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    Al Rafidain

    3.8 (74 reviews)
    Open 8:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Al Rafidain Takeout or Delivery

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    AL RAFIDAIN ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Al Rafidain

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    Combo kebab
    Suat A.

    I've been eating here for many years. The reason why I change my way to come here is the authentic cooking and the smell when you check in, just like home. They cook fresh for you using daily meats. Best of all they serve the kebabs with freshly baked large pita breads. While they're cooking your order you can finish your grocery shopping. They have some space to eat inside and outside if you cannot wait until going home. This time I ordered ground beef kebab and beef stew kebab, came with free sides of pickles. Totally delicious.

    $30 tray with 4 different types of Rice, Chicken Kabob, Beef Kabob, and Lamb great taste .
    Angelina T.

    My family and I were hungry and saw this market that also offers food, we asked for the Menu and a nice gentleman asked us if we wanted to get a tray that would have more food for a cheaper price rather than buying 3 combo plates. So glad we went with the tray it was delicious and lots of food. Also the bread they gave us was delicious and lady was making it fresh . Highly recommended this place to eat we will definitely be ordering from them in the future.

    Grilled fish

    The food was so good, and the people were amazing .. it was our first time visiting San Diego and everyone loved it

    Kabob and beef shawarma mix
    Mary K.

    I'm middle eastern and I know my kabob very well! There is kabob on every street being sold all over El Cajon... but I gotta say, this is in my top 5 of best kabob I've ever had. A lot of my family members told me I had to give this place a try, so I did. Walking in, I was a little taken back. It's definitely a hole in the wall. They have a kitchen on the left side of the place and a small amount of produce being sold on the right side. I walked up to the kitchen, waited there for 15 minutes before someone acknowledged me. Right off the bat, there was definitely an attitude problem. The first thing said to me was "yes?" I'm here to order some food sugar plum!! Why else would I be waiting??? Anyways, I placed my order and walked around the place to see if they had any spices I liked. They had a small selection of produce including, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, jalapeños and bell peppers. They weren't the best looking so I stayed away from them. I didn't find any spices I liked, but I did see one of my moms favorite sodas she loved back in Iraq called Vimto. My food was handed to me in a very thin aluminum tray, piping hot! The cook had oven mits on, but I did not! I kindly asked him to please place the tray in a bag and he did. I payed for my stuff and I was on my way out. I definitely wasn't a fan of the service, but I will admit they are serving some of the most delicious kabob ever! Seasoned perfectly, cooked to perfection and some really good quality meat. They kept the meat juicy and flavorful, a lot of places lack this. My theory is that they're using some kind of lamb fat in their mix to keep the kabobs from drying out. Kabob usually has a decent amount of sumac on it, something they didn't do here, regardless, it was very yummy. The shawarma was also tasty. Not overly salty and again, not dried out. I'm a fan of the food! Prices are a little higher than the competitors, but the food is well worth your money. Hole in the walls are where the good stuff is at. Service needs some work, but the food does not! Give this place a try.

    Gyro meat plate

    Came here for lunch two days in a row, love the food here. Might take a while for them to make it but it tastes really fresh and flavorful

    the most nasty and aw food , never ever buy anything from Al Rafidain they the sell most disgusting food

    a tray of food on a table
    Rasha B.

    The best market ever and yummy food the kabobs is amazing and the sammin is so good god blessed you

    Shawarma and Kabob.

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    3 years ago

    I always go to Al Rafidain for kebabs and I and my family like it, thank you Al Rafidain

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    3 years ago

    Super amazing food from the chicken to the lamb to the rice everything here is delicious! Friendly staff, they sure know how to do it right.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    by FAR the best tasting and quality food I've EVER had! I highly recommend this place!

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    4 years ago

    Great little market and the fresh food is delicious!! The owner is amazing. Highly recommend.

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    6 years ago

    I really recoupment the food The best food in town especially the kebab and whole chicken Grill And Shawarma

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    3 years ago

    Super delicious quality food. Customer service is pleasant and it has a good price! Their Chicken Kabobs are so good. Cant wait to go back.

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    Page 1 of 2

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    Alforon

    Alforon

    4.6(1.9k reviews)
    8.2 miRolando
    $$

    I have eaten there so many times I can't even count. Their food and their restaurant is my favorite…read moreplace to eat in San Diego. George and Samia are the most wonderful people in the world. George will come out of the kitchen and explain, in detail, every item on the menu. I laugh when I read or even see a subpar review of Alforon. Those people are either high on drugs or never experienced excellent food before. Chicken Tawook, Tabouli salad, house pickles, everything is off the chart and that's just the for starters. You can close your eyes, point to a menu item and have the best meal of your life. Explore their whole menu, you can't go wrong with a single item. Hands down off the chart and excellent food by two of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life.

