad in dressing and also put the hot chicken on top. When I got home 5 mins later and opened it up to eat, what I had was a soggy mess. The container literally had a half inch of dressing on the bottom that the salad was floating in. I was able to eat the chicken but the salad was inedible. And to top it off it was a $ 17 salad?! No thanks.

Ambiance: stylish decorations, the restaurant has three parts of dining area, the original, the expansion and outside tables. It’s a tough mission to find street parking spot in this area. It’s a bit crowded inside.
Service: very fast and friendly, the waitress was very nice and provided helpful recommendations, and even substituted the meat for me
Food: extremely delicious with garlic sauce
Fried Potatoes — ***** famous potatoes, sauteed with cilantro, garlic, roasted chili and lemon juice, a must have here, bold taste, highly recommend
Baba Ghannouj — **** Fire roasted eggplant, delicately mixed with garlic, lemon juice and tahini sauce sprinkled with sumac (sourberry) and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, recommend
Tabouleh — *** Chopped fresh parsley mixed with bulgar (crushed wheat), chopped green onion, tomato, fresh mint, spices, extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice, traditional salad
Beef Kabob — *** very chewy and a bit over cooked
Chicken Kabob — *** soft and average taste
Lamb Labob — **** juicy and tender, full of mouth, recommend
Price: reasonably priced for its quality, expect $ 20 per person

My first impression was, «Nice casual yet elegant atmosphere and glad that they have separate seating areas for the busy nights.»
–Fried potatoes appetizer — loved the lemon juice and cilantro garlic mix with the garlic sauce… amazing!
–Arayes — super fresh ground beef on pita with parsley, onions, and tomatoes, a light appetizer that’s great as a starter
–Good for the adventurous, Kafta — more traditional extra lean ground beef
–Good for the steak lover, Ali’s Favorite — nice zest and tang on a traditional sliced sirloin steak
–Good for the indecisive, Open Sesame Combo — sampler of kafta, chicken tawood, and beef kabob
–Good for the picky eater, Chicken Tawook — a simple charbroiled chicken that’s as moist as it can be, go-​to dish that’s a never fail and sure to please any picky eater
Great choices for sides with my personal favorites being Baba Ghannouj (eggplant) or Tabouleh (mixed chopped herbs) if you want to try something different. Fattoush or Open Sesame salads for something fresh, and Spicy Hummus or regular Hummus for the easy go-​to!
The lasting impression, «Any option is a great option at Open Sesame, and a pleasurable dining experience with a laid back yet classy atmosphere and great service!»

I love love open sesame !!! Fresh, healthy and very flavorful !!! And very reasonably priced, great ambiance, good service and very clean !!! And most importantly very authentic !!! My favorite plate is the chicken shawarma and the fried potatoes is something you die for !!! I would defenatly recommend it for dinner and lunch. Can’t wait to be back !!!

Live COCKROACH in our falafel plate. If you enjoy being served live insects in your salad then head straight to Open Sesame in Long Beach. We used to be regulars — and used to recommend this place to friends. We even had our wedding rehearsal dinner here several years ago. However, it’s gone drastically downhill. In a previous recent visit, the falafel were served flavorless as cardboard. We were informed nothing was wrong with them, only to be called later with an apology that the chef had «forgotten to add the spice to the falafel mix.» Appreciated the apology but clearly the standards have dropped.
Today, being served our food with a roach on its back, legs still wiggling in the air, noticed only after we had both had bites of the food, will sadly be our last visit to Open Sesame.
If you prefer your food vermin free I would avoid this place. We will never be back.
Update: This is a tip for Open Sesame management: when you serve cockroaches to customers a simple apology goes further than a slew of fraudulent 5 star reviews on Unilocal calling the roach victims liars. A roach may have been eventually forgiven but your dishonest business practices reveal this restaurant’s true, creepy (crawly) colors

It is hard to find Lebanese restaurants in the area, but I’ve finally found a place I can always go whenever I’m in the Long Beach area. The original Open Sesame restaurant is the one in the middle of the street and the second location is two stores away on the corner of E 2^nd Street.
If you ever get the chance, order the fried potatoes! They taste unbelievable! It’s tossed with cilantro, lime juice, garlic, peppers, and spices. If you never had Mediterranean/​Lebanese food and this is your first time here, try the Open Sesame Combo which has a mix of skewers of Kafta, Chicken Tawook and Beef Kabob served with Basmati Rice and Hummus or Baba Ghannouj and a garden salad. The Sultan’s platter is also a great choice. The best part is that the portions and pita bread that come complementary allow you to share food easily with your family or friends. The waiters are really nice, but maybe a little quick to get you going if there is a huge wait. It’s a small and intimate setting, so there can be a rush to get people in and out.
The area surrounding Open Sesame is great, so after you’re finished, just take a stroll down 2^nd St/​Belmont to get desserts!

