Ammatoli Verified listing

Ammatolí opened quietly in 2018, nestled between an architectural firm and a fast-casual burger chain, the latter of which has disappeared and become an extension of Chef Dima’s space. The restaurant had a guiding principle from the start: to serve Levantine food that would not be limited to any one country. Rather, Ammatolí speaks to its owner’s diasporic background and to the richness of the Levant and the wider region, with menu nods to Jordan, Palestine, Syria…

Her ascent into what Los Angeles Times food critic Bill Addison calls “the consummate classical Levantine cooking of Southern California”—something which has scored her a coveted spot on the critic’s 101 best restaurants list—has proven beautiful to watch.

Ammatolí is ultimately Chef Dima’s love letter from Jordan to Long Beach, through the mighty Levantine cuisine, where she has taken gastronomic cues from the heart of the Levant—Jordan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon…—and put them on beautiful display since 2018. Expanding her footprint in 2022, Ammatolí has evolved into one of our finest, where traditional, beautiful plates of Palestinian musakhan and sayadyieh sit alongside Chef Dima’s ever-growing variety of in-house baked goods.

Over the past few years, Chef Dima Habibeh at Ammatoli has created a special Ramadan menu. I was way too busy to step in for it this year, but she put two of the plates on the permanent menu—and, per usual, they’re amazing. Do not skip the Levantine rolls as they are nothing but addictive, but for certain do not skip the molokhia.

Mloukhieh is one of the most beloved comfort dishes across the Levant (hence Chef Dima serving it during Ramadan). And at its core, it is a deeply savory green stew made from finely chopped leaves of the jute mallow plant. The texture is wondrous: velvety and viscous, it sits somewhere between spinach soup and okra, just more delicate. The flavor is earthy, herbal, and deeply savory, sharpened by garlic and coriander and brightened with lemon.

Photos and written by Brian Addison

For the most recent feature on Ammatoli, click here.