Mantee Cafe

We walked into this restaurant on a weekday evening and found it empty except for a couple eating at a single table. It took several minutes for anyone to acknowledge our presence.
The owner then came out, asked if we had a reservation, and responded huffily to our question about whether his establishment was open. Several times he returned to our table, sometimes interrupting our conversation. The food was overpriced for average Middle Eastern fare. Better options exist out there, especially Skaf’s. We will not be returning

Our first time at this restaurant. We are visiting Los Angeles for Universal studios and wanted to get some dinner. Unilocal pulled up the restaurant being near us and we walked in (Friday evening) without a reservation.
We clearly surprised them but they figured out a way to accommodate us even though it was clear they were completely full. We ordered the yoghurt kabab, the lamb chops and the chicken and ALL OF IT WAS AMAZING!
If I could afford it I would eat 2000 dollars worth of the above! Too bad we don’t live here otherwise I would be broke. Definitely will visit if we ever come again

This place is amazing. Hands down best Middle Eastern food in town!!! It’s so good I don’t know what to say or write about because it won’t do it justice… The owner, when he’s there is my favorite part. Seriously a very humble, down to earth individual who will come to your table and have some small talk but really makes my day.

Lo maximo mantee café fatuch Zarma the chix kebab deliciosos y el ambiente recontra bonito Romantic

Food was good but $ 18 for this? Total ripoff for the price you can get better food elsewhere

I love middle eastern foods and tried many popular and famous places in LA. So I’m kind of picky about middle eastern restaurants. This is one of the best middle eastern restaurants that you won’t be disappointed. Atmosphere is cozy and casual but not upscaled nor modernized luxury. But don’t get disappointed from the atmosphere. Their foods are good. Service is good. All staffs are attentive but not overly. Even the owner visits your table and makes sure if you are enjoying foods. It’s good for large party too. You are not familiar about the middle eastern foods? Don’t worry. Just ask them, they will honestly recommend you the popular and tasty menus for you.

My absolute favorite place to eat mante. Very fresh delicious and great service. The only downside is that it’s a bit small and closes a bit too early. Overall 5+ stars.

Family style worth your while
Fresh homemade food — the best — try as many dishes as you can, salads, labneh, hummus, olives, eggplant dolma, baba ghanoush, kebab, dessert, fresh mint tea, Lebanese wine.

Want to try the best hummus and basturma in Los Angeles? Then you have to visit Mantee Café. It’s located on Ventura Blvd, with free parking in the back of the restaurant.
The interior is very small — a handful of wood French country style tables fill the room with elegant paintings on the wall… but when you step outside to the patio seating, you’ll find romantic leaf-​shaded patios with lush potted plants massed in every corner under the golden light of Parisian-​style iron street lamps.
You are given a large basket filled with toasted and fresh pita when you are seated, along with a small serving of a dipping sauce made with sesame seeds, olive oil, and anise. The Mantee menu lists several varieties of kebabs, hummus, and salads.
The best hummus you’ve ever tasted, is complexly nutty, expressing the round, toasty taste of chickpeas instead of concealing it with sesame paste, and it’s even better sprinkled with Lebanese pine nuts fried in olive oil.
Basturma, the Armenian answer to bresaola or bundnerfleisch, comes thinly sliced on five baguette rounds, each topped with a sunny-​side-​up quail egg.
This is definitely a must try for Mediterranean foodies!

The restaurant is very intimate. Not very big, but perfect for a date night. The staff is extremely friendly and courteous. The food was delicious. Food came out in perfect timing. If you’re on a date don’t eat the garlic paste lol

Delicious and reasonably priced Mediterranean food! We stopped by for lunch and sat outside on their patio and ordered the fattoush salad and chicken kebab platters. The food was fresh and we were served quickly. The whole meal for 2 was under $ 50 including soft drinks and tip.

Probably the best Mediterranean food in the valley. Everything was amazing. Good service and atmosphere.

I really try to reserve 5* ratings for only excellent restaurants — but this was it. Everything, including the rice, was so tasty. Can’t go wrong.

Unbelievably delicious, great service, great options. My favorite food is Mediterranean, so I am pretty serious, when I love a place! Ate outside in the courtyard. What a great spot. Will be back again!

We decided on this place last minute so didn’t get to make reservation to sit in the patio. The servers seem more focused on the outside than inside. Our waiter would check in periodically but wasn’t smart enough to refill our drinks unless asked.
To the food, the soujuk quail eggs were way overcooked. Only one was creamy and the rest were hard boiled. That was a disappointment. On the upside, the filet mignon shisk kabob was cooked just right — medium rare. The green pepper had good enough heat. Tomato and rice pilaf were OK. I also tried a piece of my friend’s chicken kabob but found it slightly dry. I love the garlic spread but didn’t realize it cost extra for more.
Overall, not a bad experience. Be prepare to walk a distance because street parking is a total challenge.