I love open sesame. Place can get kinda busy especially on the weekends.
I usually get the filet mignon plate with basmati rice rice & spicy hummus. It’s delicious. Oh & can’t forget about the potatoes garlicky lemony goodness & garlic sauce with pita bread. Omg so bomb! Their Moroccan iced tea & rose water is great too.
Great place, defined worth the try. Friendly workers and great service.

Okay… YUM. I absolutely love Middle Eastern food, and this is definitely some of the best in Orange County.
We were seated in a side room, which unfortunately, lacked a lot of the atmosphere of the other parts. The lights were bright and we were the only ones there… I felt almost like I was in a back side room and that was kinda disappointing.
BUT the food… gosh it was so good. I got chicken and it was tender and full of flavor. The side salad and hummus was delicious too. I did think that there could have been more pita bread.
The service was pretty good. We did have to ask for our waitress to come a couple of times… but maybe that is because we were so far in the side that no one saw us?
Overall… the food is awesome and worth it, but the service could have been a little bit better.

Open Sesame has been on my radar for literally years, but it took a short jaunt down south for an event with Neil Gaiman to finally bring me to this fantastic little restaurant. Dinner with the boy-​o here proved to be one of our better dinners of the trips!
THE HIGHLIGHTS.
+ No reservations, but plenty of tables open around 6 pm
+ Phenomenal shawarma, kafta, and kabobs (as well as hummus!)
+ Beautifully designed & functional web presence (online ordering!)
+ Bone-​warming Moroccan green tea
I would come back in a heart-​beat, although maybe before the lines start, for sure!

After many years of wanting to try this restaurant, I finally did on the evening of the Long Beach Christmas Parade. I bring this up because I have to thank Open Sesame for allowing my friends and me to stay indoors in this comfy restaurant to watch the parade, even after we were done eating. It was a cold night and I was the only fool running around in shorts and t-​shirt; so you can imagine how much I appreciated them allowing us to do so.
Surpassingly, it wasn’t super crowded and we were seated promptly after checking in. After studying abroad in the Middle East, living there for 6 months, I feel like I’m credibly picky about my Middle Eastern food. I ordered the Lamb Kabob, my favorite Middle Eastern dish, and it was very good. I was impressed when I was asked how I wanted my lamb cooked. I’ve never been asked this at a Middle Eastern restaurant. I ordered it medium. some of the end pieces seemed to be medium rare but the middle pieces were cooked to perfection. The meat was super flavorful, juicy, and tender. It was served with basmati rice, onion, and I chose spicy hummus and taboleh for my two optional sides.
The food was excellent, the atmosphere great, and the service on point. I cannot wait until the next time I’m in the area so I can eat here again. Although I’ve been told the its closet competitor, Magic Lamp, isn’t as good and a good substitute when Open Sesame has too long of a wait. I may have to try it before returning to OS. I really want to compare and contrast the two.

Best Lebanese food I have found in the OC! Definitely recommend trying this place at least once if you are in the area. Prices are a little on the high side but definitely not too expensive. You do get decent sized portions, too.
The restaurant is located in the heart of 2^nd Street in Long Beach so while we were waiting for our table we walked to this little antique store that was large enough to keep us occupied until our table was called.
We started with the cauliflower and I was happy to see that it was not the usual bar style fried cauliflower that is drenched in oil and thickly battered. It is actually lightly fried and delicious! The tahini sauce for dipping was also very tasty.
I went with the lamb and beef mixed dish and my husband ordered the falafel. The hummus was amazing as was the house salad. The falafel was nice and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. One of the better falafels I have had in the US.
Will be back soon!

Open Sesame doesn’t need another review, but just wanted to give my 2 cents. It’s no different than your usual Mediterranean restaurant, except it’s at least $ 5 more for your typical entrée (skewers, rice, and two sides). I also don’t think it’s any tastier or unique – if anything, I’d say it’s on the lower end of what I’ve had in Glendale or even mom and pop stores you can find throughout Orange County.
We ordered a flatbread, which is quite small (like a baby pizza), fried potatoes, and an open sesame combo. Everything was decent, but not worth driving for or wanting to come back again. Bill came to $ 40 for the three dishes.
It gets super packed (not sure why) and prepare for small tables scattered throughout the restaurant. Service is friendly and attentive, which are always a plus for me.

