I recently visited Habibi Mediterranean Grill in Santee and was genuinely impressed! They're under new management and you can absolutely tell -- [[HIGHLIGHT]]the service was welcoming, attentive, and the overall vibe felt fresh and inviting.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food was AMAZING. Everything tasted fresh, well-seasoned, and made with care. The meats were juicy and flavorful, the rice was perfectly cooked, and the portions were generous. You can really taste the quality in every bite. It's so nice to see a local spot elevate like this. If you haven't been in a while, definitely give them another try. The new management is doing a fantastic job, and I'll definitely be back! read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

The Good: I ordered a "family platter for 5". I was worried that it wouldn't be enough, as we had 5 adults, a teen, and toddler. There was easily enough food for 10 people. The meat and rice were both good, I didn't have any of the issues I'm seeing in other reviews with the meat being dry or anything, all the meat was solid and good. The hummus was also good. The bad: this was the second time I had eaten from here and I had the same experience both times: the meat n rice were good, solid. But the vegetables and sauces were low quality and kinda poorly made. The tomatoes and onions were poorly roasted and the yogurt sauce wasn't very good. These are the little details that can make a huge difference and boost an eating experience from good to great. I will certainly be eating here again, BUT, it will be under pretty specific circumstances, like feeding a lot of people. I will have a hard time choosing this for a lunch or dinner over other places in east county that are a bit better on the margins read more

First time here. They are open til 9pm. Did you know that Habibi means Love? Located in the Santana village strip mall. Plenty of parking. Somewhat Wheelchair friendly cuz it's Tight. Food was phenomenal. Very friendly staff. Reasonably priced for quality of the food. Lots of good choices on the menu. We had beef shwarma wrapped in a tortilla ( even though we did choose pita) it came w super skinny shoestring fries. The dipping sauce looked like lebnah but our server said it was tzaziki. It was a very delicious non tzaziki dip anyway. The cans of pepsi (yay) from the cooler were very cold. And for me, an icy cold can of pespsi is a win anywhere. And they gave us proper takeout containers unlike some hawaiin neighbors which shall remain nameless. We definitely recommend Habibi and we will be back. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]@habibi_mediterranean_grill truly feels like a taste of home.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Everything is made with love by a wonderful family, and you can feel it in every bite -- food that reaches your heart before your belly. The portions are very generous, and the attention to detail in each dish really stands out. read more

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Finally a Mediterranean restaurant in Santee ! Was recommended this spot by a friend so I came with my buddies so we can try a little bit of everything. Their homemade hummus with beef shawarma on top was a great starter. Their kufta was delicious we each had one. We got the kuzi with two different kinds of rice. The meat on that was so tender. We got the mixed grill plate which comes with rice and 4 different kinds of meat so we got a variety. Beef kabob, beef tikka, chicken kabob, and chicken tikka. Last item we shared was the gyro wrap cut into pieces and ask for their Habibi sauce because it was so good ! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant was clean and staff was kind ![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Definitely coming back. read more

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First time here and will definitely be coming back food was really good and fresh and the woman inside was really sweet with everyone in there. read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

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This place was great unfortunately it is closed when I went there two weeks ago. The baklava was great! The chicken shawarma had an amazing flavor and my hook was the saffron rice! The service was great and a chill vibe. read more

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I came out here for a soccer tournament and came across this restaurant. I ordered a chicken wrap. It was delicious. Came with some fries too. I really enjoyed it read more

Wow!! Fresh ingredients and SOO tasty. High quality and generous portions. I'll be back!

Great spot for mediterranean bowls and takeout! We had shared the chicken shawarma plate which came with two sides (tabouleh & greek salad), base (yellow rice), and pita bread - plenty for two. I also added a beef kabob to try and the flavor was great. Only gave 4 stars because the order took about 10 mins, but they make up for it by giving your choice of sauces. Looking forward to dining in to try at its freshest! read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Chicken Shawarma Plate, Greek Salad, Beef Kabob - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

Visited Habibi Mediterranean Grill for the first time. As one who does look for good Mediterranean food in our region I must say I was very happy to have found this wonderful restaurant. The proprietress was lovely. She was very kind and answered our questions and made delicious suggestions for our choices for lunch. Our meal, beef kebab and gyro shwarma was delicious! And can I just mention the pickled beets! If you dislike beets, as I do, these will make you think twice. So refreshing and just the thing to compliment the meal. Our lovely host also brought us a sample of lentil soup. Devine! Full of flavor and simply fantastic. As they haven't been open even a year I highly recommend this wonderful restaurant. This is a gem that must remain a part of the community for a long time to come ! read more

New go to for Mediterranean in Santee. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great menu, lovely service, clean place, excellent food for a reasonable price.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Couldn't ask for anything better. read more

