Had a great experience at Sahara Taste of the Middle East. Everything we ordered was fresh,…read moreflavorful, and cooked perfectly. The chicken was tender and well seasoned, the kebab had great flavor, and the rice was excellent. We also really enjoyed the cucumber and chickpea salad -- fresh, light, and a perfect complement to the meal. The portions were very generous and everything came out looking and tasting great. You can tell they put care into the food. Definitely a place I'll be coming back to when I'm craving good Middle Eastern food. Highly recommend!

Absolutely delicious catering!…read more We ordered catering for my birthday celebration, and everything was perfect! The food was fresh, delicious, and beautifully presented. Every single dish tasted amazing, and you could tell everything was prepared with care. We had a wonderful variety of meats, salads, dips, rice, and appetizers, and there was more than enough food for everyone. My guests kept complimenting the food throughout the party -- everyone was happy and definitely left full! The chicken and beef skewers were delicious, the kafta was one of my favorites, and all of the sides and appetizers were fresh and flavorful. The hummus, garlic spread, fattoush, tabbouli, kibbeh, sambousek, and spinach pies were all a hit. Everything was on point -- quality, taste, freshness, portions, and presentation. It made feeding a large group so easy and took a lot of stress out of hosting my birthday party. I would absolutely order from them again and highly recommend their catering for a party or special event.

Genuinely one of the best meals i have had in such a long time!! My bf and i split the mixed meat…read moreplate and hummus, and every single item was outstanding. Also, portions are generous and we had plenty for leftovers the next day To top it off service was impeccable! Everyone was so friendly and asking if we needed anything etc. we will be back soon especially to try the shawarma!!

The portions will blow you away!…read more Food: 4/5 some of the best Syrian rice I've ever had. The chicken was tender and well flavored. The salad and yogurt were delicious. The ONLY thing that was subpar was the bread. Service: 3/5 they are super busy and they do their best but we had to ask for silverware, our sides, our to go boxes multiple times before we got it. The line is out the door though so they are running around. Ambiance: 4/5 it's a family spot so it's loud, outside patio seating is a bit more calm but not by much. Great place to come in large groups or with a bigger family!

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.

Every time we like mediterranean food, Ali Baba is our first choice. food is great, service is good…read moreand the staff is friendly.

This place is A MUST if you are a lover of all things shawarma…read more Tuesday specials are amazingly affordable w lots of delicious food (three meals more me)

Ive visited for years, my mom and I love this place for the family meal or the "small family…read moreplatter" which comes out to around $50 and change. It comes with 2 beef kabob skewer, 2 chicken tikka skewer, 1 chicken cream chop, and 1 chicken shawarma on a bed of rice, and grilled veggies. comes with hummus and salad. we love ordering this if we have a birthday, or crave middle eastern goodness. this place was one of the first middle eastern places ive tried and I love it. My mom always has seen the owner when we pick up there and he's always kind. I love when you can tell a business loves what they do, its in their energy and the food taste like it was made with love and for that I will always be back.

Our office had always had a pleasant and yummy experience. The team always makes sure the complete…read morethe order as requested and the food is always if the highest quality. The employees are always friendly and accommodating which creates a pleasant experience for their customers! Great job Shawarma Guys!!!!

I can for the viral Wagyu Shawarma Cheesesteak. It was very tasty with a mix of peppers, onion…read morecheese and sauce. Whatever sauce they used gave it a bit of spiciness. I went at 3:30 pm on a Saturday and was surprised that it was pretty busy at that weird time The sandwich was huge ( probably 12 inch sub) so depending on how hungry you are, you could easily split it. I loved the fries. Whatever seasoning they used gave is perfect

Husband, myself and 18m daughter came to this restaurant after church. I've been craving…read moreMediterranean food for a while and my cravings were satisfied!! My daughter LOVED the bread and hummus. I got the beef kebab plate and my husband got the chicken and beef kebab plate. We also provided with a plate of fresh and pickled vegetables and a soup that was delicious!! I saw a handful of people come in and pick up catering orders so you know that's how good it is! There is another Mediterranean restaurant down the street but if you want a mom and pop feel show this restaurant some love. Their food and customer service was exceptional. We will most definitely return :)

If you want to chow on rice and colored water then this is the place for you. Who serves Iraqi…read morestews without any protein? This place.

