Delicious food and fast service. Would come again when visiting San Francisco. Order the schnitzel.

Who knew that there is a kosher Mediterranean restaurant smack in the middle of Chinatown? Just a couple if storefronts up from the fancy ceremonial entry gate of Chinatown on Grant and Bush, you'll find a nondescript doorway leading to a long flight of stairs. Ascend to the 2nd floor, grab a seat and be presented with a simple menu. The interior is spartan as the seats and tables seem straight out of the mid 1960s.. probably because they really are... I ordered the Chicken Kebab Platter, which was the first thing on the menu, only to be presented with a BEEF Kabab!! I flagged down the waiter, who explained that they don't have Chicken Kebab! What?? So I pointed that out to him on the menu, and about six minutes later, I received a plate of Chicken Shawerma! LOL.. Close enough.. Not a whole lot of Hummus on my plate either, but I will say that the Shawerma was moist and tender with a bit of char. The Falafel balls we ordered on the side were tasty too, but tiny. My colleagues enjoyed their Schnitzel plates, which felt like home cooking FWIW! They seem to have a regular clientele here, but I don't think I'll be one of them. I enjoyed my ahem.. interesting time here. Yup, they need to update their menus.. read more

This placevis bery disgisting!!!! I fpund a hair in my food. I almost through up, they shpukd shut this place down. You will lije thid place if you enjpy Hummos woth hair. The staff was very rude and the plqce is not clean. read more

Sabra Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was touring Chinatown and on my way out of Chinatown , I noticed an entryway that referenced stairs leading to a restaurant . I looked up and saw the restaurant name attached to it . I googled first lol. I was so curious . So I decided to grab a meal . I walked in and saw a small setup with a small kitchen in the back . I decided this place probably had amazing food . It is Mediterranean cuisine . I was greeted promptly and found my seat. I ordered the veggie plate . The food came out so fresh and hot! It did not take long to get to me . Everything was so freakin good . The falafel was so fresh and tasty ! I felt like I was eating at a friend's home and she was cooking in the kitchen . Highly recommend ! The owners were extremely welcoming and friendly . read more

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Exquisite falafel and a lovely plate of hummus, yogurt, olive oil, pickles and hot relish. Lovely service. The person cooking and serving also is a composer and singer. A special place. So happy to have found! read more

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Good service and food get the hummus and fried eggplant! The owner is really nice and food comes out fast

This place has to be a hangout spot for the owners family or a front... first off the prices are insane. The place is always 100 percent empty they act confused and rude when you order food because they are confused why you are giving them business. read more

There was a hair in my hummus. Not going back. However, the service was fine. Building was dilapidated.

My husband and I came after we looked for kosher food in the city. We ordered Salmon with rice and Kabob with rice. The food was amazing and the service was great! I highly recommend this place (: read more

Imagine being in the heart of Chinatown, exploring the trinkets and the sea of red all around you and then you happen to see a sign, take a staircase and end up in Israel. It's one of the big appeals of sf, the diversity and the unexpected surprises it throws up at you. The interiors are a lovely trip into Israeli culture, beautiful paintings adorns the walls, jewish caps lie at the doorstep and some texts in hebrew. I got in at low tide and was the only person there, asked for a falafel pocket sandwich and the chef made it for me fresh right there in the kitchen. It was loaded with all kinds of goodness like pickles and olives and tahini, an entirely delightful experience. read more

Sabra food is delicious. A hidden gem tucked away upstairs at the entrance to Chinatown. We have hummus and tehina, chicken schwarma, felafel plate and hot dogs for the kids. Glatt kosher, near all the hotels and a great alternative to greasy Chinese food... reasonable prices. Nice sized portions. Great for lunch! read more

Sabra Grill - Salads, felafel plate, kids hot dogs, chicken schwarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

Place is exactly what you expect and what you pay for and good quality and all super reasonable

My first experience here. Came here with 2 of my students after our Krav Maga Class. Food was absolutely amazing. Atmosphere was inviting and pleasant! I will be back with more of my students and family read more

Extremely pricey for the quality/quantity. We paid 24$ for this veggie platter. :( Those falafel are tiny. read more

Sabra Grill - a plate of food on a table - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

They charge 10$ for a falafel plate which includes 10 balls but when I got the plate the falafel balls were so small it felt like a joke. its small as olive The food is ok. It's to experience for no reason. I'll never go back to this place. read more

Sabra Grill - Falafel Plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very old building and Food was pretty bad and expensive for service. Worst humus I tried in the city?

