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    Yaba Yabaa

    3.3 (85 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Yaba Yabaa Photos

    Business Info

    YABA YABAA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Quiet
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Yaba Yabaa

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    Chicken shawarma
    Kaylie B.

    Needed to update my review of this place. I have been very pleased with both food and service the last few times I have been here. The guys are super nice and the wait time has decreased significantly. I absolutely LOVE the food. These guys really make excellent gyros! So glad I gave this place another go round!

    Yaba Yabaa Lebanese Mediterranean Food Menu
    Michael S.

    Forgive me, but I must Yaba Yabaa ... Dooooo myself a favor by getting some tasty and surprisingly filling Lebanese-style Mediterranean favorites from the Yaba Yabaa food cart at Happy Valley Station. * Lamb Master Sandwich ($10) with extra Meat This should be called the "Monster Sandwich" and come with a warning label because it is a gyro beast. (4 stars) * Hummus ($6) and Pita Bread Smooth and creamy with a trio of olives and not nearly enough pita slices packaged to go. More pita and less olives for me next time. (4 stars) As with most of the cart vendors at the HV Station, service at the counter is friendly and fast. Once you get your gyro, shawarma, falafel, kafta, or kebab, you can choose to sit indoors, outside, or head home like your sliding down the back of a dinosaur at 5:00 yelling Yaba Yabaa Doooooo!

    Lamb Gyro
    Cassandra C.

    Tons of mixed reviews here. After diligent reading I've discovered most of the low stars being thrown around are due to wait times, customer service and personal preference... We came early on Sunday with only a handful of people hanging around. First in line, our wait time was straight off 15 minutes. He was a young man, relatively friendly and told us the wait time immediately. It was no surprise but something to keep in mind. I imagine much longer on a busy summer day. So I'll just try to give you the facts that I gathered. We ordered your basic Lamb Gyro $8, Falafel $7 Sandwich and some Baklava $4. The Lamb Gyro easily could serve two people. I would guess almost a pound of meat was crammed in that Gyro. Here's where we go into personal preference. I like picking up my Gyro and eating it as a whole experience. This Gyro completely fell apart below the weight of meat. I was full after eating as much meat as I could to hold the sandwich together. By that time the bread had all but dissolved under toppings. More personal preference. I also like a bit more veg (in this case more than a sprinkling) in my Gyros. The tzatziki sauce was feta heavy (I love feta but I was missing the cucumber freshness love). Again, personal preference. The meat is fatty for lamb so it melts in your mouth. The flavor was fine, not as gamey as I typically like my lamb but it was good. The Falafel was pretty darn good. It was moist. That sandwich held together like a power house. If you're about quantity for value, Yaba is for you. There was a deceased bug glued to my baklava unfortunately. Looked like he'd been there for a while. I guess I wouldn't mind dying on sticky, delicious baklava. I'm not sure he'd agree. Poor buddy.

    Mmmmmmmm. Lamb over fresh Greek salad with taziki sauce
    Gregory A.

    The older reviews describe an entirely different place to me. I was just at Yaba Yabaa about an hour ago. It was wonderful. I'm on this crazy Keto diet (which works by the way) and this cart caters to folks like me. I ordered the gyro and in place of the wrap I received a delightfully fresh Greek salad under the generous lamb pieces and it was ladled with tzatziki sauce. The entire meal with very enjoyable - warm well seasoned lamb topping a cool green salad with mouthwatering fresh vegetables, kalamata olives and cucumbers. I was in heaven. My wife ordered the same and she had hers in a wrap. She loved her version as well. We ordered the baklava (yes, not keto) and I just realized that so I'll be sharing my dessert with my wife instead. The service was friendly and accommodating. I was told 10 minutes and it was ten minutes. They were very professional and I'll wager they probably washed their hands before they made my food (despite other reviews that seem to come from peeping toms who seemed a little too convenient to mention something you can't really see until you're actually IN the cart - but we'll believe those people, won't we? Nope, no we won't) Authentic Mediterranean food. Great selection. Keto / Gluten free options. Fresh salads. Friendly service. I'll be back for more!

    Truck
    John C.

    Came in the late afternoon. Overall, not a fan and won't come back. I got the falafel which was made to order. From the texture and shape, they looked like pre made frozen pucks. They were hard, dry and had very little flavor. I asked for some salt, they didn't have any. The wrap part was ok, it was soft and fresh. The sauce pretty much had no flavor. The girl who took my order on a service scale I'd give a 3 to. No smile and I did not feel welcomed when I came up. The guy who cooked looked like a nice guy, probably the owner. I love coming to Happy Valley station. There are plenty of other carts to try or go back to that I enjoyed.

    a variety of street signs
    W B.

