Carole Terwilliger Meyers
+4
Oren's Hummus Shop 126 Castro St., 650-938-6736. $. A branch of the mother ship in Palo Alto that specializes in authentic Middle Eastern cuisine, this spot by the Cal Train station offers a nice outdoor space that lets you fully enjoy the sound of the signals and passing trains. The food style reminds me of what I enjoyed at similar simple spots in Israel, and that should be no surprise since many of the basic ingredients are imported from there. A complimentary bowl of tangy coleslaw arrives with the menu and helps tide you over until your order arrives. Service can be slow. My menu favorite is the sampler plate that includes eggplant three ways and a slab of labane yogurt cheese, plus marinated beets Moroccan carrots, and fluffy pita breads. I always like to purchase some hummus and eggplant to go for my next day’s lunch.
Great location. Great ambience! Great food and great service.
We had
Falafel sandwich - good
Mushroom hummus - excellent
Falafel balls - good
Wheat and white pita breads - their puffy fresh pita are to die dor
Labane - its a hung curd prepration and i just loved it!
Some crazy delicious Hummus, pita sandwiches and baklava. The service is great and the food is lip smacking good. We had a very heavy dinner at Oren's. This is an awesome place for vegans.
If you like hummus and mediterranean food in general, this is the place for you. Great selection of hummus, eggplant dishes, salads and more. I had hummus with chicken liver, which was excellent. Also ordered "Cauliflower Fries", which was really lightly fried cauliflower florets - outstanding, super - tasty.
Restaurant also offers limited selection of wines, all reasonably priced.
Prompt, friendly and attentive service.
Definitely recommended.
Oren's serves some good Mediterranean cuisine in a casual dining setting. The place is crowded, especially on weekends. However, coming from the Middle East, it's not too easy to rate Mediterranean restaurants here too high.
We tried out their sampler dish, which had an assortment of Middle Eastern side dishes. A notable exception in the dish was hummus. But it served up a fair idea of the variety of sides in the Middle East.
We also tried their rice bowl & chicken skewers. The rice bowl was a cross between Indian pulao and Arabic Mandi. The skewers came with hummus so we didn't miss it.
If I do come here again, I'm definitely gonna try the various hummus dishes they have. It's something I felt was unique about Oren's.
The service was prompt; very friendly and attentive; and of course: the food was great.
I had the classic hummus, with whole-wheat pita, and a side of falafels and tabule, with chocolate mousse for dessert.
I recommend it.
The hummus tasted great, so did the Pita bread. The Pita was very filling and felt fresh. I took the chicken skewer plate With felafel and hummus.
The chicken was tasty but less of quantity. The vegetarian pita sandwich also tastes great. Next time i am probably going to try something rice based.
For the quantity you get, the price seemed too high, at least when i compare the 4 pieces of grilled chicken plate.
We had amazing dine in experience at Oren's.
Loved the food. They have JAIN FOOD(No onion no garlic no potatoes) available. Our server Sierra was really good. She suggested Chocolate mousse for desert and we absolutely loved it. I can drive down 45 mins just for that Chocolate mousse. They make in house Pita bread, which is a plus. Pita was very very soft. Overall great food and great servers.
Go for the hummus, stay for the rest. Most excellent preparation on the hummus I had just their original Jafar. And I’m not sure what doesn’t go with hummus. It was great on everything that I purchased. I got the chicken rice bowl the yellow garlic falafel balls the side of the whole wheat pita which I’ve never had taste that good, most of the time it taste like wallpaper paste. I definitely will be back this week
Terran Protoss (Justme)
+4
Went here for the experience. I'm not used to Mediterranean food so I do not know what to expect. The pita bread and hummus were definitely winners. The pita bread was served hot and very soft. Smells good, too. The hummus is so finely ground that I have not seen anything like it from groceries. I went for the rice bowl with beef kebab. The rice is ok but the beef is dry and a bit salty. The Greek salad is ok with the olives standing out as great. I am not sure if my tounge will acclimate to the taste but I am glad I tried. However, it ended up a bit pricey for me. The staff are nice and service was great so overall, my dining experience was nice.
I remember Oren's having some of the best hummus I had so I had to make sure I got my boyfriend a meal here when he was visiting.
I ordered the Hummus Lamb; Hummus with pomegranate-braised lamb shoulder and fresh mint.
They even put some pomegranate seeds and mint leaves on top for aesthetic.
The hummus itself was really creamy and smooth and just beautiful. As for that lamb.. So perfectly cooked and just melt in your mouth. It had that slight sweetness that went really well with the hummus below.
We asked for the Whole Wheat Pita on the side and that was one of the softest pitas I've ever had. He was very impressed! Just so so soft especially in the center.
I would really recommend a giant bowl of hummus anything here!
I go to Oren’s a lot and it’s always a great deal for the amount of food you get and the portion sizes!
Good:
My favorite is always the hummus eggplant and I recently trod the green shakshuka which was also delicious.
You get a lot of free pita bread which always tastes quite good. I like the whole wheat ones.
They also give free salad!
Bad:
The food is usually what you expect, nothing super crazy but always good.
I come a lot since the service is quick too!
A very good Middle Eastern restaurant in the busy Castro Street. We went for lunch and everyone's dishes were very tasty. Proportions were perfect and served quickly. Although we asked for outside seating and was not provided for reservations that never showed up, we were given window side table and was not asked to leave even though we were busy talking well after we paid for our lunches. Overall, a worthy place for revisits.
Oren's is a chain, but don't let that put you off! It's a solid choice for really good Mediterranean food and wine. They will serve you a free salad as an appetizer, and the menu is full of choice, from rice bowls to filled pitas to kebab plates. The hummus bowls are huge! And you can pick and mix items to go together as part of a mezze. And don't forget the sweets! I've often been gifted some baklava at the end of the meal. Service is quick and friendly, and they always seem to have space to seat people, inside or outside. We also often get it delivered, or order ahead and collect. The food travels pretty well.
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