Open Sesame in Los Angeles - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

SO GOOD!!! I was ready to start writing poetry about the baba ghannouj: delicately smoky and smooth. We got the open sesame platter and all of the meat was so tender and perfectly cooked. Everything was flavorful and filling but well balanced, never tasting too heavy or oily. Service was outstanding; we asked about the olive oil and our kind server checked which brand it was and took a picture (!!!) to show us. Could cry that I’m not local to this place What we ordered: Jalab, Za’atar Manouche, Foul M’Damas, Open Sesame Combo (with baba ghannouj and tabouleh). Perfect for 3!!!

Excellent food: delicious spicy hummus (and they don’t chintz on the “spicy”), falafel, and halloumi. Kids liked the spicy garlic potatoes. Cauliflower was hot but a bit bland. Had tahini on the side, but also not flavorful. Service was friendly and attentive. Seats undesirable: small, round, and hard. Is it impossible to find a lovely slender female paratrooper? Am I reaching for the stars?

Food was great! Flavorful and good portions. Friendly staff and inviting atmosphere. Service could have been better as we were told it would take 20-25 mins for us to get a table for 5 but we ended up waiting over an hour. Food took another 30 mins on top. Otherwise, good place to eat.

We didn’t find the open sesame in manhattan beach we ended up going to my most favorite Olive Garden which was in the shopping center .

The food is delicious, the portions are very large and generous, the staff is extraordinary, the place is cozy.

It was my first time eating Mediterian food and I was satisfied! I went to work late and ate indoors, but next time I want to try eating outside!

Open sesame had been one of my favorite restaurant since I visited the Long Beach location back in college. Both locations offer great Mediterranean food with exceptional service whenever I visit. The restaurant has its vibe with both patio and indoor seating. They also have several housemade cocktails and wine. I love the main plate which you get a protein option with salad, a mezze like hummus, and of course pita and rice. The dessert and appetizers are great for sharing. Can’t wait for another visit ◡̈!

Small, cute restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating. We eat GF and mostly plant based and there were plenty of options for us. We tried the cauliflower, foul m’damas, falafels, baba ghannouj, and French fries, and everything was amazing and fresh. We would definitely return and recommend this place to others.

Year 2020 -Very tasty Mediterranean food, nice vip. Year 2022 - very decent Mediterranean restaurant. Year 2024 - drove for 45 minutes and reached before they close by half an hour and they told us “ sorry it’s been a slow night so the kitchen is closed” If u can can’t accommodate customers before half an hour from ur official closing time then change the time.

Very good food! Vegan friendly.

This place is incredible! I order takeout from here every chance I get but the experience of eating in the restaurant was beyond 5+ stars. Very cozy, intimate, with friendly and attentive staff. The food was perfection. The flash fried cauliflower appetizer (my favorite) came out warm with the perfect ratio of crunch vs chewy texture. I loved the vegan platter. The blossom water drink took me right into a lively scene from a story in 1001 Arabian Nights. I love this place. I would eat food from this restaurant every single day if I could.

Fantastic. Loved everything about the food and the great Lebanese flavors. The main plates are a great way to get a bit of every course: dip, salad, and kebab: lots of food but not too much.

Very good food and friendly service

Lovely place! The people that work here are great! The food was amazing but the “Rocca Salad” is the best salad ever!

Very unprofessional restaurant.Food is good. They are understaffed. Takes forever for service. Hours are fickle. Not a pleasure doing business with them. Only go here when you have nothing to do and there is no important plans. Never know what you are going to get.

I went to open Sesame coz it posted as Halal food but unfortunately they serve wine and I can’t be in place serving wine so to be honest I didn’t order food and left but the crew were nice and they understood my concerns.

Overall great experience and solid food!

