*** Garden Grill is no more.
On our visit to Saffron we noticed that "Falafel King" was gone and replaced by Garden Grill.
One look at the menu and we knew that we’d have to make an effort to return.
The menu is quite extensive, and I took these photos especially for RONW at Hotel Waikiki, I know he has a "thing" for menus. So here ya’ go, these are for you RONW! So we returned and found some primo street parking on India Street – not an easy thing by any means.
We both "eyed" out what we wanted and went to order. My plans were scuttled when the Missus ordered the Mixed Grill($8.99), which was what I had in mind:
Man it was good! The Chicken Kabob was moist and tender, the flavors of the herbs used to marinate the chicken came through very clearly. So delici-yoso!!! The Kufta Kabob was also tasty, the meat for the kabob was more coarsely chopped than finely ground which gave the meat an excellent texture. The Greek Salad was a bit short on Feta, but the Romain was very fresh and crisp, the simple dressing also followed the light and crisp theme. The Hummus was routine, and short on garlic, but the tabbouleh balanced out the hummus by being very garlicky. The plate also came with a whole pita that was nothing special, but perfect for scooping up the tabbouleh and hummus. We both thought the rice was kind of mushy for basmati, but we’ll be having the Mixed Grill again.
I ordered a simple Lamb Kabob($7.99):
The Lamb Kabob plate came with the same accoutrements as the Mixed Grill. The Lamb was so tender with a lemon and herb flavor, but not quite as gamey as I enjoy.
On a recent visit, we weren’t feeling very hungry, and so stuck with a salad and appetizer. Here’s the Greek Salad($6.45):
The Romain lettuce was so fresh and crisp, the dressing very light! Still not enough feta, though.
I got the Baba Ganouj/Hummus appetizer($4.99):
At first glance it was hard to tell the difference between the Baba Ganouj and the Hummus, other then some visible seeds in the Baba Ganouj. I really enjoyed the Baba Ganouj, which was filled with garlic flavor, and a bit on the chunky side. The Hummus was routine, but very nice with my pita.
The indoor seating is quite cafeteria like, but we rather sit outside.
Parking on India Street can be a challenge, the parking meters are also on the expensive side. I always crack up at the "time allowance" of 4.48 minutes per 10 cents!! While we were leaving, an obviously rented mini van parked in an open space. As the Gentleman walked up to the meter His eyes opened up wide, His Wife walked up and simply said "Wow"! He quickly turned to his kids and said "Hurry, we’re going to have to eat fast, I’ve only got fifty cents, that’s 24 minutes!"
Garden Grill is also a favorite of Kady of Gourmetish. Who knows, maybe you might run into one of us there!
Garden Grill Restaurant
3715 India St
San Diego, CA 92103
love lamb kabobs!
kirk, did they put lettuce IN the gyro or pita sandwiches?
when i asked our lebanese kitchen contractor about this particular lebanese grill, he got really pissed and i thought he was gonna suicide bomb my ass, seriously.
i guess its offensive to some lebanese putting lettuce in the pita. kinda like soy sauce on the rice offensive.. i guess? anyways, he told me real lebanese don’t do that kinda crap…. i took his word for it… whew…
happy bday!
Well, you can take comfort that even if your net is down you can always watch some TV π
lol RAachI loce hummous and baba ganoush! But I normally make my own
I really enjoy Garden Grill. Hopefully they are doing ok. Everytime I walk/drive by they are not very busy. Will you be going to Shakespeare’s Pub next on your tour of India St.?
The hummous baba ganoush app looks goooood. I want some! The greek salad looks good, too, but I want more feta! Mmmmmm cheese!
Happy Belated Valentines Schmalentines Day! Nice present you got!!
Happy Birthday! Congrats on the new plasma TV!
The pics from Garden Grill look really good. I hadn’t gone there since they were Falafel King, which I thought was just kind of meh.
this is the honest truth….even before the maitre d’ seated me at the table, that is, before I even started reading your today’s post….I clicked on the menu to enlarge it. Little did I know that you had dedicated the menu, or at least the posting of the menu for my sake. Thus said, I owe you a few coconuts. Heck, I’ll name a coconut tree after you. How’s dat sound, “one coconut tree in the middle of Waikiki” named Kirk. π
This looks delicious! What a great find! Thanks for pointing it out.
I think I’ll be using your restaurant recommendations a lot more in the future b/c my husband just left his secure corporate job to start a new business and we’re still wanting to eat good food out on the town, but we can’t go upscale too much any more. Wah! But your recommendations are going to come in very handy! π
THANKS!
Kirk,
Looks pretty yummy! That area is always so hard to park in, but I’ll have to keep Garden Grill in mind next time I want Greek/Mediterranean food.
Isn’t it addictive? It’s by far the best mediterranean food I’ve ever had. Hopefully their next renovation will involve their seating area! Great pics, btw.
Mmm…….shish kabobs! I love ’em! Except I’m not a fan of lamb so I’d give you all my extra lamb pieces. Sooo….nan sei desu ka??? Or is that bad of me to ask? π
Hi Kirk,
The kabobs look delicious. I can’t wait for my trip…it’s only a couple of days away.
My apologies about the friends and family thing, but I’ll be up your way again soon.
Hope things get better with the PC…I can feel your pain!
Garden Grill is a nice place with good food, though I think the salad dressing has too much lemon even for Lebanese standards. Overall I like the Mediterranean Cafe on Washington more since it delivers more consistent results.
