Genie Den

I usually get a falafel here and several pieces of baklava to take home to the girlfriend to score some serious points.

Oh this place is the best! The food is so fresh and prepared so well. I can never go wrong with my order here because everything is absolutely delicious. The owner goes the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your meal and get exactly what you want, too — special requests are happily accepted! I adore this restaurant and truly wish them years of success.

I am in love with this restaurant. The food is so fresh and quality. Definitely try their garlic sauce!

I haven’t been here since they renovated the place until today. I still like Genie Den but I think they did something different with their food. Mind you I used to order take out from this place a lot so I know what the food used to be like. I ordered my usual chicken shawarma wrap and a side of garlic sauce. First of all, the garlic sauce is made different now. Before it used to be garlic-​ky like homemade which my husband and I love. Now, the garlic sauce is more on the bland and oily side like store bought. I also noticed that the chicken wrap is a little different now. Before I can taste the off the grill, crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside when you bite into it but the chicken shawarma that I got today didn’t taste like what it used to. It’s still good but not great. I probably would still come back but I’m just bummed how the food taste different now :(

Everything we had was amazing! Everything is made from scratch and you can tell because of how delicious and fresh it taste. They even have organic ginger beer on tap! We will definitely be coming back. This place is way better than zanku chicken and all of the people that work there are really friendly. Highly recommend it!

This place is amazing. It’s a gem in an enclave. The atmosphere is relaxing, the food is banging and the employees are so friendly and nice. And the prices are cheap! What more could you ask for?

New favorite spot. My sister & I had lunch here for the first time. Everything we had was so delicious! Not to mention everyone was so nice to us. I want to go back tomorrow!

I used to love this place however after the renovation they began charging for their hot sauce, the quality had slipped, and they went from a nice sit down restaurant to being basic fast food. I am really bummed about how much the quality of this place slipped considering I had originally given it a 5-​star review. It isn;t terrible but considering how good it was before I just cannot bring myself to coming back. ever again. I need to find a new place to get my shawarma fix because Genie den has regressed severely. I am equally sad that my previous review may have guided people to try the genie den after the «renovation». I hope to find a new Shawarma place soon because I truly miss the Genie Den of old.

I’m sad that they changed thier style of service and thier meat. The service used to be great table service, now it’s quick service. The first few times we went everything was amazing but the last couple times since they «renovated» its been different. Either the cooks changed or the quality of meat changed, not sure but it’s not as yummy. Still good just not what we were used to. The prices also wenr up, which is understandable just a bummer. They do have an organic soda machine now which is cool. And I still LOVE thier baklava.

Found this place in the OC Weekly. I had driven past this spot a half dozen times, never would have ventured into this parking lot without a strong recommendation and my quest for the perfect shawarma.
Went inside and was pleasantly shocked. Very cozy and romantic interior. Unfortunately, the amazing garlic sauce put the kibosh on any romantic plans I had, but it was almost worth it.
We got the Garlic Zaatar fries, my wife had the chicken shawarma and I had the beef. It was excellent, juicy and perfect flavor. The Garlic fries were AMAZING. I don’t know why no one’s done this before, but they’re worth a trip by themselves. They also had craft soda, something I have a particular weakness for.
Solid 4 stars if you want a shawarma.

I can’t get enough of the Zaatar Garlic Fries. I’ve been craving them the last week and a half and finally had them today. Aside from the amazingness that is their food, Genie Den has a very particular selection of beers and ciders that I love. The music and ambiance have made it a food home for me. It feels like they took music from my soundcloud and brought it to a restaurant. Big ups to this place.

First time here, found it via Unilocal after we were done at the library on Euclid. It’s is a small strip mall next to the new Wolf Lodge or whatever it’s called. (Giant hotel with indoor water park). It’s right next door to the Mommy Nutrition joint.
Inside is recently updated and looks nice. Order at the counter, seat yourself and wait for your food to be delivered. If you get water, get it yourself from the cooler. If you order a beverage it will be brought to you.
We got the garlic fries to start since the fellow at the register said they’re a big hit. He was right, we both loved them! But if you don’t like creamy white sauces, you won’t like it so be warned.
My sister had the falafel wrap with side of pita chips and I just had the plain salad since I was eating the fries. The wrap was large and tasty but my sister needed more spice so she used the Sriracha they had available. The pita chips were fresh and very well seasoned. The salad was simple and lightly dressed with just some vinegar and oil I believe. Nice and crisp and tangy.
Server was the same guy who took our order and he was very friendly.
I’d try it again if I were in the area and I suggest you give it a whirl.

