The only reason this place gets 3 stars and not 2 stars is because this is opening day and I want to give it the benefit dong of early mistakes that'll be fixed soon. However, as an Israeli, a Yelper and a Hummus fanatic I expected more and here's way: The Good: 1) The place is nice to visit and sit. Well designed and located. 2) The Pita bread is EXTRAORDINARY and fresh (They have an onsite oven and a Pita maker, respect!) 3) The salads variety is pretty impressive and in good quality. you can also unique sauces such as Amba, Tahini and S'chug. The Bad: 1) The price for a bowl is very high and practically unjustified, around $14 for not too much food, i'm not super price sensitive, but come on... 2) The portion ratio between protein (Chicken or Hummus) and the salads is just unfair. My dish was 75% salads and 25% protein. I expected a better ratio to be honest. 3) The Hummus was a bit too thick and not full of flavor enough IMHO. 4) I hate pickles. When I get pickles in my food it just ruins the taste of the entire dish, and that's exactly what happened. Don't put pickles in peoples food unless they asked for it or you suggest it. It's a rule, don't break it. read more

Honestly, for the price point, service quality, and flavor, it simply does not get much better. Sababa makes everything fresh--From the food to the sauces, it's all made in-house, and it shows. I went in for lunch and got the bowl, which if you're looking for a HUGE tasty portion, this is the way to go (bowl = your choice of meat + hummus + 3 salads). What I got in my bowl: Beets: I don't even like beets, but the beet salad is amazing and makes the plate look very pretty! Just the right amount of sweet and spices--highly suggest. Chicken: Delicious, slow roasted, flavorful, and tender... Do I need any more adjectives to describe how great it is? Tomatoes + cucumber salad: Adds a nice cool, refreshing flavor to the bowl. Not as packed with flavor as the other salads, but still, highly recommend. Grilled Cauliflower: Absolutely a must! The fact that it's grilled adds a nice smokey+grill flavor that you can't get with any of the other sides. Sides and sauces: The best part (in my opinion) is they have a side station self-serving two homemade hot sauces and three pickled options--carrots, onions, and mangos, all for topping off your dish! Not only are they delicious, but they're free. A wise man once said, it's free, it's me! read more

What's the issue here? There are 3. Price, price, price. Chicken pita with maybe some feta? Sounds simple? $14.30 with tax. Kofta bowl with a side of 1 pita bread? Sounds simple? $17.60 with tax (!!!) The insane Lamb Burger at Kokkari (arguably the best restaurant in all of SF and one of the hardest tables to get accordingly) is $17.50 at lunch pre tax tip, for example. Sara M. cites the crazy lunch time line -- which is true, it's long slow moving and crazy. But that's because this place is new. It's not good enough or priced fair enough to last and I expect that line to die down quickly. I remember when there were 30 people in line very day at Ramen Bar 101 California and it was 4.5 yelp stars from early reviews (it's now the correct 3 stars and no line, as I predict Sababa will be). By the way, if this comes off overly harsh, well, I am being honest. The food quality is good though, nothing to knock there. read more

Great place for lunch for anybody working in the SF financial district! One of the freshest falafel hot pita sandwiches I have had in the SF Bay Area! read more

Sababa - Falafel hot pita sandwich! Superb! - Mediterranean Near Me - San Francisco, California

UPGRADED TO 5 STARS AFTER TRYING EVERYTHING! Soooooo, I would have never come here on my own given the prices (STARTS at $10 for a pita pocket) as it's more expensive than the other Mediterranean places in the area. My coworkers came as a group 2 weeks ago and everyone liked it and said it was very filling. Me? I'm still a cheap-o so I held out. The constant line out the door definitely piqued my curiosity though. But, Sababa was on Mealpass, so it was a good opportunity to see what the hype was about. VERDICT? It's REALLY good and you get a ton of food. A bit on the pricey end (or I guess, standard FIDI prices) but generous portions (would feed me 2 meals). I've returned multiple times since then and have tried literally everything on the menu. EVERYTHING. IS. GOOD. TRUST. And, try their hot sauce. Favs: Literally ALL of their proteins. They execute so well. I would like to note that their falafel is the top 2 in the area. Even if you typically have one specific favorite I REALLY advise you to try all of them cause you honestly might find a new favorite. I would have never thought to choose eggplant (if not for Mealpass) would be that good but man, oh man, it was really freakin' good. Quinoa tabouli (I don't even usually like tabouli since I don't like the strong taste of parsley, but this is pretty toned down, and a perfect, fresh contrast to the heavier proteins. The only thing I don't care for is the Moroccan carrot. It's semi-cooked so it still has that raw carrot taste but the texture seems to be just slightly cooked it has that in-between texture where it's not crunchy but also not roasted? I'm not sure if this is how it's supposed to be though, so just my preference. If it were fully cooked and I think I would enjoy it more.. Also, it was a bit watery in my bowl (I never like excess moisture in my food). Also, service is always friendly no matter how busy it is.. (which it always seems to be)! Keep on rockin, Sababa! read more

