El Mazaj Restaurant - Ottawa

Overall, it wasn't bad. The food was delicious and the music was enjoyable. I had never seen belly dancing before, but it was very cool. The only downside was the service, which was not very good.

Besides the wonderful service, the food was incredible. Every dish we had, and there were many, was absolutely amazing and FRESH. I can't wait to go back on it! Weekly if I could.

The restaurant has recently raised their prices and now charge double the LCBO price for a half-bottle of Arak. Previously, we paid $35 plus tax for a more generous amount of food, but last Saturday the bill came to $40 plus taxes, with the drinks billed separately. The increased prices are not reasonable, as I ended up paying a total of $72 for food and one drink. Our group has decided not to return due to these high prices.

Unfortunately, the food did not live up to our expectations. The dishes seemed old and not fresh, with even the bread being served cold. Our main dishes consisted of just 6 skewers of meat - 2 chicken shish, 2 lamb kofta, and 2 lamb shish. When we inquired about more food, the owner or manager was nowhere to be found and only a waitress was able to respond, confirming that 6 skewers were the entirety of the meal. Disappointed by the lack of food for the price we paid, we had only one bite of each skewer. We could have ordered 6 skewers from the regular menu for a fraction of the price. Our bill came to $177 for the limited amount of meat, some cold and unfresh appetizers, and 4 cans of cola. We were the only customers in the restaurant on a weekend evening, indicating that others may have had similar experiences. I would recommend avoiding this restaurant and especially steering clear of the A La Carte menu. It's a costly mistake that we wish we had been warned about before our visit.

Friends made us try real Lebanese food. We loved the kibbie, tabbouleh, fattouch salad, hummus, baba ghanouj, the sejouk (spicky sausages), grape leaves and fish. The restaurant is so easily overlooked in a non-describing plaza, but it is worth coming for a great...Meal. We are so happy that we were introduced into this restaurant, it is the best Lebanese food we had in a very long time.