First of all we were Hosted by Sara very nice explanations on the wide variety of dishes offered…read more super clean establishment. fast service but not rushed. we got a Sharmawa to go for our road trip back to LA all for 35 bucks.

We showed up hungry and Tarbosh took care of us!!!! We ate chicken tikka, fries, salad, beef kabab,…read moreyellow rice, salad, hummus, and creamy green lental soup. Everything was fresh and delicious!! Our table was very clean and as was the kitchen, dining room, and walk up counter!!! Our server Sarah did an excellent job recommending what to order. Thank you Sarah for being so sweet and attentive to us!! The four large screen tv's were a bonus as we were able to watch world cup soccer!! Im looking forward to returning and trying there desserts and drinks!!!

If you are craving the Syrian-style fried chicken (broasted) with chips fries, this is the place to…read morego! Food is excellent! Shawarma good but I think their fried chicken is the distinguishing factor here! Service is excellent! Ambience casual If you are visiting San Diego, this is worth the 40 mins drive

Great food Posted chicken yummy…read more service quick reasonable pricing fast food vibe Parking easy

Ali Baba is a staple in El Cajon that never disappoints. Always the best quality, fresh and…read moreflavorful food. Portions are huge and everything on the menu is amazing. Definitely my go to for middle eastern food when visiting the area. The service is always welcoming and friendly. Family ambiance with plenty of sitting. Their tandoor bread is addicting and the absolute best! Always freshly made and warm. Highly recommend!

Haven't been here in years, decided to take a trip to El Cajon to have lunch at this mom and pop…read moremiddle eastern restaurant with my mom and pop. They definitely invest their time on the taste of their food and serving large portion sizes instead of fancy tables and decor. It's not upscale fine dining... the interioir looks the exact same for past decade. Although a little dated the place is very clean and fits large or small groups. Not a date night spot -- more a friends and family stuff your face kind of place. They have a dedicated parking lot with plenty of spots. We ordered a ton of food to share. Half roasted chicken with side of fatoush salad, beef kabob plate with side of rice, lamb tikka with side of fries, a large plate of hummus, and an order of falafel (Best Falafel in SoCal). EVERYTHING WAS DELICIOUS! I personally didn't like the lamb tikka but everyone else destroyed that plate. We ordered a pot of black tea (mint flavored) and they brought our large pieces of steaming hot fresh bread. Service was very friendly and fast. They modified any order to your liking. They also thanked us for coming and meant it when they said it -- Mom and Pop shops are The Best! Highly Recommend if you're looking for good quality middle eastern food with large portions.

I have eaten there so many times I can't even count. Their food and their restaurant is my favorite…read moreplace to eat in San Diego. George and Samia are the most wonderful people in the world. George will come out of the kitchen and explain, in detail, every item on the menu. I laugh when I read or even see a subpar review of Alforon. Those people are either high on drugs or never experienced excellent food before. Chicken Tawook, Tabouli salad, house pickles, everything is off the chart and that's just the for starters. You can close your eyes, point to a menu item and have the best meal of your life. Explore their whole menu, you can't go wrong with a single item. Hands down off the chart and excellent food by two of the nicest people you will ever meet in your life.

First of all let me say that the love dessert has me hooked. Best thing here! One of the most…read moreunique and tasty things I've tried in a while, and that's saying a lot w my sweet tooth. I love the floral and pistachio taste, and it doesn't leave you feeling heavy afterwards. The mint lemonade is also a must have- tastes like it came from the garden in the best way possible. For savories, I had the spinach and cheese bajeen, baba gannouj, and the lamb fatteh - all had a lot of flavor and tasted homemade. I love trying new foods so will have to come back with more friends and try other things on the menu. The downside of this place was being seated on the right side of the restaurant near the carry out section. This was the pit of despair. I noticed that most of the staff goes to the other end first, and as a result 4 tables got seated after us and all of them had food on their table before we managed to flag one of the staff. It was definitely busy in there but he replied that he was simply going in order, but apparently order or left side to right side instead of arrival. I recommend trying to get seated on the side w the stained glass windows for better service. Other than that, the experience overall was pleasant.

