The deluxe falafel was stuffed with so much veggie burger, cucumber salad, onions, potatoes, eggplant and tahini sauce that it reminded me of Mary Poppins' bottomless carpet bag. It could definitely be plenty for two meals if you have any sort of self restraint, which I had none of on Wednesday night. My meal was practically perfect in every way but I would order it without the potato next time - too much for me in addition to the delicious lavash. There were a few other customers eating in and a number of take out orders during our visit. The two staff, one taking orders and running food to tables and the other cooking up the dishes, were attentive and friendly. We were in and out in about 45 minutes. My deluxe falafel was only $6.50 and our total was well less than $20. I didn't mind spending a couple dollars to park in the convenient lot across the street since our meal was such a good deal. This really was a great, casual, budget friendly, date night spot. read more

Babalou's has festive, informative, happy go lucky characters in murals on it's walls. tenish wooden tables with chairs are avialable for sit down. all entrees (kabab, shawerma, salads, burgers) on the menu are easily assembled/packable, ready to take out or eaten immediately. foods ready to go in deli case: falafel, dolma, hummus, baba ghannouj, eggplant napolean, tabbouleh, bakdonseik, greek salad.... eats: lamb schwarma(7.95) -grill marks on lavash(flatbread), lavash not soft but hard, stiff., eating wrap took more effort. not just chomp and chew. (cookie monster style) -lots of lamb, not tender, dry with onions, cucumbers, tahini sauce.. -lamb was previously marinated but not tasty. takeouts: -friendly service -orders take assembly, took a few minutes. -slightly disappointed in the food. lamb kabab no longer available. read more

A small gyro for $10. You say hi and the older guy there just stands there and look at you like WTF. It's almost like a prank how unfriendly he is. The food was nothing special, location is amazing and the service is horrible. read more

Seeing that Babalou's is highly rated on yelp, I had it bookmarked for the longest time. When I finally made a point to have lunch there, I was incredibly disappointed! Thinking I was going to have a "healthier" meal that day, I found myself eating a lamb gyro that was way too salty. I'm not sure if the chef normally has a heavy hand with the salt, but I felt like my taste buds were numbed and my blood pressure went through the roof with the sky high sodium intake. I couldn't bring myself to eating more than half of the gyro. My friend ordered a combo plate and also noted that the meat was too salty. She also ended up throwing away her half eaten lunch as well. We both definitely had much better Mediterranean fare elsewhere. The ambiance is interesting with a colorful mural along the entire wall of the eatery. The two guys behind the counter seemed nice enough. I guess that's the extent of the two stars for me. Will not be returning as there are other better places I can get a good gyro. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Lamb gyro - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I reallyreally wanted to like this place. The owner is sooo sweet and kept checking up on us and asking us if everything was alright. The murals on the wall are absolutely the funniest, cutest thing I've ever seen. The level of detail and the consideration that the artist took into incorporation structures of the building into his comical and often witty depictions really blew my mind. I especially loved the random shoutout to "I love Lucy" and Spiderman. But this is not an art review. Order: -Lamb shwarma roll: meaty and the outside bread was chewy and textured but the lamb itself was bland. The tahini sauce was pretty sour (too much lemon?) and while the portions were big, the roll itself was very mild. I wish the spicy sauce that came with it had more sweetness. -Mediterranean combo (falafels, baba ghannouj, hummus, dolmas, cucumber salad, tahini): The falafels were quite good, not the best I've ever had but very solidly tasty. Dolmas were also good. Everything tasted really fresh but again, the strong sour underlining taste to all of the sauces and dips really threw me off. Maybe I just don't have the palate for Mediterranean food? Or I just didn't order the right things? But in the end, the nom factor just didn't kick in for me. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Mediterranean plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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It seems like Walnut Creek residents have no tastebuds, because every restaurant here seems to get at four stars just for having an open sign. Babalou's has to be one of the worst Mediterranean I've eaten at. Kabob was dry and over cooked, like the rice. Like most ethnic restaurants in Walnut Creek, babalou's seems to exist to check a box, rather than cook good authentic food, and Walnut Creek residents are content with that. read more

Spicy chicken wrap and Turkish delight .. yum. This place is a little gem hiding in WC.

