Mazaj Lebanese Restaurant & Lounge | Forest Hill — Restaurant in Melbourne

Disappointing Experience – Rude Management & Inconsistent Food

I used to love this restaurant and visited regularly, but after my last experience, I won’t be coming back. The customer service was terrible, and the manager was incredibly rude from the moment we walked in. She immediately told us there was a $40 minimum spend per person in a very unwelcoming tone, which was never the case in the past.

As for the food, we ordered a dish we’ve had many times before, but this time, it was overloaded with garlic to the point that it was completely inedible. We simply asked if they could change it, but instead of addressing our concern, they kept insisting it was made the same way as always. However, we know how it usually tastes, and this was completely different—maybe the garlic was off, which made the dish taste unpleasant.

Rather than trying to accommodate us, the staff kept repeating the same response with zero effort to make things right. For a place where you’re paying good money to enjoy your food, the way they handled the situation was unacceptable.

It’s clear that this restaurant is under new management, and unfortunately, the quality of both food and service has gone downhill. I won’t be returning, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone looking for a pleasant dining experience.

I appreciate your response and your willingness to address the situation. However, I must disagree with some of the points made.

Firstly, the staff member who responded to our concerns has never served me before, so their assessment of the situation may not be entirely accurate. Additionally, while another guest at our table ordered the same dish, she also did not eat it but felt uncomfortable returning it due to the way our concerns were initially handled. She chose to avoid further interaction with the staff because of the response we received.

Regarding the minimum charge, while I understand your policy, the way it was communicated to us by the manager felt unnecessarily rude. We were caught off guard by how it was addressed, and later, when two new guests arrived, they were also spoken to in a similarly abrupt manner when asked if they had ordered. It seemed as though the focus was more on ensuring they met the minimum charge rather than providing a welcoming experience.

I appreciate that your restaurant is not under new management, but my experience this time was noticeably different from my previous visits. I’ve always enjoyed coming here, which is why this situation was particularly disappointing.

I hope this feedback is taken constructively, as I would love to see the restaurant maintain the high standard of service that has made me a returning customer...

After seeing all the reviews and wanting to try a new cuisine, we dropped by Mazaj. A beautifully decorated restaurant with an extremely pleasant, calm and comfortable ambience. For some of us it was the first time having Lebanese food and for the others it was the second time - I think the standards have been set very VERY high for any other Lebanese restaurant we might visit in future.

We ordered:

Entrees/Small: Fried Cauliflower Prawn Provencale Tabouli Salad Falafel Plate Kibbe Meat Sambousek Cheese

Mains: Grill Plate Chilli Lemon Garlic (!!!!!!!!!!) Yellow Rice with Chicken (!!!!!!!!)

Drinks: Pink Colada Strawberry Mocktail (can't remember exact name) Watermelon Mocktail (" ")

Not even sure where to start! All meals were served at the same time and incredibly quick. Service was exceptional and attentive. Really loved all the dishes - ingredients used were extremely fresh (you could tell by how vibrant the veggies were). Dips were extremely flavourful and tasty. The dishes were all flawless and well-balanced. Portion was just right and on the generous side. Another great thing about the dishes was that none of it felt oily or greasy - it tasted super healthy and refreshing.

One of the two items I must HIGHLY recommend is the Chilli Lemon Garlic!!! This is a MUST order. Chicken was perfectly cooked and the lemon garlic sauce was zesty with a punch of spice. The texture of the sauce was lightly creamy and at a perfect consistency. Absolutely loved this dish!!

The second recommendation is Yellow Rice with Chicken. The tumeric rice was extremely fluffy and light. The chicken was tender and was super easy to shred with a fork. A drizzle of roasted nuts added a delicious crunchy texture while the yoghurt cucumber uplifted the rice and chicken combo with a refreshing finish. REALLY enjoyed this incredible dish.

As mentioned, everything about the dishes was flawless and we will DEFINITELY be coming back to try the other remaining items on the menu. Very worth the visit - take your family...

What a stunning venue! It is very eye-catching from the entrance, through to the central feature vase in the middle and the mesmerising colourfully-lit arches along the wall. A surprise wow-factor venue for a humble shopping centre.

The servicre for the evening was fast and attentive. It is not uncommon for it to feel restaurants are understaffed these days and hard to get attention but here, they were always at the table asking if anything was needed and quickly cleared plates away when ready.

There is a vast array of menu options and our friendly waitress did well to recommend us some popular dishes. The food was just tasteful enough but possibly not as rich in flavour as you would get in authentic Lebanese dishes we have had elsewhere. Nevertheless, the flavour profile at Mazaj will appeal to the masses and definitely larger groups.

Drink options are plenty (incl non-alc mocktails and tea served in pots) as well as a reasonable dessert selection with sisha also available in a separate section if you wish.

The only improvements to bring to 5* for us would be the value for money (pricing vs serving sizes). As an example, the Mazaj mixed grill dish at $49, it's reasonable to expect there would be some condiments / small sides. Unexpectedly the fatoush salad was so delivcious and a highlight. The vine leaves dish was unfortunately the most standard dish of the night. I did appreciate that the desserts weren't sickly sweet or overpowered with rose water.

We spent approx $70pp for 4 mains, salad, dips to share and 2 desserts + baklava each.. all to share between 4.

Would come again and try more dishes.

Tip: Ask for the tables along the wall with arches upon booking. 6pm seating on Friday was perfect. It got quite...