The Most Flavorful Mediterranean in Riverside

Le Chef

★★★★★ 4.6 (443) • $$

"2/13/24 Exploring the Inland Empire's Mediterranean cuisine....This was a recommendation by our neighbors & it's a great find. Hubby really loved the beef kabob because it was flavorful & tender, juicy. We came in on a Tuesday evening about 6 pm & there was nobody at the restaurant. It makes me feel a little apprehensive when it's this quiet & desolate looking. There's a Thai restaurant next door in this small plaza & was tempted to go there instead but that's for another day perhaps. We were promptly greeted & seated by a gentleman that addressed us as "friends" It is as if we were the first customers of the evening because the music was off when we entered then it was turned on once we were seated.We're creatures of habit & usually know what to order: his beef kabob combo, rare and a combo for me (beef & chicken kafta, beef kabob). He served the hummus & pita for us to munch on while waiting for our meals-which arrived promptly. The basmati rice was plentiful, tasty & the meats were cooked perfectly, flavorful, tender, moist (well seasoned). Price point was reasonable for the amount of food & how delicious it was. Great choice, we shall return!."

Kabob House

★★★★★ 4.7 (771) • $$

"Amazing Middle Eastern food. I think it starts with the authentic flame grill. You can smell and taste the char from the chicken. Amazing. Tried lamb, beef and chicken kabob combos and I loved it all. The salad, the garlic sauce, the dressing, rice and meat. I'm only disappointed that I didn't try this place earlier despite passing by for several years now. Location is unassuming. The great reviews are legitimate."

Cali Kabob

★★★★★ 4.5 (118) • $$

"Son and I dropped in for a late lunch. We ordered the beef shawarma wrap combo and the chicken shawarma wrap combo, came with a choice of sides and a drink. Both were very tasty, and the good kind of messy...so get lots of napkins. Topped it off with some baklava with pistachios. This is a family owned business, husband and wife team...the service was friendly and excellent. This place has a cool, relaxed 'Cali' vibe, and plenty of seating. Prices were great, they also have WiFi and a drive thru. Support small business...and try it for yourself."

Mr Kebab

★★★★☆ 4.3 (652) • $$

"This place was freaking delicious. If I'm in the mood for Greek and I am back in the area, I will definitely come back here.I got the steak kebab and my wife got the chicken kebab. I loved both of them but if I had to choose, I would probably go with the chicken instead. They were popping with flavors and were really so good.Everything about this meal was wonderful. The rice with the garlic sauce was delicious. I normally don't eat all my rice, but I gobbled it all up. The bread and hummus were an added bonus. My only complaint is that it was a bit overpriced. It wasn't outrageous, but certainly more than I thought it should have been. Then again - it is California. Anyway - I'll be back!"

Kabob Hutt

★★★★☆ 3.6 (775) • $$

"The drive from Whittier is so worth the food and service!! Thank you for such delicious food and wonderful ambiance! Keep it up!!!"

Sea Of Sweet

★★★★★ 4.8 (562) • $

"Small Lebanese owned and operated bakery and dessert shop. Love, love, love the Avalanche, ashta cream topped with ashta ice cream, pistachios, and rose water syrup drizzle. A little piece of heaven on earth, they have a great assortment of desserts including the world famous Dubai chocolate. Everything is made in house. Aside from the food the owners are just as sweet and wholesome as the treats you'll find in the shop. Don't hesitate, give Sea of Sweet a try, you'll be coming here for as long as they're in business!"

