Made a quick stop in Arroyo Grande on our way back to LA and wanted something quick and casual and this appeared to be it. There wasn't anyone dining in when we dropped in though it was after lunch hours. You write your order on a slip and put it in the tray and they'll prepare your order (we didn't know this was protocol but a lady picking up her food let us know what to do). We ordered a chicken shawarma wrap with lentil soup and a beef kabob plate and that was plenty of food for the two of us. Their meat is seasoned well, the hummus is very fresh and their yogurt sauce is delicious. Try the lentil soup. I love how something so simple is so tasty and comforting on a chilly day. read more

Pretty good for the area. Not as authentic as I'd hoped, considering the owner is from Syria. We had the lentil soup (delish), an order of falafel (just meh), lamb shawarma and the baclava (BOMB). The restaurant is small and cute inside, but also too hot this summer day. Service was very nice. read more

I like the food here but the staff always seem to want to go home as early as possible. Tonight (a Saturday) it was supposed to be open til 8 pm. But when I showed up at 7:45, it was already locked up, the chairs were stacked on all the tables, and the kitchen was dark. So they must have started closing up by 7:30. Please stop advertising you're closing at 8 if you can't live up to that. read more

I love the hummus, puts, and chicken schwarma with pesto. The lentil soup is also amazing read more

Jaffa Cafe - Hummus, pita, chicken pesto schwarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

One of the best lamb kabob I had in awhile. The food as fresh, juicy, and very tasty. read more

Jaffa Cafe - Lamb Kabob - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Best Mediterranean food in SLO county. My vegetarian daughter loves it! Service is amazing! read more

The food here is 10/10, my man is a food critic and today was his first time there and he was grubbin'! The guy served us nicely, the salsas were "fire" per Daniel. We will be back, next time with the family. I got the lamb/beef gyro, he got the pesto chicken gyro and beef gyro. And pita w/ garlic appetizer. We sat outside surrounded by trees and rosters, the day was perfect. This location is beautiful and I hope that this little place stays open! read more

Met a friend for lunch here today and it was delicious even though everyone struggling because of the bacteria in the water luckily since lunch it's been lifted, but they gave us free bottled water because of that I ordered the chicken kebabs it came with rice and tomatoes and cucumbers, delicious pita bread and hummus two skewers 1699 very affordable hats off to them highly recommend it. I've had their lentil soup before and it rivals my own and I make a damn good one. read more

A cool little walk up counter service cafe. The guys behind the counter were professional and kind. After a couple of minutes perusing the menu I opted for some hummus and a falafel wrap. Food is on point, the hummus and pita appetizer was very good, fresh hummus with olive oil and paprika and a great pita still warm, sliced into wedges. This was a great start and a delicious appetizer. The Falafel Pita Wrap is a large offering, stuffed with fresh veggies, nice sized falafels packed into the mix and then a generous drizzle of yogurt dill dressing. A solid choice and fresh made to order food, generous portions at a fair value - worth a visit 4 Stars - will return 00915 read more

