The Most Flavorful Mediterranean in Oakland

Falafel Corner

★★★★★ 4.5 (80)

"The interior is a little sparse and not too comfy with high tables and barstool height seating, but it is clean with self service water to the side. The staff are very friendly and ready to assist or answer questions. The Gyro wrap was a big hit with us, perfectly spiced meat and toppings and the wrap itself was spot on. We also ordered the Falafel wrap which was less successful just because the Falafel does not really fit in the wrap - it would need to be smaller. But that said the Falafel is really good and they make them to order so they come out perfectly crispy and hot. My suggestion would be to order a non-Falafel wrap and get the Falafel on the side (like you would fries). We also got a little taste of the Baklava and they can definitely brag about that dessert - so good!"

Chez Mansour Restaurant-Wine Bar

★★★★☆ 3.8 (172) • $$

"What a bizarre place.Let's get the simple stuff out of the way. The wine list at this "wine bar" is terrible. Mid-shelf Safeway, Joel Gott-level. Nothing remotely interesting. The waitress helpfully told us that women like Sauvignon Blanc.The food is mediocre. Kebabs small and overcooked, shwarma flavorless. Pita bread from the store (and tonight, stale). Ditto the pita chips. All the salads, falafel, hummus -- plain, unremarkable, nothing to suggest they're actually made in-house. The "large" kebab portions are around $25 for a single skewer of small pieces, a scoop of rice, and an unremarkable green cafeteria salad.BUT THERE WAS DANCING! It's like visiting a Twilight Zone episode. Picture interior decor of mid-80s fern bar meets Antiques Roadshow saloon. Add a woman wearing a forced smile while performing 30 minutes of sort-of-belly-dancing to recorded music, while patrons tucked dollar bills in her skirt. Hands down, one of the strangest dinners I've had."

ZINO

★★★★☆ 3.5 (83)

"What a beautiful space and place to celebrate another year around the sun. With a parking garage across the street, you may think this is just a hotel, but Zino is Hotel Shattuck's best kept secret. Service was attentive and the menu was divine for lunch serving Mediterranean fare. Starting with the Trio of Spreads (Muhammara, Labneh, Charred Eggplant & Garbanzo) and fresh/warm pita to dip. Delicious! The Heirloom Tomato & Peach Salad, Little Gem Salad, and the Mediterranean Flatbread were our mains and every bite was so fresh and left me wanting to try more of the menu. Presentation, flavor, and quality were all there. Dessert was something I actually never had ~ chocolate crème brûlée..perfection! Would loveto come back for weekend brunch, happy hour, or even dinner because the bar is incredible and placed in the center of restaurant just waiting for a good time!Well done, chef! We will be back."

Hummus Republic - Alameda

★★★★☆ 4.4 (70) • $$

"Date: 4/18/2024 Time: 4:00 PM 63° SunnyAfter visiting the Kaiser lab for blood work being done, I stopped in at Hummus Republic, which is a few doors away. I have seen their ad on the FB website. The food looked yummy. It's check in and check it out. My first time here. It took me a while to peruse the menu and decide what I want in the bowl. The choices are great from what I see on display.The male employee guided me along with my selection. The bowl starts with a base, three scoops of hummus, protein, unlimited sides of veggies and finally the dressing. My bowl was filled with Mediterranean couscous, spinach, three hummus, four falafel, veggies and traditional tahini dressing. I also added two dolmaes (additional $1.00) Make it to go, please. Cost with tax and tip included was $18.Menu is posted on the window before going in to the business. Laminated menus are available at the counter to review. There is also a menu board on the wall.I was excited to get the bowl with falafel that I forgot to ask for beets. Okay a return trip is necessary to get their strawberry lychee beverage and another bowl. What I ate was so delicious that I almost forgot to take a photo. (Senior moment. LOL, meaning Little Old Lady Laughing Out Loud)."

