Amardeen Lebanese and Mediterranean Cuisine

If you enjoy super well balanced flavors , fresh ingredients and decent portion sizes this place is for you . So much to try and you will not be disappointed. The staff made great recommendations and served everything promptly .

The food is on the pricier side, but the quality is absolutely unmatched in the area. The portions are generous, leaving you satisfied without feeling shortchanged. The service was impressively speedy, and the staff was attentive and friendly. I highly recommend Amardeen for anyone looking for a top-tier dining experience.

I recently dined at this family-owned Lebanese restaurant, and it was a nice experience. The service was prompt and friendly. The salads were freshly prepared and full of flavor. For vegetarians, there is a great selection, including delicious falafel, cheese and spinach samosas, and veggie pizza. Meat lovers will enjoy the BBQ combo, which includes well-seasoned kabobs, tender chicken, and ribs. They offer the famous Lebanese raw ground beef, but you need to request it a couple of days ahead. Also the desserts were authentic and absolutely delightful. This restaurant has been serving the community for 12 years, and with its recent remodel, it offers a refreshed and inviting atmosphere.

A friend invited me for lunch a month ago. Since then I have been to Amardeen 3 times. The Meza selection is good and generous, enough to share for 3-4 persons. The sandwich wraps abd salads are very tasty. The Knefe dessert is authentic taste. The service is very good and friendly. The music is beautiful and fitting to the restaurant atmosphere and not too loud to interfere with conversations. The patio area is great with heaters.

Nice and remodelled Lebanese restaurant with an outdoor and indoor seating. A wide variety of options the satisfy vegetarian and meat lovers. They served the food quickly and everything was delicious. If you order Falafel, make sure to get it over cooked a bit to make sure the inside is cooked. If you are craving Kuba Neaa ( the raw meat) you need to order it in advance. They accept walk in and reservations too.

I loved this place. Looks fancy and the food is so tasty. First time trying Lebanese food and I must admit its very yummy! Friendly servers...

Have had dinner several times with a friend and will order for take out. We always like to try a new appetizer when eating in. They have a quaint small patio to sit outside that is much more delightful than sitting inside. At night, they have small lights all around outside as well which is nice. I love the grilled chicken salad here! It is truly delicious and very refreshing to have. You can order it half or full size. I also enjoy drinking a glass of wine if dining in and their wine options never disappoint. The waiters sometimes may take a bit to come to you but others will also come by to see if anything is needed.

My first time dining here for lunch and it was a really good experience. I got the Pistachio Chicken salad half-order (also added the Beef Shawarma) and I really liked it. The portion is very generous. We didn't have to wait long for food to come out. For dessert, Bird's Nest has the right amount of sweetness. Definitely recommend this restaurant.

I think I found one of the best Mediterranean/Lebanese spots in San Diego! They have both indoor and outdoor seating. The service was friendly throughout the meal too. I got the Lamb and Beef Shawarma and chose a side of fries. Firstly, the fries were awesome! The texture on these were absolutely perfect. Crispy outside with a fluffy and pillowy interior. These were addicting. The meat in the shawarma was super flavorful and tender. Inside was also some pickled turnips, onions, tomatoes, parsley and tahini sauce. They all went so well together. Their menu is pretty extensive with so many other things that I'd love to try. Definitely going to come back!

Nice Mediterranean restaurant near UTC. Beautiful decor and quiet/relaxed atmosphere, very friendly and attentive staff, no trouble finding parking in the plaza, and no wait on a Saturday around 5PM. The kafta and chicken from the grilled entree platter were delicious, but the baked kibbeh was not very flavorful. The chicken especially had an excellent char flavor. Unfortunately the grill platter does not come with rice. The chicken shawarma from meza platter was too salty for my table's taste, as were a few other items here and there to a lesser extent. All the dips that came with the meza platter were well executed. Between the two platters, we were able to feed 4 light eaters with leftovers. Probably 4-6 people for a regular meal. Overall a positive experience, but not a knockout best for Mediterranean food in San Diego, especially at this price point.

Good traditional Lebanese food. The mezze is wonderful. Service can be slow. They have just remodeled the inside and it is welcoming.

The wrap was underwhelming. The amardeen pizza was okay. Different flavors than normal, but didn't feel it was so great.

A great place for a group! We ordered the maze platter and shared all the yummy appetizers. And everybody's dish was delicious. Salads, pizzas, kebabs, it's all great. The service was wonderful and will definitely be back.

