Very tasty food! I like the mix music vibes in there! The pickled cabbage was yummy, chicken was tender, but I have to say I don't love their hummus recipe. It's very silky and smooth but it's missing something flavor wise. Everything else was great! read more

I enjoy the chicken and hummus but the salad was nothing special. I have had better Greek salad from Trader Joe's. The service was very good. The ambiance was very clean and nicely decorated. If I go back I will only buy the hummus. Maybe the sandwich is better than the chicken plate. I liked the picked veggies that are yellow on the chicken plate. read more

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After a rainy day of travel we needed something that wasn't fast food. I found Tamar on Yelp and believed the stars, I'm glad I did. We found an accessible parking spot and made our way inside. I was a little confused since the sign for the coffee shop was hung, and the Tamar sign was only on the door (it was a rainy evening, so I may have missed other signage). The place was pretty full but my wife found an open table while I ordered at the counter. My wife wanted a Whipped Farm Dip with whipped rustic ricotta, toasted sesame, sumac honey, puffed black rice served with 1 piece of fluffy pita that must have been made there. I had a Falafel Sandwich with Crispy chickpea falafel, cabbage salad, tomatoes, cucumber, sumac onions, hummus, and amba tahini stuffed inside a warm pita. Both choices were excellent! My wife loved the dip with the sweet, smooth Ricotta, and crispy sesame seeds and black rice, and all of the flavors from the spices, but she raved over, "the best pita she's ever had in her life." While my Falafel was not the best I've ever had, it was great. The veggies were all fresh, the Falafel crispy and flavorful, and the sauce they provided added a nice layer. If we're ever back in town, we will be back. read more

I had the felafel sandwich and strawberry lemonade. The sandwich was filling and delicious, with many subtle flavors and a spicy chimchurri sauce. The lemonade was excellent too, with lots of strawberry juice. read more

This place is AMAZING! Flavor profile is perfect and vibrant. Staff is friendly and the service is fast. When I am in the area I do everything I can to stop by! Love it!! read more

The lamb sandwich was amazing so much flavor packed in to a pita Would definitely recommend service and ambiance was also really good!! read more

I got the salad with chicken and everything was delicious! The cucumber salad dressing was light and so tasty! The zhoug sauce and yogurt sauce were great additions too! read more

It was ok. The hummus didn't have a chickpea taste. Tasted like it was blended with something else which made it very mild in the flavor. The lamb I had hoped would be a sliced leg of lamb (especially for the price tag )but was ground lamb in patties. The sauces were average but tasted commercial brand. The meal did have flavor, a bit over salted. I was hoping for something more complex to the palate. read more

Tamar - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

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GOATED food. I crave it at least once every two weeks. The chicken shawarma plate is insane-- the yellow sauce that comes with it is crack. Love their food and highly recommend. I think even those that aren't into Mediterranean food normally will enjoy-- it's just THAT top tier. read more

A gem in a city that needs more gems! The food is mouthwatering and on point. The dips are fantastic, especially the Hummus and Shallot Labneh. Go ahead and treat yoself before or after your voracious funk zone activities! read more

Very good experience at Tamar. Menu is simple, food was good. Lamb Kofta made me happy. Thank you.

1 star is for the hummus (super creamy and delicious), falafel (crispy and nutty, love it), and pita (homemade and fluffy). Another for the service (very nice workers with smiling faces), and the third is for the vibe. It's a quaint little counter style place with an open kitchen and is shared with a coffee shop. Unfortunately, I can only give 3 stars because it's overpriced and their shawarma is SO BLAND. Chicken shawarma is hands down my favorite food, and this spot charged me twice as much as my favorite place (Falafel Stop in Sunnyvale) and gave me a quarter of the spice in the chicken. The only reason I checked the place out and sucked it up when they told me my total ($45 for two entrees) was because I had heard great things about their shawarma. And to spend so much and get chicken that tasted so bland and slightly dry was such a HUGE disappointment. I think I'll hold my shawarma craving until I'm back in the Bay Area or LA. read more

Fresh and delicious! Ordered and split the chicken shawarma pita. I completely forgot to take a photo as we dug right in.

