Lately, I haven’t been dining out much, but yesterday was an exception. I went with my cousin, his wife, and her cousin—who is half-French and has lived in France all her life. Given the company, we had to pick a place that wouldn’t disappoint, and the final choice was Al Mandaloun Café. It turned out to be a great experience overall, though the finale—the part I look forward to the most—was a bit underwhelming.

Here’s a breakdown of the set menu for Iftar:

Soup & Drinks

We started with a choice of soup: Lentil, Vegetable, or Adass bel Hamod. We opted for Adass bel Hamod. While it was decent, I’ve had much better versions at home or my grandma’s place. Alongside the soup, we had a selection of traditional Ramadan drinks—I chose Jellab, which was refreshing and flavorful. And of course, we had dates to break our fast.

Cold Appetizers

The spread included Hommus, Fattoush, Warak Enab, Hindbeh bel Zeit, Fatteh bi Laban with Eggplants, and Foul Medamas. The Fatteh with eggplants was the standout dish—it was delicious. The hommus could have been better, but the fattoush was very good.

Hot Appetizers

We were served an assortment of Fatayer and Spring Rolls—both the cheese and spinach ones were excellent, and the Makanek (sausages) were also well done. Additionally, there was Sawdet Djeij (chicken liver), Batata Harra (spicy potatoes), French fries, and Kibbeh Sajieh. Everything was tasty and well-prepared.

Main Course

For the main dish, we had three options: Ouzi, Shawarma, or Taouk. Three of us went for Ouzi, while the fourth chose Shawarma. The Ouzi with rice wasn’t just great—it was extremely generous in portion size, making it one of the highlights of the meal.

Dessert

Here’s where things took a slight dip. We initially hoped for Katayef and other traditional Ramadan sweets, but since the place was fully booked, we had to settle for vanilla and chocolate ice cream instead. We did manage to get three plates of Ramadan Kalaj and one plate of Kunafa, but overall, the dessert selection left us a bit disappointed.

Final Verdict

Despite the dessert letdown, the overall experience at Al Mandaloun Café was excellent. The service was attentive, the ambience was superb, and the value for what we got at $38 per person was more than fair. If you’re looking for a generous and well-executed Iftar, this spot is worth considering.