Mediterranean Food and Fun for All Ages

Delicious food and great atmosphere are in full supply at The Patio in Arcadia

With summer now in full swing, an excellent place to sit back and relax is at The Patio. The Patio is a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant nestled in the heart of downtown Arcadia.

I was delighted to hear that I would be reviewing The Patio, since I had heard many great things about them. Truth be told, I had pretty high expectations for this Mediterranean restaurant, and The Patio surpassed all my expectations.

I ate outside and enjoyed the breeze on their very spacious outdoor patio. The patio was picturesque and decorated to compliment the Mediterranean atmosphere. I had a Jallab, which is a Lebanese sweet drink consisting of grape molasses and rose water that is served with pine nuts. It was a nice change of taste from too-sugary American drinks, while still getting my daily dose of sweetness. While waiting for my main course, I had pita bread and hummus, which was highly decorated and tasted as good as it looked. As one customer said about the hummus, “it’s really good.”

Mediterranean food is a very broad term, and while the food of the countries along the Mediterranean Sea have influenced each other, The Patio features Lebanese cuisine. This type of cuisine boasts a “very balanced, healthy diet” that is about 80% vegetarian. Lebanese food focuses on herbs, spices, and fresh ingredients.

For my main course I had a combination grill, which consisted of beef kebab, lula kebab, chicken kebab, and rice.  The meat was grilled to perfection with the finest skill, and as a result the taste was absolutely mouth-watering. Everything – even the rice – was immensely flavorful.  The portions are large and will satisfy anyone’s appetite.

Server Nael Ghebrial brings cool drinks toAngela Copland, Mike Salcido and Alex Vasquez who regularly enjoy the Patio restaurant in Arcadia. - Photos by Terry Miller

I was greeted with excellent service that The Patio is particularly known for. The staff is very friendly and “like a family.” They were highly accommodating and even gave me a tour of the place. The inside of the restaurant is surprisingly big, with the main dining area, an outdoor patio, additional seating upstairs, a banquet room, and a hookah bar.

The Patio serves a large customer base consisting of everyone and anyone who enjoys Mediterranean food. But The Patio also has a large younger crowd that comes later in the evening for hookah.

Hookah, which originated in India but became immensely popular in the Middle East, has recently gained popular in the United States and is especially well known among the younger crowd. It’s essentially a water pipe that uses indirect heat that is then smoked from.

The Patio has a hookah bar that operates at night, and offers a huge selection of over 25 fruit flavors. They get up to thirty people on a single night in the hookah bar, and they’re well equipped to handle a crowd that large with numerous hookahs.

The Patio also recently held the Swagg Dance Competition on July 5. The competition featured New Boyz, a Los Angeles band that gained popularity with their hit song “You’re a Jerk.”

The Patio is a hidden gem in Arcadia for Mediterranean food, and anyone looking for an occasion filled with excellent service, food, and atmosphere should visit The Patio.

Address: 21 E. Huntington Dr., Arcadia; Tel: (626)447-2846, Hours: Lunch: Sunday – Thursday: 11:00am – 4:00pm, Dinner: Sunday – Thursday: 4:00pm – 10:00pm, Lunch: Friday and Saturday: 11:00am – 4:00pm, dinner: Friday and Saturday: 4:00pm – 2:00a. Happy Hour from 4:00pm – 7:00pm daily

By Morgan Carpenter

More from Arcadia Weekly