OOF, SO GOOD - Shoutout to the gal at my optometry place with all that great food recs - I normally…read moredon't get loaded fries or fries in general. TBH was reminded of my partner - got the Chicken Shawarama Fries. I asked the counter staff if they recommended the chicken or beef, they said chicken. Obviously everyone has a different palatte. Got that along with the spiced hibiscus and the iced jordanian street coffee; drinks were good. The fries were amazing - the toum on this is *chef's kiss. I got a full size as I opted this for an entree but honestly should of gotten the mini as I don't eat that many fries.. The gal at my optometry reccomended this place for those who like shawarmas.

I had a very unpleasant and unsanitary experience here which I want to share below…read more I ordered online and showed up to the store, asked for the food from them, and waited for my food for a while. When it was taking longer than expected, I walked back up to them and asked what the status of the order was and they told me that they accidentally gave away my order to a doordasher and that they called him and told him to bring it back so they could give it to me. I'm very disappointed in this practice for a few reasons - at no point did they let me know this transparently, and if I hadn't asked about it, I assume they would have just given me an order that some stranger already drove off with, which is unsanitary, not to mention that my food would be cold. It's also unreasonable to expect that a customer would accept food that someone else drove off with. On top of this, the food took way too long for obvious reasons. Instead of suggesting an appropriate alternative like them remaking the meal they expected me to take the food that passed through someone else's hands. I told them I need a refund because that's a disgusting suggestion. The food here is quite good so I'm very disappointed and reluctant to give this place a bad review, but it's inexcusable to do this in my opinion and doesn't speak well as to the other hygiene practices of this business.

If you're looking for halal Mediterranean/Egyptian food, this spot is definitely worth checking…read moreout! They have tons of options and are very vegetarian-friendly as well. Everything is made fresh to order, and you can really taste the quality in every dish. I especially loved the grilled meats -- they had that perfect smoky char flavor straight from the grill. The staff were incredibly friendly and took the time to explain the different dishes and the best way to enjoy them. Beef, Kofta & Chicken: Super flavorful and packed with spices, with an amazing grilled/charred flavor. I loved being able to build my own wrap with all the different veggies and sauces! Hawawshi Traditional (Egyptian Meat Pie): Similar to arayes, but even more flavorful and juicy. It comes generously stuffed, and the arugula paired perfectly with it. Chicken Breast Bowl: OMG, the fries were so good! The chicken and fries combo worked perfectly together. The chicken had subtle hints of lime and was served over a creamy mayo-style sauce that tied everything together. Salad: Light, refreshing, and topped with onions, pickled veggies, fruit, and vinaigrette. Overall, it's such a fun and casual place to hang out. There's an outdoor patio with self-serve tea and water, and I loved the cozy lights and tent setup. I'll definitely be back!

I was mainly there to get halal goat. Goat prices were reasonable and meat was fresh. I keep going…read moreback here to get goat meat. Once I tried the whole chicken, which was like $17. They were nice enough to skin and cut it. But I found it was mostly bone, with desirable meaty pieces missing. The grocery store had several middle eastern products, which all looked interesting. There was also Gol persian ice cream. They had a reasonably priced food menu as well. I love the Egyptian items in the menu the most. Hawawshi is my favorite. Chicken kofta kabob skewer was good. Beef/lamb shawarma wrap was ok. It didn't have much flavor. They give a garlic sauce (Toom) as side. That is super flavorful. Everything tastes better with it. Side pickled vegetables was very flavorful too.

Excellent! Small buz vibes, excellent food, and the server was very kind. We got the Baba ghanoush,…read morezaatar and jebneh, and chicken tikka masala with naan. All were delicious!

One of my favorite restaurants: This is a hole in the wall restaurant in a bit of an odd area for a…read morerestaurant, but don't let that throw you. The owner is incredibly nice, and the service there is always top notch. The restaurant might not be large or fancy, but it's clean. While I've tried a number of items, I typically get the chicken samosa as an appetizer, beef kabob sandwich with special spicy sauce (that wonderful bread and pickled veggies really put it over the edge), and then I'd get the beef kabob with biryani rice and extra yogurt sauce. This makes multiple delicious meals for me to have as leftovers as well.