Mezzaterranean

★★★★★ 4.5 • $$

"I had yet to find a good Mediterranean restaurant that wasn't commercialized or "franchisey" in the area and glad I came here! It felt like I was having a home cooked meal with my Lebanese family. Everything was fresh and tasty! The prices are great too! Thank you :)"

Panini Kabob Grill

★★★★☆ 4.1 (713) • $$

"I've walked past this restaurant several times over the years, but I had never tried it. My sister wanted to try their Salmon Caesar Wrap and I got the Alfredo Linguine (no meat). We ordered to go and the blonde girl at the register was so kind, patient, and helpful even though it was busy!. She brought our go orders to the table we were waiting at instead of just calling us to the register. So customer service was great.As for the food... to be honest, I didn't really have high expectations. After all, I got pasta at a panini/kabob place. Lemme tell you- I was blown away. I'm not exaggerating when I say the pasta is one of the best I've had at a restaurant. It was fresh and still warm 30 mins later. My sister also really liked her wrap! I'm glad we ended up going here.One constructive criticism- the menu on Google has incorrect pricing. When we went to pay, it was about $4-$5 more each. It was a bit disappointing, but it's not like it's the employees' fault so there was no point in complaining about it. I still would suggest that correct prices are updated online."

Cafe Sole

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (44) • $$

"Wow! I'm so impressed by this restaurant! Located inside Glen Ivy Hot Springs, I honestly thought they'd serve sub par food at ridiculously high prices since, you're already at the spa and you have no choice but to eat there, like any amusement park, but no, the food's reasonably priced for the amount you receive, and it's all delicious. All the food's brought in from local farmers, keeping it fresh, healthy and reasonably priced. Their theme is Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. It's all made to order and you pick from three different stations. They have a special everyday. The day I went it was pho.There's a sandwich station that includes soups, and pasta w/marinara as a side dish. There are also pizzas, calzones, tacos, and huge wonderful salads. The salads are $12 - $16 but they are massive, I kid you not, as big as a head of lettuce, enough to share and then some. Seared ahi tuna salads, chicken, blackened wild salmon, etc. The first time I ate here I had the greek special w/gyro meat on pita bread w/yogurt, very tasty. The second time I had the tacos. You get three w/a choice of shrimp, wild salmon, beef or chicken. I had a salmon, a shrimp and a beef. All came w/cilantro sauce, and some other seasoning. Wasn't a big fan of the salmon w/dill.. the meat was very firm like it was marinated in something, sweet. The beef and shrimp ones were delicious. I couldn't help myself and also got a fresh oatmeal cookie, sooo good! There's also yummy potato chips, haagen daaz ice cream bars and specialty drinks. It's nice to know you can have a wonderful meal as you pamper yourself at this spa!"

The Grill House

★★★★☆ 4.1 (675) • $$

"My co workers decided to come here for my co workers birthday celebration. I have never been here and been wanting to try a place with delicious Mediterranean food. Upon arrival, there are tons of parking spaces and when went inside the restaurant it look really nice. Thankfully it wasn't super crowded either since we have a party of 8. I decided to order the Beef Kebab plate and everything on my plate was delicious. The beef was hot, flavorful, and tender. The hummus to dip with the pita bread was so flavorful. I even finished the rice when I usually don't like to eat too much rice due to carb watch. I would definitely come here again and would love to take my family here to try too. The staff were very friendly, attentive, and helpful. They even brought the cake we bought and sing to our coworker. It was awesome! I highly recommend this place and I love that it's across Magic Tea since we always get tea there."

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill Rancho Cucamonga, CA

★★★★☆ 3.6 (273) • $$

"People are sleeping on this place and I don't know why it's not rated higher overall. Nice open and bright dining area, clean restrooms, and super friendly staff who make sure to ask if everything was ok. Two younger guys working this day were killing it. But the important part, the food. Ordered a gyro combo with soda and feta fries. A-Ma-Zing! As some who grew up in an area with a large Mediterranean population I completely 100% thought the food was great. Portions were the right size and the food tasted great. I will definitely be back."

