Karoun

I brought my boyfriend here to get a little taste of armenian culture, and it was an overpriced, overglorified and watered down middle eastern ‘experience’. The food was absolutely not worth the price. The pilaf and fasouya were bland, and the kibbe was gross. Another sore spot was the crowd. I remember years ago, that the crowd consisted mostly of armenians, and that it was lively and fun. However, we went on a Saturday night and there was hardly anyone there. The music also sucked. Where was the live band? It was just two guys on a keyboard singing french. The only highlight was the belly dancing and gymnastic routine. The ladies were fantastic and was very enjoyable. It was a shame no one went up to dance. Overall, Karoun has really gone down hill, better suited for folks looking for an ‘exotic’ experience.

First of all, this is my first time trying middle eastern food (it wouldn’t be my first choice for food). But I gave this place a try because they have this belly dancing show (starts at 9:30p I believe) which I found it to be quite unique. My friends & I went here on a saturday night for their pre-​fixed menu (which is $ 42 (more or less) with a cold and hot appetizer, your choice of entrée and dessert with coffee or tea. I did enjoyed their hot appetizer (which was grape leaves and another dish), didn’t enjoyed much on the cold appetizer (mostly hummus/​spreads/​cheese), kabobs were just so so (either beef was a bit overcooked, or there’s nothing special about it), and lastly the desserts were way too sweet for me. The only thing I enjoyed was the belly dancing show (I don’t think I had been to a restaurant with these kind of entertainment). The show lasted around ½ hour or so (the dancer did some cool belly dancing show and then invite people to go with her to dance in public).

We ate here last Saturday as a family of 6. We were initially seated at a table with AC blasting on it. We asked to be moved and the confused waitress tried to move us to a table for 4 that she said was the same size. We pointed at another table that would fit us. After I swapped out a wobbly broken chair, we were able to look at the menu.
It took about 10 solid minutes before the same waitress came to take our order. It looked like there was only 1 waitress there. I could see a group of 3 older people sitting at a table near the front. I assume they were the owners and they did not offer to help her.
We ordered the Meze platter (~$ 32), chicken kebob, garlic chicken and lamb kebob.
I thought the meze platter which was a mix of hummous, baba ganoush, taboulii was pretty good. Others at the table did not like it. The pita was bad with small pieces of almost stale packaged bread. You would think it would be homemade in a restaurant like this.
The lamb was OK but was overcooked. There was a vegetable stir fry with the meals that was marginal.
We had a long wait to have a waitress come by our table after we were done eating. After about 5 minutes of waiting, we got up to ask for the check.
The belly dancer was supposed to start at 8PM. We left at 8:15. She had not started by then and unfortunately did not get to see that.
This place is getting old and dirty. It needs upgrades in the kitchen and with the service.

Found our way back again. Early dinner on a Friday (like 6:30 — before going down the street to a movie). Very quiet inside. Such friendly service and nice attention from a small staff. Things came out in a timely manner.
Yogurt Lamb Kebab, Salmon entrees; both perfectly cooked and flavored beautifully. Armenian salad; big enough to share, lovely dressing with nice greens and perfectly done chick peas.
Small (by our request) nicely made deserts with good tasting Armenian coffee.
Price; not bargain basement, but certainly a good value for the quality of everything.
Bathrooms — very good.
Could hardly ask for better. Again, I’m tempted to make it 5 stars, just because they’re so good, though I keep saving that 5 stars for the ultra-​über-​superlative. Let’s just call it an «enthusiastic 4-​star review» We’ll keep going back.

Absolutely loved our experience here! The food was amazing (see photos) and the staff made us feel like part of the family. The belly dancer show was really cool! The whole place has a really happy vibe to it, a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday night.
Must try: lamb kabobs. Wow. Like wow.

Tha main dishes were very good. The 3 stars are based mainly on the appetizers. We ordered a mixed plate-​which is not on the menu, but the server said she will have one made for us. It had tabuli, humus, babaganush, grape leaves and spinach pies. The only thing we liked on this plate were the grape leaves. They were really good.
People were dancing, so this was very good and entertaining.
If you go, just go for the main dishes, and forgo the appetizers.
Have fun.

This is a place to take a group for an interactive and enjoyable evening! The very good service, delicious food, and the reasonable prices not withstanding, it was the entertainment of Melina, the belly dancer, and her two accomplished assistants that will bring our group back! Melina was a true performer, executing a series of very challenging poses with precision, control and humor. By the end our satisfying meal, we were out on the dance floor with a number of other patrons of varying skill levels.
For anyone who has not yet tried Lebanese cuisine, as two in our group had not, this is a perfect location. You cannot go wrong with the hummus, baba ganoush, borek, and stuffed grape leaves as starters. The lamb kabob is their signature dish, for good reason. Two of us did a lamb and beef mixed grill, and one for the kibbe for the table to try. All mouthwatering! Last, the wide selection of bottled wines were priced were very reasonably.

We usually get takeout: grape leaves, humus, babaganouj, and mouhamara. Together they make a delicious dinner. The mouhamara is a standout.

Cruising through Unilocal on a friday night and I see that this restaurant has possitive reviews… Shocked to say the least, food was poor, service was non existant. No idea how they pay the rent.

I took my daughter out to dinner here — as a quasi-​reward for her landing a good job. This place struck the right balance of somewhat fancy without being too pretentious or requiring a reservation. It was relatively quiet — as you’d expect from a restaurant on a Tuesday night. One of the owners greeted us and served us – and I learned that it is a local institution of sorts, family owned and run, and perhaps nearing the end of its long and storied life. I had a kabob; my daughter a soup of some kind. Both were excellent. The place is more festive on Saturday night when there is belly dancing — a distraction I would not have enjoyed for this occasion. The décor is kind of dark and, frankly, a bit depressing without the noise and gaiety of people dancing. Perfect for a private meeting — though the somewhat gloomy atmosphere might be unromantic for some. But if you’ve got to fire someone — or you’re planning a divorce — the perfect spot — with good food to balance things off!

