Reviews

Based on 20 reviews

Citysearch User

Great Food and Hospitality!

Loved this restaurant. Their lentil soup is outstanding and we had the rack of lamb which was cooked to perfection. Good choice of wines. The restaurant is small and cozy and the owner showed us great hospitality. We had no reservations and every table was filled, but he politely asked us to wait for 5 minutes because there was a couple getting ready to leave. All of the food choices are authentic. Don't read this other reviewer's thoughtless comments. The owner would not have treated his customers in that manner unless they were rude or demanding. We've gone back 4 times and love the fig or date dessert.

posted at 02/24/10

jubru

Go there!

I've been going to Maza regularly for a few years now. The service is always great, and the atmosphere is better than any middle-eastern restaurant in Chicago (With the possible exception of Tizi Melloul, which lacks the food quality and quite atmosphere of Maza). I recomend the Red Snapper, and the Appetizer Sampler, which makes a great tapas-style meal.

posted at 06/02/02

thegourmet

Superb

An excellent choice, the wait was not too long and easily smoothed over by the complimentary glass of wine. Service is discreet but attentive. The food was excellent and you never felt like you were being rushed. Word of advice: Big parties should book and becareful as you exit the restrooms as the waiters zoom by.

posted at 11/16/02

chefandy

maza, best middleastern !!

cozy, chic ambiance and friendly service offers arguably the best falafel in town. Top notch kafta kaboobs, chicken and meat shawarma, and wonderful couscous dishes keep me comming back for more. Such a nice place to bring guests for interesting, healthy, great tasting food.

posted at 02/05/04

eyediva

Excellent food, attentive waitstaff...

great experience....BYOB....easy on the wallet...yet increadible menu...
carrot soup is a must to try...along w/ artichoke appetizer...can't go wrong w/ any lamb dishes...

posted at 03/02/05

jate

Excellent food and service

Beautifully decorated with wonderful food. Plus, it's not too pricey. We were riding our bikes by at 10pm and decided to stop in on a whim. We were surpised by how good their variations on classics like hummos and lamb couscous were--truly delicious. Also, try the Kellayah and don't miss the carrot soup. Prompt service and awesome entrees will delight.

posted at 09/11/05

paul2006

Great spot if you have no standard for service

The praise heaped on this restaurant stuns me. The average food they serve (I'd take Reza's, Andie's, Noon-O-Kabob or Pita Inn over it any day.) is eclipsed by the very poor service we received. We arrived at our reservation time, but ended up waiting 45 minutes for a table anyway. After a half hour, the host gave us two complimentary glasses of wine to placate us, but it didn't do much to ease our frustration at having watched other, larger parties get seated before us. I'm not usually a service snob, but our server was impolite, inattentive and impatient. If you do go and want to use a credit card, be sure to spend at least $20; my friend had a bill of about $19.75 and they flat-out refused to let her charge it.

posted at 02/20/06

EmilyDwarf

great food, ok service

my first time here in the winter was just ok- food was delicious and moderately priced, but the service was terrible. it took us 15 minutes after they had cleared our final plates to get the check, and 15-20 more for them to run the credit card. this time around, i had a coupon and we remembered the awesom lamb kebabs so we decided to chance it. happy to report: much better! (though much less people in the dining room). the food was still excellent (and gave us way too much), and while the service (same waiter- i believe its the owner) was a bit short, it was a much better experience than before.

posted at 07/28/06

chicamickey

First time eating lebanese, loved it!

Our friends were taking us for our anniversary and saw this restaurant being rated in Check Please so we decided to try it. We (all 6 of us) were very impressed as soon as we walked in. Our table was ready, service was excellent and the food was incredible. For being our first time visit we got on the house dessert which was delish! Carrot soup, excellent! I don't remember the name of my dish but it was some time of beef which just melted in my mouth..all the other parties tried lamb and that too was very tasty. You need to go and try for yourselves. This is coming from someone who is picky about eating new things...I was truly impressed.

posted at 09/26/06

andreawisconsin

Great Restaurant!

