Sababa not only makes me throw down all my stars, but also makes me want to give them all my money. It's that good. I mean... your food had better be pretty good when you have the falafel balls to name your restaurant after the Hebrew slang word for 'awesome.' I assure you, the name does not set you up for disappointment. Sababa is the latest brainchild of Johnny Baransi, who -- so graciously -- brought Mezze to our city and our tastebuds. So if you liked Mezze, which he no longer owns, you'll love it here. The food is Mediterranean + Middle Eastern, and Johnny makes everything fresh and from scratch every single day. Vegans, vegetarians, paleos, and GFers rejoice: there are countless, delicious options for you! Here's the scoop on ordering: 1. Choose a base. There's hummus, salad, and two types of rice. I've tried everything except one type of rice that has vermicelli and is not GF. You seriously can't go wrong with any of them. 2. Choose a protein. I'm a big fan of the chicken shawarma, and the falafel (which is made fresh to order) is my favorite in the city. 3. Go crazy with the toppings. The veggies here are no afterthought; they're outstanding. Some of my faves include: kalamata olives, Israeli pickles, banana peppers, and feta. My order usually rings in around $10, and I always have leftovers to take home. I think that's a total steal for such high quality, fresh food. Add on top of that the stellar customer service, and Sababa is a homerun for me. Sure, it's a bit out of the way, but this food is so craveable -- it's worth the drive. read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Hellooooo, chicken shawarma salad! - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This place will never get my business again. Can't believe the slop I was given from uber eats. My daughter threw hers in the trash. The rice wasn't even cooked properly and super skimpy portions. It used to be good. read more

Nice lil Mediterranean "chipotle" style restaurant with good food and nice service definitely a regular up there

My buddy and I saw a 'Coming Soon' sign for this place a couple months ago in the old Steak Escape spot on East Broad going toward Blacklick and were eager to give it a shot, since we love gyros, falafel, and all that jazz. It looked almost complete, but I don't think they opened until the past two weeks. Well, that's when I started seeing reviews pop up on here, so I knew it was time to check it out. Do you like Mezze? If so, then you will love this place, since it's almost entirely the same; all the way down to the taste and shape of the falafel. As for me, Mezze is one of my favorite lunch spots in Columbus, so I instantly fell in love with this place. The owner/manager was super friendly and offered everyone free samples of the meats without them asking. We didn't have a lot of time, so we opted for the gyro on a Greek style pita (Yes, they have Middle Eastern style just like Mezze). This place is essentially a Mediterranean Chipotle where you pick our your base (pita, rice, salad), proteins, toppings, and sauce. You can add olives, feta, and/or spice it up for a little extra (Mezze?). I went with the spicy sauce. Unlike Mezze, you go down the line picking out the veggies and toppings you want on your pita or bowl, just like in Chipotle. I ordered falafel along with the gyro, and the gyro was way more filling than I thought it would be, and I had to muscle down the falafel, which are served with a thin hummus. Everything was absolutely delicious. My buddy ordered the same thing but had fries instead and thought it was great as well. He made a comment though that I had to agree with saying that if you blindfolded him, he wouldn't be able to tell the difference between Sababa and Mezze. To me, this is a good thing, since I love Mezze, but a bad thing for Mezze, since this is a bit closer to my work. The only issue I ran into, is that they don't offer foil or a piece of paper to wrap around the pita to make it easier to eat, and the house sauce and hot sauce are both pretty thin, and it made a mess everywhere, including my shirt. Be prepared! That is my suggestion to them, and they should really think about it! Parking is super easy to find, since the tiny strip mall they're in has plenty. If you're a fan of Mezze and live on the East or Southeast side, then you'll find yourself having a very similar and tasty experience at Sababa. As for me, I'll be back often (so sorry, Mezze!). EDIT: Apparently this is the former owner of Mezze which makes a whole lot of sense. read more

