I have been recommended by many of my friends to try Mal Al Sham for some really great food…read more And all recommendations were proven true. Parking lot can be a challenge as it can get quite full and tight , however , down the street there can be another opportunity for parking I sat down inside and ordered a mixed grill entree ( one chicken kebob skewer , one beef tikka skewer and one chicken tikka skewer ) which came with rice and salad w/ the option to substitute the rice with fries however no salad As i was waiting, i could not help but be amazed at the beautiful white marble tables and the ceiling designs the interior of the store so proudly displayed , the wafts of the charcoal smoke fuming inside the restaurant intensified my salivation. My food arrived and i grabbed a lemon slice and squeezed a droplet of lemon juice on each little bite of skewer meat. I started off with the chicken and i couldn't believe how much moisture was retained on the inside while the outside was perfumed perfectly with the smoke of the charcoal. The tikkas and their ratios of meat were pristine and i could not help but feed heaping full spoons of the ever so seasoned rice to my mouth. If i was born Arabic in a previous life , my taste buds affirmed the possibilities as i ate here tasting the flavors of Damascus شكراً

Rarely comes to this neighborhood, and we are glad to find out about this restaurant…read more The business is good, many staffs on shift and service is friendly and attentive. We got the mix grill with fries instead of rice and salad. Meats are cooked perfectly with right seasoning. Portions is enough for two. Will definitely come back to try more menu items next time when I'm around this area.

Everything. The extensive buffet was delicious. The atmosphere was welcoming. The staff was…read moreattentive and friendly, making sure the guests were satisfied-- and making them aware when new items had been added to the buffet. (Our hostess, Nina, was a real gem.) And the cost for our whole group was quite reasonable. I will eat there again, whenever I'm visiting friends in the greater San Jose area.

The food was amazing, Sara was my waitress and she was very kind, the restaurant was brightly lit…read moreand clean.

Great food Posted chicken yummy…read more service quick reasonable pricing fast food vibe Parking easy

Abn Al Sham serves up tasty chicken middle eastern eats like shawarma wraps. so flavorful with…read moreplenty of seating!

Haven't been here in years, decided to take a trip to El Cajon to have lunch at this mom and pop…read moremiddle eastern restaurant with my mom and pop. They definitely invest their time on the taste of their food and serving large portion sizes instead of fancy tables and decor. It's not upscale fine dining... the interioir looks the exact same for past decade. Although a little dated the place is very clean and fits large or small groups. Not a date night spot -- more a friends and family stuff your face kind of place. They have a dedicated parking lot with plenty of spots. We ordered a ton of food to share. Half roasted chicken with side of fatoush salad, beef kabob plate with side of rice, lamb tikka with side of fries, a large plate of hummus, and an order of falafel (Best Falafel in SoCal). EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS! I personally didn't like the lamb tikka but everyone else destroyed that plate. We ordered a pot of black tea (mint flavored) and they brought our large pieces of steaming hot fresh bread. Service was very friendly and fast. They modified any order to your liking. They also thanked us for coming and meant it when they said it -- Mom and Pop shops are The Best! Highly Recommend if you're looking for good quality middle eastern food with large portions.

The location is right on the corner you can't miss it. They have their own small parking lot. There…read moreis a lot of similar restaurants in the area that we have tried. They just don't compare. The quality and flavors are out of this world. The inside is very cute. it is clean and welcoming. We enjoy lunch dates and dinner here as a family. The owners are very friendly. Definitely recommend the lunch for 2. FYI it feeds 4 people easily. Dinner for 3 feeds 6-7. Large portions. The hummus is soooooooo good. Pro tip: ask for extra olive oil. Give this place a try!

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.

We recently celebrated my husband's 50th birthday at Charcoal House, and we had such a wonderful…read moreexperience! From start to finish, Suha was incredibly helpful with everything from A-to-Z. She made the planning process so much easier and even recommended amazing dessert vendors that turned out great. Nabil was also so kind, welcoming, and always willing to help with anything we needed. We truly appreciated all of his help and hospitality. The food was delicious, the ambiance was fun and lively, and our guests had a great time. Thank you, Charcoal House, for helping make this celebration so special and memorable!

