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Cafe 28

4.5 (229 reviews)
ModerateMediterranean, Halal
Closed • 10:00 am - 9:00 pm

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Cafe 28 Photos

CAFE 28 ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Quiet
Good for kids

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Recommended Reviews - Cafe 28

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Reviews With Photos

Beef schwarma sandwich in the foreground. Fries in the back.
Scott B.

Don't you just love it when you discover a place off the beaten path that turns into a great experience and all of a sudden you've found a new favorite place? That's what happened to me and my wife this week when we searched for a restaurant for lunch near my doctor appt in Shrewsbury. Cafe 28 has next level Mediterranean food, a gracious and talented chef/owner, who also provides excellent service, and a homey, comfortable ambiance that instantly relaxes you. Just a great vibe! We ordered the lentil salad and fries to share, and each of us got a schwarma sandwich. My wife got chicken and I got beef. Now I've had all of these dishes at other restaurants but as I wrote earlier these were next level because of the freshness of the ingredients, the seasoning on the meats, the brightness, tanginess of the dressing on the salad and the sauce in the schwarma sandwiches. Even the fries were spiced deliciously and came with homemade ketchup. The fries are shoestring which I love. So if you're not a fan of shoestring fries take note although I can't imagine someone not liking the taste of the fries dipped in that ketchup. Prices are more than reasonable. The chef/owner is originally from Egypt but has worked in restaurants all over the world. He told us the story of a regular customer who comes from Brooklyn and asked him to open a restaurant in Brooklyn and they would be an investor. He turned them down, preferring instead to focus on this hidden gem in Ocean Township. For lunch he was chef and service person so we had to be patient for our food but it was well worth the wait. I don't know if that's the case for dinner but we plan to find our soon!

Exterior
Alan L.

Mediterranean food in a comfortable setting. Located in a small strip mall, the restaurant offers many vegetarian options. Nothing stood out as outstanding, but the variety of dishes and vegetarian options made for a pleasant meal. The service was attentive, perhaps because there were very diners on the off-season weekday when we visited. One word of warning: the hot mint tea served at the end of the meal seemed to be caffeinated tea with a mint leaf.

Smoothies
Dori C.

Amazing hidden gem. The food is phenomenal every time and the chefs passion truly comes through in the food which is delectable. I always order the hummus to start, it's always creamy and delicious. The koshari is my favorite entree, and the sauce really makes it shine. I always save room for dessert-- bread pudding and baked rice pudding are both incredible. The rose water they make in house on the weekends is a beautiful touch. The owner is the chef and often server, he is so passionate about his food and he would be proud, best restaurant around.

Chicken Kabob

Amazing and unique flavors that I have tasted at other middle eastern places. Every dish had a spin on it that made it different from the run of the mill recipe. The kabobs had a unique marinade that permeated throughout with a complex tangy flavor. I would go back for the appetizers alone.

Owner harassing my husband

This is a joke of a place. I have no idea how these reviews are real. Truly one of the worst experiences I have had at a restaurant. The service is horrible. Food is sub par. There needs to be a 0 star option. I wouldn't even be writing this review if the gentleman didn't harsh my husband when he asked about the 2-3% credit card transaction fee because nothing was stated on the bill about it or menu. We would have given cash if we even knew... The gentleman came at it as this is so normalized and "everyone does it." Which isn't true but that's a different topic. I then questioned on why did he add a 20% tip automatically/ default on the bill for 4 people without letting customers know. There is no where that this is stated. Also he justified saying that "this is normal." The way the gentleman spoke is absolutely horrible and can see him then come out with other bills he has gotten saying "others do it"... WHAT. I am shocked. Literally yesterday I was at a Michelin star restaurant in NY and had such a pleasurable time and PAID THE SAME AMOUNT EATING THERE AND HERE. Please save yourself and go literally anywhere else. On top of that the gentleman was racist and saying "I don't know where you are from, but this is the case here." Sir, we are from here... I am traumatized by this experience. This is not only just about day time "legal"robbery of what he is doing but how he treats people. It was a question that could have just been answered politely but he was argumentative and angry. Just be upfront with this ... that way customers can decide if they even want to come into the establishment.

Baked Riz bel haleeb
Dustinne L.

