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Interior - Bavel, Los Angeles, CA
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Bavel

$31 to $50
Middle Eastern

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 102 times today
  • Lively
  • Hot spot
  • Good for special occasions
A Middle Eastern restaurant in the Arts District of downtown Los Angeles.

Order delivery or takeout

Why they're an Icon

Executive chef: Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis

  • Award icon

    MICHELIN Plate

    2022

From the OpenTable editors: Bavel, with its bright, cavernous space outfitted with tons of greenery and stunning Middle Eastern fare from Ori and Genevieve Menashe of Bestia, is an escape in the heart of the Arts District. Dredge blistered housemade pitas through spreads like duck ‘nduja-topped hummus and baba ganoush made with eggplant and beets before moving on to beef cheek tagines, and you won't be disappointed.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Middle Eastern
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (213) 232-4966
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Catering
    Please email events@baveldtla.com for more information.
  • Private party facilities
    Please email events@baveldtla.com for more information.
  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Cross street
    Santa Fe
  • Parking details
    Street parking also available
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 5,031 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8
4.8 based on recent ratings
  • 4.9Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.3Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Downtown

    Best Overall

  • Downtown

    Best Food

  • Downtown

    Hot spot

  • Downtown

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
Bavel offers a "stunning highlight" with its unique flavors and creative dishes like the oyster mushroom kebab and lamb rack. The atmosphere is vibrant, perfect for both group dinners and special occasions. While some find the noise level challenging, many praise the "amazing service" and "outstanding" food.

5,031 Reviews
  1. Karen

    VIP

    Tahoe

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    The farm cheese is the best at Bavel. My husband and I also love the baba ghanoush (we always need an extra order of fried pita). The grilled dates have a nice kick to it and it was nice to eat a savory date for once. The lamb rack is always cooked to perfection. Our friend always orders the 26 oz ribeye and finishes it during dinner and my husband and I can see why. Nothing at Bavel disappointed us. I would recommend the cashew ice cream bar over the apple prune cake, but you really can't go wrong with either. It was a great dinner! Also every cheese and milk is pasteurized so despite being 6 months pregnant, I could eat everything!

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  2. Alejandro

    New York City

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined 2 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Was really looking forward to try this restaurant and it did not disappoint, food was absolutely delicious with generous portions. Favorite dishes were the duck hummus, the mushrooms kebab and the lamb neck shawarma. Cocktails were also very unique and tasty. The music was a bit too loud IMO but didn’t really affected the whole experience.

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  3. Sabrena

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    10 reviews

    5.0

    10 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious as always. Bavel never disappoints. Oyster mushrooms are my favorite!

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  4. Ryan

    VIP

    Los Angeles

    20 reviews

    1.0

    20 reviews

    Dined on February 8, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    Was really excited about this place. It was very up tight and pretentious.

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  5. Kristen

    Los Angeles

    3 reviews

    4.0

    3 reviews

    Dined on February 5, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 5
    Food is sublime. Fresh made breads are a treat. The flavors and textures are singular and memorable. Drinks are top notch. The staff is sometimes too distracted or busy to guide the experience, but no one is unpleasant. I love coming here - great for a group or a date!

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  6. Peter

    Las Vegas

    15 reviews

    5.0

    15 reviews

    Dined on January 26, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This is always one of the best meals in Los Angeles.

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  7. Brad

    Los Angeles

    6 reviews

    5.0

    6 reviews

    Dined on January 25, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Love Bavel! It was pretty busy. We asked to sit at the bar and were accommodated right away. The server was attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. Food was excellent as always. We tried four cocktails between us and all were fantastic. This place lives up to the hype.

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  8. George

    San Francisco

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on January 20, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Delicious dishes - the oyster mushroom kebab is the real deal. Portions were small even though they said that dishes were to be shared. I was celebrating a birthday but no cake was given. I know it's not required but I was expecting to be given something at an establishment like this.

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  9. Dave

    Los Angeles

    2 reviews

    4.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 20, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 3
    The food was delicious, standouts were the trout crudo (best bite of the night for me) and lamb rack, mother in law loved it. Also the blood orange dessert was super yummy. I think a lot of the other food we had was good but some of the portions were weak, the cheese was delicious but we ate it in like 4 bites. $5 for each extra piece of bread is stingy, come on! The prawns were delicious but messy. Why leave the heads on if you are shelling the rest? At this price point, I will take your word for it that it’s fresh, take the head and tail off so I can eat it with a fork. Same with the quail, delicious but messy. If you’re OCD like me about getting food on your hands or clothes, kinda not ideal - great taste though and tasted very fresh. The room was beautiful, the benches we sat in were comfy. The staff was a little bit snooty and our server only talked to us 3 times - once to take our drink orders, once to take our order, then to give us our bill. I feel like there was a little bit of a lack of attentiveness. Also they definitely started rushing as we got towards the end of the 90 minutes, they didn’t kick us out or anything but you could feel their urgency as we got to dessert. It was a wonderful experience to try once, with so many amazing restaurants in LA, probably not worth a second stop-in unless they have an entirely different menu. We had a much better time and more interesting food at girl and the goat which is like 20 feet down the street. I’d say it’s a little over hyped but worth trying to see for yourself.

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  10. Cindy

    Orange County

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined on January 19, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 1
    We were celebrating a birthday. Although food and service was top notch, it’s unfortunate that the outside patio seating fail in comparison to the inside. Especially, when it’s a special celebration. I didn’t feel they tried at all to accommodate our party when we came early and was willing to wait for something inside. We were told next seating inside is 10pm. Our reservation is at 6pm and was seated at 5:40pm.

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FAQs

Bavel offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (213) 232-4966.

Bavel is rated 4.8 stars by 5031 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 102 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for Bavel

500 Mateo St, Los Angeles, CA 90013-2222

Additional information

  • Award-winning
    1. MICHELIN Plate 2022
  • Cross street
    Santa Fe
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown
  • Hours of operation
    Daily 5:00 pm–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Middle Eastern
  • Dining style
    Casual Dining
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Street parking also available
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
    (213) 232-4966
  • Catering
    Please email events@baveldtla.com for more information.
  • Private party facilities
    Please email events@baveldtla.com for more information.
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  • Terms of Use
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  • Cookie Preferences
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