Food was excellent cooked the perfect way, presentation is also good. The restaurant is specialised in masgoof the iraqi way of doing fish. Service was excellent they been in business over 15 years. The ambiance needs improvement but i look for food quality not the look of restaurant. Go give it a try read more

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I love the fish. I love the rice it comes with. The people I have dealt with are especially friendly.

You're here for the food, not the upscale dining. I had the fried catfish filet with saffron rice. 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. read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - English side of the menu - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Terrible food taste rotten like old fish and smells like shit I hate this place sorry I came here

Ever have amazing food from a no frills food stall on paper plates and that just blew your mind because it's so authentic and delicious? Nahrain restaurant is the equivalent of that - it's not designer food, it's authentic dishes served to you in a basic setting. And it's so good! We had the falafel sandwich that is served in traditional "sammoun" bread and drizzled in a tangy mango sauce called "anbah." We also ordered a tilapia "masgouf" dish where the fish is split open and grilled to perfection. You can choose from various fish options on the menu. We even saw the fish delivery guys deliver their boxes and then sat down to order at this restaurant! The food is excellent. read more

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It was weird when I was trying to put in my order and the cashier was saying "you don't want that, you shouldn't need that" etc. Got kinda weird. I stood firm and said "those are the things I wanted and not sure if you aren't in the business of making money or talking customers out of ordering." The best thing was the eggplant salad. Never had anything like it! Quite delicious with so many depths of flavor. The fried chicken was under cooked, had to chuck it. The Kubba Mosul (bulgur wheat with beef stuffed in the middle) was good! The rest was just 'okay'. Would return for the eggplant salad only. read more

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I highly recommend this place if you're in SD. THIS IS A GEM! Very fresh and wild caught fish. The best grilled fish I've had in years. Their filet mignon sandwich was also amazing!! But I would recommend the seafood with red rice. They bake their own bread and it is surreal! Just fell in love with this place and I'll recommend it to everyone! read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

After craving red snapper I decided to look up restaurants on Yelp and I came across Nahrain Fish and Chicken. After reading reviews and looking at pictures I decided to go. I get to the restaurant and upon entry I could smell a foul odor. There was a man behind the counter on the phone so while he continued his conversation I went over to the cooler to look at the fish. I knew immediately that I might regret ordering. The fish was just thrown in a cooler with no ice and blood running throughout. I always thought fish should be kept on ice to keep it fresh. After the man hangs up he asks how could he help me? I told him that I came to try the red snapper. He responded that they didn't have any and might get it the next day. I thanked him and left. I don't think that I will be returning back. read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Fish in cooler. - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill is a small Iraqi restaurant specializing in fish, chicken, and grilled meat plates. The restaurant has only 3 tables for inside seating, and they allow for inside dining since the COV-19 pandemic started as well as offer takeout. I was eager to try Masgoof (the national dish of Iraq) and some hummus here. Masgoof is seasoned grilled fish. One selects from one of the 7 kinds of fish available in the display case. Pricing for the 7 kinds of fish are as follows: Tilapia $7/lb Catfish $7/lb Striped Bass $12/lb Carp $7/lb Red Snapper $8/lb White Fish $9/lb Hamor Fish $12/lb After selecting one's fish, the chef weighs it, and then goes back to the kitchen and prepares it. My group selected a 2.5lb striped bass ($30). The fish was flavorful, meaty and had a slightly sweet taste. It was delicious and made for an extremely healthy meal! The fish was accompanied with a massive piece of freshly prepared flatbread provided with the fish. Some pickled vegetables and tahini accompanied the fish. There was a tangy mango pickled sauce as well that was a little too sour for my taste buds called amba that came with the dish. However, after tasting it I passed on it and stuck to the tahini. Hummus ($5) - The hummus here was a little thin in terms of consistency but tasted pretty good and paired nicely with the flatbread. Overall I really enjoyed my meal here and was impressed with the masgoof and delicious flat bread. All the food here is HALAL and service was on point as well. This place shares a parking lot with other businesses in a small strip mall. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the area and looking for some delicious grilled fish! read more

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Honestly this place has the best fish. You must try the Talapia masqoof. Try the red rice with the masqoof.

