we went a group of 12 persons-and the server that helped us was so attentive and wonderful anyway…read morewe dinike 1.5 hours and they were closing when we got there but still they serve us like it was the middle of the day, we order some kind of meat combo with all the fixings that come with the mediterranean food it was one of the most delicious food ive tried here in san diego food was excellent,the ambiance was good a lot of bussing in the restaurant over all great ambiance and experience for everyone me and my wife first time here great experience, i highly recommend this bussiness. have a great night and may god bless your life.

it is a sad day when a place that I have loved over the last four years changes management and…read moreeverything slowly changes for the worse. I was so excited to get myself a VEAL kebab for my birthday lunch and I was served a plate of fat... not sure if it was cooked properly... you can immediately tell. I'm extremely disappointed at this $15 dish... not worth it. You can get a cheaper fatty piece of steak from Albertson's. On the positive side, the chicken still taste amazing and so does the fattoush. The lentil soup was good as well.. very flavorful.

Excellent experience from start to finish! The food was delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. The…read moreservice was outstanding--everyone was friendly, attentive, and made us feel welcome. The atmosphere was great and made the whole experience even better. You can tell they really care about the quality of their food and their customers. We had a great time and will definitely be coming back. Highly this place to anyone looking for great food and excellent service!

I love Middle Eastern food, something about kebabs and shawarma with rice and hummus that I love…read more So I make it a point to try virtually every middle eastern restaurant I come across, especially in downtown San Diego and El cajon. If you want to save yourself a lot of time and trouble, Skip all the others and just head to sahara! I've been coming to Sahara in El cajon for the past 10 years or so and have always loved the food here. They're shawarma is so tender and flavorful, so are the kebabs and the chicken cream chop. Love their garlic aioli and hummus. The employees who work here are very friendly and helpful and the restaurant is clean and inviting. Check out Sahara taste of the Middle East and find out what you've been missing.

I can for the viral Wagyu Shawarma Cheesesteak. It was very tasty with a mix of peppers, onion…read morecheese and sauce. Whatever sauce they used gave it a bit of spiciness. I went at 3:30 pm on a Saturday and was surprised that it was pretty busy at that weird time The sandwich was huge ( probably 12 inch sub) so depending on how hungry you are, you could easily split it. I loved the fries. Whatever seasoning they used gave is perfect

Man I really wanted to like this place due to all the rave reviews. Our first experience was mixed…read morewith some meats being great and others dry beef bits that weren't very tasty or appealing. Our second experience we got the chicken shawarma Brian's way. Everything was cooked well, but I guess although I like pickles, I'm not as big a fan of Mediterranean pickles. The first bite or two were actually good, but subsequent bites the pickle tanginess was overwhelming and just not so pleasant as I finished it. I thought maybe I'll get it without the pickles next time. However, after eating I got an unexpected headache that usually comes from ingestion of MSG. The fries were tasty... maybe there was MSG in those? Not sure. I've honestly had much better phenomenal shawarma in San Joes CA. I have yet to find a great Shawarma here in San Diego. Feel free to recommend.

This place is A MUST if you are a lover of all things shawarma…read more Tuesday specials are amazingly affordable w lots of delicious food (three meals more me)

Ive visited for years, my mom and I love this place for the family meal or the "small family…read moreplatter" which comes out to around $50 and change. It comes with 2 beef kabob skewer, 2 chicken tikka skewer, 1 chicken cream chop, and 1 chicken shawarma on a bed of rice, and grilled veggies. comes with hummus and salad. we love ordering this if we have a birthday, or crave middle eastern goodness. this place was one of the first middle eastern places ive tried and I love it. My mom always has seen the owner when we pick up there and he's always kind. I love when you can tell a business loves what they do, its in their energy and the food taste like it was made with love and for that I will always be back.

Absolutely great family run Grecian restaurant! Portions are…read morehuge and prices are fair. Friendly service, and close to Mount Helix and Spring Valley. Highly recommend!

First time here. I'm a huge fan of Greek and wanted to try a new place. After reading the reviews I…read morewas excited. I ordered the Greek chicken salad and the gyro sandwich. Honestly I was super disappointed in my salad- 2 cucumbers, 2 tomatoes and 2 pitted Kalamata olives and the smallest amount of feta cheese. For a large salad I felt this was very inadequate and for the fact that it was $17+ dollars. The chicken had good flavor. My understanding is that white and yellow onions are for cooking and red is for raw consumption, this gyro was packed with white raw onion and the outer skin. I called and the girl was nice and offered to remake my salad and expressed that I could have asked for more veggies on my salad, had I asked. If you're getting a salad make sure you check it before you leave. I politely declined the offer for a remade salad.

