Easily my favorite shawarma spot in the area. This is just the mini version of the chicken wrap and…read moreit was enough to fill me up for lunch. If you do stop by for lunch, I recommend arriving with some times to spare as this place can get quite busy. That said, there's always seating and I recommend eating your food while it's still fresh. The thing about shawarmaji is that it's simple but everything is perfect. The chicken is tender, well-seasoned, and generously portioned in all of their items. Their pickles are homemade, have a little variety, and a satisfying amount of crunch. Their toum and chili sauce are also made in-house and are the perfect complement to their food. I always ask for extra. Their chicken shawarma fries are excellent as well. Same toppings as the wrap, but you swap out the flat bread for a generous portion of crispy, almost battered, fries. They're also available as a stand alone side and are worth getting, but the toppings really take it to the next level.

I visited Shawarmaji yesterday and it was SO good. I ordered the full-size chicken shawarma wrap…read moreand the chicken shawarma fries. First off, the full-size wrap is huge, definitely enough to fill you up, and it tasted amazing. The chicken was super juicy and packed with flavor. I loved the garlic sauce and pickles inside the wrap, and I even got extra garlic sauce on the side because it was that good. The chicken shawarma fries were also delicious. They load them up with a generous amount of chicken, pickles, and garlic sauce layered over the fries, so every bite has tons of flavor. This is definitely one of my favorite spots for chicken shawarma now. Highly recommend!

Fatima Bazaar & Grill is such a hidden gem in the neighborhood. I stopped by recently and ended up…read morepicking up halal veal from their market section -- the quality looked excellent. The meat was fresh, well-packaged, and clearly handled with care. It's not always easy to find good-quality halal veal locally, so this was a great find. I also browsed their specialty items and picked up some basturma and California black dates. Everything was neatly stocked and thoughtfully selected. You can tell they prioritize quality. The grill side is a bonus, it's convenient to grab a meal and shop in one stop. The space is clean and organized, and the staff was friendly and helpful. If you're looking for quality halal meats (especially veal) and specialty Middle Eastern groceries, this place is definitely worth visiting. Will be coming back again.

Who would've thought a Cairo grill lounge in a butcher market, in Santa Clara?…read more This place is basically a market and restaurant all in one. The outdoor seating and hot fire lamps reminds me of eating out on a desert oasis. Pretty fun! Service is quick, and pretty casual dining. Food is tasty, well seasoned and beautifully presented in a platter! Would I come back again, yes! It's literally less than 10 mins away from home!

Loved everything I've had at this place across multiple visits…read more The biryani rice with chicken tikka, the chicken sandwich, and the chicken samosas are standouts. Get them spicy if you can. They all have different profiles and flavors of chicken. The chicken tikka always comes with tender, juicy chicken with nicely flavored rice. The chicken sandwich with a lot of shredded chicken and I really like the sauce on the chicken here. The samosa too is not too batter heavy and comes with shredded chicken inside. Super friendly owner, and easy parking outside or on the street. Food can take 10-15 minutes, I believe they make everything fresh.

Amazing high quality chicken sandwich has been my go to for years. Top notch flavor and this place…read moreis really good

Hella yummy Palestinian food in the Bay!…read more I've heard of Holyland but finally had the chance to dine there for a weekend lunch. These days it's always at the front of my mind that food spots that call themselves "Middle Eastern" or "Mediterranean" truly divulge who is the owner and chefs are. I'm talking about only eating from restaurants that can name the country their food comes from be it Falasteen, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the list goes on. Holyland is located in the industrial part of Santa Clara, and they boast lots of interior seating (great for large parties and group meals) and also run a catering service. So there's loads of parking and plenty of space. My friend and I were hungry, so I got the lamb kofta and he had the beef plates. We were SO happy. It comes with a light tangy salad, delicious hummus with a kick of spice, a bed of delicious yellow rice and slender pita bread. They also have serve-yourself hot cardamom tea which is so delicious and perfect. They also serve a bunch of other refrigerated drinks like Salaam Cola and kefir. The mezze plate with x4 different dips looks so yummy, I would get that next time with a large group to share. Will definitely head back with a larger group. We saw other diners from couples, to solo to large families eating. The interior could use some sprucing up, but the quality of the food, staff, and authenticity of the place is #1. Delicious. Freedom for the Holyland Five and liberation for all of Palestine!

Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5…read moreAtmosphere: 5/5 Yummy!! We got for takeout: - kefta kebab plate: meat was flavorful but slightly too pink in the center! We microwaved for 30seconds and it was fine, still super juicy. The hummus it comes with has a spice added in the center of it - moussaka with meat: very flavorful, has eggplants, peppers, onions, ground beef - kenafeh: soft, sweet, without being overly drenched in syrup My partner really liked the moussaka. Everything is thoroughly cooked in it and flavored really well, and the rice pairs great. I went on a Thursday afternoon before 5pm and it was empty, food was brought out pretty quickly and they were friendly. There's plenty of parking, it's tucked behind some other buildings.

I was influenced by TikTok which can be a risky move. But this delivered! The food was absolutely…read moreFANTASTIC! We got a chicken wrap, a chicken plate (my favorite) and their sambusa. Flavorful, filling and huge portions. And affordable. It's tucked away in the corner next to an AC transit stop. It's worth it!!!

