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Alexi's Greek Cafe
Categories: Restaurants Greek Restaurants Mediterranean Greek, Mediterranean [Edit]
3863 5th Ave(between Robinson Ave & University Ave)
San Diego, CA 92103
Neighborhood: Hillcrest
(619) 297-1777
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Limor B. said: "This place is a pearl! The Falafel is amazing, the Shawarma is delicious! Everything is fresh and home-made by the owner. Really worth a try!" read more »
180 reviews for Alexi's Greek Cafe
Review Highlights
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"The gyros are great, the yogurt sauce yummy." In 44 reviews -
"The house dressing and tzatziki sauce are even better." In 9 reviews -
"Hummus and pita chips were fantastic appetizers." In 44 reviews
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180 reviews in English
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Review from John F.
San Diego, CA
5/25/2012
Best lunch in Hillcrest if you like gyros.
And let's face it: you're looking at reviews for a Greek cafe, so you like gyros.
The #1 lunch special comes to just over $6 with tax and gets you a fountain soda, a nice salad with a chunk of feta, good tomatoes, onions, and a big, fantastic gyro in a fresh, thick, soft pita. You can get fries instead of the salad too, but I haven't tried them.
See you tomorrow. -
Review from Ruthie D.
San Diego, CA
4/19/2012
this place is great!!! just moved to San Diego. live in hillcrest, I yelped lunch places and Alexi's greek cafe came up with excellent reviews, so I decided to check it out.
great location, its a bit of a hole in the wall...if I hadnt read the rave reviews I may not have ever thought to try it. I ordered a falafel gyro lunch special with fries and a drink. It was fast, maybe 5 mins tops, and my total was $6.20!
once I got home I was shocked by the size and look of this gyro. It was covered in veggies and amazing tzatziki sauce in a soft fluffy pita, with perfectly cooked falafels. fries are amazing as well.
im only half way through my meal and already writing a review! its fast, cheap and delicious. I will definitely be back to try other items on the menu. the decor is the only reason I did not give 5 stars, but who cares.
its a great place! -
Review from Pauline P.
El Monte, CA
Casual yet tasty Greek restaurant
// LOCATION // Hillcrest area on a street filled with different eateries. We quickly Yelped this place after realizing it would be a 1.5 hour wait for Hash House on a busy Sunday morning.
// SERVICE // It was a one man show with the same person taking our order cooking and delivering our food.
// FOOD //
+Gyro Combination plate: Great deal with chicken, gyro meat, pita, greek salad, rice, and more. The lamb was so tender and the pita was warm and soft. It also came with steak cut french fries oddly enough
+Gyro: Affordable, ginormous, and tasty. We definitely over-ordered bc the gyro alone was enough for two people to share. -
Review from John A.
San Diego, CA
4/17/2012
With so many places to choose from for good food in the Hillcrest area, I have no problem getting some good food quickly, but i consistently return to Alexi's because of the quality.
My favorite is the Gyro lunch special which comes with fries or salad and a drink for about $7. I usually opt for the salad, as temping and delicious as the fries are, to balance out to meal. The meat is always delicious and cooked to perfection, the salad fixings are always fresh and in good proportion, and the taziki sauce is very tasty.
Another big thing for me is service, and at Alexi's, they really go out of their way to make sure their customers are satisfied. I make a point of it to grab lunch here minimum once week and to take friends here when I'm in the area.
Overall: Quality food, excellent service and reasonable prices.
Makes me want a gyro just thinking about it! -
Review from Kevin W.
San Diego, CA
4/7/2012 10 Check-ins Here
Good, delicious and fast Greek food. I adore this lil' hole in the wall that's been here for years. The inside is decorated with the most awful (in a good way) '70's Greek themed decorations. I mean, this place is so Klassy. I love it!! The same friendly guy is in there every time I head in for a gyro (pronounced 'euro' people). Every time, without fail, with this BIG 'ol smile, "See you tomorrow"... What a character...