Al-Reef Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 4.3 (591) • $$

"This is our go-to spot for Mediterranean. We've never eaten there, we always do take away. There are tables to eat there and even 1-2 tables outside if you want. Usually we have the chicken sharwma and beef kabob. I love the dolmas so we have those too. The food is always fresh, plenty of it and delicious! We tried the whole fish last time too and it did not disappoint. The pita bread and sauces compliment the meals perfectly. The service is always good and the gentleman that is always there is kind and friendly. Love this place!"

CAVA

★★★★☆ 3.9 (729) • $$

"First time at CAVA and it was a great experience. The line moves a bit slow but the food exceeded my expectations and the price is very reasonable. It's basically a Mediterranean Chipotle but the quality of the ingredients is fresher! The drinks they have are very fresh and healthy. I overall would come here again! The only issue could be parking as it shares a lot with a bunch of other stores which gets busy."

Pizzita Circle

★★★★☆ 4 (731) • $$

"Food is delicious and the quality of the food is amazing. So much flavors in all dishes. Pizzita is super clean inside and customer service has always been great. We come here at least twice a month."

Zesty Shawarma And Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (555) • $$

"The Zesty Shawarma reminds us of our time in the Middle East. Yes, the food is that authentic. In fact, it's probably the best Mediterranean food we've had in the U.S. The family who runs Zesty are warm, friendly and very sincere. Several times during our meal, they checked in on us... smiling and wanting to know how our meal was. It was delicious. We ordered some Gyros, Chicken Kabob with saffron rice, along with some falafels. It is also less expensive than some other Humus and Gyro places in Menifee. I've attached our receipt, $38.12 pre-tax. Our serving size I can only say was plentiful and overly generous. You decide. See attached photos. Five Stars!"

Pangaea Restaurant and Wine Bar

★★★★★ 4.6 (234) • $$

"Stopped by on a whim! Do not regret it! I was driving down to San Diego from the Inland Empire and decided I wanted to eat food somewhere along the way. Pangaea seemed to be along the way and the option of having both Greek and Italian food seemed very appealing. The owners of the restaurant (I assume) were very friendly and willing to explain each dish and offer their recommendations. My understanding is that the husband is Greek and the wife Italian, so they decided to serve both cuisines. They did both very well!We opted for the vegetarian Olympian (which comes with falafel) and the Arrabbiata pasta. We ordered the Arrabbiata pasta and it came out essentially at the optimal level of spicy. Distinctly spicy, but not enough to overpower the taste of the pasta. I was not really expecting spicy food at an Italian/Greek place, but it was a pleasant surprise.The falafel was crunchy and flavorful, not excessively fried, and all of the parts of the Greek combo were fresh and enjoyable. The diversity of the things they offered in the combo were far beyond what I was used to - they had grape leaf roll (!!!), souvlaki, falafel, rice, pita, and a Greek salad topped with cheese.They also offered Greek coffee, which I assumed was the same beverage as Turkish coffee except it's called Greek coffee in Greece and Turkish coffee in Turkey. Suspect using the wrong word in the wrong place may trigger Balkan-tier energy. Anyways, the Greek coffee was very flavorful and definitely woke me up for the drive down. They warned me it was "very strong", so this should be a treat for coffee enjoyers!The prices were extremely reasonable, far far far less than I usually see from Greek or Italian places, which is honestly why I don't get Greek or Italian food very often. However, I left Pangaea with a full stomach and a full wallet. Somehow, a singular restaurant has ended up both my favorite Greek restaurant and my favorite Italian restaurant at the same time. A very impressive accomplishment! Now if only I lived closer to it..."

Kabab Crush

★★★★☆ 4.2 (699) • $$

"Chicken Shawarma ($17) plate was a huge portion! Comes with 2 sides and rice. The chicken was a little dry, so next time I may try the Chicken Kabab plate instead. Very quick service on a Sunday!"

