Mediterranean Cafe

One of the best places to have Mediterranean Food in Pasadena. I recently started eating meat & so unless cooked well, someone like me wouldn’t like it. Since then I have tried almost all the Mediterranean places in Pasadena & this is by far one of the top two!

Everytime I eat here I’m reminded of how delicious this place is. I almost always order the chicken kabob plate and I’m NEVER disappointed. The plate comes with a side of hummus that is perfectly flavored and textured, a simple green salad that has a really nice, herbatious vinaigrette, rice pilaf, and 2 skewers of grilled, white meat chicken. Condiments that accompany it are chili sauce, which I like to sometimes add to my hummus for an extra kick, and a really flavorful garlic sauce. Additionally I LOVE their baba ganoush! It’s wonderfully smokey and goes great with the kabob plate. I’ve been coming for more than 8 yrs and I will continue to support this delicious, restaurant where everything is HOMEMADE AND HEALTHY! SUPPORT LOCAL, SUPPORT INDEPENDENT restaurants! It’s restaurants like this that keep the charming personality that Pasadena has. And this is by far some of THE BEST Mediterranean food that you can get quickly to take with you or to sit on their patio and enjoy.

Came here to eat for lunch before Beyoncé’s concert and split a Chicken Kebab plate with a side order of falafels. The portion was generous as my friend and I felt full after splitting that plate. However, the chicken kebab was dry and a bit burnt on the sides. On the plus side, the falafels we had were delicious and moist, probably one of the better falafels I’ve had.
Seating itself is awkward, especially if you choose to sit outside since the floor outside is uneven and at a decline. But despite the oddity, there was really no complaints on my end about the seating since I’ve had weirder/​worst seating arrangements before.

Terrible terrible terrible! This was the worst eating out experience that I can recall. I brought my mother and we both ordered the lamb kabob. When we got it it was tough and burnt and when I let the owner know he said that they do not exchange and we can buy more food if we want but that’s the way the lamb is supposed to be. He was rude to the point of being obnoxious and acting like he was looking for a fight.

Not sure what happened with our visit. Maybe it’s because we came when they were closing in 30 minutes, but our kebabs weren’t good. We had to take our orders to go (there’s a sign that says take out only an hour before closing). When I ate my beef kebabs, they were dry and tough. It tasted like it had been sitting on the grill for awhile. The salad was alright, nothing special. The combo also came with hummus, so much that I couldn’t finish it.
My favorite item was the side of garlic butter they packed. It was so delicious! I dipped everything in that! I didn’t care that afterwards anyone that talked to me would be put into a garlic coma. It was completely worth it!
With so many high reviews, I think we’ll be back to give this place another shot. Just got to remember not to come so close to closing time!

This place made me love Mediterranean food for the first time! Good service, amazing beef kebab plate!!! Price is decent too.

I like Med Café. During weekday lunchtime, I usually come and get a chicken kebab plate or the chicken shawerma plate. The prices are around $ 9 – 9.50 and it already includes tax on the menu. The line might be kind of long but it moves fast since they package the plates assembly line style.
As for the plate itself, the chicken kebabs (2 sticks) are pretty filling and I like the garlic butter they give you for it. Sometimes it’s a little dry but overall it’s done pretty well. If you going during lunch time the food will be fresh and warm. The rice is pretty tasty, but I always wish there was more rice. As for the shawerma, it is pretty tasty, so I like to alternate between the kebab and the shawerma to mix it up sometimes.
I think there is too much hummus in the plate for the 1 piece of pita they give you. I always end up having to eat the leftover hummus with a fork. The salad is pretty run of the mill salad with olives, tomatoes, and lettuce, but does give you a balance between the meats, hummus, and rice.
As for the place itself, theres only like 5 tables inside and maybe 7 – 8 tables outside in a little patio area. It is pretty packed during lunch time. The parking lot also fills up during lunch, so be prepared. They also close at 7pm, so I never get out in time to get dinner here.
I keep coming back here for lunch because it’s pretty convenience and they serve you pretty fast.

