Mediterranean Express Grill

Locally owned & operated

Family-owned & operated

Update to original review: we now know our son is allergic to sesame...which means allergic to…read moretahini. So that's why he had a reaction. Zankou is the best! ------ Original review: Our son who is allergic to tree nuts and peanuts had a very bad reaction to the food. We tried kebabs, tabouleh salad, cucumber salad, rice, hummus, that's it. We called and they said no nuts were used in these items, but this is the SECOND yelp review with a severe reaction with a kid with a nut allergy. So please be careful!!

Very disappointing experience, especially compared to the Zankou Chicken locations I've personally…read morebeen to in Downtown LA, Long Beach, and Glendale. This location does not compare. The food was tasteless, the chicken was undercooked, and the tomatoes in the garden salad tasted spoiled. The garlic sauce was sour and tasted nothing like the garlic sauce I'm used to from Zankou. The turnips also had a very funky taste. I've been to several Zankou locations, and unfortunately, this privately owned location was nothing like the others I've experienced. If you're craving Zankou, I would recommend making the extra drive to one of the other locations. It's worth it.

Are famous golden rotisserie Zankou chickens

Are famous rotisserie chicken in the oven

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Our famous chicken kebabs

Anna's Cafe

4.3(246 reviews)

2.9 mi

Flavorful. Bomb. Amazing food. This fulfills my kebab craving very nicely. I love the rice as well…read more Food: 4.5/5 Price: 4/5 Experience: 4.5/5

Came in a bit after 5, it was quiet and not busy…read more I ordered the Beverly combo to share with the hubs. Ordered the meat lovers pizza and fries for the kids. Food came out not 10 minutes later, hot & delicious. The portions are great, enough to share for our family of 4. The restaurant is clean and the temperature was cool (on a 90F day). The big windows are great for people/car watching while you enjoy your meal. The selection of food is amazing, very varied. The selection of soft drinks is great too, we were pleasantly surprised to see stubborn soda cherry creme, our favorite. If we didn't live 30 min away, we'd probably be regulars.

Interior

Beef wrap juicy beef

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Dining area

Sofreh

4.6(1.1k reviews)

4.5 mi

Was coming back home from work in deep LA. Traffic was horrible so stop at this place randomly for…read morea bite. Boy was it soooooooo GOOD!! Food was delicious and fresh. Staff were super friendly! Patio outside was really nice. The only downside is that there is no bathroom and you have to walk pretty far to get to one. Also it's in a slightly sketchy area. But everything else was pretty darn good!

This place is in East LA, unfortunately the smell outside was rancid because of the Lineage rotting…read moremeat problem in Boyle Heights. The service was great and the food was decent for its price. My hubby and I ate outside and got to see what looked like a car chase, it was nuts! The server came by as we were shocked to see so many cops speeding by and the helicopter and said, "just another day in the hood " oh my... Besides the hectic location and the gross smell from Lineage the food and service was great.

Seating area

Chicken Shish Kabob

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Greek Fries

Ani's Chicken

3.5(379 reviews)

1.7 mi

Ani's has been my go to since the early 2000's. The family meal is perfect for those nights that…read moreyou don't feel like cooking and it's affordable. The flavor of their rotisserie chicken is delicious.

How does a Mediterranean/Greek restaurant run out of pita bread???? Thought it was a joke because…read morethe manager heard the cashier tell me and made a face. I saw it. Change your time of closure if you don't want to feed customers. Unreal.

Lamb chops $17.99 Aug. 2025. Yum!

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Wahib's Mediterranean Express

4.5(169 reviews)

4.5 mi

Growing up, I've seen Wahib in Alhambra, but never gave it a try. Unfortunately, that location has…read moreclosed. Coming across this location at the Blossom food market, I had to give this place a try. The staff was friendly and there were many choices on the menu. My gf ordered the chicken kebab plate, which was flavorful and I ordered the gyro plate, which was also delicious. The ingredients were of great quality and there were many places to sit. There's also a nearby bar to purchase alcoholic drinks if that's your thing. Overall I'm appreciative this Lebanese establishment still exists and I will definitely be back.

