Sajj

Servers get cranky after 9 pm, dont recommend dining in. Customer service and manners went out the window. I wont be going again.

This place is in the process of changing names, I think. I don’t know how else to explain why it has two names, either way, here is the review:
My bf and I decided to try this place after one of his coworkers suggested it. The pics on Unilocal were also very persuading.
We ended up ordering tons of things from the menu. We got a chicken shwarma wrap, felafel wrap, hummus, manakeesh, and a zaatar pie. It was so much food but we wanted to try everything. It was all delicious and the bill only cam out to 25 bucks. They also bring you carrots while you wait for food.
The staff was also very friendly and quick to refill drinks! That is always a plus

Good geographical location being in «central» San Diego (Hillcrest) but parking is tough. Coin paid meters on University Ave., but be prepared to circle around a couple of times if you’re not that lucky.
The quality and taste of the food more than makes up for the parking challenge. Their falafel is very good and I usually get their beef shawarma wrap/​sandwich.
Service is very good — the person who helped me was very pleasant and was prompt with her hostess and table servicing.
This is fast becoming one of my go-​to places for Lebanese/​Med food!

Sajj is actually Micho’z now, see my review there

Loved the food, parking was murder though and I circled the area forever trying to find a spot to park. Not ideal if you want to pick something up quickly, but Hillcrest is always busy, so plan accordingly and manage your parking expectations.
The girls at the counter were really friendly, the food was great, my to-​go order was prepared pretty quickly, and the price was good for the amount of food you got.
I had the dolmas and a chicken schwarma pit. The dolmas might have fallen into my mouth on my drive home. that’s how good they were!

Tasty! Finally, a place that has gyros with tons of flavors! I sampled some friends food and it was just as yummy. Definitely going back with my wife who loves this food.
I think the price for the massive gyro was perfect.
The service was top notch.
I tried the hummus and it was great too!
Flavor, service and right down the road from my house… happy eater.

I like Mediterranean food but don’t get to eat enough of it. We just stumbled upon this restaurant when looking for a place to have lunch yesterday.
This is the first Mediterranean restaurant I’ve visited since I’ve moved to San Diego. Great food! Their sign says «Fresh Mediterranean Food» and I have to agree!
Check it out! :)
*Only 4 stars because I’m not a fan of the location.*

This place was awesome. we were walking by and one of the customers who was sitting in front offered us a piece of baklava to try. it was amazing! so we decided to try it. we found out that almost everything is home made. Yum.
I am Israeli and the food was amazing, fresh and authentic. real lebanese hummus 2 blocks from my house! falafel, egyptian style! wow!
The owner is wonderful. he let us taste some of his chickpeas and they were fresh, not from a can, and perfectly cooked. we had the lentil soup, which was excellent, the kibbeh, which was amazing and falafel which was perfectly cooked. we had the mint tea which was a great accompaniment to the meal.
and of course we had to take bakalava home to our parents :)

Holy cow! This place was amazing. Fresh ingredients, seasoned well, just all around delicious. It made my fiancé and me very very happy. We had the gyro plate and the veggie plate with a chicken skewer on the side. The meats were cooked perfectly and the other sides were tasty and fresh.
Plus, the owner was very sweet. He gave me an extra chicken skewer because he thought my first one was too skimpy. So good!

Better off going to daphnies!
Found the menu here on Unilocal so we decided to give it a try. When you get there, the chalkboard menu shows a higher price then online by about $ 5 more per dish. Maybe new ownership?
I tried the veggie plate. Falaffel was dry and crunchy. (only got 2 even though the menu says 3). Stuffed Grape leaves were average (again only 2 even though its listed as 3). Hummus is extra bland, I think the pre made stuff at trader joes is way better. Tabouli tasted like salsa fresca.
The employees are quite nice and everything but the food is just icky and overpriced for what it is.

WATCH OUT! on their website, prices of dishes are a certain price and at the actual restaurant it’s been bumped up by dollars.
Example: (
)
~Veggie Combo says 8.99 — actually 12.49
the amount of items were less than stated on their website as well. –1 of everything and small portions.
~Gryo Plate say 7.99 — actually 11.49
My tabouli tasted old, no lemony taste. too many tomatoes and it smelled weird (this is my favorite dish and I couldn’t bare to eat it here)
Dolmah are OK — Falafel OK — Baba Gangoush I Enjoyed — Hummus BLAND
I DONT LIKE THIS PLACE. THE FOOD SUCKS AND THE PRICES ARE CRAZY FOR PRE-​MADE DISHES.
GO TO HARITNA’S IN LA MESA AND GET STUFED WITH LEFTOVERS FOR UNDER $ 15!

I bought a Groupon deal for this place on a whim one day because I wanted me some Mediterranean food for dinner. It was under new ownership and they were trying to get the word out about that. I ordered the kebab platter and it was really good. Came with rice, salad, hummus and pita as well as your choice of three skewers. It was awesome! The location was nice too; they have an open patio where you can just sit and people watch while you eat if you’re bored.
ALERT — I JUST HEARD THIS PLACE IS NOW UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP — SINCE FEB. 2012.

And, I thought this place was off the chain before, it’s outta this world now! Sajj is under new ownership and the new owner owns! He is the most helpful restauranteur I’ve ever met. He is open about his ingredients and strives to keep the flavors genuine and uniquely Lebanese, not matter what. Everything is homemade now! Everything!
These are familiar flavors of my youth and bring sincere joy to my tongue, heart and stomach with every bite.
The prices are slightly raised but still fair considering the amazing flavors and quality of the viddles. The falafel is the best I’ve ever tasted. Did I mention all is made from scratch? These days I can only get there in the evening and I keep missing the homemade foole, as it tends to sale out early.
Seriously, if you missed the opportunity to eat there when they were «Off the Sajj», and then, missed when they were still under the old management. fret not! The NEW Sajj was worth the wait. Tee hee, and I thought they couldn’t get any better. I was wrong, very, very wrong.