I’ve been eating at the Long Beach location for years, was super excited to discover this one last month and after my third trip here this weekend decided it was finally time to post a review. I’ve always ordered the exact same things at either location: chicken tawook + garlic potatoes. Both are splendid, especially the potatoes with the lemon / acidity flavors absolutely lighting up the tastebuds! I should try something else but man… it’s so good lol The chicken is also very flavorful, and I love the salad and salad dressing that come with those meal. I really wish it came with a starch as well either rice or some sort of potato, but as I do like the garlic potatoes, and I understand the care that went into making them so I don’t mind purchasing this separately. All in all, this location is just as good as the Long Beach location for me. I’m not sure which one opened first, but I’m going to regularly visit both.

What a great place to eat on Beverly Blvd. The food was great but the service was outstanding. Everything was on point. No trash like used napkins or used dishes were left to sit in front of us. Drinks were refilled before they ran out and so much courtesy and attentiveness. Definitely going back.

High price for what it is. 5 shrimps. I had asked for an onion and tomato dish; I didn't think that I would have been served a whole onion and a tomato barbecued. I thought I had an elaborate dish

A terrific experience all around, from service to food. Wadid was a consummate gentleman helping my mom go up the stairs with every step. Everything about our meal was exquisite, and we can hardly wait to visit again.

Absolutely adorable decor, super yummy food, interesting neighborhood.

Very pleasant place to eat and very good service from the staff! Highly recommended!

The appetizer plate was so yummy it filled us up fast.

Really large portions, definitely worth it

My recent dining experience at Open Sesame was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we arrived, we were greeted warmly and made to feel at home. Despite not having a reservation, we were pleasantly surprised to be seated within 15 minutes. The food was like a home-cooked meal, incredibly authentic, and bursting with flavor. Each dish was a delightful experience, and it was evident that great care was taken in preparing them. The service was also outstanding, exceeding all expectations. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a memorable dining experience with delicious, homestyle food and impeccable service.

The food here is positively delicious. I'm all about the Open Sesame Combo.

People who set up this place are on top of the game . Great food ! 1000 stars from my son !

Small place 3 tables lamb kebobs rice hummus Mediterranean chicken pita bread stuffed grape leaves and olives

Staff and the menu off the hook. Great to sit out front and eat some amazing food ! Lamb chops , hummus, veggie plate , baba ganhoush, houlumi everything is good

Such a great spot for locals and visitors alike! The previous reviews speak for themselves. This place has an outstanding vibe, great service and even better food. We got the party platter for 4 and it was so good and so much food... And that garlic sauce... **chef's kiss** Highly recommend!

One of the best restaurants it’s a must to try in LA I HIGHLY RECOMMEND

LOVE LOVE LOVE!! Cannot recommend this restaurant more. The food was delicious. Would definitely recommend the lamb chops which are cooked to perfection! The service is impecable and the atmosphere is great for a nice night out. We’ll definitely become regulars at this spot!

Whoever was managing the restaurant on Friday night 2/16 is very passionate about what he does. Warm welcoming and excellent service despite the immense crowd tonight. Food is authentic and delicious! I will be frequenting the long beach location since it’s just a few minutes from my house! :)

Great food, great service, great music!

**update** - updating this review. After calling a few times I finally got a hold of the owner and he refunded our meal, which we appreciated. He was upset none of his staff told him what happened and explained the kitchen got backed up with to go orders. In this case our persistence eventually got through. I have been looking forward to coming here. I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time as Lebanese food is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, my first dining experience here was pretty bad. I want to make it clear the server is not to be blamed because we watched them put the order in right after we gave it to them And continually go to the kitchen window and ask for it, but the kitchen just must’ve forgotten to cook it. We waited for over an hour for the food that just never came and then finally came and we had to box it up and leave because by that point my friend had such a bad headache and was getting really sick - so we couldn’t even eat at the restaurant. To go in and pay full price for dining experience, including a full tip, and not to eat in the restaurant is inexcusable. We watched three different parties come in sit down, make their order, get served, and pay a bill before we got our food. I think it was pretty bad that we weren’t discounted, that we ended up paying full price and that no one even really apologized. The server did apologize but the kitchen didn’t do anything, the manager didn’t do anything. it wasn’t like it was so busy because we got there pretty early on a Friday evening - well before the rush. They just forgot to cook it. And didn’t even bother to admit it or come over to the table and make amends -so I followed up with a phone call and was told thanks for my feedback. they must not need repeat business. What we did end up eating at the restaurant, french fries and pickles, tasted good, but the dining experience was pretty crap.