Tamar's menu is fairly small but very well-executed. You can't go wrong here - the chicken shawarma is juicy, the sides are always fantastic, and it's pretty reasonable price-wise. I'm here once or twice a week and it doesn't get old. read more

The hummus was so good! Also it was right next to Dart Coffee (they're in the same location), so really convenient! The ambiance is also rly cute! read more

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Got the chicken shawarma plate. Everything was delicious. Chicken was yummy, good portion. Rice well seasoned, picked vegetables were also super tasty. Pita was super soft. Sauces were the stars of the show. Excellent. Kind of pricey but so worth it for the portions and quality. read more

When I think Santa Barbara, I rarely think Middle Eastern food. Well, if you do, then stop in here. Nestled into a fun and (funk zone) location hosted by Dart Coffee, this start up is delicious, inventive, and exciting. Don't leave without the cookie! I had the chicken shawarma sandwich and my wife had the falafel sandwich. The bread is very fresh pita, and the pickled vegetables that come with are crunchy and delectable. The guys behind the counter (cook and cashier) are very friendly and helpful. Go check this place out! read more

We had a great dining experience at Tamar! The food was so flavorful and authentic...We also received exemplary customer service from Carlos! read more

Tamar - sweet potatoes and chicken shawarma plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

the food is literally orgasmic, i've never experienced more pleasure than when i'm eating the hummus & pita with chicken shawarma. every bite is just so delectable! one of the employees put me on this combo a while back and my life hasn't been the same since! this plus the dart matcha sunrise completes me. i was on a sick one last night, and this made me whole again. i love tamar! tamar, if you're reading this, i love you. thank you for making the best chicken shawarma, hummus, and pita. no one does it like you, never forget that, you are the stars and moon. my whole world now revolves around you. read more

We enjoyed lunch today at Tamar restaurant in Santa Barbara . The chicken shawarma plate was great ! Thanks Chef Logan Jones and crew ! Wished we lived in the neighborhood...We'll be back soon. read more

I loved it! The hummus, the sauces (aïoli and zhoug), and the wood fired pita were excellent. The chicken Shawarma was super moist and not like most of the Shawarma I've had in the past but it was delicious! I got the Shawarma plate which with the extra Peter was probably enough for two people but nonetheless I made short work of more than half of it myself this time. There's tons of space this time a day in the shared Third window Brewing and courtyard areas. My wait was 16 minutes from order to plate arriving at the table which is not bad considering the caliber of food. The Monday through Wednesday 12-4p lunch schedule is not as broad as I would like to see, but I highly recommend making time to get there then and pretty sure I will find a way to do it again. There are specials too! read more

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Located in the funk zone. Parking,m available or street parking, dine in or outside. Beef shawarma special was everything you needed, beef, pickled veggies, sauces, the hummus is creamy and delicious, they sell beverages or water is available. Shared space with Dart Coffee, we enjoyed our meal, perfect meal and perfect SB Saturday, will be returning read more

Finally made it in, and I'll be back ASAP! I started with the Dip Trip, which lets you choose three spreads served with pita--loved the Whipped Farm Cheese the most! For the main, I had the Chicken Shawarma Plate, and it was so good. Can't wait to come back and try the Beef Shawarma Plate and everything else on the menu! It's in the same building as Dart Coffee, so you can't miss it! read more

INSANE middle eastern food! I felt like I was back home while eating this meal, the flavors were on point and everything was absolutely delicious. The pita was so warm and fluffy, I would have eaten 10 of them if I could. I love how the restaurant is so open and there is lots of outdoor seating available. The food came out relatively quickly and everything was seasoned perfectly. I wish I lived in SB so I can eat this every single week. Please open a location in SD!! read more

Tamar - Lamb kofta plate with hummus, beef shawarma plate with baba ganoush, side of falafel - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Barbara, California

No gluten free options and the chef implied that I was a hassle for asking him to try to make a clean plate, even though he told me he was "a really good chef." Vegetables were aggressively flavored, super-pickled. Lamb kofka plate: A plate of cabbage and carrots, basically, with a tiny bit of lamb, a paltry, sad amount. The hummus was good. Next time I'd get a side of hummus and a side of lamb. Cabbage ain't worth $26, neither is begging for a plate of food that won't make me sick for a month. read more

Tamar is consistently excellent. Shawarma is expertly spiced, the sides are great, I have zero complains. I've traveled all over the Middle East, this food is authentic. Also the portions are amazing - the Humous was enough for several meals! Highly recommend. read more