The Kebab Shop

★★★★☆ 4.1 (511) • $$

"Came by and tried the chicken kebab wrap. Overall I thought this was very good, a freshly grilled chicken kebab with a great wrap and really tasty sauce on it and on the side.It was a little bit pricey around $17 for the kebab wrap without any sides but the portion is generous and it tastes like high quality to me.Parking is easy in the plaza and food was made very quick. I would go back for a quick bite if I am in the area, and it is a decent option for a bite not far from the outlet mall."

WhyCook

★★☆☆☆ 2.3 (32) • $$

"This location is extremely convenient for the people who work in this 16-floor office tower and in the nearby towers. The food is okay and the price reflects the convenience factor.The menu has a lot of this and that: falafels, salad bowls, burritos, burgers, and more. They could probably look at their sales and costs and cut down the menu by 25% in order to focus their strengths. The lentil soup is good and feels nourishing when you are almost under the weather. I order the falafel about once a month and always regret it because it is too much food, messy, and the lavash is often cold. But I keep getting it because the taste is good, and you can order it with harissa. This is a fine place to have at the bottom of an office tower. There is room for improvement, but it meets the needs of convenience for nearby office workers."

Ikaros

★★★☆☆ 2.8 (6)

"I give the highest caterer recommendation to Ikaros To Go (catering by the team that ran Ikaros restaurant). They planned and managed a very delicious memorial dinner for us for approximately 75 guests. The customer service and food were excellent - our menu included roasted salmon, vegetarian mousaka, rice, Greek salad and garlic bread, plus dessert of Baklava and sugar cookies which everyone also loved. They also handled dinnerware, water, lots of set up and clean up, soft drinks and pretty bottled Greek waters for the tables. They were extremely considerate, thoughtful, flexible, organized and reliable. Ikaros to Go went above and beyond and made our event very special. We are very grateful - Thank you Ikaros to Go!"

Ala Mediterranean Grill & Mezzes

★★★★★ 4.8 (150) • $$

"My friend Erin L. and I had dinner plans on a Monday night. The place we originally wanted to go to ended up being closed, so I'm grateful we found this place on Yelp.We shared one appetizer and two entrees. The beets salad was refreshing and delicious. I liked the nuttiness flavor. For our entrees, we got the lamb kebab and chicken kebab. The lamb kebab was amazing. The meat was very tender and not gamy at all. I'm not sure what they put in the rice, but it was so tasty. The chicken kebab was a bit overdone and not as tender as I hoped for, but still good. We loved our food, and finished every last bite. Portions were a bit smaller than I expected. I wanted more kebabs!!Service was good. We were indecisive with our two entrees so I'm appreciative that our server helped us decide. The interior is cute and quaint.Would go back for the lamb kebab :)"

Cal Gyros Mediterranean

★★★★☆ 3.5 (193) • $

"I discovered "Cal Gyros Mediterranean Cuisine" on Uber Eats. My wife and I were in North Oakland, near Berkeley, and wanted food delivered for a late-night dinner. Cal Gyros was featured near the top of the app, under the section "Healthy options to explore," based on our location and what was open at the time (a Thursday at 10:09pm). We were hungry and the menu and pictures of the food looked good enough to me.I ordered the following for us (descriptions from menu):* Lamb and Beef Gyros Sandwich ($14.95) - slow-cooked, thin-sliced, marinated lamb and beef gyros* Chicken Gyros Sandwich ($14.95) - slow-cooked, thin-sliced, marinated chicken* Cacik Appetizer ($8.95) - homemade yogurt with diced cucumbers, oregano, fresh dill and a hint of garlicAfter the cost of food ($38.85), I paid a $6.97 service fee, $3.99 tax, $2.00 for California driver benefits, and a $7.62 tip. The $0.99 delivery fee was waived because of a promotion. The total cost was $59.43. Roughly a third of that was due to Uber Eats.There were multiple delays. It took about an hour for the food to be delivered. To get to us from Cal Gyros was an 11-minute drive under usual traffic. I think the delay was with the restaurant and not caused by the driver because I saw the driver had to wait at the restaurant for an extended period of time. I know the driver has nothing to do with Cal Gyros, the business, but I just want to mention here that he (Axel) was super nice when handing off the order to me outside.As for the food itself, it was disappointing. The sandwiches (wraps) were filling, but that was about it. The quality of the ingredients wasn't great, especially the pita. The pita for the wraps was thin, hard, and bland. At least they were grilled. The cacik also came with pita. There were five, maybe six, Kronos-brand pita triangles in a Kronos bag. I think that pita may have been grilled too; it was hard for me to tell. The lamb, beef, and chicken gyros were flavorful enough, but they were far from the best gyros I've had from many similar hole-in-the-wall joints over the years. The Chicken Gyros Sandwich was very watery and messy to eat. The Lamb and Beef Gyros Sandwich was definitely the better of the two. I don't remember the other ingredients inside the wraps except for lettuce and perhaps onion and tomato.The cacik was fine. Cacik is the Turkish version of Greek tzatziki. Cal Gyro's cacik was cold, creamy, and refreshing. It was noticeably stronger tasting and more sour than tzatziki.Cal Gyros is located at Durant Center, colloquially referred to as the "Asian Ghetto," just south of UC Berkeley's main campus and surrounded by many of the school's buildings. It's one of several small restaurants, most of which are Asian, located in a U-shaped building with communal outdoor picnic-table seating in the middle. Some of the restaurants have their own dedicated seating inside, including Cal Gyros.The storefront sign says: "Best California Gyros."This place is open until 2am daily, so that's a plus."