Great family-run Mediterranean Restaurant. The place has a homely vibe and the staff treats you like family especially Joe. Like the Soup of the Day and the Kebabs. read more

My wife is genetically 100% Jewish heritage. My son is Orthodox. I was embarassed to appear, in person, at this Sabra Grill, so please, Sabra owner(s), change what you are doing there! We ordered the salmon...Sorry, we have no salmon. We order the soup...Sorry, we are out of soup. We ordered two servings of vegetables...Sorry, we only have one serving available because we are saving the rest for online orders. We order the baba ganoush...it tastes like it was fried in a Teflon-coated pan that was burning. Please, please, please, upgrade what you are doing there so we can eat there again. P.S. The decor could really use some love. read more

Are you a Yelper who loves to take people to really obscure restaurants, one of those hidden gems that normal people would never venture to go? Do you then sit proudly in front of good food and tell your guests that they too will be worthy of becoming an 'Elite' some day? If so, Sabra is the place to go. WHY GO HERE? This is the only place in the city (that I know of) that serves Israeli cuisine. There are other restaurants serving Persian, Lebanese, Turkish, Iraqi, and Egyptian food, but not Israeli. Note that most Jewish cuisine/deli differs from Israeli food. HOW TO FIND: This is part of the fun. No hints. HOURS: They have unique hours, so check their website (http://www.sabragrill.com/) or call first. Closed Saturday. On Friday, they close two hours before Shabbat. ATMOSPHERE: Pretty much what you would expect from a restaurant on the second floor of a building in Chinatown. Probably not a good first date place - unless your tactic is to earn point via tasty falafels. FOOD: Excellent falafels and all the great size dishes, including hummus, egg plants, and mushrooms. While the skewered meat items where good, I could get equally good kabobs at other restaurants. I was not a big fan of their lamb, which had a very distinct flavor that I've never had before. DRINKS: Kosher Beer was good. SERVICE: On all my visits here, service was casual but good. I've learned that at a family owned businesses like this, I need be polite and respectful, where as in the bigger restaurants, I could act like a king. SEATS: Further to good service, they were very accommodating when I increased the reservation number. He quickly added tables and seated 9 of us. Very flexible when they are not too busy. 12-15 tables total. PRICE: For dinner, prices were reasonable, but it may seem expensive for lunch since they don't have lunch prices. For the next visit, my plan is to keep the price down by ordering bunch of their side dishes and staying away from their skewers, which is what brings the price up. Plans for the next visit: $7.25 - Hummus and falafel $6.50 - Spicy mushroom and onion salad $7.00 - Fried spicy eggplant $5.00 - White cabbage salad $3.00 - Maccabee Beer $3.00 - Goldstar Beer $8.00 - Tip and taxes ---------------------------- $40 - Dinner for two (Prices as of June 2007; Dine-in prices) read more

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I really want to admire and like this place but a lot of reviews discourage me from going here. Nobody was mean when the time I went, there were happy to see me and even told me where the best seat in the house is. I was brought water and good enough time to make my decision and helped me choose my order. I had the large hummus plate with falafel. I was served some pickles prior to the main dish along with pita bread. I absolutely enjoyed my time consuming my meal. Yes I do love falafel and hummus and it's a rare gem in the area even in the city. I'll definitely come back again but hopefully nothing negative surprises me. The decor of the restaurant is actually nice and fits with the atmosphere, so I don't know what people are talking about. The only thing that sort of questioned myself was the coughing and snorting near the entrance oh and the prices are somewhat high, something I would pay in a good restaurant in north beach. I'll most likely come back. read more

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Not bad, the food is good but pricey. Also, I'm kinda terrified of the steep steps (the restaurant is on the second floor of a building and the only entrance/exit is these steep stairs). Other than that, I recommend. read more

Delicious food, great service. Our highest recommendation, you must try this spot! We had the chicken and lamb and both had amazing flavor. read more

