Middle Eastern Restaurants near La Mesa, CA

“Bold flavors that took us pleasantly by surprise. We’ll be going back.“

“food consistently good, tasty, fresh.“

“Great place! Great food! Ordered ahead and order was waiting for me when I got there. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The esquire is my go to. Halloumi is amazing with the fig jam. You can’t go wrong with any of the items. Highly recommend!!!“

“Off the beaten path and worth the stop. This is in between restaurant and quick food but very good. The pita is not the traditional soft and fluffy kind but slightly more on the tortilla side. Makes for a delicious wrap. Hummus was great and meats are very flavorful. Ill be back :)“

“food is very tasty and prices are reasonable. portiobs are very large.“

“This is my first time visiting this family owned and operated family restaurant and it was an amazing experience. We were greeted by Pierre and he was professional, kind, and very informative of all the items on the menu. Everything on the menu looked great and hard to decide what to dive into. The restaurant is very clean open and very bright. I ordered the liver skewers with biryani rice. The skewers very flavorful, tender, and grilled to perfection, paired well with the onion, pickled beets, and pickles. The biryani was delicious. My wife had the beef shawarma sandwich on Arabic bread, which was tender and tasty. The potions are larger than expected which was great! We finished with a cup of hot tea. If you’re looking for some authentic Iraqi food, I highly recommend Al Awael, you will not be disappointed 😋“

“I have an unfortunate addiction to the khanafeh cold foam matcha. Please don’t ever get rid of it! This is also one of the easiest places to get a quick lunch/snack in Kearny Mesa under $15 that feels more nutritious. I also LOVE the blackberry sumac lemonade, especially bc they give you the rest of the Topo Chico with it.“

“Всем рекомендую посетить этот ресторан и поесть суп "Pacha" из баранины.“

“Fun atmosphere - great live music. Love their ceviche and Eli makes a great Moscow mule 😉“

“Beautiful people that own this place food was so so delish and veggies were fresh and crispy don’t like cabbage but the way they prepared it was out of this world!! Got try this place will not be disappointed I’m coming back for sure !!!

Parking: Big lot lots parking“

“Awesome food...my first time ..i will be Back“

“It’s the best and my favorite 🤩“

“love the food I'm from Chicago and omg“

“There is not enough time or words on this planet that can adequality praise Halal Shack. The dinning experience is nothing less than spiritual, may I say religious. In a world of darkness, pain, and misery the Shack is my refuge. My life hangs off of Halal Shack like the Shawarma hangs on the rotating stick. To say the least, the atmosphere is extraordinarily comforting. The perfectly simple basmati rice is delectably seasoned, and perfectly complements your choice of protein. The sauce and sumac finishers bring it all together into a perfect equilibrium, much like God's perfectly chaotic universe. The whole experience, the buildup as you wait in line, the experimentation with different ingredients, the final hurrah as the flavors overwhelm your mouth, it is a near sexual experience. The staff are experts, guides in this incredible experience. They are the deliverers of my holy communion, priests ordained by the highest authority. We are not worthy of Halal Shack, yet the Shack does not judge, it invites those of all backgrounds. The shack dwells in Babylon; Panda Express, Rubios, Subway, Shakesmart, Baba's Pizza, and Jamal's Chicken tempt those who have not been Enlighted. Yet others and myself have seen through their lies, hacked through the jungle that blocks our path to destiny. Halal Shake, thank you with all my heart.“

“We have ordered Kebabs before here, we recently ordered a meal kit that was all rice and hardly any meat, I mean it was a joke, its a $30 meal. I messaged them because we have ordered several times before and thought maybe they would try to make it right but they never replied. This was 2 weeks ago. We will never buy food here again! The servings are very small and there are tons of other places to eat or order take out around here if they want to be jerks about it! The food is average really, we order out frequently so as not to have to cook and live in the area. We got about $1 worth of rice and lettuce for a $30 meal plate, what a joke!“