Habibi’s Birria

★★★★☆ 4.3 (98) • $$

"I had a 2nd date with the guy that I'm currently seeing here as he raved about this place during our 1st date. The place was neat and clean. There wa was good music playing, and we both got the 3 birria tacos and he got a Coke while I got the Horchata.The food was very yummy. The Horchata was perfectly sweet. The time with him was fun and lovely. He also got us churros so that was a sweet treat. I definitely would come here again if I happen to be in the area. :)"

Mudrakers Cafe

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (184) • $

"A cute, quiet cafe that might have the best salad in the Bay Area! I strongly recommend getting the Mixed Green, Halloumi, and Smoked Almond Salad. It has both halloumi and feta cheese, dates, cucumbers....its excellent. Hazim, the owner, is also friendly and funny. (Ask him about the Turkish Coffee! ) Cozy place to sit and get work done!"

Palms Mediterranean

★★★★☆ 3.9 (18)

"Palms Mediterranean opens where an Indian eatery was. the seating infrastructure remains basically the same the past few businesses.i entered. seeing only an older gentleman at the counter. the place had no decor, no ambience still being renovated. the following dialogs ensued. not exact words, a gistme: "do you have dine in?"him: "we don't have Chinese food"me: "i mean, is there eating in?"him: "what do you want?"me: "Chicken plate"him: "do you want it to go or eat here?"me: "here"laterhim: "what do you want to drink?"me: "water"he brings cup of ice and bottle of distilled waterme: "are you charging me for this water?"him: implies yesme: "i'm not paying for bottled water"he takes it away, brings a pitcher full of water with ice cubes.me: "are you bringing me Chicken Shawarma Plate?"him: "BBQ Chicken with rice"me thinking: huh? how can the order get screwed up? didn't say anything. waited to see what happens. heard noises in kitchen before. sounds like he's prepping the order in the kitchen too. offerings: Mediterranean: primarily Iranian & Turkish (appetizers, kabobs, seafood, vegetarian, dessert), hamburger, pizza, italian, gyro, tacos, nachos, frieseats: Chicken Barreh (23) Iranian version of Kabob grilled over charcoal with meat on a skewer with a side of salad. chicken pieces previously marinated with yogurt?, spices. literally melt in one's mouth, very tender. no accompanying dip. didn't need it. chicken definitely fresh, not frozen, very juicy. *tastes vastly better than the usual Afghan chicken kebab which has a green dipping sauce. -yummy roasted tomato.-a big plateful of tasty, fluffy. fresh basmatic rice-lettuce salad with creamy white sauce, tomatos, olives, white/red onio-fresh, deliz...take outs:-menu in house slightly different from one posted online/at door. both don't state what each entrees has. i.e. some kabobs have salad. also doesn't mention Med. food is Iranian. dish name posted with no explaining. *menu needs to identify what comes with entree. -usual service protocols not utilized. could have lead to misunderstandings.-their big events are on weekends during big social gatherings with hundreds of people....weekdays are small change for them.*4.5 stars food is great. servicing/ordering awkward. glad it turned out well. more transparency needed so misunderstandings don't occur."

