When we got off in San Diego I was like oh we're having persian kebabs for lunch. Darband was the…read moreclosest to the cruise port and our hotel. It's unassuming and not the fanciest, but when it comes to Persian, I don't want fancy. I want perfect rice and flavorful kebabs. We enjoyed Darband so much we ordered it for takeout the next night!

Darband has an interesting but slightly disjointed atmosphere, with a modern interior and a Persian…read morestore tucked in the middle, giving it an eclectic feel that doesn't quite come together. On the menu, the maast moosir was decent but unremarkable, and they only offer bottled doogh rather than a house-made version, which is a miss for a Persian restaurant. The food overall lands somewhere in the middle, not bad but not memorable either. The best way to describe it: it's the kind of quick, functional Persian food you'd grab on the go in Iran, rather than the carefully prepared, flavorful cooking that Persian cuisine is capable of at its best. If you're craving solid Persian food, it'll do in a pinch, but it probably won't be the meal you're thinking about the next day.

Turkish feast + hookah night in the Gaslamp…read more Euphoria brings together vibrant, stylish lounge energy with Mediterranean and Turkish flavors, and there was SO much to try. First up, their Turkish Breakfast, served ALL DAY, with Menemen as our egg choice. If you've never had Menemen, it's such a delicious combo: soft scrambled eggs cooked with tomatoes, green peppers, onions, warm spices and olive oil. The full breakfast spread comes loaded with cheeses, olives, sucuk, jams, honey, tahini, molasses, veggies and bread. Then came the Feast for 4, a massive spread of Adana kebab, chicken shish, köfte, lamb chops and döner alongside rice, salad and hummus. We also tried their potato gözleme with tzatziki, Euphoria Meze Mix, Turkish coffee and a Chunky Monkey smoothie. And don't sleep on their new hookahs. We tried the Hookahccino with a chocolate milk base, which was such a unique touch. It made the experience incredibly smooth with a subtle chocolatey sweetness. Between the colorful, photo-ready decor, delicious food and genuinely kind and helpful staff, Euphoria feels equally suited for dinner with friends or settling in for a late-night hookah session.

Not even nine months in "Business" and already they are sloppy. Came in at noon for lunch; no…read moremenus? Not even a cook! The nice lady told me that the cook comes in about 15 or 20 minutes......(longer if ICE gets to him before lunchtime)...LOLOLOL We're printing menus; for nine months, they've been printing. LOLOLOL No oganzization; the food must be rather terrible since the cook doesn't give a shit about coming to work on time. This place exists strictly for drinks at night, not a real restaurant at all. Wasting my time; horribly impossible parking.

Overall, I really enjoyed the food. The salad was fresh, and the börek rolls were fresh, flaky, and…read moredelicious. I liked them a lot. The kebabs were flavorful, fresh, and the meat is halal, although the portions were a bit on the small side. The lamb shish was also a little tough for my taste. The künefe was amazing, made fresh and served hot. Probably one of the freshest and best tasting I've had in the U.S. The tea, however, was a bit cold, and the istakan wasn't even filled all the way. The restaurant itself was clean and nicely decorated, and I had no complaints about the service. Overall, a very good experience, especially for the food and künefe.

Celebrated our friend's birthday here and it was a fun time!!…read more Everyone really enjoyed their meals! The portions were generous and filling, that my friend and I shared the chicken wrap (they had the wrap, I had the fries) and it was the perfect amount! My friends said the sauce was so good too, similar to a spicy mayo but with more herbs Two of our friends ordered drinks, which they shared w me so I know the bar does a wonderful job! Can't remember the names of the drinks and didn't get any photos, but one was purple while the other was orange! Our waitress was kind and helpful! She checked on us a few times and was proactive w the bar when she noticed our drinks hadn't arrived yet :) Also the interior aesthetic is GORGEOUS!! We couldn't stop talking about the chandelier and the neon sign wall^^