“This has been our go to for takeout since we discovered it. Nothing I have tried there is anything short of wonderful. The Kofte Burger is perfect, with a nice kick from the harissa, the chicken shawarma sandwich is delicious and my kids’ fave, the falafel are beautiful, I’m running out of adjectives but suffice it to say it’s all good and you should try it. With a side of the fries. The owner is lovely, and makes you feel very welcome. Ask her about the doors. When we have time we like to eat in the restaurant. The atmosphere is cozy and unique, you’ll have to go see for yourself.“

“Tried out the Temecula location today and I was amazing. Nice to see an owner owed and occupied business in Old Town. Excellent food and service. Highly recommend!“

“This was an unexpected and pleasant surprise. I usually go to a different restaurant for Middle Eastern food whenever I’m in El Cajon. But it was closed for remodeling, and in search of an alternative, I found this hidden gem. The gentleman who made the food was very welcoming and hospitable. The food was some of the tastiest Middle Eastern food I’ve ever had. Prices are very reasonable, portion size is big, service is great, and the food is delicious. This easily made my list of must go to restaurants whenever I’m in San Diego. I’m usually by the coastline, but I will gladly make the drive to El Cajon to come here. Also great to support local small businesses and Christian business owners. 🙏☦️“

“Tried out the Temecula location today and I was amazing. Nice to see an owner owed and occupied business in Old Town. Excellent food and service. Highly recommend!“

“Staff was super friendly. There’s plenty of seats inside and outside. I just got a Greek salad with the fries and the garlic paste and it was perfect. The salad was very hearty. And the garlic paste on the fries tasted really good. My friend got meat and pita bread and that was also really good.“

“The Food is prepared fresh and served hot with excellent value.
The husband and wife team are spectacular working harmoniously together. Always graciously treating their customers with individual kindness and catering to their needs.
We have become dedicated life long clients.“

“The grilled chicken in any menu item. The chicken wrap is to kill for, according to my better half. The simple rice with grilled chicken kabob is my go-to. At least once a week.“

“It’s the best and my favorite 🤩“

“Celebrated my husband's birthday and didn't even receive a little birthday cake or something, though I did mention it to the staff and on the note when I booked it, I wrote the reason for coming was his birthday. It was kind of disappointing. But the food and service were great overall.“

“Unbelievably good. It’s worth the trip for the mountain of perfect fries alone.“

“I would recommend this establishment they have great food great customer service“

“This is a really amazing shop with excellent customer service. The staff are very friendly, helpful, and respectful. The products are high quality, and the prices are fair. Every time I visit, I have a great experience. I truly recommend this shop to anyone looking for good service and quality products“

“I ordered 5 Ground Beef Kabob Skewers , 5 Chicken Tikka Skewers, 1 chicken cream chop, 1 Shawarma Wrap, Rice, Hummus & Salad. Served with Pita Bread, Grilled So when I got home I find out there is only 4 Ground Beef kabob and 4 chicken Tikka And that was so embarrassing for me because I invited 5 people for lunch That was really bad experience“

“Delicious food! Loved it!“

“one of my favorite place. the food is so incredible. it's a must if your in Hillcrest. I've never been disappointed.“

“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six stars, easily. The chicken kabob was perfectly grilled, tender, and bursting with flavor. The strawberry salad was crisp, bright, and downright addictive. Clean flavors, done right. I’ll absolutely be back“

“Great food free parking excellent location nice staff“

“On a recent Saturday nite, i stopped in Opa Greek Grill & restaurant, and ordered their Gyro plate to go. In 10 minutes i had my order wrapped up and ready to return to my motel. Very nice portion and good tasting Gyro meat along with a fresh side salad with fries and a warmed pita bread. NO "wow" factor here, but decent Greek take out food. Overall Rating ~ Good“

“Got our Easter Dinner tonight. Hadn't eaten here in over 10 years. The food was so delicious! It was more expensive than I remember but it was so worth it! The garlic sauce was awesome!“

“Delicious food! Loved it!“

“Just ordered lunch via Door Dash and the beef shawarma plate is excellent.“