Sonya H.
Yelp
Perfectly placed next to the Georgetown Waterfront, Muncheez has the perfect location, vibe, and food to satisfy all of your late-night cravings. At every other part of the day, though...it's a little too rich and too heavy, and most items leave me feeling pretty bogged down for the rest of the day. I did really enjoy their za'atar manakeesh -- this Levantine flatbread is stuffed with olive oil, cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and mint; the olive oil and olives make the flatbread really satisfying and pair beautifully with the remarkably aromatic and flavorful za'atar seasoning blend, but the fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and mint offer bright notes to cut through the richness of the other ingredients. If you aren't feeling a full-size flatbread, their mini za'atar (which is a little bit smaller than your hand) is the perfect size for a little afternoon snack or side.
Their bowls, while also delicious, lack that same balance of flavors -- I ordered a couple of build-your-own bowls recently, each with a base of lentils and baby spinach, topped with roasted cauliflower and a bunch of their veggie toppings. Although tasty, I have a couple of warnings / tips for anyone else ordering these items -- (1) their lentils are very watery / soupy, so be prepared for a pool of liquid at the bottom of your bowl; (2) the hummus and baba ghannouj, while delicious, are quite salty and can easily overpower a dish; (3) their baba ghannouj has dairy in it, so definitely steer clear if you're lactose intolerant or otherwise dairy-free; (4) they really do not hold back on the sauces -- they're extremely heavy-handed with the sauces (particularly the yogurt cucumber sauce for whatever reason), which are all so flavorful and rich that they completely overpower the rest of the bowl. I honestly ended up needing to add my own spinach and greens just to lighten up the bowl. I ordered one bowl with the yogurt cucumber sauce and one bowl with it, and it was a million times better without -- it was still extremely rich from the hummus and tahini I added to it, but it didn't feel like I was eating a savory yogurt parfait that was going to sit in my stomach for the next 3 days. I think the most difficult thing for me to stomach was finding two dead flies inside one of my bowls, which, while I'm always down for some extra protein, wasn't exactly what I was expecting.
All in all, Muncheez does a great job of satisfying my late-night cravings for fried, rich, heavy foods, but it wouldn't be my top choice for a standard lunch or dinner...even so, really appreciate how kind and friendly the staff is, and the love they put into each dish they serve.