OCEAN GRILL & BAR — Restaurant in Hollywood

Discovered this amazing restaurant after strolling Hollywood Blvd and seeing a group of restaurants one block off at the corner of Harrison & S 19th. After checking the menu, liked that it was different and had never heard of Mediterranean barbeque. Staff was immediately welcoming and very helpful in explaining the dishes. We are very familiar and enjoy Mediterranean cuisine, but had never heard of many of the dishes. Tough to chose, but we narrowed it down to baba ganoush and falafal balls for appetizers. WOW! Both were fresh, seasoned perfectly and delicious. The best falafal we've had outside of Israel. These were crispy on the outside and light, fluffy, and melt in your mouth on the inside. The Zatar spice on the babaganoush was perfect.

Owner & Chef, Shabo, came out to introduce himself and make sure we were enjoying our meal. Always a treat and much appreciated. Had a delightful conversation.

Our meals came next -- gyro platter with salad & first for the husband and lamb kabob and veggie skewer with sweet potato fries for me. First, the portions are generous. Second, everything was prepared exactly as requested -- well done gyro and lamb and cextra crispy fries.

Staff remained attentive and Shabo checked on us several times. We felt very welcome and like special guests. Should mention there were several other tables and noticed they received the same service.

Shabo surprised us with a special treat of one of his favorite treats -- sauted dates with honey. He even shared how to make them at home. Husband thought they tasted like dulce de leiche and I thought a warm vanilla ice cream (weird I know, but what popped into my mind). Amazing!

Then somehow we managed to find room to finish off the evening with the home made skillet baklava and Turkish coffee. Best Turkish coffee we've had in the states, authentic flavor, made in a feenjon (so?) and served in what looked to be antique tray and cups. They also have an amazing selection of teas. And the baklava...I am in love. Most unique baklava we've ever had, perfect to share (skip the whiipped cream and savor the pure flavor). Made individually to order in a skillet and oh so light, buttery, nutty (pistachios) and a hint of honey. Not too sweet, just melts as you bite into it.

So, if you've hung in all the way to the end, you've probably already figured out this is our new favorite place. Thanks, Shabo, and team, for a great experience and night out. We will...

AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS! I wouldn’t recommend this place to my worst enemy, as the service and owner are horrible… Came here with some friends for dinner and spent a couple hundred dollars. The waitress was VERY RUDE and inattentive. We had to ask multiple times for water, which took over 30 minutes to bring, she forgot items and was never around to serve us. We witnessed 2 other tables complain about the same thing with her, and she even argued with one of the tables cause they complained about her (which seems to be the trend here, read on…). I saw the owner walking around and called him over and started to calmly explain what was going on, he stopped me immediately and told me I need to calm down or leave. He then started to yell and curse at our entire group in front of the entire restaurant, calling us trash… mind you we’re all educated successful professionals and had no problem paying our bill, as we actually were surprised by how cheap it was. But he and the waitress were so rude and unprofessional - so I cursed him back, and we stood there having a full blown argument in front of a full restaurant… what a great owner! Ashamed that you’d get this treatment at a Muslim restaurant, towards one of their own nonetheless. So sad, cause the food was actually worth going back for but I’ll never spend another dollar at this place, cause they treat their customers like garbage.

Tip to the owner, Shabo: Stop treating your customers so poorly! You should be ashamed of yourself. Seeing how you acted today, and reading your responses to bad reviews here, it definitely seems like you can’t take criticism well. Can’t wait to read your response...

Excellent restaurant in a beautiful, downtown Hollywood location just off the park. They get the atmosphere right with warm lighting, beautiful furnishings, fun decor and ample seating that doesn't leave you feeling cramped or that strangers are impinging on your space. We had the family style mixed grill sampler split between two hungry men as well as some roasted veggies and the feta fries. The fries were a bit dry and unremarkable, but everything else was tasty and done to perfection. I especially loved the lamb chops, which were so tender and juicy. The gyro strips, shrimp, branzino and steak were also perfectly executed. I opted for the coconut creme brulee for dessert and my nephew had the baklava. I loved my creamy custardy brulee with a nice espresso to round it out. The baklava looks like a single serving pie. It was tasty, but it's not layered like the traditional dessert, so it feels dense and kind of soggy at the same time. I have to give a shout out to our server Joseph who was very funny and extremely professional. He really was great at striking that balance between being helpful, charming and inviting without being obtrusive in any way. Overall, this is an excellent establishment that gets the food, atmosphere and staff right. This is at the top of my list of local places to take...