Honestly one of the best food experiences I've ever had. The chicken shawarma wrap was divine and I worry I'll never have food this good again now that it's gone. read more

Honestly... save your money. I dropped by this Jordanian restaurant /hookah lounge to chill for a bit, have a beer, and enjoy some hookah. It looked like a cool vibe from the outside, but the whole experience left me super disappointed. When I walked in, the place was empty--just the owner and two staff. No greeting, no welcome, just awkward silence while the owner stayed on the phone trying to fix what sounded like a billing issue. The staff didn't speak much English (which is fine), but there was no real effort to help or explain anything either. Eventually, I got a hookah and a beer--$48.50 for one hookah and one beer. Yeah... nearly $50. No food, no extras. That's wild. Then I was told I had to smoke outside on the back patio, which turned out to be a tiny little corner--maybe 6 by 10 feet--with uncomfortable chairs and a random wood bench. It took 15 minutes to even get the hookah (remember, no one else was there), and when it arrived, it was totally burnt. Overpacked, harsh hits, and I ended up having to scrape it and fix it myself just to get it to smoke right. Wanna know the kicker? You only get three coals. That's it. No refills unless you pay for more. No one checked on us for almost an hour, and when I finally asked for more coals, they said (in broken English and mostly Spanish) that that's all you get unless you pay extra. I've smoked hookah all over the place--three coals is nothing, especially when you're charging $35+. No one came around, no vibe, no music, no nothing. Just me, my burnt hookah, and a beer that wasn't even cold. I really tried to find something redeeming about this place, but nothing hit. The service wasn't there, the product wasn't good, and it honestly felt like I was bothering them just by being there. Bottom line: for $50, you can do way better just about anywhere else--or even at home. Hope they turn it around, but for now, I wouldn't recommend it. read more

This restaurant is located off from State Street. There is a parking lot across the street and behind the building. The restaurant is great. There is a bar, hookah lounge in the back. There are also games available to use. It is a little bit dark inside. The food was good. We got the burger and the shawarma wrap. The service was good. There is one one cook and a one bartender. The food came quickly. Everyone was really nice and friendly. Take-out available read more

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So good! Truly a fresh and delightful meal. Don't skip the chips and spicy sauce !!! Hollah at Falah for the food!!! Hang out and play chess or other games and enjoy a late night hookah session with your best peeps! Service food and ambiance is stellar! Super great place to chill and eat read more

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Hookah and bar available. Board games and delicious food available. They also make coffee Turkish style with the sand. The menu is Mediterranean cuisine. Shawarma, salads and hummus to choose from. All plates are pretty filling. The chicken shawarma is pretty filling enough for a hungry person or share. The hummus is delicious and freshly made. The only downside is that the pita bread is a little hard. The service is friendly and a cozy atmosphere. read more

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Absolute most terrible hookah. Service is bad, place is ran down, they do not answer their phone. Ridiculous honestly

Dive bar meets Mediterranean cafe. It feels like a hole in the wall neighborhood bar, but inside is super spacious with lots of nooks and outside has beautiful fancy-ish wooden booths for outdoor dining. Menu marks gluten free & dairy free options. Which, strangely enough, I now care about because of my shift to healthier eating. Their delicious chicken schwarma bowls are 100% GF and you can ask for the garlic and other dairy sauces on the side. For $10 bowl at happy hour ($12 if not HH), this has got to be the best dinner deal in downtown Santa Barbara. Well seasoned chicken, roasted vegetables, flavorful rice and sauces galore. And with all the board games and even biscuits for your dog, they are set up to make you want to stay all night! read more

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Really disappointed it shows this hookah lounge is open, but when we got there, it was completely closed. We even Ubered all the way here, wasting both time and money. If you're not open, at least update your hours so people don't make the trip for nothing. Super unprofessional and frustrating. read more

Went for burger week. Nice atmosphere, divey bar vibes with jenga, cards and other games available. Ordered a falafel burger week special and regular bacon cheeseburger. Special came with fries, stars for that addition. But burger crumbly and just okay flavor, rather bland. Bacon cheeseburger cooked over well done so not very tasty either. Fries were hot and tasty. Sorry forgot to take picture until burger was all in pieces. Ratio of bun to falafel patty and bun to well done beef patty off, too much bun. This took away from enjoying flavors. read more

