Arabi Mideterranean Cuisine

Jamie and the staff are nice and the lamb is GREAT as well as the salads. I used Whirl and got two free meals (
) Side note Wednesday’s are the days that lamb is served it used to just be once a month.

Great middle eastern food from wonderful people. The falafel is just the right spice level, the hummus is creamy goodness and the rice with lentils is out of this world.
I’ll be back many times!!!

It is a decent option for Ricon Center, but I no longer go here since they run out of salad by 1:00pm. Does’t make sense to me how a business can’t keep lettuce in a bowl throughout the typical lunch hour.

When I work up an appetite biking to work, the shawarma plate over hummus with included side salad is the best option downtown for a healthy and protein-​packed meal that fills me up for the afternoon.
All the Mediterranean classics are good (hummus, babaganoush, tabouli), plus good grilled meats. Falafel is okay but usually not as fresh as Sunrise which does more turnover, but all the sides are way better, and service is faster.
If you frequent healthy lunch spots near Embarcadero and you’re not in the mood for long lines at Mixt Greens, high prices at Heyday, or a quinoa bowl that leaves you looking for a second lunch, you should give Arabi a try for great taste, value, healthy ingredients, and fast and friendly service.

Omelettes and yes falafels!
Since my last review I have discovered that Arabi makes omelettes too! To make it even better, they make their omelettes the way omelettes are supposed to be made; with real eggs and fresh ingredients! The size of the omelettes are huge, which may not be good for my waistline, but heck, it is not like I am eating omelettes everyday, so what is an omelette here or there?!
While I was waiting for my omelette the nice lady who is the owner and operator of the business handed me one of the hot steaming falafels they were making from the scratch. Oh my goodness! Falafel has never tasted so good to me! I wish I had asked for some kind of a falafel omelette! why not?! A few falafels, some spinach, cheese and eggs on top! Come to think of it, that is a great idea, maybe I ask for it next time, the hell with the waistline!

Meh. Extremely mediocre, bland, very salty overpriced food. Just what one would expect from a food court. The falafel is fresh but not warm and basically consists of lots of batter filler with hardly any beans, no spices and no flavor. Ditto for the tabbouleh, hummus and baba. Just being prepared recently (the only reason I rated two stars instead of one) doesn’t cut it. So flavorless. And the pita? Pretty sure it’s Thomas’s or Pepperidge Farm. Bread is key in this cuisine and I would be embarrassed to serve this Midwestern grocery store quality pita. I adore middle eastern cuisine, it is a huge part of my heritage. And honestly there are not many good options in the Bay Area like there are in LA, Chicago and the Northeast.
I like to give places a chance, but I have now been disappointed by Arabi three times and I won’t be back.

I don’t know what I was served today. Either the server didn’t understand me or she just didn’t give a dang.

TGIW. Lamb shank Wednesdays. Comes with a ½ pint of salad/​side of your choice — there are a lot of choices.
Now I look forward to Wednesdays.

Tasteless, dry, and cold! I have been here several times because it’s conveniently close to our office, and I have tried lamb shank, beef and chicken, each time hoping that this is going to be better. But I have been disappointed every single time. The kebabs are so dry and tasteless that I couldn’t swallow it without drinking something over it. And for some reason the rice is always cold. The staff is very friendly and nice, but they need to rethink the way they prepare the food.

I usually come here for the breakfast. They make a great egg scramble or breakfast burrito. However, the staff can be quite rude. They have messed up my order multiple times and get frustrated when I ask for my food to be fixed. I feel that I should mention this as it has happened multiple times.

Horrible food. Microwaved falafel was most likely left overs and the hummus was really stale in taste… Don’t go there unless you want to get sick.

Wanted to like this place since I’m in the hood often. I’ve tried all the other places in the building courtyard and saved this one for last. Counter was friendly and helpful, prices reasonable. My wrap was just so dry it needed some sauce bad. I even thought they might have forgotten to put any in, but I did see evidence of some tahini in there. Lots of chili, which I usually like but just didn’t work here. The meat seemed more beef than lamb and was disappointing. The tabouleh salad tasted old, that fridge slightly decomposing cucumber taste was just aweful. Maybe I’m spoiled with Truely Mediterranean on 16^th street, this place just fell well short for me even to try again.

