$9 - sandwich It was a little before 9 a.m., everyone in the working world was in full swing. But not me, I was inside North Park Produce as a customer. I hadn't expected to be swooned before breakfast, but I was. It started with a glance at the deli counter. Behind the glass counter you can see the glistening meats turn slowly on the spits. I knew it was early, but I asked for a chicken shawarma wrap. "Five minutes," the man replied. And just like that, he was gone. After five minutes a woman appeared in his place, calm and unreadable. She told me she couldn't make a shawarma, but she could make me - and then she said something in her native language and made a motion with her hands. These were words I didn't recognize. Not even close. "I'm sorry, what?" I asked. She repeated it, as if I didn't hear her. I listened again, and I still didn't understand. There was a pause between us, but I was completely captivated. She said, "It's a sandwich". I nodded and smiled. "yes, chicken, please." Then it began, she went to the baker, giving him instructions, he began shaping a fresh loaf just for me. I watched, transfixed, as the dough came to life in his hands before disappearing into the heat of their homemade tandoor oven. Moments later, it emerged, warm, blistered, and perfect. She was there to catch it, like it belonged to her all along. She took it and split it open, gently, then added the chicken carved straight from the spit, as it was still turning. On to fresh cucumbers, crisp onions, a generous smear of garlic and yogurt, a dusting of spices. Nothing was careless but she was mechanical and every movement deliberate. As I watched, I know that she made the sandwich with a quiet care and with her hands as if every step mattered. When she finally pressed the bread together and wrapped it, there was intention in it. That was something made just for me. I didn't see any like it written on the menu. I took it in my hands. It was still warm. I could smell it and decided I wasn't going to wait long before first bite. Sitting at a table outside a coffee shop, the first bite was everything at once, juicy meat, crisp veggies, rich yogurt. The warm bread pocketed with the great flavors unfolded in a way that felt balanced and complete and brought the whole experience alive. It filled me in a way I hadn't expected, like a fleeting connection that somehow lingers longer than it should. The whole experience felt almost intimate, because she had taken it upon herself to make it truly satisfying. Each bite was unconscionably shaped with thought and attention. While it wasn't love, it was more like a morning fling. Definitely one I didn't plan and the kind you don't question. But it's the kind that leaves you full, a little dazed, and already wondering if you'll ever find your way back to something so satisfying. That particular store may seem a bit offsetting for some. It might be its location. Or the decor. It is shaped more by culture than design trends. There is a lived-in charm to it where authenticity matter more than polish, and every corner feels like a small piece of home. The workers communicate in generous, full voices of their native language in an open way. It's not an angry or offsetting way, but they are very open and at ease in their environment. I also really enjoyed the $9 a la carte lamb shank and the French Feta-style cheese if very rich and creamy. Both get thumbs up! read more

See all

Disappointing Customer Service Experience I've been coming to this restaurant since the day it opened, which is why this experience was especially disappointing. Earlier today, I ordered 40 shish beef kabobs and spent nearly $400. After driving six hours back to Las Vegas, I opened the tray and discovered that all 40 pieces were chicken kabob instead of beef. Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the chicken, so I contacted the restaurant hoping they could help resolve the mistake. I first spoke with a woman who I believed was a manager, but she was unable to assist me. I then asked to speak with a manager and was connected with a gentleman named Nazzar. Instead of listening to my concern and trying to find a solution, I was told that I was essentially lying because he claimed the kitchen had not sold chicken kabob that day. I was very frustrated by that response, especially after spending nearly $400 and driving six hours home. I sent pictures of the food along with my invoice as proof of my order. Only after that did the conversation change, and I was told that he was not the manager. I asked to speak directly with Sarmad, the owner, because I wanted to address the situation with someone who could actually resolve it. I understand that mistakes happen. What matters is how a business handles those mistakes. Unfortunately, the way this situation was handled was far more disappointing than receiving the wrong food. Being questioned about whether I was telling the truth rather than having someone simply listen and help left me feeling extremely disrespected as a longtime customer. I'm not writing this review to create an argument. I'm sharing my experience because I genuinely believe customer service should be just as important as the food. After being a customer since the restaurant first opened, I expected much better. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and uses it as an opportunity to improve how customer concerns are handled in the future. read more