I was told this is the best place for Mediterranean in town by a very nice man on a plane ride home…read moreto San Diego. I think they are specifically an Iraqi style restaurant. Not quite casual, a little fancy but not really elevated dining or anything. Nice ambiance and polite, attentive service. We ordered the spreads combo platter that came with spicy Turkish baba ganoush, regular baba ganoush, hummus, and tzatziki. It was served with piping hot pita. This was delicious, worth coming for on its own. It was my first time having Turkish baba ganoush, it was delicious! The hummus and tzatziki were excellent. I especially love the addition of a unique crunchy garnish for each dip; chickpeas on the hummus, olives on the Turkish baba ganoush, pomegranate seeds on the baba ganoush, and coarser chopped cucumber in the tzatziki. Presentation is also beautiful, with all the color and each dip smoothed in a nice pattern. My only wish is that the baba ganoush is a little smokier. We also had the Ney classic grill which came with beef shawarma, beef skewer, chicken skewer, 2 lamb kofta, and breaded chicken. The menu claims this serves 2-3, but we probably only ate half between 4 relatively light eaters after our spread combo. I really enjoyed the shawarma; the chicken and filet mignon is a little light on the seasoning but the flavor is otherwise good; the kofta could be more tender in my opinion. I rarely see chicken cream chop in grill platters, but it was well executed. The platter also comes with pickles and rice and biryani, all of who I enjoyed. The biryani comes with almonds and raisins and everything has a nice sumac flavor. They also include garlic sauce and tahini; the garlic is really punchy. The jalapeno was crazy spicy. Everything is served on a bed of lavash, but it gets a little soggy under all the meat. If I were to give feedback, I would prefer the shawarma a little less salty and the grilled filet mignon and chicken a little more salty. Not sure why it's so disparate. For the amount of food, the price is very reasonable for a seated dining experience. One note is that they really blast the AC, so dress a little on the warmer side if you run cold. Come with 4-6+ people, order the spreads platter and the grill platter, and enjoy!

I loved this place! The night before coming here for takeout, I had Mediterranean food down at…read moreSeaport Village. It was tasty and satisfying... but this place BLEW MY MIND. The moment I walked in, I was warmly greeted and asked if I wanted a table for one. I said no, I was hoping to order takeout, and she kindly invited me to sit at the bar while I looked over the menu. Right away, the atmosphere felt welcoming, beautiful, and relaxed. I ordered my food, sipped my water, and honestly didn't think I had ordered that much. Then she came out with multiple filled brown bags of food! First of all, the prices were amazing. Second... the food was TOP NOTCH and completely different from what I had the night before. Everything was packed with flavor without being overloaded with salt. Fresh, vibrant, rich, and incredibly satisfying. The waitress/hostess was knowledgeable, friendly, and gave great recommendations on what to try. You can tell the staff truly cares about the experience. I will absolutely be back the next time I visit San Diego again. And not that I recommend eating while driving ... but the next day on my drive back to Ventura County, I spread out my leftovers and happily snacked on hummus, baba ghanoush, and dolma all the way home. That alone says everything about how good this place was.

The grill at Vine Ripe is like an old friend. I have eaten many many weeknight dinners after I get…read moreoff of work. The food feels like it nourishes my spirit. Idk if it's the flavors? Or the obvious care that they make each order? Tonight I got a Cali shawarma wrap after a long hiatus of not eating here(no particular reason). The wrap is such a perfect mix of flavors, it was stacked up with meat and constructed so well. Every bite hit nothing was wasted I ate every crumb. The character of the meat and the ratios of ingredients and flavors makes this basic wrap something that made me feel something. Eating it felt like having a meal with an old friend. Like when you haven't seen someone in a long time but when you do see them, nothings changed and you just effortlessly fall back into conversation like you had never left. Thank you Vine Ripe and those guys behind the grill. Ya'll are truly doing great work and I'm thankful I have the opportunity to eat here.

This place is great, customer service is friendly and helpful. One of the cooks even gave me an…read moreextra falafel to eat and it was some of the best falafel I have had, very moist. The rest of the food is great, ate the salmon entree and the salmon was cooked perfectly and the beef shawarma was great too. All around amazing spot, I will absolutely be back. Great take out spot.

The Kabob Shop always hits the spot, but my recent visit was easily the best one yet thanks to…read moreJazlynn! From the moment I stepped up to order, she made the experience fantastic. She was incredibly warm, attentive, and patient while answering my questions about the menu. Her customer service was truly top-tier, she was fast, accurate with my order, and brought such high energy and a genuine smile to the counter. It's rare to encounter someone so dedicated to making customers feel welcomed. As always, the food was fresh and delicious! But Jazlynn's stellar service is what will definitely keep me coming back. Give that girl a raise! Highly recommend this location!

When I was trying to decide on something healthy to eat. The kebab shop came to mine because of the…read morechoices of healthy food they have. When I arrive, there was no wait. the food came in a timely manner. The food was delicious! Giselle provided great service.

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.

Every time we like mediterranean food, Ali Baba is our first choice. food is great, service is good…read moreand the staff is friendly.

Fabulous food, large portions, kind and friendly owners, and they still have lamb, when many…read moreMediterranean restaurants have removed it from the menu because of cost. Like two huge skewers of luscious lamb kebab. I was here many years ago and re-found them when working nearby a couple of months ago. So delicious! I referred friends recently - one said she licked her plate clean, and she and hubby have been back twice in two weeks. The other evening three of us split the lamb kebab and vegetarian sampler plates, and there was more than plenty for all. I'm so happy to have re-found this place.

So I wanted to go to Alforon but they were closed so decided to try this place. I found it pretty…read moreexpensive for the portion size. On the plus size the server was super friendly. Other than that it was just average. We ordered the falafel which we thought was the best part of the meal. We also got the fattoush salad which was very underdressed and the sizzling garlic chicken which was just too sweet and not worth $25. Overall just an okay experience.