Sunnin Lebanese Cafe

As far as Lebanese foods go — def a ⁵⁄₅
Magic Lamp = ⁴⁄₅
Open Sesame = 3.5÷5 — waaaay overrated
This place was nice and quaint, run what seemed to be a family restaurant. Service was quick and attentive.
LAMB KEBAB entrée was perfectly seasoned and cooked — came with a good amount of rice, hummus, and salad. Pita couldve been better, but willing to overlook since they gave us the pickled radish and olives on the side. $ 1 for garlic spread was a little steep, but I would order it again.
Best Lebanese food I’ve ever had,… hands down

GREAT FOOD!
Wonderful friendly staff!
Good $$$!
Dolly (Dottie? Sorry!) kicks butt in the kitchen and is a sweetheart too. She really makes you feel comfortable and at home. Plus — her hot green sauce served on every table is amazing stuff. She’ll even pack it up in containers to go — for others obsessed with it like myself. The chicken shawarma sandwiches/​rolls are excellent for lunch when strolling the Belmont Shores shops.

My geography is off but here I go… As I stroll down the Gaza Strip, also known as Long Beach on 2^nd Street consisting of 1) Magic Lamp 2) Open Sesame and 3) Sunnin. I would rank them as follows based on George W. Bush’s now obsolete threat levels. Not in the sense of personal safety but to my appetite, hope and expectations, time. and above all else, my wallet.
1) Magic Lamp = red level. Brace yourself for a long wait ONCE seated and misty spit as one particular male server speaks.
2) Open Sesame = unknown. TBD.
Which leads me to #3, Sunnin. After rumination over the weekend, I would assign this a green or very low risk of disappointment.
On a Friday night around 645pm, place was nearly empty. As the meal progressed, patrons started trickling in providing nice white noise helping my cause. Better half routinely reminds me of my muteness and dullness. Female server, I assume owner, was friendly and prompt.
We ordered the standard beef shawarma and chicken shawarma plates as well side of steak fries and garlic sauce. The latter was redundant not knowing it came with one of the plates. Both plates were flanked by Lebanese salad which was primarily cabbage, thinly cut and spritzed in their proprietary dressing. Excellent. The hummus? Reviewer Kris C. put it best when describing it as «velvety.»

I heard that the hummus was the best around, and well, it is. It’s smooth and velvety and goes down quite nicely. To go with the hummus, we ate the baba ghanoush, falafel, moussaka, and dolmades. The food was all really great, especially the falafel. It had a moist interior that contrasted nicely with the crispy exterior.
The restaurant was cozy, and the service was pretty good. I would definitely eat here again!

This place is small just like the other Middle Eastern restaurants in Belmont Shore. We normally go to Open Sesame but we had a coupon for this place that we found in our entertainment book.
We check out the menu and immediately notice that they are a bit pricey. We ate our food and it was simply average. The service was very slow even though there were only two other couples eating there.
The «best» part of the dinner was the fact that after we ordered our food, I noticed that the entertainment coupon was taped to the menu. Underneath the coupon it said that they did not honor this coupon. When I spoke to the waitress, she was not willing to budge or give us any type of discount. I was extremely pissed because we were only eating there because we wanted to save some money, otherwise we would have just went to Open Sesame. Seriously… if she would have just hooked us up with some hummus or something, I would have been content.

