I get it, you are visiting Italy’s capital and all you want is Roman dishes and Italian cuisine. However, what makes the city’s food scene vibrant and exciting is its diversity and offer of contemporary, fusion, and international dishes. If you are in Rome for one day or two, you might focus on the traditional flavors, but in the lucky case you are staying longer, chances are you will have the chance to go out with friends or you will want to try new places. Mandaloun Lebanese restaurant in Rome city center is one of my picks when I crave some foreign flavors.
This Lebanese restaurant is greatly located near Via Veneto and perfectly connected to the other Rome neighborhoods via public transport. The dishes are pretty loyal to their motherland so if you enjoy Middle Eastern cuisine, this is a lovely place for a laid-back meal. When it’s nice weather, you can sit outside and even order a shisha.
My experience at Mandaloun Lebanese restaurant in Rome – What we ordered
I went to this restaurant twice in less than two weeks, and obviously not because of a lack of eateries in Rome. I like Lebanese food, but I also like other types of food, so what brought me here for the second time in a row instead of choosing another place? Apart from the chilled-out atmosphere and my half-Lebanese friend who introduced it to me, I felt the urge to come back for their incredible baba ganoush.
Do you know hummus? I mean the classic version chickpea-based? Well, this one is an eggplant-based hummus. A delicious one. It has a sour taste given by the fact that eggplants are grilled before being mashed and further seasoned with a sprinkle of sumac, always a good fit.
The menu offers a great selection of Lebanese dishes, but since both my friend and I are following a vegetarian diet, we ordered the Vegetarian Mezzeh. This was a mix of all the vegetarian starters as well as a sample of dishes on the menu.
We tried veggie couscous, hummus and baba ganoush, tabbouleh, the typical Lebanese salad with plenty of parsley, falafel, namely fried chickpea balls, Warak-Enad Dolma, grapevine leaves stuffed with rice, tomato, and parsley and cooked in olive oil, Moussaka’a Bil-Zeit, eggplant baked with tomato, bell pepper, and chickpeas, and Kabis, assorted olives and Lebanese pickles.
Everything was absolutely delicious, but we still felt like adding to our scrumptious dinner some delicious Lebanese pita grilled with Halloumi cheese.
Our meal was completed with Aysha al Saraya dessert, This is a milk-based cake flavoured with sugar, rosewater, orange blossom water and lemon juice. The cream is then placed on a softened toast and garnished with grated pistachio. We closed off the dinner with a pot of hot orange blossom tea.
All together cost us around 27 euro each.
Menu and prices at Mandaloun Lebanese restaurant
Obviously, being a Lebanese, Middle Eastern restaurant, you have a much bigger choice if you eat meat.
Some of the other dishes you will find here are Hummus Awarma, a chickpea dip with tahini and lemon covered with meat and toasted pine nuts, Sambussek, dumplings stuffed with meat, and pine nuts, or Sawdat Djaj, chicken liver stir-fried with garlic and lemon, among the starters.
Some of the main courses are Kharouf Mehcie, roasted lamb leg served with rice and covered with almonds and toasted pine nuts, Lahm Meshwe, grilled lamb skewers served with rice and tahini, Shawarma, which is mainly a marinated beef kebab roasted and served with tahini and Lebanese salad, or sea bass filet served on a bed of rice, caramelized onion and tahini if you prefer to have fish.
Address and how to reach Mandaloun restaurant in Rome
- Address: Via di Porta Pinciana 16/B.
- Phone number: +39 06 6482 4507.
- Opening hours: Every day 12 pm-1 am.
- How to reach Mandaloun: Barberini metro and then less than 10 minutes walk up Via Veneto; buses 52, 53, 61, 160.
What to see and do around Mandaloun Lebanese restaurant
Located in the very city center, whether you go to Mandaloun for lunch or dinner, you will find plenty of things to do. First of all, Piazza Barberini, one of Rome’s scenic town squares, is very close, just down Via Veneto. From here, you can reach plenty of shops in Via del Tritone if you are in a shopping mood, soak in art and history at the beautiful Palazzo Barberini or take a relaxing stroll in the gorgeous Villa Borghese Park.
If, on the other hand, you want to go on sightseeing, right close to Barberini metro station is one of Rome’s hidden gems, the Capuchin Crypt, displaying the bones of the Dominican monks who died there as well as civilians. The Capuchin Crypt is often included in some of the underground tours of Rome. I always like to explore the underground side of the city, so I always suggest booking at least one of them.
Barberini is also some 15 minutes walk from the Trevi Fountain, so in the heart of the main Rome attractions.
Mandaloun is really in a great position. Via Veneto, Barberini and the surrounding streets make also for a lovely night walk if you decide to go for dinner after a day of sightseeing.
Some of the nearby places:
- Piazza Barberini
- Capuchin Crypt and Museum
- Via del Tritone
- Trevi Fountain
- Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps)
- Via del Corso
- Villa Borghese
- Piazza della Repubblica
- Via Nazionale
