Phoenician Garden Mediterranean Bar and Grill — Restaurant in Fresno

We arrived on a Thursday just after the lunch hour. Phoenician Gardens was close to empty. We were quickly greeted and seated, and our drinks order was taken. We had to wait for a real waiter to place our appetizer hummus order. The hummus arrived pretty quickly, in a toasted pastry 'bowl', and it was very tasty. Smooth with just a little texture, but none of the pastyness. The pita bread was soft. well baked, and easy to scoop hummus with. The pita was rubbery, but not doughy, and the pita-hummus combo was delicious. My wife ordered the lamb kebabs, and I ordered the lamb shank. The lamb shank came to the table first, surprising, as the shank takes much longer to cook. My wife's lamb kebabs arrived a bit later. She cut into the largest kebab and there was not even a hint of pink. She cut open several other kebabs - all overcooked. She had the waiter verify the not rareness of the kebabs and then take away the plate to have it redone. A while later the waiter reappeared with the redone kebab plate. My wife again sliced into a few kebabs, GREY! No pink at all. Take it away¡! Screw up a rare kebab order, not once but twice? And those tiny chunks of lamb brown so quickly, don't turn away! The restaurant was almost empty, and no one came in after us, so it's unlikely that cookster-boy was juggling a bunch of dishes on the fire. No, more likely cookie-girl don't know no rare.

The shank meat was already partially detached from the bone, and a gentle prod with a fork detached the rest. I tasted a bit of the lamb meat, it was exquisitely tender, but not that flavourful, so I dipped the meat in the sauce. The sauce both warmed up the lamb meat and imparted oodles of flavour. YUM! I next put lamb and pilaf on the fork and dipped them both in the sauce. YUM!! YUM!! The lamb shank is absolutely delicious and cooked perfectly. I would rank it up there with the Seco de cordero that was once available in Fresno.

As my wife had had no lunch, she wanted no dessert, so we just paid up and left. The waiter was not responsible for the overcooking of the kebabs, but he did have to deal with the returning of the kebab plates, so I tipped him at 20%, of a bill that would have included the kebabs. Service - 4, could have been more attentive Food - 2, excellent shank, twice failed kebabs Atmosphere -2, fast food like lack of ambiance Recommendation - 50/50. The lamb shank was outstanding, but the kebabs were failures twice. And lamb kebabs are the cornerstone of any Mediterranean restaurant. This should be their best and easiest dish to prepare and serve. I cut them some slack because of the different cooking times on the shank and the kebabs, but no such excuse for the second overcooked kebabs. Go to Phoenician Gardens for the hummus and the lamb shank. Keep your wife happy, don't take her to Phoenician Gardens, there are lots of other Mediterranean, Middleastern and even Armenian restaurants to...

I have had this restaurant on my list to try as I haven’t been able to find what I am looking for when it comes to Mediterranean food in Fresno.

As most customers stated, as soon as I entered, I felt welcomed. The decor is very nice as well as the staff I encountered.

My waiter was Samuel who was extremely prompt. I explained to him about my experiences thus far hence me not wanting to waste money on things I love only to be disappointed. He listened, unlike some waiters and waitresses, and helped me with options and provided some suggestions.

I had their Long Island Iced Tea (poured by Samuel himself) which tasted as it should - like iced tea! He definitely knows how to pour as I can only count on one hand the number of Long Islands where the alcohol is masked … but the alcohol is felt.

It was my boyfriend first time with Mediterranean cuisine so I ordered a small hummus to start (recommended by Samuel as I didn’t see the small one on the menu). He was so creamy … and the presentation was remarkable.

Once my boyfriend arrived, he ordered the Spicy Chicken based on pictures I showed him on Yelp. Me, I wanted everything! However I ended up with the gyro wrap with a side of roasted potatoes. I must say, probably the best roasted potatoes I’ve had because I love garlic … and it was the perfect amount. The garlic sauce is excellent as well. Creamy and garlicky.

I tasted my boyfriend’s Spicy Chicken and it was delicious! This creamy and spicy dish is as something I didn’t expect. I do not like rice pilaf, but I am a huge fan of theirs. Delicate and flavorful.

Samuel did not rush us nor any of the other staff. Some restaurants rush you out as if there a time limit.

Dessert … I had to bring something back for my mother. I already had my heart set on the lemon cake based on Yelp images, but Samuel advised the cheesecake is superb as well as the famous cake. He did not lie. The best lemon cake I’ve ever had and my mom loved her cheesecake.

The only sad thing was when I called back later to find out if they sell the cake whole … 😭

I will be back to try the shawarmas and falafels for sure! Thanks for giving me a place to find what I am looking...

All around Phoenician Garden is. "the best Mediterranean food in Fresno. " Better In what way? Have you ever gone to a bar and grill where the staff treat you as if your family"? I have not, until my first time at Phoenician Garden. What else was my experience at Phoenician Garden like? Better than other places and reasonably priced.

For a bar and grill this is not like a ma and pop joint, it's to fancy and would be considered fine dining, with that personal touch that most "fancy places" leave out. It's menu is very appealing and while its a bar as well as a grill there is always a place at the bar to enjoy anything on the menu. With everything I said already, I left the most important for last, their service is what makes this place a fine restaurant.

I never write reviews, but I couldn't leave this sight without saying something about a place that turned into my hang out, a great place to take that special someone for a special night, and a great place to have a birthday dinner with a lot of people. This place even does catering and privet parties. What do I mean by privet. You can rent the place out and they will close the restaurant for the evening. You can get your food banquet style.

So if you ever need a place to hang out, have a special night with a special lady or even a great place to have a birthday party, I have done all three. The special lady was an ex-girlfriend that I hadn't seen for at least 15 years. This was one of those I ran into her next door. I asked her if she wanted to have dinner at Phoenician Garden. That turned into a special night. So if you want to turn a night into something special go and have dinner and "tell them Lenny sent you." They won't know what your talking about but it will be a...