Goodies
Coral Mall, Tahlia Street
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Tel: 02 2847333
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My girls and I were tired of our usual restaurants on the Al-Andalus Strip, so we decided to try something different.First, meet my girls: J.J., age 2, loves knives, ketchup, friendly waiters and food from anybody’s plate except hers. Lili, age 5, loves mango juice and thinks Fuddrucker’s is the ultimate in gourmet dining.
Using the mango juice for inspiration, I decided to go to Goodies, a Lebanese delicatessen in Coral Mall. We entered via the mall entrance. Lili by my side eyeing the chocolates next to the checkout, and JJ asleep in her stroller, suddenly I remembered the way things worked around here.
Families sit upstairs. No elevator. No menus. You select your food from downstairs.
Despite the seeming predicament, the atmosphere managed to lift my spirits. The bright, open layout. The variety of colors in the fresh fruit and vegetable stands. The friendly service, the coffee bar, the rows of carefully prepared pastries…
Since Goodies is a restaurant based on the original delicatessen in Verdun, Beirut, typical sit-down dining would spoil the deli experience. The term Delicatessen comes from the German language, meaning “delicacies” or “fine foods” and a shop selling these foods is often called a deli. Goodies brings back memories of not only vacations in Beirut, but also of the delis in New York. So a few thousand stairs and two silly sisters cannot stand in my way! (Okay, it’s not a thousand stairs, but with kids, a stroller and abaya, it sure seems that way!)
So with a sense of nostalgia and serious appetite, I walked around the large glass display of foods that Goodies has to offer. With traditional Arabian dishes as well as an array of international favorites, it was a tough decision.
After choosing a mix of grilled lamb, beef, and chicken, cheese sambousa, hummus, and Fettucini Alfredo with mushrooms, a waiter offered to help carry the stroller upstairs. By the time we reached the top, JJ was already awake and ready to sit in the high chair.
We ordered our drinks, Mango Juice, Mango Juice!! repeated Lili, plus orange juice and mint lemonade, all in plastic cups with covers to avoid any disasters.
The food arrived promptly and in large portions.
The fettucine alfredo was as creamy as it should be. The cheese sambousa was neither too salty nor too plain, and pregnant with cheese. The hummus was hummus, nothing to write home about. It wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. The mixed grill was a winner with the girls (bite-size finger food), and while I can think of one or two other places with a better mixed grill, it was better than good.
There was a delay with the hummus, and confusion over the meaning of a teaspoon, but eventually both arrived with a friendly demeanor. Overall, my girls and I had a great meal for a great price and I can’t wait till Ramadan to try their Iftar.
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I agree with all the comments written above cause a lot of my friends had similar if not the same experience mentioned. However, my opinion in Goodies restaurant totally changed when I got invited to Goodies in Coral Mall Tahlia Street especially since my relative knows the chef there who made sure our dinner n service were extra ordinary.
Today was the first time we go to Goodies. We went to the Stars Avenue branch. Overall, we had very bad experience. We all agreed that it’s going to be the last time to go there, although the food was very good. The service is poor. The staff are poorly trained to serve the customers and most of them are rude. We ordered fresh juice, appetizers, mix BBQ, and desserts. Guess in what order we received our food!!?? We first received the desserts, then the appetizers & the BBQ with the rice & fries all together !! (we had no space on the table to put the food on), & then we got the juice glasses. Later when we asked for the desserts, they brought us the same dessert plates they were planning to serve in the beginning already ruined & cold (was supposed to be warm). I really don’t recommend dinning in this restaurant
very rude staff + poor service means no matter how good ur food is u r going 2 lose customers
We were a group of ten , when we arrived to the restaurant the manager told us to wait as there is no availble table , matter which is normal for a high traffic restaurant on a weekend , after 15 minutes they managed to get us a table , the table top was clean but below the table there was food remains and paper napkins from the previous clients , we asked the waiter to clean below the tables but he looked at us and left , we had to do it ourselves !! , later we went to the counter area to order , the supervisor there was very nervous and hardly took the order for 10 guest and refused to take any special request like way of cooking , side dishes , etc,,,,, simple request like white rice were not available !!!! we went to the table and funny enough a waiter came to serve one of the main course before the drinks and the salads , when we asked him to wait until we have the salad and the drinks , he refused and wanted to place the dish and leave till the moment i took the dish my self and place it in his hand !!! later the salads arrived but with no spoons to serve ourselves !! later one main course came after the other , each one on the table had to eat his main course alone not to get cold , drinks never came , waiters never knew who ordered what !! just dumping the food on the table in front of any one , it was our responsibility to find a place for the dishes as they started to give us the plates in our hands , drinks came later with PLASTIC glasses !! can you believe that you pay 160 Riyals per person for a meal and you get your drinks in a plastic glasses , the 10 main courses were served over an hour , the last one came after an hour and 45 minutes from the order time , the floor manager and the assistant or he is maybe a supervisor were very defensive when we dared to complaint and they started to give a a lesson how the food service business is run , sure after we finished we did not dare to order a desert or tea as the table was never cleared dispite of our several request , so we understood that we had to leave as we are not welcomed as we showed that we are not happy with the treatment, last one of the kids had a simple request and it turned up to be another lesson of food production from center kitchen and how things works ,
when it was time to pay , sure we did not leave any tips , the waiter opened the folder in front of us to check and when nothing was there we did not even get a reply to our Good Bye
Signature
Ediot client
LAST WEEK WE WENT WITH THE FAMILY TO THE CITY STARS BRANCH.
