Fairouz Cafe & Gallery

A paradise for vegetarians! I always overeat here, but there is a delicious buffet in which each veg. dish is more delicious than the others. Food is Middle Eastern but not just typical falafel, humus, etc. An oasis in the food wasteland that is the Sports Arena area. Some of the highlights for me:
COLD
–cold chargrilled eggplant salad
–humus
–pickled turnups
–chickpea salad with tomatoes
HOT
–stewed okra with tomatoes
–veg. moussaka
–hot chargrilled eggplant with tomatoes
–extremely delicious quartered potatoes with seasoning
–rice
(and I am leaving out 15 – 20 more veg. options just on the buffet)
In winter I like also their lentil soup.
DESSERTS are ridiculously good. Included with the buffet are:
–rosewater pudding (love it or hate it — you’ll either think it tastes like heaven or like soap — I’m in the first category)
–semolina-​with-​honey cake: yum
–carrots-​coconut-​honey slaw, is a bit like Indian carrot halwa: DOUBLE YUM. I could eat this all day every day.
Owner and staff are extremely hospitable, urging you to keep taking more and to feel at home. The atmosphere is lovely, with the owner-artist’s beautiful pictures of Jerusalem on the wall and his studio inside (owners are from a renowed Palestinian family). Always a pleasure to come here!

Best mediterranean food i have had. 100% recommend. The buffet and service are fantastic.

This place never disappoints with their friendly service and easy parking options. It’s a great place to come for a meal with plenty of seating. Don’t forget to ask them about their specials because they have some good ones that will save you a couple of dollars while dining on some authentic Greek food. Their olives are so delicious, I find myself coming in just to try and get a jar! This place is that good.

Fairouz Café is more than merely a meal. So, always give yourself and guest a generous allotment of time to savor the full experience of Fairouz Café and Gallery. Upon entering you are greeted with a warm and welcoming smile by the family. You readily notice that you have walked into a rare treasure with a generous mediterranean buffet and menu surrounded by an array of intriguing artwork created by the owner. Fairouz Café attracts persons who enjoy a healthy bite along with a conversation which nurtures your muse and the pursuit of happiness. You will find that you are dining with the a diverse community which calls your spirt home.
Give yourself the gift of time well spent at Fairouz Café and Gallery. Enjoy a healthy bite, a glass of wine or tea perhaps make a new friend. You will leave with a happy heart.

I wish I could give more than 5 stars. After enjoying these remarkable recipes, I’m ruined for any other mid-​eastern restaurant. For us, eating here is like eating with family. We are always warmly & sincerely greeted. The buffet is amazing. Delicious food from vegan to carnivore. The rosewater lemon aid is indescribably refreshing & delicious. And the baklava! Oh mercy.

I could eat here everyday! Sometimes I do! They have the best falafel in San Diego. And a lot of vegan, and vegetarian options

This place has the best costumer service and the food, I really recommend to my all friends to come here!
Very fresh food

Excellent food at a great price. Nice atmosphere and very friendly staff. Recommended the buffet and save room for deserted.

Note to self: This is the place.
I travel constantly. I’ve got a favorite place everywhere. 155 countries, 1,000,006 cities. So here’s how I keep track. I LOVE the place. No trip to San Diego is complete… Today, it was lunch. Just to sample the vegan dishes — never mind the rest, never mind eating more than a sample — and a nap was inevitable. Sorry, boss, I’ll make up the time. And the people are great. When they ask how everything is, it’s like they actually CARE. (How often does that happen?) So yeah, I’ll be back. After my nap.

The owner of this restaurant owes my Wife and I an apology which I think we will never receive (read my entire review)
The food was always great here and probably still is. Best Hummus, Baba, Tabouli and Falafel in San Diego. Beautiful art decorates the walls of Fairouz of which I have even purchased from the owner/​artist.
The Lovely Wife and I ate there almost every week until an unusual incident occurred many years ago.
The owner Mr. Al Nashsshibi sat down on my table which was welcome at the time and somehow he brought up a discussion about the state of Palestinians in Israel. I believed I said something outrageous to the effect that…
«I hope All the children in that country can find a way to get along and live peaceably with each other someday».
What a mistake I made (OMG).
This upset him beyond belief and he basically verbally berated us with his political diatribe; yelling at us in the restaurant and all the way to the parking lot back to our car.
We have never returned for obvious reasons; not because of the food which is delicious but because of the unusual and inappropriate/​scary behavior of this man.
The Food is 5 stars here but the owners behavior in my opinion make the place a one star.
We are still due an apology and waiting.
Caveat Emptor: Never discuss Politics in your favorite restaurant with the owner;-) even if they want to; just say the following
«How about those Padres» ;-)

I am sorry that I have to write that this experience was negative. The chicken was dark (cheap) thigh meat. Not a piece of decent chicken. This slop was floating in fat oil. We used a coupon and yet there was no value in this meal. Need that I say that the taste was awful. Inedible. I am not sure how 273 people wrote complimentary reviews. It is a family run business, perhaps all of the family members and their friends write reviews. Back to the review: this was my last meal of eating meat. I have since become a vegetarian. See picture.