We had been wanting to try Sunnin for a while as both the hunny and I had been told it was a good place by several of our friends.
It’s a VERY small spot on 2^nd Street in Long Beach. So small you could easily miss it. The black canopy is still pretty discrete as you walk or drive by. The inside is nice and cozy, it has a warm feel and the Lebanese décor and seating makes the experience feel authentic.
After we sat, the waitress came over and offered us drinks and gave us menus. We both felt a little lost in the menu because the choices were VERY unfamiliar. We eat at Magic Lamp frequently, and LOVE IT, but this menu was still very different and many of the items were Lebanese names.
We noticed the Hommus Kawarma appetizer resembled one of our favorites at Magic Lamp (its hommus with meat there), it was hommus with filet, so we expected it to be somewhat different and wanted to try it. The description said hommus, filet, pine nuts and olive oil. Sounded GREAT to us.
I decided to order something small, instead of a dinner plate as I didn’t feel like having TOO much food. I couldn’t decide between the Chicken Tawook sandwich or the Chicken Shwarma sandwich, so I asked the waitress for her recommendation. She said the Chicken Tawook was better.
Hunny and I both felt intrigued by the spicy Kefta plate, but we had no idea what it was. Still lost in the menu, we asked the waitress who explained it to us as ground chicken with parsley and spices that is cooked on a skewer. He decided that would be the dish to try.
We didn’t wait long for the Hommus Kawarma to come out along with our warm pita. We liked the pita, it was fresh and larger in size than the mini pockets at Magic Lamp. The hommus was VERY good, it was creamy, and the chickpeas were apparent, the filet was soaked in olive oil and pine nuts. The nutty richness of the pinenuts made this dish DEVINE! I found myself resisting my carnal desires to pick up the plate and lick off the last bit of hommus clinging for dear life.
When our meals came out, not gonna lie, I thought I was being punked because it looked like she brought me out a burrito. It was wrapped in a foil and exactly the same cylindrical shape. I starting thinking, wise guy eh? It’s because I’m half Mexican isn’t it? Needless to say, it was the «sandwich» I ordered.
BF’s plate looked awesome. It was all RED tomatoey and half the plate covered in basmati rice. He began to eat his and immediately told me that it tasted VERY «home style» and «homecooked» and that I was going to LOVE the tomato sauce. I was a little thrown off by that as I don’t expect tomato sauce in Lebanese Cuisine! Learn something new! I usually associate with Italian, of course.
I found my sandwich to be very dry. Unfortunately, I don’t think the sandwich is the item to order. Even though the garlic sauce on it had a nice flavor, the sandwich and the chicken was pretty dry. I HAD to wash it down with water.
BF’s dish was GREAT. It was SO different from what I expected. The tomato sauce only had a hint of sweetness to it, and the Lebanese spices created a totally different experience for my taste buds. I’ve never had anything like that. The chicken was great, it was SMOTHERED in the sauce and of course, basmati rice is ALWAYS
. It was buttery, fluffy, and full of flavor. It was a great dish.
So the service was great.
The ambiance was also very nice. Dark in there, ROMANTICAL of course :)
I just have to take away a star for the sandwich being a little dry. YES, WHY did I order a tawook sandwich, but still, perhaps they could have been a LITTLE more liberal with the garlic sauce?

This location is now closed :(

My friend (works in LA) and I (work in Corona del Mar) decided to meet on 2^nd St in Long Beach for dinner. We heard that there were lots of ethnic food there and could walk around and decide what to eat. I had heard that Open Sesame was good but after looking at the long lines for both of the restaurants, one of my co-​workers who lives in the area suggested that we should go to Sunnin, which was right across the street from them.
Headed to Sunnin, there was no wait and the hostesses/​waitresses were so nice! We opted to sit outside since it was such great weather for the night and it was really cozy. The waitresses kept coming around and asking if we need heating or anything.
We ordered hommos for an appetizer and man was it great!
I asked for recommendations on what entrée to order was it was my first at a Lebanese restaurant and the waitress suggested the Shish Tawook (Chicken Kabob) or the Beef Kefta Kabob. I decided to order the Shish Tawook because it had garlic and I LOVE garlic! At first, the chicken didn’t look like it would be very moist but upon biting into it, it was the opposite! My friend ordered a Feta sandwich? The prices were great and the food portions were huge!
I would love to go back again and try the other dishes that they have.
I would’ve given 5 stars except that the bathroom was rather disgusting. I’m sure it’s not their fault, maybe some customer but since there was only one restroom, couldn’t change that…