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Out of all the fast-casual Mediterranean places in Columbus, Sababa is definitely my favorite. The process is pretty simple - Pick your base, protein, veggies, and sauce. I always go with the greek chicken salad or bowl. The brown rice with lentils has a lot of flavor so I would recommend that if you are getting a bowl. All the veggies are really fresh and crisp. I love that I can get diced pickles in my salad! Whatever you are getting, top it off with the house sauce and you can't go wrong. The brown to-go containers are very deceiving. I always think the portions are small until I'm actually sitting down and eating my meal. I usually struggle to finish a whole bowl. They give you a good amount of food for the price. Oh, and the spicy feta with pita is amazing. Definitely get that. You must stop here if you are in the area. Even if you aren't, Sababa is worth the drive to the east side! read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Salad with chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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Delicious! I was so impressed with the freshness of the ingredients, quick service, and how delicious everything was! I wish I could multiply this place and put one closer to where I live, because I'd go all the time. Not only was everything tasty, but the prices were very reasonable. A chicken bowl was around $9. This was a mix between Brassica and Chipotle, but 10x better than both. Must try! read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Greek chicken bowl - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Food was fantastic and the service was even better. Magdalena was the best. Chicken Shawarma was the best in the city!!!

Top 5 favorite local spot. I just just the consistency. The flavor is consistent. Service is consistent. I like that they always have a deal or coupon out there, so I feel I'm getting a great deal. My only complaint is that the baklava is like $2 bucks for a tiny piece the size of my big toe........ someone's old Greek grandmother would be raising H#LL if she knew they were holding out on the portions. Trust me when I say...... get the spicy gyro fixens' but put it over fries....... can u say life changing? read more

I've gotta say, I really do feel awful writing this review. I wanted to love Sababa SO badly, but the magic just wasn't there for me. As many have mentioned, it's set up like a Chipotle style Greek restaurant. They have hummus, rice, salad, or pita for your base, then you choose your protein, veggies, and sauce. They also have appetizers like falafel, grape leaves, hummus, etc. I visited with my sister (who had also never been there before) and I got the pita base w/ Greek chicken, and she got the rice base w/ Greek chicken. We split the falafel appetizer, and both had baklava for dessert. My sister really liked her food, but I just wasn't that impressed. The actual pita was delicious, but I didn't care for the seasoning on the chicken at all. The falafel was also just not really good to me. I'm used to the falafel at Aladdin's, and Boaz in Cleveland. More of a hearty, well spiced falafel. This falafel was certainly unlike any I'd had before. It had a weird taste, kind of sweet, very crumbly... I just didn't like it. I was also disappointed in the baklava, which is shocking because I've never had baklava that I didn't like. It tasted too buttery with not enough honey flavor, and it had green stuff sprinkled on the top, which I'm assuming was ground pistachio. Wasn't a fan of that. The employees were nice, the restaurant clean, and the food was fresh. But the actual flavor of the food fell way flat to me. Even though it's a bit of a drive, I think I'll stick with Mezze! read more

We visited Sababa on a Friday at 2:00pm and were greeted by a young female who was very friendly and helpful, though we later had our bowls finished with toppings by an older man who would not make eye contact and wasn't perky by any means. We ordered falafel which was pattied out right in front of us and fried fresh. You get 5 little balls with 2 different sauces, and they were just a tad spicy and absolutely delicious. We also had the hummus which was thick and paired perfectly with the warm chewy pita triangles, and the female server put just the right amount of olive oil on top. We ate every bite! Now onto the bowls...a million times fresher and more delicious than the other "fast casual" mega-chains. I had the salad base (super crisp green romaine) with chicken shawarma (proteins also heated up on the grill right as you order), feta, garbanzo beans, kalamata olives and house dressing. Seriously the BEST salad I've had in a long time!! Everything tasted so fresh, they were very generous with the proteins, and that house dressing was so creamy and tasty. I absolutely loved it. My husband had the rice base with gyro meat which blew my mind when I tasted it...so much flavor! It was perfectly salty, tender, and definitely made me jealous since my only complaint about my bowl was that the chicken shawarma didn't have the "pop" of flavor I was expecting. It was moist white chicken with no fat at all, but just a tad bland when compared with the amazing gyro meat. Needless to say I'm already planning a second visit just so I can try a pita stuffed with that gyro! Technically I would rate Sababa a 4.5 out of 5, but since Yelp has no half stars a 4 sounds accurate since the chicken was missing a little flavor and the man behind the counter wasn't great with customer service. But boy oh boy, this food was amazing and worth every penny and I can't wait to visit again soon! Totally worth the drive, and we live over an hour away. read more