This spot is located inside the Blossom Market Food Hall…read more Parking was easy since they have their own parking lot and plenty of nearby street parking. Service was ok since this is just an order and sit down place so not too much interaction. Used my SGV Foodie Passport and redeemed a Free Chicken Wrap Got a buzzer after placing my order which was very convenient so I could browse around the food hall. The chicken wrap normally would cost $13.99 which seems pretty pricey! The chicken tasted quite dry and bland. Not a big fan of the sauce used because it was incredible salty. The garlic paste and veggies (lettuce, pickles, tomatoes) were just ok and nothing special. Overall, I wasn't too impressed and felt the food was overpriced unfortunately.

Chicken Kebab Wrap

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Falafel Plate

The Olive Restobar

4.5(2.9k reviews)

8.4 mi

Family-owned & operated

Halal

Had such a lovely time at Olive Restro Bar celebrating their 10th anniversary! The place was busy,…read morebut the staff did an amazing job taking care of us and making us feel welcomed. The food was absolutely delicious the King & Queen Kebab is a must-try, and the Salmon Ceviche was so fresh and flavorful. Loved the clean, beautiful atmosphere and the overall hospitality. Such a fun spot for dinner with friends, and I can definitely see it being perfect for a date night too. Definitely coming back!

The atmosphere is wonderful, and the food feels truly special, it's the kind of place that…read moreinstantly makes an ordinary night feel like a date night. I especially recommend starting with the yogurt cucumber salad; it was so fresh, crisp, and refreshing. Every dish we tried hit the spot, and the service was warm and attentive without being intrusive. It's a fantastic hidden gem in Downey for a cozy dinner or a night out. I'll definitely be coming back!

Tasty Lamb Chops cooked to perfection!

Our ribeye gives us heart eyes, every time it comes sizzling out the window. How do you like your steak?

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The King's Kabob

True Love Kitchen

4.7(156 reviews)

1.1 mi

Got the beef lula skewer & chicken breast skewer. It also came w a pita bread which was a pleasant…read moresurprise. Inside is very cozy and well lit. I didnt know rosemead had a mediterranean spot, and randomly stumbled across this spot. Both items were seasoned so well but I might be biased since i love Mediterranean food. I will forsure be coming back again. :) I also called for take out and it was an easy process - was informed it would be ready in 20 and the food was ready as I came! They take apple pay ~

Heard about this place from a colleague who raved about it - so, my team and I decided to celebrate…read morea work anniversary lunch there. Overall, the food was amazing! I had the chicken lula plate; incredibly flavorful and excellent portion size. The tomato/cucumber/feta salad was great, and the hummus and garlic sauce were delicious too. There were a few things that are leading me to give 4 stars instead of 5. There were 6 of us, and we arrived around 11:30am - we were the only people until close to noon. So we were all surprised it took almost 30 min to get our lunch. One of the orders got mixed up, and we were also told we'd get complementary garlic sauce and hummus but we're still charged for it. It was also a *very* hot and humid day in SoCal - there was even a thunderstorm while we were there - and the little restaurant was getting so hot. Can't imagine how the chefs were dealing with the heat. Anyways, ultimately we really did enjoy this restaurant and all agreed we would definitely be ordering from here again as take-out place when we have work lunches but may not have time to all go out to eat.

Lamb Chops

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Salmon Plate

John's Kabob

3.7(854 reviews)

3.2 mi

We dined in at John's Kabob for lunch today, and we tried their combo plates that we can choose any…read moretwo meats (Chicken, Beef, Gyro, Kafta, Shrimp, or Lamb) with the choices of two sides. (Salad, Fries, Rice, Hummus, or Veggies). We ordered the following combo plates: 1. Two meat combo plate (chicken & beef), with fries and salad as sides. 2. Two meat combo plate (Beef & Kafta), with fries and rice. 3. Two meat combo plate (Beef & Lamb), with fries and rice. 4. Two fountain drinks Most of the people got to-go at this restaurant, so it was pretty empty when we dined in; however, they were very busy because they had so many to-go orders. Our food came in about 15 minutes later. Our orders also came with pita bread and yogurt. The pita bread was soft and perfect to dip in the Greek yogurt. I liked my beef Kabob; it was very flavorful. But the meat quality of beef and chicken was not very tender; they were a bit chewy. The Kafta was a Mediterranean dish consisting of ground meat; this one was ground beef. It was not bad. The fries and rice were also good. Make sure to order your food earlier because you may need to wait for a while. The service was friendly. The cashier was very helpful; she helped us to refill our drinks and also followed up on my fries that they forgot earlier.

