Café Raik

Really fresh most of the time but I am disappointed to find that the food is a little inconsistent with take out after having taken out several times here. For example sometimes they will toast the pit for the sandwiches o get and sometimes they won’t and sometimes the sandwiches are put together somewhat sloppy. However overall still good food :)

Went for a Friday night meal, a few other families there. Quite good hummus and the salad with grilled chicken was very tasty. Owner was asking how everything was, service good. Would go again.

I have had this place a few times, and I’ll admit that their food is pretty darn good. But when their service and communication skills lack, that’s when they start to lose my business.
Yesterday (which was Tuesday ⁵⁄₃₁) my parents and I were hungry so I suggested Café Raik. My dad has had their food and so he agreed. After calling them 3 times, and even checking both Google and Unilocal to make sure they were open, I realized that no one was going to answer the phone so I ordered online. We got there, and to our dismay, there was a paper hand-​written sign on the door that said they will be closed for the memorial weekend.
What I don’t get is 1) it’s Tuesday, that’s not the weekend by anyone’s standards. 2) if they were going to be closing on a normal day, why not notify Google or Unilocal so that their customers would know? I saw another person also surprised to see that the business was closed on a regular day.
So what do I do now? I called them the day after, hoping to speak to manager and kindly explain my situation and ask if I could be refunded my money back. But I obviously didn’t learn my lesson, because apparently no one there knows how to answer a phone. Even on the fifth ring. And yes– I checked to see that they were open.
So. This is my story. A broke college student who can’t figure out how to get $ 17 and some change back. And now I look like some grumpy old lady who has nothing better to do with her time than write really mean reviews on Unilocal

Revisited again and loved it! Great service and fantAstic food! My favorite is the ryeres (appetizer with meat in pita) — Very comfortable atmosphere!

Fresh, Mediterranean food that isn’t part of a chain. Intimate, great atmosphere. Salads, paninis, sandwiches, kabobs, dessert and more. All that’s missing is hookah!

Before I start my review I have to say that I’m really surprised at the reviews about bad customer service. I’ve been here about 4 times and every single time their service has been exceptional. They follow up after order is received to make sure everything is okay and open to answering any questions. Whoever takes my order is smiling and makes us feel welcomed.
This place is really close to my house and my sister and I really enjoy eating here each time.
We usually get the same thing. Chicken and beef shawafel, Mjadara, fries.
Their shawafels are AMAZING. I’ve never had one prior to this place and I was in heaven when I took my first bite. It was sooooo juicy and had so many flavors. The only downside is that they put all their veggies at the top, where the opening is and so the half of it is basically just the bread and the meat. I wish they’d mix it up, it’d be perfect.
The Mjadara is good when it’s warm ! I’m not sure if this is a change but I’ve had it served warm and cold. I definitely prefer the warm. The caramelized onions are like the cherries on top. So so so yummy.

The last time I was in this area (I used to work extremely close by), this was a different restaurant, and I am really glad things have changed.
As I have never been to the middle east, I can’t tell you if this was authentic or not. However, I can tell you that the people working there are very pleasant and the food appeared to be freshly prepared by someone who knew what he or she was doing. I ordered the salad and the falafel plate, and my dinner companion ordered the beef shwarma sandwich. He enjoyed his meal, and I definitely enjoyed mine. The falafel — more than I expected, really — was delicious, and the salad was just good. I would have enjoyed a more filling one to go with a fried dinner.
The setting is clean, pleasant, and enjoyable. The people at the other tables were all engaged in quiet conversations, so it was easy to talk and enjoy the meal.
When I need a Mid-​E fix, I will be returning!

To start off, the food here is delicious & i’d say the best in the area.
Some of my favorites are the shawafel (a combo of shawarma & falafel), baba ganouj, schnitzel, & the arayes are amazing. Honestly, you could pick anything on the menu & it would be delicious.
In the past I’ve had a couple hiccups with service, but the owner is extremely friendly & hospitable, & corrected any issues right away. I understand mistakes happen, but to reach out & correct any issues to make customers happy is truly the trait of a great business that cares. I will definitely be coming back again!