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The original Jaffa Cafe in San Luis Obispo was one of my favorite restaurants. A really fun place, super friendly vibe. Great food, and great owner. When the owner took his well earned retirement in 2019, the place closed. I was so bummed. Until this week I had no idea that these days there are new Jaffa Cafe locations. We were on vacation in nearby Pismo Beach and drove over to Arroyo Grande to check out the town. Walking down East Branch Street we spotted the Jaffa Cafe sign. My wife asked, Do you think it's the same restaurant? I said, I'm sure it is, the logo is exactly the same. I see the logo practically every day because I have a Jaffa Cafe button from the original location stuck on a bulletin board in my man cave. That button must be 20 years old, so old it's starting to rust a little. Yeah, I go way back with Jaffa Cafe. Soon as I walked up to the counter, I knew I was right. The menu was very similar, if not identical. More telling was that they have the same ordering system as the original location. You order by checking boxes on a preprinted form and hand it to the person at the register. Oh, and you pay when you finish eating. Kind of a unique system. I love all Middle Eastern food, especially anything with lamb. Lamb gyros, lamb shanks, lamb kebobs, lamb chops, it doesn't matter, Just give me some lamb! So many Middle Eastern restaurants don't have lamb, when I see it on the menu I almost always order it. And Jaffa Cafe has lamb! But did I order lamb? No. No, because as much as I like lamb, I like falafel even more. I'm an absolute fiend for falafel, and I really like the falafel here at Jaffa Cafe! I ordered the Vegetarian Plate because it came with five crunchy on the outside and oh so tasty on the inside falafel balls on top of a mixture of chopped veggies. It also featured a sizable portion of their fabulous hummus and a piece of pita bread cut into fourths. And my Vegetarian Plate was filled out by a generous serving of rice. I was totally surprised by how much I loved the rice. At most Middle Eastern restaurants the rice does nothing for me. Usually on my 2nd visit to a place I'll ask if I can get something other than the rice, because I know I won't eat it. But the rice here at Jaffa Cafe is freaking Fire. I was totally into that rice. My wife asked for a taste. I pretended I didn't hear her. She asked again. I graciously allowed her a forkful. I wasn't really happy about giving up any of my rice. But I most definitely didn't pout for the next twenty minutes. It was like 5 minutes tops. Not even 5 minutes. My wife had the Red Lentil Soup and she loved it. She's way more generous than me, and has better manners, and so of course she offered me a taste of her soup. I was really impressed with that soup. Absolutely wonderful! I'd definitely recommend that soup! About the customer service here: it's excellent!The crew behind the counter could not have been more hospitable. Really terrific guys! They answered our questions and helped us with the ordering process. And because it was our first visit to this location we were treated to free baklava. And baby, let me tell you, that baklava was good! So good! The absolute highlight of my visit was meeting Ali, the owner of this location. Ali, as I understand it, is the brother in law of the owner of the original SLO location Jaffa Cafe. I was really happy to meet him and tell him how much I like his food. He was nice enough to pose for a selfie with me. Thank you, Ali! Mikey C says: I hope to see you again soon, Jaffa Cafe! The sooner the better! read more

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The cutest little cafe with amazing food. I will be visiting here again. Highly recommend! Service, atmosphere and food lovely. Pita bread with tzatciki dressing and pita bread. Baklava was great! read more

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Fresh and delicious! What a great little Mediterranean find while on vacation. It's so rare to find actual lamb on the menu in most of the Mediterranean restaurants we've been to, so we had to try the lamb shawarma. We also indulged ourselves with an appetizer of hummus and falafel. Every thing was so flavorful. We'd be regulars if we lived in the area. If you love Mediterranean food this is a must stop. read more

Jaffa Cafe - Hummus, Falafel, Lamb Shawarma - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Mid & Disappointing 53 dollars down the drain. we got the combo was up charged for meat and they forgot my 6 dollars of garlic sauce. Gyro meat was thick sliced and textured was mushy, chicken was dry and flavorless. Rice was very curry favored. Grilled veggies were mushy overcooked. Falafel was greasy no crunch bland. Hummus and baba ghanoush was decent. Not going back. If you don't eat Mediterranean often you'll be impressed which I why I think these reviews are good however we weren't impressed at all! read more

New to the area and came to try based on others' reviews, but was underwhelmed. I got a takeout plate of Chicken Shawarma, and firstly, it had way less food than what others have pictured here. The chicken was OK, decently flavored and tender, but there was there wasn't much of it nor the rice. The hummus barely filled the small box compartment. If you don't eat Mediterranean regularly, you'll probably be really impressed. Otherwise, the food is quite average and the portions stingy. read more

Came this evening to grab some food to go. There wasn't a wait, but somehow our food took longer to make than the people who came in after us and ordered food for eating in. Overall, the food tasted pretty good, but the lamb schawarma wrap could have used some more sauce. Would I come back? Yes. Is it a must-try? Maybe. I haven't had Mediterranean food for a while so it satisfied the craving. read more

I ordered a combo with Falafel, rice, tabouli, and chicken with a side of hummus. $21 plus dollars later a horrible experience! The chicken was not only cold but seemed days old at best along with the salad and tabouli. Falafel was burnt and flavorless!! Do not recommend! I ordered to go and ended up throwing everything away, what a waste of my money and time!! Oh yes, and the guy at the counter Putting orders together did not use gloves which should've made me walk away in the first place,... ughhh!! read more

This place is so good! The red lentil soup is one of the best I've ever had. Everything on their menu is delicious.

