Makani | Upscale Mediterranean Cuisine Bar & Hookah Lounge

This is a huge well decorated Egyptian restaurant. I love the chandeliers and the exotic overall look. I also like the idea of displaying pictures or portraits of famous Egyptian celebrities on one of the walls. This halal Mediterranean restaurant serves mainly authentic Egyptian food. In my opinion, the food wasn’t all that because the rice was dry and sticky. I asked the waitress to change it because it was obviously overcooked. She went to the kitchen and came back telling me that they don’t have anymore. Well, I exchanged it for some fries instead. The liver and the chicken were okay, but I’ve had better in other places. Moreover, the prices are kind of high for the quality of food they serve. All in all, the decor is great, yet the food is just average. Not to forget that they have an outside seating area that is mainly used for hookah or water pipes smokers. Final thought: This restaurant is beautiful, I just wish they can focus more on serving tastier food.

Delicious food great service but during my visit there was construction to the location so I had to sit outside, which was quite loud and there were people smoking cigarettes nearby. The vegetarian options are quite delicious. I had the hummus and the eggplant and enjoyed both and put recommend both. I would certainly visit again when in the Orlando area.

The best in Egyptian dining. They have several menu items that you will not find at a Middle Eastern restaurant; strictly Egyptian. The food is delicious, and the portions are generous. The service was excellent as well. An excellent experience.

We ordered a delivery order worth $130 on our first ever trip to Florida. One thing we realized is, never trust the reviews count or the star rating of any restaurants here. The Shish Tawook was so so dry and was stone hard to bite. The mox grill which was almost $30 on Uber eats was not at all value for money and again so dry. Only the beef kebab was a lil better. Half grilled chicken was so blant. Kunefe wasn't creamy and was also a little hard on outside. Overall, stay away from this place is you want to eat a decent middle eastern food. On our first day on the trip, we ordered from another restaurant called Jerusalem Restaurant and it was so much better and good.

It’s a 3 star mainly because of poor service. Staff needs more training and ambiance is not upscale as described. For the food it’s definitely 5 stars! So if you only care for the food it’s a great place to eat Egyptian cuisine.

One of the best authentic mediterranean(Egyptian) restaurants I’ve ever been. Chief Sam was so down to earth, checking on us is everything okay. His staff was phenomenal. Fast service, smiling faces. Clean and well decorated, especially walls were filled with old famous Egyptian names. Overall was great experience. Definitely go back again. Highly recommend it if you’re in Orlando.

Really enjoyed the food here. The hummus and baba ganoush were authentic not the pre-made or Americanized type. The mixed grill presentation was a great touch. After dinner, we sat outside for hookah, mint tea and Kenefah (cheese dessert) which was equally delicious. The hookah was very well made and clean. Very impressed with this new restaurant. My only small complaint had to do with our server who lacked the proper etiquette of doing her duties. Also was not checking on us in a timely manner. Not going to ding the rating for that as I'm sure she'll get better as she gets trained with more experience. There was also a room for the kiddos to keep the noise from the main dining room which had some great decor. We got here a month after opening. They're beer and wine license was still pending. We'll be back.

This was my first time trying this type of cuisine and I will definitely be back with family and friends! I had a great experience, the food and drinks are delicious! Geno gave outstanding service at the bar! Stop in and ask for him! He doesn’t disappoint!! This is a must try in Orlando!

I researched and planned a few places to check out during my trip to Orlando. This was one of the few eateries that seemed to look good after reading the reviews & seeing photos of the food so I saved it my collection. Happy I made an effort to check it out! It's located in a happening part of town and it was conveniently located near my hotel, so it worked out great because the closeness ended up being a coincidence.... Walking distance. The venue is big and open until 2am and they serve hookah out on the beautiful patio and indoors as well. Our waitresses name was Auquel, she was super sweet and cheerful. She made a perfect suggestion of the Chicken Shawarma plate that I absolutely loved! This place seems like it would be a hot spot to dance the night away on the weekends but we came mid-week so it was not busy at all... but for us it was perfect because we just got off a late night flight anyway.