I ate at here a while ago and it was awful. The fish was old and smelled bad. The food was burnt and tasted terrible. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Save your money and go somewhere else. read more

Worst experience ever, food is plain has no taste at all Fish is not fresh at all, very fishy We waited for more than an hour to receive our order The owner wanted to charge us $10 more in our order The service was very poor Not recommended it at all Never back again to this place read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - 23. Red Snapper Whole Round Grilled Fish - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Iragi food......One of my favorite spots for good fish. Small mom and pop shop that battled through covid. They have a good selection of saltwater and fresh water fish that you can pick from. Remember to look at the eyes for freshness. They use a cooking style maskouf which is cooked in a clay tandoori standing up. The fish only is seasoned with salt and lemon as the taste of the fish is the main attraction. It takes a while to cook about 20 to 30 minutes so be patient. You can order head to cut the time but you will not be able to pick the fish. Staff is friendly and owner Benny is proud to speak about the history of the maskouf. I understand the chicken is good also but I haven't tried yet. There is no other place that I know that cook in this fashion. Thanks to them we can taste different country styles of food. read more

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Ordered clay oven baked stripe bass, and fried chicken.. the fish was grilled to perfection. The fried chicken was seasoned well, and it tasted delicious! The restaurant itself does not have much seating area, so ambiance wise not so great, but the food itself was top notch. If someone who has experienced Mediterranean/Middle east style oven baked/grilled whole fish in the past, then this is the place to go in San Diego. read more

Wow. Ventured off the highway after a weekend at Campland on our way back to Arizona. Best falafel sandwich ever! A little intimidating location but worth the adventure. Don't forget the baklava bakery next door! Next time hopefully I can sit and have a fish! Someone was eating one when we got our takeout and it looked amazing. read more

Absolutely the best food in town! My boyfriend and I were looking for a place to eat, and with his parents who cook very well, obviously they are huge food critics to please, we were kind of skeptical of finding a place in such a short amount of town, not to mention, in a pretty remote area too. So, after leaving one restaurant for horrible customer service, we stumbled upon this one. What got our attention was the fried fish and platter. When we arrived a gentleman helped seat is, (seat yourself type deal, very laid back atmosphere) and we chose the platter with 4 trial appetizer with hummus and salad, tabuleh...Then the main platter came, it had some creamy fried chicken, grilled chicken kabobs, liver (not my cup of tea), and a ground meat kabob. I'm pescatarian, so I ended up ordering the falafel... welps, this totally changed, I took a bite of the creamy fried chicken and got hooked. We were so hooked in fact, that we had to make it our last stop in San Diego before going back to the airport. The second time around, we ordered 2, 5 pound tilapia fish... I thought that this was fried fish, but I was informed that it was a special underground oven that cooks like a grill/fryer. What a freakin combo! Loved this, the 2 plates were devoured in an instant! I'm still learning this whole Mediterranean food deal, but my tastebuds are still working, I know good food when I taste it, and it sure did please! Don't forget to wash it down with some yogurt milk... it'll help you pass out in a food coma:) Also, the man who runs the place, very sweet owner. He kind of swayed us over from getting one large fish, to two smaller fish, which shows his honesty when providing customer service, implying that the smaller ones had more taste. He even taught me how to say water in Arabic? Is it Maa', pronounced ma-ya. Haha, good times. I will definitely be coming back when I'm in San Diego. read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Grilled fish - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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It is the best Iraqi grille fish I have ever eaten since I came to the USA 2008. The service is excellent so friendly iraqi people.The falafel sandwich with the iraqi Anpa is worth the drive for 28 miles. Totally recommend it 100% amazing restaurant read more