Amerdeen Café in La Jolla is such a gem! The food is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented -- you can tell they care about quality. Their Mediterranean-inspired dishes strike the perfect balance between hearty and healthy, and the portions are generous. The service is warm and attentive without being intrusive; everyone makes you feel welcome from the moment you walk in. The ambience is calm and inviting, with a modern coastal charm that fits La Jolla perfectly. Whether you're stopping by for brunch or a casual dinner, Amerdeen Café delivers a consistently enjoyable dining experience every time. There's also a cute garden that you can walk through right next to the cafe. It's a cute little area, don't hang around too long though since it's kind of in a private area.

Great ambiance with dining inside and out. Service and food was average. Good sized portion of hummus.

The Meza platter was excellent. The service was quick and attentive. The garlic sauce is an amazing add to the flavor profile.

Overpriced mediterranean food that lacks authentic flavor. I would be more than willing to pay if it was more authentic and tasteful. However it was very underwhelming which was disappointing. And the service was terrible. It looks very elegant and modern inside, which is maybe what you are paying for? Because everything else was a disappointment.

Food Only Review - Ordered via DoorDash Date of Visit: 4.21.2025 Cuisine Type: Lebanese and Mediterranean Vibe: N/A Cost: $20 BOGO deal What I Ordered & How It Was: Chicken Kebab Wrap Combo -5/5- ~$20, Two chucks of chicken breast, marinated in a garlic lemon saffron sauce and rolled in pita with garlic spread and tomatoes. Served with choice of side (Soup, Salad, Fries). Most restaurants usually overcook chicken breast, but this tender and moist chicken pleasantly surprised me. It is not a large wrap by any means, but it is delicious. The fat from the garlic sauce, acid from the tomatoes, and filling salty tenderness from the chicken breast all wrapped up with the soft but structurally solid pita bread combines together to create this fine symphony in each bite (ridiculous I know...but it was too good) Lentil Soup (My Side) - 4/5- A filling soup with a porridge like consistency. There is a good comfy flavor from the combination of likely garlic, onions, carrots, some vegetable stock and Mediterranean spices. Service & Atmosphere: Service: N/A...the order from doordash was still warm when i got it Ambiance: Based on pictures, the space feels warm and intimate with a casual and slightly upscale vibe. The designs are likely culturally inspired from the Mediterraneans, Latin America, and Morocco. There seem to be plenty of modular tables, likely good for big family meals. Overall Thoughts: Best thing I ate: That chicken kebab wrap shoot I'm going to eat my 2nd wrap for breakfast tomorrow Something to improve: Wrap - I wish the wrap was bigger and slightly cheaper. Maybe 3 kebabs? If it weren't for the bogo deal the price would be a barrier to trying this wrap Lentil Soup - Maybe a bit of lemon or option to add that or zataar i think the acid will work well there Would I come back? I'll come eat here multiple times. Looking forward to trying their chicken kebab in real time!

This is a great spot for a casual dinner! The renovation was beautiful and prices were very fair. We got the Amardeen platter, which had an awesome assortment of spreads and meats. We also got the lamb and rice rice dish which was the BEST dish of the night - light notes of cinnamon. Parking was a bit difficult, as it is a shopping center with many other dining establishments around around 6:30pm, there were some hidden spots next to the orange theory. Our server was very sweet and attentive. Ended with the "birds nest" dessert was exceptional and the perfect finale to the night.

Amazing food, on the pricier side. We experienced a couple of iffy moments with service and food but nothing that would deter us coming back. Ambiance is great, good for family dinners.

What a beautiful restaurant with amazing food. All the food that I tried was delicious, but I enjoyed the lentil soup and cheese fatayer the most. FYI the plates are on the larger side and great for sharing. Our waitress was awesome and provided excellent service. Definitely returning and recommend this restaurant.

The kebeh and garlic spread are amazing here! Get the Amardeen Meza Platter to sample everything. Pair it with mint tea and finish it off with a creamy ashtalieh (a sweet pudding with a delicate rose flavor) that will have you mesmerized! One of the best restaurants in all of San Diego!

Visited Amardeen Cafe with a group of 7 on a Wednesday evening, and every single person in our party RAVED about how delicious everything was and how beautiful the ambiance is. We ordered 2 Amardeen Meza platters, a chicken kebab (we had a teenage boy lol) and the bird's nest. Everything was delicious and perfect, and the service was great! My family is now wanting to come here more regularly even though they live 30 min away. Give it a shot, you won't regret it!