Charcoal House Bar and Grill was hands down one of the worst experiences I've had at any lounge or…read morerestaurant. The hookah was terrible--harsh, flavorless, and clearly rushed like they didn't care at all. For a place that offers hookah, this was embarrassing. Service was painfully slow and disorganized. On a packed, busy night, they were severely understaffed, which is not the customer's problem. We waited forever for basic service, and staff looked overwhelmed and unprepared. No urgency, no communication, no apologies. The place was crowded, chaotic, and poorly managed. If you know you're going to be busy, staff accordingly. Simple. Overall, bad hookah, bad service, bad management decisions. Definitely not worth the time or money. I won't be coming back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Always a wonderful treat to eat at Fattoush!!!! By far one…read moreof my favorite places to eat with authentic Mediterranean/middle Eastern cuisine Always served with a smile and blessed by the wonderful people who make the food and hospitality highly recommended my go to is the what I call the feast for 2 and Always get the stuffed grape leaves and the falafel bring your appetite because it will be satisfied

What a find! We were driving down from Long Beach blasting Yasmine Hamdan's latest album on repeat,…read moreand rolled into town starving for Mediterranean food, and ordered the Special meal for 2 (Served with rice, kofta kabob, chicken kabob, shish kabob, gyros, hummus, muhammara, babaganouj, garlic dip, tabbouleh, loubieh byzat, tzatziki, falafel, stuffed grape leaves) Pro tip: order two more falafel on the side Divine Pairs well with the Mint lemonade!

We've been to Tahini before but decided to make a special trip to Tahini to support them after…read morehearing they've been constantly harassed with hate messages/crimes -- which is so horrible and sad. The food is was great and one of my favorite spots when I'm craving middle eastern wraps- I did built your own pita so of course I like the ingredients. I loved my pita bread (it's much different from the Greek style if you haven't tried it before!) and the enjoyed the steak in particular. It had a lot of warming spices (nutmeg and cinnamon maybe?) and the flavor is pretty unique! I added bell peppers, pickled cucumbers, lettuce, tomato, red onion, tahini sauce, and garlic sauce. I also got a piece of falafel - I always gotta judge a place by their falafel and this one was crispy on the outside and soft in the inside which was perfect. Next time I need to try the halloumi cheese stix with fig jam! Place was very clean and the decor was nice. I also love the Finjan coffee spot next door.

The food here is genuinely outstanding - fresh, colorful, flavorful, and made with care. Every time…read moreI eat here I'm reminded why I keep coming back. The staff is also consistently warm and kind, which makes the whole experience feel good from the moment you walk in. My only real frustration is with the wait times on online orders, and it's significant enough that I have to mention it. I work 10 min away and only get a 35-40 minute break. The app consistently quotes around 20 minutes- but honestly, 20 minutes shouldn't even be necessary. I've stood there and watched them make a bowl. It takes about two minutes. Other similar restaurants have my order ready in five minutes, consistently. So when the app quotes 20 and then I still end up waiting at the 20 minute mark on top of that - in a nearly empty restaurant - something is off. Today this happened (I hit the 20 min mark with no food), and I had to go up and ask them to make my order. This isn't a one-time thing either. It's happened enough times over the years that it genuinely deters me from coming here on my break. To their credit, there was a stretch where it seemed like they had it figured out, so I know they can do it. I just wish that consistency would stick. If you're not on a time crunch, absolutely go. The food alone is worth it. But if you're relying on a quoted pickup time, build in a buffer- a bigger one than you'd think you'd need.