Located on the far end of quaint downtown Arroyo Grande, if you dare sneeze, you will miss this small but very friendly Cafe. Its menu is primarily Middle Eastern. We arrived about 45 minutes before closing, all 6 of us, hungry as bears, some more grumpy than others. It seems almost the whole group were single-minded, even the two grandkids were talking about needing gyro meat in some form or another. So that is how our order went, gyro in wraps, on salad, a combo plate, a gyro veggie pita pizza, and a few additional indulgences such as baba ganoush and a falafel appetizer to satisfy the curious, and those with hollow legs. Oh yes, there was one lamb kabob platter. The kitchen came through quickly and easily made big fans out of us. This is One. Great. Gyro. Recipe. The ground beef & lamb is outstanding, so beautifully seasoned and moist. Each serving was generous, and even the prices made me smile as I picked up the check. Best of all, if you wondered about the guy with the hollow leg? He was satiated. A great accomplishment. Well done Jaffa. We will make a point of visiting you again next time we are in town! read more

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Amazing food, consistently great service every time I go, definitely one of my favorite restaurants in town!

Good food. Hot inside the place. We sat out on patio in the deep shade of a lovely tree. Clean restaurant.

My family and I were visiting the village and needed a quick bite to eat. Thank goodness we found Jaffa Cafe! The grilled vegetable pita and pita-bread pizza were both delicious, and the friendly man behind the counter prepared it all very quickly - I don't think it was five minutes between ordering and eating! As far as ambiance goes, there was music playing, but it wasn't loud and obnoxious like a lot of places tend to make it, and by going on an "off-hour" (i.e. not lunchtime), it was very quiet and comfortable inside. We'll definitely be returning to this cafe next time we are in Arroyo Grande! read more

I am a lamb fan, 2.3 million coyotes can't be wrong. The menu is rich with authentic Mediterranean offerings. I had the lamb wrapped in a homemade pita with onions and extra tahini. I prefer the tzatziki which is a yogurt base as opposed to the sesame but is was still on point. The price was fair and the service was on point , I did walk in just before closing so the chairs were all stacked on the tables so the floor could be attended to. The interior could easily accommodate 20 and another 10 or 12 on the exterior. I the place was clean and spacious. The baklava was decent and authentic it's hard to go wrong on baklava. I'll definitely patronize again because the lamb was perfectly executed. read more

I love the food here- fresh, authentic & the right amount of spice!! Seriously the best Mediterranean food!!

Jaffa is such a GEM! One of our favorites. 10/10 in all key areas...flavors, customer service, cleanliness, and consistency (tastes great every time ) ! read more

Jaffa Cafe - Pesto chicken, roasted veggies, lentil soup, falafel, beef salad and pitta bread! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

The food is so fresh and delicious, the service is great! The gentleman are always so kind and ask how my day is going. I also think the fast fresh food is convenient, but if I'd like to sit down and eat there, the setting is very relaxed and easy-going. read more

Great food and service. Chicken, hummus, rice and tabbouleh were all very tasty. I recommend this restaurant. read more

Popped in here on our drive down the coast and was pleasantly surprised to find authentic Mediterranean flavors for reasonable prices. The cooks and guy behind the counter were really friendly and made some good recommendations. My son and I loved their roasted veggies and the hummus, babaganoush and garlic sauce were all creamy and not too salty - something I often find with these homemade sauces in restaurants. Next time I'm passing through I'll be sure to stop in again :) read more

First time coming here, I'm not really big on Mediterranean food. Was actually walking to a different restaurant when one of the patrons of this cafe said how good the food was. I'm willing to try... Cashier was friendly and helpful. I was very interested in trying the lamb & beef shawarma wrap, but it sounded a bit heavy for a first-time. So I went with the chicken option. See my photo - it is large, and a lot, and....delicious! Chicken is grilled just right, there is a good balance of meat and veggies, and the shawarma sauce. The soup....tasted good. Was nice and thick, which means there's more to savor in the mouth because it hasn't raced down the throat. A good taste to the pallet. I have nothing to remove a star for. I got everything I wanted, which always includes a positive customer experience. Staff here provided that! read more

Jaffa Cafe - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

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Friendly staff and great food! We always have a nice experience here and at the other location as well.