I love this place! Been many times & always have a great meal. Owner is very welcoming and passionate about the food he serves his guests! My go tos are the Chicken Shawarma or course & medames platter but I really haven't had anything that was great. Fresh, good quality food! I also tried the baked Riz Bel Haleeb today yummmmm!

Lubia
Crowden S.

Looking for something affordable and healthy in the Long Branch area during a recent trip East. This looked good and so ... let's go! Very empty when we got there (Tuesday at 6). And it stayed empty. But not because of the food - that was tres yum. Greeted by the chef/owner (I guess), who wasn't the cheeriest of souls. Brought us a menu and disappeared. Then came back to take our orders and that was the last we saw of him. But the young waiter who took over was pleasant and helpful. Ordered Makdous (tiny eggplants stuffed with walnut, drizzled with olive oil) (you get two but by the time I took the pic one had ... disappeared). What else? Lubia (black eyed peas in tomato sauce), Mujadara (best I've ever had) and Lentil Salad (I think). All dishes were fresh and well prepared. Clean taste and nice interplay of flavors. Would certainly return if I'm again in the area.

Fattoush Salad

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4 months ago

Place was DEAD empty and took us a good 30 minutes to get a tunafish wrap and a grilled chicken wrap.

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7 months ago

Cozy, warm and intimate place. The staff was very friendly and very attentive. Delicious food with fresh ingredients.

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1 year ago

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8 months ago

The food was delicious. Portions were large. The place was well kept. Overall the experience was good.

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Ask the Community - Cafe 28

Drove by - store cleared out, looks either closed or renovating.....I doubt the latter - can anyone confirm one or the other?

Thanks very much for your concern I moved to new location and I am still renovating very soon I reopen again the restaurant still the same name and phone number the same the new address is 835 west park ave Oakhurst nj cobblestone village 732… Read more

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The Halal Spot - Butter chicken Platter & Chicken Potato Pot

The Halal Spot

(96 reviews)

$

Grabbed lunch a short while ago at The Halal Spot in Old Bridge. I have been here on quite a few…read moreoccasions and this place never disappoints. The food is outstanding and the people are very friendly and extremely welcoming. My "go-to" dish is the chicken and rice platter with salad. As mentioned, the food quality is exceptional, very flavorful and always fresh. Chicken chunks are very tender and well seasoned. The rice is delicious and the salad is always fresh, crisp and cold. They have a wide variety of sauces and they always ask if you need more. And, yes, the platters are enormous. It is literally impossible to walk out of this place feeling hungry. The Halal Spot also has lamb, falafel, butter chicken and wide variety of other dishes. So if you are looking for a place that serves outstanding food, enormous portions that is reasonably priced. Your "go-to" spot should be The Halal Spot. Yes, it is that good!

Service was quick - we ordered take out…read more The menu they offer seems a little all over the place, but sometimes there's nothing wrong with offering some variety. I ordered the paneer platter and it was ok. I feel there was more rice than the paneer given. I wish there was a spice level option as well because I like spicy food. The web page pictures are misleading because for one the Makhni in the picture is more of a yellow curry base, whereas what I got was more of a red-orange (more so the color shown in the tikka masala image). My friend ordered the butter chicken and it was the same deal with the color, but I also have never had either dish before with a more yellow curry base so lol I just wanted to say it's inconsistent. We also ordered the Heavenly Hummus to share. Hummus was good, pita was good, but whatever was spread on top of the pita to make it a "garlic bread" was very strange tasting. We didn't particularly enjoy that portion of the pita.

Shahs Halal Food - Salad w hummus

Shahs Halal Food

(9 reviews)

First things first, this place is fantastic - a very welcome addition to the area. Very generous…read moreportions, affordable pricing, and quick / helpful service. Can't really ask for much more! The details: Shah's Halal is a small chain of halal "food carts" from around the NYC area who have recently begun franchising. If I were to compare it to the stuff in NYC, this review is probably more of a 4 out of 5 (stuff there has a little more complex flavor). But since this is NJ and in a chain food format - there's little to complain about imo. The menu is typical of most of said food carts - platters with either chicken, lamb, a combo of both, fish, kofta, or falafel. They also serve the same items on a pita. For picky eaters, the chicken sandwich is actually fantastic as well; juicy and flavorful. The 'pakora chips' (sort of like french fries meets potato chips) are downright addictive. Regardless of what you order, the meat is piled high, the veggies crisp and fresh, and more than enough food for a satisfying meal. The bonus is that prices here are very fair, with platters around ~$11-12 and gyros around $10. Beats the pants off Chipotle and Bubbakoos, that's for sure. Note that the hot sauce here is actually hot, just to be aware. Really, my ONLY complaint is with the plaza itself - it's kind of only accessible from two directions (Brick Blvd North, and Hooper Ave Westbound). Trying to exit the plaza in any other direction is a little questionable, so be mindful of that. I'll be back again and again - a little slice of NYC in Brick's backyard.

