The Armenian Cafe

This review is based only on the Bloody Mary — do yourself a favor and don’t order one. My girlfriend her sister and nieces all enjoyed their food and the waiter was nice. I decided not to eat because I just wasn’t feeling it after my poor drink decision. Based on other reviews sounds like they use wine based vodka? Whatever it was I could only get down two sips. We decided to eat indoors which was also a bad decision because it was pretty greasy inside.

This place is the best. Delicious and flavorful. Amazing entrees, amazing soup, amazing salad dressing, amazing hummus, garlic sauce, etc.

This place is on point. The chicken kabob is to die for. Marinated and seasoned perfectly. Excellent service too!

1) Views of the ocean across the street will entice u
2) Comedic & knowledge staff/​owner will relax u
3) Lg. portions of a variety of good food will fill u
4) Belly dancers fri/​sat night will entertain u
5) Affordable to avg. prices for all the above will please u. We will return!

Wonderful service and excellent food! Great for families. Diverse menu for adults and kids. Highly recommend. This is by far our best dining experience since we’ve been visiting California.

Yummy food. I’m Armenian and approve. Only complaint is that all I heard was Arabic music. They should play Armenian music at the Armenian café I’m thinking, would help make it feel more authentic. Different languages totally different type of music.

We had the cheese flambé appetizer. Very tasty. We had the Lamb shish kabob, salad and gyro.
The lamb is great here. The service was quick and we got to watch belly dancing. They had a large big screen TV for sport shows.

Great family run restaurant. Staff are friendly and give some great suggestions about the menu. Extensive middle eastern menu. Great lamb chops and kabobs, with good Lebanese wine to wash it down! You can’t beat the location, the outdoor deck is wonderful for breakfast and summer dining with a view of the beach, which is just across the street. Bright and sun filled in the morning, sunset glow in the evening! Friday and Saturdays you can enjoy the belly dancer as she gyrates around the tables. Feels like you are living the arabian nights!

Lived in Carlsbad for about a year and this place was definitely my friend’s and I favorite spot for dinner! The chicken kebab was my favorite dish! Absolutely delicious and they have such a large menu selection! The manager was the life of the party to our visits-​amazing customer service and a guaranteed good time! The owner was also very kind as well! Definitely recommend! And also a beautiful location across the beach!

I decided to come here today because of my coworker’s suggestion. She lives in Carlsbad and gave this place rave reviews. I have been craving Mediterranean food for a while now. My husband isn’t too crazy about it so I decided to bring my daughter along… She loves Mediterranean food like I do.
We got there close to 4 p.m. We had no problem parking and we were greeted and seated quickly. I also want to mention that this restaurant offers a beautiful view of Carlsbad Beach.
We started with a glass of champagne and later added an appetizer of hummus and pita bread… We enjoyed both our beverage and our appetizer. The waiter came by and brought us an additional basket of pita bread to nosh on with our hummus which was quite unexpected and was a nice touch. I also loved the fact that the waiter came by and talked with us, cracked a few jokes and just overall made us feel at home. We truly felt welcomed here.
Later. We ordered pita sandwiches. I ordered the chicken kebab sandwich and my daughter ordered the gyros sandwich. Both were delivered fresh, hot and delicious! My daughter went with the side offering of potatoes and they were really good… I got the rice… only because I tried to go with the lowest calorie of side options. choices were, potatoes, potato salad, and then the rice… I really liked the flavor of the chicken. The marinade tasted fabulous and it contributed to the tender, juicy bites of chicken… Very good! My daughter raved about her gyro. I never got around to tasting it because I was too into my sandwich.
After our main course. three gentlemen came and sat at a table next to us. Very friendly fellows. they chatted and joked with us as we sat and waited for the baklava that we ordered.
So the check came and we got a great $ 15 offer. I asked the waiter about it and he said it was for online ordering. We live nowhere close to Carlsbad so this wasn’t an option. So, I asked the gentlemen next to us if either one of them could use it because we don’t live in the area. One of the gentlemen said, «I am the owner, you can use it here at the restaurant the next time you come back» He instructed me on how to do so. I was shocked that he was the owner. He was so friendly, laid back and down to earth. Another reason to want to come back and patronize his business.
Good food, good people, good service. Why wouldn’t I want to return? Looking forward to my next visit for sure. I’d like to catch the belly dancing show after 6 p.m. next time… Will recommend others to come enjoy this delightful restaurant.
p.s: forgot to mention that the baklava was mouth watering delicious!

I’ve been here twice now, so I’ve been armenian to write a review for some time now. A few notes on this charming, dimly-​lit little place with a big menu: Garlic dip is so garlicky it’s spicy! The house red is not great. The sugar-​free baklava is a nice treat.

