El Mahroosa Restaurant & Cafe

I have not seen anything worse than their service, especially the waiterSandy Her treatment was very bad. She left me for more than half an hour, wandering around the store and not asking me what I wanted until someone else came and served me. The store only had three tables.

The best service quality of all hookah bars in all of OC! The team here is truly outstanding. A friend was visiting from Dubai and is a big hookah buff, no where knew how to adjust the hookah and use his tobacco like they do here. The food is great too and the overall atmosphere. Truly 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

I’m a regular patron of this place. I will always come back as it reminds me of the Middle East.

Excellent experience. The service from our waiter ALI was absolutely amazing. He was extremely professional and courteous. He came by our table to check in on us often. He recommended a delicious dessert too, Would come back and ask for ALI to be our waiter. Keep up the great work. Will be back! Thank you!!

Service is always friendly (they can slow down a bit when they're packed, but that's expected!). Food is delicious. Atmosphere is authentic. It stays true to the neighborhood culture and roots in the middle east. Love coming here for a nice night with friends and family.

The molokhya was AMAZING! The rest of the food was good. Their meat and chicken need a bit more flavor, but not too bad. Nice Egyptian ambiance, and they make other Arabic food as well. All in all, a very nice place.

I was here with my family and we had not a good experience about service and food. We had to wait for an hour to get the order delivered. Food was cold and not delicious. It’s pricy for such restaurant where they don’t serve water as well. For such food I would prefer to go Dessert Moon Grill where at least service and food are good.

We entered the establishment with a clearly marked service animal, only to be refused seating by the server who pointed to a "No Pets Allowed" sign. Despite our efforts to explain the crucial difference between pets and service animals, the staff seemed woefully uninformed, so we walked out. The real issue was the staggering ignorance and blatant disrespect from both the server and the owner. They couldn't recognize a service animal, leaving me utterly flabbergasted. I strongly suggest that the owner and their employees educate themselves on service animals and their duties to their handlers to avoid potential legal consequences. The level of incompetence here is absurd. This place doesn't deserve anyone's business. Spare yourself the frustration and stay far away from this establishment!

Been coming to this place for awhile. The food and hookah is great. They have a lot of good options and family size entrees. Indoor family vibes. Great place to hang with friends, family, or work on your computer. The service is nice. Ali was one of our waiters. He made sure to check up on us that we receive all our order. It's a busy place at night and he made sure to coordinate with the hookah tender to refill our coals when needed. This place is definitely on my go to hookah spots compared to the many others in the area.

Little Arabia beckons especially since they now have their very own Freeway off ramp proclaiming that approximately 2 miles of Brookhurst has formally become, well, Little Arabia, shukran. Parking at this place is an interesting enterprise. Wedge the whip in anywhere and anyway you can. I wandered inside. "Are you here for a Hookah?" "No, thanks, I'm seeing somebody. I'm just here for the food". The small dining room in front was empty and quiet while the huge back room was hoppin' and happenin'. It might've been an old bowling alley way back when Little Arabia was little to bother with, A thick layer of smoke hovered at chest level and covered the cavernous room. Hookah is a social thing and kinda like a Middle Eastern riff on a Japanese Tea Ceremony...kinda. Okay Hookah is nto as ritualized as that but the same concept is in play. Both have more meaning. They are more than just slurping tea or inhaling flavored smoke. The front dining room had a sticky floor, a sticky table top, and a stick chair as if they'd all been brushed with fresh Gorilla Glue. But the adjoining kitchen was spotless and glistening. I'm an adventurer and it didn't seem to bother the regulars in the back vast getting Hookah'd. The Staff: Mostly all serving the peeps on the pipes except one very sweet lady who appeared at my table with a smile. She offered to help bring up the lengthy menu on a QR Cube. That was nice as I usually have to call in Tech Support to assist me in plugging in a Toaster Oven. The Menu is seemingly endless. If some Country in the Middle East makes something unique, a version of it will show up here. The rumor has it that some of the dishes are made off site by a gaggle of accomplished Aljadas (Grandmas) who have, no doubt, made a few specific dishes for decades. Hoo-cares? If it's good, it's good. The specials are reserved for weekends any way. I asked for the Arabic Salad which showed up shortly. It was a mound of fresh and perfectly diced Persian Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Mint, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and a shake of Oregano. The Salad was simple yet elegant. Tart, with a balanced ratio of dressing to Salad. Everything about it was just right. I thoroughly enjoyed my lovely little Salad and then hailed my pleasant server and asked her to warm a schwarma. The Beef was marinated and pan seared instead of being a packed stack of flaps the size of a Frisbee rotating slowly on a vertical Gyro Grill. The meat was tasty enough despite the little knobs being a tad toothsome. It took a bit of getting used to which I managed quick enough because it was tasty. Plus the portion was so large half of it went home with me and made up almost three additional meals. My Schwarma Plate came with warm store bought Pita that was so thin, I had to perform micro surgery on it to pry the Pita apart and wide enough to stuff stuff in them. Beef, Garlic Sauce, Hummus, Shatta (Hot Sauce), and the most wonderful little Pickle slices all got pushed into the Pita's gaping maw. Are you with me? All set? Now pick a corner and dig in. No matter how well or carefully you packed your Pita something will break lose, slide out and land in your lap after bouncing off your shirt. But, this beast was most enjoyable. The Charred Beef lay atop a platter of fluffy Saffron/Turmeric Rice and next to a simple Green Salad which paled compared to the fine Arabic Salad. A pile of napkins suddenly appeared courtesy of my kind and considerate server. I suppose she believed as I do, that if you don't get it all over you, you're doing it wrong. Even though the "Specials" don't hit the menu until the weekend, the regular menu is auspicious any day of the week. Dive in. A little trip to Little Arabia will have you happy and satisfied by meal's end here at El Mahroosa.