I went to lunch here with 3 of my coworkers. Only 2 of which actually received their order. After 25 minutes of waiting for my meal, I gave up. I walked up the register and requested my money back so that I could elsewhere. I received no apology or offer of recompense, but I also did not have any trouble getting my money back so that’s something, I guess. The other coworker who did not receive his meal, requested it to go, at which point they promptly started making it. So, my guess would be they simply forgot or lost 2 of our orders.
I hear the food’s good, but really it shouldn’t be a crapshoot as to whether or not you actually receive your order. I doubt this place will last.

Delicious. Portions are too large on the sampler platter though. You get 3 choices. I would love if you got same amount of food just smaller portions of various choices. Like 5 choices of small portions. I will be back to try something other than the veggie sampler.

I ordered the Falafel Sandwich in Pita Bread, by far the BEST falafel sandwich in Atlanta. Take my word for it, I am a falafel fanatic. The pickles are like no other pickle I’ve ever had! I will make this my weekly break. I do recommend you try it out. Clean, lovely music and photography that takes you to another world. And the food!
‘A’ Health score.

Fresh Clean vibrant. Great service. A great lunch spot. Deserves all the good reviews.

Excellent food. Good price. The owners are very involved in the business and eager to please.
The place has a bit of a fast-​food feel, but the food that is served is very flavorful and as good as you would get at an expensive mediterranean restaurant.

The flavors, texture, & freshness of the food, fantastic! Awesome service! I ordered the eggplant sandwich, my friend the 3 appetizer sampler. (Very hearty portions) Man, this stuff was great!!! You gotta try it ! This place it beats any restaurant i’ve tried over the last 3 years.

The SO was feeling under the weather, so we were looking for a light, but filling, and healthy lunch option. We walked in and up to the ordering counter but were not greeted right away, which was perfectly fine for me. Mediterranean food is a little outside my comfort zone (I’ve only been exposed to Greek food, previously). We were perusing the menu and found all the photos above the open kitchen to be very helpful — very ScoutMob-​style. After a few minutes, a guy sitting at the table beside the counter asked if we had been helped and got up as soon as we said no. He helped us through the ordering process and added a 10% discount when I showed him my Unilocal check-​in.
The food came out as soon as they were done, so it wasn’t brought out all at once. Everything tasted great. I would recommend the chicken shawarma sandwich on pita and the SO loved their tabouleh salad. The sandwich is big enough to eat on its own, but I added a side of fries and had leftovers to bring home.

I ordered from their Saturday brunch menu for an event. I called in ahead of time to consult them about what to get for my guests and let them know I would be picking up at 11:15 am to go because they don’t open till 11.
I ordered falafel, hummus with ful, manousheh zaatar (flatbread with thyme and sesame seeds), eggs and potatoes, Arabic breakfast (thyme, cheese, yogurt, olives), and musakhan (flatbread with shredded chicken, slow cooked onion, red pepper paste, and sumak). My whole party and I loved the musakhan the most! I wish I had ordered more. The hummus and pita were great, I loved stuffing the pita with the hummus, eggs and potatoes, and Arabic breakfast. Really filling and delicious. I wasn’t crazy about the Manousheh zaatar because it tasted a bit salty to me, but my guests seemed to like it. Would definitely order the hummus and Musakhan again for brunch, and likely try other things!

So happy to find such a great Mediterranean place. Café Raik is clean, modern and their food is very fresh and authentic. Love that they have amazing pita– take my advice and get a side order or two! So warm and fluffy, they’re the best pita I’ve had outside of the EU. Their food is beautifully done, will be back for more!

Delicious mediterranean, perfect for take out. Their falafel sandwhich is so so so good and so is their hummus appetizer. We definitely frequent this place.

