A couple months ago I queried this sub about the best shawarma in LA County. My report is nearly complete; I will post it here in the next couple of weeks.
For now, I just want to profile a wonderful spot that to my knowledge has never been mentioned on this sub: Mima's Mediterranean in Saint Vincent Court. This place has a large menu featuring affordable Syrian Armenian cuisine. Their chicken shawarma is really good. Very attractive presentation, good portion size. Today I had their adana kebab special, which was also great! My typical go-to for this dish is the Baba Kebab, the street cart on Sunset at Figueroa in front of the Orsini Apartments. They are both must-tries. Not only are they both among the best in LA, the two places also exhibit different regional/ethnic takes on what is superficially the same dish.
Further to its credit is the ambience. Saint Vincent Place was established in the late 1860s as an early campus of what is now Loyola Marymount University. At some point it was remodeled to mimic a European square. It's delightfully garish, (an excellent example of LA being so LA by trying to be so not LA) and actually a rare cozy place to sit and enjoy a meal on a day like today in the clean and mostly car-free alley, and watch men drink tea, and well-fed attractive cohort of pigeons waddle around, all without being accosted with the smell of urine.
The folks who work there are super nice as well. My only complaint is that it closes so early; the alley would be a great place to hang out at nice (I am imagining offerings of shisha, tea, coffee, and beer, with or without an oud player…)
Check it out and let us know what you think! Of what I have tried, it is definitely the best casual Middle Eastern spot in downtown. 9/10
by quiblitz
Dining and Cooking