Fucking expensive DONT EVER go eat here! They charge me 70 dollars for 5 lamb on a stick and paid $130 in total !!! What a ripoff !!!! They are crazy and this was my 2nd time going and I would never go back! Refund ASAP... As a Jewish person that was excited to eat at a Jewish restaurant this is a SHAME and horrible!! CRAZY. R.I.P this place!! Who would ever pay 70 dollars for 5 little sticks WTF.. My order: Fish - 2 hummus plates 5 lamb stick meat =$120 dollars and they guy asked for TIPS wtf This food is not worth more then 44-50 dollars TOPS !! IF THE OWNER WAS IN I WOULD GO OFF ON HIM! Wtf read more

Delicious food, excellent service, friendly staff and reasonable prices! We got the lamb and chicken skewers, shawarma and steak and all was delicious. Particularly, the lamb skewers was fantastic. read more

We ordered pita sandwiches and they where all great. I ordered the chicken schnitzel one and it was delicious, the French fries where ok but the whole meal was very good. It was a nice surprise to find a Mediterranean restaurant in Chinatown. read more

This is a family run kosher restaurant. As it's the only kosher restaurant in San Francisco, it can get crowded and noisy at times. If that happens, ask for a few pitas. They are warm and fresh. As to the food, it is good, fresh and cooked to order. All of the traditional Mediterranean types of food are available. Including schnitzel, hummus, shashlik, and more. It's a bit on the pricey side, but the food quality and quantity is good. Sabra won't get any Michelin awards. But if you are looking for good, fresh and very appetizing kosher meals in San Francisco, this is the place to eat at. read more

You don't need to keep Kosher or even be a Jew to eat here this food is bomb!! Today is National Sandwich Day!!!! I recommend the lunch special come before 3 PM!! I wish there were similar options for dinner I wouldn't mind paying a few more bucks!! $10 Falafel Sandwich in a pita pocket stuffed with salad pickes tahina and hummus!!!! Vegetarian and Kosher! I hear the meat is bomb too!!! Maybe the side portions can be bigger but I am fully happy here! The rest I'm writing to you with a big heart and love for small businesses (: Truly felt like home to me... Wow... I need to come here more often just to bring someone inside with me too, how did I not come here when I lived in the TL! I'm not Jewish...I'm a Jew!! AUTHENTIC Middle Eastern OG KOSHER food is hard to come by not just in SF but the Bay TOTAL. There was once this one place, but now THIS is that one place. NO QUESTIONS ASKED. I came here cuz my dad & I were hungry and needed Kosher food! I'll drive from South San Jose where I live, to Chinatown and back again, and probably everytime. I'll catch an uber too, I'll walk if I'm downtown! You see my dad is an observant Jew who keeps a Kosher diet! most the time we cook at home, because, well there's nowhere to eat in the South Bay. Now he also works weekdays in The Bay staying with me, and then LA on the weekend! Who needs to go eat out!! Well for those who do, and for those times when you're so fortunate like we were to be in downtown Frisco, you wanna eat something nice, don't you!! Not to mention we were working that day all day....it was a late lunch if you will, and then I looked down at the menu prices, checked at the time, bingo I had 40 minutes left for the lunch special....fire. $15 AT MOST for a STUFFED pita of whatever you like, shawarma kebob chicken schnitzel. But I wanted to keep it light with no meat, I went for the $10 ( yea $10 in SF KOSHER ) and it was LIT FAM it was STUFFED. We got 2 orders of each, fries, 2 Malt Star Beers (A non alcoholic Israeli Malt Beer) and I was excuse me, FREAKING HAPPY. Was it like my dad's? Nope. But for a moment in my head it felt like it, I really got happy eating here. I would eat dinner here and sit down next time. I'm gonna go there, you know that Adam Sandler movie, "Eight Nights of Hanukkah" ? Well Jews really do link with the Chinese, this shop is a GEM in what some may call an historical part of town in San Francisco. Heard of Chinatown? Idk me either. Just got these cool looking Oriental buildings in the heart of SF, Bush and Grant, says it on your Yelp! I just learned it now too, right by the Dragon Gates. It's enough just to be here, in SF, but the aesthetic in & around the restaurant very proper & fitting. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give this place a shot despite the walk up the stairs, have you seen the hills in SF!?? Or is Uber taking over your life!!! Yeah I know SF is all San Tech now but... There is an Old World sense & taste in and around Sabra Grill. Consider getting there by foot, going down the Silk Road from East to West. Walk through Union Square due East, & after you pass under the towering skyscrapers of Downtown down Bush or Grant, go under the Dragon Gates and step no further than 13 steps. There you'll find the Middle Eastern Sabra Grill, right there at the head of Chinatown. You go from West to East in seconds, but Sabra Grill is that blend of both. Make a (slight) Ascent up the stairs to the Middle East , into a tight space of what looks like MOST Middle Eastern food stops I've seen myself. Nothing cute and that's the style I'm used to in the OG places, it felt like I was tucked in a corner of Jerusalem or my dad's town of Akko. The Walls have pictures of Israel, Scripture on the walls in Hebrew, maps of Israel, & if seeing the guy in a Kippah/Yamukkah wasn't enough to know I was gonna eat Kosher food, I was at peace with the man's clear appreciation for his culture and history. The place had no shame in who it was. I felt at home inside, I didn't expect anything more or less than what I saw. Do you know how hard it is JUST TO RUN A RESTAURANT!! Kosher Certification is a a big merit and meticulous task of maintaining food standards for the Jewish community! Anybody who takes that task is faced with daily scrutiny of his practices, because for the people who need it, it matters that much. It's just as important as gluten free and Halal and vegetarian! BIG props to the big guy behind the counter who works very hard & looks like my dad!!! I never seen a huger smile on my face when I asked to take a picture of them together. In fact it's the only picture I took and not even the food because we scarfed it down!! I wish I got his name because I would tell you tell him, Matan sent you, the kid who took his picture with the big Jew bear looking guy! Just show him my picture I post!! SF you gotta go give this guy more reviews and I promise you won't be let down!!! Thank you for letting me feel at home sir! Great spot! read more