Amardeen, while very tasty is expensive, especially eating out family style. they have a range of middle eastern eats on offer. located in UTC.

Food was new and different and delicious; delicate balance between the chicken salad and kebab plate. Cheese fries accompanied by fig jelly was a nice aperitif :) We are sure to return yum

I had lamb kabob. My daughter, who was taking me out, had chicken shawarma. We also tried a dessert and an appetizer. We both went home agreeing that it was a wonderful meal, a wonderful restaurant, and that we were glad to have tried this genre of food that we had not been fully familiar with. Very memorable.

Your review is detailed and conveys your positive experience well. Here's a slightly refined version for clarity and flow: A fantastic place for Mediterranean food! The food is amazing, the ambiance is nice, and the service is outstanding with very friendly staff. Our server, a wonderful guy from Lebanon, impressed us with his perfect Spanish and English. He smoothly switched to Spanish when he heard us talking, which really delighted us. This time, we ordered the shared Meza platter to try a variety of items. It was so good and offered a huge amount of food! My husband and I ate until we were beyond full and still had leftovers. The only thing I would change about this platter is to swap the baked kibbe for the fried one, as I'm not a big fan of the baked version and was craving the fried one. However, this is obviously a very personal preference. The platter options are absolutely fantastic. I checked in with Yelp and received a free Fatayer Sampler, which included one of each of their three fillings: cheese, beef, and spinach. All three were delicious! I personally felt that the Meza platter, given the huge amount of food, was a really good value, and we were very happy with our bill.

Amardeen is a clean and nicely decorated Lebanese spot where fresh flavors shine. My friend and I started with the shawarma hummus appetizer--creamy, savory, and perfectly spiced with chicken shawarma. The Greek salad was crisp and refreshing, while the chopped chicken salad was hearty and satisfying with a zesty kick. A great place for a casual meal with bold Mediterranean flair.

I was a bit nervous when I walked in the door because around 6:15pm the dining room only had 1 large party and two tables seated. But low and behold it was the calm before the storm. I was seated promptly and while I reviewed the menu and took my time to order, the flood gates opened and the dining room was maxed out. I ordered: cauliflower tagline: cauliflower was crispy fried on the florets but stems still had a bit of a crunch. I omitted the tahini and had a small side of garlic sauce - there's is great! 1/2 hummus: creamy and well balanced. Cucumbers instead of pate - cucumbers were Persian variety and extremely fresh. Turnip pickles: this was my favorite of everything I ordered. Super duper vinegar-y... I could eat a bucket of these! Side grilled vegetable skewer... mega for a single skewer/side - packed full of peppers, onions, squash and zucchini. Well flame charred and excellent seasoning. My only compliant is that there was only one baby mushroom. Dining room is basic. There is a large outdoor patio seating area. The staff did a tremendous job handling the rush and worked together to take care of all the tables. Will definitely be back for more!

I rarely post reviews but this restaurant deserves a good one. I ordered the lamb and beef shawarma with a side salad. The simple side salad was delicious! I don't know how they seasoned a simple salad to perfection but I was very impressed. The quality of the meat was excellent. I ordered a few things I'd never heard of before and loved it too! I had an apricot drink that was great, a Lebanese coffee which was delicious, and a rose flavored ice cream topped with what seemed like cotton candy and pistachios which I loved. The service was amazing and the price was fair for the quality of ingredients. The ambience of this restaurant that is tucked away in a strip mall is surprisingly beautiful aThe restaurant has been meticulously decorated in an elegant and modern fashion to be a nod to the ancient Phoenicians. Traditional Lebanese music and Fairuz played while I enjoyed my food.

Absolutely everything here is delicious. Their grape leaves are the best in SD! Good service, nice outdoor patio and interior decor, and consistently excellent food. A go-to!