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This place was Sababa (Cool)!!!! My family and I have seen this place and have always wanted to stop by and check it out. Well, last week we did. This is a "Chipotle" or "Moe's" style establishment that seems to be the trend in dinning/fast food for younger adults. On first, second and third glance, the cooking, service and dining areas were kept clean and presentable. The menus is fairly simple, but unless you know what product's definitions are, you will have questions. The manager on duty was more efficient and answering my questions than Siri or Alexa, this guy knew his product and how to sell it. He was very engaging as was the rest of the staff. So, my impression of the facilities and staff are going well, now for the food. The wife ordered pita and Greek chicken. She added a few topping to her liking and the house sauce (a must). My son ordered rice and Greek Chicken with no toppings. I ordered the fries and Shawarma chicken with my topping to taste and the house sauce (a must). We also order a Trio appetizer with grape leaves, spicy feta and Baba Ghanoug. Overall everyone was happing with the flavor, quality and freshness of the food. Due to the Roman lettuce issues, only Iceberg was available, so no lettuce for us. The portions were very generous and lasted a couple of days. Overall, we were very satisfied with this experience and will go back and try other combinations. This is a Veteran friendly establishment and provided a 10% discount when I asked. If you are looking to put together a quick meal with unique tastes, then this is something you might want to try. It's Sababa read more

Food was excellent. Would have given it a 5 had the guy making the food not been a little rude. Would definitely return though.

Delicious Mediterranean food and excellent service! I came in for my first visit and the staff were so helpful and even allowed me to taste samples of everything to help me decide. Truthfully, the samples were so yummy it made my decision even harder. Sababa works like Chipotle where you select your base, protein and then add sides. I went for the lentil rice, gyro meat, and assorted veggies to top it off. The portion was so generous, I had leftovers to take home with me. I'll definitely be returning to enjoy the rest of their menu offerings. read more

Sababa is oh so fresh, filling to the max and quite the charmer! With your pita, bowl, salad or hummus-based dish being completely customizable, this is a great place to go to satisfy all! I got the falafel salad with a bit of both rices (brown with lentils and white with cinnamon), cabbage, cucumber, red onion, tomato, feta, parsley and tahini! The falafel was made fresh as I was going down the line. I ordered a side of pita and hummus as well (pita was warm - swoooon worthy)! My favorite part may have to be the rice and cabbage - standout ingredients in my opinion! Or maybe the dancing of one of the guys behind the counter when no customers were in line and a good song came on. Or maybe the fabulous customer service with attention to presentation (the guy threw paprika in the air and swooped my hummus under in a big motion so it would dust the top). D) ALL OF THE ABOVE! I stayed for about an hour with a friend and it never got too noisy and I never felt the "I should leave because someone wants my table" feeling. Many people ordered to-go. I stayed around, got extra tahini and again, delightful service for that small request. Whether you're in a hurry or want to sit down and take your good ole' hummus-eating time, Sababa is a triple thumbs up with guaranteed leftovers for the next day! read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Falafel salad, hummus and warm pita - zyuuum! - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

A Mediterranean fast casual that has amazing Greek fries. I have had the pleasure of sampling everything on the menu. The options are quite versatile and one order can easily serve two people. I love the grape leaves as my go to meal. A unique experience to the Columbus market. read more

Wow!! What a great experience! I have the hero and the meat just melts in your mouth! Everyone there was so friendly! They even gave us some samples to help us decide what we wanted! Highly recommended read more

Service was excellent . They offered us samples of the meat and rice and a complementary baklava dessert. The food was fresh and varied. Meat eaters and vegans alike were happy. read more

