Mazza — Restaurant in Salt Lake City

I started coming here from the day it opened. I have eaten all over the Middle East, and this is the real deal. Everyone thinks it's so simple to open and run a successful restaurant, and to some extent, it is: fresh ingredients, skillfully prepared, at a fair price. The owner, Ali, has been hands on since he opened, and he still is, and that care shows in the food and service.

This is a bold statement, but I've never had a bad or even mediocre meal here, or at the other fancier location on 900 S. 900 E. Even when they take a dish off the menu, if they can, they'll still make it for you. For the food, I always get a bunch of mezze, or small plates. If you're new to Lebanese cuisine, try the combo platter of 3-4 items on the appetizer list. My favorites are baba ganoush, a smokey grilled eggplant dip, fateyer, little pastry pillows with spinach and cheese, kibbeh, ground lamb and sweet spices robed in a cracked wheat shell and fried, tabbouleh, a salad of chopped parsley, tomatoes, wonderful Lebanese olive oil, tomatoes and a little cracked wheat all sprinkled with fresh lemon juice, labneh, a thick, silky yogurt dip topped with that fruity olive oil, and their hummus which is the smoothest and best I've ever had. All the appetizers are authentic and addictive.

One of the most deceptively simple dishes here is foul (pronounced "fool") mudammas, a soup of fava beans in a hearty yet light broth. This is peasant fare, what your mom makes and has simmering on the back burner when you get home from school. I get it with labneh and olive oil on the side, and pita, more about that in a minute. Spoon a little labneh on top, stir it in, drizzle with olive oil, and dig in. Heaven.

There are great skewer plates of lamb, beef, chicken, or combos. All served with the most pillowy pita that somehow is both fluffy and sturdy enough to scoop all the sauce left on your plate. I love Mazza's shawarma more than any I've had, even in the Gulf, even at the famed Fakreldine restaurant in London (now closed). Flavorful and tender, with those great skinny Lebanese pickles, and I'm always tempted to get one to go as well. They're THAT good.

The wine list is carefully curated, and they have Arak, my favorite. That's an anise infused clear liquor served in tiny glasses over ice which makes it cloudy, and it goes perfectly with the mezze. Like ouzo, without the cloying syrupy sweetness. Think anise eau de vie, and you're about on target.

Desserts are made in house, and you won't have room, so get some to take home. The cashew baklava is to die for, but they're all wonderful, so get a bunch to take home, and don't tell the kids where you hide them! I often drop in at the end of lunch service or beginning dinner service for a cardamom tea served with rose scented syrup, and a pastry. That's typical of tea time in the Middle East--lovely spiced floral tea, and a sweet or two to get you through till dinner, typically not served until 9:30-10!

There's a reason the other Middle Eastern restaurants in Salt Lake come and go, yet Mazza stays popular and en pointe. Great service, a very friendly, knowledgeable staff, fabulous food that never disappoints. The 9th and 9th location is elegant and classy, but both locations offer the same impeccable service, great food, and fair prices. You won't be disappointed, and if you've always wanted to try food from this part of the world, you couldn't ask for a better...

I started going in 2007 and back then liked it a lot but over the years have not been going as much as I feel it is not as good as it used to be. I have been twice in the last couple months. In May we had a good server, I got a falfel sandwich which was good but they were out of baba ghanoush. Are you freakin' kidding me, out of baba at 6pm on a Friday night?!

Recently in July I decided to try something different and our server was not as good. I tried the lamb skewer which my partner had also ordered. It doesn't say on the menu what it comes with (aside from a yogurt or tomato sauce) so I asked the server - I guess it comes with rice? and they said yes. I mean in what middle eastern restaurant where they serve skewers does it not come on rice unless you ask for something else?! When I got the bill in addition to the $12 charge per skewer plate there was an extra charge per plate of $3 for rice. I asked the server why was there an extra charge for rice? Her response was it says that on the menu and although quite annoyed I decided not to ask to see the menu again. The thing is though it doesn't say that on the menu and I looked online later. When my partner ordered she didnt specifically ask for rice and the server didn't ask. And they put rice on her plate and then charged her for it. What's up with this? This seems really deceptive and dishonest. If they want to charge $15 for something why not just put that as the price instead of putting $12 and then charging another $3 for something that should come with it? It seems to me that 1) the menu is poorly designed, 2) the server either doesn't know the menu and made a mistake or was deceptive, or 3) the restaurant does this to nickel and dime people to make more money or something. Any or all of those things but either way I'm done...

Ordered takeout and paid over the phone prior to pickup. Told it would be 45 minutes. Showed up at the specified time to be told one dish was actually not available, and they tried to call me to ask if I wanted something else but they couldn’t get a hold of me. I said that’s fine, but when they said it’s be 15 more minutes to make it which I’d have to wait and let the other food get cold I just asked for a refund of the dish. The hostess wasn’t very apologetic, and I checked my phone to see if I had missed calls, which there weren’t. After mentioning this, she told me they had tried but it was just a busy signal. A since I hadn’t used my phone at all since placing the order, I’m guessing it was their side the mobile issue was happening a since it took about 10 calls from two numbers to finally get past their busy signal and place an order. I wish they showed the same concern in getting the order right after taking my order and my money as I did in trying to place the order and pay them. But honestly the missing dish didn’t even matter as after getting home the food was cold anyways. It must’ve been prepared much earlier than 45 minutes, as it was very cold and many containers were very soggy. I know many people like this place, but this experience jaded me so I only go back. Fix your number, fix your time estimates, and fix your...