    This is our back up when we cant make it to Mediterranean Grill a few blocks east. New owners and new name coming soon. Food is great. We love the lamb and chicken shwarma.

    Beef shawarma over rice
    Monica A.

    Pretty good! Very large portions. We got the lamb gyro and beef shawarma over rice. A lot of lamb in the gyro and vegetables were fresh. Well seasoned and not too salty. The pita was a little bready but good to balance out the massive amount of meat. Loved the beef shawarma, not too saucy and fantastic over rice. The portion is huge and definitely enough for two. It came with a small salad and hummus. Both were great flavored and light. Small salad had tomato, bell pepper, lettuce, cucumber, and kalamata olives. Will definitely be back again! Update-- been going to this cart frequently but in the last month, somethings have changed. The rice is different. Not long grain and no saffron. The dressing is also different for the salad, and the hummus is kind of bland. Not sure they changed owners, but I was not impressed with my plate.

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    19 days ago

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    2 years ago

    Food is extra small portions 1 tablespoon of 2 types of hummus, the chicken was tasteless, no spice or salt, we will not come back.

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    this business is top notch mediteranien food arround good service.flavor well maintaind freindly services

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    8 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Food was great! Portions we're big! We only had to wait about 15 minutes during lunch time on a Sunday. I will definitely come back again!

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    7 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Lamb gyro a staple worth sticking to. Service fast and professional. Get the hot sauce, wait get three!

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    3 years ago

    Consistently great tasting food. Have eaten here over a dozen times. Love everything we've tried!

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    8 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Literally just stood here for 15 minutes waiting for someone to take my order. No thanks, i'm out.

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    5 years ago

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    Ask the Community - Yaba Yabaa

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    CORE Collective Oregon Eateries - Broken rice

    CORE Collective Oregon Eateries

    4.4(40 reviews)
    2.9 miLents, Southeast Portland
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    There's a certain kind of mistake that turns into a pilgrimage and like most good food stories,…read moremine started with bad directions and blind confidence. Somewhere between a Yelp recommendation and my own stubborn sense of direction, I managed to drive a full hour the wrong way chasing a Korean barbecue hot honey glaze that sounded like it had been whispered to me by the food gods themselves. What I found instead was disappointment on a paper plate bad signage, worse service, and a meal that tasted like it had given up long before I showed up. But here's the thing about chasing flavor: sometimes you've gotta get lost to earn it. Eventually, I made my way back correctly this time and landed at what can only be described as a modern-day food cart coliseum just off Powell and 82nd. Easy access, right off the road, no nonsense. You swing in, and boom you're there. No treasure map required. And what hits you first isn't just the smell of grilled meat and spices it's the design. This place is two stories of organized chaos done right. Clean lines, thoughtful layout, indoor seating for when Oregon decides to be Oregon, and outdoor space for when you want to sit in the sun with a cold drink and question your life choices over something deep-fried and glorious. This isn't Hillbilly Junction. Not even close. That place has its charm, sure but this? This is polished. Intentional. It's like someone took the soul of a street market and gave it a well-earned promotion. Now let's talk about the food the reason we're all here pretending we didn't just say we were "eating clean this week." That Korean barbecue chicken with the hot honey glaze? Worth every wrong turn, every mile, every ounce of regret from the first stop. Sweet, heat, smoke it hits like a good joke you didn't see coming. You take a bite, and suddenly you're not in a rush anymore. You're leaning on the table, nodding to yourself like, yeah... this is why we do this. And the variety? It's borderline dangerous. You walk through thinking you'll make a responsible decision, maybe something light, maybe something green and then five steps later you're holding something wrapped, fried, glazed, or all three. It's a mecca of bad decisions that somehow feel exactly right. And to be fair, if you're trying to behave, there are healthier options tucked in there too but let's not kid ourselves. Nobody comes here for restraint. There's something else, though. Something personal. Just a block or two away, my grandpa ran Tom's Auto Body on Powell Boulevard for decades. Built a name, built a reputation. So being back in this area it's more than just food. It's familiar ground, just dressed up a little nicer now. And I can't help but think he'd get a kick out of this place. Or at least appreciate the hustle. So here it is, plain and simple: Location? Five stars. You'd have to try to miss it. Value? Five stars. You get more than just a meal you get options, atmosphere, and a reason to come back. This place isn't just a stop it's a destination. And if you get lost on the way, well... you might just end up with a better story.

    The best food cart set up on the east side. Tons of options, indoor and outdoor seating, they have…read moreevents on scheduled nights, there is a bar available inside. There is also a parking lot which makes a huge difference. Great for large groups or big family who can't decide what to eat!

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    Back entrance

    Yaba Yabaa - mediterranean - Updated May 2026

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