Melina’s Mezzes

Met Melina on my first visit. She’s a friendly person, and the food was great. The prices are hard to beat, and hopefully they’ll be able to get the word out so others know the café is there.

It has been about four months since my last review. Over that course of that time, I have seen the proprietors of Melina’s Mezzes/Melina’s Café doing a lot to improve their offerings, so I figured it was time to revisit and update my review. I am happy to report that there have been some improvements, although I was disappointed that they have now migrated to styrofoam for packaging up their food. I very much appreciated the enviromentally-​friendly packaging that they used before.
Onward to the food. I decided to get the Ground Beef Koobideh that wasn’t available the first time I came. Considering that I wasn’t a fan of the rice last time, I opted to get this as a wrap. I have to say the flavor of the beef was excellent. It was generously spiced and had good flavor. It definitely was the highlight of the meal. I didn’t particularly care for the flat bread, it was a bit dry. I did visit on a Friday, so maybe it wasn’t at the peak of freshness. The salad was marginally better than the first time I visited, but it definitely could have been fresher. I do think that part of the issue at Melina’s is a direct result of the limitations of the facility. I think most of the food is prepped (and maybe cooked) off-​site, so if you go later in the day, the offerings have probably been sitting for a bit. I don’t think there is anything necessarily wrong with that, but I do believe that it impacts the final product, especially as it gets later in the day. I would also recommend that you use cash if you have it, I know of a couple of people who have had issue with accidental overcharges on their credit/​debit cards that were not the easiest to get fixed. Again, the people that work there are great — friendly and very accommodating. They go above and beyond to make you feel welcome and to provide you with a healthy meal. Unfortunately, at best, all I can give is a 3-​star rating. It’s OK … I still tend to think it is a bit overpriced, and I don’t care that it is in Calabasas (as some other reviews have pointed out). The zip code doesn’t make it worth an extra two or three dollars, especially when I can walk half a block away or cross the street and get something (fresher) from Subway, Baja Fresh, or Pick Up Stix for under $ 10. I also think that most people don’t mind paying an extra dollar or two for something that is truly good. The difficulty comes when you are asked to pay a premium price for fare that is just average.

This place is great! I’ve been coming here about once a week for a little while now because it’s very convenient, the food is super tasty, and the owner/owner’s family are the friendliest people. The prices are very fair for what you get. Would definitely recommend anyone around to give this place a try! And also get the beef koobideh… it’s the best.

I went to this little café with my co-​worker. It is inside the hallway of the Davis building and really made to accommodate local workers who need a convenient meal. The owner is a very nice family man. He and his wife are honest, good people trying to make a living. In the town of Calabasas, everything is so expensive so it is nice to have an affordable option to grab a bite or coffee. We had the breakfast bagel and sausage and egg muffin sandwich. These were prepared nicely and wrapped in diner style yellow paper. Coffee was great too.
This is not a 5 star fancy-​pants restaurant so if that is what you are used to, go down to the street and pay $ 100+ for something. If you want to support an honest family and enjoy a quick café meal, check it out!

You’re not going for the atmosphere, you’re going for a good a lunch spot in pricey Calabasas.
I really enjoyed the the Beef Kabob. Everything comes with side salad and hummus and out the door was around $ 7.50.
As we were walking out two sheriff deputies walked in… enough said. Cops love good food at a great price.
Worth trying.

Working in Calabasas and eating out for lunch for under $ 10 does not happen.
Trying to find the it was a bit difficult but once we did I was very pleased. Sammy the owner is a very generous and hard working man. I ordered the beef Kabob, with a Falafel, and it was delicious.
When your sitting in the restaurant there is this feeling of being in his home. I am actually bummed for once that its a Friday and I have to wait all weekend to go back and try his breakfast.
Definitely would give it a try.