Hubby and I came here after a movie and got a corner spot on the street patio. The street patio isn't level, so I found I felt like I was sliding a bit with the booth bench, but it wasn't too bad. Hubby got the shawarma rice bowl at Happy Hour price, which was lucky. I got the kofta (lamb) sliders. We also got the cauliflower bites, french fries, and beet salad. Between the kofta sliders and the shawarma rice bowl, hubby definitely won. The rice bowl came with a beautiful salad and the seasoning was lovely. The kofta slider patties were small - about 1/3" tall and too small for the bun and not well formed. I wondered if the lamb was off. They were topped with beautiful cukes and picked turnips, but there was way too much tahini. They were a big mess and poorly seasoned. I asked for salt and pepper, which comes in little disposable packets, like at McDonalds (maybe this is due to COVID - they don't want to put salt/pepp shakers on street?). The warm beet salad and french fries were fantastic, but no seasoning. The cauliflower was okay. I ordered a manhattan, which was great and they used a homemade walnut bitters in it. Yum! Highlights were the shawarma rice bowl, the beet salad, the french fries, the Manhattan and the excellent service. Both the bartender and waitress were lovely and helpful. I've heard so many great things about Foxtail and I would definitely come back for live music and a drink and fries. However, overall, I wasn't that impressed by the food and certainly not by all the plastic containers for sauces and condiments and the packets for salt and pepper. I definitely would choose Zaytoon the next time for dinner. read more

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Let this be your sign to go to Petra Café right now! The grape leaves tasted like my mom made them, the mansef was delicious, and they even have Molkeah! The Kifta was spaced differently than I'm used to but it was still tasty.. I asked the guy working there if he would be my mom. read more

Petra Cafe - Mansef - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Hi i needspeak about this resturant The people work there very nice and the food very good and the hookah bar is very clean and the food is very good i take all my freind there i wish every one go there and try foxthill is the best hookah in state street read more

Good food! Happy they reopened. Cute little outdoor seating area, very friendly staff. Beef dolmas felt most authentic to what my family made growing up. Selection of ingredients to buy as well. Hope to go back soon! read more

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My partner and I are visiting Santa Barbara from the Bay Area. He has a hookah at home, so I knew I needed to find a place that had good reviews. We didn't order any food beyond beer and wine, but we were extremely pleased with the service. We were greeted warmly and the hookah was very yummy! The patio with the fire pit and music playing was such a vibe! I definitely recommend Petra for a smoke and post dinner drink. Next time, we will try the food! read more

Went for Sandwich Week and ordered the Chicken Shawarma. I called later because there were pickles in my order, which I'm allergic to, and which are not included in either the SB Independent description nor the regular menu. The person on the phone (I can only assume it was the person who took my order- "falah m" on the receipt, because they sounded familiar in person and over the phone) kept hanging up on me when I asked him to please not to and to please provide me with a refund. I offered to come back and show him or to send a pics & videos and he just kept hanging up! I've never experienced such disrespect from a restaurant and will never order from here again. Do not go here! Completely unprofessional and without regard to allergies nor human emotions! It also was such a dreary vibe when I went in around 5pm on a Thursday... read more

I went around 3pm on a Saturday and it was completely empty. The man serving us was very friendly and eager to help. I ordered the chicken shawarma bowl, and it was pretty nice. The chicken was nice and crispy, the rice wasn't too dry, and the sauces were very tasty! I just wish there were a little less rice and more vegetables. Other than that, good flavor, texture, and portion size. Had a great time and will be back! read more

Santa Barbara definitely is lacking in in specialty food options so when I found good hummus, labneh, and a Felafel burger it was definitely plus to my week. For $7 during Burger Week, the felafel burger was an epic win. It is filling, huge, and has lots of flavor. I highly recommend adding the spicy sauce for that extra kick. Sitting outside in the front park-let, relaxing with friends, would always be a good way to spend a weekend afternoon. Bonus was the games, such as Jenga, that the kids loved and was a great distraction from boring adult talk. Can't wait to try more of the menu! read more

Petra Cafe - Mai tai - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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came here to try out the "burrito week" & and had a subpar experience. My food arrived as pictured (not the falafel burrito, it had chicken) and when I asked our waiter about it he did not correct the mistake & mentioned something about how the kitchen would be mad. I told him not to worry about it since his response took me by surprise. I ended up bringing the food to the employee who was at the bar and she quickly brought me the right burrito. The food was okay. My friend's cocktail was so bad that she couldn't finish it. Not a great experience... maybe it was just an "off" night but I probably won't be quick to return. read more

