Love coming here - fresh food, great specials and everything tastes fantastic! Try the salmon or branzino specials. read more

Great place for tasty Mediterranean food. I had the Mini Falafel Plate which for me was more than enough. It was delicious. The Mini Falafel Plate has always been a favorite here. I've eaten their grilled salmon as well and it's just as good. Very convenient location at the top of Solano Ave. at The Alameda. Very friendly customer service. read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - Mini Falafel Plate was absolutely yummy! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen's stellar reviews on Yelp is why I tried them out a while back when I was craving a Falafel wrap. When I went in, I told the guy behind the counter that it was my first time eating there and that I drive by all the time and see that they have Falafel. He sang the Falafel praises of how it would be the best wrap I'd ever had and I'll become a regular because of it! I don't know where all those reviews come from because my experience was not a good one. The Falafel balls were raw on the inside, the ingredients in the wrap were out of place...pickles on a Falafel? The "wrap" was a flour tortilla, not traditional Lavash, which was very disappointing. After three bites (trying to give it a chance to be as good as it was hyped to be) I threw it in the trash! read more

Summary: Most of the food is good, a bit of it not so good, but the great service ultimately redeemed where they failed... Ordered: Lamb shawerma and it was good. Not too fatty and was tasty and fresh. And the serving size was just right. Didn't like: I would change the way the French fries are cut and cooked. They were thick and soggy. Gross. I want them thinner and crispier. Also, I like my hummus room temp and their's wasn't. Traditionally, hummus is supposed to be room temp, drizzled with olive oil. Service : Very Good service! She brought everything we could possibly need to our table We didn't have to ask for anything. I will come back here again. read more

The Jerusalem sandwich was sweet! asked for hot sauce and that was essentially ketchup. We asked to buy hummus but they wouldn't allow it using credit card. The owners were just not friendly and did not care :( read more

The falafel platter is a generous heap of deliciousness! Falafels were not overdone, they didnt drown everything in tahini dressing and the pita was soft! Everything tastes very fresh and everyone that works here is friendly. They even gave us extra rice togo! It is a real small business establishment and I hope more people support this type of venture. Enjoy! read more

We have been enjoying the food at Jerusalem since my daughter was an infant. She is now 15 and they know her and her order when she walks in the door or now, during Covid, when she calls in the order. The food is delicious and prepared with care. The chicken soup is comfort food. The chicken wrap is grilled and stuffed to the brim with chicken and flavorful additions. Ani and Natasha and the rest of the crew are always welcoming to my family. read more

Chicken Shawarma Sandwich is very delicious I like it they cooked it very nice They doing a great job read more

Jerusalem Kitchen has consistently great food. The falafels are excellent and the lamb is very juicy and tender. You can get the delicious lamb or falafel in a platter that comes with salad, hummus or rice, pita bread, and feta cheese. read more

just tried this place today, despite reading some negative reviews. my bf and i both got the chicken shawarma (spicy) and it was delicious!!! it wasn't *super* spicy, but it definitely had a great mix of flavors (with a little bit of a zing), so i'm not sure why other reviewers are complaining that the food here is bland. all ingredients inside the shawarma also tasted very fresh and was reasonably priced. we will definitely be back :) read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - chicken shawerma - yummy!!! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

The punchline: adequate-plus but lacking is some easily remedied places. Over the years I've dropped in here on occasion, mostly because it's convenient and the food is mostly good. I like Middle Eastern food, on whole, and this places does fit the bill in the regard. I don't quite understand all the 5 star ratings, but perhaps someone knows/has experienced something I haven't. Acceptable food, but uneven quality: the quality of the food seems to vary from occasion to occasion, but overall seems to be good-ish. I usually order the hamburger, though I have been known to get the falafel. Spotty service: The same woman always seems to be working the counter when I go in. She's nice enough, by Berkeley standards, but she's screwed up a couple of my orders. By itself, this isn't a big deal since they've always corrected the order, but it's annoying. There's sense, too, that she doesn't really care about providing a service that one is paying for. Unstated disdain, I suppose, would cover it. Dirty: Yup, it's dirty. Be ready to wipe down your own table. You may want to wipe down other near-by tables as well, since they don't really seem to give a fuck. I went in yesterday, placed my order, and sat down at the cleanest table I could find. This "clean" table was situated directly across from another than looked like the previous customer had completely disassembled a falafel hobby kit, then reassembled it leaving behind only the largest of the spare parts. The lady at the counter didn't really seem to be too disturbed by it. My solution was to tune it out, but I can imagine scenarios where this sort of laziness would really, really irk me. Organic: I doubt it, but this label doesn't carry too much weight with me. I suppose it's a pitch to high-minded locals who only eat things stamped with a meaningless but charged bit of government-approved gobbledygook. Two stars. The food alone would garner a high three or low four, depending, but factoring in the disdain for service and the overall lackadaisical cleanliness, the final tally drops down to roughly 2.5, rounded down because Berkeley. read more

