Middle Eastern Restaurants in Oakland, CA

“Authentic Yemeni restaurant with a welcoming vibe and one of the best meals of my life. Subtle, distinctly balanced flavors, great portions and thoughtful service. From start to finish great tasting food and drink.A simple clear "broth" was delicious and layered with flavor.The finishing sage/mint tea was exceptional with our baclava. It became a memorable birthday meal for us. We will be back to work our way through their extensive menu.“

“Ok so Shawarmaji has all the makings of a restaurant that’s about to get BIG.Incredible, authentic Jordanian food, cool clean and colorful aesthetic, and expanding literary as I was eating in the restaurant (new location coming pictured here across the street). Got the chicken shawarma arabi style and WOWOWOWOW, so good. The trio of hummus, toum, and garlic suace was utterly divine to go with the wrap and fries. The home made pickles on the side were also perfect freshener to cut the heaviness of the meal.Went just before lunchtime to beat the rush as it’s a popular lunch spot for people working in downtown Oakland. Only downside of the experience was that as soon as I ordered, the food was ready. Like the food had already been prepared in advanced and was not all the way hot anymore. I get that they need too stay ahead of the lunch rush, but stomach eventually got rocked. No regrets as it was a very good meal, just keep an eye out for that. I’m would have happily waited longer for HOT food.“

“We love the food here and come almost every week. Everything is cooked so well, we often get the lamb shank or zereshk polo and the meat just falls apart from the bone. The warm bread is delicious and goes well with all dishes. The lemonades are super unique and delicious, I really like the pistachio one!Picture is zereshk polo with yogurt and eggplant appetizers :)“

“Filling, and yummy, late night Middle Eastern option in Oakland.Falafel, a slightly fluffy blend of legume, herbed and deep fried.An Egyptian treat, Koshiary is a comfort food bomb — macaroni pasta in tomato lentil sauce made deeply flavorful from fried onions.“

“If you are looking for proper food, falafel, shawarma, decent tzatziki and whatever else, this is a great place to check out.Two doner vertical spots and a decent lamb beef combo from them.Recommended. I visited twice just to be sure.Update: 04/04/24Well, I keep giving them a chance to prove me wrong. But so far it that hasn't happened. Excellent food, friendly staff, And it doesn't matter if I'm in a bad mood, or already feeling good, I always walk out of there in a better mood than when I walked in. Thank you my friends. Keep up the excellent work.Teşekkürler Arkadaşlar“

“Honestly 10/10 for everything! The food is amazing, my go to is the lamb haneeth or chicken mendi. The service is very nice, the waiter always greets you with a smile and is extremely kind. The atmosphere is one of my favorite parts. Each table has its own booth with a tent like cloth for privacy. Its a great place for family and friend gatherings. Highly recommend!“

“Finally got around to trying this place for lunch, and kicking myself for not coming sooner. I got the chicken shawarma plate, and it was so good. The chicken was really delicious, the rice was seasoned very well, the hummus was great, and even the little salad had a super tasty dressing. The service was super quick and friendly. I got my food to-go, but they had some comfy looking chairs if you wanted to eat there. Definitely coming back here. Totally reasonable prices and a good amount of food that's going to keep me full probably the rest of the day.“

“Chicken, hummus, rice & cucumber tomato salad. Food flavorful. Rice like and fluffy, not overcooked. Chicken delish, but I took off star because I wasn't a fan of the hummus. Btw 1 piece of chicken is missing, my son took it. Note: Make sure you get the green sauce, and that the chicken hasn't been sitting too long.“