Great addition to the hood (which btw is the financial district - not sure how you call this chinatown, yelp). pros: * delicious, flavorful food: moist chicken (hard to do in bulk), fantastic pitas * love the serve-yourself extras like the pickled vegetables and esp the green sauce * nice if small seating area - i hate places with no seating! * very friendly staff * all things considered, pretty well-run for opening day cons: * though he was nice and patient with people's five zillion questions, the first guy on the line needs more help - service was slow because you need more than one person on that job * a pita (cheapest main on menu) with no extras and a soda and a $1 tip was almost $18, and they don't seem to offer tap water. that's ridic, peeps, even for SF downtown. sure they will iron out the kinks (add a water jug with those pickled veg!) and i'll be back. read more

Finally a good falafel and hummus place in the bay area!!! Sorry, I mean amazing! I've tried the falafel hummus bowl and it was simply delightful! Can't stress this enough! I love the fact that everything is so fresh! These people definitely know what they are doing. The only thing I wasn't too happy about was the long line, but yet again this what happens when you have such good food! read more

That eggplant pita sandwich is heaven on earth. They don't skimp you on ingredients, everything is so fresh and colorful, and they have the best sauces to top it all off. I've been trying to find the best pita sandwich in the city and this is hands-down the best. The pita bread itself is thick, well seasoned, warm, and soaks up the sauces in the best way. They also have a fantastic assembly line and customer service. They balance the pita by stuffing the ingredients in equal layers so you get all the ingredients in one bite. The only thing I wish is that I found this place sooner read more

Sababa - Eggplant pita sandwich - with the spicy green sauce - Mediterranean Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Had food from Sababa twice. The individual order is a bit on the pricey side but it's pretty filling even though the portion sizes don't look that big. Had the Falafel which was okay but not great. Be prepared for a very long line during lunch though. It moves relatively fast but can take 20-30 minutes to order. The other time we got catered food from Sababa and it was less satisfying. We had a couple different choices of meat so I tried the beef and the chicken. The beef was just so difficult to eat because of how heavy it was. I barely made it through one piece and some other people just gave up on it completely. The chicken tasted better but still a little bit heavy. On the other hand, the salads were a bit more palatable although the quinoa tabouli was still a bit tasteless. I enjoyed the isreali salad though. Overall, I don't think this place is worth it for the price and the line. read more

Omg yum. I had the pita sandwich and man oh man this blew me away. Their hot, fluffly pita and slightly crispy falafel is super on point. Orens has so far been my top choice when I'm craving some good mediterranean food, and I was sad about not being able to get my fix more often because they don't have locations in SF. Safe to say, I've now found my Mediterranean fix in SF! Will be frequenting this place. It's a ~10 minute walk away from work which is not a short distance during lunch break, but so worth it! read more

So happy to have a REAL falafel and hummus place in town! As an Israeli transplant to the Bay Area, I've been searching for something authentic and delicious. Everything is FRESH and the ingredients high quality. Especially the pita: it's made in house and served straight from the oven.... they don't call it "Sababa: HOT PITA BAR!" for no reason. Aside from the food, the Sababa team is amazing, and the interior is really clean, nice and welcoming. Can't wait to become a regular here! read more

MealPal was offering a chicken and veggie bowl with them, and it turned out great. It included three veggie salads (carrot, beet, and cauliflower) which seemed to be tossed in a basic vinegar dressing, shawarma chicken, and a generous scoop of hummus. Was the perfect size and a total steal with the arrangements of the app. read more

Sababa - Mediterranean Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is a solid spot, but I wasn't blown away. I got the chicken bowl with cauliflower, cabbage and beets. Flavors were on point and diverse, but the chicken was mediocre. Highly recommend getting an avocado and pumping yourself some green hot sauce from the bar. There's room for seating, but not a huge place so be ready to wait if crowded. I'll probably go back, but nothing to get too excited about. read more

Love this place!! Awesome place for lunch with delicious options and the pita... is awesome. It is a somewhat healthier lunch option and also just super good. I've tried most of the sides and have not been disappointed. Try coming a bit earlier/later than the lunch rush because there will be a line out the door! read more