The backdrop for you «out of towners…» For anyone that hasn’t visited the Belmont Shore-​Naples Neighborhoods at the East end of Long Beach, a neighborhood just off the water… mark this down as a worthwhile tourist stop. And reserve if you can, a Saturday evening. You’ll have at least eight blocks of «Village Atmosphere» window shopping, and numerous coffee shops with bakeries, and ethnic cafes and restaurants, to fill the evening. And so, after visiting the Museum of Latin American Art in downtown Long Beach, (we were there a little more than an hour), we made that short 10 minute drive to Belmont Shore… and arrived around 5pm.
You have a choice… Open Sesame is across the street and up a short block; a trendy, busy, and evidently very popular Middle Eastern restaurant. But if you aren’t into waiting for a table, being one-​amongst-​many, and can forgo the noise… you might want to visit Sunnin. It’s tucked in between a barber shop and a jewelry store, long and narrow, lined with a continuous booth around the West wall side, and filled with pillows to rest your back. It’s definitely a more comfortable, and calmer atmosphere.
We four adventurous diners, our wives both being Lebanese-​Brasilian, and capable of preparing much of what was on the menu, sat down at 5pm for an early dinner. But even then, there were a few other diners… a couple outside, and three tables going inside. We were greeted by our waitress, and served as though she were a family member! It was a great evening… no question this is where you go if you want to feel like an appreciated client!
We started with taboule, hummus, rice filled grape leaves and raw lamb. (it’s called KEBBEH NAYYEH and the ingredients are a follows: pure lean lamb, completely free of all fat, burghul ground wheat… same as in your taboule salad, sliced onions, salt and pepper) I ate it like a pâté’, in a small pocket of pita, with hummus and taboule. (I make a pocket sandwich of almost all my Lebanese foods! So Goodbye Diet!!!)
The special this evening included a yogurt soup, which Regina ordered, Marv and I got the meat skewer combo, and my wife the chicken skewer entrée. To be brief and to the point on the food… everything was very good, except for the skewered meats. They were evidently «gas fire grilled», and were a bit on the over-​cooked and dry side. While they were still OK… we’ve had much better. (See my review on «Grill Hut», Laguna Niguel… one of the few kabob shops that grills their meats over a true CHARCOAL WOOD FIRE… HUGE DIFFERENCE!) I BBQ meats, and will often visit our Persian meat market, buying the pre-​marinated white meat chicken, pre-​skewered. The trick, even on a gas BBQ, is to sear, then slow grill. My secret for moist white meat chicken… I use a spray bottle, filled with water and few tablespoons of … ssshhhhh, don’t tell anyone… liquid smoke! I hit the chicken regularly, never allowing a «fat fire» to burn the meat. (I use that same bottle of liquid-​smoke-​water on nearly all my BBQ’d meats)
You probably know Lebanese, Middle Eastern cuisine, so I won’t bore you with any more details. What I will say is that while they were off target on the grilled meats this night… we TOTALLY ENJOYED the overall experience. Frankly, the grape leaves were very, very good, as was the taboule salad… the gal-​owner makes her taboule like my wife; small diced parsley, lotsa cracked wheat, and well seasoned. The yogurt soup was authentic, and their rice had a sauted flavor that I enjoyed; it wasn’t a typical dry, long grain basmati filler… it stood on its own.
So for us… it was a great early Saturday evening. While we have numerous favorite Lebanese-​MIddle Eastern restaurants to chose from in our area, this was, for more reasons than just the food, a great way to spend an early Saturday evening. (CK’ OUT MY PHOTO; A COPY OF OUR RECEIPT; WHAT WE ORDERED, AND OUR «COST PER PERSON» THIS EVENING.)

I’ve been coming to Sunin for years and recently been taking friends here to experience the awesome food. I love that its a quaint and family owned restaurant. Everyone is always nice and attentive. The chicken kabob is perfectly grilled and hummus has the right amount of garlic. I recently have been ordering more of the grape leaves served warm, which I prefer and Lebanese salad. Then I share the spicy potatoes. As close to a home cooked and authentic meal on this side of town. Just simply good food.
Dolly, the owner, was so sweet to give me a copy of the menu and pointed out what menu items are gluten –free.
Everyone should know that their sister restaurant made the top 38 restaurant list on Eater LA. Same family, same food just a bit closer than Westwood.

This place is REALLY good… i like it a lot. i looked at the menu and i didnt know where to start, but i made the best decision and i got the mix plate.
i was SOOO full and i never regreted a single second.
i really urge you to try this place out if your looking for something new to eat. this place wont let you down

Ok so my friend Jill J. & I decided to grab a bite to eat & recover from the halloween night before. Seeing that there are so many lebanese style restaurants on 2^nd street I have never stepped foot in Sunnin until I decided to try something new.
We arrived at a dark & gloomy setup restaurant that was making me more depressed than anything. I guess my friend said this place used to be the old creperie? Anyways I thought the décor was way of with random window shutters a balcony here & there & random still life art that wasn’t my forte. I really did like the actual paintings though.
The server was a real sweet girl & I felt bad for her because the service was so slow but it wasn’t her fault the restaurant was understaffed & she had to serve at least 8 table alone which could take a toll on someone. The appetizer of pickled olives, turnips, etc I didn’t like it & I love pickeled veggies it was to salty for my taste. I ordered an ice tea & was saddened because it was nestea & not brewed… I had to add a few splendas to make it taste better.
The main course came out I ordered a falafel plate which came with tahini, hummus, lebanese salad, rice, & of course 4 falafels, My friend ordered the chicken tawook sandwhich. I really don’t like lebanese salad to begin with so that was X’d off the list. The falafel was mediocre & too hard for me to bite into, the hummus was pretty good, and the rice what blue ribbon?! I could taste & spot that from a mile away & i hate that stuff basically is called sizzler rice for its distinct bland flavor & texture only you can find it daily at the sizzler no basmati what’s the deal with that. So many shortcuts I felt were taken & lebanese cuisine is very flavorful & intricate why the shortcuts?
I had a bite of my friend’s sandwhich & I think that was the best thing I ate the whole time I was there… Unfortunately I really wanted to like this place but I don’t think I will be coming back here. I think I will stick with Magic Lamp.

