Gaters
Category: Restaurants [Edit]
3846 Mowry Avenue(between Fremont Blvd & Lexington St)
Fremont, CA 94538 (510) 494-9944
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
41 reviews
Fremont, CA
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26 Reviews for Gaters
Found this place on a drunk stooper in college. They have the freshest wraps and rice plates. All the meat is cut to order right in front of you and the taste is unbelievable. My personal favorite is the garlic chicken wrap. Ask for an extra hot sauce. I don't have a clue what mix that's in it but it's off the hook.
The yogurt sauce with some naan is just perfect. I still go here after college and the quality is still the same. Don't be fooled by the small store it's well worth it.
I came across this place during a hunger attack while picking up something from Big 5.
I ordered a Falafel combo which comes with the falafels, rice, hummus, olives, salad and pita. The falafels were pretty good--moist and not too big. The hummus tasted fresh but they put a little too much oil in it. The pitas were warm. Good first try.
I also tried their shawarma plate which comes with the meat ( i got beef), rice, salad, pita. The meat and the rice go really well together. The beef was really tender and nicely flavored. You also have an option of getting spicy or not. I got mildly spiced and it was pretty good.
I tried their shawarma wrap one day too. Its the shawarma meat (beef again--but they have chicken and lamb as well) veggies and that white sauce (I believe its yogurt??) in a warm fluffy pita. The wrap was really good with one exception--it was a little too oily for me. Halfway through the meal my bites would equal drips of oil in the other end of the wrap. It was still good; just make sure you get lots and lots of napkins and maybe a Tide-to-go just in case it drips on your shirt.
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I came to Gaters after the dentist (I had to get a filling). Well anyways, I ordered a falafel combo, which is like a burrito with falafel, tomatoes, and fries, which was a bit strange, but I ate it..all.
That was around $6 and the guys working here are extremely friendly and like having conversations with the customers.
I had to chew on the left side of my mouth, so my talking was rather limited.
I lied, I had to get 3 fillings.
Pretty horrible.
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OK, I scan the market for Shawermas (Gyros) ... I came across gaters and I have to say that compared to many other shawerma places, it is acceptable. It's an ok fix for the shawerma craving.
I have to say that the owners of this place has changed like maybe 4 times in the past 7 years and the quality of the sandwich changes with each ownership.
As another reviewer mentioned, yes they don't add tahini, which beats me. What is a shawerma without Tahini? The meat is often too spiced and a little too hard, but like I said it is a good fix for a shawerma craving. I fill up on good shawermas when I go back home :)
You don't come here for "fine dinning". You come when it's 9PM, your ass is hungry and you're in Fremont.
-5 stars for the owner calling me "The Boss". (verbatim: We're in America! You women are always the boss)
Preach.
-5 stars for my dining companion getting white Tzatziki sauce on his face.
Halal Bukkake! Hot!
- 5 stars for letting us walk in past their closing time and still letting us enjoy our food.
- 4 stars for really really really garlicy Garlic Chicken. Still, very good.
By my calculations, that's 4.75. No, don't second guess me, I'm Asian. I calculated that before I even thought about writing this review.
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2.5 stars. I had the chicken shawarma but it didn't come close to the goodness I had in Paris. They don't use tahini sauce like Mr. Kebab in Union City. I think I'm partial to the Turkish version called "doner kebab". The wrap had a generous amount of chicken however, and the combo price is a good deal.
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How great is it when you poke your head into a business not knowing if it's closed or not and be invited in by the ower who takes your order and makes your food himself even though they are closed and have cleaned up for the night?
That is what happened last night when I showed up with a friend after wandering around Fremont trying to decide where we wanted to eat.
He not only invited us in and cooked for us himself but he was damn happy to do it. He went as far as to engage us in lighthearted conversation to keep us entertained while our food was cooking. The guy was genuinely happy to have us there even though we were keeping him from getting home a little later than usual.
The gyro that he made me was great with plenty of tsazaki sauce. I had my own little bukkzaki show right there in the shop. Oh did I fail to mention he didn't even insist on serving up our food in "to go" boxes? He let us sit down while they finished closing up shop and never rushed us to get out.
The galic chicken wrap that my dining companion had was delish. If you love garlic I think that is the way to go at this place.
They have pictures of everything on their menu so you can see how good your food is going to be before you order it. It's nice that you can buy your wraps solo or as a combo with drink and fries (or baklava) for a little extra.
I've neglected this place for a while but I'm going to start coming back more regularly.