Took a friend here, had been once before and ordered the main shrimp. Order it again because it was yum and this time it had two bitten pieces of shrimp tail in my dish. Found the first one and thought it weird but when I went for another found a second shrimp tail that looked to be half bitten. Lost my appetite as there's no reason shrimp with meat in its tail should have come separated from the entire body. When I raised this concern with the waiter, which was great, he called over the manager. At this point the experience took a real dive as the manager proceeded to explained how the shrimp is prepared and that it was impossible as the shrimp are loaded onto a skewer. I said exactly! and this was my concern; then he proceeded to say I was lying and wanted a free meal. Not about the money at all I said and that I simply don't want the dish anymore. He was soo rude and acted like as though we just wanted to get a free meal, which wasn't the case, he then proceeded to ignore me, and only speak to my male counterpart as though I weren't even there, when I was the one experiencing this. Never sent a meal back or had anyone be so disrespectful, I will definitely not be recommending this place to friends anymore and won't be returning myself. Absolutely the worst dinning experience I've ever had.

Took a friend here, had been once before and ordered the main shrimp. Order it again because it was yum and this time it had two bitten pieces of shrimp tail in my dish. Found the first one and thought it weird but when I went for another found a second shrimp tail that looked to be half bitten. Lost my appetite as there’s no reason shrimp with meat in its tail should have come separated from the entire body. When I raised this concern with the waiter, which was great, he called over the manager. At this point the experience took a real dive as the manager proceeded to explained how the shrimp is prepared and that it was impossible as the shrimp are loaded onto a skewer. I said exactly! and this was my concern; then he proceeded to say I was lying and wanted a free meal. Not about the money at all I said and that I simply don’t want the dish anymore. He was soo rude and acted like as though we just wanted to get a free meal, which wasn’t the case, he then proceeded to ignore me, and only speak to my male counterpart as though I weren’t even there, when I was the one experiencing this. Never sent a meal back or had anyone be so disrespectful, I will definitely not be recommending this place to friends anymore and won’t be returning myself. Absolutely the worst dinning experience I’ve ever had.

Excelente lugar para deleitarte con exquisitos platillos mediterráneos ...

Amazing food and outstanding service. Loved every moment.

Excellent food, fun atmosphere, and great service. I enjoyed the lamb chops and the baklava crumble was out of this world. Will definitely be back.

My 1st time and it was as good as promised. Everything we had was tasty from apps to dessert. Definitely look forward to going back.

Good place to have a nice Mediterranean meal:)

مكان جميل وصوت المسجل عالي ومزعج قليلا الطعام لذيذ وطبق واحد كفاية

Great food and terrific service.

Dinner was fantastic! Amazing Mediterranean. Not enough parking though. We parked in a residential area.

Se come exquisitamente bien, muy agradable y excelente servicio

Food are delicious and Staffs are sweet! We went there the second time really love the weekend special!

Excellent service!!! Best I've received since 2014. The owner welcomed us and served us, along with another waiter. Very kind person. Come try the food. Stewed chick peas was the best dish.

Food was great...arrive early parking is a challenge.