Petra Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

What's to say, they forgot we ordered food. We sat there for 90 minutes and they never made our order. We drove up here for a nice weekend away and our first night is shit with no dinner. I left pissed off and hangry, thanks for starting off our weekend get away with a shitty, food less, $100 for 3 drinks experience. What a shitty way to start our weekend. Worst fucking bar in town read more

Petra Cafe - Three charges and never got our food. So basically I paid $100 for 3 drinks...welcome to Santa Barbara... - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I never bother to leave reviews but oh man, do I feel compelled to warn everyone about this place. The food is almost mediocre at best, the ambience is exactly what you might expect from a renovation budget of exactly zero following the closing of Foxtail. Should've just left this place a bar. For the price you pay, just go two doors down to Mezza Thyme for some actual decent, authentic food from the region. I legitimately hope this place gets replaced by something worthy of the location and cost, it's just a disappointment. read more

We had high hopes for Petra Cafe downtown, as we had casually looked inside and thought it was a nice atmosphere. Then we went to visit one afternoon, thinking about having a drink and a snack. There was no one at the bar and we waited for about 10 minutes before a woman came in with groceries and in very limited English asked what we wanted. We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 glasses of red wine. It appeared she had no clue what we said. We went to the patio in back and she came back with a bottle of white and a bottle of red wine. We pointed to the red wine. After what appeared ages, our appetizers arrived. Due to the long wait we had ample time to inspect the place; exposed garden hoses being used to make a fountain, electrical extension cords all over the place. plants put in kegs haphazardly, what appeared like dollar store fans hanging overhead. There was an uncleanliness and carelessness about the place which was disturbing. When we finished our wine (we barely touched the food), the waitress then came over with the napkins. Obviously it was no longer necessary. Please owners, this could be a gem if you put a little bit of time and care into the place. And hire someone who speaks English please! read more

READ THIS REVIEW IF: you're looking at this place cause it's four stars, but now you're seeing one star reviews, and you're confused. Generally: I have no idea what on gods green f-ing earth those people are complaining or talking about. This is a super cozy, hole in the wall fallafal/shawarma joint and it was everything we expected but better. We had a Mezza sampler, shawarma wrap, fallafal sliders, fallafal rice bowl, beer, cocktails, pita, etc etc and it was all great. Like a solid 8.5/10 on everything and the service was extremely helpful and personable. The baklava deserves its own line because it was EXCEPTIONAL. I am a white girl feom CT so take this with a grain of salt, but I have eaten lots of baklava, and this was the best ever. Made by the guys aunt so bonus points for the cute family situation. IN CONCLUSION I guess if you're a stuffy a-hole who visits SB to brag about your "self care weekend" at the Californian and head back to your Erowhon supplied pre-packaged dinners or whatever the heck you eat...sure that sucked. You order at the bar. You're in charge of making sure you get a new drink when you're done with the last one. Even the food quality issues of the other one star reviews I saw zero trace of. If you've made it this far: if you're craving some solid Mediterranean food, head on in and form an opinion for yourself, because we thought it was great. read more

We landed in SB on a Saturday afternoon and came here first for lunch. It is a cool place with a chill vibe and a cute outside patio. You order at the bar but the place is perfect for group hangouts, a first date or a quick bite. I ordered the falafel burger and I was impressed. I especially liked the mango slices which were unexpected but a delicious add on. They make the food when you order it and it is worth the wait. They make crinkle fries with chili sprinkled on top which makes them different but I thought they were tasty. The service was prompt and friendly. My significant other ordered their burger and he was very happy with it. They have about 24 rotating craft brews on tap and a menu with things from burgers to shawarma. Definitely recommend it! read more

Petra Cafe - Falafel burger with mango! - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Super authentic Mediterranean food with amazing service and ambiance. We sat outside on the patio. Food is awesome. Definitely coming back. read more

I'm really digging the environment. It has the feel of a whiskey bar, board/bar games of all sorts to choose from & Mediterranean Persian fusion food. It has a bar & good music playing on the speakers. Food was okay, I think I'm so used to Open Sesame's food and spices, I couldn't quite find a dish I liked here. I ordered the couscous salad, ($9) it was heavily drenched in a creamy dill sauce. I didn't care for it. It was too creamy for me. I'm used to light lemon dressings. My mom enjoyed it tho. & her dish, the kofta bowl. I liked the saffron rice, but the lamb I wasn't crazy about. Some spice in it was not agreeing with me. I sound like a jerk, I'm sorry. I'd definitely come back for the environment & drinks, probably not so much the food. read more