This is my first time in the restaurant. I am impressed with the food and customer service. Food is yummy and they have open kitchen so u watch ur food being made . It is little small space but they have sitting outside too. Generous portion with good price. read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is an unassuming place which has consistently good food. The staff is business like and straight forward. After a while they recognize you and become friendly. I cannot think of one single time I didn't get what I wanted or the service was not good. It is one of the staples in my list of restaurants. And it is a definite go to when I want reasonably priced, good healthy food. I am grateful to have it in my neighborhood. read more

Great tasting food, fresh - prepared after you order. Staff is courteous and fair. I will be back. read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

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The food is good; but the people who work here, especially the woman behind the counter, could use a lesson or nine on how to make people feel welcomed. I realize that closing time wasn't far off, but it's not as if we walked in here ten minutes before closing and started asking all kinds of questions. Nope, there were two or three other people still eating their food, and I think my mom asked one question about the rice. We ordered and sat down. The food came unceremoniously (it was dropped on our table), and we ate. Every time I happened to catch the woman's gaze, she was frowning or giving me the evil eye or otherwise making me feel uncomfortable. I would definitely come back, but I wouldn't waste my time eating inside. To-go for me, thank you. read more

We haven't eaten here in years. Not sure why---we tend to just stick with our favorites on Solano. The Rinky family ate here with Mr Rinky's sister. The place is small--maybe enough room for 20 or so people. The ambiance is simple but it's nice to have windows on two sides to watch the going ons of Solano Avenue, Mr Rinky and his sis both had the Falafel Platter. It's a favorite of the sis, a regular customer. It came with falafels, dolmas, salad, hummus, pita with tahini and hot sauce. Discerning Mr Rinky declared the falafels were the best he's ever had. Rinky had the chicken schwarma wrap. It was tasty but I must admit even though I got sample bites that I wished I had gotten the Falafel platter too. The son had the chicken schwarma platter. He loved it! A very generous portion of chicken plus rice and I forgot what else. Between my fixation with the Falafel Platter and the son's rapid devouring of his meal I didn't really remember the rest of his plate/ We also had French Fries which are made from freshly cut potatoes. They were good but next time I'll ask for them extra crispy. I appreciate that they didn't oversalt any of the food. Son and I shared a piece of baklava. It was very good but we always hold Wally's falafel as a standard--A+. Jerusalem's was closer to a B. Service was fine. The staff was friendly in a quiet way. read more

Solid Middle Eastern Food at the very top of Solano, in an impossible-to-park area of yuppie-shopping hell. Sounds like a negative review is to come, but look at the rating folks. Although I could critique the manager/owner, as he is sometimes not the nicest guy (Customer Service 101), I give this place 4 stars for one reason, and one reason only: BEST HUMMUS ANYWHERE IN THE EAST BAY. And trust me - hummus is my favorite food, and with all the crap in the supermarkets, all the untraditional variations on the original theme, this place does a great job of keeping it traditional, and not adding too much tahini, so it retains most of it's chick pea color and glory. Get the $5 large container to go. They usually chince out and give you one pita, so be sure to ask for extra. Other than that, falafel was good enough (the Best is at Holy Land in Berkeley - see my review), but their hot sauce is rather strange. A ketchup -based concoction that tastes sort of like BBQ sauce; it would be great on just about any other type of food than what they serve here. Since parking is nightmarish, I would try and remember to hit this place when you find yourself in the area. Again - best hummus in the area, and trust me - I've had them ALL. read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid and the food has always been excellent. Salmon and Chicken Shwarma both shmackin!! Wow!

