My parents were from Iraq Sadly they passed years ago In order to enjoy delicious Iraqi cuisine, I'd have make the long drive to San Diego Then I discovered The Palm Tree in Riverside CA Honestly when I saw dolma on the menu I was very skeptical Will it have that delicious lemony sour taste I grew up eating Will the sauce have that hint of pomegranate molasses Will the meat be ground beef or actually minced diced heaven Well this place delivered on everything The dolma is fire The kabob especially the chicken kabob was outstanding The hummus the baba ghonuge absolutely perfect I can't say enough about how much I enjoy this restaurant The lady who owns it is so nice to chat with I rarely speak Arabic these days My wife is a Filipina and I never taught my kids Aramaic or Arabic So speaking to her reminds me of my ethnicity So it's nice read more

I recently discovered this spot, even though I've lived on this side of Riverside for over a year--it's easy to miss since it's tucked into a small strip mall. I ordered takeout because I wanted to sample a variety of items. I tried the lamb, beef kebab, falafel, and a side of baba ganoush. My fiancé ordered the pinto stew and a fattoush salad. Their staff was very friendly and courteous upon arriving. The quality of the food was solid overall, but both my kebab and lamb were noticeably overcooked. Everything was also surprisingly bland--I actually added garlic salt to my leftovers the next day. The salads didn't have much flavor either, and my fiancé didn't finish hers. I was disappointed, but I'm keeping in mind that I ordered takeout and I only live five minutes away, so the experience might be better when dining in. I'm open to giving them another try, but after eating at many Middle Eastern restaurants across Southern California, I've never run into this level of under-seasoning. So while I'm not writing them off, I'm also not in a hurry to go back. read more

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So yummy! Got a pickup during my lunch break~~did not disappoint. I'd previously been there a few years ago when it was a different restaurant. I got the falafel wrap and the spicy potatoes... both delicious. The ambiance was peaceful and bright, I saw some desserts from the corner of my eye. The cashier greeted me with the kindest smile. I'll definitely be back for more lunch breaks read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

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We just got in time before the lunch rush. The food is impeccable! They even have a mini market inside. I highly recommend their Turkish Delight with tea or coffee. read more

I was craving an authentic shawarma wrap and decided to give The Palm Tree a try. Although I was ordered take out, the dining room was nicely decorated, spacious and comfortable. I was greeted warmly by the hostess. I sat at the nearest table to wait for my order. Another staff member came to me to ask if I have been helped. I liked how attentive they are, it makes one feel like a welcomed guest. I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap and it did not disappoint. Tasty, well-seasoned chunks of chicken with a slight char, I believe the wrap was lavash which was fresh and light, not doughy and nicely seared. The pickles in the wrap was the perfect complement of flavors and crunch. This would definitely be my go to for shawarma and I look forward to trying many of the menu items. read more

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The food here is amaaazing! The lamb is tender and so flavorful. Our Pastor brought our congregation here to eat a couple months ago and my husband and I always return to eat here!! Best Mediterranean food around by a landslide. 10/10 read more

Over the years this restaurant has changed names and ownership, but it has always been Middle Eastern and Mediterranean, albeit with regional aspects such as Syrian, Lebanese, Egyptian or Iraqi. I popped in recently to try a kabob on the lunch menu, something I scouted in advance here on Yelp. The price seemed good and the portion was commiserate as well. To my delight. Beef Koubideh (aka Kafta et al.) is essentially ground beef that's grilled with various seasoning and parsley. Served over Pilaf with hummus and side salad, there's a pita included for dipping, wrapping, or filling. My preferred method is tearing in two and stuffing. The hostess seems to do it all: Serve, prepare, and cashier, all with charm and grace. I enjoyed the meal and would definitely return to try other things, and sides, too. Nicely balanced flavors make this a solid choice for someone unfamiliar with Middle Eastern cuisine, and excellent prices help with the exploration. Plenty of parking out front makes it accessible. read more

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Great family run restaurant with authentic middle eastern food. What a fantastic gem! I got the ground chicken & ground beef & lamb kabobs with babaganoush & salad. So flavorful & fresh. It also came with pita bread. Will definitely stop by whenever I'm in the area. read more