Walked in ordered my food took about 10minutes. Food was made to order and they weren't busy. Just wish the sandwich came with more veggies without charge (lettuce,tomato,onion) which is why i gave 4 stars. read more

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New spot on Santee bringing the Mediterranean flavors! It's a small counter service place with limited seating, so I don't recommend dining in with a large group - it's better to call ahead to pick up. Right as you walk in you can see the 3 juicy spits of meat slowly spinning and cooking to perfection. There is chicken Shawarma, beef, and gyro. One of the best things about this place is you get to pick your own toppings, some come with 3 and some come with 4. There is a house dressing that's served on most dishes but you can ask for additional sauces when you pick up your order, they have tatziki, garlic, Tahini, habibi, ranch, and Chipotle ranch. I ordered a gyro pita with lettuce, tomato, and banana peppers. It came with a generous portion of fries. The pita almost looked like it was whole wheat, and they put so much stuff in there that the pita could barely contain it all! (a good problem to have) In my personal opinion I think the gyro could've had a little more spices to it, but overall it was really good and I was very full and satisfied! There is a large selection of can or bottle beer and even some Asian style non-alcoholic drinks like Boba milk tea in a can. I hope this place sticks around! read more

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I had a good chicken shawarma wrap from this recently opened Middle Eastern eatery in Santee for $12.99. You get to choose three ingredients to add to the wrap. I added black olives, lettuce, and feta cheese. The chicken shawarma was not only tender but nicely seasoned and marinated. They put a good amount of chicken in the wrap, but it was unevenly distributed. For example, one side had a lot of chicken, and the other half had very little. The lettuce and black olives were good, and the feta cheese was very good. The yogurt sauce I had on the side was very good, too. The wrap with fries. I wanted a small salad, but unfortunately, they were not willing to accommodate. The service at the counter was good. The young lady was nice and definitely on it. She did well managing all the to go orders. They offer inside and outside seating. read more

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My boyfriend and I had been craving middle eastern food for weeks now so after leaving our gym in the area we decided to stop in & order food to go. Definitely exceeded our expectations! We were greeted right away and both mother and daughter seemed genuinely happy to help and serve us. I ordered the mixed grill plate so that I could try a bit of everything and my boyfriend ordered the beef shawarma plate. The saffron rice is so a fragrant and good! The meat was all well seasoned and cooked perfectly not dry at all. Leftovers will make a great lunch tomorrow. The middle eastern salad was also very fresh. We also got the baklava and a side of spicy hummus w/ pita. Everything tasted so fresh and authentic. Portions are also very generous. They make your food fresh per order and the wait is honestly 100% worth it. 10/10 we will definitely be coming back as repeat customers! read more

I was looking for something new to try in the Santee area and stumbled upon this gem -- and I'm so glad I did. The food is incredibly fresh and tastes truly authentic Middle Eastern. Special shout-out to the baba ghanoush -- hands down one of the best I've ever had. So flavorful and perfectly smoky! The woman working there was also incredibly sweet, and the service was warm and welcoming. I'll definitely be coming back regularly. Highly recommend! read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

Excellent food! Reccomend this place for diabetics. Healthy, Great service, and very friendly. Check them out you will be impressed. :-)

So good!! Newer biz so be patient with them. They are working hard and their food is very tasty and good quality / fair prices. Sweetest mom / daughter owned it and were working when we went. The checking was perfectly flavored and so juicy, hummus on point, tabouli amazing. Thanks!! read more

First time here Great customer service Very nice and friendly Food is fresh and good read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Lovely food and service, food tasted good and place clean not to mention affordable, love it definitely recommend[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Habibi has found its sweet spot and worked out any wrinkles. My daughter and I eat here after school at least once a week. She loves the lamb shank meal. It is a huge portion. I will usually have the chicken shawarma or the falafel, always good. They also make something called a 'potato chop' that folks should try. It is potato with meat in it in a pancake form. Very, very good. read more

$18 habibi fries should come with more than just 3 ingredients. Fries, meat, tahini sauce. I would expect maybe feta, and something else to give it a zing, but was left disappointed. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Service was very good and the place was sparkling clean, but I don't think the food is as good as it should be.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Small shop offering quality and tasty Mediterranean food in Santee. Located in the Smart & Final shopping center, next to Round Table Pizza. Great tasting fresh items that you can tell were prepared with care. The owner, Lara, is charming, courtous and professional. We have been back three times now, especially loving the beet salad, baba ganoush, and chicken tikka. Including a couple of photos of items we brought home. read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

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The girl behind the counter was really nice. I wanted to love the place but the falafel was mediocre and the fries were limp. The pita tasted like super market pita. They put the pickled pepper and beet with the fries so the fries tasted like pickled peppers. The hummus was ok. The pistachio baklava was really tasty. read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Falafel - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