I always get the food to-go, but once, I did sit down. I was surprised at how great the service was. He runs the whole place with the help from just one other employee, and my iced tea glass never sat empty for longer than a minute. Even with all the to-go orders coming in and the other customers... I guarantee you won't get that kind of service at the chain Greek restaurant in the neighborhood...
Go in, order, and enjoy. Then say, as you're leaving with a smile, "see you tomorrow." -
Review from Denise T.
Irvine, CA
5/20/2012
The gyro lunch special is cheap and delicious. $5.75 for a huge gyro, fries/salad, and a drink. I especially love the fluffy pita bread it comes wrapped in.
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Review from R F.
San Diego, CA
4/12/2012
This place is as good as Greek food gets in San Diego! The food has never disappointed and I'm a picky eater. I've brought girlfriends here and groups of guy friends and it never fails to be a hit. George, the owner works his butt off and amazingly remembers every order with out ever picking up a pen, waits on all the tables in the restaurant (with a smile) and prepares most of the food.
Great prices, quality of food, ambience, service that I am happy to tip well each time I go. That says a lot about the restaurant (in my book anyway)! -
Review from Alex T.
San Diego, CA
5/19/2012 1 Check-in Here
Love this place! Some of the best indy greek food in SD!
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Review from Jinny S.
Los Angeles, CA
5/6/2012
The food is good...but I had to eat my boyfriend's dish because there was a hair in my salad and then ANOTHER hair in my combo plate. Cool.
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Review from Denise A.
San Diego, CA
4/16/2012
Alexi's doesn't seem that exciting upon first look, but give it a chance. The decorations are pretty washed out and there's always some creepy orchestral music playing but these qualities are just what give Alexi's charm.
The man who runs this place is super funny and kind of intimidating, but it's all because of his Greek nature! He always keeps your glasses filled, comes by and asks if you're okay, and serves food at the blink of an eye. The food isn't life-changing but it's good, consistently. Plus the portions are huge. You'll leave feeling like you're carrying little Greek babies. I guarantee it. -
Review from Susie Q.
Orange County, CA
5/17/2012
The best kept secret of SD! Best value, best food. George is such a nice man and has a wonderful sense of humor for someone putting in so many long hours away from his family. See you tomorrow!
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Review from Tamara L.
1/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Blech! It's cheap "Greek" food. You definitely get what you pay for, not much. I'm not sure it's even run by Greeks but whatever on that point. My man ordered some dinner combo and I ordered a Greek salad. A Greek salad. You can't really mess that up. Guess I was wrong. His came with the usual accoutrements of rice and french fries. Mine came with huge chunks of feta (I love feta but in manageable pieces please) and ranch dressing. . . . ranch dressing?!?! I ordered a size of tzatziki to go with it. Yuck, I've had better tzatziki from Trader Joe's. It was bland and flavorless.
For 2 years I ate weekly at a friend's family's Greek restaurant, with authentic and homemade food. I have something to compare it too and unfortunately, this place fell way short. If only my old place wasn't 2,000 miles away, I'd be back there in a heartbeat. -
Review from John G.
Ramona, CA
2/27/2012
I don't even know what to say, except disaster.
I decided to try this place because of the Yelp recommendations and could have gone to Luna Grill just down the street, what a mistake.
I was in the mood for some Gryos, so I took a chance, and, they failed...badly. FIrst of all, I don't even want to know how long that Gryos I got had been sitting under a hot lamp, dry, almost jerky, with no flavor. The salad that came was, I'm not ever sure how to describe it, awful would be a good word for it.
The Gryos plate I got was tiny, and was about $8, it came with obviously frozen fries, one tiny, tiny tomato slice and one piece of questionable iceberg lettuce.
Lazy, bad, tasteless food that with competition like Luna Grill down the street wonder how long they can stay in business. Not long is my guess. -
Review from Patrice R.
Las Vegas, NV
1/15/2012
See you tomorrow!
Anyone that has been to Alexi's knows that phrase well.