Some nights you might be too tired, or too hungry or too buzzed to wait in line for Open Sesame, you might think to yourself «I’ll just walk across the street to Sunin and get my hummus/​shwarma fix there». Think again, get back in line and wait for Open Sesame, there is a good reason you never see a line outside of Sunin.
We somehow suffered through an appetizer and two entrees, but only because we couldn’t figure out a polite way to say «please keep your entrees, if they are anything like the appetizer we really don’t want them» Also we were hungry and hoping that at least some part of the meal would be worth our money and stomach space. Nothing was.
One of my favorite foods EVER is foul m’damas. Usually when I’ve had it, the beans are bubbling in a rich broth served with a splash of olive oil, the ones I got here were just a dry mass of mushed up beans. At this early point in the meal I was already crushed and wondering if Gertie would enjoy the leftovers. The chicken shwarma was really sweet and had an almost overwhelming cinnamony flavor that just was not my idea of tasty. The Lamb Chops were served medium, but still somehow burnt and charred tasting on the outside. Even the salads that came with the meal were sub par; just a big stack of oily romaine lettuce? The hummus was almost as dry as the beans from the appetizer. I think the only thing that was good was the pita, but as I cant reconcile coming here only to eat a plain pita, I wont be back.

I joined Hazel Q and Dawson S for dinner here over the weekend. Even though it was a Saturday night we were seated immediately and even had a choice of inside or out. Since I had forgotten my jacket and it was chilly my dining friends allowed me to sit inside where it was a bit warmer.
The space is small in a cozy way and seems very casual. This was my very first experience with BYOB because we don’t have it in Colorado and I love, love, love this concept. Sunnin has a $ 10 corkage fee if you’re curious.
We shared some of the spicy potatoes to start and I had the falafel plate for my dinner. Everything was good, but I couldn’t get enough of the potatoes. I was even dipping them in the hommos on my plate. I highly suggest this mixing and matching. It’s delicious!
Hazel told me this place doesn’t get as much love because there is another place with similar food just across the street that is the center of attention currently. If you’re over there waiting in line you should think about joining us over here. Because we’re eating food rather than waiting for it and it’s quite scrumptious stuff I’d like to say.

Appetizers
Spicy potatoes — Recommended by our waitress. A little too bitter for me, but it wasn’t bad.
Falafel — To my recollection, I never had a falafel before I had it here. I thought it was pretty good.
Main dish
I had the Combo Grill just so I could try a variety of things. The shish kebob tasted good and was cooked well, but in a close race, it was my least favorite of the three. The chicken kebob was surprisingly moist and tender. I tend to shy away from ordering chicken for fear it comes out dry. And the kefta keban was my favorite of the three. It had a unique flavor to it due to the herbs and spices and it was cooked very well. The hommos that everyone raves about was good, but it’s thicker than I’m used to and quite honestly, I’ve had better.
While the food here was decent, I’d rather go to Open Sesame.

Pro:
1) Food is good, portion is generous
2) Price is fair.
3) Service is excellent, people are friendly
4) I like the interior. I sat at the table with
2 chairs but if you sit on the western wall,
there is a wooden bench with pillows. I thought
that looked cute, I wonder how comfy it is to sit there.
There is a family feel to this place which I like
very much.
Con:
1) Felt the meat was overcooked. I ordered chicken
and my date ordered beef. Both were overcooked.

A friend of mine told me that my review of Sunnin was blown out of proportion and I had to try the place again since one bad experience can’t justify this place.
So I went back to Sunnin this weekend, met the staff, owners and I ordered some food again (but not the shwarma) I was surprised
The spicy potatoes were really good, order them with extra cilantro
and they have a really good dessert: Orange Blossom Rice Pudding
Both Sunnin and Open Sesame are good restaurants in Long Beach for Lebanese food, if you like spicier food go to Open Sesame, but for a softer palate I think Sunnin is great.
If you go to eat on 2^nd street for Dinner make sure you come into Sunnin afterwards ONLY FOR DESSERT.
Seriously, their rice pudding is one of the best Ive ever had. Overall I must say Sunnin is not bad, and even if you eat at other places on 2^nd street make sure you stop by here for dessert…

Sunnin was my first experience with Lebanese and I was impressed. My boyfriend who has been here several times before, ordered for me. We ordered the ‘sampler’ appetizer which was more than enough food for the two of us.
I don’t have enough to compare it to and make it four stars, but I’m definitely willing to go back and experience it again.