Fantastic food! Authentic, quality, cuisine. Would go back regularly if I wasn’t passing through.

I absolutely love this place.
I have come two Saturdays in a row and wanted to wait and make sure I would properly review this place. I fell in love with this place immediately upon arrival on the first visit and without even getting my food I already wanted to review it and give it 5 stars, lol. Anyways, you walk in, order at the counter from their easy menu and then they bring the food out when it’s ready.
(FOOD)
Here is what I’ve ordered so far and enjoyed:
Falafels, tabouleh, mjdara, chicken shawarma, baba ghanoush, fried eggplant, salad, hummus and pistachio baklava.
I guess I could start by saying that the food/​price ratio is great. You can totally share here and be satisfied. I learned this on my first visit, where we each ordered an entrée and each of us left food behind. So for example, you can order the falafel platter which brings about 8 pieces and it comes with 2 sides. I have gotten mjdara, fries and/​or tabouleh. Servings are very generous! Mjdara is lentils with caramelized onions and a dab of yogurt. This doesn’t have much flavor per say but it’s my favorite side here. The falafels are the best I’ve ever had. Perfectly crispy on the outside, not burnt and soft inside.
We ordered fried eggplant assuming it was going to be like fried eggplant in America, lol where the eggplant is literally tossed in batter and fried. Their «fried eggplant» is not this at all. It’s more like stir fried with no breading, but with plenty of seasoning and served cold. At first, I wasn’t sure if we had ordered this, when I asked out of curiosity he explained that its what they call it, or know it by and that if I didn’t like it he could exchange it. I quickly said no, it tasted great, I just didn’t know what was fried about it. It was my fiancés favorite, I was just curious. :) LOL… The baklava is good, although I wish they had a hazelnut/​chocolate one.
(Service)
It’s apparently a family owned and operated place. Everyone that we have interacted with has been very helpful and approachable. Any question we have had, they’ve answered with a smile on their face. They don’t wait on you here, since you order at the counter but they have come by to make sure everything is alright. They are constantly cleaning tables and picking up around the restaurant. No complaints here.
(Cleanliness)
As far as I could see, everything has been clean. The restaurant is very open, tables are cleared quickly after customer leaves. I always get an extra utensil or two just in case one is dirty; but I haven’t had to open the extra one. So far, so clean. Tables aren’t sticky, there hasn’t been food on the floor. Plates have been clean.
I am happy that this place is relatively close to home. I hope it stays as good as I say it is :)

Very, very good food that is «definitely» created and served by a dedicated family … but I feel like «some» of the «family» are more enthusiastic than others when it comes to working at this business and thats why it doesn’t get five stars.
I was led to Café Raik by the good reviews here on Unilocal.We decided to travel up here on a recent Saturday when we had business around Gwinnett Mall. We arrived at what should have been just after the lunch hour, but Café Raik was still busy inside and more people kept coming in all afternoon.
Its obvious they were busy because several (several!) tables really need to be bussed and cleaned. The majority of them stayed dirty for most of the time we were there. The staff seemed to be doing their best taking and producing orders but food never came out at the same time for both our orders and others. For instance, one diner gets served, then you wait, then your second entrée finally comes out. So maybe they need a little more help or management.
Things seemed to kick into gear when another staff member (finally) showed up and immediately started bussing tables and generally organizing the rest of the staff and expediting orders. Whoever this guy is, they need him there a lot more.
But the food was great (once we got it), everything was fresh and tasted great. The eggplant appetizer is excellent as is the falafel! I recommend trying the mjadara as a side dish. It was my first time trying this dish and it is a delicious change of pace from «rice» or the ubiquitous «french fries.»
Another big plus is they serve their food on glass plates with silverware. I’m sure this creates extra work in the back of the restaurant but it is superior to eating on styrofoam! They get one star just for that!
Café Raik is tucked into a fairly nondescript little shopping center at the intersection of Satellite blvd and Old Peachtree Rd … across from «tilted kilt». Worth a try if you are in the area for sure and probably wonderful for take-​out!

