The chicken and rice are awesome. Chicken was juicy and so flavorful…read more Yogurt and chive appetizer was great. The waitress recommended it and it was way better than I was anticipating. Tachin was something completely different. So many different flavors and textures. Great change up. Wouldn't be my go to. But once in a while I could enjoy it.

The food was overall was really good! The eggplant and…read morebread dip was delish. The cucumber salad was uninspired, not particularly fresh...and quite bland. The standout was the lamb shank, and the herbed rice with the crunchy bread bottom. These easily redeemed the other items. I also ordered the pistachio lemonade...it was just okay - it looked NOTHING like the image on the photos - which was really too bad. I would NOT recommend it. It was more like a lemonade cream. Luckily the main dish elevated what would have been a 3-star review. The overall ambiance was cute, the outdoors was nice but it was also street front on a corner, so if you don't like road noise, the inside is a nice, well-decorated option. Also, of note, the woman I was with was Persian, and the (older male) person I assumed was the owner, was quite rude with his comments, so much so she refused to tell me what he said. She did enjoy the lamb and the dip and said both were quite authentic and well done....but alas, we probably won't be returning unless for take out.

YUM. Ordered:…read moreShrimp taco, fish taco, chicken quesadilla, chips Highlights: honestly everything. The seasoning on both were great, the tortilla was a bit on the crunchy or thick side but I liked it bc it didn't get soggy while I was eating. Their salsas were all delish (the hot is spicy but also flavorful). Fish was a little crispy and tacos were pretty full. Notes: we came on a Monday at 7 but they ran at of tortas. Will be back to try though. Parking was pretty easy and there are two small tables under their awning. We were able to sit and eat while it was drizzling out.

Maya Halal is located around in the Oakland Downtown/Lake Merritt area. I went on a Sunday so there…read morewas a lot of street parking available which is probably different from any other day of the week. The process is easy, customers order at the window, pay, and wait outside where there are a couple tables to sit at while waiting for their orders. The main problem I found was the time it took to make a couple burritos. There were no customers in front of me and it took nearly thirty minutes to make two burritos. The other thing I noticed is the add ons really raised the price. The guacamole, etc are all extra charges on the the super burrito which in my eye makes no sense. Either it's a super or regular. Not super needing to have a ton of add ons to make it a super. But how was the burrito? Overall I thought the taste was good. Burrito was on the small side. But the ingredients seemed to be solid, and blended together nicely. Decent quality but for the price and wait time, I won't be rushing back.

Decided to come here one day after my dentist appointment. I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap for…read morepick up. It's a good size for the price, the chicken is very tasty and I really liked the garlicky sauce thing that came with it. Would definitely come back here the next time I'm craving another shawarma. Service was friendly too!

Honestly crazy good value. I wasn't too hungry but my friends wanted to go out and eat so I got a…read moremini wrap and it was the perfect portion. Food comes quick and tastes great. Feels authentic and doesn't break the bank. 7.8/10

I've been here several times and the food is always delicious, warm, and fresh…read more The Chicken and Lamb Shawerma are my favorites. Sweets are delicious as well. Enjoy!

Whenever I get the urge for falafels and lately Chicken Shawarma wraps, I head to the Oasis Kitchen…read moreon Grand Ave. Just today, after weeks, I went and was lucky to have one of my favorite falafel expert makers, Mohammad. As usual they were great and Pro tio, eat them hot. The home made hummus is an excellent side for the falafels and today it was exceptionally fresh and good. The others who man the kitchen re also very good, I don't want to ignore them any way. I have been to a couple of other ME kitchens. The problem with some of them is that they make them in advance and reheat your order. Which make them too crispy on the verge of being burned.

