Maza Lebanese Cuisine

I think they are out of business. Went there today after 5pm (Sunday) and they were closed. Phone disconnected and web site is parked.

We could not get in! No, the restaurant was not packed; it was closed. Steel gate on the front door, padlock, dark interior. The phone message, «The number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service,» confirmed our observation. We went to Andies on Montrose instead.

Food was pretty good, but the owner/​waiter/​cook didn’t fully honor what the Groupon said the meal included. Portion size was small and doesn’t seem to fit the price on the menu. Soda was almost $ 2 per person and each person received a glass full of ice and half a can of pop. The best part of the meal was the dessert, which we only got one instead of the two the Groupon included, and amazing Lebanese coffee.

Mediocre food. Slow service — took over 2 hours to finish appetizer/​soup/​entrée. Couldn’t wait for dessert and walked out. Just one person who takes orders and serves all customers. Stay away.

I can’t believe I have only been here three times in over 2 years.
I want to update my review because I brought some friends here last night. We have a little dinner club where we take turns bringing people to a restaurant we want others to try. Maza had been on my list for some time and when I saw the Groupon, I figured now was a good time to bring them to try it.
First, it is a little unassuming from the outside, but go ahead, go in! There is free parking along Ashland… can’t beat that.
The food here is really good. I am happy they have eased up on the lemon a smidge and I continue to thoroughly enjoy everything else on the menu. The lentil soup is amazing and has just a touch of spice. We had the grape leaves, houmos and baba ghannouj, they were all very good. Sometimes grape leaves just don’t taste right to me, but I really liked these.
In a previous visit, my husband had a coucous dish and he loved it. I always go back to the mixed grill with rice, because I like to have a little lamb, chicken and beef and the rice is great. The people with me this time also had the kafta and chicken shawarma houmos dish, they were very happy with their dishes. The serving sizes aren’t huge, like olive garden (gross), so share an app, enjoy an entrée, live a little.
We finished with baklava for dessert and Lebanese coffee. My friends were in love with the custard, but i can’t remember what it was called. Anyway, both were the perfect ending to a great meal.
I hope more people come and try this place and appreciate the cozy atmosphere and really good food. The owner has always been very kind to me and appreciative of our business, even when I came in with a Groupon last night. We will be back more often.
My only negatives are that it can be really warm in summer and cold in winter, they have not quite worked out the temps yet. Also, it is cash only. If you are like me and don’t dare walk around this city with cash on you, then just don’t forget to stop at the ATM on your way, it’s worth it.

Food is so flavorful and made to order. Each time I’ve been, the owner is there and serves the tables — makes it a unique dining experience. Small, cozy place.

I ordered some food for pick-​up. I ordered the kellaya and the owner convinced me to get some lentil soup, as he said it was the best in the city.
The kellaya was great, with the main portion (chicken and sauteed veggies) some sweet and spicy tastes and really nice flavor and texture balance with the side dishes (pickled red cabbage, grilled onions, near east rice pilaf).
The soup — holy crap, it was the best lentil soup I’ve had in my life. So much flavor, particularly for a rather light soup. If it’s vegetarian I need to bring my wife back here to try it.