Egyptian themed restaurant and lounge. Has some Egyptian specialties that you won't find elsewhere like Kebda Alexandrian-Style, Koshri, Mombar, etc. we went there around 10:30pm midweek and it was not busy. I tried the Kebda sandwich and it was ok ( I tried the authentic one in Alexandria so it is hard to beat that) but overall the food was good.

The food here is amazing, not to mention great service. This is my second time back here and I am Still Not disappointed. They do have LIVE entertainment, however I am never coming at that time they offer that. I always come before 9pm. But this place is open until 2am and is located right in the middle of entertaining I-drive in icon park!

Soooo yummy! Had the hawawshi and it was one of the best things I've had in Orlando. You must try it!! OH AND THEIR HOOKAH IS AMAZING

We enjoyed a great meal here during our trip to the International Drive area of Orlando. The block has lots of restaurants but we wanted to eat at some place other than a chain and we do enjoy Middle Eastern food. Parking is a bit nightmarish in the adjacent lot but we were able yo park at a garage close by. This restaurant is specifically Egyptian and the main TV screen had a repetitive video of the monuments of ancient Egypt. The food was exceeded. We started with stuffed grape leaves, which was one of the best I've ever had. For my main course, I had the kofta with the rice and vermicelli and my husband had the falafel wrap. We ended the meal with baklava. Again, it was all delicious.

So let's talk about this place! Very delicious food. Very cute set up. Bathrooms was dirty - sink flooded with water and no soap for had washing. Location location location #iconoarkorlando . Great parking options. We visited on a Tuesday @ 8/9 pm during spring break week 2021 we had 3 people at our table- we didn't smoke hookah this time. Let's talk about the customer service though, our waiter was very cocky . NEVER in my years of visiting restaurants have I had a waiter that did not just give a shit, he didn't care. He was slow, smoking hooka, hugging up on his girl. Got an attitude when I asked for a spoon for my tea. We had to wave him down or ask the other women waiter for anything. We WAITED 20 mins for our water. He let the food sit in the window, while he was hanging out at the bar and the manager brought to us. What really pushed me -- when he dropped the check off, he grinned and said tip is already included in the bill. (Our bill was $90 which almost $20 was tip.) Giggled and started to walk away. We experienced help from other waiters even the manager. #orlandoflorida #explore This restaurant does add tip into the bill

Love the food here! My favorite is the hawawshi and molokhia. They occasionally have a dancer and the vibe is very laid back. Full bar and hookah available. The menu they give you to see the photos doesn't have the actual prices, you can pull up a menu on your phone to see the updated prices which are cheaper. The service is a hit or miss depending on the night, but the food makes up for it.

If you are looking for something close to home then this place is for you! Fine Egyptian/Middle Eastern/Palestinian food! Service was amazing! Ambience was great with music you can enjoy and know while dining. I didn't do hookah but from the looks of what the others weee having they looked very EXOTIC, not your average!

My family and I found out about this place from my sister. I called and made a reservation as it looked like the place gets busy despite the COVID situation. The guy who answered was so nice. When we arrived, I was pleased with the aesthetics of the venue. We didn't take advantage of the hookah because COVID, but other patron seemed to be enjoying it. We ordered and shared Hawawshi with fries, Beef Shawarma Platter, Single Mixed Grill and Konafa. Everything was so good. The only thing is that I am picky with my chicken and it was dry to me, but everything else made up for it. Natasha was our server and she was so friendly and beautiful. Rajid (Rajeed?) helped every now and then and he was so nice. I think he was the one who answered my reservation call. There were other items I wanted to try, so we will be back. The menu had Brunch on it, but I'm not sure if they are open for brunch right now. I emailed them, but have yet to have an answer. I hope we can explore that tasting, as well.