About the food: it's good. I go between the falafel pita and chicken pita, but anything I've ever tried here has never disappointed me. My boyfriend gets the gyro, and looooves it. Food comes out quick, hot and delicious. There is a cute little lady that goes there all the time and sits at the "reserved" table so we feel like she owns it and see her walking around Hillcrest all the time and want to be her friend (well I do). We call her Alexi. It is her cafe I feel like.
Prices are cheap! Lunch specials for like 6 bucks, food, salad (or fries) and drink.
The service is awesome-I have no idea how he (Mr. Alexi Jr?) does it, but he does it. And he has always been a pleasant peach when we've stopped in.
If anything, you should just pop in there and enjoy the epic music that is always playing in the background. -
Review from Jennie O.
San Diego, CA
3/29/2012
You want cheap food. You want good food. This is it. It's not special, it's not hipster, it's old style and usually the owner is also cooking on slow nights. If I'm hungry and in a hurry, here I go.
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Review from carolyn g.
San Diego, CA
1/8/2012
We typically grab takeout from here once a month or so. It never disappoints. I love that all the "dinners" come with so much variety: soup, salad, fries and rice. They are pretty good about substitutions too. I often ask for no rice, extra salad. I usually opt for one of the veggie options, b/c I'm not huge on piles of meat. Buy my fiance swears by their gyro meat.
It's always the same older guy working when I go in to pick up our food...I'm guessing he's the owner. He's always very nice! I have never eaten inside, but there's always a few tables in there when I stop in.
Prices are super super cheap. The dinner are $8.50 and seriously come with so much food. I often save some for lunch the next day. -
Review from Gina C.
San Diego, CA
1/10/2012
Yummy, big serving, and cheap!
My boyfriend and I split the sampler plate and a Baklava. MMMMM I don't usually like baklava, but it was so good. More of a liquidy honey than the really sticky stuff.
The guy was seating, cooking, serving, and cashing out and he did SUCH a good job. Balanced like a champ :)
Totally recommended. 5 STA FO YOU! -
Review from Dalyn C.
San Diego, CA
2/22/2012
Love their gyro special!!! Best place to get gyros ever!
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Review from Parisa M.
San Diego, CA
1/4/2012
gyro sandwich was amazing...service was good...but i was a little bummed after reading others great reviews.
The rice wasn't very good and I usually love greek rice pilaf. It was really mushy and bland. The chicken kabob was more like chicken thrown on a grill at a bowling alley. The rest of my group agreed. Maybe it was an off night? -
Review from A.K. S.
San Diego, CA
9/16/2011
YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM YUM! Wish this place was in my neighborhood! Delicious gyros, kabobs, salads...everything is awesome. Well seasoned, fresh, good portions, good service. One of my favorite eat-spots in Hillcrest.
Hell, even in the whole city. When crving Greek food...THIS is the place to come! -
Review from Ash R.
San Diego, CA
9/13/2011
Stay away!......... I want it all to myself!!! ;)
One of the few disappointing things about moving from NY to San Diego has been the lack of good Greek food. I've tried a few places to my displeasure.... until yesterday, at least!
Seriously, this place is wonderful. Great location on 5th ave, great service - the waiter was extremely polite, helpful & gave off that warm/at-home vibe - and delectable food!
Where else can you get homemade soup, a huge salad with amazing dressing, rice, a pita w/tzatziki, french fries & your meal for $8?
Yup. Can't beat the price!
I'm currently moving to Hillcrest and this place is making the move *that* much sweeter! Can't wait to try the desserts!!
See you next time! -
Review from Angela C.
San Diego, CA
8/30/2011 1 Check-in Here
Super good deal!! $8.50 for the dinner plate, which includes the meat entree of your choice, with pita bread, rice, salad, soup, and fries!!! such a good deal!! and the food is really good!!! had the gyro plate. sooo filling!! I also got the the beef souvlaki sandwich, sandwhiches are only $4.75 after 5 pm!!! greatt deal!! and it was really good! the beef was tasty and tender.
will definitely come back!! -
Review from Lisa N.
7/1/2011
I love this place, it's always empty when I go though but besides that love it here.