Lets get the bad out of the way first, because Maza leaves much room for improvement. My wife and I had a Groupon that was expiring so we dined here the other night. After reading all the negative reviews, I was very apprehensive and my wife was a bit frightened. I don’t like that. Why would I choose to place myself in an uncomfortable situation, especially with something that should be an enjoyable experience, like sharing a meal with the woman I love?
We arrived at 5:20 p.m. and the restaurant at the address we had been given was closed with a gate across the front. We called to see if we were at the right place because a couple of pictures on Unilocal showed a building with a black awning and this did not look like it. The man who answered the phone told us we were in the right place and that he would unlock the door shortly. He coldly welcomed us to the restaurant then scolded us for not having a reservation. It was 40 degrees outside and very windy and the restaurant was cold inside. He had floor space heaters but they were not turned on. I knew my wife was very upset at all of this but she held her peace.
We explained that this was our first experience with Lebanese food and that we had a Groupon. The man with whom we were speaking (who I will assume is the owner of a one-​man show) coldly took the Groupon and told us what we were allowed to order. You do not get a certain dollar amount of food, you are allowed to choose from select dishes. One appetizer, two lentil soups, two entrees (only the ones in the $ 11-​$ 12 range), one dessert and two Lebanese coffees at the end of the meal.
As we scanned the menu we became more worried because many items seemed similar to those offered by other ethnic restaurants we have tried and they were virtually tasteless.
With that in mind we ordered Falafel for the app and the lentil soup. We asked the owner for his suggestion on entrees and he recommended the Brochettes of Chicken and the Seafood Couscous, since we are not beef eaters. Even though the seafood dish was $ 17, he did allow it… This is where things turned for the better.
He brought out the Falafel along with a basket of fresh warm pita bread, and, wow!!! Talk about flavor! I don’t know who prepared the food at the other Middle Eastern places we’ve eaten at, but they need to come here and learn how to do it right. The difference was like night and day.
We were then brought our lentil soup and it was piping hot and absolutely delicious.
Next came the entrees… same story, although the portions are very small.
The dessert was Baklava along with a custard-​styled sauce drizzled with honey. Another winner.
Lastly, I don’t even drink coffee (my wife does) and we both thoroughly enjoyed the tiny cup we were given at the conclusion of our meal.
Maza definitely left us with a positive impression of Lebanese cuisine. The owner even lighten his morose demeanor as he saw how genuinely delighted we were with our meal. We even chatted a bit throughout the experience.
All of the food came out in a timely fashion and when we left he had no other customers.
In the end I gathered that this is a hard working man from another country who is simply trying to make a living, as we all are. He is an excellent cook, but we can see how many would perceive him as a terrible host. If his business is able to survive, perhaps he can get help in areas that need improvement, allowing him to focus on what he does best.
Go ahead and give Maza a try. The food will not disappoint. We will quite possibly return as well… only in the late spring or summer when it is warm outside. 4.5 stars.

Best Lebanese food around! Very tasteful! The restaurant is small but very cosy. The owner could come across a little dry but he was a very good host! I would recommend to anyone! We tried the falafel, lamb couscous and kafta kebob, everything was delicious! We will go back there for sure!

Pros:
We were looking for a new place to try last Saturday night (2÷28÷15) that was different from our usual of Chinese, Japanese, Italian, and American cuisine and were fortunate enough to come across a Groupon for Maza.
Yes, the menu for the Groupon is limited, but only slightly by not having the more regular dishes like filet mignon, lamb chops, and carrot soup. I mean, you can get those anywhere so I wasn’t bothered by it because I really wanted to try authentic Lebanese food that isn’t so widely available compared to other types of food.
Dining at Maza was an incredible experience from start to finish. This was the first time I can truly say that everything I tasted (from appetizers to desserts) was delicious! I had been searching for grape leaves similar to ones I had when I was younger, and no Greek version came close to it. I gave up on trying to find them and decided I would never come to like stuffed grape leaves — that is, until Youssef (the owner) was kind enough to give us a sample and OMG they were melt-​in-​your-​mouth pieces of heaven! He also gave us samples of a few other dishes to try since I think he sensed this was our first time with Lebanese food.
I don’t drink any alcohol because I can’t stand the taste of it, especially red wine because of its strong flavor, but our group decided to try the Lebanese red wine and I thought it was tasty! I mean, I still won’t order alcoholic beverages, but if I had to choose something, that Lebanese wine would be it.
The kibbeh nayeh (lamb tartare) is served raw and I always wanted to try it ever since I saw an old friend of mine eat it. It sounded weird at first, but I figure since I eat sashimi, this shouldn’t bother me. It was delicious! Not sure what it’s seasoned with, but it made a delicious pita sandwich.
The others in my group got fully cooked meals and practically finished their plates. We were stuffed, but we needed to make room for the rice pudding, baklava and Lebanese coffee for dessert — all of which were also delicious. I liked that the baklava was sweet, but not too sweet. The rice pudding paired really well with the baklava and was super creamy (I’m used to actual bits of rice in my rice pudding). I had heard that the coffee is really concentrated so I was expecting a strong and maybe bitter flavor. It was neither. It came in a tiny cup (which is all you really need) and it had a well balanced mixture of cardamom and sweetness to it.
Overall, the meal was excellent and we had a knowledgeable, friendly, and gracious host and owner (Youssef a.k.a Joe).
Thank you Youssef for an amazing dinner! We will be sure to stop by again on our next visit to Chicago!
Cons:
When we first walked in, no one was attending and we had to make our presence known (We yelled for service and I knocked on the walls.) It’s most likely because he was prepping in the back. It was also chilly in the restaurant and they only had a space space heater going so definitely bring a sweater or coat, although the soup and coffee will help warm you up. It is CASH ONLY.