One Saturday evening, I was around the neighborhood and, after a long walk, decided to…read morespontaneously try this Ethiopian spot. It was pretty crowded when I arrived, so there was a wait, but I didn't mind at all. The restaurant was much more spacious than I expected, and there was a good amount of staff working. This was actually my first time trying Ethiopian food, so I let my server know that I was excited to try something new. He asked if I liked spicy food, and I immediately said YES. I ordered a samosa-style appetizer along with a meat platter that was FILLED with food. While waiting, I noticed everyone eating with their hands, and I wanted to experience the food the same way and respect the culture. Once I started eating, every bite hit me with so much flavor and spice! The appetizer was more subtle, filled with vegetables and paired with their house sauce. The meat platter, though, was the star of the show. I grabbed a piece of injera with every bite and scooped up everything on the plate. The flavors were incredible, and every time the host came by, I couldn't help but smile and tell him how delicious everything was. At one point, I eventually had to ask for a spoon. By the end of my meal, I was completely satisfied. As I was walking out, I noticed a portrait of a woman who looked familiar, and one of the workers told me it was their mother. That's when I learned this was a family-owned business, which made the experience even more special. Overall, I genuinely enjoyed every moment of my visit. Great food, welcoming people, a family-owned atmosphere, and an experience that was completely new to me. If you enjoy supporting family businesses, trying new cuisines, and being spontaneous, you MUST give this place a try!

TL; DR food and drinks were good but DO NOT sit at the bar…read more I wish I could have given them five stars. I have been to Enssaro when it was along the lake several times and was glad to see a lively restaurant take over the old sushi boat place. The food was good, especially the meatballs. I ordered an NA cocktail and it was excellent. We sat at the bar and unfortunately, the service at the was not only terrible, it was openly hostile. They never took our food order, the busboy took our food order because the waiter saw us waiting for more than 20 minutes. When they finally took our drink order they didn't even look at us. We were going to order another drink, but they stood at the far corner looking away from us with their arms crossed. We wondered if we did something wrong. It almost seemed like they were avoiding our gaze on purpose. The new bartender who was learning the ropes looked at us sheepishly and apologetically, but didn't take our order. We closed out as soon as we could and left. It's too bad because the ambiance in the rest of the restaurant seemed fun.

Went to Lazeez kitchen for lunch after reading all the good reviews…read more The restaurant was empty with one family before me ordering. I ordered the lamb and beef platter. It took like 25 mins only to find out they made it for Togo and it's just sitting there, not a problem mistakes happen. The meat was juicy and flavorful, the salad had lettuce , onion and one baby tomatoes but a lot of olives. Maybe they do it this way. The place is clean and tidy. I will try this place again sometime

Catering services has always been a pleasure with online ordering and call ahead for large groups…read more Love the falafels and the sharma chicken and rice. Salads are always a hit with arugula only my favorite or mixed greens. Large party trays with chicken, beef and falafels. Cannot do without the falafels some of the best. Beware for those who are spice sensitive the garlic yogurt is very spicy or just me lol. Definitely give a try and support local businesses!

Xingones is exactly what the neighborhood needed. There's ample seating and good bartenders if you…read morewant to dine in, though I usually end up getting their food to go. My go-tos are the Cali-style burrito with asada and the Xingones nachos (with extra cheese). Good quality ingredients and portions that are generous enough that I almost always have leftovers. Plus, the prices are fair for what you get.

Never made it to their former location but they just moved like a mile away, just on the other side…read moreof 880, so now on the fringe of Jack London. The old space is still under the same owners, almost the same food but maybe more concentrated on the Mexican fare. I'd call this a hipster pub. No table service, gotta order up front and food brought out. Can't start a tab so if you want multiple drinks or food items better order it all at once, or keep getting up to order and re-pay (which I dislike). If you sit at the bar top, they can run you a tab there. But it's usually pretty packed there. Beer n a Shot ($11/4*) the beer is a domestic lager (Miller Hi Life) and you can choose between 3 shots. I chose Fernet as I can use it post meal, while I have the beer with the meal. Don't love the beer but for the price ya just can't beat it. 6 Wings ($13/3.5*) Wings are a big focus on their menu. You can pick from lots of sauces/rubs; different quantities to fit your group/appetite; ranch or blue cheese; you can customize flats, drummies or mixed. They even asked how crisp we wanted the fry, which rarely is ever asked. I dug their thoroughness in the wing game. We chose basic buffalo sauce and I found it to be just average. Quite salty meaning it is mostly Franks Hot Sauce, I like ones that are more balanced with other ingredients. I did like their blue cheese dressing as they add a scoop of blue crumbles to the ramekin itself so it is very chunky which I like. Fish Taco ($5/4.5*) I chose a fried version but you can also get grilled fish. Perfectly fried strips of battered fish. Appropriate accouterments of shredded cabbage, cilantro and sour cream. 2 delicious pureed salsas come with as well that are requisite to use. Cobb Salad ($19/4.5*) Solid entree sized salad. Love how you pick between shrimp or chicken then grilled or fried. You will literally change the dynamics with each choice. The lettuce was fresh spring mix. Topped with crisp bacon bits, grape tomatoes, blue crumbles, avo slices, which is why I am fond of Cobb Salads. So many varying textures and flavors keeping things interesting. They use smaller shrimps but at least they have a nice meaty texture. They season it pretty aggressively and sear it on a hot flat top. Not sure if they cooked it next to some carne asada or if they use beef tallow to cook with, but my shrimp bites totally tasted like steak. I love surf n turf so this totally worked for me. Just don't know if it was deliberate or not. Nice add to the neighborhood and I'm sure I'll be back. Still want to try their nachos and possibly chicken n waffles. Good chance I could do both at the same time as not too often you can. Swoop in when ya can amirite!

