This restaurant feels like eating at your grandmother's house -- the food is wonderful and the…read morewelcoming service makes the entire experience so special. If you want to try delicious, different, and overall authentic cuisine, this is the place. The restaurant itself is very clean with memorable art decorating the dining area. We began with the appetizer mixed plate, which I very much recommend if you are willing to try many different, delicious appetizers. I personally had the Sultan's Delight as my entree, a decedent dish of lamb and mashed potatoes. This dish was especially unique in flavor and served on a hot plate that made every bite feel like the first! The owner, Anar, greeted us and was so kind and made the experience that much more memorable. While we do not live in the area, this has definitely become a spot we will frequent when visiting!

...I'll start off by saying, "I love Mediterranean food," and I'm always looking for a good spot…read more This one caught my attention as I walked by it. I had to stop and read the menu. My first thought was figuring out when I was coming back to try it out. Well, it happened! I'm glad I did. From the start, the service was great. I was seated quickly, even though I was solo. I felt a little guilty taking up a table in this busy restaurant, but they were very accommodating. Quickly, I asked for a menu along with recommendations. Even though those recommendations sounded amazing, I already had my mind made up from reading the menu the day I discovered the place. I got the Branzino, and yum, it was!!!! As good as it was, the tables next to me and in front of me had the specialty plate. Heck, I almost ordered one to bring home, but I calmed that urge by taking full bites of my fish and creamy mashed potatoes. I love me some Branzino, and they did a good job. I couldn't leave without getting some dessert, so I chose the Azerbaijani Baklava and the Pistachio Baklava with goat's milk vanilla creamy ice cream--this was definitely the way to finish off a lovely dinner. Did I say the service was great? Yes, the service was on point! Good staff, super friendly! The ambiance was moderately perfect for a Piedmont Ave spot. Bottom line--this spot is a Mediterranean restaurant offering a fusion of Turkish, Iranian, and Armenian cuisines. I heard the gyros are really good--next, I'll try those. Go visit and eat there; you will like it! I'm going back soon.

Decided to come here one day after my dentist appointment. I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap for…read morepick up. It's a good size for the price, the chicken is very tasty and I really liked the garlicky sauce thing that came with it. Would definitely come back here the next time I'm craving another shawarma. Service was friendly too!

With my Chicago bestie Sarj in town, we were on the hunt for *standout eats* only during his visit…read more Heard many good things about this spot, for which he received two separate recommendations from locals (and I had coincidentally bookmarked to try my location in Santa Clara). We ordered a mini lamb wrap, mini chicken wrap, rose tamarind drink and mint lemonade. The lamb was gristly and dry, so I preferred the chicken wrap, but was disappointed to find that it featured only chicken (well-seasoned and juicy) and did not have any tomatoes, cucumbers, or other vegetables like the lamb wrap did. The chicken wrap was only chicken and lavash. Perhaps it was an oversight on the staff's part, even though the restaurant was not busy during a Friday lunch. And it also still took some time to get our orders out even though we were the only ones in line and there were only two other parties eating there. Maybe there were tons of to-go orders they had to fulfill? I'll be sure to check out the Santa Clara location as well in the future, but for this luncheon, we had to temper our disappointment by going around the corner to get some Gregory's.

Decided to come here before Henry j K show Warm, excellent…read moreservice!! Mouth-watering, well-seasoned, tender, juicy, truly enjoyable all 4 dishes we ordered!! The resto decor, together with several customers who walked in with their Afghan garb made us feel like we're in Afghanistan ourselves!! Wow! Love this place & hoping to come back here in the near future!!

I had a good experience ordering take out from Kamdesh Afghan Cruisine. I ordered from their…read morewebsite, and we picked it up half an hour later. The restaurant is extremely big with lots of seating. It was roomy, and I picked up my order near the back. They packaged my food fresh and I got it hot! We got the Quabili Pallow and Beef Kubideh. They were both delicious! I love the pallow, and the raisins and carrots were done well. The lamb shank was soft and paired well. I wish there was a bit of a sauce to it to make the perfect bite. The kubideh was also good, and the kebab was very light. Good contrast to the heavy lamb. I enjoyed our meal, and will order again!

Tried the food from the owners of Mohka House and honestly loved it. The place is owned and run by…read moretwo brothers, and you can tell they actually care about what they're doing. They're opening a halal kitchen next door, and we got to try everything on the menu. They have burgers, shawarma, and wings, and everything is made in-house and fully halal. We tried all of it, and the flavors were truly outstanding. I really enjoyed everything we had. The wings were super flavorful and lowkey reminded me of San Tung in SF. The burger was a standout. Juicy, well-seasoned, and just really hit. I'd genuinely come back just for the burger alone. The shawarma was also really good, fresh, and full of flavor. Overall, everything we tried was solid, and you can tell a lot of care goes into the food. This is shaping up to be a great halal food spot in Oakland, and I'll definitely be back.

