Tiki Taka Grill

The food is wonderful… lots of good spice and flavor… plenty of fresh garlic… we were a party of 8 and they had great service at peak lunch time.

This place very much has a strip mall restaurant feel.
The food is overpriced and wasn’t all that great tasting. The mashed potatoes that came with my lamb were great but the lamb wasn’t, it was my first time ever that I had lamb that wasn’t great.
The waitress was a bit rude and difficult to understand and she seemed to have a difficult time understanding what we wanted. Language barrier maybe? Overall, it was good service because she was attentive and kept our water glasses full.
The bathroom was one of the most disgusting smelling ones that I’ve encountered.
Parking can be hit or miss, it all depends on the time and day.

–Amazing minty lemonade type drink.
–Super fresh finely chopped PROPER Greek salad (not on a bed of lettuce)
–Fresh and tender lamb.
–Great service… lots of little starter plates magically arrive…
Ambience/​atmosphere-​lacking.
Great food!

BEST LAFFA in NORTH AMERICA!
Tasty and unique laffa and fresh as heck!
Great selection of Israeli salad appetizers.
The shawarma was very tender and flavorful.
Atmosphere was very casual and relaxed. Many Israeli enjoying their food.
Nicely kept place and they play Israeli international soccer game while enjoying your food.
Service was prompt. Staff was friendly. Definitely gets busy around lunch hr and parking is in shared store lot and can fill up.

Started out good but has gone down hill steadily. It is dirtier and the service is laughable. The food was great, the pitas never seem cooked through and they are doughy and heavy. The laffah is good.
Seen this before. A resto starts out good then as it grows those who made it good disappear and are replaced by employees who seemingly don’t care.

we’ve always wished certain eateries on pico blvd, encino and burbank would make it here in SD. mediterranean or israeli salads, kabobs, shawarmas, food with light flavors but heavy in taste that’s perfect on summer days. we’ve seen TTG before on Unilocal when searching for kosher food in SD but were a little skeptical because how many kosher places do you know of in SD. LA, go to any of the neighborhoods i mentioned and there are tons of places. fyi… not all their menu items are kosher only a select few.
we came once and they were closed in observance of rosh hashanah. we ordered the chicken breast kabob and shnitzel both with rice. the seasoned lafa or taboon bread arrived first with some of the salads. the babganush which tasted more like hummus was great with the lafa and grilled chicken and shnitzel. the israeli salad was also good and a smear on the chicken and shnitzel didn’t hurt, but it was more like israeli salsa than a salad. the pickled cabbage slaw was killer and we could’ve eaten a second serving. when the food came we got two other complimentary salads that we were told went well with our orders, the egg salad and corn salad. both were good moreso as a palate cleanser than for smearing on kebobs and shnitzel.
i always say you can get afghan, persian, iraqi, greek or israeli kabobs and they will all taste different. their kabob had a very light sweet flavor that was perfectly charred and served tableside with the sword skewer still on. the light sweetness of their spices and the burntness of the char was just mmm-​mmm good. the basmati was light and loose and the shnitzel i thought was killer. i can’t wait to order one in the lafa with tahini and their salad inside. the batter was almost panko like and it was perfectly deep fried, crispy to the last bite.
another great find in a neighborhood that’s ever changing and i hope it stays for a very long time.
Interesting bit… their name comes from a Spanish football team based on their style of play.

Great food. Great service. Off street parking.
If you like Israeli food you have to eat here.
If you are willing to try Israeli food, you have to eat here.
If you are in the area and are reading this review to decide, get directions now.
If you come here, get some hummus. They serve you fresh Laffa bread before your meal so you have at least that to eat it with. When I looked at the menu, I was going to pass on the hummus as being kinda pricey. At our waiter’s urging that the hummus was really good, we gave the mushroom hummus a try. Thank you! This stuff is incredible.
The Israeli salad is pretty good too.
If I lived in San Diego, I would probably eat here at least twice a month.