Literally the worst hookah I have ever tried in my life - that is not an exaggeration. Unbelievable…read morethat they still have to ask if you want quick light or coco nara. Who still uses quick light charcoals in this day and age!?!? Hookah they brought out was a mini starbuzz hookah that was the cheapest POS I have seem a lounge serve. If you enjoy a nice quality smooth hookah experience, this is definitely NOT the place. Atmosphere is mostly regulars and friends of owners. Seems more like a private social club. The lounge was 100% older male patrons. I requested (specifically fumari brand) lemon mint and what they brought me was definitely another cheap brand that I wouldn't even serve my worst enemy. We stayed 5 min and left and would recommend nobody come here for hookah. Trust me when I tell you all these 5 star reviews are fake and must be friends of owners. Just my 2 cents.

Came here one night with my brother and the lounge definitely felt like home!…read more This lounge is an arab owned/managed location - it is jointed with another restaurant that also seemed to be owned by them, so you could order food/drinks in this area. It took about 5 minutes to get seated but as soon as we sat someone quickly came to our table and took care of us. We ordered a standard double Apple hookah and tea - it came out within 5 minutes so that was great. Hookah was strong and quite good! For a Wednesday night they were quite busy, the spot provides free cards to play with and they play music (that's not too loud). Mostly you will hear the conversations everyone is having. Decor was very nice and it was comfortable. Workers don't wear any work outfits/attire so you will need to keep an eye out who looks like he works there! Would definitely come back here, loved the arab vibe and comfort there.

Incredible restaurant in the heart of Hillcrest! So hearty and flavorful - absolutely adored…read moreeverything we ordered: - mantu: topped with ground meat, these were so savory and delicious - aushak: bright flavor profile from the leeks made it a perfect pairing for the yogurt dill sauce - aush: comfort food soup with noodles! - the chicken and beef were spiced + charbroiled to perfection. too good with the upgraded raisin carrot rice. accompanied with heart and a spicy pepper. the service was amazing. absolutely above and beyond. the dining room featured high ceilings and unique art. can't wait to return.

I was planning a lunch date with a dear friend today, and she mentioned she'd never tried Afghan…read morefood. Since we were going to be in Hillcrest, we chose Khyber Pass - and wow, what an incredible decision. This was easily some of the best food I've had in a very long time. We started with the Bolani. Absolute perfection. It had a beautiful crunch, perfectly seasoned filling, and none of that sogginess I often run into with Bolani elsewhere. We could've ordered another plate and been thrilled. Next came the Aushak with ground beef: one of my all-time favorite Afghan dishes. Think of it like delicate leek-filled ravioli topped with savory meat and tangy yogurt. It hit all the right notes. We also shared the Kofta Kabob, served with grilled vegetables and fluffy basmati rice. The seasoning was spot on, and the meat was juicy and tender, similar to Persian koobideh, but truly memorable in its own way. Our server recommended the Afghan Yaghoot Chalao (Cherry Curry) with chicken. Yes, cherries! Sweet, sour, rich, bright. I had to resist the urge to literally lick my plate clean. And then: the Qabuli Palao with lamb. I do not like lamb. My friend loves it, so I agreed...and I'm so glad I did. I genuinely loved this dish. The saffron-coriander rice with carrots and raisins was aromatic and comforting, and the lamb was tender and flavorful. If you're hesitant about lamb, trust me, this dish might convert you. Portions were generous, we came hungry, and still left with leftovers. I also ordered the house-made Doogh, a mint yogurt drink. It's not for everyone, but it's pure comfort to me. We finished with hot tea infused with cardamom, black for me, green for my friend, and it was the perfect close to a perfect meal. I told our server that this food was even more delicious than what my mother makes. I'm Afghan born and raised in San Diego. That is not a compliment I give lightly. I believe the restaurant is under newer management since around 2020/2021. I last ate here in 2015, and even back when it was on Convoy in the late '90s, and this is the best it has ever been. I highly, highly recommend Khyber Pass to anyone: adventurous eaters, first-timers, comfort-food seekers, well everyone. I'll definitely be back, and next time I'm saving room for dessert.