Koko’s Cafe

The only reason this is getting one star is because I can’t figure out how to give it less. I got some lamb that was horribly dry, kinda like a dog treat that is really not a treat for them. The kinda treat you have to take them to the vet to get their stomach pumped. Your best bet is to walk down the road and find a dumpster with leftovers from the week before. The Tahini sauce tasted rancid, the Dolma a step above putting a moist dog turd in your mouth. Oh and we learned it is possible to mess up a piece of pita bread, maybe it was cardboard, hard to tell. It was soggy yet one spot in the middle was like sheet rock. The staff is a bit odd and creepy, well the big guy was creepy, the other two were just odd.

Pretty good food. Seemed like only one old woman was working the whole place, but she was so nice and sweet. We enjoyed the food very much.

Quirky. Indian, Asian, African décor with a backdrop of fusha pink. Food was okay, but meat wasn’t sliced off a spit, it was pulled from somewhere else? The bread was fresh and the salad was cold, but would prefer more than 3 slices of paper thin meat. $ 20 for 2 gyros, 1 bottled water and 1 baklava.

Okay so you can read below for the previous review. I am bumping from 1 to 2 stars only cause they finally refunded us after multiple phone calls to the boss and then the bosses son. They still wanted to replace the offensive food and no refund. Now we waited 10 minutes for them to finally make the decision. Which they made the gal pull the money from the tip jar.
Not her fault that the food was moldy in the back. Which was confirmed that a bag or multiple bags were moldy and had to be thrown away. I would still go elsewhere for food.
Not cool at all. Order two gyros and both pitas had mold spores on them. At first we thought maybe there burn marks or something spilled. Nope dark green mold spots. You don’t even have to ask if we ate the gyros.
We called and left a voice mail. They called back and asked for us to bring the «sandwichs» back so they could take a look. We told them that we would have to come back later since we are at work.
They called back again stating that they will make us new sandwichs. Who knows what else could have gone bad…
We now just have to wait and see if they will refund us. It seems like they just want to give us another one. Not happy when I was looking forward to this, but would rather not have food poisoning.

During our walk around the wharf … and the Partola hotel area MY sweet tooth hit me pretty hard. I couldn’t decide if I wanted something cold and sweet or a sweet pastry. I FOUND BOTH HERE ! They had homemade Gelato and Baklava !
I ordered 2 baklava one was the Greek style and the other was Turkish which was made with rose water (ended up being my fave)
if you haven’t tried baklava u must its a little puff pastry treat filled with chop walnuts ect and its soaked in honey or some kind of sugar syrup
Robin Ordered a cup of gelato so i didnt feel bad for indulging on so much sweets !
He ended up getting the Tiramisu flavored Gelato ! it was soo good u can taste the rum and the expresso so heavenly. Our gelato was also topped with a soaked lady finger which was the best part. (its a piece of spongecaked soaked in rum)
I would love to come back and try the other gelato flavors. this place is very small but not hard to miss its heavy decorated with middle eastern décor
I also saw that they have lots of tea’s and drink options… hmm def gotta try that when Im in the area again

Excellent ambience and great staff. Very friendly. Turkish coffee was fantastic. Flavorful good size order of Dolmathes. Felt like I was in mediteranean. Décor is colorful and atmosphere relaxed. Highly recommend entrees are all great!

I had a Gyro plater and it was delicious, the manager was friendly and attentive. I love the baklava and the Egyptian hibiscus tea. I will definitely go back there soon.

Seriously fantastic gelato here. Spumoni with pistachio and cherries, and mango were both super yummy. The staff were also very friendly and welcoming.

Awful service and food. Guy behind the counter with beard was completely stoned out his mind. Had no clue. Messed up our order several times.
Forgot the the pita bread, then when we requested some he brought it out carrying in with his hands not even on a plate.
Don’t eat here, go somewhere else!