I had ordered many times from this restaurant unfortunately the food quality fluctuate up and down each time. Also I ordered online through Dashdoor Most of the time the food was good and acceptable but sometimes I received wrong order And I say to myself let it go !-

Food is excellent and service is 10/10. Ambience is amazing and you feel you are in the Middle East. I love that they play so much Arabic Iraqi music. It's always a go to spot for the Arabic events. Definitely I would recommend trying the kinafeh.

Stopped by with family for some hookah. Parking are is small so we had to park by walgreens and walk over. Took about 10'min to be seated which wasn't bad. Had the mint slushi, it was pretty good i love a good mint slushi. Hookah was alright, kept getting harsh was hard to smoke after like 10 minutes. the boys had the milk tea drink which they liked. Ambience was alright, there was music playing on tv and everyone just talking. The space was so tight that i felt like that was no walking space when trying to leave. I would recommend that there be some space between the chairs etc so we can actually walk out freely without starring on how to get between the chairs to leave.

This place used to be good ... not sure what happened. I will not be coming back and will let anyone thinking about eating here not to. I don't mind paying for good tasting food but this was not the case. The lamb tasted boiled with no seasoning, the fried onions and almonds that I was charged for were missing. The samosas were not even samosas and pitiful at that. The samosa plate was "garnished" with rotting lettuce. Lastly the two cans of Pepsi were $3 each... not to mention I tipped them 15%. Sorry EL mahroosa you have lost a customer and should be ashamed to sell food.

Worst restaurant and experience of my whole life. The server was very rude and obnoxious. Very slow service, the food was warm and not hot. It took for ever for the food to finally arrive. The food was not fresh and I was sick for 2 days. GI symptoms like diarrhea, dyspepsia and bloating. I will never go back to this lousy restaurant and I will never recommend it to any friends. Thumb down. If there is anything below one star I would have chosen it. Beware. JP

Thank you again to the very kind staff. This place is a gem and quickly becoming a favorite for my family and I. I highly recommend trying their Beryani or Kabsa with lamb. It is definitely not as overwhelmingly busy during the week vs the weekend. Looking forward to coming back!

Went there Sunday night 7pm for their AYCE Iftar Buffet (Breaking of the Fast for Ramadan). The place was festive. The selections were amazing. Soups, dips, veggies, stews, meats, rice, fruit, desserts/pastries. There was a raspberry juice welcome drink that tasted like rosewater. It was so good, I must've had like 3 glasses. They also gave out these luscious dates to snack on before the main meal. We got to enjoy: - lentil soup - Excellent - Spinach type of watery soup (meh) - This cabbage slaw that was in a light vinegar with blonde raisins and oranges, it was SO GOOD - So many pastas - So many dips: besides hummus, there was babaganoush, something with crushed walnuts, etc. - Salads - Pickles of all kinds - There was the main dish: Roasted lamb over rice, so very good! - There was this beef roll wrapped in pastry dough, the filling was so delish, savory, a touch of cinnamon, sweetness, etc. it has it all! - So many things I cannot name I think the mint red tea is extra, but it was such a nice way to end a great meal! Parking is kind of tight but there is a very capable parking attending helping and guiding everyone. After 8:30pm, they start to bring out all the hookahs so it can get really smoky. But still thinking about all the great food from last night! OMG so good! Very festive, party like atmosphere. All the staff were so hospitable, and efficient, they get you all that you need!

