The story of success started with a little shop named "Victory’s Ice Cream" 50 years ago in Beirut, Lebanon.
During the Lebanese civil war, Mohamad Awad moved to the United States and, inspired by his father’s ice cream shop, he opened a bakery by the same name in Montebello in 1988.
Victory then opened its doors in Anaheim off of Euclid in 1994. It quickly became famous for its Kunnafeh - a traditional Arabic pastry.
Now, with the newly opened Victory Bakery and Restaurant, the eatery has come a long way.
The new location is in an unimposing strip mall surrounded by fast food joints. Designed like a café in Beirut – with imported Egyptian chandeliers, marble, mahogany wood and descriptive murals painted on the walls –Victory gives a sense of familiarity.
With ample seating and a banquet hall, the new 10,000 square foot restaurant has a juice bar, gelato and French pastry counter, along with other Middle Eastern sweets.
Lunch is a fairly inexpensive meal at Victory; you can select from sandwiches and rolls all under $3.
I decided to start with the Spicy Potato French Roll Sandwich. It was filled with potatoes, sandwich veggies and a dab of garlic sauce.
The subtle flavors played my sense of taste; with unexpected flavors in each bite and nothing overwhelming, they oftentimes brought out the natural tastes found in the ingredients.
Of course, shawarmas at an Arab eatery are a must, and Victory is no exception. Shawarma sandwiches come stuffed with lots of meat and garlic sauce on the side.
In contrast to the lunch prices, some dinner menu items seem expensive, but the quantity of food is well worth it.
The roasted chicken is a well-known dish and is fairly inexpensive. A half chicken is $4, and the subtle flavors continue to tantalize the taste buds. The simple tastes and large quantities make it a favorite menu item.
Deciding to step out of the comfort zone of well-known dishes, I decided to try something new.
My choice - the Samakeh Harra, a fresh tilapia fillet with hot spices, cilantro, garlic and fresh lemon juice accompanied by hummus, mataboul and a side of rice.
The Samakeh is a strongly flavored dish, and the lemon and garlic flavors play on one’s tongue.
The fish is somewhat lost in the flavors. Overall, it serves up a different choice from the kabab and shawarma staples.
Victory is also known for its catering. I had the opportunity to try their Cornish game hen, a small bird filled to the brim with rice and pine nuts.
The strong theme in Victory food is the subtle flavors. With many menu items to choose from, Victory is a good resource for any catered event.
The menu also contains some back home dishes like brain, tongue and liver sandwiches. Sometimes the food is hard to differentiate from one dish to the other.
The servings are extremely generous, and if alone, you probably will need a bag to go. For family style, however, portions are perfect.
Although the restaurant still has to work out a few kinks on how the seating, ordering, pastry and juice bars orders, and bills work, I highly recommend Victory for a family style experience with wholesome food choices.
