Several of my favorite restaurants in the Capital District are all located within a few blocks of each other near the intersection of Washington Ave. and Central Ave. in Albany. Though I know the area fairly well at this point, every so often I find a new place to add to the list.
Mamoun’s Mideast Cafe is a small establishment nestled in among the myriad of restaurants in that section of Albany—from the outside it’s easy to miss. Inside, though, it’s quite nice, with dark wood furniture and paneling; the owners have done a nice job of converting what was clearly a small tavern into an elegant, comfortable cafe.
The restaurant mostly caters to the downtown Albany lunch brigade, which means that for a weekday dinner, it’s not likely to be crowded—the place was empty when our party walked in at six in the evening. Naturally, this made for very good service.
“Authentic mid-eastern cuisine” is the claim on the menu, and our friends from that part of the world who recommended the place say it is accurate—certainly it was very different from anything I’d had before. Most of the dishes are offered as vegetarian meals or with meat (lamb or chicken, no beef). Prices vary widely, from under $4 for some of the pita sandwiches to just under $15 for a couple of the entrees.
Dinner arrived promptly, and the food was excellent. My fiancee ordered baba ghanouj with falafel—a dish involving broiled eggplant, ground chickpeas, and tahini. She normally doesn’t like eggplant but was quite impressed with her meal. Our friend opted for a chicken kabob pita sandwich, which also scored very high marks. I went with the kabob halabi entree, which despite the name did not involve any skewers. Crushed tomatoes and ground lamb were grilled up with some seasonings that I couldn’t place but made for an excellent meal.
A particular note should be made of the beverage selection, which includes mango juice, tamarind juice (described as a “berry-like semi-citrus fruit juice”), and freshly squeezed carrot juice. I went with a more familiar cardamom tea, which was hands-down better than I’ve had anywhere else.
The baklava that I ordered for dessert was enjoyable (it was baklava, after all), but I have had better. The honey cake that my fiancee got, though, was definitely one of the better ways to end a meal that we’ve tried recently. The $35 bill for three people certainly didn’t hurt either.
Atmosphere, service, variety, price, uniqueness, and excellent food: Mamoun’s has them all, and I enthusiastically recommend a visit the next time you go out to eat.
Mamoun’s Mideast Cafe is located at 206 Washington Ave. in Albany. To get there, get on I-787 south and take the exit for I-90 west. The first exit off of I-90 is for US-9; take the left branch of the exit ramp for US-9 south, Arbor Hill. You will end up on Henry Johnson Blvd. Go straight until you cross an overpass. The second light after that is Washington Avenue—turn left and park immediately. Mamoun’s will be just ahead on the right.
Mamoun’s Mideast Cafe
8.5 out of 10
