Ararat Middle East Restaurant

03/25/07

OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE

by jacko2 at Citysearch

AFTER LEARNING THAT ONE OF MY FAVORITE RESTARAUNTS WAS CLOSING,I HAD TO GO AND HAVE THE LAMB ONE MORE TIME. THE DINNER ITSELF WAS A LITTLE CHAOTIC AT FIRST (OF COURSE ITS UNDERSTANDABLE THAT CLOSING NIGHT MUST HAVE BEEN STRESSFUL) BUT EVENED OUT TO WHAT WAS A GREAT AND FESTIVE DINING EXPERIENCE. THE SAD IRONY IS THAT THE PARTY WAS SO FANTASTIC, EVEN MAGICAL AND WE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DINE THERE AGAIN. I PRAY FOR THE STAFF TO BE ABLE TO RECOVER FROM LOSSING THEIR JOBS, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY WERE CLOSE AS A FAMILY AND TRULY THE LABOR OF LOVE WAS EVIDENT. THE SHOW ITSELF UNDER THE STARS WAS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE.........AND WHO WAS THAT MALE BELLYDANCE/FIRE THROWER?????? WHAT AWESOME SYNCOPATION IN HIS PREFORMANCE AND THE NAUGHTY GIRL SHOWS WERE SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL!!!!! THANK YOU FOR A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE. GOOD LUCK TO YOU IN THE FUTURE AND I WILL EAGERLY ANTICIPATE YOUR NEW HOME THIS WOULD BE WRONG TO CEASE TO EXIST AS THE ONLY PLACE WITH THE BEST LAMB.

• Pros: LAMB, LELIA, AND LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!
• Cons: WAITING FOR ITS NEW HOME

03/22/07

This restaurant is closing on March 24, 2007.

by whiskpoobah at Citysearch

According to the austinist website, Ararat is closing its doors with a farewell party on Saturday, 3/24/07. After reading the more recent reviews here, it seems like a place that doesn't deserve to survive, so...farewell.

01/14/07

ARARAT

by lgomez450 at Citysearch

A group of four celebrating a birthday, quickly learned that good customer service is not to be expected at Arafat. Each time we interacted with the waiter, we were received with indifference to one degree or another. Unbeknownst to us word got back to the manager that we had some concerns. Soon after we settled the bill and were ready to leave, we found ourselves surrunded by a couple of employees, and a woman we did not know to be the manager, who had been listening in on our private conversation. She confronted us about our dissatisfaction, but actually she was not inclined to hear us out, but rather to throw accusations and insults at us. She was intent on further demeaning us by "throwing us out of there!" Clearly she took advantage of the the fact that we were the only customers seated in back makeshift area to unload herself; she regained her composure as we passed thru the main dining room to exit, all the while quickly shoving us along, lest the customer take notice of what was going on. There was no question that she was deteremined to insult us in any form and fashion she could muster. This is the worst experience I have ever had at any dining experience. It left me reeling from the suddenness and extremeness of it all. I attempted to appeal to her sympathetic nature by informing her that this was a birthday celebration, but by then she was so far gone, as to be unreachable! Needless to say, rather than celebrating a birthday, we ended up tending our wounds. The experience was so bad as to be unbelievable; one that needs no embellishment! Good customer service is clearly not something Arafat espouses, so unless you cannot live without the food (which, at best, is mediocre) , then keeping a distance is advised! All this mayhem, a mere result of our voicing our concerns amongst our own party...unbelievable!!

• Pros: Perhaps, the only food of its kind in Austin
• Cons: Everthing else