Queen of Mediterranean Kitchen — Restaurant in Lenexa

have an open mind but can't shake my mixed feelings

I want to like this place because Mediterranean cuisine is some of my favorite food

I have been to this place a few times. But not recently. I think it's going through an ownership change or management change. The menu I was familiar with, shawarma & lamb etc. dishes are still there.

New this visit was a separate Moroccan menu. Having had Moroccan food elsewhere I was excited to try and was not disappointed with the lamb tagine which came served with this huge Moroccan salad included. The salad was arranged beautifully around a patch of hummus . It included what you would expect plus some grilled veggies . The lamb was served in a typical Moroccan covered dish. The cover was whisked away by the waiter upon serving, revealing a lamb dish prepared with hard boiled eggs, prunes, sitting in the pool Moroccan spiced juices Food 5/5 ⭐

I stopped in for a very early dinner (for me it was actually a very very late lunch). On arrival the place was practically empty due to the hour. I walked up to the counter & I was just stared at so I thought I'd ask if they were serving & could I have a table & they pointed to a bunch of tables that were open so I sat myself. Okay, so maybe not the warm friendly Midwest vibe that we're accustomed to 🤔

Soon the male server showed up with the menus. We managed to communicate even though his English language skills were very limited. I told myself this is a plus cuz it means it's authentic 😏

Ultimately after consultation, I went for a pot of Moroccan hot tea which I never received. Never got water either come to think of it.

On my visit, there were only men (3 - 4) working in the restaurant They must have been tired or had a very busy day cuz they spent the entire time I was there sitting at a table conversing. Unfortunately with the loud TVs in the background & the fact that they were speaking their native tongue, I don't know what they were talking about - best guess soccer err... futbol

I finished most of my delicious meal. It was definitely filling. It was also served with a side of Moroccan bread.

When I sat at the table I noticed they had a plate, a glass & some condiments on the table. When I tried moving some of those items the plastic covered tablecloth was sticking to everything. I don't know if that was because of whatever chemicals they were using or they needed better cleaning methods. The whole vibe was wow! They're really taking this authentic thing to the next level. I felt like I was visiting a 3rd world country without having to spend thousands of dollars

I'm going to wait a month, I'm definitely not quite ready to cross this one off my list cuz the food was so good. Hopefully they'll add some females to the staff as they've had in the past cuz I think they do a slightly better job in terms of customer service. And maybe use a different cleaning product - I recommend soapy water...

I am extremely disappointed with customer service at this place. I was told my order would take about an hour to be ready when I called for carry out. I went to the restaurant giving them after an hour. When I went to the pickup counter, there were 3 folks from management doing back and forth from the kitchen, not one bothered to greet or ask pickup details. I finally gave them what my order was and that I had called an hour ago, and I was told 5 mins wait. I saw other customers dining at the restaurant pretty frustrated and voicing about cold food being served. I waited for nearly 25 minutes in anticipation that my food will be ready, but not yet. I finically went up to them and asked if they even bothered to serve me. Because they did not really welcome me and they had no idea of how much longer the food could take. I basically asked them to refund so that I could head back without the food, but after already having driven for nearly 20mins from OP and waiting there for 25mins, I wanted to get the job done.

All through the discussion the lady at the counter tells me that they had 36 orders and only 1 chef and they’re not able to keep up and that I should understand the situation. Honestly if I had known they can’t keep up, I would not have gone. Asking a customer to understand this is so unacceptable. That woman is not capable to manage a business. She also blamed one of the young folks at the front desk for either taking the order or maybe not communicating? I don’t know. But there was blame game and they discussed giving me a discount or maybe not all there right in front of me. At that point I couldn’t care less about discount or food, but I had waited long enough and their attitude with messing up this was far from being sorry. They look like they could easily screw up again, especially given that there were other unhappy customers there as well.

This place is going to dogs especially with the folks up at the counter not being polite and not able to...

If you want THE BEST Jordanian / Middleeastern food, go here! Absolutely amazing! It tastes like the food does in the middleeast, made by mama. We ordered the mixed combo meat and rice plate and the lamb with dehydrated yogurt. The meat on the rice was so moist and tender it melted like butter in your mouth, which is not an easy fete to achieve. The rice was perfectly seasoned and all the herbs and spices together made it the best thing I've eaten in a long time....then the next dish arrived....and Wow! The yogurt!!!! I could have taken a bath in that delicious fatty goodness. It tasted healing as it went down. That's all I can say. And while my husband loves lamb, it's not my forte. However, this lamb was seasoned so perfectly, and with the rice and yogurt Sauce... I couldn't get enough. I LOVED IT! As I admired the amazing Baklava display to decide which pastries to purchase, the owner, the Queen herself, introduced herself and gave us some complimentary Baklava....homemade by her. She shared how all her food was homemade and her mother's recipes and simply the way she has cooked all her life. Incredible! You can tell the food is made with love. You taste it in every grain. I forgot to mention the soothing herbal tea we ordered as well. Outstanding. Perfect balance of flavor and fruitiness. The seating area is very comfortable and the place very well decorated. We will definitely be back. I gave service a 4 out of 5 only because the young man who waited on us seemed new and inexperience, perhaps also a language barrier. But this was overshadowed by an amazing...