Zaytoon Mediterranean Restaurant & Bar

★★★★☆ 4.4 (754) • $$

"Beautiful ambiance, delicious food. All the appetizers on the mezze platter were delicious- the hummus, baba ganoush, eggplant salad. The beef kebab was so so good- perfectly cooked, not too chewy. The servers were quick and kind, the restaurant itself was beautiful"

King of Kabab

★★★★★ 4.6 (325) • $$

"Location: parking is hard but that's everywhere in Berkeley.Great tasting food and price is reasonable! Must have: Grilled Chicken, chicken Shawarma and Baklava!!! They are fast and pleasant. Khalid ka welcoming and honest. Place is small, but they have a good backyard seating."

The Well

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Absolutely fresh ingredients, I still wanted an extra shrimp bowl for my self however I was full.Service is fast and friendly, owner is there to comfort you. The selection of wine and liquor were fantastic. I ordered dry sparkling wine. Super tasty with higher quality as well.Ambiance is modern and fresh air make this place so desirable to spend time and drink handmade drinks.Love this place , coming back soonHighly recommended"

Razan's Organic Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.2 (539) • $$

"I've never been here before until this evening and I'll definitely come back. I try to ensure to eat organically and organic meat when eating at restaurants isn't easy to come by.My beef kabab wrap was delicious, the service was friendly, no funny business for sanitation- fresh pair of gloves and the entire restaurant was spotless. The kitchen can be seen during checkout and I looked around the restaurant and I give a lot of credit to a place that doesn't have grime in the floor corners or filthy windows. The food was thoughtfully made with a great balance of flavor, fair priced, and it's clear the owner has an attention to detail for the restaurant appearance and food.See you soon! Signed,A new regular customer"

Simurgh Bakery and Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 (223) • $$

"A friend and her husband took me there after she and I climbed at Pacific Pipe. I had the pesto chicken sandwich and it was delicious. It was also huge so I was able to take half home for dinner. She had their beef brisket sandwich that looked very good. He had a bowl of soup which he thoroughly enjoyed and he also had half her sandwich.I got an Americano Turkish coffee, chocolate pistachio baklava and a sesame cookie for dessert. The chocolate baklava wasn't quite as chocolate as I would have liked but it was still very good. The coffee was perfect.I will definitely return."

Zenti Bistro

★★★★★ 4.5 (32) • $$

"Tasty grilled veggie sandwich. Fast and friendly service - I placed my order over the phone. Easy parking."

Oaktown Kabobs

★★★★★ 5 (29)

"Always delicious!! Picture speaks for itself, everything cooked to succulent juicy perfection, these ppl know what they're doing with their cuisine. Great customer service on top of quality food is the bonus. Give them a try!"

Troy

★★★★☆ 3.9 (555) • $$

"Great for Uber eats pretty fast included the delicious red sauce, but didn't include the feta. I asked for still good.!"

XENiA

★★★★☆ 3.6 (11)

""Greek Street Gyros" is a ghost kitchen at the Adeline Food Hall. I'm guessing it's also a part of XENIA, since your labels are all over the food. There's nothing wrong with having multiple virtual brands coming from one place. On a Saturday I discovered I had a $10 credit on my DashPass+ account, so I used it to place an order to "Greek Street Gyros." I ordered:- Loaded Steak Gyro- Simple Greek Salad- FriesOkay, so the thick fries sort of survived delivery. Grade (3/5), $5.99I like the Simple Greek Salad, Grade (5/5). Fresh, crunchy, and a refreshing flavor. The menu reads: "Cherry tomatoes, cucumber, pickled red onion, feta, and herbs tossed in house vinaigrette." Very good small salad. Price $6.99.Loaded Steak Gyro, Grade (4/5): This is a hefty beef gyro. Menu reads: "Tender harissa-garlic marinated Angus beef. Comes with fries, cucumber, cherry tomato, pickled red onion, feta cheese, and tzatziki in a warm pita."Okay, this is a big gyro, but I don't like how it's stuffed with fries. French fries have a short holding time, and then they get soft and soggy. I ended up picking them out. Otherwise, it's a good sandwich. Loaded with meat, cheese and creamy tzatziki. Price: $16.99Would I order again? Yes, - but don't order fries again."