Our visit to the hookah lounge in Anaheim was a truly memorable experience, centered around an exceptional hookah session that exceeded all expectations. From the moment we settled into the comfortable seating, we were immersed in an atmosphere of relaxation and camaraderie. The lounge's ambiance was perfect, with dim, ambient lighting and a blend of soothing music that created an ideal setting for our evening. The highlight of our visit was undeniably the hookah experience. The lounge offered an extensive online menu of high-quality shisha flavors, each more intriguing than the last. The staff members were attentive and knowledgeable, readily offering recommendations based on our preferences. Their tea was delicious and flavorful, and we had ordered a large kettle of the brew. We didn't eat here but visited to enjoy a hookah and beverage before heading back to the hotel. In summary, it's a nice place, but I deducted one star because I wish they used the metal hookah tops with the pipe chimney instead of just foil as it would have made the hookah last longer. It was enjoyable for the first 15 minutes then burned up rather quickly. Either way, it's a must-visit destination for hookah enthusiasts, promising an unforgettable and enjoyable time. We look forward to returning and indulging in another fantastic session on our next trip.

أحمد كان شخص محترم very friendly food was really and would really recommend this spot

Amazing delicious Middle East cuisine. Ambiance is perfect with good music and entertainment with large televisions Food was so good and fresh. First time here and I will be back for more. Chicken was excellent. Lamb was even better? Good experience tonight

Officially our preferred hookah spot in Anaheim area. Food quality, flavor, variety and availability is close to none. We've tried the Biryani, Dolmas, Tabouli, Mixed grill, liver with pomegranates, hawawshey, um Ali, kunafa, Nescafé and mint tea; all solid 4/5. Wait time was ~10-15 minutes for the food to arrive once ordered. Servers were attentive despite being busy making solid attempts at making eye contact with customers and acknowledging them. Hookah flavors were good, excellent charcoal service as well. Good music selection and volume allowed for a relaxing atmosphere. Rating a 4/5 only due to limited parking spots outside leaving customers in a bind especially if the parking lot is full and uncomfortable chairs.

First time here trying something new for lunch. This is a two-part restaurant... when you first walk in there is a walk-up counter with some desserts in the display case and several small tables. Then in the back room, there is a larger dining/hookah room with lots of tables and a couple of giant tv screens playing the Manchester United game when we were there. Senda, our server, was very pleasant and helpful and gave us some great suggestions. We decided on the Kabsa rice dish with two lamb shanks ($25) as well as the mixed grill ($24). No liquor license so we ordered a hot tea ($4) and water ($3 bottle). Overall we really enjoyed the flavors of the food and there was plenty to take home for another meal, each. Ambience is very casual. The dining/hookah room is more like a converted outdoor patio so on cold days you may want to dress warmly as there was a bit of a draft. Service was pleasant but slow... Senda was the only one working the front room so there was a bit of a wait. They have their own parking lot but it is pretty cramped with about 15 spaces, all of which were full when we left.

This place is super chill, the food is amazing. The service is great and I definitely will come back here and I definitely recommended this place.

Good Parking! excellent food! Very nice servers and very attentive. Friday nights get pretty busy around 7PM I recommend beef kebab plate

Buffet was horrible food quality beyond low wont ever go back again i ordered even extra apart from the buffet and quality was below the standards food was no salt no flavor and even the mombar we ordered as if it was warmed in the microwave i wont ever recommend this or go back

El Mahroosa is an Egyptian restaurant in Anaheim's Little Arabia. While Egyptian food is not as well known as other Mediterranean cuisines, there are definitely dishes that are worth a try. Kushari: The plate of Koshary is a tall mound of rice, brown lentils, and chickpeas. Elbow macaroni and threads of spaghetti are layered on top. Everything is covered with crispy fried onions. Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette. Pour the tomato sauce spiked with herbs. This hearty dish is zesty, tangy, and chock-full of carbs and proteins. Hawawshi: Hawawshi is a pita filled with ground beef, spices, peppers, and onions. Dip it in the cucumber dill yogurt sauce.

I've been here twice so far, the first time I went here the food was really good. The second time was not as good. Both times I went here the staff isn't friendly at all. Horrible customer service. I just go here for the good hookah and food.

It's okay, been here a few times. Nothing too crazy. Their ambiance indoors is cool and it's always pretty packed. Their hookah is solid but their prices are bit on the higher side. Food is good, takes a while to come out usually but I understand the wait times especially from how crowded it gets on the weekend.