We recently celebrated my husband's 50th birthday at Charcoal House, and we had such a wonderful…read moreexperience! From start to finish, Suha was incredibly helpful with everything from A-to-Z. She made the planning process so much easier and even recommended amazing dessert vendors that turned out great. Nabil was also so kind, welcoming, and always willing to help with anything we needed. We truly appreciated all of his help and hospitality. The food was delicious, the ambiance was fun and lively, and our guests had a great time. Thank you, Charcoal House, for helping make this celebration so special and memorable!

Charcoal House Bar and Grill was hands down one of the worst experiences I've had at any lounge or…read morerestaurant. The hookah was terrible--harsh, flavorless, and clearly rushed like they didn't care at all. For a place that offers hookah, this was embarrassing. Service was painfully slow and disorganized. On a packed, busy night, they were severely understaffed, which is not the customer's problem. We waited forever for basic service, and staff looked overwhelmed and unprepared. No urgency, no communication, no apologies. The place was crowded, chaotic, and poorly managed. If you know you're going to be busy, staff accordingly. Simple. Overall, bad hookah, bad service, bad management decisions. Definitely not worth the time or money. I won't be coming back and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

What a find! We were driving down from Long Beach blasting Yasmine Hamdan's latest album on repeat,…read moreand rolled into town starving for Mediterranean food, and ordered the Special meal for 2 (Served with rice, kofta kabob, chicken kabob, shish kabob, gyros, hummus, muhammara, babaganouj, garlic dip, tabbouleh, loubieh byzat, tzatziki, falafel, stuffed grape leaves) Pro tip: order two more falafel on the side Divine Pairs well with the Mint lemonade!

So I wanted to go to Alforon but they were closed so decided to try this place. I found it pretty…read moreexpensive for the portion size. On the plus size the server was super friendly. Other than that it was just average. We ordered the falafel which we thought was the best part of the meal. We also got the fattoush salad which was very underdressed and the sizzling garlic chicken which was just too sweet and not worth $25. Overall just an okay experience.

Had this for dinner around 7pm on a Friday. There was plenty of parking and no wait. I was helped…read moreright away and the customer service is great here. The restaurant is beautiful inside with a lot of seating and great lighting. The first thing that caught my attention is The Esquire which is a Chicken shawarma in pita, stuffed with french fries, parsley mix, tomatoes, and pickled cucumbers, with Garlic and Tahini sauce. Omg this was amazing and delicious! Im going to come back for more 5/5 I plan on coming back to try out some appetizers and a different dish. For my first time here I really enjoyed it

I love this place! I've been coming for years now! I always switch between the pita and the bowl,…read moreboth are super fulfilling and I always end up with leftovers. It's a good option for a quick bite, I've usually gone during my lunch breaks at work. It's super chill and they have good music playing in the background. There's also a little coffee shop next door. This time I ordered the chicken shawarma pita. The toasted almonds and feta are extra but definitely worth it! I always get the cilantro tahini and the taziki sauce.

Came here one night with my brother and the lounge definitely felt like home!…read more This lounge is an arab owned/managed location - it is jointed with another restaurant that also seemed to be owned by them, so you could order food/drinks in this area. It took about 5 minutes to get seated but as soon as we sat someone quickly came to our table and took care of us. We ordered a standard double Apple hookah and tea - it came out within 5 minutes so that was great. Hookah was strong and quite good! For a Wednesday night they were quite busy, the spot provides free cards to play with and they play music (that's not too loud). Mostly you will hear the conversations everyone is having. Decor was very nice and it was comfortable. Workers don't wear any work outfits/attire so you will need to keep an eye out who looks like he works there! Would definitely come back here, loved the arab vibe and comfort there.

Literally the worst hookah I have ever tried in my life - that is not an exaggeration. Unbelievable…read morethat they still have to ask if you want quick light or coco nara. Who still uses quick light charcoals in this day and age!?!? Hookah they brought out was a mini starbuzz hookah that was the cheapest POS I have seem a lounge serve. If you enjoy a nice quality smooth hookah experience, this is definitely NOT the place. Atmosphere is mostly regulars and friends of owners. Seems more like a private social club. The lounge was 100% older male patrons. I requested (specifically fumari brand) lemon mint and what they brought me was definitely another cheap brand that I wouldn't even serve my worst enemy. We stayed 5 min and left and would recommend nobody come here for hookah. Trust me when I tell you all these 5 star reviews are fake and must be friends of owners. Just my 2 cents.