Thank you so much for making your customers happy.I really appreciate it and it was deliciousread more

Royal Grill 37

Royal Grill 37

(357 reviews)

$

Hubby and I stopped off here for lunch, after I had seen a lot of videos online from influencers,…read morethought, "why not?". We both ordered the lamb and chicken over rice, naan and a side order of stuffed grape leaves, 2 sodas. Food was good, but more rice than meat. It was lunch time so very busy, we sat by the door since seating at tables were full, but it wasn't bad. We ate for a while and enjoyed it, but we took the rest home. It does a brisk business and the prices are average so it's a good deal.

I am not sure what happened ... the Royal Grill 37 was a regular take out location whenever we…read morevisited our daughter because they offered non-meat options and really really good food. Well, I always went for the chicken because I don't need to worry about non-meat options but the food was always really really good. One other consistency was the service! The team at Royal Grill 37, which always seems to be busy, is ALWAYS customer-focused and friendly!! For some reason it has been awhile since my daughter suggested Royal Grill 37 and I didn't know why but there are lots of options for take-out in the area but I was going to be in the area by myself and I wanted something good to eat so I called Royal Grill 37 and ordered my favorite. Chicken over Rice with extra white sauce. I walked into the small storefront restaurant that gave off a nice positive energy. Yes, I felt very welcome and that friendly team was friendly just like they always have been. They handed me the 'heavy bag' because you always get a lot of food at Royal Grill 37. But when I opened the container to enjoy my solo dinner it was ugh ... the food was not tasty and the amount of chicken was minimal on top of a big pile of rice. The side salad was ok. But it really didn't taste very good ... yes, I know I could add the tasty white sauce but that would merely hide the fact that the chicken wasn't very good. When I talked to my daughter later she said that they had stopped going there because the taste just wasn't what it used to be. Not sure what happened .... GREAT SERVICE ... LOTS OF FOOD ... REASONABLE PRICE ... but ugh, I don't think I will go back.

Zaika Kitchen - Breakfast Platter

Zaika Kitchen

(4 reviews)

Williamsburg - North Side

I found out about Zaika Kitchen Food Truck recently and saw that they have pani puri (also known as…read moregol gappa) on their menu and they open early. I immediately knew I had to go check this spot out. I've never had pani puri before and I've always wondered what it tasted like since it's such a popular street food in India. So I went recently and got their six pieces of pani puri which came out to be around $7. I also wanted to get their vegetable samosa but since I went early during the day, they were still frozen. Once I got my food, I went to a nearby park to try the pani puri. It came with a spicy, tangy water too which I used to pour a little into the puri. The first bite was like an explosion of flavors in my mouth, there was sweet, spicy, sour, and hints of aromatic notes. It was quite delicious. Now, it wasn't mind-blowing or anything. I actually thought it tasted like something I've had before. Or I don't know, maybe it's because I eat hummus and chickpeas pretty often so that's probably why I didn't think the pani puri tasted like anything new to me. I also did not know that pani puri is supposed to be eaten cold/room temperature, I was surprised because for some reason, I thought it was supposed to be served warm. But aside from that, I still enjoyed the meal and appreciate that it wasn't extremely spicy.

Definitely a great new addition to the block. I got the combo meal #2 with butter chicken and…read morechickpeas (combo comes with pita and a soda) and felt as if it was a pretty good value. Service was friendly and quick. The food was definitely tasty but at time lacked a bit of flavor. Maybe I would've liked to see a bit more seasoning. And I could be wrong in saying this, so please fact check me for yourself, but the pita doesn't seem homemade. Overall, however, an enjoyable spot that I would like to return to.

Cafe 28 - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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