Mama’s Bakery & Deli

Amazing Lebanese food! The hours are a bummer if you work 9 – 5 Monday through Friday. But an awesome Saturday lunch spot.

Awesome little house of a Mediterranean gem located on the corner of El Cajon Blvd and Alabama St.
Baba ghanouj is sooo smokey. So good !!! I come and get it as a side from time to time. Comes with pita bread.
PROS: Delicious, home made food. You can taste the difference! A variety of items on the menu. Everything from combo plates, wraps, sides, salads, desserts. New outdoor patio and indoor seating makes seating a breeze. Pricing is a bit higher than your typical fast food restaurant. I love the Sajj (it’s their ancient oven that they use to cook a lot of food items on). They cook their breads/​wraps on this thing and it comes out really nice and warm/​toasty in all the right places.
«CONS»: Parking sucks pretty much all times of the day. Extra sauce = extra money. Because, everything is so fresh… expect to wait a bit for your food. This isn’t your typical fast food even though you order at the counter.
The Chicken shwarma combo plate was damn good– chicken breast came in chunks and though it looked dry, was super moist and tender.
Mentions: Baba Ghanouj, chicken garlic wrap, falafel combo plate, hot pies

My husband and I have been coming to this place for years! We have moved away and back to San Diego and always return because to us, their food is incredible and memorable. My favorite dish is the garlic chicken wrap. It is sooooooo delicious! Their hummus is also delicious and our sons favorite item. I definitely recommend giving them a try. They have a great indoor/​outdoor patio and a plentiful selection of food.

Hole in the wall authentic Mediterranean food! The vegetable combo plate is amazing! Will definitely return. Great prices and generous portions.

Went here for lunch, left feeling stuffed and happy. Very authentic Lebanese wraps made fresh. The décor is nothing to write home about and that’s what I’d change if I were them. I had the eggplant veggie wrap and loved it. I also had some baklava for desert– a must try!

Hands down one of my favorite places. Mama’s is the most flavorful Lebanese restaurant I’ve been to in San Diego. The breads used in the wraps are super tasty, fresh and made from scratch. My favorite wraps are the Garlic Chicken and the Ultimate Supreme Manaeesh with beef. They even have a charming patio and garden seating area. I could eat here everyday!

I went here recently while visiting San Diego. I was taking my bf there for the first time and had to introduce him to all the amazing food. During the 10 years I lived in SD Mama’s was a staple in my diet, so it had to be on our list.
I was kind of concerned about some recent reviews I had read on here as I only get to eat here a couple of times a year and I is always great.
I’m not really sure why I doubted Mama’s because the food was just as amazing as it has always been. I’ve been eating here since 2003 and it never disappoints. We got the garlic chicken, manaeesh ultimate, dolmas, kafta wrap and a spinach pie. All of it was amazing and everyone was full and happy, including my 1 ½ and 3 year old neice and nephew. The garlic chicken was moist and perfect and my bf, who had never had any kind of Lebanese food before, is obsessed with Lebni and garlic sauce.
And so, my love affair with Mama’s continues and I will also continue to send everyone visiting SD there to eat.

Quality food takes a few minutes to prepare, so ensure you aren’t overly hungry or pressed for time when visiting. Nice place, excellent food. Worth checking out!

I never thought I would like Lebanese food! But this place is absolutely amazing! Another one of those whole in the wall places, a diamond in the rough! So glad that I was introduced to it! Everything I’ve tried there has been nothing less than superb! If you like baklava– there’s is great! Prices are fair as well! Cute ambience!

Great Arabic Coffee

Fast forward a couple years & I was less than thrilled with the meal I had. How can a place deliver good food for so cheap? Answer is: They can’t!
Kafta plate has seriously deteriorated.
The salad was sitting in water — –grotesque, to say the least, one of my major pet peeves. It had some cauliflower on it, which had been brined, & it was not at all expected nor fresh tasting. The meat was of a questionable origin… was it beef? or lamb… it was so dried, & of such obviously poor quality, it could have been anything. :(The hummus was decent, as this is one of the dishes they do well.
For almost $ 11 it wasn’t expensive, but not edible. I won’t be coming back here.

My wife and I went here for one of our weekly dates. What a good idea!
Ordering is done at a counter, which makes this a great place to go with friends and avoid the bill splitting chaos.
Margaret had the Falafel Wrap, which is hard to mess up, but Mama’s goes above and beyond and serves up an über delicious version of this awesome staple of the Middle Eastern diet.
I had the Vegetarian Combo Plate (my pre-​Whole30 days), which again was über delicious. Enough said!
This place is especially good for vegetarians and works well for mixed diet couples/​groups.

This place has gone down hill in recent times.
I used to live in the area and was there almost weekly.
Since moving away, I hadn’t been back but my grandma was craving real Middle Eastern food.
My grandmother ordered the chicken shwarma which she insisted was canned chicken. She took one bit and knew! She lived in Lebanon and said she could never forget the taste of the chicken on the sajj. She said no, this is not real chicken. I was embarrassed but I couldn’t argue with her she knows food, she has been eating for 86 years, you know!
Anyhow, I ordered the vegetarian plate and the falafel were dry and lacking in flavor.
Not sure if they use canned chicken, but if so, that is unacceptable.
I hate to give one star but we made the drive and were less than impressed.

