Almaz Restaurant

The restaurant is in a small strip mall right next to the freeway entrance
Chanced upon it as I had stopped by Coffee next door and was drawn by the lively atmosphere.
The ambiance is very chic, loved the white leather chairs and lounges.
Food is awesome, excellent chicken tikka masala, with a good portion of bread or rice. Skewers of chicken or ground beef are so deliciously moist and literally melt in your mouth. Everything is freshly cooked so no frozen stuff being quickly heated kinds.
I have also tried their chicken shawarma and that is excellent too, very moist meat which tells you that they take care in grilling the food.
In the evenings the place gets lively and they have music events too.
Owner is such a friendly person, that you feel welcome to the place.
Highly recommended, if you are looking for a change of cuisine and you are around the sorrento valley area.

Great place and great food. Ask for custom chai latte after your meal. Owner is very friendly.

I like the food in this place and also the hospitality. I come here once a week. The owner is really friendly, adds a personal touch and is a great cook. The chai after lunch is a must try here.
Once I came on a Friday night and there was a DJ playing here, had hookah and some drinks. The hookah is also very clean and nice. Doesnt hurt the throat.

I’ve only hit up Almaz for beer on happy hour while I’m waiting for the train to pick me up at the Sorrento Valley station, so take the review with a grain of salt.
The place is kinda like a cave. Faux rocks on the walls both outside and inside. There’s tons of open space when you walk in. Couches around the walls with a nice L shaped bar with plenty of seating. They’re also a hooka bar. It’s kinda fun to smell that stuff go by as you enjoy your beer. They’ve got quite a few TVs on the walls and a large projector showing sports.
The real reason I go to Almaz is the beers. IMO, it’s the best Happy Hour in Sorrento Valley. They have West Coast IPA, Sculpin and typically a New English beer or two on tap. During happy hour, 22oz beers are $ 5! Five freaking bucks!
The bartenders are always friendly and willing to chit chat and are super prompt to come and welcome you when you walk up to the bar. They realize you may only have 11 minutes to drink a beer before your train comes, so they’re super prompt. I live that a LOT.
Next time I have a few minutes, I’m going to try out some of their food. I guess that means I have to leave work a little early to catch the Coaster! :D

Formerly known as AJ’s Cave, which was formerly known as Ali Baba’s Cave, it still looks like the same ol’ place (not just divey, but cavey) and is still in the same great location for waiting out traffic if you have to head south on the 5 from Sorrento Valley or points north. Good bar food.

Very important to note that if you are familiar with this restaurant/​location it is under new ownership. They are wonderful and you can tell they care about their business. The food is super good and it is really the best lunch or dinner you can get in this strip mall. Give them a try!

I came here for the food and was surprisingly impressed. I ordered the falafel plate and my friend ordered the beef shawarma. Both of us got very generous portions, which left us with enough food to nearly have a full meal to take home. They basically provided unlimited pita for the enormous serving of humus that came on each plate. The food was very flavorful and exactly what I expected from mediterranean food. I don’t think there was anything particularly special about our food, but it definitely hit the spot.
The not so good part of the restaurant is just the feel of it. The decorations were pretty nice a cute. It definitely has a bar/​loungey feel to it. I sort of felt like they were trying to do too much – restaurant, bar, and hookah. We stopped by for dinner on a Friday night– when I picked the place I was unaware that it was also a Hookah Bar/​Sports bar. The restaurant is sort of in a strange location for a hookah bar – basically an empty strip mall by the entrance to the 5 N. The restaurant itself was relatively empty, which felt a bit uncomfortable. We were promptly greeted and seated by a waiter who was sitting at a nearby table watching football that was being projected on a giant screen. it seemed like he and his friends were just hanging out, which also felt a bit unprofessional. There was a full bar with two people. There were two more people lounging and smoking hookah. We were the only ones there to eat – admittedly it was a bit late.
I think overall I was pretty happy with the food I got here. I would probably come back just to get some tasty food, but I would definitely not come here if I was trying to impress any company. I personally am someone who feels uncomfortable easily– and this place just left me a bit on edge.

Awesome service… The owner is a great guy. And we even had a belly dancer perform the evening my friends and I went to smoke hookah. Location wise– it’s a little out of the ways and in an empty strip mall on a Friday night, but a good time nevertheless.

Great place to come in for lunch and unwind at the end of the day as well. Great atmosphere and the staff are just awesome to be around. I would come in sparingly before, but now I almost feel like a regular with all the great hospitality here. You definitely check this place out if you’re in the area, or waiting for the coaster.

Seriously the best hookah that I’ve found in San Diego. The service is amazing and there’s a full bar!!! The prices are great too, VERY reasonable. I was surprised with spiced chai mint flavored hookah and I highly recommend that.

Ppl that works and owns this restaurant are very friendly and very respectful ppl. I really enjoying come here for lunch all the way from San Diego downtown. As you can see pictures of the food they are really amazing. Please go and check it out I’m 100% sure you enjoy it and you will come again in the future.

The place is great. One of my favorites in San Diego. Will definitely go there again soon.

This fun place is back on track with the lovely couple who are now running it. They are friendly, funny, warm, and welcoming. Who doesn’t need a good getaway spot for meals and drinks in the busy Sorrento Valley area? My work group always likes the garlic fries and Mediterranean appetizers. The mood of the place is much more comfortable with the new small group seating areas. (The hard picnic benches are over!)

This is a great place to unwind and party hard as well. Hookah is great, alcohol is great. You got to check this place out!
And oh, food is awesome too!

Worst service I ever got first time I went and never want to go back! It took the waitress way to long to bring me anything ! My cranberry vodka tasted like water they brought the wrong hookah flavor and apparently ran out of mint who runs out of mint !

Exceptional customer service, generous portions and great environment. Great hookah flavors, I recommend the melon flavor. Will be coming again.

I had chicken kabob, basmati rice, and shirazi salad. It was very good. I mix the rice with the shirazi salad and its really good that way for me. The chicken was juicy and tasty. The ambiance of this restaurant is really nice with nice lighting and comfortable seating.

Almaz hookah lounge will be having dj nights every friday and Saturday night with a belly dancer!

This spot has gone through several names over the years, and was perhaps best known a Ali-Baba’s Cave or AJ’s Cave. New ownership took over only a few weeks ago, and the changes are pleasant. My wife and I just stopped by for a quick lunch. I had the beef shawarma in pita. Absolutely delicious. We also shared the baba ghanoush and the dolmeh, the eggplant being strikingly good and the dolmeh quite satisfying. The garlic fries are outstanding. Almaz has local craft beers, and it is hard to beat a good Ballast Point Sculpin to complement the tasty food. The décor is simple and quirky, with plaster «caves» still in the corners from its previous incarnations, but it is comfortable and relaxed. My beef shawarma with a side of garlic fries was about $ 10, and I considered it a great value considering the quality. Our tab with two sandwiches with sides, two pints of Sculpin, and one appetizer came to $ 40 — such a deal! Final observation: the family that runs the place is incredibly friendly. I just liked them immediately. We could tell that they are embarking on a labor of love with the restaurant. We wish them success!