Mr. Kabob Fresh Mediterranean Grill

★★★★☆ 3.7 (649) • $$

"Food was great. Service was great. I will eat here again. I read some mixed reviews here and figured I would check it out and then order at the counter once I decided which reviews I'd agree with. Someone mentioned it smelling horrible in there. Based off of my one visit (so far), I'd guess that person has never travelled to a foreign country. It did not smell bad at all. It smelled like a bunch of different spices. Come to realize that the little store that is within the restaurant sells... guess what!! Spices. Quite a selection, in fact! Anyway, I grabbed a few items from the market side while they prepared the food and heading home. Three out of three people that ate from Mr. Kabob's want to eat there again. Portion size was good and the food was quite tasty."

Cafe Moderno

★★★★☆ 4.2 (661) • $$

"First time dined in.Second time take out order: beef souvlaki w/ potatoes and hummus, chicken skewer, and entree greek salad.Salad and hummus were excellent!Beef was tough, dry and small bits.Chicken was dry and flavorless.Overall, not the best with Luna grill & Kava that are much better."

Mythos Chef

★★★★☆ 4.2 (184) • $$

"Huge improvement from the first visit!!! We opted to go inside this time to check out the interior. Very beautiful inside that is quaint and matches the foods vibe. The staff was very friendly from start to finish of our visit. We ordered the orange chicken, lomo saltado, garlic noodles, and fried rice. The orange chicken is consistent and good in flavor. The lomo was also tasty. Fried rice is a must, and the garlic noodles were good, although I prefer more of a sauce to be paired with it versus the oil.This is just a personal preference but i wish they had a standard soda fountain machine like Coca-Cola products, I don't like the current offerings of "stubborn" sodas as they don't quite hit the same when pairing with your meal. With that being said the offering makes sense since the food is fresh made.I'm hopeful that the other food offerings are similar and look forward to trying more with the same service i experienced this time."

Alsham Mediterranean Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.1 (154) • $$

"A really cozy restaurant with a nice staff and owners. You wouldn't expect great food and service altogether in one place, but they've got it here. Everyone is courteous and you'll enjoy anything you order here.Got to try out Alsham with a group, and I gotta say, it all looked good and was tasty. I ordered the Falafel Wrap, which was just delicious, and it came with a flavorful sauce and the pickled sides. I was satisfied after having those bites! And...you gotta try their cardemom tea, it will really make your meal even more enjoyable.So, a great place for all your Mediterranean cravings! Will have to come back to try their kababs. Yum!"

Fufu's Mid East Grill

★★★★☆ 4 (771) • $$

"I give Fufu's a solid 3 out of 5. The service was slow. I waited at the register for quite some time before ordering because the people behind the counter were chatting. The cashier was friendly when he finally did stop talking and greeted me. Prices were steep. We went with a beef schwarma bowl and a beef schwarma wrap. The rice on my bowl was undercooked, so that ruined the whole thing for me, but the meat was very good. My husband said his wrap was just ok. Overall, I wouldn't eat here again if I returned to the Food Lab."

Dvine Mediterranean Experience - Main Street

★★★★★ 4.5 (316)

"After a hike my friends brought me to try a local Mediterranean spot for the first time! I haven't stopped coming to this spot, I've brought my boyfriend here as well & he loves it! The service is always great. They'll suggest or recommend certain sides. & They will explain any dish we are curious about. The place is small, but it's totally worth it to eat there if you have the time! I got the Chicken Shawarma Entree, with Mediterranean Salad & Potato Salad !!! FIRE!!!"

Georgie’s Mediterranean Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.5 (415) • $$

"I finally had the chance to try this place. I had seen/heard positive reviews about it, so I finally was able to try it. The Chicken Skewer plate was delicious and filling. The potato salad is literally thick cut potatoes with a light dressing. Kinda threw me off when I seen it, but it turned out to be good. They have a lot of business and seem to be very popular with the food deliveries. Next up, I'll try the beef."