Wally's Cafe

★★★★★ 4.6 • $$

"Great service - ?owner always so friendly even when it's so incredibly busy. They now take credit card (woot) but that also means they're busier so be patient and wait!We got complementary lentil soup and baklava and they really just round out the meal. A year since my last review and we still loved everything about this place!"

Asena Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.3 (495) • $$$

"We visited Asena with a 5pm reservation for a party of 8 on 07/29/2024. This was my first time at this restaurant. It was slow early on; however, it got quite busy as the evening went on.This restaurant was awesome! The service was great, the prices are reasonable and the food was spectacular. It is a small-ish restaurant that seems to also have a large outdoor area; however, we were seated indoors.It has a full bar and wine menu. Our table shared some of the appetizers including the hummus, which was excellent.I had the Sofia's Chicken, which was incredible. It was a pistachio crusted chicken breast with mushrooms and a sherry sauce. Yum! For dessert, I shared the chocolate bread pudding with another member of our party and it certainly did not dissapoint. I would most definitely return to this restaurant again."

Momo & Kebab

★★★★★ 4.5 (612) • $$

"Jhol momo (lamb): yummy; Medium spice is just right for usOur go-to dish here is C Chili Chicken momo, which is spicy (more than what we would like even in Medium spice level)."

Falafel Flare Hayward

★★★★★ 4.6 (461) • $$

"Falafel Flare has a huge menu with all kinds of options, even burgers! The inside is super spacious which is nice if you're dining in. One unique treat they offer is chocolate baklava, something I hadn't seen before! Their fries are crispy and on point, and the wraps are packed with a generous amount of meat. I tried the platter too, and it was beautifully presented and delicious. Next time, I'd go for the jumbo wrap again! Was super filling and definitely worth the price!"

Nick The Greek - Fremont

★★★★☆ 4 (329) • $$

"Nick gets the job done and is great value.A spotlight is due for the staff, there's a woman with red hair who's been working there the last couple times I've been in who is really kind and helpful. I really like their honey mustard sauce, it's a not too sweet compliment to the chicken gyro.Their froyo is also generously portioned. The location has always been clean.Main note is, I wish their fries are a little more crispy."

Halal Bites Of Chicago

★★★★★ 4.5 (109) • $

"Y'all were delicious at Autumn Lights festival on Saturday, and I appreciated seeing the family all working together. I had "Mixed on Rice" and it hit the spot. The chicken and lamb were both moist, tender, and flavorful. The lamb was a little more stewed than I was expecting, but it tasted good. The iceberg salad was plain but refreshing. The rice was spiced strongly - it tasted good and went great with the food, but once I'd finished the protein and lettuce I couldn't eat the rice by itself - it needed something blander to balance it out. Everything was generous portions -- My main regret was that I didn't get to try your falafel. But that's a good reason to come back, and I look forward to seeing you again. Keep up the good work!"

Jayna Gyro - Emeryville

★★★★☆ 4.1 (218) • $$

"Workers didn't seem friendly. Minimal conversation--just wanted you in and out.Food was eh *personally*. The other reviews are great so I wouldn't deter you from trying. Ordered the chicken pita and just didn't think it had good flavor. Arugula overpowered everything. I thought the diced potatoes were going to be fries...again those didn't taste like much.When I went home I added lemon juice, cado de pollo seasoning, and garlic sauce to my food and it was soooooo much better. A little doctoring up did the trick!"