First time here and I left more than happy. I live 20 minutes away, but it was worth the drive. Found it on here looking for gyros "close to me." I got my order to go and even made a run by the grocery before hitting home. Food was still hot! I ordered lentil rice with double gyro meat and numerous veggies. The potion will easily last me the weekend. At a total of $12 can't beat it. Also the staff is very friendly and welcoming. read more

Good food , fresh quality ingredients and it tastes good! Not a place I go to sit down but it's at least clean inside

Not a fan - there are much better places with the same concept in town. This is a chipotle style place and we got the dolmas, hummus plate with shwarma and a salad with chicken. The dolmas were a bit sour and had a vinegar after taste. The hummus plate with shwarma and veggie toppings was OK - the chicken was't my favorite but not bad. The salad was gross - the lettuce should have been thrown out and had too many bad pieces to be served. Also, I didn't really like the vibe and there was no fung shui. read more

Great food , we ate outside because of covid but overall it was a great experience . Little on the pricy side if your not use to Beverly Hills but the selection of meats were just to dye for . read more

Always had wonderful food and great service! The food is delicious and authentic. The sauces weren't overly sweet like some places are prone to do in order to gain more American diners. The only thing I wasn't as big of a fan of was the price. I feel like for that much money the experience should match the price. Also didn't like having to pay more for olives and feta. That was strange considering it's a Mediterranean restaurant. Will definitely be back though! read more

This place is amazing. The staff is so friendly and the food is always spot on. The spicy feta is a must have! And the falafel is perfectly spiced! The house sauce is bomb too! Overall you can do no wrong here! read more

A great quick lunch stop. Fresh, Affordable and Delic. Made to Order Quick Serve Line. Sandwiches, Bowls or Salads are offered. Select your base, protein and toppings. Very clean I ordered gyro on a pita with a pile of fresh veggies, banana peppers, chickpeas and the hot sauce. Rating the sauce a 7 on a scale up to 10 for but I'm a Hottie! My frugal employer only allows 11.00 for a lunch expense and with a drink the total was only 10 Bucks! I'll be back. read more

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Food overall good. Wish it wasn't overpriced for the chicken portion they gave me last night. First time there.

This place is SOOOO good. I travel all over the US for work and this is literally my favorite Greek restaurant anywhere. Flavor is amazing!! I recommend the medium sauce if you like an extra punch - not too spicy. I always order the baba ghanoush app, tzatziki app, the shawarma chicken/hummus bowl (decent portions so this is enough to share between 2-3 people). Zero complaints- all are very tasty. Sometimes order the fries and even those are good. Sababa is the best part about my work trips to Columbus. Highly recommend! read more

Ordered a brown rice plate with gyro meat, onions, banana peppers, garbanzo beans, parsley, feta cheese ($1 extra), kalamata olives ($1 extra), and all of the sauces, which came to $10.50. For another $9 we ordered the Mezze Plate which comes with your choice of 3 appetizers. We chose the Falafel, Baba Ghanoug, and Matbucha. The plate was amazing! We couldn't inhale it fast enough. The olives really took the plate to another level and were totally worth the extra dollar. Unfortunately the appetizers were disappointing. The Baba Ghanoug was slightly above average, but the Falafel was subpar and we barely touched the Matbucha. Note: As of March 2016 there is a Groupon which gets you $20 of food for only $12. read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Brown rice plate with gyro, onions, banana peppers, garbanzo beans, parsley, feta cheese, kalamata olives, and all the sauces. - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

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If you are in the mood for fresh food that has all the perfect flavors, stop reading reviews and go get you some Sababa! The owner goes above and beyond which shows in the product....my mouth is watering now for a gyro and hummus. See you there! *I am not affiliated with them in any way and very picky of foodservice since I grew up with restaurants in my family = trust me :) read more

We went here for lunch and had seriously an awesome experience! We loved the staff and the food was even better. read more