Hi DCCF – I haven’t had any Sandwiches here yet. Funny, lettuce in Gyros Sandwiches kind of “irk” me as well! But for some reason they don’t bother me as much with kabob sandwiches…go figure!
Hi Rachel – LOL!
Hi Clare – Funny, the Missus said the hummus here is not as good as Hers…and of course I agree!
Hey Jack – Another Indian Street “institution” will be coming up soon!
Hi Jenn – Thanks! Same for you!
Hi Howie – Garden Grill is much better than Falafel King ever was.
Hi RONW – Funny, I knew you would go for the menu photo before anything else! LOL! Make sure you post a photo of the Coconut Tree named Kirk, ok?
Hi Beth – I wish Your Hubby the best of luck with His endeavors. Kady from Gourmetish also enjoy Garden Grill as well.
Hi Joan – Check out for coupons, Garden Grill always has coupons out there, so that’ll make up for the parking hassles. Either that or eat really early or later in the afternoon like we do.
Hi Kady – It’s good food, and well priced.
Hi Kristy – Let’s see, I’m more then a bit rusty…so in other words; “Wen you grad?” – like 1980!!! Yep, i’m that old!
Hi Reid – No need for apologies. One needs time for family, and other obligations. I’m sure you’ll have fun! And I know we’ll hook up later on this year!
Hi Honkman – Our office is within walking distance to Mediterranean Cafe, so we eat there often. All the salads I’ve always had there were dressed with just red wine vinegar. Med Cafe is very dependable
/2005/09/28/mediterranean_c/
, and the Folks there are very nice, but I enjoy Garden Grill bit more.
Oh, that all looks very good, Kirk.
I adore a good baba ganouj–I can’t wait for summer again so I can make it with fresh eggplants out on our grill….the wood smoke really makes it good.
Is there ever really enough feta? Just wondering, because if it is good feta, I am of the opinion that the answer is no.
Hi Barbara – I guess there is no such thing as too much feta – but I think there is such a thing as too little Feta! LOL!
1980, eh? High school or college??
and thanks for the Hotel Waikiki link…very cool..
and if you want to find a slew of Mediterranian restaurants all in a row; East Main Street, El Cajon…
Hi Cathy – Yes, RONW is a hoot! And it’s High School. We’ll check out Main St in EC when we have a chance, thanks for the recs.
Kirk, if you go back, do try the gyros. From my recollection, they tasted like they may have been made on the premises. They were a cut above just about any other gyros I’ve eaten.
Hi JS – Thanks for the rec, I love Gyros so will try them on our next visit!
Does anyone know if they moved or just went out of biz? I went by and it’s a pizza joint now! YUCK!
Any other fave middle eastern places you can recommend?
CC
Hi CC- check out today’s post. Mediterranean Cafe is on Washington not far from India Street and the old Garden Grill. Lots of Middle Eastern Places in El Cajon on Main Street you know. Try Vine Ripe Market in La Mesa- the attached restaurant is Halal and the Market has some great deals.
Oh…I sure do miss the Garden Grill/Falafel King! The first owner’s recipe’s were just scrumptious-I can still taste his wonderful Veggie Combo and Chicken Shawerma Salad…I live in the neighborhood and I miss them infinitely. (Does anybody else sense a strangeness to the circumstances of the Garden Grills’ demise?) But I’m so glad to have found this sight because I was hoping that maybe the cook/owner would open another restaurant somewhere; he really loved his work! Thanks to everyone for the recommendations which I shall try. As far as the other Greek/Mediterranean’s in this area-I did try the Mediterranean Cafe and it was really awful…I didn’t even finish it. The spanikopita had probably been sitting under a heat lamp and popped into the micro before serving and it was like a greasy old shoe. Really, really unthinkable to serve that! The hummus and falafel were mediocre at best. Also the service was lame; service at Garden Grill, especially with the first owner was always so warm, pleasant and accommodating. After trying Med Cafe I gave Daphne’s a try and while they got some of the Vegetarian Plate items right…like the crisy filo surrounding the spinach filling, the spinach filling itself was runny, maybe slightly raw. The gyros was tasty and all the herb & spice combinations were distinct but several items, like the gyros, spanikopita, and falafal were way too salty and greasy. The hummus was bland (I think it had just been made and needing fine tuning and mellowing. But everything was fresh which is always good and maybe because it was just between shifts that things were not tip-top so I shall give them another try. Med Cafe however, would really have to change; which they probably won’t. So, my hunt for the old owner of the Garden Grille is on and if I find him I will be so delighted…please let me know will any of you if you find this really excellent cook!
I, too, liked Garden Grill, Deb and am unsure if the owner and cook have relocated. There is a *large* contingent (at east 30)of Mediterranean restaurants on Main Street in El Cajon, and I will keep a lookout for any new ones o any advertising relating to ‘formerly of Garden Grill’. I have no idea why they closed. The Mistr and I did go back t Med Cafe this past weekend and I got an all vegetarian plate and everything was really fresh. I am sorry you had such a bad experience. If anything the gyros had nothing exciting about it but that was the only downfall. Daphne’s again, is a chain and so standardized, but does have its place around town. I am almost certain Daphne’s does not make its hummus in house but has it brought in with the other supplies. It is good, but so is the stuff from Costco.