My two best friends and I visited this place 2 months back, it was a great evening and choice of this restaurant for dinner made it greatest!
They keep serving you FREE pitas on the house — until you order and get your order served. :) isn’t that great? Their pita bread is MOST DELICIOUS PITAS I have ever tasted. Perfect taste, crispy and fresh-​hot!
Their mushroom-​hummus is amazing, I tried their chicken skewer, perfectly grilled delicious chicken!

If you looking for very good Israeli food in San Diego, this is the place!
Grate customer service, fresh food, in nice music playing do in your staying.
Roy and Itay (the owners) let you feel like you back home in Israel.
Hope you guys become a «kosher» (they have some kosher food in service)
Thank you for have you guys over here in San Diego, good luck :-)

This place makes some pretty descent food, but my concern is more with the inconsistent service and confusion with the pricing of the food, although it is directly stated on the menu. I came in during lunch hours and after waiting for an extended amount of time, I ordered their single marinated chicken breast kabob with the side house salad for $ 9.95 as stated on the menu. (
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The meal started out with a complimentary serving of their house made Laffa Bread, cabbage slaw, marinated chickpeas, and a spicy Israeli salsa. (
) The highlight was definitely the warm herb-​ed smothered laffa bread, that went very well with the slaw and the salsa. (
A nice start to the meal.
The marinated chicken kebab was cooked very well. The chicken was cooked at a perfect temperature, as a result it was juicy and tender. (
) The color of the exterior of the kebab was a vibrant orange with charred marks here and there. The flavor and seasoning of the chicken were mild, and I did think it would of benefited from a nice sprinkling of grainy kosher salt.
The house Israeli salad was very good. It was vibrant, fresh, well seasoned, and well dressed with olive oil and lemon juice. (
) It was a very healthy partner to the chicken breast, which I used with both the laffa bread and chicken to make me wrap. (
)
Like I stated earlier the service was somewhat a concern. I usually do not get upset when it takes a while for my order to be taken; in fact, I usually take the opportunity to observe the inner working of the business while I wait. However, what I found a little disconcerting was being over charged for my meal. After I pointed it out to my server, he insisted that it was correct several times. It wasn’t until I challenged him to get the menu, so that I could point out the price, did he relinquish his position. Well, to make a long story short, I paid the price I agreed to, when I ordered my meal, so it is all good.
A solid 3.5 stars.

Was online ordering through their website. had a few questions, called in. Guy on the phone sounded annoyed and at one point when I explained I didn’t understand and that I needed clarification. I was told «whatever.what do you want» huh? I drove down to the location to personally explain to them that in America when you tell someone whatever in a short condescending tone it basically means F*#%K You… so I told them straight to their faces good olé american way F*#@K You too… what really sucks is that they truly are the best Gyro in town.
The waiter on staff came running after me into the parking lot to apologize and explain that they don’t speak very good english. I’m sorry… but whomever I spoke to on the telephone knew when and how to use «whatever» in a sentence when talking down to a person.
One more thing… he also told me that the order would be ready in 10 minutes… My family and I have eaten here a dozen or more times since the day they opened and it always takes at least a ½ hour and you may also need to go back cause they messed something up on the order.
We are majorly disappointed and hope that their are enough Israelis in Hillcrest to keep this joint open.

Urban hike of my Saturday concluded in this recently opened Israeli restaurant located in a small strip mall at the beginning of Hillcrest. Very cool these tables that remind school blackboards. I didn’t have the chance to see the interior well, as it was packed (even considering it was like 3.30 pm, too late for normal lunch hours) during a Saturday. I loved all those free appetizers, and especially the bread. In only give 3 stars because the prices are a little bit on the high side. Fresh food and nice service.