Location: This Open Sesame (and its small corner expansion a few doors down) is located in Belmont Shore on 2^nd Street in Long Beach. Parking is all meter and street parking unless you go pretty far down the side streets which are mostly residential. Meters end around 7pm though I think…
Service: Despite being a Friday night when we went, we were actually seated immediately. Being newbies to this location of Open Sesame, when she took us «next store» we couldn’t help but immediately wonder if they had expanded??? The room we sat in was VERY different from what seemed the main room which was much more decorated and aesthetically pleasing. There was nothing wrong with the room per say, but we could see the drink dispensers, waiters/​waitresses getting our water, etc. I guess a trade off for being seated and served faster? Our hostess and waitress were both great though — food came out fairly fast and hot. She checked on us a few times once we had food. All good.
Food: I decided to try the Chicken Tawook plate with tabouli salad and hummus. I was a little weirded out that you had to ADD the rice to the plate for an extra $ 2. Some of the other plates came with rice already? Overall the food was yummy — I liked the hummus a lot and the tabouli salad made for a good accompaniment to the chicken. My husband tried the beef shwarma pita wrap — he liked it for the most part. We think that it had a fairly strong tahini taste, but it wasn’t off putting per say. Well, unless you don’t like tahini of course. He said next time he probably would plan to try a plate — he ended up eating some off my plate since you get a pretty good variety of side dishes and accompaniments with the plates.
Overall: A good option in Belmont Shore for Lebanese/​Mediterranean food but to be honest, I think it was comparable (no better and no worse) than some of its competitors in the exact same area (not naming names). If this place were crowded, and I wanted this kind of food, I wouldn’t be upset if I had to go down the street and vice versa…4 stars for food and service. Ambiance in the room we were in wasn’t great — less decorated than the other «main» room and LOUD. Dont expect to be able to hold a nice quiet convo in that room.

4 stars? Yeah I was a different person back then, a much better version of myself today :)
A+: Fried potatoes — ok I’m seriously laughing at my old review as I write this. What was I talking about? I LOVE the fried potatoes and I heart the garlic dip. It’s the reason why I keep coming back
A: Beef schwarma — nicely seasoned and tender. wonderful with the warm pita bread and hummus spread
C: Open Sesame pizza — it’s the onion, I can’t do onions
B: Tabouleh Salad — I need to remind myself that I don’t like tabouleh, I keep ordering it, the mint is too potent for me
They had a special that night on wines and so our bottle was half off, even better.
Can’t wait for my next meal there!

We came to Open Sesame on the recommendation of my husband’s co-​worker on a Friday night. I was excited to try a new Middle Eastern spot, and reading the reviews, I had high expectations.
When we arrived at around 8pm, there was a 30 minute wait for a table of 4. They have a very modern system that sends you a text message once your table is ready. We signed our name on the list and went for a walk. When we came back, we were shown to our table.
The service was okay to bad. It took a long time for our server to reach our table. So long that she actually just ended up taking both our drink and food orders at the same time. Then, one of the servers brought us a chicken shawarma we hadn’t even ordered. It took about 10 minutes for someone to come and take it from our table to the right table. Directly from our table to theirs after sitting at our table… Oh God. We hadn’t touched it, at least.
Concerning the food, I wasn’t really impressed. It wasn’t very memorable. I ordered the beef kabob medium, and for it being top sirloin it was really tough! It was very lacking and as someone mentioned, cooked unevenly. There were some pieces that were well done and others more rare. However, the tabouli and hummus were delicious. My husband ordered the open sesame combo and he wasn’t very happy either. Maybe we should have ordered the chicken.
Overall, I was really disappointed. The sides were delicious, yet the meat itself was lacking. The food is not worth the price. The service wasn’t that impressive either. I’m not sure I’d return.

Came to Belmont shore and was craving for Lebanese food. Open Sesame had the highest rating in the area so why not check it out. We were lucky able to get seated at a nice cozy booth for 4 ppl. It was an intimate area and less noisy.
The staff was friendly so I would give them 4 stars. They checked with us to make sure we were good. But what I had issues was with the kitchen!!! It took them at least 30 mins to get our food. When the food finally came, the chicken plate was delicious. I have no issues with the flavor, salad was good, and hummus was fresh. But the filet mignon were so disappointing. I asked for medium rare and it came well done. Aside from that, it didn’t have enough seasoning. Sigh… At least the chicken plate made up for it the disappointing remainder of the experience. Food I would rate 3.5. Wait time for food 1 star!!!