Wow!!! Amazing food and service!! We were in town visiting my mother in law and decided to grab food here before a long drive back. We were so impressed with the flavor of the food, presentation and the service we received. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The restaurant and bathroom were clean and very well kept as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We will definitely be back next time we're in town! read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Beef kebab plate and gyro - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

The quality of food is impressive i've had a lot of mediterranean food before but this place really is packed with love

New spot in Santee we had to try for lunch! They have a great menu with a lot of options. The staff was very helpful answering all our questions! We ended up getting a wrap and a pita with an array of sauces. Both options were huge portions! read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Beef Pita - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

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First time at this place the food was great and less than $15 I recommend this place and will be going back. Thanks. read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

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Oh my goodness their chicken schwarma plate here is so good! The tzatziki sauce is probably the best tzatziki sauce ive ever had. The chicken is nice & crisp, but not dry. The salads are fresh. My stomach is happy. read more

New Management will lose this soon unless they right the ship. I loved the chicken shawarma with the original brand. This is a far cry from it. 1) pickles do not belong on shawarma. 2) [[HIGHLIGHT]]when it's cooler outside in August than within the restaurant that's a problem.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] 3) seasoning exists and shouldn't be she away from. 4) why is everything so damn dry. All the natural moisture is now cooked out and the pitas taste like a week old and not well stored. 5) sauces are forgettable I liked the original menu this is not authentic and a poor substitute. Likely won't be returning. read more

I almost forgot to review this spot. We did a delivery order from this spot and everything was darn good. Gyros were tasty and juicy. It's a good alternative to Luna grill and it's small business owned from what it appears. Supported and will reorder again. read more

I came in with a friend for dinner. Her family is from Syria so when I mentioned this new spot opening she wanted to check it out as much as I did! [[HIGHLIGHT]]We were not disappointed. It's super clean and bright inside[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. They serve beer and wine (yea). Service was great. Not much time for waiting. Amazing menu and I'm still dreaming of their falafel wrap. The fries were also amazing. Love their fries. Will definitely make this spot a regular. read more

Best kept secret in Santee! Today for lunch we had bowls. More food than we could eat. Great flavors, very helpful and friendly Staff that assisted us with our first time visit. Meat is well flavored, portion was large and a great value for the affordable cost. You have to try this restaurant. Took home our to go boxes and picked up an extra kabob and Baklava to go. Dinner is taken care of for tonight and I cant wait to finish it up. Simply the best. read more

I recently ordered a family platter and side of tabbouleh for my monthly book club meeting. Everyone was super impressed with the quality and taste of the food. Also, the portions were extremely generous! The owner even helped me load everything into my car. We will absolutely order from here again in the future. read more

Food isn't bad, kinda skimpy portions of meat on the sandwhich to be honest It's a bit pricey for what you get, but it's not their fault. It's the city of Santee. read more

We've been waiting patiently for this hot spot to open up and it was well worth it! We got a little mix of options like beef fries. My son is very picky and he smashed those like he just came off a 40 day fast. Wife chose a gyro plate with yellow rice and I got a gyro on pita with a side of fries. Definitely new fans. I honestly believe subway will be going out of business soon sharing the same parking lot. read more

Habibi Mediterranean Grill - HULK SMASH!!! - Mediterranean Near Me - Santee, California

I used to really love Habibi before they closed to change management. Now the food has changed and not for the better. I used to love their Greek salad with shawarma but i ordered it again yesterday and the lettuce was old, less chicken on the salad and it came with black olives instead of green. And no dressing. My husband got a bowl and usually all of the sauce was on the side but now they crammed it all in to the bowl. They also need to fix their Grubhub interface as the options are incorrect. Some of this is simple stuff except the food also simply doesn't taste as good as it used to either. Bummer because I prefer to support local businesses. read more

Tried out this spot last night. Oh my goodness! It was so delicious. Everything was fresh & high quality. The staff was attentive. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Everything was nice & clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We really enjoyed ourselves. This will definitely be cycled into our rotations on nights we don't feel like cooking dinner. read more

I placed an order on Sunday for pick-up. When I pulled up to the restaurant they were closed!! Their google listing said they were open Sundays. If you're not able fulfill orders, stop your online ordering platform. I was so surprised since I had received an email receipt as confirmation of my order. The next day I went in to let them know and ask for a refund. The person working was so rude and unapologetic and said I had to reach out to their pos system, Clover directly. He also said the issue had happened before. If you've had that issue before- maybe you should do something to prevent it from happening to another customer. The clover website doesn't have a customer service phone number listed, I was being prompted to log in to a merchant account. I had to call my bank to get a refund. The situation should have been prevented by the business and the poor customer service when I tried to speak to an employee are enough to make me never want to eat here again. read more