    First of all let me say that the love dessert has me hooked. Best thing here! One of the most…read moreunique and tasty things I've tried in a while, and that's saying a lot w my sweet tooth. I love the floral and pistachio taste, and it doesn't leave you feeling heavy afterwards. The mint lemonade is also a must have- tastes like it came from the garden in the best way possible. For savories, I had the spinach and cheese bajeen, baba gannouj, and the lamb fatteh - all had a lot of flavor and tasted homemade. I love trying new foods so will have to come back with more friends and try other things on the menu. The downside of this place was being seated on the right side of the restaurant near the carry out section. This was the pit of despair. I noticed that most of the staff goes to the other end first, and as a result 4 tables got seated after us and all of them had food on their table before we managed to flag one of the staff. It was definitely busy in there but he replied that he was simply going in order, but apparently order or left side to right side instead of arrival. I recommend trying to get seated on the side w the stained glass windows for better service. Other than that, the experience overall was pleasant.

    Photos
    Alforon - Inside seating

    Inside seating

    Alforon - Ouzi Lamb Special

    Ouzi Lamb Special

    Alforon - Lamb fatteh

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    Lamb fatteh

    Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine of Escondido - Chicken Shawarma Platter

    Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine of Escondido

    4.4(1.2k reviews)
    23.8 mi
    $$

    We stopped by Ali Baba for a quick dinner before a show at the Escondido Center for the Arts. We…read moreboth ordered the Lamb Kofta Kabob Plate, and when we asked to omit the rice and naan, they offered a salad to fill the plate. It was all great! The food was great, as was the service. The pickled cabbage was amazing. This is a great place! Huge dining room, that would be great for a very large gathering. We shall return! Looks like they were doing a pretty brisk take-out service, too. If I lived nearby, I'd be picking up dinner here a lot. Good option for people eating keto!

    Been a long time since I've been here, but finally decided to come back as I had been craving their…read morebeef shawarma, and they have a great lunch special. Parking is very easy as the lot is very big. They are usually empty during lunch time, so not usually too long of a wait. My go too is the beef schwarma lunch special, it includes the schwarma, rice, salad and hummus. You can add on bread for an extra cost and it's a bigger than your head. The schwarma is seasoned very well, and not chewy. The rice is also very good, and flavorful. The hummus is one of my favorites, although this time it was a little thicker than usual. I love the dressing they use on the salad, I could eat a whole bowl of the stuff. The salad had a lot of cucumber, cut in big chunks, which is how i like it. The bread is enough for 2 people at least, so i would keep that in mind. 2 of us shared it and we still had some left over that we couldn't finish. The portions in general are very big, for me it was enough to dance leftovers of everything except the salad. I think this is a must to try if you live nearby, or even if you are just in the area, i don't think you will be disappointed.

    Photos
    Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine of Escondido
    Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine of Escondido - Chicken Shawarma Plate

    Chicken Shawarma Plate

    Ali Baba Mediterranean Cuisine of Escondido - Ali Baba Salad w/Chicken

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    Ali Baba Salad w/Chicken

    House of Mandi - Mandi Chicken

    House of Mandi

    4.3(951 reviews)
    91.7 mi
    $$

    quick service, great coffee and amazing food! such a great place to come with family and friendsread more

    I love Yemeni food and this place promises flavorful and huge portions of just that ! House of…read moreMandi upholds their name with a cozy, traditional ambience due to their sofa-style seats. For two, we ordered the "individual portions" of Mandi Chicken (young chicken roasted with Yemeni spices) & Lalamb Haneeth (a roasted young lamb that falls off the bone). These were both served over a large platter of Mandi rice and came with Yemeni sauce and yogurt. It was expertly made, yet still gave us the warmth of a homestyle meal. The generous portions resulted in a second meal for me! On a Tuesday night, this place was quite packed with friends and families. It seems like wonderful place to host parties or business meetings. Someone nearby us had a birthday, and a group of staff came out with a dessert, blasting a traditional birthday song over the speakers and encouraged the whole restaurant to clap along! Despite the large gatherings, the restaurant is a no-reservation spot. They have a covered patio outside to seat an overflow of customers in case. Thankfully, my boyfriend and I were seated right away. They had a contactless menu, and we scanned a QR code to check our food options, but a server took our order and offered great recommendations once we waved him down. I would love to come back and try other dishes, like their grilled chicken or lamb--as well as the desserts and teas !!

    Photos
    House of Mandi - MUTABBAL, CHICKEN GALABA (MOGALGAL), Fattoush Salad

    MUTABBAL, CHICKEN GALABA (MOGALGAL), Fattoush Salad

    House of Mandi - Dubai chocolate cheesecake.... mehhh

    Dubai chocolate cheesecake.... mehhh

    House of Mandi - Tea coffee Karak tea and Dubai Chocolate Crepe

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    Tea coffee Karak tea and Dubai Chocolate Crepe

    Al Rafidain - mideastern - Updated May 2026

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