Tried Yafa today and wow - absolutely delicious! I ordered a chicken pita and it was super fresh, juicy, and full of flavor. The chicken was perfectly cooked, tender and well-seasoned, with amazing pickled veggies and a generous amount of creamy sauce. The pita itself was soft, warm, and lightly toasted - exactly how it should be. Also we tried falafel and homemade hummus! So fresh! I think I've never tried better hummus And yeah - portions are great for the price, definitely will come back read more

Yafa cuisine - Falafel - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

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I'd give it 3.5 out of 5 stars. Yafa Cuisine is a good local spot and a decent value for the portion sizes. You definitely get a good amount of food for your money. The meat was tender, juicy, and well-seasoned, which was the highlight of the meal. The rice had good flavor, but unfortunately it wasn't fully cooked, which took away from the experience a bit. The food also took a while to come out, so be prepared for a longer wait. One downside for me was the pita bread. It was very dry and hard, and not enjoyable at all. Another concern was the open kitchen. While the area looked clean overall, I did notice the cook using the same gloves to prepare food and then handle items that didn't appear clean, which was a little off-putting. Overall, Yafa Cuisine has good flavors and generous portions, but a few quality and cleanliness details kept it from being a higher rating. read more

Yafa cuisine - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

Great food great service fresh and clean eating healthy way to go defiently a good choice read more

Yafa cuisine - Gyro real good - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

This hole-in-the-wall was a pleasant surprise! Yafa Cuisine advertises their falafel, but it's their Chicken Tawook Plate that got me hooked. Pricing was reasonable and the portions were hugh. The quantity of grilled chicken cubes was equivalent to about 2 long skewers (about 12 pieces?). The photo I took was taken after eating 2/3 of the yummy meal...oops. I was hungry and couldn't stop munching! Included a variety of pickled vegetables (turnips, cucumber, and peppers), a side of hummus, and garlic sauce. Service was warm and friendly. Will definitely return when I'm in the area! read more

Yafa cuisine - Chicken Tawook Plate - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

Quick service with great food. recommend highly to come try it at least once. Located in Riverside clean.

Food has always been fresh and delish. My husband and I have been enjoying dining at Yafa every time. I like the fact that they have gloves on for sanitation purposes, but I only wish that they would replace their gloves frequently especially after taking orders via phone or at the cash register. The same gloves are used afterwards to make our foods. I have noticed this each time I have dined here. So gross. And IE can get pretty hot during the summer. Please have the A/C on as a part of customer service. Having a small fan on does not do justice to keep the air cool for dining customers. read more

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Came back; it's been awhile and I feel like the Falafel Pita Tuesday special is even more stuffed than the last time I visited! I still say to this day their Falafel pita rivals a hearty hamburger. I stand by the statement and it's so healthy for you too! read more

Yafa cuisine - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

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Parking is available by new India sweets & spices. Follow the walkway on the right hand side and you'll find the entrance. Limited indoor or patio seating. Delivery services available, tap to pay. Service was great! Food was good with substantial servings. Easy for sharing! Restrooms inside for customers. We sat towards the drink fridge area and didn't really care for the artificial spray smell it seemed like an automatic dispenser. It was a bit overpowering. I'd much rather recommend patio seating or sit closer to the front entrance. Loved the 80s music videos playing. Retro throwback! read more

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I have always passed this place so today I decided to try it! I was greeted at the register and placed my order of the filet mignon plate swiftly. She was very nice and even informed me that my order would take 20 minutes. I had no problem with that and it affirmed the freshness/quality of the food. In the meantime, I got a drink and ordered a baklava as well. They brought me my plate about 20 minutes later and it looked delicious! The meat was so tender and easy to grab. My wrist is broken so I'm unable to use a knife to cut and I have some difficulty eating, so this was perfect! I'm not really a hummus fan, but theirs was so creamy and yummy. I ate it all! I took the baklava home and I ate it as part of dinner. It was different than any other baklava I've ever had, but in a great way! I'm happy I tried Yafa and will be back read more

Yafa cuisine - Filet mignon plate - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!! Big portions, fresh food, and overall amazing service! I was so excited to try this place out after hearing about it. The chicken shawarma bowl and the falafel were absolutely delicious. The falafel was nice and hot and so flavorful. We went during the late afternoon and were served our food really quickly. There was ample indoor and outdoor seating and the ambiance was nice for an early dinner. Would highly recommend and would definitely go back! read more