I always feel welcome here! I don’t even know where to begin other than with how much I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve eaten here. The food is great, their tzatziki sauce is unlike any other I’ve tried, it has a little kick to it that added even more delightful tastes to our gyros and spanakopita, not that they needed any help on their own.
The teas are flavorful and unique, I recommend the hibiscus, although they’re always great about recommending drinks. Finally, their desserts are faithful to tradition, with so many different kinds of baklava and nutty pastries to choose from that any sweet tooth could find something to share.
I always look forward to going back!

this place is bomb! I loved shay, she served us and gave awesome recommendations.
make sure you get the Turkish coffee American style. it’s the bomb. party in your mouth and I’m legit hyper after a glass
I can’t wait to come back and try their house iced tea! HIGHLY RECOMMEND AND COLLEGE BUDGET FRIENDLY.
THANKS SHAY :)

This place has reasonable prices. Tranquil environment. Good customer service and family operated. Would recommend to anyone. I usually order the beef and lamb gyro and Egyptian hibiscus drink.

My favorite Middle Eastern place in Monterey. My usual fair of Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Dolmas, Tabbouleh, Shawarma, and Gyro Greek Plate are all excellent here. And recently I tried Zaatar Pie – Yum!

I recommend this place to everyone. I only ordered the veggie options seeing as though Im a vegan so i cant speak for the meat eaters out there but all of their vegan options were so delicious! The food, the atmosphere, the people, all wonderful. Great babaganuch and the lentil soup was super tasty. Not to mention the plates looked like hand made ceramics. quaint and affordable. Highly recommend!

I really liked parts of my «Beirut Appetizer Platter» (Hummus Dip + Eggplant Dip + Zaatar Pie + Tabouli Salad) – specifically, I liked the za’atar on flatbread, and the tabouli is definitely worth a return trip. The hummus & baba ganoush were okay but forgettable, and the pita was nothing great. The platter was enough for lunch, anyway. They were also out of several things, so ordering was a bit tricky. Gf’s Falafel Salad was okay but wasn’t anything to write home about; not all that much food for $ 7.50, and the falafel was pretty tough. :-(
Nicely decorated, in some ways (and compared to the way it used to be), but hardly formal. We had to ask for silverware – plastic, it turned out. My combo was served on a Chinet-​like paper plate with little compartments.
The chai was really good. Service was reasonably friendly at first, but then they might as well have not even been there. It seemed that maybe we were interrupting their afternoon siesta/​lweb surfing.

The owner of ko kos is extremely friendly and always takes time to help me practice my arabic. But the food makes ko kos top notch I don’t get arabic food anywhere else. The menu is small but everything is so good it doesn’t even matter.

This is an adorable little restaurant down near the water. This place has a cool little vibe, it feels cool and peaceful, like a little respite from the pressures of the outside world.
I ordered a gyro sandwich to go. I was looking longingly at the baklava and the woman assisting me told me that they made several different types of baklava and did I want her to put together a little sampler of goodies to try. I ended up with a piece of baklava, a piece of Lebanese baklava, and a date bar.
While I was waiting for my order to be ready and perusing the walls and shelves for entertainment (there was quite an eclectic assortment of fascinating little treasures to check out) she came back and asked if I’d like a free sample of the gelato. WOULD I? You’re kidding, right? I don’t remember which flavor I sampled but it was smooth and creamy and delightfully scrumptious. I wish I’d had more time to hang out and just enjoy the atmosphere. Perhaps on my next visit to Monterey?
The gyro sandwich was big and juicy with plenty of sauce on top, though I will admit it was a little messy for the car — my fault, not theirs. I saved the baklava and date bar to share with my mom up in San Francisco and we both enjoyed them immensely.
I enjoy trips to Monterey and you can bet this won’t be my only visit to Koko’s Café!

This is my favorite place to get a shawarma in Monterey. The people are so nice and relaxed. Sometimes they even give you a little treat in the form of delicious Pistachio Baklava.
I recommend this place to anyone who is tired of hamburgers and fries.

Pros:
Great, fresh tabouleh!
Convenient location right in the middle of downtown Monterey.
Reasonable prices.
Cons:
Mediocre gyros.
The service was atrociously slow!
They gave a little bit of attitude when were using the groupon.
Overall I haven’t been back since and don’t plan on returning! Wouldnt recommend to friends.

This time I ordered ½ mango and ½ Mocha (i forgot)
Anyways, a much more pleasant experience than last time. Mango was just as good as before if not better. The «mocha» had a strong espresso kick but was mellowed out by the richness of the bitter sweet chocolate.
Overall Thoughts
Sometimes second chances do pay off