Cafe Rumi

★★★★☆ 4.3 (946) • $$

"Lovely little neighborhood cafe with delish food and lattes. I've had their gyro plate before and am a fan of their rose latte. Sweet staff and relaxed vibes. Glad this exists in CV!"

Big H Deli

★★★★★ 4.9 (881) • $$

"On our drive home from a Long day at the water park we decided to stop by and pick up something for dinner. This was a perfect spot because each of our kids always want to eat something different. Always hear great things about this deli, and I was super excited to finally try it. I walked it and I assume the owner was who took my order. I told him it was myFirst time and to surprise me. Customer walking out said everything was good there, he had a quick pick up order. It was quiet but the space was extremely clean. They have a great variety of cold drinks and sides. I got home and this chicken wrap was huuuge. Almost a foot long, I measured it lol. Weighing a whopping 2lbs. I could only eat about half. Glad I have leftovers. This was delicious. So flavorful. Will definitely be making the drive back very soon."

Sham Falafel & Shawarma

★★★★★ 5 (15)

"My new go to. I do love Shwarmaji but If I am going out for Shwarma I am going to Sham. The owner was very friendly. Service was fantastic at the counter.I apologize for not taking the photos before we started. We were hungry. And this place didn't disappoint. The wrap is so much less greasy than other places. Chicken had great flavor. Good crisp on the tortilla. The absolute show stealer was the hot sauce. Hot sauce was excellent. The garlic sauce, at another place known as Toum isn't on that level. It's good, not shwarmaji good. But it's good.Both friends I dined with really enjoyed the salad with the plate. The deserts were great and made fresh in house. Only knock I have at all is the hummus. I didn't care for it. Same with the Pita. Fantastic place to grab a bite and cross the street for a drink at Drexl."

City Cup & Coffee

★★★★☆ 4 (107) • $

"Mocha double frap blended iced with a little bit mocha sauce, pretty good blend and mix of flavor."

La Mediterranee

★★★★☆ 3.6 • $$

"When was the last time I came here... I think almost 10yrs ago... and yes, I came to have a good dinner.First, food never change from what I expected, the same tastes and servings... I enjoyed the small plates and shareable. Check my pics for reference...every bite brings me back to the old days I used to come here.Second, the ambiance is still carries the old family feel, the old homey feeling of getting dinner. Now, I'm alittle sad, how the service changed, the new servers are not as welcoming or pleasant anymore.. I didn't get that feeling of family welcome... I remember how old times, servers here used to talk to you and make you feel home and make you feel the dinner they served you is the same food you get at home. But, it's the food that matters most, maybe next time I'll just get a take out."

Tio’s Mediterranean Grill

★★★★★ 4.9 (401) • $$

"My husband and I visited Tio's for the first time for a weekday lunch and had a good time. We were seated immediately and brought menus and water with lemon (no ice - not our specific request, but how they do things I guess). We started with baba ganoush and pita bread (delicious)! They started with four slices of pita bread and then refilled with two more slices and that was more than enough bread, truly.I got a grilled entree of lamb and beef kebabs with yellow rice and bread (you can do white rice and salad, too). The meat was medium rare as I requested and just perfect. My husband got the Tepsi with kofta and that was even better, haha. I think I'd get the Tepsi next time, too. We definitely plan on coming back and want to try their falafel, hummus, wraps, and dessert."

The Fat Lady Bar & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 • $$

"I was visiting a friend in Oakland, and she picked this gem of a restaurant. We didn't have a reservation, but luckily, there were two seats available at the bar. And honestly, that turned out to be the best part of the night! The bartender, Adam, was absolutely fantastic--he made some of the best cocktails I've had in a long time and kept us entertained with his great sense of humor. He also gave spot-on recommendations for the menu, which we appreciated. The food came out quickly, and every single dish was exceptional. The flavors, presentation, and overall experience were top-notch. I'll definitely be coming back next time I'm in town, and yes, I'll make a reservation next time (lesson learned!). Highly recommend this place--it's a must-visit if you're in Oakland!"