This is the best food in AG, hands down!!. You have to try their lentil soup, it's amazing; their hummus is so creamy and delicious. I usually order the lamb Kabobs or combo plate, but you really can't go wrong. Their service is fast and the staff is super friendly. If you haven't been, go. read more

Today was my first time trying Jaffa Cafe. I was really impressed on how fresh and amazing the food was. They had not just excellent food, but great customer service! I will be back :) read more

Delicious!!! And their service is so amazing too. Super accommodating and generous. The tabbouleh, grape leaves, hummus, chicken, Taziki, and baklava were all so yummy! I would highly, highly recommend them! read more

The food is AMAZING. Just took a family member who has a fav Mediterranean place in SLO. She changed her favorite to Jaffa after a few bites. The platters are five star. We shared two platters with lamb, chicken, and kofta kebobs. They are nice enough to let you mix up different kebobs on the same platter rather than two of the same. The hummus is to die for. Pita and rice are perfect! AND free tzatziki and fresh big spears of dill pickles at the condiment bar. Can't say enough good things about Jaffa. The platters come with salad as well so you get a huge variety without having to order a bunch of extra sides. read more

It is our regular swing by and take out for Friday night football. Always delicious and fresh! The customer service is also wonderful. read more

LOVE Jaffa!!! Everything they make is amazing and fresh - my husband and I are obsessed with their gyro meat and their chicken (and have them in all variations - rice plate, salad, pita wrap). Wish we could eat their food everyday The staff is also so kind and friendly! If you need that casual, local spot with incredible food (where they recognize you when you come back), this is the place to go. Highly recommend! read more

Jaffa Cafe - Gyro plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

I like Jaffas for a quick tasty meal on the go. My go to choices are either the chicken gyro or the combo plates. I always get some pickles and yogurt sauce from the self-serve bar (not sure how it is being done during covid) because they make everything taste better! Their lentil soup is probably one of the best i have had, and I am known to make a good batch myself. All in all, a very solid take out option in the area. read more

Let me just start off by saying this was the best Mediterranean food experience I've had in a looong time. We got falafel plates, cute little falafel balls, gyro plates, kids meals, dolmas, lentil soup and baklava! My favorite was the understated lentil soup, its smooth, warm and tastes like love. Make sure to get the yogurt dip, I can drink that with a boba straw. The manager, Ali Saleh, is a gem. He really made our day with his recommendations and explaining all the food to us. He's from Nazareth, Palestine and all his recipes come from his mom. The environment is just so peaceful. We are on the tables outside and just chit chatted with the lovely passerbys from the quaint beautiful town. read more

Huge portions, served fast. The price is fair and the taste is indeed fresh. We enjoyed a stroll in Downtown Arroyo Grande and found this little gem. This nosy Rooster was watching me eat a chicken shawarma wrap, which was delicious. The Tzatziki sauce is excellent. read more

Jaffa Cafe - Rooster - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California

Food is fresh, plentiful, and delicious. Customer service is friendly and helpful. The selection is great and the condiment bar is clean and fresh. This was the perfect spot for a delicious and relaxed meal. read more

Water tastes like dirt #drinkinoutthehose other than that the food was great! Able to mark down your order and get it speedily. Kind and considerate worker who came outside to check that our order was right. Cute outdoor seating area with views of the downtown street. The water taste may have been a one time only thing or something but it definitely set up some low expectations before we got our food. But I was pleasantly surprised with yummy pita and hummus and gyro all for 12$ very affordable. read more

Jaffa Cafe - Falafel gyro - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arroyo Grande, California