Alexandria Cafe

Tasty but tiny.
Perhaps I’m spoiled from NYC falafel/​shawarma spots where for less that $ 5 you get a heaping pita full of goodness. Alexandra Café’s wraps left me hungry and not wanting to pay that price again for more. The flavor was great and the woman was friendly… but that doesn’t make up for the measly pocket.
Lest I forget to mention I asked for hot sauce and was given the green top Huy Fong ASIAN red hot sauce! That’s not the «hot sauce, boss?» I’ve been craving.
Sitting outside in the sun and seeing the ocean, perhaps why the 2 stars stand, I realized the search for a great Santa Monica shawarma continues…

Let me start by saying DO NOT BUY COUPON FROM
…
It sounded like a good deal at first–
1. Oh? a café near the santa monica beach? Must be nice right? Heck, to the no. IT IS CLOSE TO THE BEACH but it is not a Nice Restaurant BY the Beach. We were disappointed. We really thought it was going to be a fancy café. But No. It doesnt even face the beach. You have to go outside to be around the beach, which I will not suggest since there are homeless people always walking around. and THEY WILL HARRASS YOU!
2.
offered $ 3 for $ 25 worth of food. Sounds good again right? NO. You have to buy $ 35 worth of food. so already, you HAVE TO SPEND $ 13. fine… but they add an 18% gratuity which is another $ 7. So we are now at $ 20 out of pocket. Not too bad right? UNTIL:
– first of all, $ 7 worth of gratuity is not bad at all. IF THEY HAVE SERVERS!!! there was none! it is literally, some nice dude on the register. and that’s it! It is a fast food for heaven’s sake! and they ask for gratuity? i am not happy about that.
– $ 35 worth of food is nothing on a restaurant. But once again, this is like fast food. We couldve spent $ 10 at this joint and be fine. We had to order the most expensive things on the menu, and to be honest, they all tasted the same. The beef Gyro is $ 4.99 on its own (but we added drinks and fries for an extra $ 3) and some beef shawarma with the works is $ 10.99. and even the most expensive thing on the menu, some beef kabobs at $ 12.99 … THEY ALL TASTED THE SAME!!! the only difference is that one plate has hummus, lettuce, and rice … but it really was not all that. And the kabobs? they had it pictured that u get two kabobs. Reality? You only get one.
In all fairness… the food is decent. The staff is helpful although they did not know how to use the coupon from
, and the place is clean. still. do not get ur expecatations too high. I will eat here again, but NEVER EVER EVER purchase their so-​called «deal» from
btw, there is parking AROUND here. It is one block away and the first 2 hrs are free. I cannot remember exactly where though. But it is just around the corner.

Ordered the chicken pita and falafel plate. It’s true the pitas are store bought. Chicken is dry and falafel is edible but nothing special. Price to value ratio is 2 stars. It’s pretty pricey for the quality of food you get. The oil was old and the floor was dirty. I usually dig hole in the walls, but I would not go back. I tried to like the place this one was a miss.
$ 20 for a falafel plate and chicken gyro, on a paper plate. Really?

Meh, nothing to write home about. The food is tasty, but not excellent. The service was just ok and the atmosphere is just ok. Its your typical tourist town overpriced just ok food. I was shocked that each plate was $ 10 – 12 considering you can go to Ma’kai next door and have a fancy-​schmancy lunch for $ 12. And by the way, I have never been to a middle eastern place that runs out of Tabuli, whats up with that?

A very very very good place, to get away from the crowded 3^rd street promenade. It is very quiet good atmosphere, and the owner, and workers are very friendly, always in great cheer. I cannot just recommend one dish since I have had the chance to try several. But the Rice with Chicken stands, out as well as the sharwma, lamb, and chicken topped with yougurt. Over all I rate this place very well.

Not so good…
We went on a Saturday night, which should have been ok. Thought that since this was in Santa Monica that the diverse clientele would mean that we had a shot. First thing, the bathrooms were dirty. This usually does not play too big of a part in my review because I have been to some major hole-​in-​the-​walls with great food. The guy at the front, Mr. Friendly (being sarcastic if you can’t tell), informed us that they did not have any lamb shawarma. We opted for the beef kabobs and the chicken Shawarma. Just not very good… The chicken was DRY and tastless and the beef was not so dry, but just as tastless. The hummus was ok, but again, not great.
The service is pretty bad and workers are rude and the tables and floors are dirty.
Overall: bad service, mediocre (at the best) food and no ambiance.

The shawarma wraps are delicious here. It’s also located in a great place (right next to the Santa Monica promenade), so you can stop by here before/​after shopping (I’d recommend after, as you’ll feel full and perhaps bloated, haha).
It’s quick, cheap and easy food. The prices are really reasonable and you can take the food to go. Shawarma is really easy to eat on the go.
My main problems, though, are the scarcity of seating and the service, which isn’t always friendly. The food is salty so you’ll get pretty thirsty and they weren’t super nice about giving us refills on water.
Overall, though, this is a good place to go if you’re looking for a quick and cheap meal.

Let’s start with the good. The fries are good. I can definitely vouch for the fries! Ok, moving on. The chicken shwarma was… not what I was expecting. I was hoping for the flavor to somewhat resemble the pure decliciousness of shwarma shops in southern Spain but that’s not what happened. It was late and basically our only option, so I don’t think we will be back. We were just so hungry! ugh. If anyone has good shwarma place suggestions, please let me know!