Don’t let the epic Unilocal score fool you, Genie Den is not a four star culinary experience.
The staff is friendly, and the restaurant is hospital clean, but the food is so-​so.
Beef: although flavorful, the beef is a bit tough and tastes more like came asada than any kind of Mediterranean beef I’ve ever eaten. It tastes smokey, and salty, but lacks the herby notes I expect from a Mediterranean style preparation. Especially as the beef is sold as Sharwarma style, but it does not appear that it came off of a spit (I could be wrong about this, as I did not see the food being assembled).
Chicken: Fine. Again, didn’t seem appropriately seasoned, however. If you’re going to eat here this might be the thing to get.
Rice: This is where the meal kind of goes off the rails. In this type of food the rice is EXTREMELY important. The rice here is a long grain, and very dry; which is great for Indian food which has lots of sauciness, but this does not work for Mediterranean style meals. The rice lacked flavor, and did not fit with the meal.
Hummus: I enjoyed the hummus here quite a lot. Well seasoned, with a nice burst of olive oil and lemony notes. This is a fine side to be sure.
Pita: Smaller and more delicate than most pita you’ll find in southern California, their version of this bread is quite good. Get a plate of Genie Den’s hummus and pita and you’re dining on the best this place has to offer.
Overall value: 1 star. My meal wound up being about $ 15.00. Within a 3 mile radius there are at least 4 better Middle Eastern/​Mediterranean options with better food and better value.
I came to this location because the Unilocal reviews were so good. I left thinking that Unilocal is a LIAR!

The outside appearance of the Genie Den and its surrounding area aren’t nearly as inviting as the newly renovated interior that is very warm and inviting.
The staff was friendly and welcoming, and the service quick. The food looked and smelled great with substantial portions provided.
If I were to judge the restaurant on the above points alone, then this would be a 5 star. Sadly, the flavors of the food don’t merit the same level of satisfaction as the rest of my experience.
What went wrong?
My wife and I both ordered a Shawarma chicken plate: Hers with rice and hummus, and mine with fries and hummus. The hummus was good but average. In other words, it simply wasn’t bad. Dipping the fries in the hummus was my favorite part of the meal.
The biggest problem was likely the vegetable & fruit garnish for the chicken. It was comprised of simple ingredients: Cucumber, tomatoes and onion. However, there was too much lemon juice on them when tossed — It was overwhelming. Additionally, the quantity and size of the cucumbers also seemed to overwhelm a bit. Both of these issues seem fixable. While the cucumbers are perhaps a personal preference, the overuse of lemon juice was a glaring mistake.
Next on the list was the chicken’s sauce. It was simply over seasoned to the point of leaving a dry feeling in the mouth. If dialed back a notch, then it would be just fine.
Finally, the baklava. One review mentioned it being, «very sweet.» That wasn’t the case with mine. Instead I found the sweetness to be quite mild, in a good way. However, it’s subtle tones of honey were drowned in a sea of butter.
Both my wife and I found the meal to be pretty average. I’ll likely give it another try ordering something else. There is potential, but it’s marred by numerous flaws.

The boyfriend & i wanted to try something new so we opted for this spot but unfortunately we really didn’t care for the flavor of the food.
We ordered a bit of everything to get the feel of middle eastern food & I’d have to say NEVER AGAIN.
The hummus (Baba Ghanouj) was so-​so. In my opinion the hummus is better at Trader Joe’s.
Their Falafel & Garlic Fries were the only good part of our meal.
The boyfriend ordered what looked like a steak wrap. He only ate a quarter of it & threw the rest away because he said the steak was too dry & the flavoring was odd :/​
Baklava was TOO SWEET. Unfortunately we tossed that too.
We ordered this to go so this review is solely based on the food. My boyfriend did say the workers there were really cool but sorry to say we will never eat here again.

Well at least the cashier was nice and very helpful, too bad he wasn’t cooking the food.
2.5 stars and I wanted to round up but I couldn’t give it an A-​Ok 3 stars because I really feel Meh.
It was my first time here. I like the décor, the mood look inside, the clear menu pricing, the side menu that describes some of the Mediterranean food terms. The cashier greeted me with a friendly smile and explained their dish offerings to me. I went with the Steak Shwarma Plate.
It wasn’t busy when I ordered, there were only three guys seated at a table. I placed a to go order for myself. There were at least two people cooking in the back and it took 20 minutes for my food to be ready! A guy that came in 10 minutes after me and just ordered received his order before mine, it was pretty much the same, except I think he had chicken and beef shwarma in either a bowl or a wrap.
Steak Shwarma Plate ($ 11.95) — Man, what a disappointment. The veggies were fresh, the beef was flavorful, but it was a bit tough. They included two whole pitas in a separate foil bag which was nice. I was thinking maybe it was the fries that made the dish take a little longer. Couldn’t be that, because my fries were undercooked, limp, and soggy. They were inedible!!! I tried the first three and didn’t eat anymore of them. The hummus came in a medium sized salsa cup with lid… a fair portion, but something seemed off. I don’t know if it was because it was warm from being in the same styrofoam container as the meat or if it was something else.
Overall a bummer of a lunch. The wait was inexplicably long, the meat was tough and the fries were soggy (and they do not come with garlic sauce like their full order fries). Garlic sauce is extra charge here. I was just really surprised at my whole experience, because this a 4.5 star place on Unilocal with almost 400 reviews. Either I’m off, the other reviewers are off, or something has changed.