English: Amazing/authentic egyptian food. Has the appeal nubia does with hooka vibes. Food is great - kabob/lamb chops/mixed grill plate and deserts are epic Drinks: lemon drink awesome Prices: when u go to LA you will laugh at how reasonable prices are here for quality. Honestly anaheim is the city for arabic food dont waste your time in LA Cons: only thing on menu I wouldn't try is the shawarma Arabic: Ya klab ma dalkom totlobo el koshari, akhar mara kan kolo sold out. Jrb ashya2 tanyeh 3al menu shway plz!!

Great food and ambiance. The staff are very friendly. The lamb is delicious. I strongly recommend this place.

Love this place! Great food and great service. Probably one of the best mediterannean restaurants I've been to.

I got food poisoning from here. Had to get an IV at the emergency room and have a fever. Avoid this place it's so dirty

Amazing family owned great food and service quality is spot on war fresh and delicious.

Great food. Don't get fooled. Their plates are huge and have plenty of food. Tastes great. Service is great. I highly recommend this place if you're hungry.

Ahmad was an excellent servant who was fast and truly cared about customers. The food was fresh and delicious.

Ahmad was an excellent servant who was fast and truly cared about customers. The food was fresh and delicious.

Very good food good service I like the atmosphere One of a few restaurants have authentic food around

Amazing Food Delicious Good service Best of the best food Great, affordable and perfect

And they're back to the bad service again. I tried giving them another chance, but they're horrible! The Mendi plate always comes with almond and deep fried onions even the picture on the actual menu shows that. So how come they are adding an extra $4 dollars for it as an additional item?!?! Without even letting the customers know. Please double check your bill from this place before paying. We always get a surprise item on the bill from this place.

We drove all the way from SD to Anaheim to eat there. When we got there, they wouldn't let my friend go in with his service animal. We explained the laws in regards to service animals. They still chose not to accept it even thou we showed them the service animal pass. Will be filling a formal complaint with the proper authorities. The manager there is horrible with customer service.

Very disappointed, I got there yesterday around 7 PM dinner time, there was no one to meet me at the reception for 10 minutes, few of the employees standing chatting in the kitchen area behind the reception counter, who saw me standing there and just ignored me, I did leave, in my way, out, I noticed 4 employees in uniform T-Shirts in the parking lot area, chatting, joking, around loudly. The parking area is very limited mostly occupied by employee's vehicles since there was only one table inside occupied by one family. This kind of service or reception did leave a sour taste with me, I doubt if I will ever go there again, nor I would recommend it for others.

I start coming here this year during some weekends and noon time only. I drive from Pasadena just to have good sheesha and catch up on work. Sometimes Come Saturday and Sunday of the same weekend. I feel a bit guilty for writing this negative review but I hope change happens. I have stopped writing years ago so not hurt any business but what happened today can not be ignored as the attending lady added her 15% tip without my knowledge or consent. I did not order food to justify the tip. Usually I give cash tip to the gentleman who prepares the sheesha (RJ?) When I came in today there was no 'hello' or 'hi' or 'welcome' Even though she saw me coming! Thanks The service during this lady's shift is slow. Few a weeks Ago - after waiting for her to come and take my order- I went to her, and interrupted her online surfing, to place my order. When I complained to another person in the following day I was told 'yes she is grumpy and customers complain about her'!!! I will call my credit card to remove the unauthorised charges. I hope someone pleasant replaces this tired person soon.

Someone recommended this halal restaurant to us. The most bland food I have eaten in long time, we had the half chicken it felt like dietary food. I wish they would give spicy sauce and I would say rice was very delicious.

I was around Anaheim today and I finished my work and I decided to try Mediterranean food and I found this restaurant close by so I decided to give it a try, the food was delicious and the service was super fast and friendly and the ambiance was very nice with Arabic music. I will come back again for sure to try different dishes

When its slow they start charging the previous customer cards , i been out state for a month and yesterday they charged my credit card for 140 $ just for stealing my money.

I love this place! The food is impeccable and hits the spot every time! Great hookah & great environment to socialize. I love coming here and seeing people interacting by talking, laughing, and playing games! Hardly anyone is on their phone. Great hookah and music too! One of my favorites places!

The buffet was really good, we really enjoyed the atmosphere and the service. Mohamed was the best he helped us so much. Everything was perfect.

Best spot in OC for authentic Mediterranean food. Food is delicious, vibes are always positive, and the service never misses. Mohammed always makes sure we are taken care of when we go. 5 stars for sure!