See all

There's always something to learn about here. Check out the brown basmati, omancik, and baldo rice. I had to Google the second two rice varieties to get their descriptions and how to use them. I bought the brown basmati rice and can't wait to try it. I'll be back for the other two! read more

See all

This is one of the handful of Middle Eastern stores I used to shop at regularly when I lived in El Cajon. Today I came here for a large, heavy cardboard box of fresh dates - for the price, its a better deal than the smaller Costco or Sprouts plastic-packaged offerings. Also picked a few Pomegranates, again at cheaper per pound prices than non-middle eastern grocery stores. I was going to get fresh flatbread but opted to try Aloo Paratha from the frozen section. Hopefully, because its imported, it doesn't contain the toxic Glyphosate widely used in American wheat products. I noticed they have more freshly prepared food for sale. Great if you want a ready meal to eat and have no time to cook. Same simple ambiance, same service that will keep me returning here for years to come. read more

See all

North Park Produce in El Cajon is a grocery store and restaurant providing a variety of Mediterranean/middle eastern products and eats. AMBIANCE Compact, casual, community market SERVICE Self serve food area, check out at the cashier FOOD 5/5 KUBA HALAB: Similar to a croquette, this Iraqi dish is a fried, rice-based dumpling with a fragrant minced meat and herb filling. 4/5 KUBA: This tasted good as well, but a bit less fragrant with minced meat and nuts for the filling PARKING Plenty of well-spaced spots in the lot read more

See all

I used to have one of these in clairemont years ago, so happy I got to visit this one! It's even better! It's jam packed with all your Arabic goodies and food. We stopped in to get lunch and everything I had was delightful and delicious. A very busy store but worth it to get some good food. read more

See all

I like this store, I want to shop there, but there is a bad smell in the store and it impregnates the stuff you buy as well. Today I am still smelling it. Does anybody know what this smell is? is there any hope of it getting fixed? read more

My father went to the North Park Produce location on El Cajon Blvd. The employees there treated him very rudely and overcharged him on the meat he purchased. They charged him almost double the actual amount and when he went to confront them they told him to go shop somewhere else. The prices there are much higher than a lot of other stores and the quality is really not good. The bread he got was hard and not very fresh. We are dissatisfied with their prices and customer service. We don't recommend doing business with this location. read more

I ordered two shawarmas, and unfortunately both were very bad. I should have checked the boxes before leaving the store. The shawarma was burned, smelled like charcoal, and had no flavor. The hummus was terrible--it tasted like a dry, powdery product that was supposed to resemble hummus. Paying $9.99 for each shawarma was a complete waste of money. I also noticed the cook placing the bread directly on the countertop without clean paper underneath. That counter is usually wiped with a dirty cloth, which raised serious hygiene concerns. Lesson learned. I'm believe if I called to complain they would replace the food, but I'm already far away from this market, and if I were to complain to the County of San Diego Health Department, it would likely create unnecessary problems for the owner. Hopefully, this situation improves. read more

North Park Produce - Grocery Near Me - El Cajon, California

See all

This review is for the hot food section. I believe they sell old reheated food and we are very sick now. We bought DOLMA and unfortunately it tasted very off but we paid a lot and tried different pieces. It was disgustung, we ended up with food poisoning and will be reporting the source asap. Place needs to be inspected and cooks should be mindful and taste food before it goes out. read more

My go-to spot! They have three locations across San Diego: one in North Park, one in Poway, and one in El Cajon. The El Cajon location is my favorite, and I always stop by whenever I'm in the area for middle eastern groceries. They offer a deli section, fresh salads, fresh juices, a bakery, and even Maskouf fish, where you can pick your own fish for them to prepare. read more

See all

I used to love North Park Produce and had been giving them business both at their North Park location and former Chula Vista one for like 15 years. I don't know if they have new management or what, but quality has taken a dive and prices on produce have more than doubled on many items. For example, they're asking $4 for a tiny head of green or red leaf lettuce, which is just obscene. At their old Chula location, they also had amazing fresh tortillas, so I was excited when they brought the old tortilla press from Pancho Villa, since they didn't have fresh tortillas at the North Park location (I saw it as the only silver lining of the PV closure). But when I tried the fresh tortillas, they were awful. Dried out prepackaged ones taste better. It was incredibly disappointing. Despite that, they have lost a loyal customer just over the price gouging. Even Barons is more affordable now. read more