Tried Royal India in San Diego and left with mixed feelings. The food was overall average -- the…read morepakoda was the highlight, crispy and flavorful. Unfortunately, the rest of the dishes, especially the chicken items, were quite bland and lacked the expected spice and depth. Biryani was good . Naan and veggie curries were average . Chicken tikka was bland. . Achari chicken was good. Service was very slow -- it took about 45 minutes for our food to arrive, which was frustrating. The atmosphere wasn't great either; the tables were cramped and it felt a bit overcrowded. They do have some beer options, which was a plus. Not a terrible experience, but definitely room for improvement in both flavor and service. Average experience . 3 stars

I purchased a Groupon when I was planning this trip. I checked the fine print to make sure there…read morewere no stipulations being Valentine's Day/Presidents Day weekend & there weren't any. We decided to make reservations on Valentines night just in case it was busy, but to our surprise, it was not). Upon entering we were greeted by the nicest server and were seated immediately. Dining area is really warm and inviting with a lovely decor. I immediately informed the server that we had a Groupon and she acknowledged it, as I did not want to have any issues as I had mentioned above. We started off with the hummus and naan appetizer (13.00). I found it a bit odd as I'd never had hummus in an Indian restaurant before, but nonetheless, it was decent and the naan bread (although thin) was very good. As for entrees, I ordered the coconut pineapple chicken curry which came with rice (22.00 + 2.00 extra for white meat). I ordered it with a spice level 3 on a scale of 1-5 and it was pretty good, just too small of a portion for myself, My friend ordered the chicken garlic Malai kabab which did not come with rice and he was told was not spicy (it was with jalapeno slices). We ordered an extra side of rice since he wanted some. He did not care for his entree as it reminded him of chicken fajitas (it came out on a sizzling pan) and he thought it was going to come in a yogurt sauce (it was marinated in a yogurt sauce). As for dessert, we looked at the menu and to be honest, none of the items sounded appetizing, so we skipped it. Now for the drama: to be fair, there were three different servers that had been helping us. The one who brought our bill (not the initial server whom I informed) did not deduct our Groupon so I reminded her. She immediately told me that due to the holiday there were not accepting them on just this day. I told her I had asked the initial server who seated us and she said yes as I would have come back the next day to use it if that was the case. She then told me that it stipulates that on the groupon and I fired back with no, it does not, as I checked beforehand and I would not have purchased it had it stated that (besides that, we are from out of town). She hesitantly deducted it from our bill and waited to see if I was going to tip based on the full amount or on the reduced amount. She asked if I wanted a receipt and I said yes in case we had any issues. When she brought the receipt she gave me this dirty look and handed the receipt to me as if she was going to just drop it on the table. I thought to myself, oh, no you didn't!!! Upon leaving, I walked over to the initial server, whom was sweet as pie, and told her about my experience with the other female server and was honest how she treated us. She was very apologetic and I informed her that I was just being honest and as I said that the rude female server walked by with a fake smile and I pointed out to the (initial) server that she was the one. Lastly, I wanted to point out that the restroom was disgusting! The sink was backed up and you couldn't wash your hands in it! It's also located in an odd area where the kitchen and plates are at. I won't ever patronize this restaurant again. Ick!

5 stars, bro…read more California Falafel hits different. The falafel was crispy, shawarma had crazy flavor, and the portions are legit. Fast service, chill staff, good price. I'm pulling up again for sure.

Just average nothing special mushy falafel not crispy enough won't be going back for secondsread more

Been meaning to try this place when income to town and finally did. I ordered from DoorDash to my…read morehotel and went to pick it up. It was ready before I left the hotel. I had a 15 minute walk. Was greeted by a smile and a hello. I was given my food and left. Got the side of eggs w a waffle and chicken and everything was amazing especially the coconut syrup. It was filling , a good deal and the eggs reminded me of my when my dad used to cook for me as a kid. I will be back but I wouldn't eat there bc the area on C street was very sketchy w the ppl that were around. It's close to public transportation and a kinkos and Ross so you could kill two birds but just be mindful of that.