Came here for lunch with a deal and because it is close to my boyfriends house. The place is really small and they had the door open and it was windy and chilly. I asked if we could sit in the back corner instead of by the door and the guy just kind of looked at me funny. The inside is a little boring and I feel like they could have made it a little cozier!
Anyway, onto the food. They give you this amazing break with spices to dip into as soon as you sit down, that was great. I had a salad which was pretty good, my boyfriend had the kababs which he said were okay.
The service was okay, not great, but they were nice. What we didn’t like was the price. It was expensive for what it was! Probably would only come back if were craving that kind of food and wanted a quick take out.

4star service, 4stars for chicken skewers, 5 stars for the free salads and bread, 2 stars for lamb skewers, 2 for value.
I had the lamb skewers. I like lamb but these tasted a little off, very gamey and I ate only half. The price of $ 23 for 8 pieces was high in my opinion. They were cooked fine, a slight bit over done but not overly so.
The chicken skewers were good. Very well cooked, not over done at all. No one likes underdone chicken but overdone is worse.
Service was very good and they were very nice. Many of the salads are good and they have a limitless salad meal that may be worth trying in the future.

We had a great experience at dinner. Six little dishes of «appetizers/​salads» came on the house along with the freshly baked pita like flat bread. When we checked in on Unilocal on the iphone, we got 3 more free little salads for a total of 9. We enjoyed all of the little dishes that were «on the house.» We give five stars for this part of the meal (which fills you up) and also five stars for our server, who was really friendly, knowledgeable about the menu, and gave us seconds on our favorite apetizer.
I had the two kabob plate – chicken breast was delicious – very moist, tasty, and tender, unlike other places that overcook causing the meat to be dry. I think this is because Tiki Taka is smart enough not to cut up the breast in cubes (too thick) but in slices that is marinated and come out orange/​redish color when grilled. The chopped up marinated meat was just okay in comparison. I had the rice with veges as my side, which was anice accompaniment.
My husband had two lamb kabobs, which was pricey at $ 24. He said it wasn’t as good as he would have liked but still tasty. The mashed potatoes as the side were ordinary.
Overall, this was an improvement from my earlier lunch experience.

I came here for dinner with Joe L. and we were blown away by the quality of both the food and the service.
The Food: Our meal started with the complimentary bread with side salads/​dips. All were good, and my favorites were the tahini w/​garbanzos and the pickled cabbage. For our main dishes, I got the filet mignon medallions and Joe got the chicken kabobs. Both of us got veggie rice as a side dish. Both entrees were amazing! The chicken was grilled perfectly (smoky and tender) and the filet was to-​die-​for (well-​seasoned, mediium rare, and melted in my mouth). The portions were very generous. I got to have the filet again for lunch the next day, and even re-​heated, it tasted amazing!
The Service: The staff at this restaurant was top-​notch. Everyone was very welcoming and even took the time to explain the types of food that they served. They explained each dish that came out and made sure that we had everything we needed.
I can’t wait to go back to try their other dishes!

My family has developed a tradition of eating Israeli food in whatever city we happen to be in during the Thanksgiving holiday. Before heading down to San Diego, I checked Unilocal to find our Israeli options and by the grace of G-​d, we ended up at Tiki Taka.
We arrived to a typical storefront restaurant space, showing international soccer games and playing dubstep. The staff warmly greeted us and brought complimentary samples of probably 7 different salads and sides to have as appetizers. Each one seemed to out shine the last and we all agreed we would happily come back just to have these delicious dishes. Sides included red cabbage slaw, avocado dip, garbanzos in a tahini gravy (the best of all of them!), chopped pepper salad, shwarama, hummus, and babaghanough. We ate all the with the delicious fresh baked, za’atar topped laffa bread. Incredible.
We all ordered different laffa sandwiches, I opted for the Romanian Kabob, which was ground beef and spices formed into long patty, similar to Kefta Kabob. The laffa was also stuffed with hummus, Israeli salad and french fries, and topped with tahini dressing. It was enormous but I still somehow finished all of it. My parents and brother were equally impressed with their selections. Afterwards, we all discussed things we were thankful for, and one of mine was Unilocal,for leading us to this amazing cuisine and also for my Road Trip to Red Lobster (see review).
In short… service, food, price… all amazing, definitely will be back next time I am in San Diego