Stopped by there yesterday and was pleased to meet the owner, Elias. very charming and we talked about our shared passion for food. I recommend trying the Baba Ganoush. perfectly executed and full of flavor. I had the Fried Eggplant Wrap and I was awestruck!
Being a small business should be more than enough to give this place a try.

I was excited to see a Middle Eastern restaurant in the heart of Hillcrest. San Diego is sorely lacking in this category.
The location is great. The interior is sparse but modern. The only problem is the food. I haven’t been enough times to make a broad judgement. Hence the 3 stars instead of 2. However, what I’ve eaten has been inexcusably bland. Most of their «schwarma» dishes, for example, don’t come off a vertical grill, but instead taste like they’ve been reheated in a microwave. Hence, you’ll get none of the crispiness of real schwarma unless you order the one meat that they do prepare on such a grill.
It’s a good thing they give you hot sauce, as you’ll need it if you prefer your food to contain any flavor. The hummus was actually pretty decent but the rice and pita were just bleh.
This place was a real disappointment, and I’m sad, because I had (much) higher hopes

Before we go any further, I will admit two things:
1. Part of my «like» for this place is due to its walking distance from my house location. There are really only so many times you can go through the Bettys/​Wine Steals/​Gossip Grill/​Ono Sushi rotation before you just need something different. And maybe takeout, so you can enjoy that place you pay for.
2. I am no Lebanese food expert.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I will say that I really enjoy the meals I have eaten here. I prefer takeout, but eating inside isn’t all that bad.
Falafel: Yummy. The plate is a ton of food. I always end up with extra falfel (well except that one time I went here after skipping breakfast, running, doing an errand, and finally getting around to lunch).
Sambusa: Prior to this I had only had Sambusa from Ethiopian and/​or Sudanese establishments. Theirs seem to be less flakey, or at least the ones I had were. I prefer less flakey, but that’s a personal thing and these were a perfectly acceptable version.
Gyro: I’ve only had the plate, but it hit the spot. I wish there was a different option for the rice/​salad though. I’m not a huge fan of either.
Lamb kabob: probably the favorite of the items I’ve had. Oh so yummy and cooked just fantastic every time.
The service is always with a smile. The woman who works there (who is almost always there) is very friendly and super nice. She seems to have gotten to know her «regulars» and that’s not a bad thing.
Anyway, if you can walk there and want something else in your «places I can walk to rotation» head here. It’s not half bad. If you’re driving from Timbuktu (or Carlsbad) just for Lebanese food, it’s probably not worth the $ 390 487 254 508 you’ll spend in gas.

This is a pretty nice spot to enjoy lunch on a sunny day like yesterday. Off the Sajj is clean and the they’re friendly. I ordered the falafel side order of six – crispy on the outside and not dry in the inside The Manakeesh-​Super (pizza type dough, that’s rolled into a wrap) which I’d had many times before at other places and this one was top-​notch – hot, fresh, and delicious. It was topped with mint, whole black olives, tomatoes, and zataar. The whole thing was about 9 bucks, so definitely a good price.
Overall, I’d come here again if I was in the ‘hood.

Lebanese ins’t my favorite sub-​cuisine of Mediterranean, but this place was pretty good. I had the sombousa plate, which came with six triangles of the filo dough pies, hummus, tabbouleh and tzatziki. Those are my absolute favorite three sides, so I was super happy. It also came with a pita to dip in the sides. Everything was good. Nothing amazing but a tasty meal for the price ($ 8.99).
The restaurant is fast-​casual, so you order at the counter. It took less than 10 minutes to get our food. My boyfriend enjoyed his gyro plate very much. The atmosphere is nice too with small tables and a relaxing feel. The front of the restaurant has a huge garage doors that opens up. It was a warm night so they had the doors open. We sat at the bar inside, which faces out and lets you people watch on University.
With all the great Greek places in Hillcrest, I doubt I’ll be going here too often, but I’ll def add it to my rotation. Also, you can find coupons in the Uptown magazine coupon book too!

Okay… sooooo It wasn’t…the *worst* thing I’ve ever put in my mouth. How’s that for a vote of confidence: D They were super friendly and I may give them another try. Could have been an off night.
I had the chicken shawerma plate with extra salad instead of rice. The chicken was pretty dry but flavorful. Things got a bit confusing when I asked for the salad without dressing. So… like…a vinaigrette is typically oil and vinegar, yes? Well they brought out a salad with just oil on it. Hmmm. Que? (So confusing that I was thinking in Spanish at a Middle Eastern joint)
I had a bite of my friend’s lamb kabob and it was pretty tasty but again, very dry. Yep. I’ll stick with Mama’s thank you very much.

We just visited this place and we LIKE IT. The prices are very reasonable. Plates come with hummus, salad, and sajj for around $ 9. Wraps are around $ 7. Very reasonable prices. The portions on the plate are very generous.
I ordered the chicken kabob plate. The rice was really good. The garlic dipping sauce was AMAZING! It was like garlic exploding in my mouth. The chicken was moist.
My dining partnered ordered the Lamb Wrap and it was also very good.
The restaurant was not that busy for Friday night at 6:30 pm. The patio is pet friendly. Good Riddance Lucky Bucks. The burgers there sucked. Plus Lucky Bucks had an identity problem. Was it a sports bar or a gay night club? It was trying to be both.
Anyways, back to «Off the Sajj». So you go to the counter to order and then they deliver it to your table. We will be back. The service was very relaxed and friendly.