Hella yummy Palestinian food in the Bay!…read more I've heard of Holyland but finally had the chance to dine there for a weekend lunch. These days it's always at the front of my mind that food spots that call themselves "Middle Eastern" or "Mediterranean" truly divulge who is the owner and chefs are. I'm talking about only eating from restaurants that can name the country their food comes from be it Falasteen, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the list goes on. Holyland is located in the industrial part of Santa Clara, and they boast lots of interior seating (great for large parties and group meals) and also run a catering service. So there's loads of parking and plenty of space. My friend and I were hungry, so I got the lamb kofta and he had the beef plates. We were SO happy. It comes with a light tangy salad, delicious hummus with a kick of spice, a bed of delicious yellow rice and slender pita bread. They also have serve-yourself hot cardamom tea which is so delicious and perfect. They also serve a bunch of other refrigerated drinks like Salaam Cola and kefir. The mezze plate with x4 different dips looks so yummy, I would get that next time with a large group to share. Will definitely head back with a larger group. We saw other diners from couples, to solo to large families eating. The interior could use some sprucing up, but the quality of the food, staff, and authenticity of the place is #1. Delicious. Freedom for the Holyland Five and liberation for all of Palestine!

Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5…read moreAtmosphere: 5/5 Yummy!! We got for takeout: - kefta kebab plate: meat was flavorful but slightly too pink in the center! We microwaved for 30seconds and it was fine, still super juicy. The hummus it comes with has a spice added in the center of it - moussaka with meat: very flavorful, has eggplants, peppers, onions, ground beef - kenafeh: soft, sweet, without being overly drenched in syrup My partner really liked the moussaka. Everything is thoroughly cooked in it and flavored really well, and the rice pairs great. I went on a Thursday afternoon before 5pm and it was empty, food was brought out pretty quickly and they were friendly. There's plenty of parking, it's tucked behind some other buildings.

wow words do not do…read morejustice to this meal. some of the tastiest food in the south bay is in an incredibly unassuming restaurant next to the VTA station. Jubba is serving up some of the best food i've ever had. As a newbie to somali food, I am now hooked. we came in on a friday around 6:15 and there was a steady group of people enjoying their food. we ordered at the counter and took a seat outside to enjoy the weather 1 Sambusa 1 chicken wrap 1 beef plate the sambusa arrived first and initially I thought Samosa in my head. But the sambusa has a better structure, holding its shape after multiple bites. the Dough is softer but still crispy. it came with beef , chilies and other vegetables. so so good. the perfect appetizer for us. it came with a spicy green sauce that seemed to be the common sauce for every dish then the stars of the show. The sizzling hot beef plate served with veggies, rice and a salad was unbelievable. add on a lemon and some more greens sauce and you're in for a treat. the rice alone was so flavorful and it tasted like there was meat drippings on top. the beef was so tender and fell apart in 1 bite. I was blown away with the dish the chicken wrap... man. I'm not sure what kind of bread, pita was used but it was fantastic. a huge wrap with lettuce, onion chicken, sauce and other veggies. It was so messy and hard to eat with your hands so we resorted to eating with a fork and knife. Unreal. Unreal. massive portions again which are a theme here. But holy smokes this was so good. The chicken has a nice char, but is also juicy and saucy. the spongy pita neutralizes the bombardment of flavor from the meat, and the veggies compliment everything with some crunch and texture. Service was great and very helpful. They were extremely friendly and a delight to talk with. We will be back 5/5

We took my 76-year-old basketball buddy to Jubba for his birthday. We invited our other young bball…read morebuddies with a diverse pallet. Turns out, it was quite a generational feast! My Gen Y friends rate it 3.5 stars while my old buddy and I give it a solid 4. Food (3.5-4 stars) + The chicken wrap ($11-14) was the star: huge, flavorful, and the two sauces--spicy green and creamy white yogurt based sauce--made it even better. + Sambusa appetizer ($3) was fantastic. It's like a samosa with meat and various spices filling. It's better than many Indian ones I've had. ~ Sports Plate ($35-44) was large and tasty, with tender beef atop yellow rice and those same great sauces. Great spices but it's lacking some heat. I wonder if we can get it spicy? ~ Beef suqaar ($17-26) was just okay--flavors a bit standard and the meat a bit tough. It comes with a choice of starch I think. We picked the jeera which is like a crepe/tortilla. This dish is like an African version of Fajitas. Service/Ambiance (3 stars) + They bring the food to the table after you order at the counter. ~ The ambiance feels a bit dated, more '80s strip mall than cozy, but it's a unique, authentic experience. - No free water--bottled water ($1-2) or soft drinks only. We had a great time, but next time, I'll bring my own water!