Pretty solid kabob! We came on a Friday at lunch and even though their line was out the door the service was quick & efficient. It seemed like they had a lot of meat ready, anticipating the large lunch crowd on South Lake. We took our food «to go» and even 15 mins later the food still tasted fresh. The salad that comes with the kabob plates was a little warm & could have been a little bigger, but it could just be because we didn’t eat it right away. In any case, this is a small gripe considering the food is good & well priced.
The ambiance is no-​frills & the service is straight forward but Mediterranean Café is a nice alternative to Pasadena’s plethora of pricy, sit-​down restaurants.

Shwarma and Kabobs! Awesome lunch spot in the Old Pasadena neighborhood. The food is delicious and the price is very reasonable. My favorite would have to be their shwarma wraps with tzatziki sauce and hot sauce. The also offer indoor/​outdoor seating if you want to enjoy the beautiful La weather.

This place was REALLY disappointing considering they have 4 stars out of 900+ reviews.
I came for lunch on a Saturday afternoon and ordered the lamb kebob plate. The minute I ordered, they already had the entrée packaged in a styrofoam container. This leads me to think 2 things: 1) It has already been pre-​made and sitting there for who knows how long 2) The meat would be luke warm and salad would not be cold (my pet peeve is warm salad that has been sitting in its dressing for too long). I tried to be positive and give them the benefit of the doubt. However, when I sat down to eat, I could already tell that the entrée had been sitting there for awhile. As expected, the meat wasn’t fresh off the grill (like most Mediterranean places I’ve had. Kebobs take less than 10 minutes on a grill so it should not be pre-​made) and salad was warm :(. The pita was also really disappointing. They didn’t even warm it up or toast it or anything.
Only thing I liked about this place is that there is a parking lot– something rare for Pasadena.

I will start by saying that I rarely give a solid 5-​star rating.
I was always a little bit on the skeptical when it came to Mediterranean food. Then I got a job in the area and my co-​workers introduced me to this place. Because of this restaurant, Mediterranean is quickly becoming my favorite ethnic food!
Being that I no longer work out live in the area, I’m on a constant look out on a good replacement and it’s been rough. I have no idea why no other restaurant makes their orders the way these guys do.

Ok, this place rocks! My co-​workers and I do ‘foodie Wednesdays’ every other week where we explore new places in the Pasadena area. Since I’m a big Unilocaler, they usually look to me to find a few options. However, I’m the most indecisive person when it comes to food (and pleasing everyone) so I let them choose. I’m glad we were all on the same page when it came to Mediterranean Café.
I wasn’t sure how parking and the line would be, so we made sure to get there around 11:45am. There is a large parking lot in the back that gives you 90 minutes free. AWESOME! We easily found a spot, however, when we left an hour later the place was pretty packed.
We got inside and there was a line, but they move quickly. I’m assuming they always have a lunch rush so they pre-​make a lot of the plates so once you order they are ready to go. Obv some of them are custom plates, like the veggie combo I ordered. Even then, it was very quick and I didn’t even walk away before the plate was made for me. They accept cards as well.
They have a nice patio outside and seating inside, too. Make sure to ask for their hot sauce. Super delicious.
My co-​workers both ordered the chicken shwarma plate which comes with the chicken, pilaf, greek salad, hummus and 2 pieces of pita. I went for the combo platter ($ 9) which came with 4 options of my choice. I went with 2 orders of falafel, order of grape leaves and hummus. This also came with 2 pieces of pita. All in all, they have great flavorful food at great prices. The falafel was soo crispy and really big. It was moist inside, too which can be hard to find. The grape leaves are small but rolled with a lot of rice mixture inside. The pita is soft and fresh. Everything was so good and I cannot wait to go back!

Nice curved line out the door and into the street.
Like an assembly line at a factory.
Steak kabobs are super delicious.
Chicken Kabobs flunked the grade.
Seating, like you’re squished in a sardine can.
We had the luxury of having a trash can behind my skull with people constantly dumping trash while you’re eating. So pleasant.
A special thank you to the crappy delivery truck who kept reving his diesel engine and pouring that nice noise and aroma towards our table.
And the first parking spot you see in that parking lot, you better snag it.

Nice kabobs (4 stars)
Picking up a plate or 2 to go.
I like the Kefta Kabobs with delicious rice, salad, humus, garlic butter, pita bread.
There’s also the option of 2 salads in place of rice for those avoiding carbs.
But the rice is really good.
I also got some grape leaves and baba ganoush, grey for dipping pita bread.
Price is right too.
But get there early because the tables fill up quickly.
I took my 2 plates to go.

