Ranoush — Restaurant in St. Louis

Somewhat disappointed with my experience. Was excited to try this place for dinner, as I've heard about the hookah lounge here. This trip did not include the hookah, so I can only speak for the restaurant side itself. Firstly, I enjoyed the decor of the place and the vibe was nice. The music was a bit too loud to not have a hard time hearing my friend across the table. The food left a little to be desired. I got the lamb kebab which came with a salad, and bed of rice with a pita. The lamb was nice but just a little overcooked. The garlic aioli was the saving grace that added a bit of flavor to everything else on the plate. My biggest issue with the place was that there was an automatic gratuity of $15 added to both my friends and my own bill. On a $31 tab, a $15 tip is almost 50%!! That seemed a bit odd to me. I am typically a large tipper, but being forced to tip that much seemed very off putting. Our waitress said that 'they don't have the option on the checkout device to add a tip anymore because one staff accidentally charged someone $350 for one drink before, so the owner just made it to where there's an automatic $15 tip included with each bill'. Didn't make a whole lot of sense to me, maybe she was trying to get over on us... I honestly have no clue. However, neither of us paid that, because frankly, screw that! I ended up paying in cash, $8 less than what my bill said I owed, because again, screw that! I would be very wary of letting this establishment have access to my debit/credit card info since apparently they have had some issues before according to their own staff. Weird experience....

If you enjoy dining in a cavernous nightclub where you need a miner’s headlamp to read the menu, and to shout at your dinner companion over the sound of unintelligible “ambience” (I think it was music?), this is the spot for you.

Service? Let’s just say it left a lot to be desired, unless your desire is to be surprised with mystery menu swaps and stealth bread charges. I ordered the vegetarian platter and got the vegetarian mezza instead. Silly me, my first time here, so I didn’t know the difference when he brought it out to me.

Then came the bread interrogative: “What bread do you want?” After listing the options that he presented, I picked garlic, naturally assuming this was a complimentary side. Turns out it was a surprise à la carte delight, or he failed to mention that there was an additional charge. How thoughtful.

When the bill arrived, I was bracing for under thirty dollars. But the final total was a heartwarming seventy. Did I contest it? No. In one of my greatest internal battles, I decided to be "that tourist," and tip my hat, tip my wallet, and accept that I had been played. After all, I was on vacation, the food was good, and why ruin an otherwise good evening?

Also, don’t worry about tipping. They already took care of that for you, with the automatic gratuity. So, regardless of how your experience goes, you are guaranteed to bless them.

In summary: good food, baffling service, wallet-threatening pricing. I will not be back, mostly because my wallet and I are no longer on...

First lets talk parking. PARKING: since it is located at McPherson & Euclid ave parking is not easy. Get ready to circle a few times . EMPLOYEES: Once I parked I walked right in and went to the bar before I saw an employee..They were nice so that was good. FOOD: I ordered the Lamb entree/lamb shish kobab & Kabis. The lamb was very tough and a bit dry. LAMB is a type of meat that can not be overcooked nor cooked in thick large pieces because of the type of meat it is. I received a large salad , rice ,bread and my Kabis which is pickles and oilves.Also a small cup of sauce. I assumed because it is a Middle Eastern Restaurant and it's Ramadan that my food would be amazing and fresh but instead I was very dissapointed! I had to cut my lamb up in smaller pieces when I got home and cook it in oilve oil with my rice and my 1/2 piece of bread which was not fresh at all .Two of my pickles which were supposed to be whole were broken yet the other halfs were not in my Kabis. The oilves were not authentic olives nor did they taste very fresh.I was really looking forwarded to my meal because I am fasting.. So sum this this I am NOT happy with the food my overall...