Aesthetic plating and delicious sampler. Can't wait to visit again

Ordered spicy garlic potatoes, sultan main dish with baba ghannouj and tabbouleh as sides, and open sesame combo platter with hummus and fattoush sides. The spicy potatoes were delicious! Perfectly hot, lemony, garlicy, with just enough spice and coriander. The tabbouleh was fantastic, meats were very good as well, hummus and baba ghannouj were also good. The manager came by our table and he was very friendly! Service was great as well

Been here 4 times - the food is great and I would love to give it 5 stars… but the service is horrendous, super slow and inattentive. They seem to forget you’re there, and I’ve visited 5 times, each time with the same issue. I have to physically get up to get a waiter, every time.

Delicious hummus, others normal

Just ok, almost food cart quality

If I could I'd literally eat here every single day. This is how Jesus ate in the Middle East. I'm a strict lifelong Vegetarian, never had meat or fish in my life. OS has many, many vegetarian options. The lentil soup is wicked good I add rice and with lemon just perfect. Fettoush, fried potatoes, grape leaves and falafels are sssooooo good. Garlic sauce with pita heaven. You can not go wrong eating here.I've been to both locations. Use to live near the one in Long Beach Belmont shore so was there 4 times a week and the tabouli I could eat by the gallon. I would bring the Lord here to dine it's that amazing. Guess we know where I'm going for Sunday lunch or dinner.

My new favorite restaurant the food to the service is top notch 😋 I order the grill tiger shrimp and tamarind rose drink and it was so refreshing 🩷 definitely 10/10 and Raef was amazing with great service!! Highly recommend to try it out !!

Service was okay, but the food was awful.

The best restaurant i ever ate in USA! Everything was AMAZING. Cooked perfectly. The meat and the vegetables were so fresh, they have the best hummus and garlic paste. I'm impressed. Me and my friend went home whit big smiles. Thanks to the cooks and to the maneger, who was amazing. Thank you! 💫💛

I went here one evening with a big group of comedians. They were closing soon, but we were still welcomed and given a beautiful outdoor table that seated everyone comfortably. The food was excellent, and the service was fantastic. I recommend this place to everyone!

Really does taste authentic, and great service too!

Great find. Our group of 3 thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Everything was fresh, well seasoned and very tasty. Service was prompt and friendly. We would absolutely eat here again. Recommend!

Excellent service with accommodations flavorful food great location. Great prices and beer

Restaurant was such a cute vibe, and the food was delicious. The dessert is probably my favorite part.

I ordered company dinner from here and it was DELICIOUS. I cannot wait to be back. They seem kind to their staff and were super polite with customers. The restaurant is beautiful. They packed and labeled everything perfectly. The ONE thing was that they sent me a chicken shawarma instead of a beef and it was labeled beef. But it was a large order and it was very busy when I went to pick up the food so I understand mistakes could happen.

I m definitely recommending this place to everyone. I saw a couple review with 3 stars which is ridiculous. Kind staff, amazing food, incredible service, beautiful music altogether are greatly combined in this restaurant. Woodi was personally serving our table. Great job!!!

Only had dessert and drinks. The pistachio crumble was super yummy. Staff were very funny and pleasant.

Open sesame had excellent food at a reasonable price with lots of options but after COVID not so much .Almost none of dishes include side of hummus for the pita bread ,the portions got smaller highly disappointing

Very good Halal food and is in a good location. Friendly staff. Clean and neat I ordered lamb kabob. It was delicious. Well done!

Years ago, I went there for my last meal in the US during my business trip. I love lamb over all type of meat (chicken, beaf etc.) I was so “thirsty” for some lamb cuz couldn’t find a good one while I was in LA. Recommended by an Iranian Uber driver, that was a terrific meal in a global way. Although, that was not “the best one I’d ever had” neither, a little too much grilled…But with cozy terrasse, they had very chill ambiance. I’ll be back one day!

I picked this up for takeout and got a chicken Shawarma sandwich, a manaesh pizza, and a dessert. I wouldn’t come back unfortunately, the ambience was good though. The Shawarma sandwich was OK but I felt like it was missing some of those ingredients that you would expect in a Shawarma sandwich. It had meat and bread but that was about it. The manoushe pizza was not what you would expect and the bread they use was not what I would expect for this, and would not ever order this again. We originally came for Kanafe, but then we found out that they didn’t have it when we got there and we ordered a different dessert. The cheesecake, but it wasn’t anything special.