For some weird reason, the east end of Solano Avenue has really bad cell phone reception (with ATT, that is). Needless to say, my Yelp app wasn't able to tell me how many stars JOK had before I entered it. My wife wanted to try it, so I said fine, and we walked inside at 7:30 on a Thursday night. The fact that there were only three people inside the entire restaurant was the first indicator that this was not going to be a great experience - considering those three people were all employees of the restaurant. A middle-aged woman standing behind the register grunted, so I assumed she wanted to take our order. I wanted a falafel sandwich, but I wanted to make sure that there were no pickles in the "Jerusalem Salad" that is part of the falafel sandwich, because I know some places make the horrible decision to include pickles in their falafel sandwiches (and I hate pickles). Me: "Excuse me, are there any pickles in the Jerusalem Salad?" Haggish middle-aged woman: "No, no pickles" Me: "Great, I hate pickles, OK, i'll have the Jerusalem Falafel Sandwich" Five minutes later I get my falafel wrapped in a burrito tortilla (no, not a pita or even lavash wrap) - and there are freakin' pickles inside! me: "I thought you said there were no pickles!" Mean woman: "You asked about the salad, not rest of the sandwich" OK. Stop. Yes, logically, she was correct. But....ARE YOU FREAKIN' SERIOUS??????? Don't you think I would have wanted to know about any other pickles that would be in the sandwich after i JUST told you that I HATE pickles??? Meanwhile the nice cook graciously offered to make me something else (hence the two stars instead of one), while the mean haggish woman seemed downright annoyed that the cook even considered accommodating a customer in her restaurant (I got the sense that the haggish woman was an owner of sorts). The lamb shaverma that I ended up eating was ok. Flavors were good, but there was way too much sauciness going on, and the bread was still a burrito wrap. Dear Mrs. Mean Old Haggish Owner Woman: You are in the service industry. You need to show, at the very least, the slightest bit of enthusiasm towards your business if you want to succeed. Based on the fact that my wife and I were your only clients during the prime dinner hours, you need to work on how you run your restaurant, or it will not exist for much longer. read more

Yes the service sucks. But if you know anything about Israelis you would know these guys don't fuck around with niceties. When a good day is not getting blown up on a bus, I think you have the right to be a little grumpy. Politics aside, the food is solid. Tried their Jerusalem Falafel recently and it was really tasty. I loved that there was eggplant in the falafel as well as some other yummy veggies. Hummus and falafel balls rounded out the flavors and made for a hardy, flavorful meal. The portion sizes are generous so one falafel can double as two meals, if you have that kind of control of course. Don't let the naysayers stop you, a decent falafel can be had here. read more

If you love hummus and baba ganoush this is the place to go. I swear they have the best baba ganoush in the area. Their grilled chicken salads are nothing sneeze at either. Their portions are more then generous (two meals for me) and the quality of the food is consistent. In terms of the service, they may not kiss your ass but I've never had a problem with grumpiness.They've always been friendly (to me) and give me huge portions of extra hot sauce and tahini when asked. read more

We love this place! Every time we go, the food is the same -- top-quality, generous portions, nicely presented. I almost always get the combination skewer platter (one each beef, lamb, chicken), though I've also had the salmon too (great). I haven't had the hamburgers or other dishes, but when I've seen others order them, they looked and smelled fantastic. Great baklava and halvah, too. My partner hired Jerusalem Organic to provide food for a 100-person gathering. She got chicken schwarma, eggplant, salad, and pita bread. All delicious, and everyone loved the food. The owners of the business are friendly and are absolutely dedicated to providing the highest quality of service, ingredients, and preparation. I almost never give out five-star reviews -- there's usually *something* that's less than perfect -- but I can't think of any way this place comes up short. For a delicious meal in an informal atmosphere (just a few tables, including a couple outside; order at the counter, they bring the food), you pretty much can't beat Jerusalem Organic Kitchen! (I'm clicking one "$" because you can easily eat for under $10, but what I usually order is closer to $15, so for me it's more of a "$$" place.) read more

We, my wife, daughter and myself were looking to eat and not sure as to what to eat. We were open to try some thing new. As we drive by we notice the sign and found a parking spot. walked to it and went in to give it a try. We ordered lamb. They give us beef. (Cheaters) One dish was bad. Bad in the way it was spoiled. I stick the fork in it without getting any of the ingredients, put in my mouth and that was enough to test that it was spoiled since my wife had already tested it. The cup they gave me for tea had coffee stains all the way to the bottom and not restaurant style cup. All in all, the food was without any real flavor. A total disappointment. I thought I was in for an organic treat. They used the word "ORGANIC" as a come on ONLY. I do not recommend this restaurant to any one. read more