Stopped by here on a whim, as our bellies were empty and had some time to kill. So glad we listened to the yelp hype. The food was good and inexpensive. The decor is hilarious and the staff were pleasant and helpful. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

I can't say enough good things about businesses with good customer service. This not only means when you're dining within the establishment, but when you pick up to-go orders. I love that the employees recognize me when I come in (which isn't all that often, unfortunately) and they give genuinely warm greetings. They always have my food ready on time and it's consistently awesome quality. They even remember to ask if I want any sauces. Hot sauce; yes, please!!! I love the food but not as much as the wonderful people who prepare and serve it. Fun facts about falafels follow: In Israel it is regarded as a national food. It is high in protein and has up to 18 g of fiber in each patty. It's good enough to write songs about! "Falafel Song" - I found it on youtube read more

Purchased: Turkish Coffee Lamb Shwerma (over rice) combo plate w/ Babaganouj and hummus/pita LARGE portions! Lamb cooked with tomatoes and onions and was generously offered on a bed of rice pilaf, the babaganouj eggplant and hummus was flavored with tahini and garlic.. nicely done and truly hit the spot. I'm a big fan of turkish coffee, and they serve it up just how I like it! Strong and thick enough for a spoon to stand up in! hahaha Oh yeah, service here if very prompt and friendly. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Turkish coffee - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

You can get decent food at a decent price here. We went during the busy lunch period and the wait didn't seem too terrible. One of the servers even apologized for my food taking longer than expected. Three people behind me had already gotten theirs and I only had a regular, easy to make falafel. That kind of service alone will make me want to return here. I should get a little adventurous next time and try something new. Oh yeah, kudos for putting both Spider-Man and Mr. Spock on the wall as art. Vegetarians and vegans would love this place. There's a decent selection of food. read more

Since I was in the area for some ice cream (guess correctly where and get a cookie), and my boyfriend was craving something to eat, I decided to check yelp on some Mediterranean restaurants nearby. I'm lucky to have picked this place because it was impressed. I didn't realize it until we left, but this restaurant is also connected with The Mediterranean in Concord. I'm surprised it didn't hit me sooner since both of the restaurants are all covered in lovely artwork and have basically the same set up. The only real difference is the food. My boyfriend ordered the lamb shawerma and I ordered the falafel deluxe. The falafel deluxe was delicious and the falafels were not dry, like how it is at their other location. My boyfriend really enjoyed his shawerma, to the point of consuming the thing a couple minutes... impressive considering how big it was, haha. He also noted that the lamb was a lot better at this place as well. The baba ghanouj was AWESOME! This is the first place I have tried it where I can actually taste the eggplant. Sooo yummy. As previously mentioned, the interior is decorated in various paintings on the walls. There's even a Spiderman holding the thermostat as a camera that I thought was cute. Inside is spacy with a couple little tables and a bench that extends from the wall for seating. Service is friendly and patient. Parking isn't bad especially on Sundays when the meters are free so you can just park across the street. Overall, I think I found my new place for shawerma. Next time I'll try the Turkish coffee and baklava. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Lamb shawarma + falafel deluxe + baba ghanouj = DELICIOUS - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Had their lamb gyro wrap for lunch and it was delicious! I made the mistake of not ordering fries.... Awesome place, this shop is always busy so make sure to order ahead by phone so your food is ready when you arrive. read more

I judge Mediterranean restaurants by their pita bread and hummus. The hummus was smooth and had no flavor. It looked like yellowish mayonnaise. The pita bread was given to me in a bag from pre-made pita. Clearly purchased, rather than handmade at the restaurant. My shawarma wrap had little filling and was mainly the wrap. Very disappointing. Will not return. read more

We ate here again the other day and were so impressed with the quality and healthiness of their dishes. Everything seems super fresh. After eating too well (and heavily) the day before at El Molino and associated Mexican shops, we decided to go healthy and just get vegetarian food. We ordered the Mediterranean platter and the kid's veggie platter for our kids, and some mujaddarah to round out the meal. Our plate came with hummus, baba ghanouj, tabouli, a yogurt-based cucumber salad (sorry, the exact name escapes me), falafel and grape-leaves. Everything was very good. The only item that we didn't especially care for (it still was fine) was the tabouli. I'm not sure why, maybe too much bulgur to veggie ratio? I've also had better hummus, but that is a personal taste preference. The hummus was still good. Outstanding items were the mujaddarah (a lentil based dish), the baba ghanouj and the falafel. All three of these were superlative. The falafel was so crisp on the outside yet light and moist on the inside and had plenty of parsley (nice and green). I really dislike falafel that has no green to it! The grape leaves were also very good especially since they were not drenched in olive oil like so many vegetarian grape leaves are. Very happy with this place, but next time I'm saving up my meat ration and eating the shawarma! read more