Love love love their buffet. My favorite Avgolemeno soup hands down. Would eat it every day

One of the best middle estern restuarant I’ve ever been, I wish I have similar one in new mexico, buffet has alot of variaties that I like, dessert is awesome as well, difinitly recommended for anyone who visits san diego.

Came here because of the good reviews but was sorely disappointed. Everything felt extremely overpriced, and the food tasted like store-​bought Mediterranean food that had been reheated. The owners were very nice, but the food was really nothing to write home about. Pales in comparison to Mr. Falafel.

Went for the lunch buffet today… pure pleasure! So many nice options for vegetarian, vegan and meat lovers. Atmosphere is nice and the service is wonderful. Definitely give them a try.

I love Middle Eastern food and this place has the best buffet and menu in San Diego. The food is absolutely delicious and the ambient makes your meal even more enjoyable. The owner of this location is incredibly friendly, and will come to your table to ensure you’re enjoying your visit. He also displays his beautiful art inside the restaurant and has copies of his lovely poetry on the menu and tables. Will definitely be returning and highly considering my next birthday celebration here.

The hubs and I were initially going to the sushi place in this strip mall, but since they were closed we thought «what the heck, let’s try something different». To our surprise, there is a buffet which is always a score when you have no idea what to order. Lunch was being served when we walked in, with a buffet price of $ 12.99. By the time we were seated and the waiter came to take our order the price went up to the dinner price at $ 15.99 each. When I asked if they would honor the buffet time we walked in. He only laughed and walked away… suppose he thought I was joking. So to the buffet table we went, where I noticed a man sitting at a table doing what appeared to be bookkeeping. When he answered the phone behind the counter, I knew he had to be the owner or manager so I asked him. Initially he disagreed, saying the dinner buffet has a few more options than the lunch buffet. I rebuffed with «then we’ll only pick from your lunch options». Is $ 6 going to break the bank? No, but by this time I was enjoying the art of negotiation. He finally agreed and we laughed about it.
Anyways, back to the food: The buffet had a large assortment of everything from salad, to entrees and dessert. I’d say half of the table was vegetarian or vegan, with everything labeled as such. We nibbled a little bit of everything and between myself (the pescatarian) and hub (the mainly carnivorous omnivore), we had the whole table covered. I don’t know if this is typical of middle eastern food, but it seemed a many of the selections were either very oily or with a lot of lemon. I enoyed the latter. My favorite of everthing was some sort of eggplant with tomatoe dish and the chunky tahini. The pita bread was warm, light and delicious. The hub had two servings of something that looked like meatloaf and roasted potatoes, along with cabbage. Overall, the food was good and there was a lot to choose from. I would try it again.

Amazing food and service :) The gentleman who served my mother and I was very attentive and sweet making sure that we had everything we needed. The food itself was outstanding. I will definitely be back again soon.

Delicious food, amazing service, great value. This was definitely one of the best dining experiences I have ever had, and I eat out regularly. This is a professionally run, family owned and operated establishment who pays attention to each and every detail, as well as to their valued customers. Everything was far better than expected, food, friendliness, atmosphere… everything. I am looking forward to our next visit with our new friends at this wonderfully run establishment. Highly recommend a visit!

I found this restaurant on Unilocal and so glad I decided to go!
This place is absolutely amazing, the people are very nice and everything was delicious. The buffet is well worth it (dinner buffet is $ 15.99 /​person). Food is high quality and tasted amazing.
I can’t recommend this place enough. It was our first time but it won’t be the last!

One of my favorite restaurants. The food is AMAZING and the owners are delightful and attentive. They have a fabulous buffet daily at both lunch and dinner with so many delicious dishes for meat lovers and vegetarians alike. One of my favorite dishes is their lemon chicken soup. They also have a full menu to order from though, at the reasonable buffet price, I’ve never used it. A must-​try!

Great quality food and great customer service. So much thought put into the whole concept of the restaurant. Very beautiful and homey place. Just all around a great restaurant. I am Lebanese and the food is just like my mom’s. Compliments to the Chef!!!

Beautiful place, they have a new chicken shawrma soon to be on the menu, I am the first to try it!!!

Sara is the chef here. Amazing food. AL Nashashibi has amazing art work all over the restaurant. Calm setting, great food!

Stumbled in for the first time today. Extremely friendly staff and a wonderful buffet with excellent choices, especially the moosaka (probably butchered the spelling), okra and rice pudding with rose water.
Absolutely will come back probably 2x a month

Would I go back? YES
Good customer service? Yes
Buffet
Food fresh
Tasty and simple
Turkish coffee
Ordered sweet and was yummy
I’m from Seattle, me and my mom wanted only coffee but the buffet looked so good, and now am so happy we decided to sit down and eat.

