Carousel Restaurant Hollywood — Restaurant in Los Angeles

I really wanted to like this restaurant more than I did. The environment was pleasant and not overly decorated which was a plus. And it wasn't that the food was not good but rather it was all a bit different than the Armenian dishes I've grown up eating further east in the US. There is a small parking lot in the plaza where it's located so if you're driving, try that before fishing through the streets for parking. While I wanted to give this a 3 start rating I opted with 4 because much of what I recap below may be more of personal preference than any issue with the restaurant.

The bulgur pilaf was tasty but seemed a bit salty. The cheese boreg was not many layers of filo dough baked together with butter and cheese. Instead it was perhaps a thicker dough rolled into more of a tube with the cheese filling and was deep fried. Again not bad and I can see why perhaps this method of preparation would be much easier to make as you go and served at a restaurant.

The hummus was also not bad and was not a runny consistently but maybe had a little less salt and garlic than what I've desired.

The only thing I truly did not like was the falafel. It had an ok taste overall but was a bit on the dry side and after a few minutes it started to harden up a bit more and wasn't as good to enjoy.

If you wanted soda/pop then it comes in 12oz cans with a glass of ice for you to pour it in rather than it being a fountain drink. I do not believe the menu helps inform guests of this. So it's not a big deal but something we would have avoided ordering if we were paying 2 Bucks for a can of pop.

Lastly was that for your sides they do have a rice pilaf but only the bulgur pilaf and not the other variety which I would have thought to be more of the staple.

When you add all of this up, this became a bit of a disappoint for me. I still enjoyed the meal and experience however much of it was not as familiar as the dishes I was used to and expecting. Still a good restaurant but if you are used to Armenian food that is served in other regions of the US then just be aware that results may vary.

And if I could make just one thing different about this restaurant, it would be to have them serve lahmajoun (like an Armenian pizza) as I always thing that is such an awesome food. If they ever add that then I'd also hope the offer a vegetarian option too.

If I ever am back in LA then I think I'll try another Armenian restaurant just to see what dishes they may offer and see how differently they prepare some of these classic...

I just went into this restaurant for the first time to order food. It was the worst experience. When I first got there nobody greeted me. I told the girl that I wanted to order and then she asked if I was going to dine in or take out, I said “take out.” She then pointed me to another counter where I can order and see a menu online to go. I pull up the menu, when I’m trying to order the manager or owner in the front is so rude. I don’t know if it’s because they close in 30 minutes but I’m not dining in. I ordered a plate of what looks like ground beef kebabs, for my child who doesn’t eat hummus. I asked if I could substitute it and put the hummus on the side they said the hummus can’t be substituted anything extra will be extra charge. I said OK I asked for cucumber salad on the side with the two dollar extra charge. When I was ordering the shrimp plate, I asked for a substitute because he said that they no longer had veggies. He said I couldn’t get a substitute and that anything else would be extra I said but why wouldn’t you substitute that if it comes with veggies. The picture comes shows two shrimp kabobs rice and veggies. He indicated that that was only for dine in. I told him that I was told the menu that I scan with a QR code was specifically for take out. He got upset with me when I said that and then said OK next because I had two other plates I was going to order. With tip I’m sure I was going to spend anywhere from $80-$100. I saved money the moment I walked out. Thank but no thank you. I’m glad my experience was this was. Idk if the person taking orders was a manager he was an older man with glasses. If it that is the owner. If that’s the owner, what an absolute...

Great food that is worth trying! We were originally searching for a Georgian restaurant, but changed our mind and tried Carousel. It was a great decision, everything was delicious. We ordered Mantee, Chicken Shwarma as an appetizers, Lula Kebab as an entree and Tun as a beverage. Mantee had a great sauce that we enjoyed. Chicken Shwarma actually came later than was expected, apparently the cook was overwhelmed with orders. But nevertheless the food was great. The entree came before that and was served with small veggie plate (olives, beets, carrots) and some salad with tasty sour dressing. Lula Kebab itself was served with garnish that we forgot the name of -- it was very good too. Alternative is rice. Pitas were providee for the salad plates and for the entree itself. As we understood we could put food inside pita. That tasted great. The beverage tun is a dairy product made from matzoon. If you like stuff like airun and kefir you will probably enjoy tun (though it is saltier). It is not for everyone, but we liked it!

Overall amazing cuisine, very good service, large portions (we had leftovers). The only complaint is that we waited for chicken Shwarma for a long time, but to be fair the waiter told us right after we entered that the cook is overwhelmed and there could be delays. We were warned and stayed.

Will come to little Armenia to explore more of this...