Can't believe I haven't written a review for Iraklis yet! I've tried quite a number of things on…read morethe menu, and have thourugly liked just about everything! My favorites include the shawarma lamb wrap damascus style, falafel tacos, the original chicken shawarma wrap, and of course the pickles and toum. I also really enjoyed the Fatteh. You can't really go wrong with anything here, it's just about what your personal favorites are. The owners are so kind and friendly, always chatting with everyone in the restaurant, they create a very warm and welcoming environment, and you can tell they really care about what they do.

We got two different vegetarian wraps to go: the Lebanese fries wrap and the falafel wrap. To our…read moresurprise, the fries wrap was the better of the two, as the garlic aioli and whatever other flavors were added made it tasty. It definitely could have used the coleslaw and pickles promised by the menu but they weren't in evidence. That was the problem with the falafel wrap, too: the menu promised hummus, cabbage & tomatoes salad, and pickled turnips, but those ingredients weren't anywhere to be seen. There was some lettuce instead, but lettuce is a poor substitute as it just becomes immediately soggy and adds no flavor. If you've ever had falafel in Israel, you will be disappointed by the falafel here, unfortunately. (Israeli falafel shops each make at least a dozen toppings from family recipes, so you put as many veggies and sauces in as you can to create a flavor party in your mouth.)

Great xinjiang food here, lamb is good, fresh and tasty. Will consider come here againread more

This is one of the best XinJiang style restaurants I ever had in the Bay Area. Especially the…read moreeggplant starter, I enjoyed so much!

Took my mom here for an early dinner and so glad I did! The…read morefood was delicious and the service was amazing! It's a hidden gem. I'm coming back with the entire family for dinner soon!

Had a chance to try Tamra for a work lunch and enjoyed the experience. The restaurant is located…read morenear a gas station, but when you walk in it's very cute. THe service here was really nice and the food was fresh. For our order we got: * 6 sampler dips - this was fun to try because there were so many options of dips to try. I really enjoyed the hummus and labneh as well as the other dip that looked like hummus. The pita you could tell was very fresh, but a little smaller in size than what I have seen before * Chicken skewers - this came on a bed of rice with roasted tomatoes and zucchini. There was also a sauce drizzled on top which was nice. This dish I enjoyed the meat. I felt the rice was a little off though and the tomato was a little thicker than it should have been. Overall though enjoyed the company and the time here!

I was here yesterday for a business dinner, party of 2. We had the Maza Sampler for 2. Each of us…read morehad the Combo Kebab & molten chocolate cake for dessert. I had 2 house cabs & my colleague had 2 beers. The service was excellent. Every dish was excellent. Every appetizer in the sampler stood out. The main dishes were cooked to perfection. The meat grilled as should be, moist, flavorful, & tender. The rices was simply superb. Nice texture with the nuts. The rice itself was a dish on its own, not just a side thought. The spices here & in all the dishes were subtle, not overpowering, & distinguishable. Plenty of pita & special hot sauce too! We each paid $89 without tip. And tipped generously. Why do I give a 5? Yes it's expensive, but this price point is worth paying for this quality. This is going on my family's splurge list. This is exceptional Middle-Eastern cuisine. Made with craft, care, pride, & quality.

Really big restaurant located in downtown San Jose. They have various "Dish N Dash" restaurants…read morewhich are the same thing but takeout only. We were only there for drinks/snacks so I tried the babaghounash (sp). I thought it was ok. My partner really liked it. Pita was fine. We also got complementary pita with some kind of mediterranean olive oil dip which was ok. The falafels were really tasty esp with the hot sauce. Would come back to try more next time.

Another one got through! And when I say another one, I mean a place I've been going to for over 20…read moreyears that I somehow never reviewed. I moved away from the area some time ago, so I haven't had the chance to come here nearly as often as I used to. Happy to report that aside from the higher prices and the slightly smaller banana shake, everything else remains exactly the same. Still one of my favorite family-owned San Jose staples. Consistency like that over two decades is hard to find. BB

Orange freeze: needs more orange flavor. 3/5…read more The hot sauce portion seems to be getting smaller -- this last visit, I got a large falafel sandwich, extra hot sauce, and ran out before the sandwich was done. I resorted to licking hot sauce residue out of the empty container and off the sandwich paper, like a dog. Falafel sandwich's still fire tho!