Village Grill

It’s not a fancy place but clean and air conditioned. It’s sort of a mix of a small market and a deli style restaurant. The owner/​cook seems like a nice guy and the daughter was at the register. It was a small family place and I liked the vibe.

First off, I’m a middle eastern food newbie, so please excuse my lack of correct terminology here. I may not know all the correct names for things, but I know good food when I taste it and this was VERY good food!
My husband and I ate dinner at the Village Grill in Feb. 2010. We ordered 2 chicken kabobs & a plate of Potato Chop and decided to share so I got to taste everything and everything was delicious. First, though, we were served some flat bread that was sorta like a thick, soft and warm pita — and so fresh! Mmmm. Then we were served a huge bowl of salad that frankly, I could have eaten all night — and I am NOT a salad person! I don’t remember exactly what was in it, but I remember making my husband promise to pick me up a to-​go box (they had some in a little refrigerated thing by the door) the next time he was in the area. And I repeat, I am NOT a salad person! Anyway, then came our entrees and I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Potato Chop. For those who don’t know what that is (I wasn’t too sure myself until it arrived at the table), it’s sorta like you ground up really good steak with some sorta flavor (I can’t remember if there was minced onions or what), rolled it up into a ball, covered it in a thick layer of mashed potatoes, and then fried it. The menu says it’s «7 pieces of baked crushed potato, stuffed with beef and fried.» It was *really* good! Just writing about it makes me want to go get some right now. I could go on, but the point is that the food was great.
The other thing you should know is that the service was friendly and the place was definitely clean and well maintained (including the bathroom which I used before we left). However, the ambiance left a little to be desired. It felt a bit like a tiny cafeteria– plain & minimal is how I would describe it. And there was a large tv hanging from the ceiling tuned to a news channel in a language I didn’t understand. BUT the prices were GREAT! The value was VERY good.
All-​in-​all I definitely recommend the Village Grill!!!

I think this is the best of the many new Middle Eastern restaurants in El Cajon.
They have a great 2-​for-​1 deal on sandwiches for $ 5! That’s $ 2.50 each, people!
I like the chicken wrap, but they also have beef or shawarma. It comes with delicious pickles inside, and lettuce and tomato. Really tasty.
There is also falafel, for you vegetarian types.
Okay though. The thing you really want is the soup. They have this amazing lentil soup – it’s a pretty sunshiny yellow color, not like that greenish-​brown hippie sludge. So good. Sadly, they don’t always have it.
They also have harissa (okay, I know harissa as a sort of chili sauce, but that’s what he said it was called), which is kind of like an oatmeal soup with beef and chickpeas in it. I know it sounds weird but it’s very tasty, especially on a cold day. Put some zatar on there. (Zatar is this sour-​salty spice they have on the table; it’s awesome.)
Finally, there is the okra stew. It’s a tomato base, with the world’s most adorable tiny okra in it. They’re whole, so you don’t get the Slimy Okra Effect. Super Recommend!
There are so many more things to eat there, but I’m going to stop here and let you go try it.
Oh and PS: the yogurt drink is not sweet or sour – it tastes kind of like fresh mozzarella cheese. Just so you know what to expect.