Jubba -- first time trying this place out, and I would say the food was very well seasoned and full…read moreof flavor. Every bite was tasteful and enjoyable. I do wish the tilapia plate we ordered had more fish because the portion was pretty small, but the rice was absolutely delightful. After eating, we didn't feel heavy or bloated; it was very fulfilling. The only downside was that all of the tables were very sticky, and I wish they were cleaner. I also wish they offered more refreshing drinks that complemented the food instead of just sodas. Overall, I would definitely come back again.

Can't believe I haven't written a review for Iraklis yet! I've tried quite a number of things on…read morethe menu, and have thourugly liked just about everything! My favorites include the shawarma lamb wrap damascus style, falafel tacos, the original chicken shawarma wrap, and of course the pickles and toum. I also really enjoyed the Fatteh. You can't really go wrong with anything here, it's just about what your personal favorites are. The owners are so kind and friendly, always chatting with everyone in the restaurant, they create a very warm and welcoming environment, and you can tell they really care about what they do.

We got two different vegetarian wraps to go: the Lebanese fries wrap and the falafel wrap. To our…read moresurprise, the fries wrap was the better of the two, as the garlic aioli and whatever other flavors were added made it tasty. It definitely could have used the coleslaw and pickles promised by the menu but they weren't in evidence. That was the problem with the falafel wrap, too: the menu promised hummus, cabbage & tomatoes salad, and pickled turnips, but those ingredients weren't anywhere to be seen. There was some lettuce instead, but lettuce is a poor substitute as it just becomes immediately soggy and adds no flavor. If you've ever had falafel in Israel, you will be disappointed by the falafel here, unfortunately. (Israeli falafel shops each make at least a dozen toppings from family recipes, so you put as many veggies and sauces in as you can to create a flavor party in your mouth.)

This is one of the best XinJiang style restaurants I ever had in the Bay Area. Especially the…read moreeggplant starter, I enjoyed so much!

This was my first time having uyghur food and i really enjoyed dining here! I enjoyed the flavor…read moreprofile of every dish. We were a party of 6 and were seated immediately. Service is friendly! At the end of our meal, we were offered free soft serve. I plan to come back in the future :) ORDER RATINGS - Pilaf served with salad and unsweetened yogurt dressing 9.5/10 This was my favorite dish from here!! - Golden crispy roasted lamb ribs 9/10 - Uyghur grilled lamb shank 9/10 Loved the seasonings that came with this dish. For both of the shank dishes, keep in mind they are a bit hard to share in a large group as you have to cut the shank yourself - Braised lamb shank with naan 8.5/10 - Big chicken plate 8.5/10 The hand-made noodles in this dish were so good!!! - Eggplant with mashed garlic 8.5/10 Great appetizer for a garlic lover! Has spice / a kick to it. Wish the egg plant was served in a more sharable way though

Took my mom here for an early dinner and so glad I did! The…read morefood was delicious and the service was amazing! It's a hidden gem. I'm coming back with the entire family for dinner soon!

Had a chance to try Tamra for a work lunch and enjoyed the experience. The restaurant is located…read morenear a gas station, but when you walk in it's very cute. THe service here was really nice and the food was fresh. For our order we got: * 6 sampler dips - this was fun to try because there were so many options of dips to try. I really enjoyed the hummus and labneh as well as the other dip that looked like hummus. The pita you could tell was very fresh, but a little smaller in size than what I have seen before * Chicken skewers - this came on a bed of rice with roasted tomatoes and zucchini. There was also a sauce drizzled on top which was nice. This dish I enjoyed the meat. I felt the rice was a little off though and the tomato was a little thicker than it should have been. Overall though enjoyed the company and the time here!

I was here yesterday for a business dinner, party of 2. We had the Maza Sampler for 2. Each of us…read morehad the Combo Kebab & molten chocolate cake for dessert. I had 2 house cabs & my colleague had 2 beers. The service was excellent. Every dish was excellent. Every appetizer in the sampler stood out. The main dishes were cooked to perfection. The meat grilled as should be, moist, flavorful, & tender. The rices was simply superb. Nice texture with the nuts. The rice itself was a dish on its own, not just a side thought. The spices here & in all the dishes were subtle, not overpowering, & distinguishable. Plenty of pita & special hot sauce too! We each paid $89 without tip. And tipped generously. Why do I give a 5? Yes it's expensive, but this price point is worth paying for this quality. This is going on my family's splurge list. This is exceptional Middle-Eastern cuisine. Made with craft, care, pride, & quality.

Really big restaurant located in downtown San Jose. They have various "Dish N Dash" restaurants…read morewhich are the same thing but takeout only. We were only there for drinks/snacks so I tried the babaghounash (sp). I thought it was ok. My partner really liked it. Pita was fine. We also got complementary pita with some kind of mediterranean olive oil dip which was ok. The falafels were really tasty esp with the hot sauce. Would come back to try more next time.

Fantastic! I've been enjoying Falafel's drive in since 1983. One of my favorites in all of the…read moreSouth Bay. Devout and loyal customer till the end, Burke

Come here for the banana milkshakes! I don't what they do to make it so yummy but simply put this…read moreis the best! Fresh bananas in a creamy yummy drink! If you're trying this place for the first time and don't know where to start, grab the falafel and banana milkshakes deal! You save a couple bucks and get to try the best of what they have to offer. The hubby always gets the gyro sandwich and it's packed with crunchy lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and thick cuts of proteins! Now that the weather is brightening up, make sure to stop by!