Nice Lebanese restaurant with authentic options and large portions We shared: - Amardeen mesa platter ($47.44) - Cheese knefe ($14.48) - Almaza ($7.44) The platter is a ton of food and plenty for 3 hungry people or 4 not so hungry people. The Almaza beer was average light beer and I wouldn't order it again. The platter was mostly appetizers, but it came with shawarma. The chicken shawarma was better than the beef. The hummus, garlic spread, and tzatziki were fantastic. I loved putting these and the tahini on the shawarma and pita. I wasn't a big fan of the kibbeh. The baba ghanouj, dolma, and tabouleh were just ok. The peppers were too spicy for me, but I liked the olives. The knefe is a Lebanese type of cheesecake. It was not very sweet and the cheese was loose and melty rather than firm and dense. I would order the platter again as it was a great variety and good value

The food at Amardeen is consistently excellent! We dine in regularly and have ordered catering for parties twice over the years. Highly recommend. Personal favorite dishes are the chicken shwarma, lamb chops, mujjadra, moussaka, cauliflower tajine, felafel, and the best hummus in town. Great for both vegans and non-vegans.

This place is a hidden gem near La Jolla. Our friends who live there took us and we will be forever grateful for that. Every dish was flavorful, well cooked and just the right balance of spice. Lots of vegetarian options. Our favorites were the cauliflower starter, spinach spanakopitas and roasted vegetable biryani. Servers were polite and attentive. All in all highly recommend this place! Oh and they recently renovated, not that we had ever been there before renovation but decor sure looks nice.

This's restaurant reminds of Lebanon It's a family owned business Great food Amazing customer service Definitely will be back again Big thanks to the mom for the tasty food Over all everything was great Must try the falafel 10/10

Shameless support staff. I went to lunch here today. Imagine going to this restaurant with your friend. Both you and your friend wanna pay the bill, so the 30-year-old male waiter (not the young man, not the young woman) with thinning black hair uses the opportunity to extort a better tip by saying he will take the credit card of the person who tips more, and initiates a bidding war that goes from 20% to 40% to 60%. Neither my friend or I wanted to be confrontational or rude, and we really did want to treat each other, so under the circumstances, the waiter got what he wanted. This experience was very unpleasant. If this is how you treat your customers to keep your business going, you probably won't be in business for long. I bring my friends here, and I bring my family here every time my parents came to visit from overseas. You lost my business.

Love this place!! The servers are always very kind, the food is delicious, and the portions are great! The parking lot is tough but if you dont mind parking in the back, and walking a little its fine.

Good food and good for groups. We had our work luncheon here and it was nice to be able to make a reservation for 12 of us. The food overall was good. The baba ghanouj and Labneh was good. I ordered the shrimp biryani (pictured). The shrimp was cooked well; I probably shouldn't have eaten all of it. My coworker got the lamb chop entree and I had one of the chops. It was delicious. The lamb was so tender and there was enough to share with 2 people. Another person said the Moussaka was standard and the lamb kebab was a little tough

Always enjoy the pistachio chicken salad here. The chicken used to come in big pieces, but due to Biden-flation, they're now smaller chunks. The eggplant wrap is also delicious. Highly recommend this place.

Been here twice and loved it both times. The food is amazing and the ambience is nice. The service is outstanding, very friendly staff. We tried the Meza platter, so we could try a bunch of different items. So good and so much food! There were four of us and we all went home with another meal! Everything tastes fresh and is delicious. I checked in with Yelp and got a free offer, which we used as well. A Fatayer Sampler. The was a bit small, but still delicious.

Husband and I were visiting SD but we wanted to stop by La Jolla. Craving a good casual lunch. This spot hits! Food was incredible! Flavors taste authentic, ingredients could tell are great bc we didn't walk out feeling overly gross and stuffed haha. Not too oily at all. Fetayir spinach so delicious with the combo of the spicy green sauce. Kabob was perfect! Not gamey tasted like my mamas kabobs :) pistachio salad was delightful! Not too much dressing but perfect amount and chicken was seasoned perfectly with good about of pieces. Also, baba ghanoush WOW! Homemade deliciousness. Everything about this place was so authentic to Arab/middle eastern flavors and dishes. Ordered the birds nest and rose ice cream so authentic it was nostalgic. With a Lebanese coffee, perfect combination. Highly recommend and would come back every time we are in La Jolla! My parents would love this place! service was also great! Girls were sweet and everything came out perfectly!

Very delicious meal tonight for takeout. They let me substitute lentil soup for the side salad with the mujedra. I'm not that into the vinegar-y dressing for the salad and their lentil soup is amazing. And I just love their mujedra. I had gotten it for a while and it is so tasty! That person who helped me with my take-out order was super nice too. I will have this again sooner rather than later!