Okay, it’s a new year and I’m ready to start writing reviews again.
If being more spontaneous and adventurous is on your new years resolution list, then you definitely need to try this new Israeli spot. What is it like to dine at a Israeli restaurant? It’s like eating at a Korean restaurant that serves greek food.
This place is worth the drive just to try their complimentary yummy bread! Their shwarma and fries are also excellent.
*By the way, service can be a hit or miss. We had one server who was really forgetful. But, the guy server at the end totally made up for it because of his generosity of packing us a new-​fresh piece of bread to go!
I’m a huge fan, I’ll be back for sure.

This is the best Israeli food I have tasted outside of Israel.
First of all, the bread they bring to the table is incredible. They just kept bringing more and more, and we kept eating it… all of it! My hubby risked burning his hands on a fresh piece because he didn’t want to wait for it to cool off before tearing into it. My daughter went to town on all the extras (cabbage, Israeli salsa). She’s only 20 months, so it was surprising.
(And if you don’t like the spices on the bread, ask them to make it for you plain.)
The hummus and beef was the most delicious food I have ever eaten. It’s like God’s answer to carne asada fries. My husband and I fought over the last bites.
I got the falafel sandwich, which I had served on the same flat bread that they brought out at the beginning. It was gigantic and came filled with falafel, hummus, pickels, and fries. My hubby got some kind of kebab. Not as impressive as my sandwich, but delicious nonetheless.
For dessert we had the bakhlava, which was heavenly, and some flan-​like dish served with pistachios and rosewater. It was out of this world. (My son didn’t care for it, but my daughter lapped it up.)
I also ordered an amazing minty lemonade drink. I am craving more of it now.
The service was outstanding. Very friendly, attentive, and quick. The restaurant itself is small, but they have additional seating outside. There is parking in their lot, but it fills up.
The only criticism I have is the kids’ menu, which just featured two staples of my child’s repertoire: hot dogs and chicken nuggets. I was unimpressed by the nuggets and by their price ($ 7.99!). But my kids more or less split the one dish, so it evened out.
I know we will be back to Tiki Taka. I can’t recommend it enough. It makes me want to put on my yarmulka and dance the hora throughout San Diego.

What does Tiki Taka has to do with Middle Eastern food? When I first heard the name, I thought it was going to be Polynesian. So I looked it up and it turns out it refers to soccer training. My advice to the owners, re-​name your restaurants in a way that suggests the origin of the food. Why not call it «Beirut?»
The location of this particular location was previously occupied by a couple of different odd restaurants that did not make it. I hope in this case, that the new owners will stay and take the review to heart.
Well, lets get started. This place is bright. Must be about 10,000 lumens. My dinner companion thought it’s so bright because it is suppose to be because an Israeli eatery. I felt like in was in an Israeli interrogation room. I suggest to bring down the lighting significantly. A large TV was placed above us, so we felt somewhat on the spot because it seemed that other guests in the restaurant where watching us. (Suggestion, get rid off the screen. This is not a sports bar; unless this is what you going for, but wait, you can’t serve wine or beer.) The outside dining area faces the parking lot. Not a good thing.
The waitress was very attentive; actually, I felt she was too attentive. I like good service, but I hate being interrupted to frequently. Don’t ask to change or bring more water, just bring it… The same goes for «House» flat bred, which I really liked a lot.
My main dish, a Lamp Skew (Single), was a small dish considering the price tag. The lamp was over cooked and chewy. I ordered vegetable rice with it, which was good, if it wasn’t for the dried up crunchy rice corns in between. This suggested that the rice has been standing for a while.
In any event, the highlight perhaps going here was to see the handsome owners. That’s a real nice treat in Hillcrest…