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One of the new owners used to own the Cafe Gyro. Now he and his cousin own this Gaters Grill. They are super friendly, and they make a mean gyro! I like going someplace and having the owner/staff recognize me. I Yelped his last place, and I'm Yelping his new place: he makes really good food, he's friendly, the prices are right, and they're always willing to modify their food for you. They aim to please!
I have to say that I never came in when it was any other owner, but obviously, if you're hungry and it's something quick and tasty that you're craving, you should stop by here for some friendly and quick service, and delicious Mediterranean food!!
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Found it by mistake the first time when my colleague and I needed lunch and a Kinko's- but my GPS system has found it "accidentally" a few times since. Yummy lamb kabobs, and I like that they let me substitute sides sometimes. The vegetarian sampler is my favorite. Don't go alone as a woman if you don't want to be flirted with - these guys are charmers. But in a very sweet way that makes it a good place to get lunch on a "bad hair, fat jeans, PMS" day. Good prices, quick service and yummy dolmas.
I've been to Gaters before the owner change, during the owner change, and when they changed back to the original owners of 2005. Anyways... I would strongly recommend the chicken wrap. The meat is tender and juicy, and the price is good at about 5.50. There's also a Baskin Robbins next door which is hard to beat! I haven't been disappointed by the wrap yet, but a few of my friends who have strayed away from the chicken wrap were a little less than happy with what they got. But, based on the chicken wrap, I'd give it a 5/5 but since it's not...
Bottom Line:
Good Chicken wraps... that's really about it... Try take out, because the seating is a little limited.
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This place was not bad. I heard the ownership changed and the quality of the food went down but since it was my first time, I was unable to compare it anything but other Mediterranean restaurants I've been to.
I had gyros and it seemed slightly barren. There were 4 strips of meat, some slices of onions and maybe 2 slices of tomatoes in it. I can't remember but I think there was some sauce in there somewhere. The bread was very good: soft and warm. Definitely nothing too extravagant but I'd go there again for a quick bite.
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The hummus was scary. The garlic was in big chunks and gave it a very sour flavor and killed the texture such that it wouldn't even stick to my bread. If you can't have good hummus, I'm not there.
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Downhill...and going downer.
On a positive note: the food's still decent, maybe even a notch above average, and the staff are always pleasant.
However...the place has changed ownership/management so many times I can't keep track, and each time a little part of me dies as the taste or quality diminish. When I first ate here many years ago (not sure which iteration of ownership this would be, but they had the really good flatbread and those peppermint candies) it was hands-down absolutely the best falafel wrap I'd ever eaten anywhere, period. Bit by bit, recipes changed, ingredients were swapped out, the baklava was dropped from the falafel wrap combo...and with the proliferation of other Mediterranean eateries as of late, Gaters just doesn't have the allure it once did. No worse than others, certainly...but generally not a whole lot better these days either. It's still my preferred destination if I happen to be within a block or two around lunchtime, but I'm no longer driving three miles specifically for their falafel wraps.
I was really disappointed with the food and the service. We've eaten here twice and the food is generally dried out, tasteless, with horribly slow service even when there are no other customers. I really wanted to like this place because it's locally owned and not a chain. If the food had been really great, I might be able to give them a pass on the slow service (maybe), but this place has nothing (and I really mean "nothing") going for it. I don't see how they stay in business.
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Mediteranian food is one of my faves and Gaters is delicious and mouth watering. True - it does not carry that certain "je ne sai quois" as far as ambiance.. and True - the tables are old and rickety , and if you dine-in you might have to balance you food and drink on the table... but who cares - it's worth it.. or better yet, carry out , sit your ass on the couch, and eat in the comfort of your home yo'!
Simply put - this lil' hole in the wall was featured in San Francisco Magazine's "Cheap Thrills" special article; where they found yummy places around the Bay where you can get the most bang for your buck!
http://sanfran.com/arc...
I usually order the same thing, so I can't 100% atest that everything is good. I'd say at this joint the Chicken is always better than the Steak in most occassions.
Recommend:
Chicken Mediteranian Wrap or Platter.
California Chicken Wrap or Platter.
Falafel Wrap
**get it extra spicy and garlic for a nice kick!
Platters come with fresh cumcumber salad, hummus, and pitas. Great place for a quick, tasty, and filling meal.
**UPDATE - 06/24/07: My bf and I went last week and they have brand-new tables and chairs - so you can enjoy your food w/o those old rickety tables =)
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A small hole in the wall of a strip mall with 3 tables, a counter and a rotisserie of chicken and beef. I had the beef steak wrap while my co-worker had the garlic chicken. They have a combo where you get the wrap, a soda and baklava for about $7. The baklava was actually pretty good by not being too sweet and maintaining a crisp texture. Food is decent but nothing special. Maybe good if you're in a time crunch.