Loved the chicken tawook and pocket bread. Chicken shwarma did not have much chicken but what was there was good. Side salad and mjadara were also very tasty. Garlic spread was like mayonnaise and yogurt mixed together, not at all bad.
Lemonade was too sweet to my taste.
Excellent and friendly service.
Hummus is excellent.

Ate here again tonite for the third time, and still one of my favorites. Chicken Tawook with rice and Raik salad. So much food, I’ll have lunch tomorrow. Service is quick and personal. Delicious, healthy, and great portions. Did I mention that I don’t even live here (travel frequently for work), but I dream about their food, it’s so good.

Authenticity is key, and you could smell the Mediterranean spices as soon as you walk through the door. The layout was a clean, café style with mostly tables with some high seats. The great picture menu took the guess work out of what you might order.
For apps, I tried the falafel and babganouj. For main, we tried the chicken and beef shawarma plates. I’ve never had that style of falafel before. It had some other stuff in it. Taste was OK but texture was different. Babganouj was nice and smokey in a generous serving. Wasn’t too crazy about the beef shawarma but the chicken shawarma was great.
Customer service was fast and friendly. A solid choice if you’re looking for authentic Mediterranean food. I was really looking for Greek but am happy with what I found. I’m sure I can find lamb somewhere else. Will be back.

This is place is amazing! My mouth is still watering from the taste of the delicious sauces in their sandwiches! So I came here for lunch, super quick and easy to get the food, the staff is super helpful with recommendations! Love the décor– everything here feels so authentic! Love the old school pictures, it kind of takes me back in history; the music, so classy and relaxing!
Okay okay, not going to set the bar so high, but you have to just come and try this place out!
I had the chicken tawook– grilled chicken, but it was so juicy and the sauce, simply scrumptious!
Chicken shawarma– super good as well
Their pita bread tastes so fresh too!
Lentil soup– nice!
Highly recommend this place! Please open a branch in downtown and johns creek so I can order delivery from there!

Second time coming and it’s so pleasant every time. This is exactly why I love small business companies and not big food chains. Quality ingredients and service. Everything I have tried just enlightens my taste buds.

I have to say this was one of the best new restaurants I have been to in a loooong time. It is conveniently located off of I-​85 and there is plenty of parking. The interior is nice and clean with a modern touch. I really liked some of the artistic photographs on the wall. We ordered an eggplant appetizer as well as a vegetarian falafel and a «Shawafel». My dish was the Shawafel and it was phenomenal. I really liked the way the chicken was prepared. It was light to eat and seasoned very well, plus the sauce had access to each savory bite. I was stuffed by the end of the meal and knew I would definitely be stopping by again.

I’ve been here multiple times and have had some experiences better than others in terms of food and service. I’ve used both the $ 15 for $ 20 deal off Unilocal as well as Scoutmob’s 50% off (up to maximum $ 10 savings) deal. I’ve consistently loved their baba ganouj and beef shawarma wrap every time I’ve come. When the falafel comes out fresh then it’s crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside, but I’ve also had it when it was not soft on the inside. It’s pretty busy here during the Friday lunch rush, which may be why my chicken shawarma and beef shawarma weren’t hot or fresh enough. I came here one evening when it wasn’t very busy and consulted one of the employees on different things on the menu to try. Arayes looked great in the pictures but the pita was hard and soggy from the ground beef mix. I generally love mjadara (lentils) but the most flavor of that came from the grilled onions and not the lentils themselves. Because they’re small and family-​owned I’m not sure if this could be a quick lunch option for those who work in the area, and the quality of their food may not be as great as during their slower times. In general I’m going to aim to go back when I know it will be slower and stick to what items I know I’ve liked and try exploring other menu items.