Yafa cuisine - Falafel - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

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AMAZING FRESH FALAFEL! Have heard great things about this place and it definitely exceeded expectations. Falafel was freshly made and had great flavor! The chicken bowl was also great and a good serving size. Genuinely enjoyed every thing about it and would come back. Key tip: ask for extra sauce Service: The best service I could ever ask for! Everyone was really helpful and friendly. You can tell they care about their customers and want you to feel at home. Very quiet and welcoming! Ample indoor and outdoor seating areas Located close to UCR so please come support!! Rating 9/10 read more

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Shawarma fries and beef pita are really good. Full of flavor and you can add as many toppings as you want in the pita. Small and quiet shop but delicious food and good service read more

Yafa cuisine - Shawarma Fries and Beef Pita - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

I came here after visiting family nearby. It's located facing the street, sharing the building with an Indian grocery store. I got the double Arabic combo ($26.99) to try the chicken and beef shawarma. It comes with a box of hot French fries and sides of hummus and pickles. The portions were a good size and I had plenty of leftovers to bring home, the meat was tender and juicy. It was seasoned well and the wraps were cut into smaller pieces that were easier to eat. The lady was nice and the order came quickly. read more

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Small restaurant with great food! Malak (cashier) was very friendly and fast at making my 9/10 falafel pita & 10/10 chicken wrap! Falafel was seasoned well and delicious. Authentic food, not busy during lunch, chill environment, and professional staff. Will be returning next time with friends! read more

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Genuinely one of my favorite spots in riverside. The chicken wrap and fries are amazing. Their garlic sauce is the best. Every time we order from here the food and service is just spot on. read more

Yafa cuisine - Double Chicken Arabic Combo - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

The food here is always amazinghonestly the best Mediterranean spot around. But the service from the two women (one with hijab especially) working there is consistently disappointing. Most of the time they're chatting with each other instead of paying attention to customers, and they only seem to work properly when the owner is present. The food is great, but the service really needs improvement.. read more

Yafa cuisine - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

Love their Tuesday deal. Delicious pita, veggies, and falafel. Went in for lunch and had really friendly service. I new it was going to be good when it smelled delicious through the bag on the drive home! Great choice for vegetarians and vegans. read more

This is an update: I don't know why yelp doesn't allow us to remove a review. The owner cares for his customers and his business. He took care of a problem that a trainee made. I was so happy that I can go back and enjoy all the delicious and flavorful dishes that this place has to offer. read more

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Amazing food and friendly staff. Can't wait to come back and try the baklava! Malak is so welcoming. read more

ordered lunch to go, and it was ready when I got there. Very fast service. The lady who prepared the food and worked the register was very nice. I ordered the mixed plate that was supposed to come with Kefta, chicken, and steak. However, they were out of Kefta so she gave me extra steak. It also comes with rice, pita, and I ordered extra pickles. She gave me garlic sauce and tahini too. The steak was super tender, and the chicken was very juicy. The meat does come with peanuts on it read more

Yafa cuisine - mixed plate that was supposed to come with Kefta, chicken, and steak. They were out of kefta. rice, hummus, pita, pickles - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

This place is great! I stumbled across this place while shopping nearby and it's been a new weekly tradition to come for the falafel. It's such a great blend of textures, balanced flavors, and price. The staff has been consistent with friendly service, portion size, and quality. Be prepared to wait for your order, but know that it will be made completely fresh- to order. A word to the wise, have your falafel pita for done in, because it will definitely get soggy on a 10 minute journey for takeaway read more

Yafa cuisine - Falafel goodness - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

First time visiting Yafa after my sister tried their food at her work that a coworker ordered. Place is pretty plain on the outside and inside. It's a small space inside, but they have a nice outdoor seating patio area that faces the street. We ordered a lot of food and they let us know up front it would be about 20 minutes which we were fine with. They don't have fountain drinks but they do have soda cans in the fridge. Everything came out at the same time and looked, smelled and tasted very fresh and really amazing. I ordered the Kafta plate and it was delicious. The rice was buttery, the Kafta was cooked well and full of flavor and the hummus was also fresh and flavorful. We tried the falafel and it's better than the falafel I've tried in Little Arabia in Anaheim. If I'm in the I.E. I would drive here to get food, it was that good. Definitely recommend, there's plenty of parking behind the building and it was not crowded on Saturday afternoon when we visited. read more

Yafa cuisine - Outside dining area - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

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ATTENTION EVERYONE. If you're ever by UCR, you NEED to try this place. Their food is bomb & fresh and in my opinion they have the best Mediterranean food in Riverside. I had the shwarma fries and they were damn delicious. read more