Great Restaurant!
Restaurant is extremely clean, cozy and well decorated. Tablecloth, silverware and candles are in present in each table. The service is excellent, personnel very friendly. Try the Lebanese red wine. Food: Appetizer well prepared gourmet presentation. You can choose cold or hot appetizer. The cold appetizer is more than enough. Every entree comes with soup; we had the lentil soups and they were fresh and delicious. The pork chops and sirloin couscous were extremely well presented and superb!
I will definitely come again.

posted at 02/12/07

hmmmichelle

Hidden Treasure

The first time I tried Lebanese food in Spain three years ago I hated it! But over the years I grew to liking mediterranean food.
My friend brought us to this place. She and her boyfriend stumbled upon this place in the internet and decided to try it and just loved it! So they brought us here. We made reservations but had to wait for all members of our party in order to be seated. However, when everybody was already present we still had to wait for an hour for our table, despite having made reservations. It was a Sat. night and the place was packed.
After we were seated though it was hard to dislike the place. Excellent food for really cheap price. Every dish you order comes with soup already. I had ordered the carrot soup instead of lentil, despite my friend's insistence on ordering the lentil. (I remember when I was in Spain three year ago my se?ora would cook me lentil soup every so often and I didn't like it much.) When we got our soup I decided to try my friend's lentil soup and it was so yummy that I had to switch my carrot soup for her lentil soup. I forgot what I had but it pieces of diced lamb chunks with bell peppers and onions-- that was okay. And at the end of our meal they offered us free baklava, I guess they felt bad that we had waited to long for a table. My friend told us it was the owner himself who served us our desserts-- very gracious man.
Good location too because it's not at the busy part of Lincoln Park.

posted at 03/28/07

cadmus01

Mediteranean cuisine

Although this restaurant advertises itself as having Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, the food is actually more mediteranean than anything else. I would not say that this restaurant has genuine Lebanese cuisine because it does not. Being Lebanese, this was a turn off for me but it might not be the case for others. In addition, although the owner is nice and friendly, the service is not up to american standards. There is often not enough waiters (if any) and the service suffers as a result. I do give thumbs up however for the nice atmosphere and the decor.

posted at 04/16/07

sweathog77

Poor service, Boring food, Won't go again

My wife and I had an 8:30 reservation. We showed up at 8:25 and waited for ten minutes with no host approaching us and asking if we needed help. When she got fed up, my wife told a waiter that we had a reservation and he replied "just sit over there" pointing to an empty table ten feet away. We were given menus after another 10 minutes, but were so hungry that we decided to stay. The appetizers were bland and overcooked, the pita was store bought and the hummus had no taste. The lentil soup was outstanding, however. We both ordered chicken dishes from the "Authentic Lebanese" side of the menu and were not overwhelmed. My wife's dish had WAY too much sauce to the point of being overbearing. Mine was just okay. The Lebanese wine was average. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it especially since the tab ran up $100 (with a good tip for a below average experience all around).

posted at 05/14/07

jenj75

Authentic Lebanese, Heartfelt Service

As someone with a Lebanese background, I am pretty picky with my Lebanese cuisine. Maza certainly didn't disappoint. The dishes are authentic and many are difficult to find at most "Americanized" Lebanese restaurants. Yes, the service is a bit slow for American standards but given that Joe, the owner, is often the only server, you trade off speed for pride and knowledge of the cuisine. Just don't go there if you are pressed for time. The food not only tastes wonderful but the presentation is beautiful.

Be patient, and I guarantee that if you have an "open" palate and a calm spirit, I think you will really like Maza. The portions are not too big nor too small - absolutely perfect for sharing.

posted at 05/12/08

Gracchus

Highly recommended, but..

The food is good, perhaps the best Lebanese in Chicago. The service, however, is maddening--not because it is slow, which I don't mind in the least, but because, if your table contains two or three people, you may invariably watch as larger tables are given, shall we say, better attention.

This has happened too many times to be an aberration. I've often waited twenty or thirty minutes to order, while larger tables that have arrived later have already received appetizers; and I've waited even longer to receive appetizers, while the same tables have already received entrees.