Amazing people and amazing food, I don't go to restaurants or fast food stores, this place is amazing

Very Bad customer service. They don't even know how to answer the phone correctly. They won't give you any prices over the phone. I would go spend my money somewhere else read more

I agree. The parking lot is kind of tight for the place. However, coming from Minnesota. I can't tell how cheap is the fresh produce compared to Minnesota. He Minnesota are used to pay $3.04 minutes here I pay $.33. Cucumber images what I pay two dollars, here I pay $.79. Even the cooked food like Kibby and the bakery is good. Minnesota you pay double. Onions are $.12, Minnesota it is two dollars!!!!! You can ask the baker to make your zaatar pie thin and they will do it for the same price so you're eating healthy minimum gluten food, with low calories, instead of the fattening sick bread. Some of the employees have these serious look others probably are not trained in five stars resort how to smile. But they do pretty job and they were not rude to me and to my wife the few times I visited. read more

See all

cashier bajio was super nice super positive and super outgoing. It was very good experience 10 times more memorable. We will definitely. shop here again. also had an amazing attitude. and also was very helpful when we ask questions read more

If you are CHALDEAN or middle eastern and you are a fan of DOLMA - TRADITIONAL W MEAT - this is the place to go in SANDIEGO, CA ! If you're from Detroit, Michigan you also know what dolma I'm talking about.. GRANDMAS kind of dolma that you can never find unless if you know you know!!! Thankful for this little gem in elcajon bc I'm grown up now and my mama don't have time to be making dolma like when her my GMA used to when i was a little girl and the dolma takes me back to the best memories ... also , they got the best potato chip, bureg, fruits, dried apricots w great prices... EBT is officially accepted here for hot foods (kitchen ) finally since march 2024 which is UNREAL :) Kudos!!!!!! read more

See all

This is a great small business market. Great prices on produce, which can range from super fresh to past prime. Their herbs are fresh and fragrant and a great deal compared to the little plastic containers of herbs from grocery stores. They have a great selection of Arabic or middle eastern prepared foods that rival local restaurants- including family meals for five with rice salad and kebabs, they have a bakery that turns out amazing traditional bread, and a deli bar with a great selection of hummus salads and olives. read more

North Park Produce - Deli bar options - Grocery Near Me - El Cajon, California

My husband favourite store to get grocery Lahm Il ajeen yummy Boreg beef yummy - my son favourite Pretty much u can find all the basic iraqi and arabic needs always busy Only thing I do not like that parking in busy times can be annoying Otherwise great store read more

North Park produce on Chase Street he is the wors and very greedy owner I was there today and he changed his prices kobab he was charge me for six kobab for almost $14. Dollars and now he just changed his prices and he charges me for six kobab for 19.42 this is ridiculous he keeps raising his prices on everything and the city he should watch for that's I never shop there again read more

From today on I decided I quit shopping from this place that could have been a good place for my shopping needs. It's a middle eastern grocery store that made me super disappointed. They misplaced those labels and once you complain they do not honor customer and rather even accuse the decent customer like myself to moving items to the wrong place. It's a place for them to sell rejected fruits and vegetables and a place for no customers service. Not to mention how dirty and unsanitary the place is and the sewer smell that is oozing in the middle of the produce segment. I am done going but I want others know what are you dealing with. My blood pressure went to the roof when I was talking to the cement walls called managers. read more

The cashiers exhibit a high level of rudeness, displaying poor treatment towards customers. Additionally, whenever I make a phone call to the store to inquire about something, they consistently terminate the call abruptly. read more

The smell of the baking bread irresistible and all kind of home made finger food great job and reasonable price su eh blessing

I love this place and you have to go w an open mind. This is a locals market and my shopping is very specific. 1. Try the fresh baked bread ( pita and rolls) the best deal in town. 2. Great olive oil, I get the cold first pressed and don't skim, it's worth it. 3. Hummus Enjoy read more

I thought I will give there ready food one more try after the dolma experience that I had in there that was super dry but that was a while ago and I never had any food from there after that except their bakery stuff is amazing so today I stopped by and I picked up some kebab, and I totally was disappointed after eating them in a few hours they were super dry and had a rubbery feeling to them. read more