Flavor Explosion at Yafa Mediterranean Cuisine - Riverside's Hidden Gem! Just had one of the most satisfying meals at Yafa Cuisine in Riverside, and I'm still thinking about it! I ordered the chicken pita--got it for an amazing deal--and it was absolutely loaded. The pita was soft and warm, the chicken was juicy and perfectly grilled, and the veggies were crisp and fresh. But what really brought it all together? That white sauce. Creamy, tangy, and poured generously--every bite was heavenly. And get this: even after I was 75% done, it still looked huge. Super filling, super satisfying. Then I tried their rice pudding, and let me just say: perfectly balanced. Not too sweet, not too bland--just right, with a touch of crushed pistachios on top for texture. Best part? The people. I had the chance to meet Walid, and he was incredibly kind and welcoming. You can tell the folks here care deeply about the food and the experience. I'll definitely be back--and if you haven't tried Yafa Cuisine in Riverside yet, you're seriously missing out. Lastly, cherry on top is the place, super clean, peaceful. Checked a few emails chilling here. 5 stars, no question. #YafaCuisineRiverside #ChickenPitaGoals #RiversideEats #SupportLocal #MiddleEasternMagic read more

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I was amazed today in Yafa Cuisine about the FALAFEL pita special! Thank you Malak for helping me out with my order and for the delicious rice pudding dessert! I really appreciate you so much! read more

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Very good service from Malak and Vincent, food is fresh and tastes amazing! Got the filet mignot plate and it came out super quick too! read more

Yafa cuisine - Filet mignon plate - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

My second time here, the first was last year, and I had a falafel wrap on the Flatbread, as well as some pastries. I enjoyed everything then and had been meaning to return. That overdue day came finally because I had to buy some spices at the adjacent Indian market, plus I was hungry after a morning hike. A nice gentleman greeted me and took my order. 8 wanted to try something grilled, and the Tawook chicken (kabobs without the veggies) plate seemed perfect. He said it would take between 10 and 15 minutes to prepare, so I got comfortable outside on the patio. Before too long, he came out with the food and doubled back with a napkin dispenser, too. Very thoughtful, and I really appreciated the hospitality. Beautiful presentation! The Basmati rice is cooked with a mild spice, and the pickled with olives were equally delicious. I love their hummus, too. The added touch of cooked, whole garbanzo beans and drizzled with a first-rate olive oil. I've read here on Yelp that it's an estate oil from Ramallah. Outstanding flavor. If I have one criticism, it's that the chicken was cooked at tad too long. Otherwise, excellent. The extra pita bread made sure that my leftovers had something to keep them company. I also liked the garlic sauce with its creamy texture and balanced garlic flavor. I've been to other restaurants where I dreaded being in public on account of massive amounts of garlic. I'm looking forward to trying Shawerma and other things in the future. read more

Yafa cuisine - Tawook (chicken kabobs) over Basmati rice with hummus and pickels. - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

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My review's early version (monday) was posted without my stamp of approval (so sorry). Twitchy fingers, I guess, plus Yelp blocking my attempts to edit. So finally, here is the more concise version I'd prefer. We were actually heading for a Filipino restaurant when we realized it was actually a catering business. Our lunch plans were shot. So we did a quick turnabout and noticed tiny Yafa quietly waiting to be noticed. We are big fans of Middle Eastern cuisine, but it was their excellent Yelp ratings that made us extra curious, especially since they have not been open for a year yet. Yafa is a small dining establishment located not too far from UCR (Univ of California, Riverside). There are 3 or 4 tables inside and more seating on a small patio but with little shade. They are very friendly and clean. The food is Halal. They may offer a limited menu, but prices are quite reasonable. Everything we tasted made my heart sing. They have a vegetarian sampler platter called the Yafa Veggie Platter. You get a nice serving of hummus, babaganoush, 4 freshly cooked falafel, 2 stuffed grape leaves, warm pita bread, and a variety of pickles and olives. And what a treat this was! The babaganoush was smokey and perfectly delicious, the hummus was topped with whole chickpeas, drizzled with rich, imported olive oil, and sprinkled with sumak. There were 4 beautifully made, tender but crispy falafel (made with chickpeas, etc) that were so tasty, it convinced me I needed to bring more home. I felt the same way for the grape leaves. They were some of the best I can remember. We left clutching additional side orders of falafel, babaganoush, and grape leaves because I simply couldn't resist. We also ordered a hummus appetizer topped with beef shawarma (a small order). The small is actually quite big. There is a very generous serving of beef on top of the hummus, which is then topped with fresh, toasted pine nuts and parsley. The sliced beef is not highly seasoned (a surprise to me since many shawarma can be heavy on spices, especially cinnamon, which I dont like), just simpler, tender, and good. Another winner! Falafel pita. The fun part of ordering a pita sandwich or wrap is the huge variety of goodies you can choose to add to it or not. The sandwich was then drizzled with a creamy tahini sauce. The extra goodies include several kinds of pickles, fresh greens such as parsley, mint leaves, cilantro, sliced onions, cucumber, and tomato. I cannot even pretend to remember them all, but if it had been my sandwich, I would have needed a wheelbarrow to bring it to my table. I am quite excited to find Yafa. We have traditionally headed for Anaheim's Little Arabia district for the best Middle Eastern food, especially falafel. Yafa now has me thinking twice. It is just as good, maybe better, and much closer. read more