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I love the fact that this is a "hole in the wall" Mediterranean grill. It's located in a tiny place in a busy shopping center with only a couple of high tables, mostly meant for quick pick ups to go.
Gaters used to be one of my favorites, until they changed owners. They've kept mostly the same menu but for some reason the wraps, hummus, even the meat just doesn't taste as good or fresh. No offense to the people who wor there but half the time they just looked confused. Not sure I want confused people making my dinner!
so my bf and i were on our way to baskin robins... and we came across this little restaurant. I LOVE mediterranean food, so we decided to give it a try.
the place was empty, a bit small and dim. clearly, the atmosphere wasn't to my liking, but i don't completely judge a restaurant by how it looks, it's ALL about the taste :)
i ordered the mediterranean chicken and my bf ordered the spicy grilled steak which came with baklava and a drink (about $14 altogether). It was pretty damn good... actually, it was probably ONE of the best i've had so far. their baklava was also incredible. it was not too sweet nor sticky and soggy. it was juuuuuust right.
all in all, the food was pretty good for the price. the service was mediocre - nothing special, but the overall atmosphere of the place definitely needs some work (especially their sticky and wobbly tables). i'd most likely visit this place again... but i'd probably take it to go next time... =/
Good Fast Cheap Eats:
Gaters is good fast food style Mediterranean Food. This is one of the few places that you can get a combination of good tasting food & good portion size at a cheap price.
For what it is (a fast food style place) the food quality here is good and the food portion size is above average. You can get yourselt one of their wrap meal for under $7 and a nice entree size meal for under $10. The entrees come with a very good selection of food. The chicken wraps are very good but are on the spicy side. The falafels here are some of the best in the bay area and may be worth stopping by in the neighborhood for either the falafel wrap.
The 2 negatives I have about this place is the dolmas are not good at all and there is very limited seating here. Overall I would say Gaters is worth a quick stop by if you're in the neighborhood if you're looking for good, fast, and cheap Mediterranean Food.
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This is your typical, hole in the wall, Mediterranean food joint. They have kabobs, tabouleh, baklava, falafel wraps, etc. This place used to be fantastic before they got new owners. Ever since then their food is bland, dry and even stale sometimes! I don't think I'll be eating here again since the last few times I went there I didn't enjoy my food at all!
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Strolling down one of the mowry plazas, My girlfriend and I were walking to Baskin Robins on one of the stupid hot days that global warming has decided to give us. However, we were distracted by the loud foreign disco music playing next door. I look up seeing the name Gaters and think, "WTF is gaters?" We look at the tempting Mediterranean menu and decide to give it a shot since we are always up for new challenges.
As we walk in, the loud Mediterranean disco music and the diamond plate metal floors almost makes me lose myself as if i stepped into some sort of erotic dance club. However, being surrounded by the whopping 3 tables and a huge frying skillet reminded me why we came there in the first place. The two men who served us were very straight forward but friendly at the same time. The simple questions they asked us, "Would you like garlic and us to make it spicy?" is really what closed the deal for me. My tongue constantly flirts with garlic yet is in a long term affair with spicy. All i gotta say is my tongue certainly "got some." This place is good just for their food.
Their service is simple and nice but don't expect much more. The most they will do is clean up the table after you, which they are supposed to do anyway. Because they reunited me with the 2 loves of my life, i gave them a dollar tip. I will go again but next time will only order to go as does many people.
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They sell Mediterranean style wraps here. They used to be pretty good. Sometimes the flat bread is to dry. Sometimes the service is to slow.I tried this place again after a long hiatus and thought they were a lot friendlier and the food was better than I had remembered.
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i get cravings for falafels once in a while, and i had been wanting to try this place. i think i should have stuck w/ a falafel wrap, but i got the veggie combo instead, which came w/ hummus, dolmas, a small salad, 3 falafel balls, and some pita. the falafel balls were not freshly made to order and were pretty small. the hummus had a kinda sour taste, and was too salty. my brother got the grilled beef wrap, which was a lot better and way more fresh. i will come back and try the wraps next time instead.
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good quick falafels with hot sauce. the staff is awesomely friendly!
Probably one of the better falafal wrap in Fremont. Its great for to go since there is limited seating.
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i thought it was good a few times, then it went majorly downhill. Stay far away.
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