The Palm Tree - Ground chicken & ground beef & lamb kabobs. So tasty & flavorful! - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Food: I got the 3 meat plate and a side order of lamb chops. The chops were tender and flavorful. Each meat was fresh, moist, and delectably charred. I definitely want to come back and have the full experience dining in. Service: Got pickup so non-applicable. Ambiance: Glimpse inside and it was super packed at dinner time. Looked nice, clean, and quaint. Nothing special. read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

This place slaps. I have never been to the establishment for dine in, but the food is SO GOOD!! It's fresh, authentic, shareable if you want. The space is clean and it looks like they have some kind of buffet? I need to go back for that experience. Every staff member I have encountered, whether on the phone placing an order or during my time picking up, so kind and patient. This establishment is run by amazing immigrants, so if you have issues with a potential language barrier, order online, have it delivered to you. Support local!! read more

Excellent midwestern food. The restaurant is warm, welcoming with simple decor. It is family run and everything is fresh. The chicken kabob is phenomenal. The chicken has the perfect char and is moist inside. The best gyro meat I have had. The steak kabob is nicely spiced, but I liked the chicken better. The hummus, baba ganoush and spicy potato appetizers are amazing. The pita good for dipping. The portions are big. read more

The Palm Tree - Hummus and Baba Ghanoush - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Got this for lunch and had to try their lunch specials. Ordered the gyro plate comes with pita bread, tzatziki, salad, and rice. So much flavor absolutely delicious and I love that it's not a heavy meal. The pita was a little hard on the outer part but it was still good! Saw that they also offer hummus so might try it next time :) read more

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Love this place, they're so quick and really friendly! I been living around this area for years and i regret not coming here earlier ! Lots of tables to sit and very clean The food is obviously delicious! Love the rice read more

The Palm Tree - I love this place, Service is quick The food is soooo fire Definitely recommend! - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Falafels are on point! This is my fav from my visit today. The mixed kabab plate is good in general. It could be better. The beef is a lil bit overcooked hence hard to chew (it will be better if it were cooked medium), chicken is a lil hard to chew as well but it is flavorful, and ground beef is the better protein option out of the three. My husband got the lamb shank. This was his fav. Must have slow cooked the meat cuz it just falls off the bone smoothly. Friendly lady server. But she disappears in the kitchen for some time while there are customers dining or in line, waiting to be seen. Been sitting and waiting around for the server to come out from the kitchen for 15 mins wanting to ask for a check lol and only to find out you need to pay up in the front. Haha In my opinion they should hire more servers. read more

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First time eating the chicken and it was SO DARN DELICIOUS! freshly made! And seasoned well with the garlic sauce! It was grilled and had that crunch on it that happens when u grill chicken! I should have got the meal, but next time. And it smelled so good inside! Very calming and clean and the temperature was great in this hot weather read more

Awesome place to grab a healthy bite of food. Servings were generous for about 20 bucks a person. I got the mixed three which was the beef, chicken, and ground beef kebabs. Two sides were hummus and salad. The chicken was amazing it was my favorite but the ground beef was also in competition towards it. The desert options were great I grabbed one of each and two of the pie shaped ones. My favorite was the smaller circle one very flaky. Very quit day when we first came in just lots of to go orders. As we got our food a huge party of folks joined for the holiday Eid al-Adha. We moved over tables for newer guest to take our table and combine with theirs for a bigger party. We continued to site h the workers thanked us for offering to mover over a bit. We wee done no problem. Nice lady's. Ac was off at first so a bit stuff but they turned it on eventually read more

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The restaurant is extremely clean and the service attentive. The food was good, but I've had better. The chicken shish kebab was a bit dry, and the Shawarma mix plate. Tasty but dry. On both those dishes came a salad and some tasty rice. I also ordered a Greek salad and found that to be delicious. read more