My all time favorite Mediterranean food spot! The place gets busy at lunch, but the line moves quickly. If you want to eat here, the dining area is very small so try to beat the lunch rush.
And, try the chicken shawarma plate! It’s only $ 9 and the portion is huge. (Rice, salad, hummus, pita and chicken)

I had no idea SO MANY PEOPLE in Los Angeles LOVE KEBOB AND SHAWARMA! (Perhaps everyone wants superpowers?) I am thankful I met my friends here before the lunchtime RUSH because the line was OUT THE DOOR (starting at noon) when we left around 12:45pm! Either that, or this must be the only Lebanese joint around (I’m not familiar with Pasadena)… Because really, the food was good, but nothing SPECTACULAR… I mean, I definitely didn’t need to drive 40 minutes to this restaurant, as I can get the exact same tastes/​flavors in Hollywood, which is much closer.
That being said, this place is doing something right… Because I definitely did enjoy my meal (chicken shawarma plate, no rice)… I asked for dressing on the side (for my salad) but forgot to ask for NO CHEESE… So I went back up to the man at the register (who is super nice, with a very KIND SMILE) and he said he would just give me a WHOLE NEW lunch, because of health code reasons… Well, I’m not one to waste food, however, when I think about it now, I totally could have kept that plate and received another for free, ha, so instead of tossing the delicious food, I simply asked for a side salad without dressing and they acquiesced without charging me extra!
If this place was closer, I’d definitely make it a staple restaurant, but there is a joint very close to my house that dishes up the same goods, so there’s no need for me to travel to this place again.
*Easy Parking
*Indoor & Outdoor Seating
*Chicken Shawarma Plate: $ 9.50

New found love for Mediterranean food after trying this place!
Pros:
1. The meat was cooked to perfection.
2. Prices are reasonable for the amount of food you get.
3. Garlic Spread… totally goes great with everything and anything! I always ask for extra!
Cons:
One star deduction goes to the rude staff member that was getting impatient when I asked questions.
Final Verdict:
Maybe the individual was having a bad day, I’ll let it slide because their food is that good!

So good, so good.
I came here with a friend around 5pm-​ish on Friday. There wasn’t a lot of people. We got our food real quick too.
I ordered the chicken shawarma plate. It’s quite filling for $ 9.00. It comes with rice, the meat, hummus, a small salad, and pita bread along with 2 small sauces (which I’m unsure what they are besides one of them being spicy. Haha.)
It felt like a good complete meal, not greasy, not oily, pretty healthy in a way. And tasty, of course.
If I come back, I wanna try the lamb.

Good place to grab some quick Mediterranean food.
I do not like the parking lot in this plaza. If you need to grab to go, you can park in the 30 minute parking without paying.
Service was quick and easy. Was in and out within 10 minutes. Seating area inside and outside to eat but its limited.
Lamb/​Chicken Kebab Plate — $ 9.50 — The menu shows only 1 meat per plate but they come with 2 kebabs. I asked to switch one of the lambs for a chicken. Both meats were pretty dry but the hummus and the sauces helped them out. Was not to fond of the rice.
Chicken Shawerma w/​Baba Ghanooj — $ 9 + $.50 — Chicken was not dry like the kebab and had nice seasoning. Baba Ghanooj was good but the hummus is a lot better. Again, was not to fond of the rice.
Falafel — $ 1.75 — Crispy but light and fluffy. With the spicy and garlic sauce, it was really good.
Spicy and garlic sauce are really good. Wish they wouldn’t be so cheap with the amount of sauce they give though.

Mediterranean Café has quick service and great Greek food! The cashier was very friendly and I received my order after waiting at the counter for only a couple of minutes. I ordered the chicken kebab wrap, which was a nice portion for lunch. Their pita is soft and fluffy (just like it’s supposed to be!) and the chicken is juicy, tender, and comes in good-​sized slices. Although the wrap wasn’t as full as I expected, it was still tasty and I loved the garlic sauce in it!
I’d recommend Mediterranean Café for a quick meal in Pasadena! I sat outside at the tables and enjoyed my lunch and a book in the sunshine — it was very enjoyable. Next time I’ll probably try one of the plates, they seem like a better deal for what you end up paying, but looking forward to tasting their garlic sauce again!