I had the shawarma platter, hummus appetizer and Orange juice. Or age juice tasted like Florida Natural so thumbs up for that even though the amount of money I paid for it, I could probably get a half a gallon for the same price but it is in Icon Park so they can get away with it. The rice and garlic sauce were a solid 5/5! Great texture, great flavor and I loved how the garlic sauce was in a gravy thing! So cool! The shawarma I'd say was pretty good. 3.75/5. Not the greatest I've had but certainly not the worst. The hummus had a great presentation but tbh, not the worst hummus but not very good. Probably a 2/5. The texture was meh, and the flavor was really lemony but not in a good way. There's barely any tahini to keep it creamy. It honestly felt like beans and lemon paste more than hummus. And for that price it should be better. The pita was also too thin and bland. I liked the waitress but she wasn't very attentive. I also didn't like they added gratuity without mentioning anything beforehand and then still wanted me to tip an extra 18%. The fact that's not illegal is amazing to me. One thing I did but didn't like was I didn't realize it was also a Hookah place. It's a cool idea but I didn't realize how strong the smells were from Hookahs. But I don't blame them. That's just a me problem. If you do decide to go, make sure to get the shawarma platter and remember they do an 18% gratuity

This place is pretty cool and authentic. Ambiance/ music: top notch! You can tell some thought went into making and decorating this place. Full of nice chandeliers. Twelve different types to be exact. Many pictures of most famous icons of the film and music industry from Egypt. The music is great and fun Egyptian music. Clean and open. Indoor and outdoors sitting. Service: the staff are friendly and helpful. The offer complimentary parking. But you got give tips to the guy of course. Pretty quick service too. Food: pretty delicious and authentic. Prices are okay. Not super cheap or pricey. But definitely not fast food kind of restaurant. More like dine and relax. With a date, friend or family. Or alone :) I would definitely come back to this awesome spot.

Food was served cold, we got the mixed grill and it tasted like it was recycled from the day before.. We also ordered a beef shawarma and it tasted like overly-salted beef jerky. The food here isn't savory or authentic. Save your money and eat somewhere else

The server was very polite. But the food was terrible I was going to stop at the food but they want me to keep writing. The tables and chairs seem like a spot were you quickly threw something together. Presentation and ambience is key. They have the right people serving. They just suck at everything else.

Where do I start with this egyptian restaurant that has beautiful ambiance and large space for partying. The service was good but not great my server was kind of forgetful of little items which wasnt a big deal but can get annoying. Let's chat about the food, i had the beef shawarma sandwich with a side of fries. Fries were very good i loved them and sadly didnt love but didnt hate my sandwich. I didnt like the bread used for the sandwich i love the typical pita as any place you go to typically uses. I want to talk about how madly insane the owners are for OVERPRICED FOOD! $25 for a beef shawarma platter just meat and rice? Like are they dusting 24 karat gold on it or cooking it with truffle butter or oil? Look i get that they have famous egyptian celebrities/singers that come out to sing and make a party but under zero circumstances doesn't it mean you rip off people. Wait so the beef shawarma sandwich isnt a sandwich its a wrap which man that's so sad. Egyptians can't do shawarma period i guess and im Egyptian and know how to. I'll never be able to accept and or understand why yall charge $20 for mombar like come on its not that expensive. I so badly want to come back to experience the fun parties but aside from that I wouldn't dare dine here just to eat here. Not many Egyptian restaurants exist from where im originally from and where i currently live there's none and im so disappointed.

I really invite all my Yelp friends at Orlando, Tampa , Jacksonville and all of you who visit Orlando to try this Egyptian restaurant! There are only 2 restaurants in The U.S. that I can be proud of as Egyptian restaurants Fava Pot in DC suburb (Falls Church VA) and this one , Makani which means in the Arabic language "my place" because yes... they want you to feel home! Whether you're an Egyptian looking to playback your memories or an American who wants to explore what is Egyptian, both will %100 get satisfied! Egyptian food doesn't need to be altered so other nationalities can accept like some other ethnic food , but honestly you will eat, you will love it and you will ask for it again! Makani is very large , very luxurious , Egyptian movie stars portraits are decorating the walls (Egyptian cinema is very old and it used to be in top festivals!) . They have an outdoor seating and a hookah area but there is no smoking or hookah allowed inside which is great! I really recommend their Mix Mahshy, Mix Grill , Koshari (amazing vegan/ vegetarian dish) be careful when you use the garlic vinegar sauce! They will start new items today as I was told by the owner and also they will have amazing a la Carter brunch this Sunday! Go visit, try it and Thank me later!

