Mandaloun Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Jacksonville

This is a lengthy read.

I dined at Mandaloun the other night.

At first glance, it looked like the usual "Med" selection on the menu (minus "Gyros"). Hummus (variety), Shwarma, Kibbe, Tabouleh, etc..

Doesn't look like much from outside, but the interior is nicely done. I went in thinkin' this is just another "Mediterranean style" restaurant. "Wrong."

I chose the usual menu items that are prevalent at the average "Med restaurant". Hummus, Tabouleh and a beef Shawarma.

The complimentary appetizer was warm pita wedges with a dish of dipping oil. Simple but flavorful. By MY taste, the Olive oil was combined with crushed dried mint, sesame seeds, salt and pepper and perhaps a pinch of ground "Kalonji"(?) (Kalonji: Some call it black caraway, others call it black cumin (Kalonji), black onion seed or even coriander seeds. In English, the Nigella sativa plant is commonly referred to as "Love in a Mist".)

I'm going to have to ask Chef for the brand name of the Olive oil he uses at Mandaloun. It is light, subtle in flavor and aroma. It doesn't bury the flavors or aromas of the ingredients it's combined with. It BALANCES things.

I noted that with absolutely every dish that was ordered. EVERY flavor was balanced. Made dining enjoyable and with each fork full or pita dip, a different flavor could be picked out as primary flavor.

"Hummus are hummus." Nope. The hummus served was one of their hot menu items and a first for me of the many different ways that I've enjoyed hummus. Pierre put a generous helping of olive oil and ground marinated beef in the center of a bowl of hummus. " Hummus Awarma" Puree of chickpeas mixed with sesame cream and lemon juice topped with ground marinated beef and pine nuts.

Tabouleh. I've never been served a Tabouleh as fresh as the one which arrived at the table. As if it were made when it is ordered. It wasn't saturated in olive oil or lemon juice. It was "refreshing". It complimented the other items ordered as well as making for a fantastic palate cleanser.

Entree. Beef Shawarma. ("Slices of freshly marinated beef sauteed with tomatoes, parsley and onions [in a toasted half pita] Tahini dip on the side") Served with rice or roast potatoes and "sauteed vegetables". I chose rice over the potatoes.

When I had placed the order, I was thinkin', "Okaaaaay...sauteed vegetables". When the entree arrived at the table, sliced Zucchini, carrot and Broccoli on the plate and again, I'm thinkin', "Cafeteria food". Wrong again.

I can't prep the vegetables as well as Pierre and his crew did. "Texture." "Flavor." They weren't "sauteed" to mush. Almost a stir fry without the peanut oil. "Crisp" but not raw, and lightly seasoned. Another example that our chef or the crew received some very good training somewhere.

The rice was lightly seasoned with Saffron to a pale yellow and included green peas and onion. Presentation could have been a little better. Perhaps it should've been "fluffed" up a bit.

Thinly sliced "freshly marinated beef". Made it easy to eat. I wasn't dragging half a steer out of the pita with each bite. Seasonings and ingredients once again perfectly balanced.

I ended up taking half of my beef shawarma home. I warmed it up in the toaster oven and added a fried egg to the stuffed pita for breakfast the next day.

Bottom line, I haven't eaten "Med" or "Arabian" cooking like this since I stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel in At-Taif, KSA. That includes the 2 years I lived in KSA as well as the 24 years I was married to a woman of Arab ancestry (She's a damned fine cook!) born and raised in East Africa.

If the "simple" stuff I ordered was as good as what was served, I can't wait to try many of the other menu items at Mandaloun. Prices are very reasonable. Service was outstanding.

If you're in the mood for "Mediterranean fare" while in the Jax area, I STRONGLY recommend,...

I've never had this experience before. We reserved a table for 6 on Mother's Day at 7 pm online prior to coming in. When we got there we were asked if we had a reservation, and when we gave our names the girl looked through her list and said she did not have our reservation. My sister-in-law then asked if we were still able to sit, but the girl just walked away from us. She and another waiter came back and forth and said they'll seat us shortly.

After about 10 minutes, we were finally seated. We looked around the restaurant and noticed that other people did not have food at their tables. It took the two waiters another 10 minutes to give us water. At this point, we notice the first table of people get up and leave the restaurant. We were confused as to why they were leaving but my sister-in-law pointed out that they never ate. It was also at this point that I noticed that the family that came in behind us was still not seated. They didn't come in too long after us, but they have been waiting for about 20 minutes now.

I was starting to get annoyed because no one had come to take our order. My fiance was already annoyed with everyone that was working there, but he got up to take his little cousin to the bathroom. Impeccable timing because as soon as he walked in, one of the waiters came to our table and said that "they were out of supplies and are about to shut down." WHAT?!

There are so many tables that haven't gotten their food and we've been seated despite the lack of supplies?! Someone should have seen this coming because who runs out of everything?? My mother-in-law asked, "how is that possible?" But we were met with poor apologies in response. The guy wouldn't leave, but I told him that it was ok and to leave before my fiance came back out.

We left promptly afterward. What a horrible first impression of...

Just AWESOME!!! I normally don't like to rate 5* but they are already rated so highly, I want to ADD to the reviews. They are THAT good!!!

We have been coming to this place since March of 2020 pretty much every time we are in town. They were of course pretty slow at the beginning of the pandemic but they kept the indoor seating open. Limited seating, masks and hand sanitizers everywhere, so all the precautions that they could provide were available. They also have some outdoor seating.

Food: Mediterranean style / Lebanese. If you like flavor and the Mediterranean spice profile, Mandaloun has it at the very highest level. EVERYTHING we have tried here is fantastic! I can NOT visit without getting an order of the falafel. I could go on for pages about every dish we have had here but just go and try them yourself. You will not regret it.

Service: Since the pandemic has limited the indoor seating we have almost always had the same young lady as our waitress. I hate that I can't remember her name because she deserves the recognition, but her service has always been way above par. She is everything you want in a restaurant server: polite, knowledgeable, quick and aloof while you are enjoying your meal. She is there when you would like her to be, and not there when you are having a conversation or have a mouth full of food. (Pet peeve: It seriously annoys me when you have a mouth full of food and the server comes up and starts with the 20 questions) We have never experienced this here. BTW, the owner/head chef comes out to speak to and check on any and all the tables every time we visit. Prices: Perfectly in line with the high quality of food you get. This is NOT a gyro shop, this is a delightful, Mediterranean style,...