THE FOOD LOOKED YUMMY
THE UNFRIENDLY STAFF, ESPECIALLY THE FLOOR MANAGER GAVE US THE INDIGESTION.
WE WERE UNFORTUNATE TO SIT OUUTSIDE, WHERR WE FOUGHT WITH THE FLIES MORE THAN ENJOYING THE FOOD.
AND TO THINK THAT ANY ONE PAID ATTENTION????
EVEN WHEN COMPLAINING TO THE FLOOR MANAGER HE JUST BRUSHED IT OFF.
OHHHH NEVER AGAIN…
IT USED TO BE NICE CLEAN AND TIDY…BUT AS USUAL WHEN YOU GET THE REPUTATION YOU TEND TO COMPROMISE.
Worst Ramadan Iftrar Experience..
I went with my family two days ago for Ramadan Iftrar. To be honest, this resturant had changed dramaticly to the worst. Their services lately werent the best. Main dishes served before starters, drinks are served after finishing the food and many mistakes in the orders.
So, after my last visit for Ramadan Iftar, I have decided not to go to this place again for the below reasons. It was a 135 SAR open buffet Iftar btw.
- Buffet was not measured (more tables and ppl than the buffet capacity)
- Was too crouded so I waited a bit (around 7 min) and when I went, I found that starters were finished and when I asked about the samosa (they fimply said it is finished) I dont think they understand the buffet concept
- Drinks were finished so I ended up drinking water only
- Main dishes were cold
- Though the capacity didnt keep up, they have stolen tables and chairs from crepe cafe and accepted more customers. It was so unacceptable
- Went to complain to the manager and found him eating in his office instead of checking the service
- After my complain, he promised that he will find me a solution and get to my table and he didnt till we finished
- I didnt eat anything but my family did. I informed them about this to not include me in the bill though they did
All guests were complaining and no planning from their side what so ever.
Cheers..
i don’t like the serves there and the amount of food on the plate, some plates are too big that can feed two or three and some are small!!
Been to their branch in Coral Mall, the mixed grill plate was good. The meat was fresh and the chicken was good. Hommos was ok, they had fresh baked bread and freshly squeezed orange juice. As with all Lebanese restaurants, the price seems off the charts. I’ve had a lot of Lebanese friends explain the details to me already and they all agreed on one thing…you got a good platter with nice ambience and friendly service. Ok, now show me a good Lebanese restaurant that offers the same food quality, competetive price and friendly service.
Goodies simply makes Jeddah worth Living!
For a Lebanese Single Expat, the open scenery and open atmosphere that Goodies offers brings a smile inside our chest! After all, 75% of restaurants believes that singles section should be tight, small and closed. Yet Goodies managed to create an open, modern and colorful ambiance for everyone to enjoy, keeping in mind the privacy of families who wishes to be separated by giving them a big side hall.
The food at Goodies reminds me of old lebanese times. You get to chose your own fish, meat and set up your own table with your selection.
The wine leaves is Epic! definitely hits the jackpot while their Tabbouleh needs a slight dash of Lemon juice to reach perfection.
The fish was exactly as we expected, fresh and Epic!
The mixed grill is not good at all and not worth a wapping 55 riyal.
Went to Star Avenue branch of Goodies. Service is pretty slow.The lemon mint juice is refreshing. Mixed grill OK but disappointed with the sharwarma sandwich.
Customer service off the scale. Can’t get any better.
Goodies was our last stop on our third night of Shawarma’s. We had received a positive review earlier on Jeddah Food with regard to their restaurant, and our high expectations were not let down. The place is worth a visit for any meat lover as Goodies dont only sell shawarma, the place is a gourmet store and restaurant. If you fancy a takeout, Shawarma is just one of the things on offer.
There is an extensive selection of meat that you really have to see to believe. Meat kebabas with everything from parsley to vegetables or pistachio mixes, these all start at around 13 SR for a kebab in a wrap. However we were after the Shawarma which was a tad pricey at 7 SR compared to the competition, but it was easy to understand why,
The place is exceptionally clean and tidy with an organised kitchen located in the centre of venue, standard electric grill for shawarma, (but charcoal barbeque grill for all other kebabs(. Extractor fans cover the whole cooking area behind glass screens mean the place doesn’t leave you smelling like what you order.