We went on Valentines day were it was a pre fixe only for $ 75 a couple. Not a bad price. It came with an appetizer sampler, and a kabob meal with sides. The items in the appetizer were good, but they looked like things I could have bought at Whole Foods, and the artichokes came right out of a can. We got the shrimp and lamb kabob, and it was alright. It really needed some type of sauce. The shrimp and rice were kind of dry and didn’t have a ton of flavor. The side of veggies had tomato sauce on it???
The wine menu only offers a small handful of wines by the glass, so I went with the house chardonnay. blech!
The atmosphere was great, but we were too early to see the live dancing and music. 9 is just kind of late to have dinner for me But, I’m guessing that’s real attraction of this place.
I’m not really sure who my waitress was. There were 3 or 4 women serving us when we first got in, and then we had to flag someone don to order our entrees.

Ginger chicken was awesome and the appetizers were great. Added on to the good ambiance, The belly dancing and the lite music stood out.

Karoun is a Mixed Bag.
The food is good and the belly dancing (specific nights only) is excellent, but there are issues. The biggest issue is the very loud music that continues well after the belly dancer has finished preforming. The «singer» doesn’t take any breaks to allow for dinner conversation. You can’t hear the person across the table from you. My guest was so uncomfortable with the volume that we skipped dessert and left early. I felt badly because it was my idea to go here. The other issues are having only 1 vegetarian option and slow service.

Absolutely DELICIOUS, fresh, middle eastern food accompanied by stiff drinks, and a sometimes a lovely belly dancer.
What else need be said? You should go, and bring your whole crew, ’cause the place is really big. :=)

We went around 6:30 on a weeknight, so barely anyone was there, and there was just a single waitress serving. We had to wait quite awhile for the check, but the food was served fairly promptly. I had the swordfish kebab, which was very good, if just a touch on the warm (not hot) side, and my boyfriend had the kibbe, which was also tasty. I’d love to go back when the place is more lively!

Rice was too buttery as well as overcooked, pita bread worse than supermarket quality, and vegetables were bland. We were expecting more based on the other reviews.
The hummus was good. We ordered the lamb kabob and garlic chicken as entrees. Entrees were edible but not worthy of being served at a restaurant.
The service was only ok. We never got the water refill we asked for twice and they did not have straws for our children. They brought them short bar stirrers which they had a hard time with since they were do short.
We will not return.

Had a fantastic meal a nd lots of fun and laughs here for dinner. There are so many unusual items on the menu it was a great change from the normal routine places we have been eating. Not so much a kids place, but for adults it is entertaining and fun. Lots of alcohol selections and the food really was good. The group menu is a fantastic deal for all the great variety of food you get on platters and can feed many many people. The environment was clean and decorated nice. We had a fun time.

Enjoyed our time at Karoun recently while celebrating our anniversary. We had the full course dinner for two and chose the yogurt lamb kabobs and seafood medallions for our entrees. They were tender, flavorful and marvelously delicious. The live music and belly dancing were added bonuses. Our server Renee was such a delight we treated her like a daughter. Thank you Renee, John, and Celia for such a fantastic evening. We shared the evening with many other diners who were also celebrating special occasions with their respective parties.

I just had my bday dinner here on Friday and I had an absolutely amazing time!
We had a party of 9 and they sat us at a large table just next to the dance floor — perfect view for the belly dancing.
Since we were a large party, we opted for their group menu ($ 34.99/person plus tax/​tip). They brought out 2 huge mezze plates (hummos, babganush, feta, olives, tabuloeh and this other thing that i can’t remember the name of it). This was plenty for 9 of us. You then got a choice of entrée (3 different kabab options and 1 fish option). They also give you dessert (bahlava) and coffee.
I grew up in the middle-​east (in Saudi Arabia and in Dubai) and I have found that the Boston area has crap Middle Eastern food/​options. However, here the food was REALLY great. I had the Chicken/​Lamb kabobs — they were so good. I tend to stay away from Chicken at restaurants because it is often times so overcooked and dry, but not here. It was perfectly seasoned and cooked and the lamb was to die for.
The belly dancing show was phenomenal… some of the best I’ve seen. At the end of her show, she pulled a friend and mine up and taught us a few moves… I’m sure I looked ridiculous, but the wine made me forget how to be embarrassed.
They have a full bar and long wine list… I was disappointed in the wine list, only because all the bottles were VERY expensive.
When they brought the dessert out, they band sang Happy Birthday and had a candle in my piece of Baklava. It was very cool!
Don’t be deceived by the $ 35/​person thing though… their drinks are quite expensive, so if you are planning on drinking while you are there, be sure to factor that in to your budget.
I would definitely go back again! I had a great time.

Make yourself a gift: have a dinner with friends at Karoun!
Food is not spectacular, but where do you find a real Armenian kitchen this side of the pond anyway? This one is as close to authentic as it gets thousands miles from Erevan, Los Angeles and Beirut. And if you like Greek/​Turkish/​Lebanese/​Israeli cusine, you’ll be very satisfied with Karoun’s offerings.
Music and songs in almost every European language create very nice and festive athmosphere. So when belly dancer starts her show you are ready to take it in fullest. What a joy! These girls are so good. Clearly exceeded my expectation of what dance level is possible in a … restaurant. That’s right.