Great Concept, ubeatable freshness, good proteins, fantastic falafel, offered as consolation for no falafel. Polite staff, oh and the PITA is worth going there alone! Things which need work - Line management. Never run out of hummus in a place like this. Keep your stations clean, clean clean. The free Pickles in the jars are great but impossible to fish out with the tongs given. Vegetarians, Gluten-Free Folks should go nuts about this place. This is like a nice little slice of Israel right on Kearny street, its very refreshing. Once the fixes are made, this place will thrive and I will give it the five stars it so deserves. Extra credit if you find an amazing dessert to offer. read more

Absolutely delicious! I had the chicken pita and added avocado and feta. All the flavors were amazing and everything was really good quality. I also tried the mint frozen lemonade and my husband had the mango. Both were super yummy. Everyone working here has a smile on their face and were extremely welcoming and friendly! I wish I worked or lived near Sababa, I'd be here all the time. read more

Delicious and 80% close to authentic! I would definitely recommend this place and definitely coming back

Welcome to the Neighborhood. I just had a fabulous lunch at Sababa. I enjoyed the Falafel Bowl which comes with a bit of hummus and 3 salads of your choice. I tried the beet, carrot and cauliflower. All three were fresh and tasty. The line moved fast and for a new restaurant that just opened this week, they seemed really organized. Looking forward to trying everything! I cannot wait to go back again and again. read more

Small restaurant with limited seating. Fairly clean. Decent and quick service. I ordered the pita with falafel. It was HUGE and had tahini sauce, pickles, cabbage, and cucumber. Delicious and fresh. The falafel was freshly made, soft and flavorful. The highlight was definitely the warm, fluffy pita made in house! AMAZING! $10.99 is a bit steep for a pita with falafel, in my opinion but it really is quite big and will fill you up for hours. Good stuff. read more

Nice, quick and casual Mediterranean restaurant. Although extra prices seemed to rack up everywhere when ordering,the portions were large and nothing felt nor tasted oily or greasy. However, I think there is room to include more raw fresh vegetables and greens. Although I was a bit upset that I couldn't have both of rice and hummus as a base, my bowl of chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, quinoa, and beets more than tided me over for the next few hours. Would return here! read more

Great food but way too expensive for a fast casual place. If they lowered the prices to 10-11 range with tax, they'd have a line out the door noon and night read more

Ordered a falafel bowl with carrot salad, beet salad, and Israeli salad, and a piece of pita. Everything was very tasty--especially the pita which is baked right while you wait. I would have preferred the falafel to be a bit bigger though. Also, at close to $15, it was a bit pricey. read more

Their chicken shawarma is very tasty ! I really enjoyed the quick service and the location. Will be back for more!

I'm vegan and I absolutely love this place. The Falafel sandwich is amazing and I don't have to worry about them putting that damn Tzatziki sauce on there like I do at other restaurants (although their tahini sauce will fool you). Great staff, great food, vegan friendly. Highly recommended. They also have Marin Kombucha on tap which is unheard of -- heavenly. read more

I was super excited for Sababa to open up in fidi because it sounded like a great idea for a fast grab and go lunch experience! Unfortunately, I was not that impressed. I got the falafel hummus bowl with a hot pita on the side. First off, I feel like they should just give you a hot pita with the hummus bowl - how else are you expected to eat the ginormous serving of hummus they give you? In terms of the their food, I did not like their falafel balls. They were a little too dry for me. In comparison, their hummus, tabouli, and pita were amazing! I would go there just to get a small snack of hummus and pita instead of their bowls (if they offered something like that). Overall, I do really like the concept and maybe their meats are better, but this place was just ok in my mind! Because it is different than other places in fidi, I would definitely recommend trying it out! read more

So delicious! My coworkers and I couldn't decide what to have for lunch and I suggested Sababa. Literally, we all LOVED our meals. A few of us got the pitas and a few the bowls, between all of us we tried more or less everything and there were no complaints. We even got told to stop shouting to one another about how delicious our lunches were! Portions were huge and value for money in central SF was great, my pita was $12.88 read more

-over priced (I know it's fidi but come on it's Effing falafel) - pita tasted like pizza dough - carrot side sucked -mostly just clueless white people eating chicken bowl here Oasis grill on market does better job for cheaper. Def not going back. read more