Diplomat La Verne

★★★★★ 4.8 (122)

"Came here to celebrate my birthday and everyone enjoyed the food. The beef fillet kebab plate was certainly the winner: get it medium and it's tender and flavorful. The chicken kebab was also tender too and it came in at a close second. If you order the combo for two it comes with the beef, chicken and luleb so it's a better deal at $34. All come with a huge serving of rice, a pita bread, and grilled tomato and chili. Nicely decorated inside and friendly service."

Damasco Mediterranean Cuisine

★★★★★ 4.8 (610) • $$

"This place has 5 stars for a reason. Awesome service and even better food. It looks like they now have a restaurant on one side with the other being a to go section. This place is a must try if you're in the area."

Aladdin Jr Restaurant and Cafe

★★★★☆ 4 (101)

"Small hole in the wall type place. Chicken shwarma and empanadas were excellent. I'm assuming the man behind the counter was the owner who was very friendly and generous. Will be returning."

Dvine Mediterranean Experience - Chino Hills

★★★★☆ 4.2 (195) • $$

"4 STARS.Dvine Mediterranean in Chino has some solid Mediterranean food options in the Chino location. We ordered the large lamb chops platter ($24.99) and the large beef shawarma platter ($23.99). The side dishes we liked were the mutabel (baba ghanoush), tabouleh, and spicy hummus. We also really enjoyed the rice and the pita that comes with the platter. They served it with a side garlic sauce and we asked for the red hot sauce on the side too. Of the two platters, we liked the lamb chops platter slightly more than the beef shawarma. Since we went a couple months ago, we went back and tried the chicken shawarma platters recently and enjoyed it as well. There aren't that many great Mediterranean food options out here in the Chino Hills area - Dvine might be the best one that's available."

Top Kebab

★★★★★ 4.6 (165) • $$

"This place keeps rockin' the Mediterranean food. Has to be my favorite!! And you know I love food ;)AMBIANCE: Nice and clean restaurant. Plenty of room to eat there (I usually get it to go!)SERVICE: The people here are great. They always remember me, and are always so nice!FOOD: Ok, now we are at the favorite part...the food. I usually get the chicken shawarma sandwich with a side of sesame sauce and garlic sauce (their garlic cause is SO yummy). I also get a side of stuffed grape leaves and hummus to snack on later. (Also, probably the best hummus around!!)If you have not tried them yet, you should! You are missing out!!!"

Cava

★★★★☆ 3.8 (184) • $$

"I just don't have good luck here, I've been to 3 of there locations and thus one, by far is the worst.Maybe I'm going in at the wrong time? Both visits? Went in today, the place was a mess! Low stock of lids, straws, trash bins (everyone) full to the max. Tables all dirty. Ok so they are busy, maybe always? At least when I've gone, I waited 15 minutes in line only to be told they were out of, steak, falafel, chicken and dine thing else... so I asked for what they had would they have to charge more since they were out , yup... had to pay extra. I just would think this is a busier establishment maybe they need to up their meat/chicken items. None of the employees seemed to be enjoying their job, perhaps understaffed? At time of paying, Abby, was extremely rude, her attitude and eye rolls. I asked about my rewards and she was extremely rude in response, so I asked to speak to the manager and apparently she couldn't speak to me.. Abby returned and Landon came to help which he was capable of doing so and was much more friendlier. Maybe Abby was having a bad day, or something but she clearly needs some brushing up on her customer service skills and not be the one taking peoples money. I paid quite a bit and was even over charged to be dealing with her attitude. The food is good, and what I ended up having because it's pretty much all they had was the spicy chicken. For me it was a bit spicy but over all it's good. I don't think I'll be going back to this location, I hope they get there act together because it's the closest one from where I am - 30mins away. I'm awaiting a call back from corporate, not to be a "Karen" but because as a paying patron I don't feel an attitude was appropriate nor was being charged xtra. 3 stars because of the food & Landon"

Pita Street

★★★★☆ 4.4 (435) • $$

"If you're in the area and looking for quality ingredients with protein, veggies, and carbs but not looking to break the bank, than you've come to the right place. We ordered the beef street wrap and the food was delicious. The service was great and the timing was faster than you think. Try this small business and support mom n pops!"