Delicious! We needed to find a lunch spot when visiting Walnut Creek today.... decided on Mediterranean and almost got swayed into stopping at Opa! So glad we tried this place today because the food was delicious and fresh. I got the lamb combo plate and my fiancé ordered the combo wrap with fries. The portion on combo plate was good and the meat was tender. Also not pictured is the fun art work that covers the walls here. Super fun and delicious. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Don't understand how this place remains open. The service is beyond bad, it's atrocious -ESPECIALLY THE OWNER- I think he forgets we're paying him or something. The man is a miserable goat who's rude and short. Since the food is not much to write home about -unless you're into indigestion- you're not missing much. Save your money, your stomach and your dignity. read more

So I went back yesterday for lunch and it was again wonderful. We went later closer to 2 so no crowd. The staff is super friendly and helpful with the menu. The place is clean and even though small very inviting with its brightly painted murals. My girlfriend and I shared the Shawerma with chicken and some dolmas all for around $10. More than enough for the two of us. And yes there are two tables outside, I guess I just wasn't that observant on my first visit. I really like this place I've had two great meals here, and delicious tasty food. This is a gem! read more

I went back to give it another chance, got lamb schwarma with the wrap, spicy, and sides of tabouleh and babaganoush. The babaganoush had a weird flavor, almost acidic and tasted a bit like plain yogurt, sorta sour. The tabouleh was 99% parsley, and I don't really like eating parsley with a garnish of tomato. The schwarma was drippy, also had a weird sour taste, and the meat was either rock hard or had gristle and had to be spit out. It wasn't spicy at all. The dolma was good. It's a shame the food isn't great because the staff are the nicest people in WC, so accomodating and kind. I hope they can work on the quality, because it's a business I would like to support. read more

This place is soooooo good. Their chicken is nice and spicy and some of the best hummus I've ever had. Go here and you won't be disappointed. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Really good Mediterranean food! The restaurant itself has a lot of character with a colorful mural of celebrities painted across the interior of this place. The menu is pretty simple..wraps, plates or kabobs, and the prices are relatively reasonable especially since the portion sizes are huge. I ordered the combo plate which comes with a mix of flavorful lamb and chicken atop a bed of yellow rice, a medley of veggies, hummus and pita bread on the side. The meat was extremely delicious...jam packed with a ton of flavor. Everything was so good I didn't want to stop eating. But after eating just half of my serving..I was stuffed. My bf ordered the kabob combo which was equally delicious. The meat had a lot of char and smokiness to it. This place packs great value for the price and the quality of the food. We'll definitely be going back. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Combo plate (chicken and lamb) - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

After clicking 4 stars and seeing the "Yay! I'm a fan." I know I rated this place darn right! Stopped by for a quick lunch around 2PM and ordered the Lamb Shawerma and the Regular Falafel with a side of small hummus with pita. The gentleman who my boyfirend and I ordered with was very friendly and atentive and quickly brought out the hummus before we could fill our cups with water. As we munched our way through the piping hot pita and cool creamy hummus we had to abruptly stop because our main course had arrived. My boyfriend (who loves lamb) enjoyed his "extra spicy" Lamb Shawerma and my Regular Falafel was quiet yummy. My one and only complaint would be that the falafel could of been hot instead of warm and I would of enjoyed it a tad more if there was a better crust on each little ball of heaven. If I'm in the area I'll be sure to stop by Babalou's again. Gosh dang it, I want more of that hummus now.. Argh. read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Small hummus with pita - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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I wouldn't say my experiences at Babalou's have always been good, but this time it was very disappointing, specially the service. I ordered a deluxe falafel wrap and received just a falafel wrap, which was underwhelming (hopefully they charged for the regular wrap). Thankfully I was paying attention (this time) and noticed when the person serving gave me the food that the hummus and pita bread weren't there, when I asked for it he was rude to go get it. Maybe he was having a bad day, but the service keeps leaving a bad taste every time now. As for the hummus, it's acceptable, but they only gave me one pita bread (even though they charged a lot for it). I added one additional star because he did ask me if I wanted it spicy and he followed the no pickles request. Overall, the food is ok, nothing to go crazy for, and it's too expensive, especially for a disappointing experience. read more

