Monday, February 20, 2017

Tayeb Mandi Mediterranean Grill: Decent Food, Terrible Service

Restaurant: Tayeb Mandi
Address: 8409 Almeda Road, Houston, Texas
Buffet or a-la-carte: neither
Date of visit: 2/3/17



Background:
Salam/hey guys! Today I will be talking about my trip to another Mediterranean (or rather Arab place). This place is called Tayeb Mandi. It was a place that I had wanted to try for a while. The main reason being that it had specialties from the countries that border the Persian Gulf such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, and Qatar. Most of the food from the Arabic speaking countries you see in Houston is from countries like Palestine and Lebanon. This is where we distinct between Mediterranean and Arab in this blog. I was going to go the previous week, but I went during the time of Friday Prayers and had to head to Kabab King. The best time for me to try came right before I went to downtown to attend the Super Bowl fan fest using Metro as well as going to the NFL Experience. After the Friday prayer ended, I headed to the restaurant.



Let The Experience Begin!
Tayeb Mandi is located at the intersection of Almeda and Holly Hall. It is in the same store as Al Ameer halal meat. On the left is the traditional sitting down area, where you sit on the ground next to cushions and eat the food. There are also normal tables and chairs. You had to go to the front and order the food.



Let's Eat!
I was going to go for the Mandi, but they didn't have any. What a bummer! So I ended up getting a chicken kabsa, which proved to be the difference maker in terms of my budget I had for the entire day of eating here and eating at the Super Bowl fan fest. It comes with muhammara (Arab hot sauce) and one sid edish (I got yogurt). I also got a bottle of Mexican Coke. The total price? $12.43 (tax included). This is no buffet or a-la-carte, it is cafeteria style. You tell them what you want and they'll give it to you. You pay at the end.



Menu:
A mix of both Arab and Mediterranean favorites. They even have biryani. From what I've heard, this place used to serve more items such as haneeth, and agada. Interesting how they don't have a mix grill option since they had shish tawouk and kafta kabab.

The Menu (click to view)

Chicken Kabsa

The Verdict:
The traditional way of eating is with the hand, but they give you a fork and spoon just in case you don't want to do that. The food was decent and filling. The chicken has flavor, and the red sauce gave a good kick.
The service was horrible however. The person behind the counter was rude from the start to the end of the trip. He was not polite and professional. This may not be a fancy place, but it's ok to be friendly and professional towards your customers right? He wouldn't even respond to me saying "Thank You" as I would head out.



Conclusion:
While this place had decent food, I don't see myself eating at the establishment again. I would rather just get it for takeout, and I would recommend you doing the same thing as well. I hope to try their lamb, which is their specialty, and see how that tastes.



Grading:
Service: 4/10
Food: 7/10
Total: 11/20 = 55% (F) (It's already February and an F has already been given)
Pricing: $$ out of $$$$



Restaurant Information:
Tayeb Mandi
8409 Almeda Road, Houston, Texas
Phone: (832) 649-4111
Website: none
Facebook: none
Timings: Mon-Sun: 9 AM - 9 PM
Caters: Yes

Feel free to comment below, send me an email, or message me on Facebook.

Cheers!
Zain Mohammed

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