I was looking for somewhere to eat with a friend who was visiting out of town and came across this…read moreplace on Yelp. We were in the mood for Indian food. When we arrived, we noticed the sign outside above the door said "Lumpia Factory", but another sign on the ground outside said the actual name of the place, so it was a little hard to find. Unexpectedly, when we walked in, we noticed it was just their kitchen and not actually a restaurant. They have some tables and chairs for you to eat at, but they are not serviced. The food they were making smelled too good, so we decided to just stay and order some food. We got the stuffed onion naan, stuffed cheese naan, samosa chaat potato vindaloo, baingan bharta (eggplant), and bhindi masala (okra). My favorite dish was the potato vindaloo as it had the perfect flavor and the samosa chaat. The stuffed naan isn't really anything by special, but the naan itself was good. Next time, I would just get garlic naan or plain naan. Overall, the food was great and very flavorful and tasty. Would definitely come here again!

They have a great lunch special--$16 base price for two dishes with rice and a bread. Everything…read morewas fragrant, flavorful, and hot! Especially the veggie samosa. Really nice staff. Love that they partner with a program that donates a meal to the local food bank with proof of purchase! I can tell they are very intentional in their practices Also smells amazing inside!! Highly recommend.

Had the best ever Goat Biryani in my Life ! And other Tandoori Roti, Chicken Bindi and Chicken Tika…read moreMasala are super delicious ! Recommending this to everyone ! Clean and fast service for a big group of 12 served within 15 -20 minutes to all ! Thank you. Will come back again

best authentic Biryani, very good service, very clean, very nice bathroom, owner is very friendly.read more

We had such a fabulous evening at Jaji! We started with the beet hummus and the hummus on pita and…read moreseeded crackers. Devine. We also tried the trout crudo which was delicious. We had also had several of the chicken and lamb kebabs. I had a filet of trout with crispy chili sauce which was amazing! The atmosphere was exciting! They had a belly dancer who did three different performances in 3 different outfits while we were there. There was another lady who did henna designs ( it was free but you needed to tip her) and in the back of the restaurant, they were having a paint and sip ($20.00). The place filled up quickly and everyone was having a blast. Fun night!

Having tried their sister restaurant Parche, my husband and I wanted to check out Jaji for an…read moreafter-work date-night. The interior is beautiful and welcoming, the staff were also helpful with recommendations from the menu. Jaji has a similar layout to Parche with everything meant to be shared. I felt the portion sizes were more aligned with their price tag versus my experience at Parche. Now lets get to the food! We started with the Bahar Crudo, a refreshing beet-marinated ocean trout, as well as the Salata, a surprisingly large bowl of fresh salad with plenty of veggies, tzatziki and a delightful herb vinaigrette. For warm plates, we split the Bonjon Borani, beef cheek Mantu dumplings, and the Chapi Kabob with a side of saffron rice. I loved the addition of the orange peel in the rice. But I think my favorite of all was the Bonjon Borani, I couldnt't get enough of the delicious sauces over the perfectly cooked eggplant.