I was told this is the best place for Mediterranean in town by a very nice man on a plane ride home…read moreto San Diego. I think they are specifically an Iraqi style restaurant. Not quite casual, a little fancy but not really elevated dining or anything. Nice ambiance and polite, attentive service. We ordered the spreads combo platter that came with spicy Turkish baba ganoush, regular baba ganoush, hummus, and tzatziki. It was served with piping hot pita. This was delicious, worth coming for on its own. It was my first time having Turkish baba ganoush, it was delicious! The hummus and tzatziki were excellent. I especially love the addition of a unique crunchy garnish for each dip; chickpeas on the hummus, olives on the Turkish baba ganoush, pomegranate seeds on the baba ganoush, and coarser chopped cucumber in the tzatziki. Presentation is also beautiful, with all the color and each dip smoothed in a nice pattern. My only wish is that the baba ganoush is a little smokier. We also had the Ney classic grill which came with beef shawarma, beef skewer, chicken skewer, 2 lamb kofta, and breaded chicken. The menu claims this serves 2-3, but we probably only ate half between 4 relatively light eaters after our spread combo. I really enjoyed the shawarma; the chicken and filet mignon is a little light on the seasoning but the flavor is otherwise good; the kofta could be more tender in my opinion. I rarely see chicken cream chop in grill platters, but it was well executed. The platter also comes with pickles and rice and biryani, all of who I enjoyed. The biryani comes with almonds and raisins and everything has a nice sumac flavor. They also include garlic sauce and tahini; the garlic is really punchy. The jalapeno was crazy spicy. Everything is served on a bed of lavash, but it gets a little soggy under all the meat. If I were to give feedback, I would prefer the shawarma a little less salty and the grilled filet mignon and chicken a little more salty. Not sure why it's so disparate. For the amount of food, the price is very reasonable for a seated dining experience. One note is that they really blast the AC, so dress a little on the warmer side if you run cold. Come with 4-6+ people, order the spreads platter and the grill platter, and enjoy!

I loved this place! The night before coming here for takeout, I had Mediterranean food down at…read moreSeaport Village. It was tasty and satisfying... but this place BLEW MY MIND. The moment I walked in, I was warmly greeted and asked if I wanted a table for one. I said no, I was hoping to order takeout, and she kindly invited me to sit at the bar while I looked over the menu. Right away, the atmosphere felt welcoming, beautiful, and relaxed. I ordered my food, sipped my water, and honestly didn't think I had ordered that much. Then she came out with multiple filled brown bags of food! First of all, the prices were amazing. Second... the food was TOP NOTCH and completely different from what I had the night before. Everything was packed with flavor without being overloaded with salt. Fresh, vibrant, rich, and incredibly satisfying. The waitress/hostess was knowledgeable, friendly, and gave great recommendations on what to try. You can tell the staff truly cares about the experience. I will absolutely be back the next time I visit San Diego again. And not that I recommend eating while driving ... but the next day on my drive back to Ventura County, I spread out my leftovers and happily snacked on hummus, baba ghanoush, and dolma all the way home. That alone says everything about how good this place was.

Pistachio Latte and Baklava is the best. Very fresh high quality desserts. The atmosphere is also…read morereally nice.

I've been here twice now and both were really great experiences. Staff were friendly and super…read morehelpful, and the food was so delicious. Lots of seating and it was cool to see there's outdoor seating as well. Ended up with the boiled eggs breakfast plate (everything so good) and finally tried the sucuklu yumurta which was quite filling. It is a bit pricey, but the food was well worth it. Thanks so much!

we went a group of 12 persons-and the server that helped us was so attentive and wonderful anyway…read morewe dinike 1.5 hours and they were closing when we got there but still they serve us like it was the middle of the day, we order some kind of meat combo with all the fixings that come with the mediterranean food it was one of the most delicious food ive tried here in san diego food was excellent,the ambiance was good a lot of bussing in the restaurant over all great ambiance and experience for everyone me and my wife first time here great experience, i highly recommend this bussiness. have a great night and may god bless your life.

it is a sad day when a place that I have loved over the last four years changes management and…read moreeverything slowly changes for the worse. I was so excited to get myself a VEAL kebab for my birthday lunch and I was served a plate of fat... not sure if it was cooked properly... you can immediately tell. I'm extremely disappointed at this $15 dish... not worth it. You can get a cheaper fatty piece of steak from Albertson's. On the positive side, the chicken still taste amazing and so does the fattoush. The lentil soup was good as well.. very flavorful.

You're here for the food, not the upscale dining. I had the fried catfish filet with saffron rice…read more Fantastic. It's not unusual at all, it's just really fresh and good. Just a hint of spice in the fish and some saffron rice and veggies. There was one guy working. Slightly gruff but friendly. He beamed when I told him how much I was enjoying the food. Super fresh, delicious, and highly recommended. Parking on the street and in the shopping mall, where the corner restaurant is located.

Hmm, I really don't know about this place. All I know is that the great article/story/review in…read moreFacebook that brought me and my friend here does not match up with this place at all. Funny because while I was there, 2 other people came in because of the Facebook post. First thing, there is not a fresh fish tank where you can scoop out your fish and have it grilled in front of you. Instead there is a refrigerator case where you can select a fish. The price is a moving target, that is the price per pound does not match what it says on the menu, and as I watched him quote prices for myself and two other parties I realized that he was not really giving us each the same deal. He also said he couldn't speak English so it made it difficult to understand each other. One of the customers who also came for the first time offered to translate for us. The prices seemed to be at least twice as much as what the post indicated, and it seemed that there might also be further charges beyond the grilling of the fish. After you select the fish, he takes it to the kitchen in back and will prepare it and serve it with rice and maybe some vegetables. It might have been good, but the restaurant was very hot and there were a lot of flies around. In the end we opted to try another place this time. Something a bit more straightforward and up front across the street. I just think it's hard to do business when you can't communicate exactly what you'll charging and what the customer is getting. Also the story and pictures in FB was completely unrelated to what was going on in this restaurant. And the guy was not very friendly and seemed impatient. I see some nice reviews here, so maybe I'll be back one day when it's not so hot and give it a try again.