Building is quit invisible if your not looking for the place or food. First impression when I walked in was it was really really freaking quite considering there were 2 other groups. The waiter seem mad and grumpy as we were seated. I used a living social coupon so usually they give you a set menu on when can be included in the coupon. Well I figure I would order the hummus and pita bread since it was the cheapest of the appetizers. Before I ordered I asked the waiter to see what entrees were covered under the coupon. He gave me a attitude like «oh god not another coupon» then I got yelled at by him as to why I didn’t mention it to begin with. I said «Why do you think im asking you what is covered on the coupon?».He then processed to «RECOMMEND» food as to a first timer would like. Well you don’t have an option when it comes to soup or salad. He just served the salad and I really wanted to try the soup but that didnt happen. He recommended me to try the chicken Shawrima, in which I did, bad choice. He made it seem like the chicken was juicy and good. It was dry and my rice was cold but I think he did that on purpose so he wouldn’t have to cook anything else then to what he already cooked. Remind you there is only 1 person who is the owner, manager, waiter, and cook. Tell this man to hire someone who is in the food business!
Also if you go during the winter please be advise to wear your coats. There were space heaters everywhere! including the bathroom. Isn’t that illegal and putting people in danger?! It was really cold in there. I loved the paintings on the wall though lol. So on to dessert which was ok as well. The only thing I could say what helped this place get a extra star in my book was the coffee. Talk about yummy! But if I do decide to ever go back it will just for the coffee TO GO! Also please be advise this place is CASH ONLY! I don’t get why they owner would put a sign on your way out that says that rather then just put it on the door to advise people you don’t do credit… not on their way out. After my group of 2 were the only ones left, the owner warmed up a bit a told us a little about his place and he knows Spanish which he puts me to shame lol. Im sure this place can be more then what it is… it just needs more service to help and get a fresh eye on the food they serve.