A friend and I visited Café Raik for lunch on a weekday and it’s a much more open store than I expected from the outside looking in.
I ordered the chicken panini sandwich combo, which comes with a fountain drink and a side salad, which was just over $ 8, but with a Unilocal check in deal, they knock off 10% so don’t forget to check in!
Taken from their website, the chicken panini is topped with tomatoes and arugula with delicious dill aioli in a ciabatta. The ciabatta is crisped, and is almost crunchy… which kinda made the sandwich messy, because as you bit down, contents squeezed out before the bread broke. I did love the flavor of the dill aioli, but again, the bread was just so rigid.
The side salad was dressed in cucumber, tomato and fried pita chips, topped with fattoush dressing, and was filling and fresh, but flavors were just okay. This lunch combo was the right size, as I left away full, but not stuffed.
Café Raik sits in a small restaurant strip at the intersection of Old peachtree and satellite blvd, and it’s not very difficult to get out and onto either street.
There’s a lot i’d love to try here, because I am a fan of the fresh ingredients, the family owned quality and care they provide are a welcome addition to the area, and i’d like to see them succeed. If you’re in the area, swing by and check them out

Found this place through scoutmob. I honestly wouldn’t of even tried this place if it wasn’t for scoutmob. Their food really isn’t even that expensive. Most of it is under 10 dollars. A few of the plates go over that, but really a sandwich will fill you up.
We ordered the schawaffel and chicken taloof. The schawaffel is worth it if you like the taste of falafel so, but also want the added protein from beef or chicken. I opted for beef and really liked it. I’d gladly come back and order it again. The combo puts ito very the 10 dollar mark, but really the sand which itself is pretty large.
We also order the taloof which is marinated chicken. The chicken was good, although there were some small bones. It didn’t take much away from it though.
Definitely come here and try something. You’ll see how good it is.

Super place to grab a healthy lunch! The restaurant is standard but brightly colored and very clean! The people who work there know their stuff and eagerly explain all the delicious things on the menu.
I had the Salad with chicken shawarma and the portion that arrived at my table was enormous! It took me 30 minutes of high effort forking to finish the plate of freshly chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley, and mint! The olive oil and lemon juice dressing topped with Arabic cheese put just the right amount of zing to the entire dish!
It’s a perfect place to stop and eat lunch and fill up!

We walked in and there was a line. That’s usually a good sign. It moved fast and allowed us to look into the kitchen which made deciding hard as everything looked good and smelled even better. We were greeted with a big smile and proceeded to order quickly. It was our first visit so we got 10% our order after checking in with Unilocal.
The food! Baba Ganoush: excellent, sweet and tart from the tahini and eggplants but zero bitterness. Nicely dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. Served with plenty of chewy and wonderful pita. My coworker had a Greek salad with chicken tawook. She could not stop raving about it. I had the chicken tawook sandwich and completely understand why she loved it so much. It was delicious, juicy and so well seasoned. Next time I’m in Duluth, I will return. You should do the same!

Café Raik!!! It is a modern looking, clean, Mediterranean restaurant. I found it on Scoutmob and decided to check it out.
I ordered the chicken shawarma, which was made from rotisserie chicken. I got it in a pita, which was delicious! My husband and I were tempted to buy a bag of their pita breads for sale to take home too! The chicken shawarma was a ⁵⁄₅ for me — tons of flavor, saucy, juicy, goodness! The sandwich is HUGE!!!
My husband ordered the beef shawarma, which was good too, but not as good as the chicken in my opinion. The beef was more tough I think.
The side order of fries was great too. I don’t know what they put in the seasoning, but it was really bold and flavorful!
Definitely going back! Even without a scoutmob :)

What a gem!
On the day I visited, I did not have a lot of time and had to order take-​out. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t stay — the atmosphere of the restaurant was just lovely. I wanted to eat everything I saw the other diners enjoying.
I ended up ordering a falafel pita and fries. It was incredible. Unfortunately, the photo does not do it justice, and I am sure the dining-​in presentation would have been beautiful. Everything I saw in the restaurant was so beautifully dished. But the flavor was rich and perfect.
I am eager to return, dine-​in and explore more of this wonderful menu.