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When I was a kid, we'd drive to the beach for a few days' recreation, which was fun, but one of the best parts of the trip was the ride home. See, the Kiwanis guys would set up a large chicken BBQ by the side of the road, just where the bridge backed up on Sunday afternoons, and the smell of grilled chicken would torture us kids and force our parents to spring for several plates. Genius. Fortunately, you and I don't have to drive from San Diego to rural Delaware to get ridiculously good grilled chicken and fish. We have Nahrain, on Main Street in El Cajon. Don't be put off by the strip mall. In fact, remember the bakery, Shakira, next door to Nahrain; you're going to want to stop in there on your way home. At the back of Nahrain's dining area is a deli counter laden with several species of fresh fish. Customers make their choice based on the species they prefer, but also on the size of the fish, some of which will feed a half-dozen people or more. On a recent visit, my wife had a grilled red snapper (served masgoof-style) , and I had a spicy whole chicken that was spatchcocked and grilled as well. Both of these items were expertly prepped and cooked over the flame of the tanoor. They were moist and flavorful, with delicious bits of char, and taking a tip from from our fellow diners, most of whom were Iraqi, we used pieces of the Arab bread called khubz to pick meat from bone and carry it to our mouths. The woman running the front of house was helpful and a bit directive as we chose our food, reminding me so much of my father's sister that I took to calling her "Amti", Arabic for "auntie". She seemed to enjoy that, and spoke to me in Arabic, which sadly was a wasted effort, as I only remember a few words from childhood. The restaurant itself is spare, brightly lit, and offers Arabic language music videos playing quietly in the background. Service is tin foil, paper and plastic, water is bottled, soft drinks are canned. Those used to cushy surroundings might do better to order carry out, which I've done, several times. Our meal was not inexpensive, costing $40 plus tip, which included two drinks and a hummus appetizer (comped... thanks, Yelp!). However, I so enjoy fresh, well-prepared grilled fish and chicken in large quantities that I consider the price worth paying. read more

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I stopped in here for dinner, and I quickly learned that with a Yelp check in, it will earn you a free hummus appetizer. Although my app wasn't working, presenting me with oops code 8 error, they still honored their check in deal with Yelp. Very cool, I thought. For my meal, I had the hummus of course, and the chicken tikka with some grilled vegetables and a very large flat bread for $11 and some change (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nahrain-fish-and-chicken-grill-el-cajon?select=WjT10GgHvMG-sijikvZAaQ#fd8EFge56K0T-O_3XwLgEg). The hummus was fantastic and made in house with fresh garbanzo beans, not from the large can. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nahrain-fish-and-chicken-grill-el-cajon?select=WjT10GgHvMG-sijikvZAaQ#BwVhbvndkfpwi0yzvEaDOg) The freshness was very evident, because what I tasted was an all natural garbanzo beans with a touch of garlic, lemon, and some luscious olive oil. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nahrain-fish-and-chicken-grill-el-cajon?select=WjT10GgHvMG-sijikvZAaQ#hm_mfJ1J1H5K7rmMsfowWw) The offering came with small pita chips doted around the plate, which I used to scoop the hummus. (see) very good stuff. The chicken tikka was good. The chicken was properly cooked, tender, juicy, with nice char marks, (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nahrain-fish-and-chicken-grill-el-cajon?select=WjT10GgHvMG-sijikvZAaQ#vYNp5r25_1cWrudFP0nVSQ) but its flavor could of been a little better. I little more aggressive seasoning would of benefited it. Don't get me wrong, I like it, and polished it off, but it just needed something extra. The large flat bread was very good and came nice and warm. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/nahrain-fish-and-chicken-grill-el-cajon?select=WjT10GgHvMG-sijikvZAaQ#VTF-EM48XA4s-DGtFja4lQ) It was of a wheat variety and it had a good chewy texture. I used it to eat the chicken and some of the pickled veggies and grilled onions and tomatoes. What this meal needed was some sort of sauce. Perhaps a Mediterranean yogurt sauce which would of been great to eat with the chicken and bread. The chicken tikka served on a bed of rice, would of been good too. Service was good, and the owner was an enthusiastic gentleman regarding his food. Specifically the grilled fish house specialty they offer. My overall impression was a 3.5 stars, but with the Yelp check in deal and that fanastic hummus, I rounded it up to 4 stars. read more

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We always eat fish there never try something else i think it is the best in the area Maskoof is the best Call ahead and make your order because it take 30-45 minutes if you want maskoof Enjoy read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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This place is a hidden gem. Sooooo much delicious food and your dollar goes a long way. Don't sleep on this place! I'll def come again. The chicken and tabouli was my favorite read more