3 words: MONEY LAUNDERING FRONT. That is the only logical explanation for Maza’s existence, seriously!
Groupon (ers), Living Social (ers), Amazon Local dealers, all of you — Avoid this place like the plague! Let me explain:
When I first walked in on 1÷17÷2015, I instantly noticed how incredibly cold it was in the restaurant. Everyone in the dining room (and I mean «room» because the place is tiny) had their winter coats on while eating! They have two tiny space heaters on but refused to up the central heat when several tables requested them to do so.
Second thing I noticed was the man’s attitude that runs the «show.» He greets you with a very rude, condescending tone that is honestly best described as demeaning and appalling, all at the same time. I had a Groupon so I wanted to rough this out! I honestly felt so uncomfortable by his attitude the entire time we were dining there. If you do go (and bless your heart if you do), you will understand what I’m talking about.
Third happening of the night: after my friend gets there, we are ready to order. tick tock, tick tock, tick tock… no sign of Mr. A (hole) anywhere. He does all three things: bus boy, server, and maybe even the cooking (it took 1 hour and 57 minutes to get our food. We timed it, to the T). Anyways, when we were ordering, my friend asked a pretty valid, solid question: «do you serve your soda in cans or on tap?» He laughed and rolled his eyes at her.
We ordered the following:
hummus (tasted bad!; like honest to God very old Sabra hummus you can find at the grocery store but with more acid/​chemicals added to it!)
falafel — The highlight of the meal. But still mediocre, at best. I will stick to Sultan’s for my falafel’s.
The groupon had said the meal came with either soup or salad. We both wanted salad. Mr. A said that no salad was allowed. And though there were two options on the menu for their soup selection, we were only allowed to consume what he wanted: lentil soup. When it came out, it was like a cold Campbell’s soup was served to us. Ridiculous!
As we’re waiting for our main (and waiting, and waiting): I noticed Mr. A going up to a few tables who had already consumed their apps and telling them they needed to leave the restaurant. I couldn’t hear what he was saying but this was concerning.
Well, when our food came out, he brought me four tiny pieces of lamb that were so extremely DRY & CHEWY!, rice that was comparable to rice-​a-​roni, and a few «grilled veggies» which were ice cold, probably defrosted.
I was scared to say anything and honestly just wanted to get out of that evil place ASAP.
This is the final incident of the night which blew my ever-​loving mind. A group of three ladies sitting close to us were consuming their apps, drinking wine, etc. They were told, right after we got our food, that they too had to leave because of a «situation in the kitchen.» They kept asking Mr. A what had happened, trying to understand why they weren’t going to be able to eat there after an hour+ of them being there. He refused to give them an explanation! So. damn. RUDE! All he did was argue and say, apps on the house, just no meal. (get out, essentially).
When they left, only my table and another were left occupied. I took that opportunity to ask Mr. A who owns the restaurant. He said he was the owner! That baffled me. I told him that he should be nicer to customers and that he shouldn’t treat people the way he does. I was trying to determine what had happened in the kitchen; he then told me there was a «leak.» I responded, «well, why didn’t you just tell that to the customers that were asking what had happened!» He continued to argue and argue and argue saying how he has been in business for this many years bla bla bla. I told him that night, to his face, and I will tell him every day after, that he should thank his lucky stars that he’s still in business!
The food was disgusting! It’d be a different story if the food was good but not even was that acceptable. I really do thank God that I didn’t get food poisoning.
And the service was out-​of-​this-​world dreadful; hopeless!
Again I say, this has to be a money laundering front. Seriously cannot believe what happened here! Here’s to hoping someone in the world gives Mr. A a «come to Jesus» intervention so he can get out of the restaurant biz. He should not be running a customer oriented establishment!
PS. ZAGAT WWWWWWHhhhhatttt are you thinking???

This was truly one of the most abominable experiences I have ever had in my life. This restaurant had no heat BYOB ay this restaurant means bring your own blankets .The man who was the owner was the rudest person I’ve ever met. I had made the reservation 2 weeks before the waiter did not explain that most of the food that was on the special coupon was not available. He slammed the cups and plates and silverware on the table when he served the lukewarm soup. We did get to eat some baba gannoush, which did taste pretty good, but by now we were scared to eat in such a hostile environment, we were actually afraid he would poison us. Shortly thereafter he asked us to leave because there was a problem in the kitchen, It was a complete fiasco. Luckily
we were only held hostage there for a short time and we left in complete dismay.
Thank god for stiff drinks and bar pizza, so the night wasn’t a complete loss.

Food was amazing! Great service, great recommendations and great price! The place was a bit chilly in temperature but nonetheless, the food was tasty! The décor was nice and the owner was friendly!
It’s a small place but comfortable. The Lebanese coffee is to die for :)

(Sigh) Not impressed. At all. I ordered grape leaves and falafel for delivery through Grub Hub. Now, I’m not sure if they provide their own delivery people or not, but whomever delivered was 20 min late and my food was cold. That said, it wouldn’t have mattered much if it were warm. Soggy, gross grape leaves. Tahini was far too salty. The rice and cabbage were subpar, but probably the highlight of the meal. Oh and all that for $ 25.
Never again. There is too much good Med food in the city to waste your money here.