I went here for lunch today to get the lamb shank Wednesday special, by the recommendation of a couple colleagues. What I didn’t realize was that Wednesday Special meant that lamb shank was only offered on Wednesdays, not that it was cheaper than usual. I looked at the receipt afterwards and to my disbelief I paid over $ 14 for a lamb shank, some rice and vegetables, and apparently a cup of soup.
Food:
The lamb shank I ordered was really good! Definitely a flavor I hadn’t experienced before, and the meat was very tender and easy to eat with a fork and knife. I had it served over some lentil rice, which also had a nice blend of flavor and texture, and paired with the vegetables and meat quite nicely.
Service:
Service seemed to vary. The cashier was super nice and chatty with everyone she interacted with, but the woman gathering the food and putting it into the containers seemed upset when I didn’t know exactly what was going on. There also wasn’t much explanation as to what was included with the lamb shank. My colleagues got different sides (pasta salad, something else) with their identical orders but I was only given the option of soup or salad, so I’m not sure what happened there. The woman serving also dropped a couple vegetables out of the bin and missed the container, having them end up on the (sanitized) counter beside the container. She just grabbed them and threw them back in, but missed a couple and still moved on. Was I cheated of some potatoes?!
Recommendation:
The food was good, but seemed inconsistent between myself and my colleagues. One person’s container was filled with food but also almost overflowing with grease and other juice, which made for a soggy and messy meal. My meal was fine, but the portion size was not worth the money I paid for it. It was definitely a unique flavor and style of food but not worth visiting more than once to experience it, if that.

Overpriced and generic, served cafeteria style. I found the staff to be a bit short-​tempered and the menu inconsistent from online to offline. I work right upstairs and love this type of cuisine when done well, but doubt I will be giving them another visit any time soon.

Went here to try the breakfast because I heard good things from a friend. He was not lying. The fresh ingredients used in in all their plates are fantastic! The service was amazing also. They let me add more fillings than I was allowed on the menu for free! They also offered me samples of fresh falafels they just made! I totally recommend this place for a great lunch or even breakfast.

Outstanding food, fresh and supper flavorful. I was really surprised of how fresh and tasteful the food was! I’m definitely coming back to try something hong else!!!

I’ve been coming to Arabi for lunch every few weeks for years now. Super-​friendly staff and good food. My personal faves are the falafel, madfouneh (the Tuesday special) and the triple-​salad combo on Fridays. Oddly, I’d not tried the famed lamb shanks until just this past week. But now I understand what the fuss is about — they are tasty! Great to have as an option for lunch in the Market/​Embarcadero area.

I fell in love with the lamb shank and now come back every single Wednesday for it. BTW, they are very nice and friendly with the customers!

Took a journey from pleasanton to embarcadero to see what their famous lamb shank is all about. I was told wonders about it. It’s available only on Wednesday for a limited time and sells out within an hour and a half.
First bite and I was blown away. This lamb shank earned my first review on Unilocal.Lol. It’s the absolute amazing thing I have indulged in. Huge portions, rich in flavor, and it’s incredibly moist it falls off the bone!
Customer service is amazing! I had called earlier and didn’t leave any information, then as I was almost around the corner from leaving the Bart station the lady from Arabi called to see if I was nearby to let me know they were closing within minutes. I made it just in time and she was super friendly despite having to close shop so soon.

I’ve been here twice now and both times I got the same thing, the Wednesday special — Lamb Shanks.
Lamb is a really underrated meat and they do a good job of making it. Flavorful, tender, and entirely delicious. If the rating was based on just that Arabi would have 4 stars, but I have to factor in the sides that come with the meal.
Chicken Soup — barely any chicken and vegetables practically mush.
Humus — surprisingly bland and off putting.
Next time I’m going to see if I can just get the shank, because while everything else is a pass I’m coming back for more lamb.

The lamb shank is the only one entrée to be worthy to get here. That is only served up on Wednesdays. Their other meat choices, were too dry and not enough flavor.
They give generous portions and I did like their cold pasta salad as well as their dolmas.
Their sauce and quality of their dishes, doesn’t entice me to come back for more!

Half a chicken, rice & soup for $ 10 — not bad for the financial district.
The chicken was a bit dry and not enough rice — but all was tasty. The soup was a type of tomato soup, which was nice to warm me up on a cold day. Probably will give it a try again, but order something else since I work right upstairs.

My coworker and I decided to venture out for lunch instead of dining upstairs in our cafeteria. I never been tried anything at the Rincon Center so I decided to branch out and try Arabi food. It reminded me of Greek food but only less delicious.
First off, the food is heated up in the microwave! Secondly, I was overwhelmed by the sheer abundance of spices. Last but not least, the meat was dry and mealy!
I wish I could say I liked this place, I am after all a big sucker for small mom and pop shops but the food just did not deliver.
Overall Thoughts
Quality control and execution is lacking. With a little refinement there might be hope for Arabi