Hummus Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Los Angeles

The HUMMUS BAR AND GRILL offers excellent Middle Eastern cuisine at moderate prices. I have been driving past this eatery for years, and not noticing it. It's hard to spot with trees and umbrellas camouflaging the entrance.

This is a large neighborhood restaurant, with seating on the unbrella and tent protected, heated-cooled patio for 50 or so, plus the dog of your choice. Inside there are two dining rooms.

Our server, Eli is knowledgeable, friendly, and asked a question I had never been asked before. "What language do you wish for service?" We chose English.

Each table gets a set-up of pickled vegetables, olives, and Israeli spicy coleslaw. After being seated, a "LP" sized pita arrives from the kitchen, steaming hot. We tear servings, family style, from the community portion.

Their menu offers seven varieties of hummus, twenty salads, and chicken hearts and livers. Also available are Gyros and several types of kabobs.

As an appetizer, our table ordered hummus with toasted pine nuts. The presentation is bowl-shaped, with the center filled with toasted pine nuts. The serving, large enough for six, is smooth, mildly spiced, and delicious. And, of course, there is the unlimited, freshly baked pita. (Our table of four enjoyed two.)

There are many vegetarian/vegan items on the menu. I ordered the Israeli salad. The large and mildly spiced salad contains cucumbers, red onions, red peppers, mint, and parsley. It is finished with a light olive oil and lemon juice dressing.

The rest of our table ordered mega (chicken) schnitzel, chicken liver skewers, and chicken shawarma. The servings were large enough that almost half of each entree was boxed to take home. Astar, the manager, stopped by to see if everything is to our liking. It was.

Now it is time for dessert. We ordered baklava and chocolate mousse. Unfortunately, neither dessert is vegan. However, the other three tablemates devoured the rich, "wonderful" sweetness.

The menu is clearly marked for vegan, vegetarian, kosher and conventional proteins. Conventional proteins include: chicken, beef, and lamb. All may be prepared as kabobs, on skewers, broiled, or fried. Gluten free items are indicated. Chicken nuggets are on the children's menu.

Free parking is provided. Everything is wheelchair accessible including the bathrooms. There is underground parking to protect your car during the San Fernando Valley's summer days.

Okay, I made a mistake not visiting this neighborhood restaurant. I've had meals all over the world. And to miss one this good, just a few blocks from my front door, is unthinkable. As Judy Garland said, playing Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, "There's no place like home." Who would...

Seriously why cant you guys get your act together? I thought to myself, "maybe I'm the only one they're rude to", but there is a consistent trend of "good food, bad service" looking through the comments. My wife and i order take out typically (she likes the liver and onions), but we have dined in both together and with friends. Ive been getting takeout at least the last 3 years here every couple months or so. Literally can not think of a time when i didnt feel like the person taking my order over phone or in person was annoyed with me for giving them more work to do. I get it, you're busy, you dont need my business. I always dread ordering food from here but nevertheless forget about how terrible the service is once my stomach is filled. This might be the most positive thing i have to say. Anyways, i'm still hungry, but i will not be eating at Hummus Bar & Grill tonight. One last comment to management: This is only an assumption, but staff that behaves like this consistently either feels invincible in their job security or like there's no risk to losing their job because they can always apply at Mcdonalds and be just as well off. Actually, most Mcdonald's have relatively decent customer service because it is baked into their business culture. Once again i can only assume, but the way your staff treats its customers is most likely a result of trickle down from the top and your rush manager/s ought to be evaluated. I intend to call back in a month or so, and i hope to see a positive change in the way your staff operates. My 2 stars are based on a 2 out 3 for food, and a 0 out of 2 for service.

Tomy: In response to your question, to be specific it is an attitude i have encountered every time I have ordered on the phone or visited Hummus Bar to dine in. I have resisted putting up a review for quite some time because as i mentioned above the food is tasty, but your staff is stressed and/or upset on the regular and it shows physically and verbally in their attitude towards customers. Im human, i understand we all have bad days. Ive worked in the restaurant industry within multiple positions and know how stressful it can be. My only recommendation would be to experience it for yourself through the eyes of someone who has no connections to the restaurant. Have them call in once or twice this month during dinner hours and ask them how they were treated and if your employee met their expectations. Once again, like i said the food was good, but i have higher standards when it comes to customer service and yesterday was just one of too many bad experiences at your restaurant. It was the proverbial straw that broke a potentially...

We have been to Hummus Bar & Grill several times, and I think the food here is pretty good. Sometimes it is a hit-or-a-miss, and this is something you need to be aware of when going here. You could either have a wonderful meal (as many reviews show) or you might end up disappointed with some of the dishes you order.

I have had quite a few different menu items here, and here are my thoughts: the hummus here is amazing. I have absolutely no complaints, and if you get the hummus with beef or mushrooms it’s even more amazing! This is a must when visiting. They bring out a massive pita bread - soft, warm, crunchy on the edges and slightly chewy in the middle - and you could have 10 of these, they’re addicting. Another dish that is out-of-this-world is the Earthy Baladi Eggplant - I don’t like eggplant at all (never would willingly order it), but the way they prepare this is just amazing. It doesn’t taste like eggplant at all, and the sweet flavor is just awesome. This is another thing you should definitely order. There are many more things I could recommend, but I generally have found the appetizers, specialty plates and salads to be consistently better than other things on the menu. Rice is great (es expected).

Their Liver & Onions is really good if you enjoy this type of dish (I have family who always gets this and they say it’s really good - better than most places), and most beef dishes are really good as well. They know how to cook beef here!! I haven’t tried other meats like their lamb and Merguez sausages yet, so I can’t comment on them (though I’d assume they would be good as well based off other reviews), but the chicken is less-than-spectacular in my opinion. For instance, I recently got the chicken shawarma, and it was very bland, dry, and just tasted like a bunch of shredded chicken with little spice on a plate. I can’t recommend this dish - definitely get something else other than the chicken shawarma. There could be better chicken dishes, but I’ve just stuck with beef and had a much better time.

All in all, this is still a solid place. The chicken dishes might not be the best (and it’s entirely possible I’ve just had them on off-days and they’re not representative of what the restaurant normally cooks), but many other things on the menu make up for it - I definitely would say Hummus Bar & Grill is worth going to, especially if you’re craving Israeli food/Mediterranean food. I will continue to visit and I will continue to revise my review as I try...