Fattoush — Restaurant in Haifa

The vibe is Bohemian and interesting; the decor is an eclectic fusion of cultures - all in all, very Haifa meets Tel Aviv. The food is good and the drink flows freely. But that's not the problem. They have a people problem. Despite making and confirming birthday plans in advance, it turned out that: Weekends are self service. No wait staff. You order at the bar, wait, no one tells you when your order is ready, and then to carry it to your table. You're sitting in a private 2nd floor area up a narrow flight of stairs with party of 15 and a drink order for a small infantry squadron - as they say in Israel, Kol Habassa, which roughly means too bad. They refuse to adjust the AC. Hot? Nope. Cold? Too bad. Tables are fixed. Not technically riveted to the floor, but the "policy" is that they cannot be moved. None of this was communicated in advance. So as far as they were concerned, our party of 15 is welcome... to sit at different tables. WTF? Lastly, and most irksome, was the staff attitude. The man who received us was sassy and unapologetic. All of the above was clearly par for the course and let's face it, this place is hopping. They can afford to piss off people - they have a literal line at the door of people just waiting to replace those unsatisfied like myself. It's safe to say I won't be back. At least not on...

We invited some highly respected foreign business men along with two professors to discuss their business. One of the guest's pulled out a very nice bottle of Japanese whiskey, that he would like to have along with his dinner. we asked the waiter to open the bottle(As acceptable all restaurants,and specially in the ones that have a very poor alcohol menu such as this one), but his manager wont allow it. We spoke to the manger and we explained the situation, but he still refused. the business man asked the manager for the best bottle of wine the restaurant has to offer, and asked to open both bottles, for him. And the manager still refused. The entire situation was embarrassing the guests were very angry with the managers attitude... specially after implying that this situation is the same as bringing you're own cooking to a restaurant! that was unprofessional and definitely not the case. We explained that we are a big group and we are ordering starters drinks and dinner... he still refused! The worst way to start any important meeting. All thanks to that stubborn & ignorant manager. I went to the nearest restaurant, explained the situation and they welcomed us with open arms. and got us free coffee to calm things down before we enjoyed a wonderful dinner and great service...

I don't know if the message of inclusivity really represents their ideology or is a marketing gimmick with the Baha'i Gardens so visible from the patio, but the food sure is good! We were here for Baha'i Pilgrimage and took pot luck on them the first night we had time to get dinner out--and we went back! The decor is best described as random junkyard, but somehow it works to give the place a feel of camp or kitsch. And if you love cats and are missing those you left behind, they have a variety for you to make friends with (including one who looks like she's about ready to increase the resident kitty population by 4 or 5). Obviously, this will not be a plus for everyone, but we found it delightful. They also burn an incense we found intoxicating as it wafted intermittently across the large patio area. On menu items, we had between us we had the house kebabs, kafta, a great veal shawarma, one of the steaks, the house salad, and the baked mushrooms. The menu is extensive and includes vegetarian entrees and multiple varieties of hummus as an appetizer and an extensive hot tea menu with some very interesting blends including herbal. It's not cheap, but portions are generous (I got two meals out of my entrees) and, again, everything we ordered was...