Been here several times and I eventually will try something else on their menu. I always get the garlic chicken wrap — soooo good — the Naan is warm-​carb-​goodness and the chicken is always juicy and flavorful. The garlic sauce they put on is delish — the wrap is so filling I’m always stuffed after eating only half at a time.
Already been here like 5 times. lol :)

This is a little counter-​serve café with open air seating (takes me back to when I was in Costa Rica!). The little space where you order is tiny and cramped, but then you take a seat on the covered deck and wait for your number to be called.
I’m not one to choose Mediterranean food for a first choice but my husband loves it so I agreed. And am I glad I did! The food was outstanding! I got the chicken shawarma salad and the chicken was insanely juicy and flavorful, and the salad was chock full of veggies. Exactly what I needed.
Save room for dessert and order the pistachio baklava — wow!
However, beware of the flies. The flies were relentless (though we learned they were like this everywhere we went in San Diego that weekend — maybe because of the humiditiy?) and we had to endure the swarms as we tried to stuff our food in our mouths before the flies pooped all over it.

Mmmm, mama!
I’ve tried most everything that’s on their menu. I’ve been getting a lot of the chicken salads as of late; I get two meals out of it. that is if I don’t share. ;) This place is pretty much known for their wraps cause they are humongous and filling. Everything is relatively cheap but if you want to get the most out of your money and aren’t really on any type of health restriction, I’d lean towards any of the chicken wraps vs. plates/​combos. While the chicken cheese is probably the tastiest with a smokey, pungent, savory flavors, the other two wraps are made with the same basic ingredients and again, huge! I’ve tried a few of the makanessh. Good, yet it’s can be a little much. Check out the ingredients; it’s a bit rich and over filing.
For side options I’m a bigger fan of baba ghanouj over hummus in general. The fire roasted eggplant does make it’s presence be know. I love that. The only thing is that it’s a tad oily so mix it up before you dive into it.
What I haven’t been impressed with is the beef sharwarma. I don’t know if it’s suppose to be on the dry side, but I’m not digging it. I’m also not getting much out of it except for the vinegar after taste. They may use the same marinade on the chicken, but the flavors come out better on the poultry.
I’ve only had take-​outs but they have a cool enclosed patio, that’s kept very clean and have a small table or two right in the front.
Casual, fast, cheap and you’re supporting a local business. It’s right around from Live Wire so depending on what time you hit the place up (closes pretty early and not a late night eats… bummer, I know) this is a great spot to get that in solid booze absorbing grub.

I should have read Brian K’s review prior to ordering at Mama’s… –_​– re: «I don’t see what the big deal is. It was good (minus the beef shawarma)…» because guess what, I got the beef shawarma and it was beyond dry and oh so tough. Order anything else BUT the beef shawarma.
Overall, they have decently priced items with generous servings. We definitely had leftovers. It’s nothing high end — more like to-​go Mediterranean/​Lebanese food with a covered patio.
tl;dr: DON’T ORDER THE BEEF SHAWARMA.

You all must think something’s wrong with my taste buds to give this place 3 stars.
Here’s why:
It’s about my 3^rd time here, and I remember why I don’t really come back unless someone suggested it. The flavors are wonderful, don’t get me wrong. It’s because the wraps I’ve ordered are always. REALLY. SALTY.
I had the beef shawarma wrap and sujuk sausage and cheese pie this time. The size of the wrap is 2 meals worth. 5 stars there for the price. I thought, ok, marinated beef, it’s gonna be fine. I was wrong. It was so salty I kept rinsing off the salt with their Batch Craft Soda — Ginger Beer (pretty good btw, 1 size cup with unlimited refills). The beef is really good, but I just want that salt to be 50% reduced. I don’t feel like walking out with pre-​hypertension/​pre-​diabetic.
A pleasant surprise was the sujuk and cheese pie, the crust is just delicious, reminds me of the ones at Alforon. The saltiness of the sujuk is more or less neutralized by the cheese, and the grease with the pickles that comes with the pie.
Next time I am going to try the plates, hopefully it won’t be loaded with salt!

I’ve saved review #300 for a food joint that deserves such a prominent spot in my Unilocaling history!
Whether you’re a herbivore or carnivore, this place will always hit the spot! And with most of their wraps and dishes priced just under $ 10, you’ll get a good bang for your buck! In the mood for a rice dish? A shawarma wrap? Or just some grape leaves as a snack? Mama’s got you covered!
I’ve been coming here for a few years and my two all time favorites is the meat lovers wrap and the chicken garlic wrap! And these just aren’t any ordinary wraps you’d get at your average take-​out joint. They will stuff you up with an overload of carbs and protein and your tummy will be more than satisfied after you chow it down.
Eat it while you’re there to get the most out of the freshly cooked flavor because if you decide to take it home, your wrap might be a bit too moist and a tad soggy (and who wants to hold onto a soggy wrap?). And don’t forget to ask for extra yogurt sauce. Trust me on this (similar to eating a Cali burrito without any hot sauce).
Mama’s recently put up an outdoor patio area right next to the sidewalk. Catch some sunshine and enjoy the lovely weather here in America’s Finest City while you get your grub on. And don’t forget to wash down your food with their numerous drink selections (mostly non-​mainstream beverages, woot).

A sandwich establishment that needs more recognition in San Diego. The sandwiches are unique, tasty, and made fresh from the kitchen.
+Turkey club included high quality bacon and a thick slab of meat with sourdough bread. You can’t go wrong with this classic American combination.
+ Surf and Turf had juicy steak and shrimp pieces that tasted great. It did not blow me away but I really liked it. I
+ Chicken mango pita was an extraordinary sandwich that the cashier recommended. The pesto brings so much flavor to the pita sandwich. I loved how the mango add a crunch but did not overpower the sandwich. Unique ingredients that blended very well to creat a fresh taste.