Great food, great vibes, amazing service

This place is always fully packed ! Something about the service and taste of food, everyone just loved ! The beverly hills location is small but cute. They have a restaurant in Long Beach on 2nd street which is way bigger and always packed. This place even on weekdays is full. The servers are very kind and always check up on you and the taste of the food is so authentic! I am from Lebanon so this lebanese restaurant put a smile on my face. The prices are decent, depending on what you get. All in all, a go to place for sureeee

The food was really good, but i am here to talk about the customer service. Our server Amynah/Ammenah/Amina (may be spelled wrong) offered some of the best customer service I have received in a really long time. She is an incredibly king young woman and was so courteous in accomodating us. We came in late towards close and the end of her shift and you would have never known. She made us feel incredibly welcomed. Tip her BIG ya'll

This place is amazing! My husband is Lebanese and everything here from the arak to the za'atar is authentic and delicious. All of their craft cocktails are absurdly fantastic... my favorite was the Den of Thieves. I came here with mom friends and everything we had was amazing, everyone was very happy.

Had a very good light meal here of the Sunday special, Molokhia, (without the rice) and Foul (with cucumber instead of pita) after a concert at Disney Hall. Selections for those of us who are gluten, soy, and dairy-free are somewhat limited within an extensive and interesting menu, but there is still enough to choose from. Note that the rice here has noodles in it, so it is not gluten free. We ended with their traditional flower water mint tea. It is a hot rosewater-like base with fresh mint. Unusual and interesting, but probably an acquired taste, and not what you should order if you are craving a mint hit because the flower base overwhelmed the mint. Worth trying just for the new experience. Our waitperson was personable and very helpful, and the actual table service was just what we wanted. We'll be back.

This restaurant is the best! We are from Australia and we are looking for a Lebanese restaurant .OpenSesame you the best!

Both the LA and Long beach locations are excellent. The best hummus I have ever had and the combo plate is a great sampler of their different meats

Excellent food, great service, ambiance was nice too!! We ordered cauliflower, potatoes, cucumber dip & spicy hummus for appetizers. The combos for main course along with lamb chops and extra skewers of chicken n beef. Some spicy veg soup too. Good amount of food for 5 people. Will come again. Our server Maura was very helpful, patient and very efficient. We visited Feb 25 evening and had our table reserved in advance, just to be safe from weekend crowd even though its a rainy evening.Sorry no photos, we were busy eating up the food haha.

Not great. Food was less than mediocre and service was some of the worst I've ever experienced. The Halloumi was like rubber. It took 15 minutes for the server to greet us after we sat, another 20 to get the cocktails we ordered and at least 20 more for her to take our food order. It's a tiny restaurant so I have no idea why they're so slow. The only reason I'm leaving three stars was because of the young girl who "read" our Turkish coffee grounds. She was 100% wrong, but she was sweet and charming and reminded me of street fortune tellers in the Middle East. It was a nice touch to an otherwise bad experience.

The server forgot about us and at one point, my colleague desperately needed water because he was chocking.

Great food and location. The server was super nice and made some great recommendations for us and we enjoyed it all. Try the chicken tawook and the jalab drink. 🙂🙂 Only drawback is there's street parking. Thanks!

美味しい！ ポテトがどハマり 酸っぱすぎるので好みは分かれるけど

Extremely knowledgeable and attentive server helped us order the perfect meal. I want to be a regular here!

The best Lebanese food and Halal food experience in Los Angeles delicious food kind staff friendly service Great Ambience a true 5-Star experience.