The combo plate was okay--the rice was on the sour side and the gyro tasted a bit rubbery. The…read morefalafel was good and crispy--very carby and the portions are large. I think the best thing about this location is that the portions are large and kabobs themselves are meaty and well seasoned.

Baklava

So dry... Not like the juicy chicken I used to have here or at their 2nd location.

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Menu (Nov 2023)

Green Olive

4.0(1.6k reviews)

5.9 mi

Locally owned & operated

Halal

First time visiting and so glad I did! It was really busy when we got there, a lot of people in…read moreline to order orders to go or dine in. These many people can only mean one thing, that the food is delicious! I loved their huge menu with food for anyone's tastes. As a Pescatarian it's hard to find salmon at Mediterranean food places and Green Olive had several plates to choose salmon and shrimp. I ordered their Salmon Kabob plate that came with yummy rice, a salad, hummus and a pita. It was served with a garlic white sauce and a green slightly spicy sauce. I drizzled both on the kabobs and rice and everything blended perfectly. The salmon was seasoned so well and was so tender! It was perfectly cooked because it retained the softness salmon needs. I also got a pistachio cheesecake that was so light and delicious without being overly sweet. It was a perfect ending to an amazing food plate. The ambiance had average loud noise level since it is small on the inside, however they have plenty of outdoor seating which is where we sat. Even though there are other Mediterranean places close to me, I can see myself going to this location because of their expansive menu.

This is my second time here. I've ordered the: #7 gyro…read morekabob royal #14 gyro mix Service was fine but the meat was incredibly dry.

It got packed as soon as we started ordering! Wheh!

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Crème Brûlée, Baklava, Kunafa

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Robert A.

0

72

25

10 years ago

This place is awesome I've been coming here for about 14 years I would say I'm since 2002. Everything is just phenomenal everything is absolutely amazing the portions are huge I mean huge you get the best bang for your buck honestly. Try the number nine special it is my favorite hills you up gives you more than enough you could even share with your partner if needed. What I don't get his people complaining about weight time it's like hello use your brain these foods are cooked when you ordered them they're not microwaved . EVERYTHING IS MADE FRESH TO ORDER ! A little waiting won't really hurt you to get something fresh and straight from the grill. Overall A+ plus plus plus plus read more

Alan S.

0

25

8

7 years ago

Mediterranean food here is too sour. Ordered the falafel wrap sandwich and m grill chicken, and both came with the cucumber tomato salad. The wrap would have been tasty but the tahini sauce in it was super sour and the two falafel were small and somewhat burnt. Chicken had too much food coloring on it and rice was a tad too salty. Cucumber salad was also too sour. read more

Harold G.

55

70

26

9 years ago

Been coming to this place for years ! this place is in my brain as soon as I walk into the mall ... I love the portions ... by the way I met the chef like 5 years ago great man and also great cook . seasoning is great and fabulous. When You GO There ask the chef Roberto to make you number 9 special . Or Robert but I always like to call him Robert lol. read more

Jean P.

4

14

0

2 years ago

The service here is world-class - attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. The food is a tantalizing explosion of Mediterranean flavors; I could taste the authenticity in every bite. The ambiance is warm and inviting, making it a perfect spot for a family dinner or special occasion. read more

Stephanie R.

0

2

0

5 years ago

Been coming here since a kid. Changed up a bit. But something about the spices and cucumber salad just keeps pulling me back. Special place in my heart. Super yummy read more

magdalena a.

40

18

0

15 years ago

Yum! So so soooooooo good....wish it wasn't in the mall though.

Stacy B.

10

80

6

15 years ago

Great food! Call ahead for faster service!!

Mediterranean Express Grill - mediterranean - Updated September 2026

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John's Kabob

3.7

(854 reviews)

We dined in at John's Kabob for lunch today, and we tried their combo plates that we can choose any…read moretwo meats (Chicken, Beef, Gyro, Kafta, Shrimp, or Lamb) with the choices of two sides. (Salad, Fries, Rice, Hummus, or Veggies). We ordered the following combo plates: 1. Two meat combo plate (chicken & beef), with fries and salad as sides. 2. Two meat combo plate (Beef & Kafta), with fries and rice. 3. Two meat combo plate (Beef & Lamb), with fries and rice. 4. Two fountain drinks Most of the people got to-go at this restaurant, so it was pretty empty when we dined in; however, they were very busy because they had so many to-go orders. Our food came in about 15 minutes later. Our orders also came with pita bread and yogurt. The pita bread was soft and perfect to dip in the Greek yogurt. I liked my beef Kabob; it was very flavorful. But the meat quality of beef and chicken was not very tender; they were a bit chewy. The Kafta was a Mediterranean dish consisting of ground meat; this one was ground beef. It was not bad. The fries and rice were also good. Make sure to order your food earlier because you may need to wait for a while. The service was friendly. The cashier was very helpful; she helped us to refill our drinks and also followed up on my fries that they forgot earlier.