It's always better on the side streets, and Foxtail really shows you! One of the only places to get authentic Mediterranean food in Santa Barbara, and surely has one of the most unique, flavorful menu. And is a FANTASTIC brunch spot. Saturday and Sunday, 9-12. "Foxy waffles" are a good spin on a classic, savory avocado toast is filling and savory, and where else can you get falafel with eggs? Only here. Oh, and they have bacon too. Rice bowls and wraps, meaty dishes, tahini and Za'atar. Love the saffron basmati rice. Something for everyone. There parklet is comfortable and shaded with plenty of room. Tasty cocktails too. read more

I'm in Santa Barbara. I met up with an old year abroad friend from Cairo. We were jonesing for Middle Eastern food and hooka. The music was a bit loud, but we could still hold a conversation. I loved the veggie mezza platter and the beet salad was delicious. I will probably have dreams about that beet salad. The hooka pipe had some connection issues but was still pretty good. Santa Barbara is pricey, but loved the vibe of this place. There was also live music happening Friday night. read more

TLDR: only come here if you want confused, burned out service and big mistakes from the kitchen. Probably safe with a beer. Extremely poorly run. Maybe it was a bad night, but our experience start to finish was like witnessing a trainwreck. We came for the burrito week falafel wraps. The bartender (owner?) walked away from us in the middle of taking our order, saying nothing at all, and never looked back. Because we paused 5 seconds to discuss an appetizer? A server came after a while. The receipt printer wasn't working. Meanwhile a customer walked up and returned her dish because the falafel was FROZEN. As we waited for our meal the server was confused about where to take the plates from the kitchen. They have no number or name system... Why? Frozen falafel lady came back once again with a plate and it looked like she was getting a refund. We were scared at this point. When we got our meal she apologized because there was "no silverware," and for our party of 2 gave a single take-out pack. We looked around and there were full silverware caddies on several tables. The food istelf was okay. Sloppy in presentation. Wraps not hot but at least not frozen and they tasted good. The beet salad was a bit sad. Definitely not up to standard in Santa Barbara. We witnessed another disaster with a poor Doordash guy and it still wasn't resolved when we left. I'm amazed they are still open with the high rents and competition in SB. You'd think participating in burrito week they are trying to earn repeat customers. It was certainly jaw-dropping, but not in the good way. read more

We tried this place while staying at the Hotel Santa Barbara right down the street. Although they did not have a great selection of wine, they were quick to suggest some of their signature cocktails, as they advised that they are a whiskey bar after all! We started with some of the mules (delicious & deadly at the same time! ) and then ordered some food after more suggestions from the staff. The falafels were the best I've tried, very moist and flavorful, so much so that we ordered more! Everything we had was delicious and we finished it all! The atmosphere in the bar was mellow during the time of day we went, about 2:30/3pm on a Sunday. It was clean and decorated well. I hope that when we are back in the Santa Barbara state street area, we will be able to enjoy some more! read more

Petra Cafe - Ginger mules with a bit of everything!- Labneh, Grape Leaves, Hummus, Falafels, Tabbouleh Salad (Mezza Sampler) - ALL DELISH!!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Travis the bartender is friendly and awesome. We recommend this place so hard. Excellent food and ambiance. We got the tabbouleh and shawarma wrap. Best baklava this side of the ocean. You can eat in the back if the hookah fumes don't bother you too much. read more

Petra Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Bummer to see this place closed. This was the last spot I could get some schwarma, a beer, and a hookah and just vibe. I loved that they were still offering hookahs after Zaytoon stopped. The last time I was here, this dude in a group next to us started getting super bummed on me smoking the hookah. Verbally making comments every minute about how is this allowed and this is BS and what not. Grow up buddy!! Let me live you Karen. RIP Foxtail, thanks for the good times and good food. And the hookahs eh? Next hookah sesh is for you Foxtail, you god damn legends read more

You have to walk down the side streets of State Street to explore some new spots! That's what we did and found Foxtail. Not only was the staff attentive and nice, but they sport a great happy hour everyday from 4-6 with some good eats and drink specials. Tucked way in the back, is a small charming patio with fire pits which is where we chose to hang. Thanks for the fun time, we will be back soon! read more

Petra Cafe - Front sign - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

Got wedding photos back so had to share they captured everything great. Hopefully we will be able to come back soon read more