It was our first time here, so we got the meza platter to try a bit of everything. It was plenty enough for 2 people. The highlights for me were the hummus (BEST hummus i've ever had), chicken shawarma, and the tabouleh. My husband also said the falafels were the best he's ever had (i'm not a big falafel fan in general, so i was indifferent). I wasn't a big fan of the dessert (bird's nest), but overall we still had a very yummy and satisfying meal and will gladly be back to try more of it.

Came here for a work arranged gathering, so there was a set menu from appetizers to desserts and I am not sure what all I ate, but it was good. I really enjoyed roasted cauliflower and the cotton candy ice cream. The meats were great too. Service was excellent and ambiance sufficient to enjoy a work dinner.

Excellent food and service . I shall return every time I go past La Jolla. Been there 2x thus far.Thank you

The food here is great but I find it to be pretty expensive for what you get. I ordered the kafta kebab entree, dolma and baba ghanouj and all were very tasty. The kafta is very good but expensive for only 2 skewers of meat. Overall very good quality but it is super pricey.

Love coming here for lunch and special occasions. The food is always delicious and the portions are pretty generous. I normally get lamb ribs, but I ended up getting the lamb and beef pizza. The pizza was cheesy and delicious I came at lunch time, which is normally a bit easier, and the service was still great. The waitress and host were quick and attentive.

Love this place! My wife and I come here all the time and never been disappointed. Very nice environment and staff.

Cozy, family-owned Lebanese restaurant in the Renaissance plaza! Nice outdoor and indoor seating options available. If you're coming in a party of 3+, I HIGHLY recommend the Meza platter: a reasonably priced assortment of many of their classic dishes including the hummus, tabouleh, falafel, chicken and beef shawarma! The platter was more than enough to feed 3 hungry adults + some leftovers too! Wonderful and friendly service and decent-sized parking lot. Don't forget to check in on Yelp for a free small appetizer! My only qualm about this place is why the meat entrees (e.g. shawarmas and kebabs) are so expensive ($27+) since that's what I typically order for myself at a Lebanese restaurant, but I really feel like the family style platters are a great bang for your buck and the way to go!

Food. DELICIOUS! Service. AMAZING! Ambiance. PERFECT! I can't believe we've been to this center many times and missed eating here. VIEW my photos and TRUST ME when I tell you that EVERYTHING we tried was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! If you want authentic Lebanese & Mediterranean Cuisine, THIS IS THE SPOT!

Yummy yummy authentic Lebanese food NOT to miss! Love going there , everything on the menu is DELICIOUS!

Amardeen is excellent, one of the best restaurants in the area by far. If you are looking for high quality, very flavorful food this is the best choice. A lot of the other food options around this area are very corporate, bland, or overpriced, Amardeen beats everything at the UTC Mall in all these categories. I appreciate how many high quality vegetarian options they have.

Convenient, delicious, and reasonable! Came on a Friday evening and it was absolutely packed (inside and out). However, I'm fortunate to have great friends who secured a table and ordered food so I arrived to smiling faces and a table food of scrumptious bites. The platter they ordered was fantastic and featured a variety of dishes including beef, chicken, tabouleh, and hummus. Everything was fresh and flavorful. Truly delicious and enjoyable! Unlimited hot water refills for tea and pita bread were an added bonus. We left feeling satisfied yet not overly full. Recommended!

Great food, great service! Ambiance was ideal for a casual date. Best part, All halal. Highly recommend.

Me and my friends have been going here for everyone's birthdays the past several months and let's just say we loveeee this place so much. It's easy to make a reservation and they're accommodating for large groups. The service here is FANTASTIC regardless of which server that you get. Everyone that works here is super nice and honest when you ask what is good on the menu. The food here is really good, I'm obsessed with the beef/lamb shawarma and would recommend it to anyone. I don't like tahina and they replaced it with toum (garlic sauce) very easily and put a generous amount in my shawarma which was great :') They have a tea here which I forgot the name of but I've had it both iced and hot and it's amazing! It's a nice dark pink/red color. Overall great vibes, food and service!

That was a great experience! Nice minimal and cozy restaurant! It's a very high quality and nice services! The food tastes delicious! We ordered Kufta kebab, biryani and also tea with cheese knafe! Everything was amazing with great taste and quality!

Delicious and super authentic! Authentic Lebanese restaurant I highly recommend! Plenty of vegetarian options too