Offering authentic Iraqi taste, The PalmTree (النخلة) has been perhaps the most rewarding of our semi-investigatory, pre-shift lunches so far. Innocuously located in one of countless strip malls throughout the shopping center sprawl of Riverside, The PalmTree ultimately grabbed our digital attention with their immediately mouthwatering pics on Yelp/Google/whatever. Living up to its promise, the aroma/scene upon entry only further confirmed our decision as there was a modest but eye-catching grocery section, and basically everyone else but us was ordering in Arabic. Our very-reasonably priced (and legitimately delicious) lunch platters came out just like the pictures: hummus pooled with olive oil, piled slices of onions showered in sumac, and juicy/generously herbed ground beef kebabs. read more

The Palm Tree - Beef kebab was juicy and well herbed. - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

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This has become mine and my husbands new place to go eat. When we moved back to the US last year from being overseas the last 5 years, it was really hard finding an authentic place that didn't sell crap food or fake food. Everything is fast food nowadays and it's overwhelmingly sad. This place is very authentic and you can tell they cook their food with love. I don't feel sluggish or terrible after eating here. I always feel full and well fed. Their portions are very generous in my opinion (compared to Italian portions). This is REAL food, and I love that. The owner and everyone else that works there is so kind. I honestly love coming here. I feel seen, I feel cared for, and I feel respected. This is what I call "soul food", good for the body and good for the soul. This place NEVER disappoints so I want to thank everyone who works here and the owner from the bottom of my heart. read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

This place was incredible! I ordered lunch to go, and it was ready so quickly. The lady who gave me my food was nice, and the place was very clean inside. I ordered the KMG combo that comes with Lamb chops, chicken skewers, and ground beef kabab. Along with rice, hummus, a salad, and pita bread. All the meats were so juicy, tender and flavorful!! Some of the best food I've ever had. You can tell it is all made fresh. So much food for only 30$ read more

The Palm Tree - KMG Combo with Lamb chops, chicken skewers, and ground beef kabab. Along with rice, hummus, a salad, and pita bread. For 30$ - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Our visit to The Palm restaurant was phenomenal! You feel like you have traveled overseas and are eating at a local restaurant were a grandma prepares your meal. The food was phenomenal! The trip was so so good, the lamb was juicy and didn't have a strong taste. Falafel was fresh and savory. My husband loves middle eastern food, will definitely be returning! read more

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Came by for lunch with some coworkers and everyone left happy - even the guy who thought it was a Raising Cane's day. You walk in and feel like it's a blend of a nice restaurant, a mini market, and someone's home. It's clean, comfy, cute. A few of our guys were having fun just browsing the drink options. We got the hummus with beef and falafels for appetizers to split and different lunch specials. The rice was delicious, chicken shawarma was very moist, and I was a tad envious of the chicken kabobs because they also looked great. We'll have to come back. read more

I love mediterranean food so I thought I would try this local restaurant. I must say it did not disappoint. The food here is amazing. I had the beef Shawarma combo plate and it was absolutely delicious Will be coming back for sure read more

The Palm Tree - Beef Shawarma combo plate - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Amazing food and many selection to order from. The service was fast and very tasty food I do recommend this restaurant . read more

I tried this place last night with my partner and I definitely want to come back. The service is really warm and friendly, and the server was happy to answer any questions about the menu. The food was brilliant - we had the KMG platter, the chicken shawarma wrap, the fattoush salad and some of the baklava and everything was delicious. The meats, especially the lamb chops, were juicy, tender and well seasoned, the hummus was excellent (and whatever olive oil they top it with was lovely, really fruity and rich), the salads were nice and fresh with just enough dressing to flavor them without overwhelming, and the tahini, the toum and the wrap sauce were magical. The pistachio baklava was perfect, just sweet enough and juicy/syrupy. It was a Friday evening around 8 and there was only a couple of other groups in there, so of course we were seated immediately and the service was really fast too, but this restaurant deserves to be way busier. read more