This restaurant is a bad deal for your money and is cutting too many corners to make more profit. I completely understand that business is rough during a pandemic and inflation has given rise to many restaurant prices in Orlando. Makani is also a restaurant that has risen their prices a decent amount. So of course, when we get there the prices are significantly higher than we expected. Besides that, when we were placing our order, we realized that the restaurant isn't offering certain items platters that are listed. The family platter (for $70), is ACTUALLY substituting lamb chops with chicken kebabs. IF you want lamb chops you have to pay EXTRA, despite it being listed on the menu. Since the price of an individual entree of lamb chops is significantly higher than of chicken kebabs we asked if we will be getting more of the chicken or if the price can be adjusted--the waiter said no. On top of that, the patio seating is decent but the indoor seating isn't that great. Especially considering most entrees are in the mid-20s+ range, not only is the ambiance that of a takeout restaurant where the menus are all a little rough, but the service isn't that great. The waiter wanted to take our order within a minute of us looking at the menu. Then, he came back a minute later. I am not sure what the rush was, as there wasn't anyone else there who was ordering food, nor did the place seem busy. It wasn't close to closing time...so we weren't sure what was up. That being said, there was a hookah vibe going on. This may be a nice place to sit outside and smoke hookah. This is one of the two hookah options in the same plaza that serve similar food.

Gross - Overpriced - Nasty The food quality is low, and they charge a very high price to the point where they will rip you off. The place stinks and the service is very bad, too. This place will rip you off and make you sick. Stay away!! Was such a waste of money

Good food and great service. Nice outdoor sitting area to enjoy with friends and can bring your pet there. One of the waitresses even gave my little shih tzu some water and special kebob. Would recommend to people looking for Mediterranean cuisine

All the food looked amazing. I ordered Molokhia, it chicken with a green garlic sauce that you can pour over the rice and/or dip you chicken into. Didn't try hookah. My husband enjoyed the Hawawshi.

We thoroughly enjoyed this place and we're glad they were open so late. The Alexandrian beef liver and rice dish was SO good, very flavorful, loved the spices. The atmosphere is geared more towards a lounge/club feel and depending on the night, they have music and/or a DJ. I don't do hooka but quite a few people were enjoying that as well. The menu is smaller than expected but everything we tried was flavorful and fresh and elevated home style.

The food was amazing. I ordered the half chicken and it was sublime. The restaurant has a nice ambience and the owner is very friendly and present which translates into amazing service.

Went there for first time since it advertised as high end Mediterranean restaurants was very disappointed my wife and I had one main dish of grilled meats and a couple of salads and couple of teas and one hookah paid $200 plus tips meat was cold and dry even though it was on skewers with burn marks salads were old and chairs and tables had holes and burn marks definitely high end prices without high end quality however staff were very nice and hookah was good definitely not going back

Best Egyptian food in Orlando, Great place, great service, very nice atmosphere and the staff is amazing.

Best hookah in Orlando, shoutout to Omar he's the best. He's got the smoothest hookah ever! Would come back just for his hookahs

I called in to place the order for Kushary. They were very responsive and took my order. By the time I got there they had the food ready. THis place has a hookah lounge, they have food, its loud. Parking is very difficult to find. Its in a big plaza so you are sharing parking with so many other stores. I had to park in front of the restaurant. Overall, great place! My fiance enjoyed their food.

We were a little hesitant at first, but was looking for something different to do in Orlando. We were tired of the cookie cutter establishments and so we decided to try Makani. It wasn't crowded early on a Saturday and so starting as immediate. Overall the food was very tasty, but just be forewarned they add 18% gratuity to the bill to counteract tourists that don't tip. My wife had the lamb, and didn't save her any so I think she loved it. I chose the Hawawsh which was simple and tasty. All for the garlic sauce instead of ketchup!

