The restaurant world of Los Angeles is as wonderfully fragmented and diverse as the city’s neighborhoods; often times, one has only to venture into an unknown neighborhood to discover some great, unknown establishment. Despite the fact that most Angelinos know this, it is just as easy to fall prey to the more obvious and heavily promoted restaurants which are situated in the standard hotspots: Hollywood, Westwood, Santa Monica.
While all of those areas have great places to eat, they don’t always offer the best in any particular category. On many occasions I’ve been with a group of people and we find ourselves driving to Hollywood for Sushi, even though I live near J-Town; or to Mel’s Diner for a late night snack, when The Pantry is open all night and it’s right down the street; or maybe we’re going anywhere but Tacomiendo for Mexican food, and as I’ve written in this space before that is just plain wrong.
So it really should come as no surprise that the best Middle Eastern food can be found in Little Armenia at Marouch Restaurant, yet I’d be surprised to find many people who can pry themselves from the smoke-filled “cafes” in Westwood which are heavy on the hookah and packed with college kids nine months out of the year.
Marouch is unassuming from the outside; yes, it’s East of the 101 and in a strip mall, but that hardly matters once you step inside the warm and cozy interior. There you’ll find a softly-lit, beautifully decorated dining room perfect for a nice night out.
The menu consists of Lebanese and Armenian-style Middle Eastern food. Everything you expect to be there, is: hommos, tabbouleh, baba ghanouge, shwarma and various kebabs of beef, chicken and lamb. There are also dishes you may not expect; I enjoyed the barbecued Quail, which was roasted to perfection.
All the dishes are prepared by the head chef, who just so happens to be the owner’s wife, and they are both delightful people. They are more than happy to help you out with the menu or with pairing a great Lebanese wine with your meal.
For those on the Westside, Marouch is certainly worth the trip across town. There is no hookah smoking or full bar, just incredibly good food at a reasonable price and with great service. In a lot of ways, it just makes too much sense to go there, which may explain why so many sub-par Middle Eastern restaurants are still thriving. At least now you know better.

By Chris Boyd