We ordered the KMG plate (grilled chicken and ground beef skewers and two fat lamb chops) everything was delicious, even the olive oil on the hummus was noteworthy But genuinely, this was maybe one of the best lamb chops I've ever had. Meat was charred at the edges but so tender it melted off the bone. I groaned when I took the first bite. The chicken similarly was outstanding. We also ordered the samosas, which resembled empanadas, filled to bursting with wonderfully seasoned ground beef. A side salad and a chicken shawarma wrap and a side of tahini finished out our order. Everything was delightful. And on top of that, it was like eating with a family. The service was so pleasant and warm, I couldn't help but tell them multiple times how much I loved the food. Treat yourself right and eat here, and get some baklava on the way out. read more

Food, service and ambiance was amazing. Food is so fresh, and the owner is a sweet heart and so endearing. We also got their babaganoush and eggplant salad with pita bread - so refreshing! Highly recommend their food and sit down. read more

The Palm Tree - Shawarma plate with no rice, chicken and beef cubes kabab - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

The last time we went to Loma Linda we found this gem and now every time we're there it's the first place we want to go to eat. Always very welcoming and everything we've tried has been even more delicious than expected. read more

Authentic Iraqi food. I've been here many times, amazing food. Very nice people! I enjoyed multiple dishes. All taste great! read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

It has been a long time since I had really good and authentic Mediterranean food. We came with the family to celebrate a birthday and at first we were a bit skeptical but in the end we were so glad we decided to try it. We tried the Kebsa Lamb and a family platter and everything was delicious! Customer service was good as well. It felt like as if you were visiting family and they serve you as such. Already started recommending to family and friends. Definitely looking forward to come back and try other dishes. My only recommendation would be to give real silverware instead of the plastic ones. read more

The Palm Tree - Small Family Platter Lamb shink - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

Food Items: - KMG Combo - Samosas * I'm not an expert food critic so this is just from my point of view. It was pretty good. I've gone to other mediterranean places and they have been bland and dry. This place has flavor. It's not there at first bite, but once you chew a bit more, it's there. I enjoyed my place, i devoured it right away so there's no picture. The service was spot on friendly and welcoming. Upon the bell ringing, the lady came out and assisted me and answered all my questions. With the wait, I didn't want to take up there seats as it was a to-go order so i waited in my car. As I was coming back, she was kind enough to bring it to my car. I will mostly be going back. read more

The chicken shawarma and the rice they had were really good. The setting was very home based and felt very comfortable. The pita bread was fresh just as everything else and the service was relatively quick and the quality was top notch read more

If you have not been, GO! This place is wonderful!! Great scratch made food by the mother and aunt of our server. The food was hot and delicious! I will go back more sooner than later. Not fancy, but good! read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California

First time here & let me tell you, the food was amazing. Best way to describe it, it's like if you were sitting in their home having dinner that's how authentic it was. If you are in the area, this place is a must stop by. Amazing! read more

The best Middle Eastern food I've had. Great and caring service. In a small strip mall away from things, but worth the trip. read more

Stopped by this place for lunch after reading the great reviews! I rarely review a restaurant but this place is truly a 5 star restaurant! The food was amazing and fresh! We had the lentil soup and green salad and the chicken and beef kabobs! Everything was cooked to perfection! We topped off our meal with a sampler of baklava!! Since we live an hour away, we decided to take home the family platter of Kabobs with 3 sides for dinner! Yes, we are eating this food twice in the same day since it was outstanding!! I strongly recommend this restaurant! Every town needs a restaurant like this one!!! Enjoy!! read more

The place here is great, I ordered here like a week ago and I been coming here at least a couple more times. Place is clean the people here are friendly and professional. I had their lamb shank and it was amazing, I also had the combo and have to say some of the best Mediterranean food I eaten. I am a nobody but a definitely recommend this place. read more

Food is very nice, price ok and fast service. Close to home and convenient to get there

Very very good authentic food. Family owned and run. All gracious and wonderful. I've tried many Mediterranean restaurants. This one right at the top of over 50 restaurants tried Try them out, you'll be very pleased you did. read more

The food was super delicious, when I came in I got greeted and the lady that took care of us was really nice. The place was super clean and very homey with nice music playing. Overall highly recommend. My stepmom really enjoyed this drink, would highly recommend! read more

The Palm Tree - Mediterranean Near Me - Riverside, California