Okay, I usually go into detail in my reviews but there is no need here. Straight up no good. Meat is underseasoned and DRY. Worst combination. That’s all you need to know.
CONCLUSION: Do not come here no matter how convenient the location is right next to the pier. BLEH.

Wow! There are lot of bad reviews out there. Luckily I didn’t read them before or wouldn’t have tried this place. I ordered falafel sandwich and it was good. The falafels were really huge and delicious. Came with lot of salad and sauce.

Great location for drunk food, but no quality.
I like gyros and other Mediterranean food, and this location is perfect, right on the corner of Broadway and Ocean Ave.
But the meat was just not right. I got the #1 Shawerma beef wrap combo, marinated, flame broiled beef, diced tomatoes and tahini, wrapped in pita bread. Comes with fries and a drink.
The meat was dry, and they were also stingy on the meat. The pita was also dry. Fries were ok actually.
They serve coffee too.
The bathroom «was out of order». Customer service was good, but still couldn’t warrant a 3 star review. But other than that, this is a decent drunk food substitute. Open late on the weekends to satisfy the munchies.

Fair…
So I decided to try this place since I see it almost every day. It was actually alright. Well at least a nice change from eating at work every day!
I tried the ¼ chicken. It was good. Dark meat. The only way to go. Seasoned nice.
The rice was ok. Could’ve been better. A little dry.
Shwarma was ok. A little dry. Ordered a side to try.
Hummus was fantastic! perfectly seasoned and had a nice tart kick to it.
Next time I wanna try the beef Kafta. Think I got this confused when I ordered the side of Shwarma.
Still burpin up the garlic 3 hrs. later!
Oh well…

Thought we would check this place out. If you are bored, you can watch the tourists walk by from the patio. If they could just get their chairs as high as next door Joe’s Pizza barstools, the oceanview would be that much more incredible.
The plus: extra bottled water given to my friend for free.
The hummus was decent, although the 5 falafel balls did not cut it for me or my friend. They seemed uncooked all the way inside. More crispy and brown on the outside. The rest of «my plate» did not contain much. The pita bread was deceiving. Looked nice and soft, then one bite and I didn’t want anymore.
Their basmati rice came with a sprinkling of fresh parsley. I need more vegetables than that.
I strayed away from an old school favorite and dearly paid for it. Falafel King, you still reign supreme in my book. I do not plan to defect again and waste my $ here.

Very dry. The chicken was like eating sawdust and shards of glass. The menu is wrong about ingredients apparently — my order was very different, but at least all the basics were there.

What do you do when you show up early to a function? You improvise. There’s a lot of choices in the area but the simplest choice is the spot right next to where you’re going.
So, given the circumstance, I didn’t expect much but got more than I expected. The shwarma plate I ordered was a little overpriced based on quality, but they make up for it in quantity.
Nothing really special about the place so if you’re looking for quantity and sacrifice a little quality, you’ll enjoy it.

I usually get the #1 Beef Shawarma in a pita to go. It’s a quick cheap lunch and usually tastes pretty good. It comes with a small cup of yougurt/​cucumber sauce that’s tasty. They also have tapatio hot sauce available if you want it.
The meat is usually pretty good but sometimes it can be a little dry /​burnt.
For a quick, easy, cheap, and casual lunch it’s pretty good.

When I ordered the shwarma plate they didn’t tell me they really used my grandpa’s old leather boots instead of meat…

I went to Alexandria Café on a Sunday, I ordered a no. 5: beef. The meat was cooked well done just as I ordered it. They have the best hummus ever and plates come with a fresh salad and plenty of pita bread. One order was plenty enough for me and only me. I wanted to keep eating but I was so full that I had to take half of it home. Also, the cash register guy is really hot :) too bad I was too embarrassed to get his number– haha. If you decide to try this place, you must have some of their cookies! They are bomb!!!
I’m really surprise to see that other people have given them lower ratings, I was very happy with the food and the prompt, friendly service.

Alexandria Café is a small restaurant that serves mediterranean style food (mostly pita wraps). I had the #9 Veggie/​Falafel plate which cost $ 8.99. It came with a small salad (lettuce, red onions, tomatoes), a scoop of hummus, 5 large falafels, and 2 rounds of pita bread. The 5 large falafels and pita were really filling, but the scoop of hummus was small. Hummus lacked flavor, but the falafels had great texture. Although the food tasted good and I was not hungry afterwards, I still think the price was a little too high.
There is limited indoor seating that could hold approximately 15 people, and a small patio that could hold a few more. It is located just a few shops up from the corner of Broadway and Ocean, so it is a very crowded if you sit in the patio.
This is a take-​out style restaurant. The service was very fast. Food served to eat at the restaurant is served on paper plates.
The food itself is 3 stars– I’ve had way better Mediterranean food. But something about the restaurant itself makes it seem like you’re eating at a food court… don’t let the word «Café» fool you.

The falafel pita was tasty and best of all it was very fresh. It also comes with a side salad. The prices are very reasonable, with a pita sandwich at $ 5. They also have rotisserie chicken. There’s also a nice patio out front. Worth a trip if you live/​work close by.
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Take Metro 333, 534, 4, 704, 20, 720, 920 or just about any Big Blue Bus to downtown Samo.