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I have been eating some of the same meals over and over because I'm afraid to try something new and not like it. Ben ( the owner) convinced me to let him prepare a dish. Red Snapper cooked in a tandoori oven along with non bread,rice, vegetable salad and a Turkish coffee. What impressed me the most was how juicy the fish was. I was eating alone and the owner chatted with me for a good bit. I was happy for the conversation and learned some stuff. Im coming here again that is definite. read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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This place is unique. Owner and cooks are real nice and down to earth. It is tucked in a tough neighborhood but it is a gem. Food is amazing but seating could use a major upgrade. They cook the best fish done in pizza oven. You pick your fish and it takes about 20 min to prepare or you call ahead and ask for what fish you want done. It is simple salt. pepper and fire. Healthy and yummy. Their tandoori chicken is also great if you done mind hot spicy flavor. Their eggplant salad is super If you are visiting from out of town and love to try Iraqi way of baking fish you should give them a shot read more

What an excellent Experience I had today with Nahrain Fish Grill. I would like to start with my phone call I called an hour before I went there to make sure my fish is ready when I get there. Guy name is Abo Saif answered my phone call and he said very warmly hi young man and it looked like he knew me for years. Excellent customer service made feel home or like I am calling my dad to order the food from him. So I get there with my wife and kids Welcome me again and shakes my hand, yes He shake my hand and he made feel like I am really at home now. Food was amazing, actually there is nothing like it to compare with so you are not going to know what I am describing till you go and try their food. I wish them all the best and I wish them to continue serving El Cajon and San Diego comunity. read more

I was on Yelp looking for a good restaurant that specialized in fish. I came across Nahrain's "masgoof", which is fish prepared in clay ovens. It sounded and looked good so I placed a takeout order online. (see photos). Allowing for prep time, I arrived at the restaurant 30 minutes later and was greed by the owner Benny. A very jovial, handsome and pleasant man. He informs me that my order was not possible to make since the Masgoof is the entire fish cooked in the clay oven and every fish in the store was well over one pound. How was I to know? The website never provided me with this information. So instead, my order consisted of a breaded, deep fried and a tad greasy piece of fish over soggy french fries. When I asked why his online ordering system didn't reflect the correct pricing or even the correct product, his attempt at an explanation was and I quote "all middle eastern people know how to order the masgoof". That's great but I'm not middle eastern nor have I ever been to the restaurant. Anyway, I'm not giving up hope just yet. I will have to go back to try the masgoof at some point. Benny, you seem like a great guy and I hope you fix your online ordering system. Good luck. read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Online order system shows that I will be ordering 1 talapia masgoof. - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Super disappointing. Came here as per a friends recommendation. The place smells fishy and the fish sits in a glass display looking all old and beat up. Worker said the fish was frozen not fresh ... could clearly see that. We were greeted by multiple fruit flies that we had to keep shooshing away the whole meal. Ordered an eggplant salad and a fattoush salad both of which were awful. The eggplant salad was old and clearly leftover from at least day before if not two days ago. Fattoush was bland and dressing was all wrong. My husband ordered the red snapper which was bland and flavorless and came with some rotten tasting sauce. The rest of us got the whole lemon chicken which was actually decent and came with a garlic sauce. Also got two types of rice. One was the sayyadeya which is supposed to be made with onion but this was black with loads of cardamom (yuck!) and the other was a red rice which was semi decent but still bland. Definitely the worse food experience we have had while in San Diego. read more

First visit today. Had grilled talapia, ordered well done. Crispy charred edges, tender and moist fish inside. Platter includes plenty of lemon, some onion, tomato and today mango sauce. Very hearty bread. Fed three of us very well. Selection of drinks. Wonderful meal! Advertise "HALAL Beef and Chicken, Nasgouf Fish & Chicken Grilled The Iraqi Way For All Your Occasions." Allow time for cooking fresh fish. Added benefit, sadly still missing from too many small restaurants: accessible and clean restroom, nicely appointed. Restaurant looks like could seat 20~25 people, I guess. (Did not count chairs.) Definitely will return. read more