Babalou's is like god's gift to Walnut Creek. I've never had better gyros anywhere. Do yourself a favor and get the spicy lamb gyro (it's actually not really spicy which is my ONLY complaint). On a BAD day, the lamb gyro is AMAZING instead of just F***ING AMAZING. I'm not even joking when I say I would consider getting babalous catered at my wedding. As for the establishment, it's not a restaurant so don't come if you desire waiting service. You order at the register and can sit to enjoy your food or take it to go. The staff members aren't bubbly, but who cares when the food is pure happiness and also pretty dang cheap compared to other Mediterranean places? JUST TRY IT GO NOW read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - Photo doesn't do it justice. Lamb plate and lamb gyro - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Cheap. Fast service. Great Food. I would recommend this place. Across the street, its free parking so dont use the metered parking outside the restaurant read more

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I've been wanting to try Babalou's for quite some time. Expecting a busy place still reeling from their newfound "Check Please, Bay Area" fame, I wasn't hopeful about the wait time. We came before the dinner rush, around 6pm, and found ample seating right by the window. The murals on the wall were an eclectic mix of pop culture, religion, food and famous sights. The Dalai Lama, Gandhi and Mother Theresa were all snacking on a falafel wrap, Godzilla was having a lamb shwerma while sitting atop the Eiffel Tower. Ok, my reconstructive memory made all that up but that's the kind of spirit the mural evoked. Only if the world were really like that, we would all be spared from the hell-in-a-hand basket predicament we now find ourselves in. Anywhoo, the food was wonderful. We got the combo plate which came with your choice of protein--lamb schwerma/kabob or chicken schwerma/kabob--2 sides and flat bread. We chose the lamb schwerma and chicken kabob with hummus, tabbouleh and dolmas. Great food and even better service from smiling servers. We'll definitely be back to try the kofta and more dolmas. read more

Always great food, great and fast service. When I have gone to this location it always seems slow. I hope their business is okay. I have ordered the lamb in pita and the chicken wrap and both have great tastes. This is my husbands go-to place for a "gyro" read more

Delicious Mediterranean food! I usually have the Chicken Garlic Wrap (without the fries, which are usually a little under done). The wrap has tomatoes, pickles, and a delicious mixture of chicken and spices which can be made more or less spicy to your preference. Their Turkish Coffee and homemade baklava make for an excellent dessert too! Service is polite and helpful, and the food takes only a few minutes to arrive after ordering at the counter. Highly recommended! read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - The Baklava is amazing! - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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The food is great but delivered food arrives in styrofoam containers! Who still uses styrofoam?Please change to environmentally friendly containers! read more

Ordered the lamb gyro, best I have ever had! Pita bread was fluffy and soft and the meat was delicious and abundant! I also ordered the chicken kabob, I tried a piece, it was delicious, I'm too stuffed after eating the pita to eat anymore so I'll have to eat it tomorrow.....that's a good thing read more

I ordered a chicken wrap. Nothing fancy, but the chicken tasted good and juicy. Plus it doesn't hit the wallet too hard. I really love the mural-type painting they have on the wall with the random famous people painted in. All I could remember is seeing Spock. I'm surprised it's not any more busier over here. Probably best option in the area for wraps. read more

Always delicious. Quick. Order ahead all dishes are excellent. Family is always happy

Since living in Astoria, NY a few years ago my boy and I have been on a quest to replicate the awesome Greek food we experienced there; Babalou's came close. The breakdown... Parking: it's Walnut Creek, not SF... so for suburbia, parking here is pretty easy. A few parking garages close by. Street metered parking is free after 6/ on Sundays. Plus you can have "drive by pick up"... Service: 5+ stars. Wow, we got spoonful tastings of all the sides (which are Greek, like hummus, Lebanese, etc... the lentil-rice w/ caramelized onions - Mujdarra- is pretty good. They also serve tabbouleh, Greek salad with cucumbers, olive oil, and feta, & baba ganouj). But the guy at the counter was really quite helpful. It's a casual dine-in/ take-out place but they'll still bus your food for you. :) Food: We shared a lamb/ chicken shawerma plate, which was shaved off a rotisserie (yay) over a bed of white rice (meh) and stewed tomatoes. They went light on the white sauce, which is fine; in NY the white sauce is pretty heavy-handed. The two sides though small were quite filling. It came with a small white toasted pita & a very small dolma that was... a dolma. There's a decent array of bottled Armenian, Lebanese, and other Mediterranean beer, which was pretty cool. The food, while not astounding, was pretty solid. And surprisingly filling. Environment: Well, it's downtown Walnut Creek. Your clientele include a lot of babies & fashionable strollers, a mix of trendy teenagers in skinny jeans + moms and dads toting Crate and Barrel bags, and ... Asian people like us. Not a lot of other Mediterranean folk here, though. Other fun facts: Lots of vegetarian and vegan options, since it's Mediterranean. There's a veggie menu available online to browse. Also a kids menu, which is pretty nice. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Casual and relatively quick. Reasonable prices at about $7-10/ plate. Takes all form of money (except bartering, hah.) Overall, Surprisingly good Mediterranean food in downtown Walnut Creek of all places. read more