I was literally obsessed with my experience here! The service was fabulous, we were seated immediately and got the big table in the middle. The belly dancer was so talented and the music was so fun! I ordered chicken kebabs with rice, which was delicious. Everything looks so yummy, I especially wanted to try the meat on a mini grill. This place is pretty spacious, beautiful inside, clean, and has an overall great atmosphere. They also have a full bar and hookah for those looking for more than just food. I definitely recommend this spot! A reservation would help ensure you're seated as it does get packed, especially on weekends.

Best food, best service, best hookah, best chef! Enjoyed my time here from Dallas! Loved the vibe and everything delicious.

Good hookah place with food and drinks. Can't really go wrong with that. Didn't like the fact that they added gratuity by default, even though it was just a party of 2. I would have added probably a higher tip otherwise. Also the waitress even though courteous and polite, came over too many times to see if we were still working on our food and if we needed to go boxes.

Very delicious Egyptian food! But on the other hand,Water bottle was $3.00 each and from Walmart and the "Egyptian tea" was just lipton tea.Portions are a bit small and overpriced. Lamb chops were cooked to perfection, just wish they had a little more meat on them because they were $35.00 and you can get more elsewhere. Menu said that lamb chops came with vegetables and none were on there, when asked he said they have the flavor from the vegetables but the menu said otherwise.The waiter included a mandatory gratuity in the receipt, and then after taking the credit card brought out a new receipt with another line for a tip and all the other totals removed but still showing grand total. Basically in short they attempted to get double tipped. We were only a party of two, I could understand if we had a larger party of people and he did so.We love tipping people what they deserve but trying to be sneaky about it is not professional.Overall amazing restaurant. Great ambiance with Arab singer and belly dancer!

Started with soda (twice) all soda water and no syrup. The fattoush was okay but a little bit too much molasses. I've saved the worst for last. The shish taouk was sent back once because it was cold and did not feel or look like it was cooked thru even with the request of no pink and to please cook it well done. It came back and looked okay and the temp was good, but I spit the very first bite out because it clearly was not cooked all the way through. I was done. The server asked if we still wanted the Kenefa and I told her absolutely not, I didn't want to eat anything else from this restaurant. Very disappointed because I invited my husband out for middle eastern food (he is from the Middle East) that had excellent reviews but clearly did not meet those expectations.

terrible experience. ordered on door dash, the driver arrived at the restaurant and waited for 30minutes before having to cancel. in the end, the restaurant cancelled my entire order after I waited for 45 minutes!!!!! i paid extra for priority delivery, and while the restaurant stated it would arrive in less than 30 minutes, they made me wait 45 minutes before entirely cancelling the order, with no explanation.

Food was delicious Great spices our first time having Egyptian food Not many people in restaurant Some outside Friendly staff

I had high hopes for this place the last time I wanted to try it and guess what.... TONIGHT... THEY HAVE DELIVERED... An above and beyond welcome and service from Dalia and her whole team. The food was delicious and very othintc home made Egyptian recipes. We had the Hawawshi, Koshari, Kufta, Kepda and Meska'ah) very well made and came out in a very quick. The place is very homey and worm and definitely worth the vist. It seems like the last time I went, the place was going through a transitional phase and a bit confusing hours of operation but everything is settled and consistent now. Thanks Dalai for the great experience and the very othintc Fetears and honey, very delicious. Will be back for sure to get some food pics.

Th food was terrible. There were sweeping and cleaning the restaurant while we are there. There was no music playing. The prices are so expensive. The charged $11 for four falafel I ordered. Koshari. It has the worst taste the pasta was runny The dried onions were supposed to be crispy or chewy and have a stale taste. I would not recommend this place for anyone. I had a meeting on my team the bill came up to $300 for the creepiest food and the creepiest atmosphere. The owner don't care about his repeat customers. He is in the plaza where he caters to mostly to tourist, so he relies only on tourist business. They will not come back. I was very disappointed. This is the first time I take my team to a different restaurant away from the burgers and usual food. Nasty nasty nasty stay away.

Full flavor Egyptian meal. Excellent service and fun place. The chicken shawarma was copious so plan to share. We took advantage of the Sampler plate which includes babaganoush, hummus, salad, and falafel (2). We found out they have live entertainment on Friday night after 10:30 pm. Top off your meal with baklava. Also shareable.