The combo plate was okay--the rice was on the sour side and the gyro tasted a bit rubbery. The…read morefalafel was good and crispy--very carby and the portions are large. I think the best thing about this location is that the portions are large and kabobs themselves are meaty and well seasoned.

The Buffalo Spot- Montebello

3.1

(109 reviews)

Best wings I love it. Customer service friendly. The…read morerestaurant is always clean. The flavors are on point.

The waiter andres was very helpful and brought our food very fast. His energy and vibe was making…read morethe whole restaurant feel good. Besides the service the food is what made the rest of my day. The food is so good, your mouth will get blasted with different cherishing flavors. The food was perfectly cooked, they give u plenty of sauce, and the wings aren't dry like other places

John's Kabobs 2 - Commerce

4.5

(117 reviews)

Tried a new spot that my boss recommended, and wow it did not disappoint!…read more Ordered online and had it delivered for the whole team and every single person gave it a thumbs up The food was fresh, flavorful, and honestly exceeded expectations. You know it's good when nobody complains and everything disappears fast Definitely adding this place to our regular rotation. Highly recommend if you're ordering for a group!

Today I stopped at the Commerce location my usual spot. I ordered a large Greek salad with a Kabob…read moreon the side. I didn't mind paying extra for the kabob. Normally this place gets it right with the food. But today not sure what happened? The salad was old not fresh & crunchy but more on the limp side with the ends turning brown. My kabob was cold & normally its warm & made just right that you taste the freshness. Not today sorry. I ate 1/4 of the salad and tossed the rest in the trash. Sorry it was not worth the $19.00 i spent. I didn't notice my foods presentation until I got home & was to tired & hungry to drive all the way back.

Anna's Cafe

4.3

(246 reviews)

Flavorful. Bomb. Amazing food. This fulfills my kebab craving very nicely. I love the rice as well…read more Food: 4.5/5 Price: 4/5 Experience: 4.5/5

Came in a bit after 5, it was quiet and not busy…read more I ordered the Beverly combo to share with the hubs. Ordered the meat lovers pizza and fries for the kids. Food came out not 10 minutes later, hot & delicious. The portions are great, enough to share for our family of 4. The restaurant is clean and the temperature was cool (on a 90F day). The big windows are great for people/car watching while you enjoy your meal. The selection of food is amazing, very varied. The selection of soft drinks is great too, we were pleasantly surprised to see stubborn soda cherry creme, our favorite. If we didn't live 30 min away, we'd probably be regulars.

Tam's Burgers No 26

3.2

(123 reviews)

I had not had tams in a while but I remember enjoying their chicken strips, fries and burgers so…read morethat's what I ordered. I was so happy food was as delicious as I remembered. The chicken strips were crispy on the outside and juice in the inside. The burger had their classic dressing which is never overwhelming and the meat was like I remembered. Tams is know for their fresh burgers. I can't enjoy my meal without ranch and I asked for 3 and they happily included them. We came 30 minutes before closing and they didn't turn us away or limit our ordering options. The cook and cashier were both very polite and accommodating. The place has a lot of tables and chairs and there is parking at the location and the nearby residential area. I will be back and post pictures of the food. Unfortunately, we all were distracted by how tasty it was that I forgot to snap a picture.

This is our go to place for breakfast today. When I came in was very disappointed. They didn't…read morefully cook the food. I know that they were busy. I didn't get the extra orders that I ordered, but like I said, this is my go to place but today I was disappointed. I come home and had to finish cooking the food.

Nicks Paradise Cafe

4.7

(59 reviews)

Comida mediterránea muy pero muy deliciosa! Nick the owner…read moreis really nice. I had a custom plate made for me with grilled chicken, falafel, hummus and veggies. The chicken is perfect. The falafel was the best I've tried in along time. In my opinion it was better than Zankou's falafel. And the hummus was delicious as well. Definitely going to back and recommend if your in the mood for gyros or Mediterranean food. It is one of the few places in the area that serve delicious and healthy food. 10/10!!