As SB locals, we were super excited to try Tamar. We usually like every restaurant that Acme runs in SB. Unfortunately this was a serious disappointment. We ordered two chicken shawarmas and a sweet potatoes side dish to share. Total before tip was right around $50, which is pricey for sandwich lunch but could be expected for SB. It felt like the right amount of food for two. What didn't feel right though, was the shawarmas. They were loaded with way too much cabbage and not enough chicken. The balance was completely off. So you're basically eating a giant cabbage salad with 5 mini pieces of chicken and that's not ok. The cabbage is cut very thick, and that is not a great feature either. The chicken is nice and moist, but we were not impressed with the flavor. It was a bit bland. Not bad, just bland. The sauce was disappointing in its flavor and also texture. Here again, complete absence of balance: way too much curry powder and no creamy texture. By the way, are shawarmas really supposed to be curried up ??? That seems like an odd twist on this classic Mediterranean street food sandwich. Why not stick with something more traditional: white creamy, fluffy garlic sauce ? As if it was not enough disappointment, the whole thing was very inconvenient to eat with your hands. The Pita bread, which was actually very nice and fluffy, is unfortunately too thin for this type of giant salad/sandwich and the sauce was dripping everywhere. More positive was the sweet potatoes side dish: tasty, with good flavors and nice texture. At $12 a portion, it would be nice to have a bigger serving though, but it's SB, it's the Funk Zone and it's Acme... Long story short, we didn't feel like we got our moneys worth and probably won't be back for shawarmas, unless they are committed to revisit and improve the recipe. read more

Great food and vibe and super fresh! Will definitely be back and a great casual lunch spot in funk zone.

Food was good. Loved their mango sauce and green sauce. Service was meh, they were out of water for like 15 minutes, and out of glasses for the water even longer. read more

Ordered three Chicken Shawarma Plates at $24 each and was shocked to get what can only be described as scraps of Chicken. We left disappointed and don't recommend this place. If you're looking for a filling meal Lama Dog down the street is far better in both atmosphere and offerings. read more

Amazing food! We were delighted with how fragrant and savory everything was. Fluffiest warmest pita too. If I can suggest anything it is try all the sauces. Seriously get a new one each time because they are delicious. And a big shout out to the staff and Logan. thank you from the SBHS teachers! read more

Excelente food!! Very fresh vegetables, amazing flavors. The lamb sandwich very good, salad with falafel the best. You can taste very fresh, organic farmers market veggies. The special sweet potato's with the dip at the bottom really good!! read more

This place was SO good! The meat was delicious and super well marinated. It came out really fast - we got the plate and a shawarma. 10/10

Best new shawarma in town! I've tried their chicken, beef, and lamb shawarmas and I think the chicken is definitely the best here. It's juicy and has a nice crispy fatty char on the outside. The lamb is flavorful and juicy, but not gamey. The beef was decent, but nothing special. Their hummus is the best I've had anywhere in a while. It's very light, creamy, and smooth with a nice nutty flavor. And then how can you not try their shroom hummus when it has caramelized onions and oyster mushrooms?! In the end it was good and everything I wanted, but I think going forward I will stick to the regular hummus because that's the real star. Recommend their chicken shawarma plate so you can really taste just the chicken vs in the sandwich where the veggies can be much. read more

Great they expanded hours and have settled into that location. Love the food and service is usually very quick - cannot beat it. Can also sit across the street in the outdoor garden area which has a great vibe read more

Delicious food - got the shawarma plate and the beets. Everything was good - especially liked the hummus, beets, and sauces. You can take the food and eat it in the Dart Coffee Garden which is a great space. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

Love this place. Great shawarma in town. Highly recommend getting the chicken shawarma plate. Can't go wrong. Hummus is so creamy! Grab it to go and sit in the garden across the street! read more

Tamar has moved from a pop up at Third Window Brewery to its own place in Dart coffee. Yeah, I was confused too! This place is outstanding and I'm so thrilled to have it in Santa Barbara! Excellent Mediterranean food. The pita is freshly baked, the shawarma is juicy, the veggies in the pitas are fresh and flavorful. I had the lamb and it was fantastic. Even the pickles that come with it are wonderful. We will be returning soon. Thank you Tamar! read more

OMG this place is the bomb. We found this because of yielp so I figured it deserved a praise. I chose this because it was on our way out of Santa Barbara and it had great reviews. I wasn't sure what I wanted to eat so I tried their lamb sharwama and my wife had the chicken sharwama dish. These are served with two types of veggie salads, homemade pita bread and hummus lots of it! They also have their own spice and every dish has its signature sauce. It is a very casual ambiance so you can jog there or just walk. It is located inside the coffee shop. So you pay before you eat, which might scare some people but for us was worth a try. Service was five stars! read more

Wow! Just had the chicken shawarma sandwich and the lamb kofta plate. So amazing. Spices were PERFECT. Pickled veggies and salad were great complement to the meal. We will be back very soon and have plans to be regulars! read more