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Mediterranean food meets craft bar equals a strangely fitting combination. This is a review about the food, sine we ordered to-go. A bunch of us ordered takeout from Foxtail on our first night arriving in SB. We ordered on the later side, around 8PM and picked up with no problem. I loved my falafel burger and highly recommend it! The falafel "patty" is so moist and not overly dry...and the burgers are on the cheaper side of the menu. I also heard that the rice bowls are delicious and totally worth it, as it makes two meals if you're not super hungry. The wraps were not that wonderful, as the girls who had it said it was on the dry side and needed lots of extra tzatziki sauce. The fries were subpar. They reminded me of McDonald's fries...but it could have been the cooling down time in the box as we drove back to our house. We all agreed it wasn't worth our money. What we saw of the bar that night was that it was pretty empty on an early Friday night. The vibes are pretty dark and seemingly perfect for a nice conversation or an early evening date. I could totally see myself coming here for a drink or a meetup for a first date or relaxed date night. I don't have a solid read on this spot since we just picked up our meal and paid at the bar. BUT there is plenty of street parking and a private lot across the street by the World Market. read more

Petra Cafe - Falafel burger to go. SUPER BOMB only $7! - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I think this is my first negative review and I really hate to do this, but we didn't like one thing we ordered tonight. We started with an apricot whiskey sour and a Mai tai. Neither tasted like there was any alcohol in them and our bartender stopped to talk with a friend in the middle of making the drinks so it took awhile. The whiskey sour was supposed to have an egg white but there was no egg and no froth. The Mai tai tasted like juice. We could have overlooked the drinks if the food was any good but it really wasn't. We got the chicken shawarma and the firehouse burger. The burger was missing several ingredients listed on the menu (jalapeño, sauce, bacon). And the fries were previously frozen. The shawarma didn't have any flavor despite the sauces drizzled on top. read more

Petra Cafe - Firehouse burger - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I requested a Medium WELL burger. I sent it back because it was Medium RARE. They brought me another burger. Again it was Medium RARE. Decided to forego lunch. While waiting for the restroom, the owner accosted me and stated he lost money because I sent back (2) burgers. I told him if they cooked the burgers properly, I would not have sent them back. I requested a medium WELL burger. He said they were "perfect." I asked him to get me the burgers so I could show him what was given. He did not. Cooking a burger properly is Cooking 101. Not that difficult. Your demeanor and lack of customer service is baffling. Maybe the restaurant business isn't your forte. By the way, you should clean the bathroom more frequently. Disgusting. read more

Petra Cafe - Requested a Medium WELL burger. What I received, twice. - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

I wasn't a huge fan of this place, unfortunately. I ordered a lamb dish and found it underseasoned and on the dry side. My mezcal cocktail, desert rose, was okay. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't amazing. Service was great, though. I liked that they have hookahs out on the back patio. Not too many places offer that, so that's a plus. Most likely will not come back other than for the hookah. read more

Petra Cafe - Mediterranean Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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Stopped by for a late meal on Saturday, were ignored by servers for 20 mi. In an era where business were struggling to survive you would think there would be urgency to their movements. I'll spend my money at locations that appreciate it. read more

Went here on a Friday night and it was pretty low key/chill. There was a party out back doing hookah and pretty much took up the whole patio space so I stayed up at the bar. I ordered the kofta wrap and fries.The wrap was pretty skimpy on the meat, it was like eating ground beef, and the wrap was dry and crusty. Fries could have been better as well as they were served cold and crusty. Had a wine and a couple hibiscus margaritas and they were okay, a little on the sour side and gave me the worst heartburn and I never get heartburn. They had a local DJ pop up at around 9:30 or so and his energy was great, loved the mixes and was the only real redeeming factor of this place. Service was slow, bartender was inattentive and clumsy. He didn't know that red wine isn't supposed to be chilled and couldn't even use a wine bottle opener which is pretty basic stuff tbh. I mean, it's Santa Barbara I think most people come for the urban wine tasting so to have overpriced Yellowtail and cheap reds and staff that can't open a bottle is pretty eh. I paid around $80 including tip for everything which I don't think is worth it in my opinion as I can get much better Mediterranean/middle eastern food in the Valley especially if you have to order at the counter, like? I'd say definitely skip this place read more

Sorry Foxtail. I read that this place had amazing hamburgers. Plus the menu looked great with offering a Mediterranean selection. I ordered one falafel, hummus, and a burger. I also had a beer. The hummus and falafel came out first the hummus actually was pretty decent the pita bread stale. The falafel seemed like it had been microwaved out of the freezer it was soft all the way around And gooey the middle. If you want to just go have a drink and listen to some street music it would be great. This the 2 stars. I don't like beating up on any restaurant in Santa Barbara. Vibe is fun and groovy. Unfortunately I wasn't drunk enough to eat here. read more