Levant — Restaurant in Petaluma

We drove from San Francisco just to try Levant, and it was absolutely worth it! We’re already fans of the owner’s other spot in SF, Freekeh :)

The food here is authentically Arabic, flavorful without being over-spiced. Clearly, the word is out because the place was packed during its first week!

We started with the fried Nabulsi cheese (Nablis, the place that invented Knafe), which was the perfect way to kick things off. Then came the traditional Mansaf, tender lamb over rice with a rich dried yogurt sauce, topped with fried almonds, loved it. We also had the Maghloubeh, the famous upside-down Palestinian dish, but here it came in the variation called Sayadiyeh, made with fish, caramelized eggplant, and cauliflower, loved that one too. Finally, we shared the shawarma, sliced and served family-style, which was excellent. We are not going to talk about all the dips but one stood out, the Muhamarah, this Alepo Syrian dish that is all vegan that is sweet as well as a bit spicy, this one is underated and should be with every meal.

Levant is the perfect place to explore authentic flavors and share dishes around the table. Congratulations to the proprietors because opening a restaurant is not easy these days, and you’re clearly making it happen. Wishing you...

We had dinner for first time here tonight. The food and atmosphere is nice but the service was really bad. Our server walked up with zero personality and asked if we decided on what we wanted to eat. We ordered two appetizers and then before apps arrived the entrees came. The gal who was our server never returned after taking order to ask how things were or if we needed anything else, we sat in corner a long time w empty plates and empty glasses. Waiting for her to come back she stood far away from us and said over another table “do you want anything else?” My husband said can we see a dessert menu. She came laid it on table and walked away. At this point we were done. She had absolutely no personality, no suggestions, no follow up. Other people even delivered the food to us. She did so little as a server. We asked for bill, paid and left. For a restaurant open a month and good food they should spend a bit more time on the experience that...

We had an amazing experience at this new Palestinian restaurant in town! The food was absolutely delicious — definitely one of our new favorites in Petaluma. It was our first time trying Palestinian cuisine, and the server was fantastic, making great recommendations and explaining everything with care. The customer service truly stood out and made us feel welcome. We're so happy to have this unique culinary option in town and can't wait to return....