Man… what a bummer… =(
I wanted to like this place, I really… REALLY did! I wanted to have a Zankou alternative and to have it so close to my house… but alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
Came in and ordered a fair bit so that I could sample an even spread.
Steak and Chicken combination plate wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. Meat was dry… very dry, but the salad and cucumber were very fresh and crispy. If I didn’t have the greens, the meat would have been inedible. Having tahini poured over it all helped too.
Chicken shawarma wrap was mediocre. Again, not bad, but dry and the pita was hard and stale. I bit into it but couldn’t bite through it. Yeah, that’s bad. I actually had to tear off the top part of the wrap because it was impossible to chew.
Falafel were fried too long. Outside wasn’t crispy, it was hard. Finished these only because they were small. Wouldn’t order these again.
My take away from Genie Den is that their produce is great compliments the meat very well, but I don’t want to eat something that NEEDS a helping hand in order to taste good.
Maybe I just came on a bad day, but that isn’t an excuse on the restaurant’s behalf since consistency should be key next to quality.
Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Zankou.
Maybe my tastes are just wrong.
Whatever it is, I’m glad that Genie is doing well and that there are so many positive reviews coming up. The owner is kind and really does believe in the product he’s providing.
This area needs more middle eastern/​Arabic/​Persian food. Hopefully this will be the start of a new trend of eateries popping up on the Harbor strip. We have enough Mexican, American, Italian, Thai, and Tourist food.
Fingers crossed that we’ll be seeing more Middle and Near eastern cuisine in the new future.

3.5 stars! It can be tough being on Unilocal’s Top 100 list. Expectations shoot off the roof and suddenly a good place becomes mediocre because we tend to become too critical about the little things. I’m guilty as charged!
Located in a nondescript mall somewhere in Garden Grove lies Genie Den. My lunch crew came on a weekday and we got seated instantly as the place was nearly empty. Our server was on his A game fully knowing the menu and constantly checking on us. Only mishap was the sides getting mixed up on different plates but nothing the kitchen couldn’t remedy quick.
GARLIC FRIES kicked off our lunch to share with the table. I think their sauce could use more garlic potency but it wasn’t bad especially after asking for extra sauce on the side.
CHICKEN AND STEAK SHAWARMA PLATE ($ 12) was what I had that came with rice and a side of hummus. Serving was not as huge as I expected it to be however, both the steak and chicken were seasoned wonderfully without any signs of dryness. What I loved though were the chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions with garlic sauce on top of all the meat. It really added that «umph» factor to this plate. More rice, please.
Their HUMMUS was fantastic but the pita bread was obviously store bought. Boo.
For dessert, BAKLAVA was on the house so we can try it, says our waiter. I enjoyed it a lot! Thank you!
Also, for those mathematically challenged, all prices are tax inclusive on the menu. Now, would I come back? If in the area. I just wouldn’t make the trip for it.

This place is located in a really remote location of Anaheim/​Garden Grove. There aren’t any other Mediterranean places nearby.
I ordered the chicken shawarma plate for $ 11. It came with choice of hummus and baba ganoush and salad or rice. I went with the hummus and salad. The hummus tasted ok, it wasn’t the best that I have had and it wasn’t the worst. Salad was decent also. Chicken shawarama was good too, however it wasn’t as juicy as one cooked on a spit. Overall the food tasted good, and I remember coming here when this place first opened and being wowed by the prices back than. A plate was $ 7 and I thought this was an exceptional deal at the time and vowed that I would be back. I was surprised that prices had gone up 50% on most items. The combo wraps used to be about $ 5 now a single wrap is $ 7.
For meat options there is only chicken shawarma and beef shawaram. There are no lamb options nor are there grilled kabob chunks. Pita bread is warm and is decent but it’s not freshly made on site like some other places.
Service is stellar and the host offered us some baklava (4 star worthy) to sample. Overall food is good and this was an exceptional place when it opened with the great prices. Now that prices have gone up considerably, it’s not that great a value and there are other options to consider.
It does look like a lot of locals are regulars here. So if one needs a Mediterranean fix, this is a good option as there aren’t really any places nearby.

The food was absolutely delicious. My brother and I decided to check this restaurant out since we were in the area and very hungry. The environment was very welcoming, the staff was very friendly, and the service was absolutely great.
We ordered two Steak & Chicken Shawarma Plates, with bread, and Falafel for an appetizer. I’ve uploaded those pictures as well.
We will definitely come back where when in the area. It was a great experience!