After going to the library (Dimond branch), I decided to have lunch in the area. I chose this place…read morebecause it popped up in Google Maps. When I came in, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do, and the server said I could sit anywhere, though when I was ready to order, they made me come to the register. I would've ordered to go to the register first to place my order and then sit down. I ordered the Lamb Kabob, which came with a side salad, hummus, tzatziki, and rice. The rice was kind of mushy and a little spicy. It didn't really taste fresh. There was also way too much of it. They could go down to 75% of that volume. The side salad, which consisted of tomatoes and cucumbers, was fine. The tzatziki was pretty good and creamy. The lamb was dry and tough to chew, so I used the tzatziki, which helped slightly. The real surprise was the hummus. It was SO good! It was creamy and flavorful. I would eat more hummus if store-bought hummus tasted like this. I couldn't finish all of the food, so I took home leftovers in my own Tupperware. I wasn't looking forward to eating them again, but the leftovers were better than I expected. All in all, while I'm glad this place uses a lot of reusable foodware (see Eco Notes below), the food wasn't tasty enough to keep me coming back (aside from the amazing hummus). I hope that I happened to get their worst dish or they had an off day. ECO NOTES (Dine-In) Dine-In Dishware: Reusable plate Napkins: Single-use disposable paper napkin Utensils: Metal fork, spoon, and knife Water cups: Pint glass

Lulu is one of my absolute favorite brunch spots!!! I came here for my birthday last year and fell…read morein love with their shukaquiles and other beautifully presented dishes! Gorgeous, fresh, and delicious! Everything I've tried on the menu is so good! I've tried their baklava french toast, turkish eggs, shukaquiles, loaded toum fries with braised lamb, habi-bimbap bowl, rose brûlée cappuccino, and baklava brûlée cappuccino. We tried the loaded toum fries recently and the lamb was so tender; all the ingredients worked so well together!!! It was also our first time having the habi-bimbap bowl and I love all the fresh and vibrant ingredients that were being incorporated with the perfectly cooked and seasoned chicken thighs! They are currently closed until Valentine's Day to rebrand and make adjustments and transition to "Lulu's Little Kitchen". Hoping some of these items will stay on the menu, but can't wait to see what amazing dishes Chef Mona Leena has in store!

4 stars $19.84…read moreFennel Scented Falafel Bowl was: delicious and vegan. Best falafel balls I've had though I can say if that's high praise. Still, very good and worth eating again. Vegan. $ was OK too.

I've been here several times and the food is always delicious, warm, and fresh…read more The Chicken and Lamb Shawerma are my favorites. Sweets are delicious as well. Enjoy!

My husband and I have been to this place more than four or five times now, and we absolutely love…read moreit! The chicken shawarma and beef dishes are always super tasty, and their koobideh kebab is perfectly cooked every time. It's honestly the only restaurant that I'd say is worth visiting at least once a month the prices are fair, the portions are generous, and the food quality is consistently great. Every time we go, everything is just excellent!

This was my first time ever eating at this restaurant and from once a separate told us we got there…read morejust in time. We had ourselves an early dinner around 3 PM and he said the restaurant had just cleared out. Apparently they were packed for lunch!! I've never had a style of food before so I asked my boyfriend what I should order since he likes the style. He actually ordered me a chicken curry dish and himself another meat dish, but I can't remember what it was called. Both items as well as appetizer it was delicious! I should've taken a picture of the items we ordered for the appetizer since it was a three portion combo plate, but the pictures are below! Ambience was very relaxed and I really like how there was a half steps down into a little patio area so it seemed like you were almost underground, but you could see out. It was cute watching people walk their dogs and families ride their bike bikes. I will definitely want to come back here and get and buy more dishes!

Came here for Oakland Resturaunt Week for 4 course tasting in March and honestly the atmosphere…read morealone made me want to stay longer. The service stood out because Jesse was friendly and attentive. 1st Course- Champagne 2nd Course - Potato Pakora 3rd Course - Salmon Kebab w/ Rice and Vegetables 4th Course - Ferni The space felt calm with lots of natural lighting and beautiful plants. Overall, I'd come back for the potato pakora, which is crispy and savory. Perfect for solo date or catch up with friends!