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I was warmly greeted by Iman and given lots of recommendations for my first visit. They have a special going for May - Yafa Veggie Plate for $9.99. The chicken shawarma was delicious. The rice was average. Falafel crunchy and tasty - great consistency and not dry. Hummus was yummy. The baba ganoush was smokey and delightful - I could eat that all day. I loved that they served pickled radish and pickles and olives with each dish. I'll be back whenever I'm on that side of town. read more

Yafa cuisine - Chicken Shawarma Plate & Yafa Veggie Plate - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

Everything I've tried has been stellar. If you've never tried falafel or had dry, hard, over fried balls and decided it wasn't for you- come here and have your mind changed. It's delicate, moist, and delicious here. 5 All the meats are also tender, juicy, and are seasoned to perfection. Pricing is on point for portion size. The special they are running - $6.99 for a Gyro, Fries, and soda (can) is an actual DEAL!! Hummus, grape leaves, pita, all were tasty. Even the desserts. My favorite is the rose rice pudding with pistachios on top. Nothing disappoints down to the cleanliness and family run, friendly service. These people care and it shows. It's not "fast food". They make it fresh every time so give yourself 15/20 minutes and gear up for some tasty food. read more

Yafa cuisine - 8 Piece Falafel...must try - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

Great from entrance to wait n clean as I always say ,best food ever ,wareed n all wonderfully Vincent n the iman, Malaysia n all ,delicious worth it to drive 42 miles read more

They have the most authentic Mediterranean food here! We usually get the Chicken Kebab plate and the Chicken Shawarma wrap...sooooo good always yum! The portion sizes are pretty good too. Definitely recommend!! read more

The service was nice and quick, the ladies behind the counter were friendly and attentive but the food we ordered had too much garlic which overpowered the real taste of the meals. If only you had garlic-free options or "less garlicky" version of the menu, the number of customers might increase (they can actually eat and still go to a meeting or to classroom!) I know several friends and family members who are somewhat OK with minimal garlic (but prefer no-garlic options) so it is always a concern for them when we decide to eat out. Perhaps serve it on the side (garlic paste?) In any case, it is good to have options and actually be able taste the smoked eggplant or creamy tahini instead of covering them all with a strong garlic taste. Garlic is a tricky ingredient to use. read more

Amazingly delicious . Love each bite of it . Ask for Esrra and she will customize based on your needs .

This place is a nice little cozy shop near some busy streets, with plenty of seating inside and outside. The service was quick and very nice! I ordered the chicken shawarma combo plate which included the extra pickled vegetables, slaw, and French fries. The total for the combo is around $16, but I have to say that it is a very delicious meal. This filled me up more than I expected and every bite was full of flavor. I will have to be back to try the other items that reviewers recommend read more

Yafa cuisine - Shawrma Arabic Chicken combo - Vegetarian Near Me - Riverside, California

I've walked into a very welcoming restaurant, Malak helped me choose some options as this was only my second time having mediterranean food. Look forward to returning again. read more

First time here, and i definitely enjoyed it! My chicken and filet mignon kabobs were fresh and flavorful, so good! The rice was delicious when i mixed it with the hummus lol, couldn't get enough of it. The young ladies working there were very sweet and welcoming, and for a first-timer, that's so important. Their warmth made it worthwhile. The atmosphere was chill, small place. Location was the only put off, just because of the homeless near by, but definitely not the restaurant's fault at all, I can't wait to go back and try some of their sweet items and these pita-burrito looking things that looks delish!! read more

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Small family shop. Friendly and the food is great. Best falafel I've had around. Prices are pretty fair in modern food times.

Very good food! Amazing low price! I ordered a beef/lamb Gyro with fries and it was only $10! Definitely try! Gyro meat and spices were delicious! read more

I was so excited for food until I remembered I had to order through these 2 girls in the front. Like girl please, just put the shawarma fries in bag. All talk no cook man. Anyways, fries were banging tho, $14 is worth read more