If I order something, don't try and make me take what you made me instead because you got my order wrong. The woman at the front was extremely rude, and after I ordered a veggie burger, she claimed she heard "veggie sandwich". That's cool, so why did she bring me a tortilla filled with baba ghanoush and hummus....? I was so hungry I just took it, and when I bit into the not burger-not sandwich-wrap, I got a mouthful of hummus and one piece of spinach. The ratio was terrible and not right at all... and I know good quality Israeli food; I just spent five weeks in Israel. I can't speak for the other dishes, but that experience made it clear that this restaurant does not have it's stuff together, and the owners are neither polite nor genuine. Don't waste your time. read more

The Jerusalem Falafel is to die for - the best falafel that I've had since Berlin, 1998. Who'd thought? Pickles in falafel - fantastic! its like pb&j, vodka&tonic, me&vodka, etc. Howev., if you don't like pickles, have no fear, they have your standard falafel option as well. Personally, I found the ambiance was perfect for a casual lunch spot - particularly if you want to sit in the corner and read your spy novel alone. read more

I felt like I had to give this place a couple of tries before I wrote a review for them. I've had the shawarma platter twice which seemed to vary in taste both times I have had it. Their tahini sauce is much too watery and their hot sauce is not very hot ;/ Regardless, the salad and actual dish were pretty tasty. I also tried their shavarma "sandwich" which is actually in a burrito form. I was a bit shocked when I saw it but it was decent upon tasting. I would have given them an extra star if they weren't so stingy with their customer service. I always feel awkward when I walk in and they always stare at you as you're trying to make your choice. STOP STARING AT ME! I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WANT YET! And please, a smile wouldn't hurt anybody. Parking = A plus since The Alameda has free street parking so you don't have to even park on Solano read more

Went on the recommendation of my neighbor, who was practically jumping up and down about the place. He's never endorsed a restaurant to me, so I took his advice and headed over with the wife. The place was empty when we got there, but set up with 8 or so small tables that gave this place the look of a quick turn lunch place. A huge wall to the left of the door was enshrouded in playbills, and tear-off want adds for music lessons, yoga classes and roommates that added to this assessment. A loft and 1st to 2nd floor windows on two of the walls give the place a nice airy feel, and provide plenty of opportunity for people watching out on the busy street corner. The guy behind the cash register took our order was really friendly and made jokes and chatted as we decided. We both I ordered the schwarma plate, I got the lamb and my wife ordered the chicken, both without hummus. When the food arrived, we noticed that we were both served the chicken schwarma, with hummus...but it looked so good that neither of us said a word. Absolutely the best schwarma I've ever had, everything was delicious. I have complete faith that the lamb will be every bit as good when we return. read more

I had two friends recommend Jerusalem Organic Kitchen to me, so I excited went and ordered several combo platters to go to get a good sample of what the place had to offer. There are both mediterranean (grilled meats, falafel, hummus, etc.) and burger/hotdog type of foods here, and I only ordered the mediterranean items. I actually had no complaints about the service (not Californian 'Have a nice day' at all, but sort of refreshingly straightforward) or the decor, but the food left a lot to be desired. I got the mixed meat combo and got to sample all of the meats which were either dry or tasteless. The pita that came with the order was so dry, we decided to dampen and nuke it to see if it could be saved. The Jerusalem salad which I had expected to be a chopped Israeli type salad with cucumber, tomato and onions was instead a green salad topped with some other veggies and a feta so tasteless, we joked that it was a moistened piece of styrofoam. Not everything was terrible. The hummus was actually pretty decent and the falafel was definitely edible. Perhaps try sticking to these for a more satisfying experience? read more

Chicken Skewer/platter is entirely on point. The chicken is never too dry, and is always perfectly seasoned. I have tried their wraps, but I'd say the chicken skewer is my go-to order whenever I go there for lunch. The platter comes with about 2-4 skewers of grilled chicken (depending on the size of your order), a side salad, hummus, really amazing rice, pita bred, tahini, and a hot sauce that burns so good (I'm kind of weak against hot sauce, so take this with a grain of salt). Their soup is pretty good as well, and tastes very healthy with a clear broth that isn't too oily or overseasoned. Their falafels are amazing, and I only regret that they're kind of small (though they are pretty cheap). I can see why some other reviews said that their service is a little gruff, but after stopping by a few times and eventually becoming a regular, I've seen a different side of them. They're really friendly and actually try to remember your name/usual order. They replaced one of my to-go orders (it was knocked out of my hands by another customer) no questions asked, and kindly waved off my profuse apologies. They're also very open to customization on your orders, as long as you let them know in advance. TL;DR: Chicken Skewers are the bomb Food is usually pretty awesome and healthy Initially gruff service, but they're all really considerate and sweet! read more