I came the other day with my friend. I got the chicken pita sandwich. It was soo delicious, melt in your mouth type food. It got kind of messy but it was the good kind of messy. I like the sauce in it, I can't remember what it's called so I'm not going to try but soo goood. My friend got their combo platter thing that comes with soup and salad. I ate some of her salad. And then her main plate was gyros, pita bread with i think fries? I can't remember but I kept grabbing gyros off her plate. It's nice and yummy. So places their gyros are really dry and hard but nope not here. As I'm writing this I'm getting kind of hungry I really want some now :/ -
Review from Jon H.
Phoenix, AZ
6/30/2011 2 Check-ins Here
hands down, my favorite greek food in san diego. Stopped in by chance trying to go to the place accross the street - but they were closed. Little did I know I was happening upon the best mediterranean food in San Diego. The other places loss was definitely my gain. I ordered the Gyro with extra meat and was asked how much I wanted ($1, $2, $3...). Sounded odd to me but I ordered and extra $2 and ended up getting a mountain of lamb that I ate mostly with a fork because it was too much to wrap up in the pita.
Sadly, I was unable to finish the Gyro, you're probably well off ordering it without the extra. Visited a 2nd time before leaving and the Greek platter was also an excellent choice, but again a LOT of food. You definitely get some of the best Greek dining and for an awesome value! -
Review from Renee H.
Lapwai, ID
1/27/2012
Excellent service from the appetizers to the soup and salad which were served timely. Mediterranean tzatziki sauce w gyros and freshly made pita. Bomb
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Review from Kaitlyn W.
Provo, UT
10/10/2011
So delicious and so cheap!!!
The service was amazing and fast. My Gyro was so delicious! The pita was perfect!
You get a so much food for such a small price too. This was for sure a great addition to a quick trip to California. -
Review from Jimmy S.
San Diego, CA
2/8/2012
Awesome place! I had the chicken kabob and everything was delicious! My boyfriend loved his food also. Great service! Would love to eat here again!
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Review from NeeNee E.
San Diego, CA
4/2/2012
super cheap, close to everything and the falafel here is BOMB! i will be coming back soon
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Review from patti f.
6/25/2011
You gotta give Alexi's 4 stars for the generous amount of food and awesome price. To make it even better, the food is great!
I had the gyro sandwich combo, which came with a gyro pita, large salad with feta cheese, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and a soda for $6.25 including tax!
Everything was fresh, good quality, and tasty. I'll definitely be returning on my lunch break :D -
Review from Andy P.
This is my 4th time back at this place, and it's solid every time. I love eating here even if parking is a butt.
Pro:
- 8.50 for a Gyro plate. Comes with a soup, a pretty decent sized salad (I think it's Greek), a very lofty main plate with lots of Gyro, rice, pita, and fries. I felt like I get a nice full course meal for a good price!
- The main waiter dude is really friendly. I feel very welcomed and he has a sense of humor.
- The gyro tastes pretty amazing. Probably you could get some ridiculously good ones elsewhere but it's definitely not your Daphnes.
Con:
- You leave a little heavy. I guess the fries and rice is not the lightest to eat.
- Not your super decked out restaurant. Looks like your normal dining place (so don't think about asking out your girlfriend here...HAH)
In the end, when I think about getting Greek - I come here! You should too.Listed in: Best of SD
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Review from Helga T.
Chula Vista, CA
2/1/2012
This place will really surprise you.... It is warm and comfortable.....And the food is so good. It is prices extremely well. I would love to go again as soon as i am in the area.
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Review from Erich L.
San Diego, CA
3/23/2012
I have been going to this place for nearly 9 years (when I first moved to SD). Every time I go, it is like going home for dinner. The service is excellent (George, the proprietor is just stellar, and remembers what I like to drink and eat every time)!! The food is amazing, and the prices are so worth it, especially for what you get (large portions). I would suggest this to anyone who wants good, healthy Greek food!
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Review from JöHnNy A.
:-)
NO NONSENSE. What can I say?
It's not fancy, but its good for what it is--Greek food in Hillcrest.