Upland Kabob

★★★★☆ 4.1 (400) • $$

"Oh my gosh, that garlic sauce! We ordered chicken and steak (kabob barg) and hummus and the portions are huge and delicious. Even the side salads were delicious! I called the order in, and the woman who answered the phone even asked how we would like the steak kabob cooked. That was a first, and much appreciated. We ordered it medium, and received exactly that. Five stars all around for service, food quality, taste, and portion sizes."

The Pinnacle Restaurant

★★★★☆ 3.8 (460) • $$

"2nd time here & highly impressed both. Food selection, quality, facility, service = top notch. Highly recommend!"

Wow Kabab

★★★★★ 4.7 (303) • $$

"Service is always very nice, and the selection of side orders/dishes and menu items is extensive! They make your meal to order, so the service may be a little slow because of the orders in front of you. I would suggest ordering ahead or just be patient, great food is coming! Also, combos are big enough for two people to split, if you order a large 3 item kabob meal, add in an extra pita and you're good to go!"

Kabab El Basha

★★★★☆ 4.2 (227) • $$

"As others have discovered without my putting in my 2 cents, Corona has a lovely little, mom and pop Mediterranean (Egyptian) restaurant in our mid-town! The last time we were here was not quite a year ago. They had recently moved to this location from neighboring Riverside. I recall their menu was abbreviated, which I cannot say today; it is quite impressive for such a small storefront. I failed to Yelp it at that time, so now I need to make up for a lost opportunity. We started with a couple of appetizers. The one that caught my eye was a spinach filled pie. Not really a pie (their name, not mine), it is a 4-bite, soft, baked dough shaped into a triangle with a very authentic tasting, tangy spinach filling. They are served warm. Loved it!Being big falafel fans, but extremely picky, we had to try some of their's. We have been unable to find a good one locally. The very thoughtful owner delivered 2 to our table, compliments of the house. Thank you so much! Their falafel is a blend of ground Fava beans, mediterranean spices, and sesame seeds . The crispy brown exterior hides a very tender, green interior, and they are delicious. Now that I know, I will order these without hesitation.Lunch time is a great time to go. There are 6 plates offered on their Lunch Special list that are all currently (May 2023) priced at $10.99. In addition to your choice of entree, it includes a cucumber, parsley, tomato, dill, and onion chopped salad, rice, and warm pita bread. Smaller servings, but still filling, this deal is a great opportunity to taste some of their more recognizable Mediterranean items.I chose the Gyros Lunch - 3 healthy slices of a beef/lamb mix, deliciously seasoned with spices, with a smear of tztaziki on a fresh pita. The gyro meat was wonderful, the pita soft and delicious. They also included a small paper cup of homemade tzatziki, a rich Greek yogurt and dill spread, two slices of pickle, and a big mound of yellow rice. The yellow rice is a lightly seasoned basmati. There is something deliciously subtle lurking in their recipe; might it be clove spice and turmeric I taste? Whatever, the rice was yummy.We also got to taste the hummus. The hummus is creamy and fresh, obviously house made, and is one of the better ones I have tasted. It arrived in a small cup with a good olive oil drizzle and sumac. After tasting this, I would consider one of their dishes that features the hummus with a chopped beef topping, a meal in itself.The Lamb Kabob (not on the Lunch Specials) came with 5 large cubes of meat. The platter includes salad, rice, and pita. I was not in love with the cut of meat they used, a little too lean and chewy, but Mr. B, the guy who always orders lamb, said he would get it again.All in all, it was a very pleasing meal. The seasonings in their food tasted exactly the way I love, the owner and wife were very kind, and the interior was sparkling clean and friendly. And living nearby is a real plus for us."