Very insulting.

posted at 08/08/08

JHuman

One fo the best restaurants

I used to live around the corner, and this place always amazed me! Make sure to try their specials, and the Lebanese wine. If you're into strong coffee, check that out as well.

posted at 02/14/09

ksutt7711

Sub par food, AWFUL Service

After dinner, I mentioned I had a gift certificate and our server/ the owner yelled that it's only for 4 or more. The certificate doesn't say this. I offered to order another entree, but he kept yelling, "No!" over and over. I wouldn't treat another human being so rudely, let alone a paying, new customer. I was humiliated and just asked if we could have the bill. We waited while the whole restaurant sat in unease. He took the gift certificate off, but we had to pay ($60+ after the gift certificate) in cash, with gratuity (though I was close to tears, we tipped.) Not enough cash for a tip, so my boyfriend had to run across the street (while the owner waited and could've offered to let us use a credit card anytime). Our experience at Maza ruined our day. The lamb was overcooked, gray and tough and everything was salty & vinegary.I will never go back and not only will I not recommend Maza, but I will warn against coming and having such a traumatic, awful experience.

posted at 03/15/09

abschim

Excellent food, diligent owner

The one and only waiter, who I believe was the owner, was diligent, didn't hover needlessly, but wanted to make sure we had a good experience. He was concerned that we wanted to order an entree that we had never tried before and recommended that we order it as an appetizer instead. The lamb with rice and toasted almonds was excellent. If it's on the specials menu, I highly recommend it! The orange rice pudding with pistaccios was unique and refreshing - kinda like a rice pudding creamcicle :) and the baklava was not cloyingly sweet like many are. The wine was apparently only available either in Lebanon or at this restaurant. But the owner will overnight UPS them to you if you ask. A good find if you have the quarters for the meter.

posted at 05/03/09

VM2

WOW! What a find

Having lived in Chicago, and on both coasts, I've been to countless Middle Eastern restaurants. I go back to Maza every time I'm in Chicago - this is absolutely the best restaurant I've been to when evaluating an overall dining experience.

Food - Incredible. Authentic Lebanese food - the "maza" style gives you a little taste of everything; otherwise, every regular entree I've had is delicious. If you can handle raw meat ("steak tartare") go for the Kibbeh Nayeh - unreal. All lamb and chicken dishes are excellent. They have seafood & vegetarian items as well - something on the menu for everyone. For dessert, the baklava is authentic: flaky, somewhat buttery, and delicious. The mint tea (brewed with real mint, not in a bag) is a perfect way to top it off.

Price - Very reasonable. Entrees run from $12-$18 and portions are more than adequate. A complete dinner for two will average about $50-$60 ($80-$90 if you get the Lebanese wine, which I highly recommend).

Service - Top-notch. Joe is the owner of the restaurant and the only waiter (he has additional staff that help serve food & drink, clear dishes, etc.) He's incredibly nice (one reviewer said otherwise - has to be an anomaly - I promise he's one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet). Food is served promptly and courteously, and the whole staff goes out of their way to make sure you have a great dining experience.

Ambiance - Excellent. It's a somewhat small, semi-romantic place. I've taken dates there, but also had dinner with groups of 6 or 8 - it works well for both.

Again, considering EVERYTHING: food, service, price, ambiance, etc - this is the best restaurant I've been to. I highly recommend this restaurant, and I look forward to going back every time I'm in Chicago.

posted at 10/18/09

choochster1

will not go again!

When we walked in the waiter looked upset....he barely made a smile or welcomed us to the restaurant. Finally seated us after 5 minutes even though half the restaurant was empty. Once seated another waiter came to ask us for our drinks. He was kind of friendly (atleast nicer than the first one)....we gave him our drinks. As he was leaving he saw that we had a coupon....instantly his mood shifted to the worse as well. We had no idea what was going on.... We got the drinks and our appetizer...we gave our order for the meal. The owner made sure we ordered 4 separate meals even though nothing was on the coupon to say that. We got our food.....it was okay. We were really dissappointed. The lamb was okay...but everything else was very salty and toooo lemony. Finally we get our bill and i could not tell you what was written on it....it was all scribbles.....with lines and something that resembled numbers...but not really. When i asked how they got the total the owner got a little shocked and right away said that the bill included gratuity...even though it was only the 4 of us....Even still it looked wrong.....but we did not feel like arguing so we decided to pay with our debit card and the waiter almost shouted that we do not take credit card with a coupon.....again nothing on the coupon to say such....we were really upset by then. I did not have enough cash to pay the bill so we asked where the nearest ATM was....we were kind of rude as well by now....then the owner realized and told us that he would accept the debit. Once he saw that we were really upset he tried to small talk and ask us where we were from.....it was tooooooo late. We did not enjoy this place at all and would not recommend going there...Especially with a coupon!!

posted at 03/01/11

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