It's very nice restaurant Excellent food and service

the food was amazing & tasty, i really enjoyed the vibes. the watermelon with halloumi cheese was definitely something new and delicious. i really enjoyed the vibes aswell

Love the long beach location - been going for over a decade. This one, experienced extremely rude service when getting food to go - very disappointed. Been back to point beach location twice since, but not this location anymore.

The best mediterranean restaurant in LA! They also have a location in long beach. Thank me later!

Delicious food but for delivery they ruin the fries by closing them in a bag which steams them. Gotta put them in a container with holes to let the moisture out!!!

Ok. We regularly order takeout from this place and normally it’s very good and I don’t have an issue, which is why when THIS happened, I gave it 3 stars instead of 1. I know times are hard for businesses, but c’mon, I paid $14 for this? A single kabob, broken in half, and the rest of the dish filled out with salad. What is this? Take a look. It’s tiny. You can do better. No more orders from me. I’m used to paying high prices for takeout food, but this is ridiculous.

Parking is awful here. It'street parking and there's tons of restrictions. We almost left because we could not find parking after searching 20+min. Try the library lot, it seems like everyone parks there then walks. The food here is always great, fresh & flavorful the couple of times we've been. They have indoor and outdoor seating. Servers are nice but sometimes take a little longer than I'd like to refill eater, check in &/or bring the bill - they've all been pleasant though. They have a lebnah cheesecake that is too die for. Save room! This has been one of our regular monthly restaurant visits.

Delicious food! But my friend who accompanied me to dinner at this location stepped into puke that wasn’t cleaned up in the bathroom and the staff didn’t seem to be very accommodating when it happened. Anyways, ask for extra garlic sauce. Delicious.

Delicious!!! Omg finally a traditional set of Mediterranean food that you can’t stop eating combined with great interior design and decent service! For sure we’ll come again. Reservation is a good idea. They have lovely tables outside on the terrace. Tips: don’t order the appetizer plate (21$), get instead the vegetarian plate (16$) - you get the same amount of food and almost same assortment of the items. Pity that night they run out of classical hummus but offered to replace it with really delicious spicy one. Tahini, parsley salad & eggplant spread are to die for. Falafel - just perfect soft inside and crispy outside. Pizzas are boring tbh not worth ordering same as dry & not sweet tiny baklava sticks. Get another somewhere else or try different desert… For all classical dishes Shashuka was missing but the rest was really delicious. Orange blossom water is great on its own and mint leaves if hot water poured on top do not get brown with time. If they are added on top of hot water, the steam makes them brown -> that’s basics feedback for the bartender to note ;) Besides that, it’s a really cosy atmosphere and well visited place. Great design touches in spacious bathrooms and comfy seated outdoor area. Perfect for romantic dates or friends dinners. Service fast, attentive and friendly. Worth a visit.

The food and service here is always consistently amazing! Our server this time was Amaany and she was the best!!

The lady who took my order for pick up is a little, you know... I ordered falafel in a pita and then I asked for extra Tahini on the side then she asked: do you want extra pita? We went back and forth for few minutes and when I realized I am not going anywhere with her I said: never mind forget about the tahini. I am here to pick up my order just to learn she did not placed the order because when I said never mind she thought I canceled the order. It sound kind of funny if I was not very hungry.

The ambiance of this place is amazing.... but the food... not so much. We ordered baklava and it came out in egg roll form. This was the driest, flavorless baklava I've ever had. DON'T ORDER IT! We actually ended up sending it back. Then we ordered the cheesecake and it was a bit bitter/tart, so we only ate the crust. The best thing we ordered was the wine, which is unfortunate because this place was highly recommended.

The food was awesome but the service is kind of slow

Food not worth the cost. Cake cutting fee?

We had such a great lunch here on Sunday. The staff and management were so friendly and accommodating. We even shared some laughs I recommend the chicken shawarma and the baba ganoush. It's so delicious! Plus they have a pretty well stocked bar. I'll definitely be dropping in again for lunch before shopping.