Restaurant Mandaloun

We recently visited this place, and it was easily one of the best dining experiences I’ve had in a long time.
From the moment we walked in, the stunning interior design set the tone for a memorable evening. Every dish we ordered was simply perfect—each bite bursting with flavor and prepared to perfection.
The food alone was enough to make me want to return, but what truly set the experience apart was the service.
Although I regret not catching the server’s name, he provided exceptional hospitality, going above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and attended to.
His knowledge of the menu, paired with his attentiveness and friendly demeanor, elevated the entire experience. It’s rare to find a restaurant where everything, from the food to the service, exceeds expectations, but Mandaloun has achieved just that.
I can’t wait to visit again!

Some may say it's a fancy restaurant, I would say it looks oriental, nice, but the fancy part is coming from location as it's in the north side of Bucharest, an expensive area. The placemats had holes and not very clean, I didn't appreciate those.
There was no hanger, we had to put our coats on the back of the chair. The chairs are uncomfortable without a pillow, however the waiter was nice and brought me one. We waited quite long time for the food to come, but it was worth it.
We had hummus with pine buds, with truffles, tabbouleh (generous portion), beef with Philadelphia cheese (We thought it's a dip, but it was just beef with melted cheese on top, some roasted bell peppers and pickles), warakinab (dates and other ingredients rolled in vine leaves - good as taste, a bit too acidic for me also due to pomegranate seeds), Adana kebab and batata maclube (roasted potatoes with a lot of garlic), vine leaf rolls with muton meat.
The dessert was tasty, we had knafeh (mozzarella with fried noodles, pistachios) which was delicious and creme brulee with ice cream, refreshing and delicious. We also wanted to take away the leftovers as they were tasting amazing. The waiters have strange behavior.
Now they are a little grumpy, in the next minutes they help us take a seat (a lady always appreciates the nice gesture). Overall we had a good time there, delicious food, a bit expensive however it's worthy. Oriental music was completing the atmosphere.

One of the few nice restaurants in the area.
I have been a returning customer over the years, however, the food is not as delicious as it used to be.
The narguila is still satisfying and there is mostly something going on especially over the weekend.
The service is still top notch yet the cuisine is diverting from Levantine.
It is still a good spot to catch up over a quick bite or for some smoke and oriental music.