Truly an underrated, hole-in-the-wall spot! Plenty of parking and seating available…read more I came for lunch and ordered a Gyro Plate with a potato salad side and Pot Roast on a French roll! The gyro was seasoned to perfection, complemented with a crispy pita bread and freshly diced tomatoes, onions, and bell peppers. The pot roast sandwich was good and marinated well, but I think the star meal was definitely the gyro plate. Wonderful service and I was given extra cookies! I highly recommend giving this place a try!

Chop Chop Chicken

4.5

(378 reviews)

This place is still amazing. Affordable, fresh and healthy chicken and steak rice/vegetable bowls…read more We always order the chicken bowl and ask for garlic sauce to go with our order. Food comes out quick. Students with ID get a discount. Good service. Easy to find free parking in parking lot. Highly recommend.

My wife and I had some time to kill in Monterey Park on Sunday, so we figured Chop Chop Chicken…read morelooked like a solid enough spot to check out for lunch. We came here around 11AM and the place had a solid amount of customers when we arrived. The menu here is simple enough offering a few different burrito and bowl options with various meats and vegetables to use as toppings or fillings. I decided on giving the combo bowl a try which consisted of beef, chicken, a healthy dose of white rice, and some vegetables to top it all off. One cool thing this place does offer is slush drinks as well, I ended up going with what I think I recall being strawberry mango? well, it was something like that and it was absolutely delicious, definitely the best part of the experience. The food didn't take too long to come out and I gotta be honest here, I was pretty let down with the food. The chicken and beef were both fine, but without the sauce they were a tad on the dry side and didn't really taste all that great. The vegetables and rice were fine, but nothing to really discuss. Overall, I left Chop Chop Chicken with little to no desire to return again in the future. The food was on the bland side and the slush itself isn't really enough to make me want to drive back to Monterey Park for, so I guess this is a one and done for me.

Crabby's Seafood & More

4.0

(525 reviews)

Service is great But the food left to much to offer…read more I order garlic shrimps but I didn't like flavor or presentation The fish tacos were ok but I think they can do a lot better . I also order a fried fish and a fish filet plate . That one was ok not great My first time here honestly I don't think I'm coming back again .

Very disappointing experience, especially for the price…read more We spent about $250, and the food did not match that level at all. The parrillada was very chewy and hard to eat. The calamari was just okay, nothing special. The shrimp was the only thing that was actually good. The crab soup was around $30, which is extremely overpriced for what it was -- definitely not worth it. Service was lacking as well. We ordered several dishes and specifically asked for a non-spicy sauce, but it never came. They didn't follow up or fix it. The restaurant is in a shopping center and feels more like a casual lunch spot, so the pricing was surprising and didn't match the quality or experience. I still left a 15% tip, but overall, it wasn't worth it.

La Familia Comida Mexicana

4.4

(99 reviews)

6/28/26 Hubby's choice. He prefers Mexican breakfast & he gets to pick the place. It looks like a…read morehouse and a converted garage, almost like a hole in the wall type of shop. It's a sit down meal & a server takes your order. Our server was efficient and checked on us once and that was it. We ordered: Machaca (with beans and rice, menudo & chilaquiles. Our food arrived shortly. Decent portions. My husband ordered and forgot to order the red sauce for my chilaquiles. It was good but I prefer the green sauce. The server said it was hotter (spicier) than the red sauce so it might've been best that I got the red sauce instead. Hubby said his Machaca was average & he had better. All in all, it hit the spot to kill the hunger & I took the rest of the menudo home. The experience was average yet I find myself thinking that we would've been better off at Macho Cafe which was closer to us from home. The reception there was warmer.

Gnats... I…read moreunderstand that the doors are open but it's hard to enjoy your meal when there are gnats flying by inside, as you dine. Aside from that the Breakfast burrito with Chorizo was good. The Rice and beans were good... I got the Chilaquiles but if I were to ever go back (which more than likely will not be happening) I would order the burrito again. The steak was chewy (that remark is from my 10 year old granddaughter who ordered it). Plenty of parking in the lot adjacent and seating outside on a hot day would probably be nice in their breezeway that looks like a garage. Respectfully Reviewed.

Chef Chen

4.4

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