Sabra Grill - The owner (left) posing for a picture with my father!! He just gave us each a sample of the falafel and I took the picture - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

Very good food unbelievable service,great Experience wish we had more places like this back home Excellent mashgiach read more

So delicious! We love Israeli food and have been to Israel. Eitan, the owner, seriously knows what he's doing! The falafel is incredible and he does meat extremely well too! So fun to find this in Chinatown. A must-try--you'll be hooked as we are. read more

I'm not Jewish; but, this place serves some of the best Falafel in San Francisco. And, after trying several places nearby, without a doubt the best Falafel in a several block radius. What I really like about them, is that the Falafel are always fried fresh, and are nice and hot and crispy when you bite into them. Another unique thing they have is their pita bread. It's thicker than any other pita bread I have ever been served (probably at least twice as thick, and it has air bubbles inside like you'd find in an English Muffin, only it's much thinner than that). As a result, the pita is always very pliable, tasty, and chewy. Best yet, it's always served warm. The Falafel Pita is $9.95, and totally worth it; especially when compared to the Falafel served at the other restaurants nearby. Most places in San Francisco use a much thinner pita, almost all serve it cold, and when it's served dry it just crumbles into a mess, and the ingredients fall out on to your plate. A real treat here is the Lamb Shishlik. Again, each skewer is grilled to order. Without a doubt some of the very best tasting Lamb Shishlik I have ever had. It's delicious. The only major miss so far that I have eaten here is the Chicken & Onion Shawarma. To me, it just tasted awful. I think it might have something to do with being cooked on the same grill as the Lamb. Other than that, everything I have tried has been real good, and worth eating again. The humus and the rice are also good. A lot of people complain about the prices here. Yes, it's more expensive because everything has to be certified as being Kosher. However, if you stick to the lunch specials that they have posted next to the entrance on the street (which run from 12pm to 4pm), the prices are pretty fair for the flavor of the food they serve (around $10-$16 for lunch without drinks). Since they are Jewish, it's closed on Saturday; but, open on Sundays. If you weren't specifically looking for it, you would easily miss the entrance on the street level. If you start at the Chinatown Gate at Grant and Bush, it's about 50 feet up Grant Street on the left hand side (West Side of Grant St). The restaurant is up on the 2nd floor with a long flight of stairs and no elevator. read more