I have been eating at Fairouz since the 90’s, and I am never disappointed. In fact, I have never ordered anything off the menu, because I love their Buffet so much. This place has opened my eyes to what is possible when you take simple ingredients, and turn them into amazing dishes. The buffet is split into 4 sections. First a small soup section, with two soups that are usually Lentil or Lemon Chicken Rice soup. The next section is all Vegetarian dishes. The third all meat dishes. The fourth being a cold section of «Salads» and a few unique deserts.
As a vegetarian, I’m blown away at how you can take a carrot and completely create something so full of different flavors. The same can be said for the Okra, the zucchini, the eggplant, etc… My favorite dish they have is the Moussaka. I’m not sure what the amazing top layer of this Lasagna-​esque casserole dish is, but it creamy almost like cheese, but it’s not cheese at all. Below that is a concoction of different vegetables, and I’m telling you this goes faster than the rest of the dishes.
Of course I skip the meat section, which I will tell you everyone that eats it loves.
The salad section is crazy. Fatoosh Salad, macaroni salad (But like you have never had before), Tabouli, Garlic Cabbage something or other (Amazing), Hummus, Baba Ganoush, A Garlic paste made with potatoes, Cold spicy rice dish. The list goes on. I almost like the cold section better than the hot section. For desert there is usually bread pudding, some sort of Rose water and rice pudding or something, and a few others including this amazing shredded carrot and coconut dish that I’ve only had at Fairouz. Very simple, yet incredibly delicious.
I’m only sharing this next bit of info because I think you deserve it. Order the fresh lemonade, and ask them to put Rose Water in it. I would come there just to drink a glass of that. It’s the best Lemonade I’ve ever had.
The place has a nice quiet vibe, and the walls are covered with paintings from the owner (
). This place is a family owned and operated place, which is very few and far between these days. This place has options for every one (Meateater, Vegetarian, Vegan, even Raw). I wouldn’t even hesitate to give this place 5 stars. Go there!

I stopped by last week for lunch with my gal pal Justine H. We were famished after shopping nearby and wanted something healthy. Well, truthfully we could’ve eaten something fatty, but healthy seemed like a more responsible move. I hadn’t been here in years. I was happy to note that the service was just as friendly and welcoming as I remembered.
We ended up opting for the lunch buffet. There were so many nice hot vegetarian dishes on there and the salads looked great. The buffet is priced at $ 12.99. It includes quite a few meat dishes, two soups, salads, desserts, many hot side dishes, and warm bread brought to your table. They also have a punch card for the lunch buffet, not a bad deal if you come here often.
The service was good. As soon as we sat down, our drink order was taken. We went off to conquer the buffet. There were so many great vegetable options. And the lentils, I just love anything with lentils. The cold side had some great salads as well. The desserts were kept over there, assuming you still have room. I tried a couple small portions of these and they were tasty. I’d definitely come back again.

Want a combination of Rumi & Hafiz-​quality poetry, wonderful artwork on the walls and good food? That’s what we found when we came here for the first time, recommended by friends, about a week ago.
At each place setting, on the table, is a beautiful poem written by one of the owners, whom we met that day. What a delightful gentleman, who will tell you his story if you want to hear it. Party tragedy; part inspiration. We loved him!
We had the lunch buffet, which was mostly wonderful. Not a lot of meat selections, but the ones they had were good. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan main dishes, and side veggies, and three deserts.
They have Greek and Mediterranean selections on the buffet and on the menu. Not everything was outstanding, but most items were very tasty, and the ambiance is inviting and interesting. We would definitely come back if in the neighborhood!

Wow! Great Food! Great Atmosphere! Beautiful Art! Soothing Music! Very Personable & Warm Gentlemen running this adorable Café & Gallery… We met the owners artist AlNashashibi & his brother & the nice cashier guy (I feel bad for not learning their names). :(
Totally coming back next time we’re in town! It’s nice to find such a gem tucked away in a little shopping center.
There’s an AYCE Buffett of delicious looking/​smelling food…$ 12.99. Dinner buffet is $ 15.99.
We weren’t too hungry. So, we ordered & thoroughly enjoyed the Stuffed Grape Leaves with Lamb (appetizer 4 Dolmathes), small Hummos & Pita (app), Mint Tea, Tea with Rosewater (actually Orange Blossom Water), & Baklawa… Ok, so that Baklawa was awesome! Tasted fresh & with yummy Chopped Pistachios… We had to pick up extra for relatives! ;-)
Also picked up some greeting cards created by AlNashashibi, the Owner Artist of the Café Gallery.
We’ll be back!

A mediterranean buffet?! What a great find! When we parked in the lot we initially were planning to go to another restaurant but saw a sign that said «mediterranean.» We decided to check it out and I am so glad we did!
I’m trying to make better choices when it comes to eating so it was a pleasant surprise to see so many vegetable dishes. They even have vegetarian and vegan options. Every dish is so flavorful and there are so many things to choose from. My favorites were the hot cabbage, lentil rice, gyros, and the lemon chicken. I would go back for that chicken alone! It was so moist and tender.
The staff is extremely welcoming and very helpful if you have questions about the food. You even get a punch card for free meals. I am adding this restaurant to our lunch rotation!