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The food is GREAT! As mentioned, just like a Mediterranean Chipotle. The house sauce is tasty and they allow you to choose whether you would like regular, medium, or hot. Medium is just right, but may be a little too spicy for the faint of heart. The customer service is always great and you can regularly find BOGO offers on GE receipts or in the mail. Why did I give 4 stars? My biggest complaint are the prices and portion sizes. Why offer continuous BOGO's when you could shave 25% off your normal price and make more $? The portion sizes are HUGE; like unmanageable, messy, frustrating-to-eat HUGE. To be honest, I often get an extra pita and just make 2 very large gyros. However, if they had a combo with half the size pita with choice of protein and an order of fries (which are great with tzaziki) for their regular price, I would show up every other day! Overall, Sababa does all the important things GREAT, but falls short on pricing "creativity" by not providing reasonable options that customers love. Who wouldn't spend $10 for a little smaller gyro, fries, a drink, and a small piece of baklava?! I would ALL DAY! read more

Today was my first time here and one of the workers asked if I needed any help. After I told him I had never been before, he instantly whipped out some samples of the meat options and rice options, AFTER asking if I had any special dietary restrictions. He presented the type of customer-oriented service that brings anyone back! Another big plus: the food is great and they use eco-friendly/recyclable packaging!! Their meat is well- seasoned and they do not skimp out on the toppings! I wouldn't say it's as good as brassica however, a very close second in my opinion. Definitely will bring my friends back!! read more

Love, love, love Sababa, need I say more? Well if you haven't been, you are definitely missing out. Sort of a Chipotle setup for Greek with one HUGE difference: the meat is cooked for you at the time of ordering, not just sitting around under a lamp. Still, very quick food though high quality unlike most fast food. Have had both salad bowls and rice bowls, and while both are good oh my the rice here is to die for. Usually get the chicken shawarma, my favorite, and even if you're not super into garbanzo beans, trust me and pile them on, they go awesome with the sauce here. I would say their bowls are actually better than what what you get at most sit down Greek restaurants, so it's definitely worth a visit! read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - Schwarma & Grecian chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This place is great. First time thru the door the owner was behind the counter explaining the ordering process and offering tasted. Organized in the fad of moving along the prep area choosing base protein toppings and extras. In subsequent visits have tried variations and all are good. read more

This is not what I expected. First, we came home to realize that the hummus we ordered was missing. Secondly, the fries look like they were fried 3 days ago. It was soggy, burned, butter , and greasy. It appears that they don't change the oil?? Thirdly, the tahini sauce we ordered barely had tahini but was water with a little bit of tahini. Lastly, I asked for a refund for the hummus we did not receive but, we were told that it is difficult to refund with on like orders and only the owner can do that. Amazing! read more

Sababa Mediterranean Grill - French fries. - Mediterranean Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

This is the greatest secret in Columbus. It's basically a Greek version of Chipotle but oh-so-good! I definitely wish it was closer to me, but worth the drive. Everything I've had from here is delicious, especially the tzatziki appetizer! It's even good when my husband picks it up from work and brings it 30 mins to home! You've gotta try it! read more

Fast and tasty option for Mediterranean food. Not my favorite hummus, but the gyro meat and chicken are both very good and we enjoy the dolmades as well. Great alternative to chipotle or other "build your dish" style eateries. read more

It was a wonderful place to eat and to have fun with friends and family, nice customer service

Sababa is the best! I love the house rice bowl with chicken shawarma and veggies. Everything is prepared to order and the staff is very friendly. We come here often for lunch and they have been super safe during the Covid times. read more

Great service and great food Johnny was super helpful and even let me try the different types of meats they had and rices. Great deals and great coupons. Definitely should try them out. We will be going again!! read more

Love this place. If you're a first-timer, let them know and they will walk you through it all (painlessly, I might add). This is the chiptole (but better) of Mediterranean food which means it's super customizable though I usually end up with just about everything in my bowl. They are also using certified compostable take-away gear! Get anything. Get everything. You cannot go wrong. My ONLY complaint is that there isn't a second location closer to home but that doesn't ever stop me from making the drive across town! Please do yourself a favor and try it! read more