**3.5 stars***
For starters, the service was very good.
The flaming cheese dish was pretty good, a little salty for my taste, but everyone cleared that plates.
The Lemon Chicken Soup was not good and I was sad about that. It was too gelatinous, hardly any orzo or chicken.
The gyro salad was pretty good too, but the gyro seemed underdone, if that’s possible. It was too soft. The rice pilaf & salad were tasty. The pita bread wasn’t good, it was dry, thin, and cold.

Love this place!
I have been coming to this restaurants since I was a little kid and I have always loved it.
Their gyros are very good. Much better than most restaurants. Their lamb is very good and full of flavor and I don’t usually care for lamb. Their garlic dip is amazing but be preapred it is very spicy because of the garlic. They also have the best chicken lemon soup. It is the best I’ve had and sets the bar for any other Mediterranean restaurant I visit.
My absolute favorite thing on their menu is the Kataif (Armenian Cheesecake. It is simply amazing. It would be at the top of my list for my last meal on Earth.
I have never had a problem with service and the staff was awesome with my 3 year old. They even brought him a toy.
Pets are allowed with is awesome although while we were there a couple brought some birds which hit me and scared my son and a dog on the patio. I’m not sure if a restaurant is the best place for birds.
If you are in Carlsbad give this place a try, I doubt you will be disappointed.

I have been coming to the Mediterranean Café for years. My family started going up to Carlsbad and stopping here years ago for special occasions. I still like it and it is now even sentimental for me.
The restaurant is in a great location. It sucks a block from the beach so you can actually see the water. There is plenty of outside seating and is a relaxed atmosphere. Pets are welcome and they will even give you a bowl for your dog to get a drink.
The food is excellent. This time around I had the lamb kabob sandwich and it was excellent. So much flavor! I had it with their «fries» which are excellent potatoes. My sister had the gyros which were very good and definitely did not come in some store bought pre sliced form. It was fresh and delicate with great spices. Their rice is awesome as well as the lemon soup. The dessert is so amazingly fantastic and is big enough to share.
The service is impeccable. They are delightful and helpful. When my nephew started to get restless they even brought him a toy.
I am a customer for life!

Every time I’m in Carlsbad I stop by the Armenian Café. And every time the food is so tasty, there are tons of choices, the service is stellar, & the Armenian coffee PERFECT. Everyone makes you feel welcomed & at home. This morning was no different.
I’m really sad to hear they won’t be at this location much longer (great view of ocean & people watching), thanks to «progress» (high rise hotel or condos going up they say). Sad. But I know I will seek them out if/​when they get another locale.

Happy to see that they offer a Gluten free Menu. Yay! The waiter shared the history of their restaurant which has been around for 27 years. They specialize in Lamb dishes.
We started with hummus (served with pita and cucumber). The humus was so flavorful and creamy. The food was delicious! I ordered the chicken dinner with rice and Armenian salad. My dad got the lamb dish and he loved it.

Love this place!
One of the few spots in Carlsbad to eat, that has an ocean view, well in this case a sliver of an ocean view.
I’ve had everything on the menu, and I’ve enjoyed all of it.
Also, a good selection of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern beers.

The service we received at this place was excellent, I cannot rave more about it.
We came here during our vacation in Carlsbad to be by the beach and to see Legoland. On our second night, we wanted to try something different and this place was walking distance from where we stayed. The aroma of the food being cooked could be smelled across the street, which eventually got us to walk into this establishment. And I’m glad we did.
This was our first Armenian restaurant visit and we were not disappointed. Flavors were all there, service was great, the place was wholesome that my kids enjoyed their dinner. Now we have a standard to start with when eating Armenian style food.
Would recommend this place.

Went there for breakfast literally RIGHT when they opened. First in the door and our server Niki gave us a nice little table by the window. When she offered coffee, right away, it wasn’t just coffee. She suggested all the authentic flavors they have. I tried the Armenian coffee which came in a little carafe & espresso sized cup. Smooth and bold, just the way I like it!
We started with a Belgian waffle that was gone before she came back with the water we requested! It was delicious and they bring the syrup out WARM! Not just room temp, heated and delicious.
I had the Falafel with eggs and oh man were these the best falafels I have had since Germany! Just the perfect crunch and spice. My boyfriend got gyros & eggs and the gyros were also just perfect. You could tell the chef takes a lot of pride in his/​her authentic dishes! Some of the best Mediterranean food I’ve had in a long while!
It’s a bit more expensive than I like to spend on breakfast. The portions are good and you can taste quality. Just a shout out that you’ll pay a little more than other breakfasts in he area.
Gotta come back soon for dinner!

This is place has by far the best hummus I’ve ever eaten. I come here time after time and always end up getting the same thing, why? Because it’s DELICIOUS!
I love ordering the chicken kebab salad, everything is done to perfection and I always leave happy.
Their service is awesome, the male server there makes you feel very welcome, like you’re his friend– he’s also very attentive.
Love the scenery, it’s a must to eat outside on their patio.