There is sign that post fyi… cash only.
Food was decent and service was good. Owner (server) was friendly. Not fan of Lebanese wine after trying for first time.

We came here for a groupon. I appreciate that it’s a mom and pops place, but the service was horrible. Given that it’s just the owner and cook that was tending everyone. If he was stressed out, you can definitely sense it in his tone. He was even reluctant to give us a high chair, cause he did not think it would fit by the table. We even called ahead of time to book reservations on a Friday night with the usage of a groupon. So if he was upset that we were using a groupon, we told him ahead of time.
The food is not that good in my opinion, maybe it was spoiled by the service. It was one of the worse dining experience I ever had. I will never be returning back to this place, despite other’s awesome reviews.

I came here on a groupon, because I would have not known about it otherwise, and for good reason– it’s quite out of the way and extremely small, though apparently there is a back room somewhere. The owner/​waiter/​cook? was the only other person in the restaurant for a while and was very nice, though he made the experience slightly uncomfortable because he had nothing else to do between courses but stare at us and demanded to know our opinions on every dish.
He did bring us extra dishes, which was generous of him, but then I just overate because I felt I couldn’t politely turn down the food, and I don’t enjoy feeling full like that when I didn’t choose to be so. He brought us hummus and baba ganoush, though we did not request it, and an extra soup when the course was for soup or salad, so that we both had to have each. This is very wasteful because I didn’t want the soup and only had a couple of bites to at least show I tried it. Both dips were delicious, and the soup was good as well, but all I really wanted was the salad. For our shared app we chose the cheese pies and they were ok– just a grilled cheese sandwich in phyllo dough rather than bread.
For my entrée, I had the mixed kabobs and it was just ok. The meat was a bit dry and there was not much on my plate. For the price, I certainly expected more. Yes, I received a bunch of free food, but I would rather have had more of what I actually ordered than all the accompaniments that I could have done without. The best part of the meal was the dessert (which was selected for us) consisting of baklava and some kind of pudding. The experience wasn’t necessarily an awful one, but unfortunately, I wouldn’t come back, because as much as I liked the food, I didn’t appreciate having it forced on me while being stared at and grilled for instant feedback about it afterward.

Came here with a friend for dinner after buying a Livingsocial deal for a 4 course dinner for two. Included an appetizer, two soups, two entrees, two coffees and two desserts. The owner seemed to be the only one working. When we walked in there was no one in the room so we sat ourselves and waited. Personally, I didn’t mind since it gave me the chance to catch up with my friend. I thought the owner was very friendly and attentive, especially considering he seems to be the waiter and chef.
We ordered the Spinach Pie as an appetizer. Pretty good although not a favorite. The spinach was a bit bitter but that may have been due to the seasoning. We both ordered the Lentil Soup, which I really enjoyed. Came with a side of pita. For entrees we got the Seafood Couscous and Scallops in Cheese Sauce. Both were pretty good but I liked the Scallops better. My favorite parts were the scallops and rice pilaf and it wasn’t overly cheesy. The Lebanese Coffee was interesting. Came in tiny almost like espresso cups. Dessert was Baklava and Cream Caramel, I believe. Both were quite good.
Overall, the food and service was good. The only reason I took two stars is because I likely won’t return. It’s fun to try once, especially since we had a deal, but with so many restaurants in Chicago it didn’t really stand out.

I do not like Maza in a box.
I do not like Maza with a fox
I do not like Maza in a house
I do not like Maza with a mouse
I do not like Maza here or there.
I do not like Maza anywhere.
I do not like Maza and its rude owner man.
I do not like Maza; I’m not a fan!