Sabra Grill - Falafel Pita $9.95 - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

The worst experience ever. It's 2014 sabra grill it's ok if a non Jewish woman walks in to eat. They ignored me for 10 min gave the worst service and the food was something I wouldn't even give to my dog. Very bad. We are all the same Jewish non Jewish. Sad:( read more

Sabra Grill - 23$for old chicken - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

I had some family visiting - from Israel - and thought they might enjoy this place as a treat - a little taste of home, if you will. Suffice it to say, we were surprised on every level. I was hoping that the food would be out-of-this-world, but alas, only the prices were. We ordered some basics - like hummus and baba-ganoush, then segued into the schnitzel. All were consistent, in that they each lacked entirely in flavor. We asked for the schnitzel without rice and the waiter wouldn't tell us the options, then it arrived - with rice, of course. The schnitzel was, as my dad used to say, "you could hang a picture with it"; drier than the Sahara in a sandstorm and as tasteless as trump's choices in wives and furniture. We then asked for some tehina, to add to the hummus, et al. It arrived gluey enough to pass inspection at the Elmer's factory. A salad we ordered early on never appeared, but it did appear on the bill, even after I mentioned its absence to the waiter. In all, the service was what one might expect on an old bus and the atmosphere matched. The prices were like taking a Bulgarian taxi in Hungary and being charged for a round-trip between the two countries. The food was lackluster, poor in quality and devoid of that one essential....flavor. If you have no other choice but to eat here, find a stranger on the street, ask to go home with him and you'll get a better meal, no matter what he's got in the fridge.... read more

Only kosher restaurant around so did not really have any other places to eat or compare. Food good Service friendly Reasonable in price Middle Eastern food Ate here three times. Enjoy read more

Sabra Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

Classy Middle Eastern service :) I read the other reviews and I understand what they mean when they say how bad the service was. Having traveled through the middle east, you get used to this attitude and service. It's that type of service that they are actually doing you a favor for serving you. That being said, The food is good. The dinner plates are really good and the appetizers are even better. Pros: Tasty food Good humus Wonderful chicken Wonderful salads. Cons: Pricing....can get quite expensive for a dinner night out. Service...middle eastern service. read more

Sabra Grill - a plate of hummus and olive oil - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

It's not often that you walk into a restaurant and you're welcomed as though you've come home. But at Sabra Grill that warm and welcoming feeling invites you every time. The service is impeccable and the food is delicious. It's in a prime location with the friendliest smiles from staff. The menu has a variety of middle eastern dishes. Great lamb shishlik! Enjoy! read more

Sabra Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

I tried to order for a client lunch from Sabra Grill on 11/1/17 for someone who keeps Kosher. I'd submitted the order through Door Dash, and Sabra Grill accepted the order on their end - but when the driver showed up (around an hour after the order had been submitted) to pick up the food, they said it was too big of an order and they were short staffed, so they refused to make it. I ended up calling them after talking to the driver and Door Dash customer service, to see if they would make an order still as there aren't many options for Kosher meals nearby. At first, they said yes, but when I read out the order I had wanted they said it was too large of an order and then hung up on me. So, hopefully the food is better than their customer service was the day I tried to speak with them! read more

I was excited to try this joint because kosher places seem in short supply in San Francisco. I eat everything without discriminating and have a special place in my heart for bacon, but having lived in NYC for many years I can appreciate good kosher food. This is definitely not like NYC kosher food! It was alright. The lunch was reasonably priced, but the dinner seemed a tad expensive for the hole-in-the-wall setting. Shawarma Wrap: This is a complete lie. It's not shawarma, but rather raw chunks of chicken pan fried with onions and spices. Where's the slow roasted meat on a long spit? The meat ends up being firmer and less crispy than a real shawarma. That being said, toasting the pita on an open flame was a nice touch and the it had a good spicy kick. The pickles were a little boring, they can do better than just pickled cucumbers. The raw carrot slice didn't go well, would have been better if pickled. Falafel: A bit on the small side, but I liked the extremely crispy and jagged exterior paired against the creamy inside. Not sure if it's traditional, but a nice alternative to the uniform and grainier falafels around town. read more