I love this place! We have been going here for year and we have never been disappointed. Delicious food and really nice service. The food was ready quickly and didn't disappoint. The guys who work here are extremely friendly and nice! My favorite items are the chicken soup,hummus, and the veggie/falafel plate. Highly recommend this place! read more

The positives: the rosewater lemonade and the chicken vegetable soup. A couple outdoor tables in the shade on The Alameda side. The negatives: really, really dry grilled chicken in the salad. Really, really dry kebab. A hair in the kebab. The neither here nor there: The service seems a bit gruff, but who cares. Not everyone has to be super charming. Seems like a great place to have a hot dog with your kid. read more

the food was fresh. Nice people, they care about what they're doing. But, please flavor your food as it was bland across all dishes. What happened to using olive oil, lemon juice, seasoning, salt or even garlic? Why call it Mediterranean? The tabouleh had lot's of parsley (great) but with zero dressing the same went for all other salads and dishes: humus,baba ganouj, chicken wrap The best part of the meal was the baklava as it was buttery and sweet, at least that was one thing they did right. Would not recommend if you want to experience food from that part of the world unless they seriously start seasoning their food. read more

So glad I live near this place. They're quick, friendly and food is great! Just had the best piece of baklava. Their halva is good (though admittedly theirs is the only I'm familiar with!), and their falafel wraps and shawarma wraps are always delicious--perfect amount of food that always leaves me feeling satisfied completely sated when I'm super hungry but not uncomfortably full. Not the cheapest place in the city but one of the more economical on Solano, and v tasty so I always feel like it's worth it. read more

Super fresh, super tasty lamb, beef and vegetarian wraps. Well, not really wraps, I just don't know what else to call them. Kind of like Jewish Burritos. The guys behind the counter were super super friendly telling us all about how they were making it and I just can't go on enough about how extraordinarily tasty it was. I could've eaten five of them. Some really tasty homemade lemonade. 5 stars. I will definitely go back there again. Great prices too. So glad I stopped there instead of going down to cactus, which was where I was aiming initially. read more

Easy, friendly, relatively inexpensive place to eat. I love feeling full from good organic cuisine! If you like Razan's, try this place, they have a lot in common. Enjoy! read more

In ten years I think there have been four different kinds of restaurants in the space currently occupied by Jerusalem's Organic at the top of Solano. I hope this one sticks around, because it's deceptively good. The falafel and hummus are serviceable - not quite as good as Zand's down the street, but still tasty and not greasy. The real stars here are the gigantic, tasty sandwiches that will fill you up for under 7 bucks and the fantastic chicken salad. Super fresh greens and loads of chicken make it a meal unto itself, provided you get the large. The small is a bit of a ripoff. Oh, and my wife swears by the Salmon platter. The burgers are also good, though I agree that the lamb can be too dry. And while the owners aren't super smiley, they're actually quite friendly once you chat them up a little. Simple decor makes it feel more like a cafe than a restaurant, so don't expect fancy. Just expect solid. read more

The service is always kind, the food is always delicious. We love ordering the falafel platter, which is an incredibly generous portion. French fries, lentil soup, and chicken soup are all great, too. We honestly haven't tried any meat platters yet, because the falafel is so good! We are just in love with this gem, and we always think of it when we want to eat something fresh and reasonably priced. read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - Falafel platter! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

Came here randomly and the people here were super friendly! It was me and my cousins first time here and they gave us free hummus with the platter because of it! On top of that, they gave us 2 falafels to try and it was delicious. Freshly made, authentic middle eastern food. They'll definitely be seeing me again! read more

Jerusalem Organic Kitchen - Chicken Shawerma Platter! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Berkeley, California

They have the best falafel shawarma in a 10 miles radius. Really good and tasty. Chicken and salmon shawarma are also very good.

This is a neighborhood place for me and whenever I go there I get well seasoned, fresh ingredients, properly cooked with healthy portions at a fair price. The staff here are sometimes outwardly a little gruff or short but once you get past that they are warm and generous. They are always spotting me pennies and the last time I went there, they even prepared a free couscous sample after me and my girlfriend opted for rice (instead of couscous) with our dinner. After I finish my meal, I feel satisfied but not heavy or tired. Love the lamb and chicken kabobs!!! If you are going to get fries, I would suggest eating them there. They make very good french fries, but because of the size of the cut, they don't travel well. read more