Heaven & Hell
Inexorably linked, one can’t exist without the other and if you describe Heaven, you must describe Hell. And having trod the fiery, rocky roads of Hell before, I’ve learned to appreciate the silken coolness of Heaven’s halcyon paths. Hallelujah!
In Unilocal-​speak, I can easily define them both. Hell was my recent experience at «Little India Grill» (
) while Heaven was lunch at Sunnin Lebanese Café. Yes, two completely different styles of cuisine and no prejudice existed between the two but for common Unilocal-​centric qualities of presentation, taste, smell, service, price, ambiance and cleanliness. As in my Little India Grill review where I was unable to adequately express how incredibly nauseous it was, so too I’m at a loss to adequately describe how wonderful our lunch was at Sunnin. And trust me, I tried to find fault with everything we tasted.
I had an orgasm at my table and I think it surprised Jon. It wasn’t the paint-​peeling, pipe bursting kind but a soft, quietly intense one. «Are you alright?» Jon asked as I clutched the table edge with enough pressure to splinter the veneer. «I’m fine, sweetie, just eat your food.»
I know that sounds crude but read my profile on why you should read my reviews and it should come as no surprise to you. So when our server cum manager (I just had to say it that way) Nicole came by to check on us and asked what was wrong noting the fixed wry grin on my face, I told her I was having an orgasm. She asked that I kindly relax my grip on the table and wanted to know more. I told her about my recent trip to Hell and she understood and stayed with us to make sure I was okay. I was SO okay, I was mumbling words in spasmodic appreciation for this Lebanese Heaven. Goodbye Charon, hello St Peter.
My overt and spontaneous joy got me an invite to inspect the kitchen and I happily accepted leaving Jon to wonder where the hell (small «h») the two girls were running off to. Nicole showed me everything in the kitchen, the refrigerators, freezers, storage areas, liquor cooler, ovens, vegetable trays, even the restroom (which I usually always have something to say about) and what I got from this inspection was one simple word so rare it’s worthy of note. The word is pride. Chef Dolly and sister Nicole take absolute pride in what they prepare and how they make it and it shows. The kitchen and food prep stations were spotless, well-​organized (I’m ex-military…I like organization) and clearly reflected this pride, the outstanding food of course, the net result.
As everyone I know would rather go to Heaven than Hell, I’m reluctant to laud this place too much because I hate crowds anywhere. But when a place is so good you have an orgasm at the table, my altruistic side appears with a wont to share. There’s plenty of Hell around if that’s your choice.
There’s another Lebanese eatery just across the street, Open Sesame, a hugely popular place, and I will not say the difference between the two is as wide as the chasm described with the Indian joint but I will say this, there is only one Heaven on this street and Dolly and Nicole are the angels at the gate.
P. S. Jon was very excited about this place but not near like I was and a little wood glue and paint ought to fix that table right up.
P. S.S., I overheard a lady sitting directly behind me whisper to Nicole, «I’ll have what she’s having.» Obviously a lady of taste.
*We tried: Hommos, Babaganouj, Kebbeh Makliyeh, Warak Enab, Fatayer, Sanbousek, Falafel (you won’t find better), Tabouleh, Shish Tawook, Kebbeh bil Sayniyeh and Baklawa (with cashew) and I had a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc.

Jessica H., a friend and I came at an odd time, 4pm, so Sunnin was pretty empty. Service was fairly fast and friendly, plus our server knew how to actually correctly pronounce the dishes on the menu.
We only ordered appetizers, which were definitely big enough to be quite filling. I was pleased to see that vegetarian dishes throughout the menu were specially asterisked to indicate being veg-​safe, which made browsing easier, and eliminated my needing to ask annoying questions.
I got the moujadarah: pureed lentils cooked with rice, beans, and topped with a delicious mound of caramelized onions. I was surprised that it was served cold, but that didn’t matter: it was really good. I had a bite of Jessica’s falafel and hummus; the hummus seemed overly lemony, and I didn’t get much flavor from the falafel, which was softer than I like. Didn’t try the friend’s hummus with ground beef on top.
The patio was pretty and we were permitted to sit out there with a dog. A large, glassless, open window made the patio really seem like an extension of the restaurant; the indoor part is fairly small.
I’m looking forward to trying more of their menu. ‘specially if Jessica treats again…