Ancestors Cafe & Market

We found a hidden gem!!!!!!! A Palestinian and Peruvian place all in one?! Amazing!! Had to try and definitely going to be back here soon. Also. Wow. I kid you not, this place has the BEST pita bread I've had in my life. And I love Arabic food so I've had many. But seriously the one from here is so fluffy, baked perfectly, and warm and toasty. Shwarma sandwich with chicken -- just stuffed and packed with food. Good balance of flavor-packed and moist chicken, amazingggg sauce, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers. And did I mention the amazing pita bread?? Sammy's lunch platter with lamb-- flavor-packed and moist lamb that just tastes high quality. Really appreciated the olive oil over the feta cheese, and the whole platter was such a joy to eat especially with the pita bread that came with it on the side.Inside is only standing room to order. But there's a small yet nice area right outside to eat there if you want to eat here before you go.Also..... this place doesn't just have good food, but it also has an amazing story!! We met Jahad, the owner of this place, who is half Palestinian and half Peruvian. So cool to hear the story of how he wanted to bring his food out here and honor his parents, who started off this place with their catering company Blue Dish (that's why lots of their menu items are called "blue dish special sauce" in honor of his parents).

I have been wanting to give this place a try so ordered through DoorDash on this rainy day.I ordered a chicken Cobb salad as well as a side of pita and Mexican rice and the food was delicious. Very fresh and flavorful.Give those place a try you will be glad you did.Bon appétit

When I first saw this, I thought it might be a Native American restaurant. But it's fine example of mixed cultures coming together and since I'm two cultures I'm all about that.It's run by a Palestinian and Peruvian couple And the menu reflects that. I stopped in before my shift to get a mid morning/early lunch. I wanted get their fig/brie (next level) breakfast burritos but it was past the time so I got a chicken swarma sandwich. It come with fries, but they had got their delivery so the JiJad the owner suggested the homefrieshome fries. That was right on the money. I had a little time to spare and ate at their out door seating. When I opened the container my swarma sandwich was in a pita bread and huge!!. And the home potatoes were good. I had enough that I ate my left overs for my dinner break.2nd trip on my way to work, was going to order on the app/online the Next Level burrito. I didn't see it on both, so I called to check if it was still available cuz I could order on line. Juanita said yes they have it and I placed my order.The burrito was huge and so flavorful. Again leftovers for lunch.The owners are great, I don't care what you are.my experience with both cultures has always been warm and friend and their foods I've had separately are good too. It's a hidden gem so stop by. You won't be dissapointed.

Our holiday party was catered from here which I really enjoyed so I decided to grab lunch here one day this week. It is a small cafe and market. No indoor seating, but there are available tables outside. I ordered the Sammy platter with chicken. There were a few customers ahead of me, but the wait time for food was quick. The chicken was seasoned well. I love hummus so I loved the bed of hummus where the chicken laid. The salad was also delicious! I can't wait to go back!

Ancestors Cafe & Market takes over Blue Dish Catering adding Peruvian & Middle East menu options. Outside seating under a large tent. Quick service @counter. Food ready in 10ish minutes...large parking lot.Offerings: soups, salads, burritos. Sandwiches, shawarmas, coffee, bakes...Slurps: Aquadito De Pollo (Peruvian Chicken soup, 8.50)-rich simmering broth flavored with carrots, celery,, , , lime squeeze. Utterly Fulfilling with the addition of rice, lentils, + butter.-classic comfort food. Worthy!Bites: Pan Con Chicharron Sandwich (14)-within toasted ciabatta bread lies slow roasted semi-tender/semi-chewy Crispy thick pieces of lean pork belly. Nuanced spreads of flava with cilantro pickled , roasted sweet , spicy rocoto aioli adds complex notes of yumminess.-accompanying expertly fried exteriors with firm, not mushy interiors. Dusted with cilantro & artisan seasoning. No ketchup needed. Garlic yogurt sauce didn't last long.4.5 stars. Crispy pork belly needs tweaking..

You kind of have to go out of your way to find this place, but its worth the hunt. Think of it as a treasure hunt, because the food here is great!If you come at breakfast time, the goto for everyone is the Classico Breakfast Burrito. It is loaded with scrambled eggs, pinto beans, chedder cheese, sausage, bacon and a house-made salsa. The ambiance here is clean and tidy and festive. PRO-TIP: The bacon they use is an applewood smoked bacon. If you ask for it, they will gladly give you TURKEY bacon.PRO-TIP: You can make any burrito gluten-free - just ask for it without the tortilla and they will put it in a bowl.