One of the best seafood I've ever tasted is from the Middle East. So when I discovered this restaurant I was ecstatic and truly, it did not disappoint. The masgoof fish was extremely sumptuous. The clay oven probably did its job impressively. The fried shrimps with fries is just... yummers for real. This is my go-to restaurant if I want to order good Middle Eastern fish. Note: order the masgoof in advance of about 30 minutes. Update as of 07/07/2019: I called to check if their meats are halal and the man I spoke to said it was not halal. I appreciated the honesty! read more

I order tabouli salad and I order fish and hummus with pita bread all I paid $ 54.99. For all those The tabouli said was old and has bad smell it look like was Ben sit in his place for more then 2 day it was horrible smell from the salad. And rice was old and not delicious this is no way he he cooked the same day I wonder why no tests from rise it it horrible My fish was not testy at all he does not put no flavor or anything he just gave on the side lemon nothing more don't believe on the picture on yelp The place is very quiet. When we went there was nobody there only him playing with his cell phone. The place is kind smell bad . And he has all kind fish has them in fridge glass display with no ice. That is bad and is going to bring very bad smell to restaurant . Dude this not toys store fish with out ice in fridge window glass so people can see them. Thats fine but u missing ice around fish that crazy . Would I go back there only if he do some few changes there. Other then no I can't go there I can go somewhere My visit was not today But i update my yelp reviews every Tuesday Due to my busy work read more

Good place Good food Fresh fish Great service The fish like back home Iraq I would differently recommend to people read more

If you love to find secret gems then you found your place! This family run restaurant offers home feel cooked meals! Our family ordered the clay oven cooked grilled white fish. Wow! This had to be one of the best dishes I had ever ate! The fish was perfectly crisp on the outside and moist juicy and full of flavor meat on the inside. The bones came right off! The red rice and pickled turshi was a perfect combination with this fabulous dish! I will definitely return to eat here! read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - Wow! Clay oven grilled fish with red rice and a pickled mango sauce. - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

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Clean up !! Smells bad in there Food is ok Fish is good Raw chicken No customer service. But I think they dont care this is how Arabic Customers service is read more

Went here several times when we lived close by. Had a day in San Diego and chose to come back. The food is just as good as I remember.

I do recommend this place for all kind iraqi or Middle Eastern food .. we ate 5 of us different cultures and different opinions but we did agree it's the most amazing Fish we had ever.. not only they serve fish, there menu full of everything.. we had great conversation with the owner.. he all the time asked what else we want very kind people in this spot, also he personally makes our Iraqi tea , Mr Benny I wish the best You already guys the best in the town no doubt Thanks a lot guys read more

Nahrain Fish & Chicken Grill - With the Owner Benny Super humble person seriously - Middle Eastern Near Me - El Cajon, California

Can't say enough good things about this place! My family came for lunch and had the grilled fish. Best fish in San Diego hands down. Can't go wrong here! The whole experience was amazing! This little hole in the wall should not be missed. read more

Excellent restaurant that has been in our community for a very long time. Great menu with tons of options. The value of the plates are incredible, as you get a ton of food for you buck. High high quality ingredients with excellent recipes. Overall great place with great food at a great value. Highly recommend! read more

Very very VEEEEERYYYYY tasty food. From appetizer to fish I was blown away by the taste. Place does not look high end by any means but the food is absolutely astounding! Thank you guys. read more

Their food used to be good and tasty, but now, they burn their chicken. I used to come to this restaurant every day, but not anymore.

I highly recommend that no one ever eats at this restaurant today my family and I got fish from this restaurant and we were all going to throw up because the fish was very stinky and it tasted like it was rotten and it also tasted like it was old we ended up throwing it in the trash it was horrible read more

Soooooo.. I'm highly picky on food and El Cajon can be hard to find a good place to eat that's not fast food. Decided to give this place a try after looking over the menu and reviews .. I have no pick because after I tried a piece of my WHOLE WHITE FISH I couldn't stop eating it. I'm not a big fan of the sauce that come with it but I did squeeze both lemons on top of it and it was perfect .. Highly recommend .. Also I did order through Grubhub through Yelp it dye take a little over an hour and I am in El Cajon as well but worth it .. read more