LA native, SF resident. Very confused and overwhelmed where to take my brother and his beautiful (vegetarian) fiancée for their celebration engagement dinner on me. I looked high and low, asked my LA friends and for some reason wasn’t into any of the suggestions UNTIL I found Mantee and read the glowing reviews.
Glowing is the perfect word to describe Mantee. Service top notch, cozy ambiance, delicious authentic cuisine. We booked a four top on the patio and enjoyed how much it felt like a family backyard with flair. We ended up ordering a bunch of appetizers instead of large plates and were pleasantly full. So much so that when the check arrived for $ 50(!) I got no heat from the server (I would imagine it was a disappointment, but heck, the food is FILLING!).
This is now a favorite place and I look forward to going back for years and years to come on my visits back «home».

HOLD UP! This place is an absolute hidden gem for Lebanese food in LA!!! I’m a Lebanese food snob/​expert/​elitist so I know everything there is to know about this amazing type of cuisine. So, in turn, this would make me pretty skeptical about bomb Leb/​mediterranean places, especially in LA.
The location is a little odd, but that’s ok. Im sure they have a healthy amount of return-​customers. Make sure you get in from the back, where there is an ok amount of parking. We came in from the front door and we found ourselves getting greeted by the owner, sort of confused as to why we were in the front. However once he escorted us towards the back, I knew exactly what we were in for.
Their décor and setup is very inviting, yet super cozy. They started us off with some playful «mezzé» appetizers, which I usually inhale at first sight. I quickly ordered their hummus, which I think should be the barometer of excellence for any Lebanese joint. Perfect spices, an even amount of oil. Not too dry. Just perfect.
We went overboard by getting all the side dishes on the menu. I mean, if they started it off strong with the hummus, there was NO way I wasn’t gonna try all the side dishes. Everything, from the baba ghannouj, to stuffed vine leaves was presented and made to perfection.
Now onto the meat — I went with the cherry sauce kebab, which was an unexpected surprise. Pair that with their incredible Armenian Salad and you might find yourself screaming for joy outta nowhere!
I didn’t stop there (told you I loved this food that much) — I proceeded to also order the shish kebab which comes with a perfectly seasoned side of pilaf and green peppers. Tender meat that basically melts in your mouth. Pairs PERFECTLY with a bottle of Pinot. All I needed now was a diaper, and I mean that in a good way. I felt like a kid eating all this food on that fine night.
To top it all off, the owner might of noticed the glee gushing from my face that he sent out a lovely dessert for us. Now that’s service and a true operator. I can’t wait to come back here — but I just need to clear my schedule for a full day after the food coma I’ll be in. Well done Mantee!

I love mezzes just as much as the next person
I’ve been here 5 times and never ordered a main entrée because their mezze is just SOO good
I love everything here you literally can’t go wrong
Order a few things good convo and ur taste buds will be in heaven
Their garlic yogurt is bombahhhh

I had a wonderful evening at the outdoor area of mantee café. The owner, who has a good sense of Armenian humor, and the staff were friendly and welcoming.
The dolma with yogurt was super delish and I definitely recommend it. The chocolate ganache was heavenly and I would recommend it to all chocolate lovers out there.
If you’re Armenian and had mantee growing up like I had, you’ll prolly prefer grandma’s mantee.
At the end of our meal, as a plus, my husband, got an Armenian 101 lesson from the owner, Raffi.

I love Mantee café! Such a cute and cozy place. I feel as if I’m at home. I have been here about 3 times and I must say I will be returning!
Their traditional Mantee is to die for! That is my absolute favorite and my main dish that I need to have. Their fattoush salad is delicious and fresh. And I would also recommend the hummus with the pita bread and chips.

We’ve been going to Mantee since they opened and they didn’t have their alcohol license yet and we had to sneak a bottle of wine in. I always liked their space and their food, but on our last visit we enjoyed everything even more. No wine sneaking this time, since they have a decent wine selection.
This place is perfect for a birthday, an anniversary, a nice event or just a dinner out. I like their interior, like an old, nice house, very cozy and homey. But I prefer their outdoor space in the back, this is real outdoor space, not some tiny patio that splits the sidewalk in halves. You feel like you’re in somebody’s back yard in Europe, part of some celebration. The space is intimate, nicely decorated, romantic. The 80’s-90’s hits from Europe they’re playing are nostalgic to me. The owner is a character, walks around to make sure that everyone’s taking care of.
The food– it’s a Mediterranean mix, with Armenian influences. For appetizers we tried their Mantee (delicous) and their Mohammara. For entrees, I got a Kofta kebab with rice, grilled tomatoes and peppers. One of the best koftas I ever had. My husband got their yogurt kebab and that’s even better, mouth watering, everyone in our party was drooling over it and regretted that didn’t get it. It’s different and delicious. The meat is tender and if you love yogurt, this sauce is to die for. The portions aren’t huge, but they’re decent size, which leaves you room for dessert. In the past, we got their passion fruit desert which was very good, but this time we were more adventurous and got the Bread of the mansion and another one (can’t remember the name) with halva, kataifi, and other out of this world ingredients. It’s hard to describe, but it’s a sensational dessert, try it.
The service was good, our waiter was nice, fun, attentive. Some customers were celebrating birthdays and anniversaries and he was on top of things, making it fun for everyone.
Prices– bit higher, street parking and some small lot in the back.
We all enjoyed the food and the atmosphere, it made it for a memorable night out.