This deserves 5 stars. I was starving after going to the gym and getting an oil change. I went here instead of going home. Best chicken panini I've ever had and the seasoning on the fries were amazing. I just wish there were more fries in the box. They have a hookah lounge in the back if you're into that. Not me. Place wasn't busy and it was clean.

My family drive about an hour to come to this place we love it, it's the closest to middle eastern and Lebanese vibes you'll find. Hookahs and food is great. Biryani is served along with Lebanese food like fatoush tabouli hummus. It comes with HOT pita bread which is so good and soft . The people there are very kind and are able to speak Arabic and accommodate for customers. The only reason why it's not 5 stars is because there's ONLY one waitress and I mean ONLY one because everyone else there is very kind, she looks like she is from an Asian decent and the reason why I'm identifying her by her race is because I do not know her name. MULTIPLE times that we have gone she is very very rude but we still come because we love the place. However she is a very bad representative of Mahroosa. Other than that, absolutely love this place. Check it out

Been here twice, both during the pandemic! I love Mediterranean food & you can't go wrong with eating in Lil Arabia. The service was okay, but the place was packed when we got there. The "dining" aka non smoking section of the restaurant was closed so we had to sit in the lounge area where there was lots of smoke & NO ventilation. I don't smoke hookah & didn't really enjoy breathing in all the smoke while eating. It was loud too & hard to talk but that's to be expected when you're in a lounge...where there's more talking than eating. Hate to say it but I'm disappointed in the food I had last night. For some reason I remember the food being better the first visit! I'm not sure if that's because we came earlier the first time or maybe there was a different chef? I ordered the same plate as the first time: Chicken Schwarma. My man ordered a secret item that's not on the menu, it was basically hummus & beef lol which he loved! He also said the food was better the first time. The chicken was flavored good, but tasted a bit dry to me. The rice was actually kinda bland, I for sure had better. I probably would visit this place again, but it wouldn't be at the top of my list.

One of my favorite restaurants in Anaheim. I love the atmosphere, the food and staff are nice. However, this time I noticed that the service was very slow and staff took longer time to check on us. We ordered kushary and kabsa dishes. When the food arrived, we noticed that the kushary dish was cold, so I tried to get the waitress attention, but it took some time until she came and when we asked her to take it back and heat it up she was very polite and said of course. The only problem is that she took the plate and forgot about it until 15 minutes later I waved to her and she went back to the kitchen and got the plate. She did apologize for the delay though. Same thing happened with the hookah. We kept waiting on someone to bring the charcoal, but it took a while and I had to ask the waitress twice until they sent someone to help us.

Egyptian style food. Most people came in for the hookah. If you looking for good food ; although the appetizers are good, their entrées are just okay. Service also almost non existence.

Great food and great service and also great hookah and try the beryani if u come amazing

Was really excited to try this place but unfortunately it was quite disappointing. First of all, the table we sat on was super sticky. We got the mandy with 2 lamb shanks and pigeon with molokheya. The meat was dry and very hard. The pigeon was also not cooked very well. Molokheya was tasteless. The only thing that was actually good was the rice, it was amazing tbh. But everything else was well below average. The portions were also very disappointing compared to how expensive the food was. Also. I asked for water and was give 2 $2 water bottles.... I wish they would just put a little bit more effort overall in the quality of the cuisine as they represent one of very few Egyptian restaurants in the area.

Bad service. Food too expensive and poor quality and quantity. Don't recommend unless for hookah and maybe a snack or tea.

Ever since I did my study abroad in Egypt, I have become a huge fan of Egyptian cuisine. My favorites are Kushari, Molokhia, Mombar and etc. I was looking for an authentic Egyptian restaurant and found out about El-Mahroosa. I went there last week with my family. For my birthday I didn't want a cake, I wanted to indulge in Om Ali instead. So we drove all the way to Anaheim and I got my wish. it was soo delicious. Also it's a popular cafe to just hang out and smoke hooka . (I don't so the smoke bothers me a little). Other than I love this restaurant.

Great food, tasty and delicious. Very friendly staff. We order here often. We ordered more than $50 takeout and it seems the economy must have hit so now change their policy of what's added to the order. Previously they always gave the flat bread with an order. Now they evidently don't do that anymore. Also they used to always give you toum (garlic sauce) with chicken dishes and even give extra if asked. Now they don't give any with the chicken and will charge $1 for the tiny container which is only about a teaspoon. Wow! Things sure have changed since covid.