Great hummus and falafel, would have these again any time. Got some food to go and was not thrilled with the lamb or the rice, perhaps they don't travel well. A relative bargain, I look forward to sampling more of the menu. read more

Wow, surprisingly good - well, maybe not too much of a surprise, given the good ratings! Our party of 5 had a selection of items including the chicken kebab, which I had, with 2 sides. The hummus was very good, as was this other side I got (didn't know what it was, didn't look like much in the counter fridge, but it was very good - some type of salad with veggies, with a name that started with a K or H - was awesome!). The folks there were very friendly and we liked it very much. Only off-putting thing (to me) was the look of the sides in the counter fridge - they looked sorta like they were running out, and it wasn't even close to closing time. Only off-putting thing to one of my dining companions was the never-ending looping of the 2 songs they played. (I didn't notice, and l liked the music!). Will be back! read more

Get the falafel! I haven't had falafel this good since I lived in Egypt. It's legit! I always get the vegetarian platter and when I asked for it with no dairy, I was informed that the baba ghanoush has yogurt. So the person taking my order swapped out the baba for a rice and lentil dish that was delicious! I have had takeout from here twice (and only lived in Walnut Creek for a month!) so it is already a great go-to. Don't forget to try the falafel! I like to dip mine in some hummus. So good! read more

I ordered a dolma sandwich to go and discovered they gave me a hummus sandwich instead, and it wasn't even spicy. They were certainly generous with the hummus--I feel like I ate a tub of it. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that, but it errs on the side of not good. I am a dash disappointed but not discouraged from getting that dolma deliciousness. One of these days... read more

Had the Baba Ghannouj wrap, and added a couple balls of falafel in there... I WISH I PUT MORE IN! Their falafels are LEGIT. Baba Ghannouj is eggplant puree (?), mixed with yogurt, so it was a bit sour. I would definitely recommend this with falafel though (maybe 5?) Also had kataifi? SO GOOOD! Many places only sell baklava, but this place sold the hairy fingers! My fav! read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - similar, but better than baklava! - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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I been in the Bay Area for 11 years, and for the first time since then I'm eating a REAL falafel rap, and a REAL Shawerma Rap. Most of the Mediterranean restaurants mix the Mediterranean kitchen standards with the American ones, and we get a horrible results!! For example they put Ketchup on falafel sandwich, or Avocado, or Mexican beans, or Mash potatoes as I tried these adds before in many places. I decided in the end to do my falafel at home rather than eating a shity Falafel, but what ever I make still it's not like what this restaurant makes !! He reminds me of the Jordanian falafel sandwiches, the way he makes it, the way he don't fill it to the max, and makes it easy and smooth to eat m, and enjoy eating it. Shawerma rap I told him to put Chicken, French fries, garlic spread, and pickles, and this is the way they make Shawarma at Jordan, and it's really good!! Since the chef and the owner from Jordan, I hope someday we will see on his menu Mansaf, or Mashawi dish like what we saw in Jordan. All best of luck, and keep up the good work, and you will see me again and again and again here :) read more

Affordable, great location & super fresh delicious food! I ordered the falafal wrap with fries and my friend ordered the chicken platter which came with rice, veggies, humus and pita bread. They have friendly service and make the food when you order it so my falafel was so fresh and flavorful. They have plenty of seating and there is 2 hour pay to park right outside. Their food tastes authentic and isn't overpriced like the fancy places (Opa). I would definitely come back again, but be sure you stay on top of parking- the city tickets really fast! I'm interested in trying their gyros or lamb when I return and somehow make room for their baklava... read more

Babalou's Mediterranean - The falafel wrap with fries for $8! - Mediterranean Near Me - Walnut Creek, California