Not to sound too harsh, but Café Raik to me is proof positive that one can use exceptionally fresh ingredients and still only be able to produce moderately flavored foods.
The café appeared to be very clean, and the ingredients were very fresh. However, my chicken shawafel sandwich, a portmanteau of «shawarma» and «falafel», despite being filled with chicken shawarma, falafel, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, red cabbage, pickles, garlic spread, tahini sauce, and dill sauce was so unremarkable. I have no explanation for how this could be possible, and yet it was. The wife’s beef shawarma sandwich had slightly more flavor.
The pita was perfectly fluffy and pillowy soft and quite possibly the best pita I’ve ever had. The hummus, while creamy and smooth, was desperately lacking garlic. It is so easy for falafel to be overly-​fried — Café Raik fried theirs perfectly.
So, in a nutshell, there are highs and lows to be found here. Maybe the lows were a fluke?
Check out their $ 15 for $ 20 Unilocal deal, Unilocal Check-​In 10% off deal, and ScoutMob 50% off deal.

This seem to be the current trend — new restaurants opening in a neighborhood quietly, intentionally keeping the opening low key, without any fanfare for few weeks. And once settled and learn from the limited crowd, they market themselves to wider audience across the town. Café Raik has been open for couple of weeks but their grand opening is on 11÷8÷2014 and they have 10% off check-​in offer in Unilocal.So I went there for lunch!
The restaurant is located at the intersection of old Peachtree rd NW and satellite blvd intersection. On old Peachtree rd, If you are coming from 85 side, it will be on your left just before you hit the traffic light at satellite blvd. From opposite side, it will be on your right, immediately after you cross satellite blvd. (there is a subway in the same complex — if you are really lost)
There was plenty of parking spots when I arrived early, but I can see it could get filled very quickly, especially during lunch time. when I entered, I was pleasantly surprised by bright colors and nice décor — reminded me of some frozen yogurt places! With regular tables and one large tall bar table, the seating space was neither big nor small.
The menu is printed above the counter but there are more options in paper menu available at the counter. You basically, put in the order, pay for it and wait at a table for the food to be brought to you. No regular wait service here (at least not for lunch). Since I went there by myself, I ordered an appetizer and one a salad!
1) Baba Ganouj
2) Greek Salad with Chicken tawook
Baba Ganouj — actually quiet big for the price and it comes with 4 pieces of pita bread. Unless you dig a lot per scoop, the bread is probably not going to be enough. But fortunately the Baba ganouj was flavorful and delicious. I added some hot sauce to mine and it was even better.
Greek salad was good enough with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta with Greek dressing — you know, the usual stuff. You can choose a protein as add-​on to the salad. Available protein are Chicken & Beef Shawarma, Chicken Tawook, and Schnitzel. I got mine with Chicken tawook and it was the star of dish. The chicken was grilled tender & juicy and the added mild spices made it delicious. That did it for me! But I am curious to try other proteins too in my next visit.
(Chicken tawook: you can think of this as chicken kabob. You may have seen similar tastingt dish at other places under the name Shish tawook or Shish tavok. But at Café Raik, it’s not Shish (Skewer) but just grilled. Also I find it curious that they have named it ‘Chicken tawook’ because ‘tawook’ or ‘tavuk’ pretty much means chicken as well. It would be calling a dish ‘Chicken Chicken’. But what’s in name, as long as it tastes good, right?)
The service was good and the food comes out pretty quick. I had a quick chat with them and found out that it is indeed family owned and operated business. I was introduced to brother, sister, brother-​in-​law, father and mother! And the restaurant is named after the toddler nephew of the owner!(No, he wasn’t at the restaurant) :)
Overall, I think it’s a nice new spot for quick Mediterranean lunch and dinner.
Four stars