I was invited to enjoy an evening with my girlfriends. 1st time here. I have to say I really enjoyed the ambiance of this particular restaurant. They had outside seating as well. Valet free parking. Belly dancers interacts with customers and live music: great entertainment. Cover charge after 10 pm. restaurant is following Covid guidelines with tables apart from each other & employees wearing masks. The place gets pretty busy. The drinks are reasonable on its prices. Also the food portions OMG!!!! I think you can share a plate with another person. Food is busting with flavors. I actually cant wait to bring my hubby here to try some lamb chops. The waitress was so nice and very patient as I couldn't make up my mind. The smell of the food actually lures' you in and it's completely worth it. I am a FOOD SNOB!!!! I recommend this place.

Don't be misled. We had a horrible experience. Service was horrible. There were only two people working and they were rude. It took them so long to take our order and messed it up. Over priced for very average food. On top of that they messed up our bill as well. No thank you!!!

Hands down the best middle eastern restaurant in all of orlando! The service was incredible. Place was clean and well lit. The chef makes the best mix of middle eastern food you'll ever taste. Had the best time here and I recommend it for locals or anyone visiting!

I'm visiting Orlando from California and I Just went to Makani , their food is perfect! I never tasted any Mediterranean food as good as theirs! The staff are very friendly and quick! The hookah is also excellent and the hookah guy is very friendly and nice! Will definitely visit it again before I leave! Highly recommended!!!

Love the food, love the decor, love the patio & the music. Oh & I love kofta sausage! My date got lamb chops which were rather small but the service was good, they treated us well

Kofta platter was dry .. appetizers perfect hummus and motabal Chicken shawarma was bad and I told him that my daughter said that she didn't eat it he said bad compared to what ?? He wasn't gentle with his answers

Way way overrated!!! Most of the food items are horrible, starting from "grilled chicken" which they claim it's grilled on charcoal but it isn't. Mombar is tasteless and dry. Kebda and Molochia didn't taste fresh, kebda was horrible. Hawawshi and Shawerma were ok. Service and cocktail were good. No one in the kitchen were wearing any masks or gloves .

Perfect egyptian food , molokhya and koshary are really great !!!! Very friendly and professional stuff Love the place !

The food was horrible the customer service was awful just one servant for the entire restaurant not coming and checking on us and you have to go and grab stuff that you need yourself I guess they are about to go out of business that's why nobody cares about customers at all

Food was good, but that doesn't make up for the absolutely terrible service we experienced. We were only notified that we could only pay by cash once we had asked for the check. They said it was due to a WiFi outage and their credit card servers being down. Instead of notifying us before we ordered (when the WiFi went out), they waited till we ordered an abundance of food. They then asked us to Zelle them the remainder of $20. Also 20% gratuity was automatically added, regardless of party size. Seemed very suspicious as we were the only customers in the restaurant at that time. Would not recommend.

My husband, who is Moroccan, was looking for coffee...ended here because we saw it when we went to Kings bowling. Thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere. A bit on the pricey end, but its in/on I-Drive. My son enjoyed the sweets, though, I will need to have him try authentic Moroccan desserts...The chef came out to get our feedback, which was nice. Overall, I would recommend this place for anyone looking for something different.

Authentic Egyptian food and a good night out. Never been disappointed with any visit.

We went there excited about all the positive reviews of having good Egyptian food while visiting Orlando. We were there around 11pm of a slightly rainy winter Fri night. Inside was not crowded. Got a nice table. The first thing that hit us was the extremely loud music. The belly dancer was finishing her segment, which was good, as we asked if possible to lower the music a bit, they did lower it but it was still uncomfortably high, at least for a restaurant. The hostess was very nice, and the food came in a timely fashion. The food looked good. The taste and quality differed from one plate to the other. The mosakka was average, the hawawshi was above average, the kofta plate was definitely below average as the kofta was dry. The koshari was above average, the tea pot was not good, was not that hot to begin with, and either the tea or the water they used did not give it the nice taste. We skipped dessert. If it was not for the loud music, I would have given 3 or 4 stars but it ruined our dinner. Sitting outside was not an option as people were smoking hookah.