I've been meaning to come here for years but have never had the chance as I'm only ever downtown when I'm working... and the truth is I never leave the office for lunch. But that may all change now that I've been to Sabra. Eating here is such a great experience. Some people may be put off by how basic the interior and atmosphere is but in fact, in addition to the food being fantastic, the added bonus of the atmosphere makes this place a 5-out-of-5. I believe this place is family run, and if it isn't, you certainly get the feeling that it is. This looks like the kind of place where family and friends have been gathering for years. The 2 strapping lads that served us were very friendly & personable and the service was the perfect balance of "attentive, non-intrusive" if that is even a thing. They were very friendly but left us to our own devices, as they should. I personally don't feel waiters should constantly be coming up and talking to you. Again, the decor is very basic... but spot-on. Stark white walls accented by "Mediterranean-Blue" trim and table cloths, the occasional framed photo or painting depicting Jewish themes, holidays, imagery etc...all ill-sized to fit the aforementioned disproportionately large white walls. Black plastic chairs with vinyl black seats and only about 1 tables, 2-3 of which were set up for large groups. Again, I can imagine a lot of families gather here in large groups. Let's put it this way, this place looks like one of those restaurants that Ottolenghi puts a photo of in his cookbooks to show what real "Mom & Pop" restaurants look like in Jerusalem. This place feels authentic and despite how "under-decorated" it is, is one of the most enjoyable dining atmospheres I've experienced in SF. Between the 2 of us, we ordered the Combo Salad & the Lamb Shishlick platter. This was more than enough for both of us, so do not let the dollar signs dissuade you (as some people have suggested they are $$$)- they give you a lot of food here! The combo salad consisted of a mound of heavily cucumbered cabbage and carrot salad, huge wells of Hummus & Baba Ghanoush, fried aubergine, 4 dolma and 6 falafel. Many people on YELP credit Sabra with the best falafel in SF and I have to agree. And of course this came with 2 large, fluffy pitas. My friend I was dining with exclaimed how she had never had pitas so fluffy and pockety (haha)! The Lamb Shishlick came with 2 skewers of lamb, more hummus, salad and a side of rice and/or fries (we did both). Unfortunately, we were talking so much that we accidentally let the lamb get cold, but it was still nice, even if on the slightly chewier side...again, that was probably our fault. We ate almost everything but ended up having to take half the hummus home and half the shishlick home...which was fine by me. We were stuffed and we can both put down A LOT of food. Our bill, including 2 turkish coffees and a sparkling water, came to $54 which, I believe, is outstanding considering the amount and tastiness of the food we got. I can't believe it has taken me this long to try this place. It certainly surpassed my expectations. I will DEFINITELY be back! read more

Sabra Grill - Combo Salad. Sorry for the shocking photo, we were in a hurry to dig in! - Middle Eastern Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was hesitant to eat here but am visiting the city and didn't want to walk far from the hotel I was staying at. It was really good! The ambience wasn't the best, the restaurant looked more than a bit quaint. The food was exceptional though. I got the hummus, pita and falafel. The pita was fresh, the hummus tasted homemade and the falafel was nice and crunchy. My mom got the lamb and Im not sure how much lamb is in other parts of the world but it is expensive where we are from and she liked the lamb and didn't think she was paying too much. The staff was pleasant and attentive! Would return! read more

First of all the place is not clean, everything is sticky the dishes are dirty. The food is the worst part, we ordered 4 dishes each was worse then the other. The food was extremely old, one of the kabab that we ordered was definitely left over from different costumer just heated up. It even had bite marks in it. The portions are so small a $40 plate is not enough for a kid, a plate of food comes with literally 8 pieces of old reheated French fries. The burger comes completely dry on a bun without any tomato , pickle sauce or anything and it's $25 ( size of a kids burger). Everyone in the restaurant left unhappy. Even though we were in town for a week we rather eat bagel and cream cheese for a week then go back to sabra. A note to the owner, we would have come back everyday if u had normal food even if it is expensive but what u serve to people is a sin. read more