TLDR - Sick lunch option with big portions and pretty traditional flavor; but it's pretty overpriced For bowls it's a chipotle type of situation where you select what you want and they'll put it in for ya. Each of the individual entries are pretty good - i had the quinoa tabuli, tomato cucumber salad, and red cabbage. They were all quite flavorful and legit. High on the acid content however, which is too be expected. The acidity paired nicely with the meats. I would recommend getting feta cheese as an add on and mixing it throughout the salads. It adds a nice flavor and takes away from the acidity a bit which could be overpowering if you're not switching bites from meat too often. Getting the pickles was a mistake though, as each of the salads i got were already similar tasting. Meats wise it was dope. I got half half with each of the meats. The chicken is seasoned great, and so is the kebab. Pretty well cooked chicken - however i did see it start to get a bit too much on the texture and flavor after having a few bites. Alternating the meats helped a ton so I would definitely recommend getting a mixture. Definitely add tahini sauce to the meat, it was dope. To be fair tho i didn't get any hummus (I'm allergic to chickpeas) so I don't know for sure how it would pair. read more

A little pricey, but healthy, quick, and flavorful. Great for lunch if you're in FiDi/Union Square. **Chicken bowl with hummus and quinoa, carrot, and cauliflower salads: I loved that this was light and refreshing while still being full of flavor. Chicken was roasted and rich and a little too salty, but it paired well with the sweeter carrot salad, nutty cauliflower, and lemon-ey quinoa. I think it's a littttlleeeee overpriced, but definitely still high quality! read more

Best middle eastern in SF!!! Hands down - pitas r always fresh and never break up....all ingredients are tasty fresh and clean. Amazing HUMMUS A bit pricy but sooooo worth it! read more

Great Pita Sandwich at reasonable prize. Ingredients fresh. I ate this after I had a bad day. And sharing time with Sababa is a plus :) 皮塔饼有好吃到哦～也勇敢地查到了"falafel"的读音 read more

Sababa - Pita Sandwich - Mediterranean Near Me - San Francisco, California

See all

Delicious! We had the bowls - falafel and Kofta. Generous portions. Really tasty. Even the pita bread was extra delicious! Kind service too.

$10 plus tax for the basic pita falafel sandwich. Price goes up if you want to add extras or chicken/beef, but honestly I was stuffed on the as-written version. They were out of chicken during my visit, but the line was still ridiculously long (past Ayola next door). It seems they still have a few kinks to work out in the service dept-- not the most efficient assembly line. For one thing, some of the pitas had holes in them, so the person would throw it out and get a new one, but there weren't too many left to choose from (they were baking them as fast as they could, but not quite fast enough). Maybe some better quality control before they get to the bar (or separate ones with holes for the bowls, and the good ones for the sandwiches?). Apparently some menu items have changed (no more frozen coffee), but they haven't had time to update the menu yet. So, 3 stars for the new, still-figuring-things-out style experience, but 4 for the food- that stuff was tasty! The quinoa version of tabouleh kinda looks weird, but I'm excited to give it a try next time. read more

My husband and I decided to come here for an early dinner and it was delicious! We each had the pita with a combo of chicken and falafel and it was incredible! The portion was large and It tasted very fresh and full of flavor. I think they even make the pita bread themselves. We got a side of cauliflower salad and it was delicious too. The staff was also very nice- super friendly and helpful. read more

Instant food-gasm! There is a lot of middle-eastern food in SF but this is the first great Israeli spot (sorry Sabra, this is better). That's a big deal. Israeli cuisine is more diverse than elsewhere in the region, blending elements from the Levant and the Fertile Crescent to Eastern Europe. This place does that tradition justice, and then some. Easy 5/5. read more

Very filling. Got the rice bowl for ~$12. The rice has lentils and tastes pretty decent. The chicken was fine. Would go there for the serving size more than anything else. read more

This place is basically the Middle Eastern Chipotle. It would be pretty hard to mess that up! The fresh pita is amazing, but this place will set you back over $12 for lunch. read more

Sababa - Delicious kofta bowl with hummus, Israeli salad, quinoa tabouli, and Moroccan carrot - Mediterranean Near Me - San Francisco, California

Best falafel in the city. Not as good as Falafel Stop in Sunnyvale but still fresh and tasty. I only ding it one-star due to the cost. Falafel doesn't cost $11! You're definitely overpaying for the cost of it being in SF and in the Fidi. This is very good food. The pita bread is the star. Thank you for making it right and for making it fresh. None of that wrap like bread this is a real pita and it holds up well! read more

Chargrilled Chicken Shawarma Ground Beef Kofta The Pita Bread Awesome so soft and tasty! read more

Kofta Pita - This was quite excellent. The kofta was ok - decently seasoned, not too bad texture. Pita wasn't too thick either. What did it for me were all the veggies it came with plus the pickled onions and fermented mango sauce as free condiments! Will have to come back for the eggplant next time. read more