Sunnin Lebanese Cafe

Recommends

hajesterha

Joined 9 years ago

Modest and Good, But Short of Stellar.. After reading the profile, I rather expected to food to take me on a magic carpet ride of deliciousness. And while it was good, it didn't qualify as amazing. Seasoned and flavorful without being overly greasy, I've had comparable schwerma and hummus from plenty of Middle Eastern restaurants across LA and the valley. The place gains praise then from the fact that it doesn't look or act like it's anything too special, so the decent food becomes an unexpected surprise. The location is very small and easily crowded with fluorescent lights and the kind aged dingy-ness that no amount of bleach will really wash away. The locals return faithfully because of Sunnins smaller charmsa menu with quadruple the variety of a Zankous dishes (numbered to avoid pronunciation faux pas) and a lone waitress who will berate the cook for forgetting your tea in several languages.

Recommends

stambouli

Joined 7 years ago

best hole in the wall place. great food, great service. Our favorite place in LA, we go as often as we can. Great value for money. Go with lots of people so you can order family style as many dishes as possible. Only con is that the place is too small and they don't deliver.

Recommends

exupery

Joined 7 years ago

The family cooks, serves and entertains!. Always a pleasure to eat here - and not often enough now I have moved to Hollywood!

There's just too many good things to have - so always go with a group so you can get a good selection - sounds unlikely, but it's true - the fried cauliflower with tahini is what i am dreaming of now (who would have thought such pleasure possible from what is possibly the world's most boring vegetable!)

Soujouk sausage is great - never to be missed; as is the hummous kawarma and the labneh, fatayer, etc, etc

Chicken skewers just as you would imagine your perfect chicken skewer to be! Great 'spicy kefta' for a cool westside evening - invented here according to hostess's great family stories.

Specials board needs to be watched - they have some corkers - and don't miss out on dessert (even if you can't fit it in!) they change frequently and they are all gorgeous!

Recommends

martin_van_nostrand

Joined 9 years ago

a little saucy. first of all the sandwiches are a little saucy. the shawarma especially has way too much sauce on it. so much sauce it ruins the sandwich. apparently they don't like it when you ask for little on the sauce either because everytime i do, its still too saucy. the menu has a review that recomends the pastry appetizers. the only 2 i liked were SANBOUSEK, and SFIHA, which weren't anything special like the review wanted me to believe. The other 2 weren't very good. i also tried the Labneh because of said review and it was basically sour cream with the texture of yougurt. not sure what you are suppose to do with it? however i do like the beef kabob there, the only thing i've tried that i recommend. i find it hard to believe its the best Lebanese food in La, and if so than that's quite sad.

Recommends

katbone

Joined 8 years ago

You can't get tired of eating at Sunnin!. I ate at Sunnin everyday for a week and didn't get tired of it. Sunnin has a large menu with plentyof variety. The best hummis I ever taster. Good-sized portions and good value. The owners have a good vibe and provide a family style atmosphere. The crowd in the evening is usually young students from UCLA and professionals in their 20s-30s. Small space, but I have seen smaller. To go orders are good too. What I love most is that I can eat a big meal at Sunnin and not feel sleepy afterwards. I recommend the chicken kabob dinner with salad, garlic and add on the hummis!

Recommends

pinochet

Joined 11 years ago

Magically delicious!. Best Lebanese restaurant in LA! Great food in a Middle-Eastern lunchbar atmosphere. You must try the hummus and tabouleh! One of my favorite restaurants in LA -- and it's cheap!

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Soul-satisfying Lebanese faves fuel this bustling local hangout.. The Scene
The nondescript shoebox-size space sports zero-budget decor: aged posters of Lebanon, a row of stools planted under a tiled counter and a few scattered tables. Doesn't seem to matter to the hungry UCLA students and professionals bounding in. Service is knowledgeable and reassuring.

The Food
Former Al-Amir chef Em-Toni reigns over the small open kitchen, pumping out exceptional versions of traditional Lebanese dishes. Surrender to the addictive hummus, piped in a creamy ring and splashed with olive oil. A healthy hit of lemon sparks baba ghanouj, and fatayer arrives with supple house-made pastry holding a pungent mix of spinach, onions and pine nuts. The falafel sandwich packs well-seasoned spheres into a thin pita wrap, nestled next to lightly dressed vegetables, while the chicken and beef shawarma plates are offset by cool, crisp Lebanese salad. Forget the syrupy sweetness that afflicts most baklava, here, it tastes of golden-brown phyllo and freshly ground pistachios.

Recommends

reenie411

Joined 10 years ago

not that impressive. I didn't get the greatest first impression, since when we walked in all the staff seemed too busy to even acknowledge we were there. We ended up just getting the food to go since there was nowhere to sit. The food itself was really good, but I didn't think it was worth the price.

Recommends

jrodrigu

Joined 11 years ago

Best Lebanese restaurant in LA!. Best hummus and swish tawook in LA! Usually croweded, so arrive early.