High quality ingredients, Meh Tastefulness…read more I always check Yelp and Google before trying a new place, so seeing consistent 4.4+ ratings definitely had me excited. While my experience didn't quite match the hype, I can absolutely understand why this family-owned restaurant has built such a loyal following. Let me preface this by saying I consider myself a bit of a waffle connoisseur...and a fried chicken connoisseur. First, customer service was gracious and excellent. "C" street downtown stinks. But business is business. The eatery is clean, tidy and simplistic decor. I ordered the chicken and waffle sandwich, fries, greens, and the coconut syrup. The flavor is not better than Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles. But the quality of food is. Halal. Enough said. The waffle: I liked how one side was flattened while the other kept the classic waffle pockets. It was soft, moist, lightly crisp, and not as sweet as most waffles. I added delicious old-fashioned maple syrup from home. The chicken: The chicken had a beautiful golden crust, and the white meat was juicy. My only suggestion would be to marinate the chicken itself before it gets breaded. A flavorful coating can only do so much, and I think that one small change would take it to another level. The fries? They were fantastic. No notes. The greens: I also ordered the greens. I haven't eaten pork with greens in probably 20 years, so I'm used to greens with smoked turkey or no meat at all. These were made with halal bacon, which I appreciate, but they were a little too salty, rich, and fatty for my taste. They only had one serving left, so I may have gotten the bottom of the pan where all the flavorful bits settled. I'd be willing to give them another try. The syrup: Then there was the coconut syrup. The only coconut I usually use is on my hair and skin...okay, and occasionally in a really good coconut margarita. So this one just wasn't my jam. That said, a family member loved it. If coconut is your thing, I think you'll really enjoy it because it's unique and well executed. I could tell this food is made with care, and that matters. This just wasn't the flavor profile I personally look for in chicken and waffles. If I were already downtown and someone said, "Let's eat here," I would choose something. Would I put it in my personal top five chicken-and-waffle spots in San Diego? Probably not. But I would absolutely recommend giving this local family business a try and deciding for yourself. "Supporting good people who care about what they serve is always worth it."

Tried several Mediterranean spots in downtown, wanted to try a new one. Found Kabob House nearby in…read moreGolden Hill. Was skeptical at first, it was empty at 5pm on a weekday. Glad I found this hidden gem! Food is authentic, service size is large. Within 10 minutes, 5 deliveries were picked up to go & another 5 people came to eat. Then the dinner rush. Ambiance is relaxing & seems like this is where all the locals come for Mediterranean food. Most of the people that came to dine in walked here, they didn't pull up in a car. Will be coming back often.

Hello, I haven't…read moregone out for a few weeks, and I'm really disappointed. I ordered takeout from a lamp shop with Riz. Usually, we get about 5 to 6 pieces of lamp shop and enough Rice, but this time there were only 4 pieces of lamp shop and half a box of rice for $30. I didn't check my order at the restaurant, but when I got home, I was not happy with it. I am their client.

I'm getting ready to go back and get the same salads I got a few weeks ago, so you know I love this…read moreplace. I always take-out a Greek Salad, and a "Bowl". They put plenty of protein on the bowl and it's all and always delicious. I was actually going to rate them "4" as last visit they did put the dressings on the side but something was really wet (the lettuce?) and it not only got all over the bag they were packed in but the bag ripped (and dripped) by the time I got to the car. It was a mess. So I'm writing this partly to remind myself to ask for different packaging. I talked myself back into a "5" because though the mess was irritating, the service was wonderful, including that one of the employees saw me waiting in another area of the market and brought the order out to me. An unnecessary but very appreciated step. Always delicious, filling and generous portions. I highly recommend.

Got a pita sandwich combo with gyro, and it was pretty good! The gyro had good flavor and the…read moreingredients were fresh, with the pita being soft & fresh as well. I asked for the two complimentary sauces and didn't get them (maybe it was just supposed to be inside the pita?) I think being such a sauce person that knocked off a star, because sauces tie everything together! With the side of fries, also didn't get any sauce. They were doing a large to go order so maybe that's why. The hummus was 7/10, not as smooth as I hoped, but the whole pita was great. $5 for the hummus + pita as a side was worth it! Good amount of seating inside, but it was full at 12pm on a Tuesday, so found other seating within the market.