Salads come with the meal... and oh boy.. you may not have room for the meal after the salad. It's huge, looks good, and has everything you might want... except the luscious MEAT... But when the Gyro plate arrives -- you're NOT gonna wanna save it for later.... mmmmmmm.
No nonsense authentic greek food.
The service is fast, polite, friendly and attentive.
I've had Greek food in Greece... And this aint it....
It's "WILDER" from the streets of Syntagma Square.
But its close enough. Prices are reasonable, people are nice!
4 Woofs... I'll be back! I LIKE THIS PLACE! -
Review from Cassandra D.
San Diego, CA
3/24/2011
The service here was excellent! Was here for lunch the other day with my sister and we loved it.
I love mom n pop spots which is what this place felt like as we were greeted by a cute little girl who took our drink orders. I much prefer to come to these kinds of restaurants then all the chains we have in San Diego.
I got the Gyro and my sister got the Gyro combo plate which came with a side salad. The salad was all fresh ingredients and a portion large enough to share. The Gyros were delicious and so grand that we couldn't finish and had to box the rest which we later enjoyed.
Great food, good prices, and great portions with very friendly service :)
Definitely coming back later this week! -
Review from Thomas H.
San Diego, CA
1/6/2012
Great prices and deals. I went with gyros plate for 8.50 and I was not disappointed. Very delicious and abundant with the portions. It came with gyros meat, fries, salad, soup, and rice. My g/f went with the sampler for 9.50 that came with chicken kabobs, gyros meat, spitnaka, fries, salad, soup, and rice. Only complaint I had was was the chicken was bland and the iced tea taster peculiar. Nonetheless, I would visit here again because of the value and service. I definitely left full and had enough to enjoy the next day. Keep up the good work, Alexi!
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Review from Wana L.
4/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Not sure that I should even be writing a review.... well you can decide. My bf picked up a Greek Salad for me. So, I haven't physically been here, so I can't comment on the service. But, I CAN comment on the salad.
Let's just say, everything was HUGE & CHUNKY! I actually liked it a lot. The veggies were chopped up all big and chunky. The feta cheese was clumped together in big masses. And, the salad portion was huge in general. So, two thumbs up for their Greek Salad. I think it also came with some Pita Bread. Didn't try it that day because on that particular day I was trying to eat all natural... I should've just eaten it. -
Review from Kat S.
Walnut Creek, CA
11/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
AWESOME lunch prices, GREAT tasting gyros, fries and salads, FRIENDLY customer service!
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Review from Shaun T.
San Diego, CA
1/28/2011
goodness I love this place so much.
Not only is it cost efficient. It's delicious.
And worth the little money you spend.
I know it's a Greek place, but my favorite thing to get is the cheese burger on sourdough. But everything else there is great!
This is the much better choice when it comes to money when comparing the other eateries in the surrounding area. -
Review from Duck D.
San Diego, CA
8/1/2011
I'm gonna go ahead and give this 5 stars, which I rarely do.
Prices are great, food is great. I had the flaming cheese (whatever it's called) which is EXCELLENT. We ordered a couple of gyro dishes which were excellent.
The place gives you a full three-course meal with a silly $8-9 purchase... salad, soup, entree. It's amazing and they make you feel very welcome. There is a lot of food. We ordered two entrees and an appetizer and took home almost one entire entree. Excellent value, I don't know they do it.
The only thing I don't really care for is the plastic sheets over the tablecloths. Kind of cheesy. But that's a minor thing and doesn't impact the food or service.
I'm very impressed and I hope the owners live long and prosper. I will recommend their restaurant and will be coming back. -
Review from Ian C.
San Diego, CA
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
I got the dinner plate a split it with my gf . It was enough for the both of us. Its our go to when we want to eat in the area but dont know where to go. Cheap prices. Service is hit or miss but small enough that if you really wanted something it would be hard for them to ignore you. Parking can sometimes be an issue but the parking lot is just a block or 2 away at the mall and i always get it validated at 24hr so it costs nothing.