Super cool find in an industrial block of San Leandro. A coworker told me about this, as there would have been little chance of stumbling onto it. Super tiny, basically a counter to order and a drink fridge. No seating indoors but there's a few tables in a parklet outside if the weather is nice. The tables/chairs are a bit flimsy so may be a bit sketch to eat out there.This place is crazy unique in that it does breakfast and lunch offerings in both Peruvian and Palestinian offerings. I love both, just never seen them together. Gotta be a multiple cultural family thing. But both times I've gone, Hispanic ladies have always done my transactions. Next Level Breakfast Burrito ($10/3.5*) When I read this on paper I had to try. Chopped breakfast sausage, brie, soft scrambled eggs, home fried potatoes, fig jam and chile negra salsa. I mean thats quite the epic ride of creamy, meaty, salty, sweet then spicy amirite?!! Now I did get those bites eventually but never as one bite. Like first bite mostly tortilla, okay kinda the norm for burritos. Second bite mostly potato. Third bite okay there's the egg and sausage. 4th bite whoa there's the brie and fig jam and a tinge of spicy salsa. Next level indeed. 5th bite, mostly potato again, womp womp. Damn I just wished things were more integrated, like everything was so sectional. So so close to living up to it's name.Pan Con Chicharon ($14/3.5*) This is a staple/comfort sandwich for Peruvians. It is usually roast/fried pork hopefully done with a bit of crispness, not the crunchy chicharon at Mexican markets. But the bread is usually pretty good and there is usually a creamy sauce and slices of roasted sweet potatoes, as Peruvians have a thing with anything potato. So the double starch thing really isn't my bag, but it definitely makes the sandwich heavier/more filling, which is the point if living in those countries. Here the pork was roasted thick pork belly, super meaty and chewy, which I liked. And here I got the same problem of rarely getting everything in one bite. The nice roll is huge and just hard to distribute everything evenly. But when I got the bite of meaty pork belly with a thick slice of sweet potato swimming in rocoto pepper aioli (kinda spicy) and pickled onions, then whammo, was this thing great great. But I found only 1 in every 3 bites were that optimal, other bites were missing 1 ingredient or more. Sam's Lunch ($15/4.5*) This is a shawarma plate with choice of chicken or lamb shawarma, hummus, feta, pickled onions and a Palestinian salsa that is dead on pico de gallo but with cucumbers. And lots of warm pita slices to dip and/or top. The hummus was delicious, good garlic presence. I chose lamb and it was very seasoned and flavorful. Very lamb-y too, which I liked. And all the components worked well together albeit very strong flavors ie garlic, lamb, sheep's milk feta and rawish onions. They don't hold back on those Palestinian flavors, which is a huge plus in my book. Caldo de Pollo Aguadito ($10/4.5*) The weird thing is I liked this much better the day after as a reheat than I did tasting it right there. Maybe the flavors melded as it sat. But this a classic Peruvian soup/stew that is chunky with potatoes and chicken chunks and swimming in this bright green broth pureed with cilantro and garlic. It is a flavor bomb. I usually get the seafood versions at Peruvian restaurants, so this was my first chicken version. Very worthy and they give ya some slice bread to go with. Imma have to round up to a fiver just for the uniqueness of this place. Crazy potential. And it's a hole-in-da-wall, all over it.

An institution, revamped and improved.The menu is a mix of breakfast staples (think breakfast burrito), Middle Eastern, and Peruvian fare. It's whimsical and delicious. Full espresso bar, a fridge full of drink options including a local kambucha company called Wise Jun-Kambucha. We ordered the pan con Chicharrón, two big chunks of pork belly, a slab of sweet-savory sweet potato, sparkly raw onion and veggies. It's per-fec-tion. I first tried this Peruvian staple in Lima, Peru and it's so simple and yet so stunning. Authentic's version is pretty..um..authentic. And it comes with a side of seasoned fries. For the price, it's superb value. The salads are what we came here for, there's no real good "salad place" in San Leandro... until now! Authentic offers 3 salads that come with protein and bread and butter for $14! That's an insanely good price. And oh man are they good. The Blue Plate Salad is in homage to the original restaurant--owned by new owner's parents--and it's simple and perfect. I looooove that they toss it for you which is always so nice. The dressing was so good too. The chicken was seasoned perfectly and I love all the caramelized bits. They have covered outdoor seating and parking, so it's easy to dine-in or take out. The owners and staff are super friendly and it is clear that they are building a community of fans and regulars. We really appreciated the time the owner spent chatting with us, sharing, educating, and inspiring. We will def be back and back and back. They are open M-F from 7 am to 2 pm.

Ancestors Cafe has been on my to-try list ever since I drove past it and the name caught my attention. It's been a bit difficult to find time to try it because of the hours, but I'm glad I finally got to try it the other day! It's located in a small, unassuming plaza right on Teagarden St., so plenty of parking available. It's a small mom & pop cafe. No indoor seating, but they set up a nice shady outdoor area with plenty of small tables.For my partner and I, we decided to pick up an entree and cookie to share for the afternoon drive. We got a Lamb Shawarma Sandwich, and a Chocolate Chip Cookie. The Lamb Shawarma Sandwich comes stuffed with slow roasted lamb, Palestinian pico, purple cabbage, and sumac red onions. It's coated with a layer of garlic hummus and I opted for the garlic yogurt on the side. It is highly recommended that you pour a dollop of garlic yogurt for every bite. The employee who gave me my order also gave me a choice between a soft gooey cookie, or a harder crispy one. Of course, I chose the soft gooey one! Those are the absolute best! By the time we got to try our Lamb Shawarma, we had to reheat it, but it was still so good. There's so much flavor to it and the pita bread pocket was fluffy! It may not look that big, but it was filling. As for the chocolate chip cookie, it was gigantic! Worth every dollar. Can't ever go wrong with a classic chocolate chip, especially one that's made in-house! I'd love to give their SG Fog or their fresh juices a try next time, but I'd also want to dine in and enjoy it outdoors as well. I will definitely come back to support this local business sometime!

Delicious food and excellent service. Took a friend and she loved it. Good prices and will bring my family.