Large arabic pita bread is used for their long and narrow shawarmas, and after taking a bite into ours we were pleasantly surprised. The Goodies Shawarma is a little lemony but not too much, and a tad creamy, it was less garlic, more tartar sauce (although non was actually present!). Good cuts of meat and overall an decent shawarma. We still have so many more venues to try, unfortunately we had once again reached our limit, so stay tuned for Part Four! (coming soon)
Shawarma Cost: 7 SR Marks out of 5 3 / 5
We went to goodies, stars Avenue branch, it was our first visit, the food tasted good, but some were served cold.
& the waiters were late & confused, the portion was big for me neither one of us could finish it but certainly im going back to try other dishes fro the wide varieties.
Goodys Stars Avenue Mall :
A disaster. Waiters were disinterested,unhelpfull,incompetent,no greeting ,no assistance to a table or offer drinks.
Food: best tasteless,stodgy,cold food ever had the misfotune to be confronted with.Piled high and overflowing on the plate.
A definite NEVER to return.
Rating: 1 (nice mall)
We are very much sorry for your bad experience.
As you are aware of that it was a newly opened and all the staff were new too.
We would like to tell you that this time you will get a very fantastic service from our side.
We hope and eagerly waiting for your visit.
Thanks
Goodies
I love goodies.
I had problems when we first entered the place because we didn’t have any idea on how to order. After a few minutes we understood how it all works then we hard a hard time choosing a food…They all look tasty and their not that expensive at all.
We sat in what I think is an extension in the first floor. My friend told me it wasn’t there before or that it was an open space outside.
We like the ambiance and the meals are very tasty and affordable.
I like their fresh strawberry juice.
I would love to go back there soon. =)
Goodies off Tahlia – an old favorite – that is now on the “must try” list for the just formed “Jeddah Diners Club”. While the location is a bit complicated for newcomers to find, the interior atmosphere makes up for it all. (If interested in joining the club on one of its regular Tuesday outlings, please email: pclassen [at] grahampton.com)
Best for: grilled prawns, which are as fresh as you can get from the mangroves of India or the southern coast. Try a selection of the small sardines, lightly battered and fried. Hamor fillets, especially the red chili fillets, are delictible. For the more cautious, try the hamor with light spices. Caution: Rice, veg, or pasta comes with each fillet, and the portions are large.
Best table: Underneath the balcony, in the area where they sell dates, olives, etc. You will feel like you are in another world.
Best drink: Fresh juices, especially the pomegranate or the fresh lemon with mint (ask that they add only a little sugar)
Best day: Friday is a zoo, and around 1pm offers the biggest selection of pre-set meals. If you like zoos, this is the time to go – very vibrant and energetic. You will have a selection of 30 to 50 possible meals to choose from, including typical European dishes: veal schnitzel with noodles and gravy, to salmon with penne and tomatoes, to roasted quail or squab with rice.
Other times during the week it is easy to find a table. Take away is excellent, and there are comfortable semi-outdoor seating.
Drawbacks: Where the fresh seafood is excellent, as is the freshly prepared meat dishes, some of the prepared meat dishes are distinctly average.
Why you have to go: Grocery, coffee & dessert, and fresh restaurant – all in one, with high degree of service and attention. A little pricey, but given the atmosphere and the seafood quality, this is a “must visit”.
The minute you enter the place, more than one sensation is activated and suddenly your body is confused to see, smell, taste or even touch! It reminds me of the first time I went to Hamley’s shop, excited and mesmerized but for a girl who is very pushy about her food.
I end up rounding around the food court three times wondering what could possibly satisfy my taste buds as my eyes are. Being a Goodies virgin, my friends recommended the Doner (shawarma in German, I think) and it was spectacular! Usually when you order one in Jeddah City to be specific, the meat is half raw (that if there’s enough amount) but here the meat is perfectly cooked the way I wanted it. The condiment was mouth-watering and of course you can’t eat shawrma without French fries and a cold glass of Pepsi at least I can’t! A lot of girls recommended the crap salad and it was delicious and very refreshing to be frank. It’s weird how 8-inch Shawrma can leave you with full stomach so as that I didn’t try their Dandroma Ice cream. The atmosphere was amazing and relaxing especially for people who just finished a tough exam and want a place to cool down. My friends and I sat down outside in the terrace. I may have not tried a lot of their color-rich foods but I would most definitely visit it again.
Very nice decor – Wide Variety of Food – Big portions that are well priced- Friendly staff – The idea of having a well organised inside market is also a plus. In addition, the ingredients you buy from there from meat to fruits to vegetables,etc. are the best despite the high price range.
love Goodies! can’t wait till their new branch opens near my place! today i had Sayadiah at Byblos for lunch, good (4 stars)! 2 weeks back i had the same dish but at Goodies excellent (5 starts)! i totally recommend it at Goodies, where it was one of my best places i’ve ever eaten Sayadiah and i remember i couldn’t finish my plate! one my favorite restaurants in Jeddah!
I just love it every thing i fresh and yummy i strongly recommmmend it 4 everyone