A comprehensive Middle Eastern Market. The interaction we have had with the employees has been fine. They are friendly and helpful. Very good produce and spices. Bread is really good too. For carry out we like their meat and chicken rolls. The chicken kebabs are also really good, and as pointed out, hummus is fantastic. If you want olives in gigantic jars cheap, this is the place to go. Not so good is the chaotic parking situation. I would advise to go early on a weekday if you want to avoid the drama. read more

I wouldn't shop at any of these locations. First off I bought something from one place and went to another and tried returning. Are you not owned by same company????? Instead make your customers leave pissed off. read more

Very bad service, rude! And we bought three fresh chickens from them, they were bad we have to throw them away, we didn't even try to return them because they wouldn't take them. Be careful with the meat section, they always try to sneak bad old products in. read more

Funny that this place has such poor reviews. The produce is great. The prices are better than Vons across the street. The house made hummus and the flat bread are to DIEEEE FORRR! they make it fresh on the spot. Tons of fresh food to pick from and very good pricing. Only down sides are can be pretty. Hey with everyone speaking a different language and the check out is very much like talking to a computer - they really don't care about you just a fast check out and get out the way! Still worth it. Never go to a restaurant in town for the bread and hummus!! read more

Super food.service nice. I like it and I am very proud. North Park Super.thank you my north park read more

This place nice place. I noticed though that their prices were average and comparable with most produce markets. Their prices were definitely better than your super market chains. The best thing about my trip here is that they had huge Fuerte avocados for only .99 each. (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/TvDPMIWJpazfQX0MWMV-xg?userid=WG3w_73scm_JUWJ_3Lgn0Q) I love Fuertes! I picked up a couple of those and some pita bread. I learned while I was there that they have a bakery as well. I saw this man piling on these hot hot rolls and he commented they were the best rolls he has ever eaten. I will give them a try next time I come, I thought. I like this place, and I will pay more attention to their ad when it comes. Living in Rancho San Diego makes this location close enough for me to drive to often. read more

See all

They are friendly, hard working people. Their prices a very fair. I have been a regular customer for years and they keep their shop well stocked. Their dinner Platters are both extraordinary in value and on flavors. Our family and friends love it and have never been disappointed. I highly recommend with a side of biryani rice and maybe hummus. Gregory read more

Awesome food and hot bread soups snd sandwiches. And fresh fruit and vegetables loved it and don't forget the spices. And teas..

Food to go....was very dry, and definitely not fresh. Very disappointed. I will continue to buy the regular produce, but I will stay away from the cooked food for sale. read more

Cute Middle Eastern market. I usually go to Balboa market to get Afghan bread, but just discovered this new place. Will definitely coming here from now on. Love the fresh bread!! Got bread, Afghan green tea, fried fish and rice from their deli, and Turkish jelly candies. I thought the workers were nice. Didn't have any of the problems listed on other reviews. The lady at the hot food section was super nice, when I got to the checkout line, one of the workers was in line and he let me went ahead of him, and the guy at the checkout was nice too. read more

North Park Produce - Grocery Near Me - El Cajon, California

Overpriced . Quality is not bad however the prices have gone up 100% . Bakery has gone up drastically

Great prices on produce. Fresh bread baked on site. Steam table entrees include, whole cooked Lamb Shank in tomato sauce, sold by the piece for 7.99. So surprised because the rice is 5.99 a pound What a bargain! read more

Me and my families have been a regular customer of North Park Produce El Cajon. However due to a very horrible and disrespectful behavior of a staff we won't be visiting this store anymore. I thought the store will give more priority to customer service, however this store gives more priority to their staff in which how bad they behave with customers read more

Fresh vegetable and fruits are generally good, but the meat quality is not. The first time that I purchased lamb at this store, I thought it was fresh (because it was soft to touch), but just by accident when another customer asked about it, I noticed what I wad buying as fresh meat was actually thawed frozen meat from Australia or New Zealand! That was not healthy. Since then, I never bought any meat from them. The other problem is the mood of the cashier girls that to me some times was quite rude; maybe a result of working long hours and tiredness. read more

Tried to call for a price, but ultimately got the office. Apparently they have no idea of the prices in the office. Also they are fully aware that they are so busy no one else is available to help. Called elsewhere and got prices so I know where I'm going read more