Habibi Restaurant
Category: Middle Eastern [Edit]
3906 Washington Blvd(between Bay St & Fremont Blvd)
Fremont, CA 94538 (510) 659-9600
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
60 reviews
Fremont, CA
"Came here on a Sunday night and it was practically empty as I expect places to be. Glad we gave it a try though, the owner guy was very…" read more »
27 Reviews for Habibi Restaurant
The food here is super! This was my first ever Lebanese food experience and I loved it. I definitely would recommend this place!!! Customer service is top notch, I wouldn't expect anything less from a mom and pop restaurant. The owner's are very nice, they really make you feel like they're inviting you into their own house, very hospitable.
After unloading the moving van, we somehow ended up here, thirsty, exhausted and a little daunted by life. So the friendliness of the owners was comforting. Sometimes the service can be slow or you wonder who, if anyone, is going to take your order. So go in knowing it's a family run place with low expectations for the usual kind of waitressing. We too have been sent home with bags of bread & baclava. We've enjoyed all the food we've had there though there has been occasional dryness. Overall it's a tasty and enjoyable experience.
We've never been disappointed by the food here. Though the service can be slow at times, the owners are always sweet and seem to always throw in something for free....a cup of Turkish coffee or a piece of baklava, etc...
The hummus, baba ghanoush and falafels are some of the best we've tasted! Though we don't live close by, we will often stop here for dinner whenever we are in the area!
We love this restaurant and go frequently. The food is awesome, the owners are sweet, and we *like* that it is a little hole in the wall instead of being another generic chain. If you go with any regularity the owners get to know you and you develop a really cool relationship with them that creates more of a sense of community. There isn't enough of that in the world.
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We ate here about 10 years ago, and then went again last night. The food was pretty bad. The meat was very tough and tasteless, the rice was soggy. The place is pretty plain and while the prices are not too high I expect much better quality and taste. I would not recommend this place at all. The Fallafel was maybe the best thing there, and it was not nearly as good as most places I go to.
Habibis is awesome!!!! first the food is Lebanese.....and we havent had kafta niyyeh since june 2006....mr maroun is very sweet as is his wife....
bring a good amount of money becuase they are excallent at making sure you get the whole experiance...appitizers, meal, dessert, lebanese coffee, and even argelieh(hooka)
there food is authentically good...and the service is purley lebanese
Yummy, yummy! This little treasure in Fremont is fantastic for your taste buds....The hummus is DELICIOUS.....Baba Gannouj is fantastic and my favorite is the Dolmas, Stuffed Grape leaves...The falalel is probably the best in the Bay area, and it wouldn't be complete if you didn't have the Lebanese French Fries to go with it.....
They hav daily specials at lunch time and those are always a treat as they truly remind you of home cooked meals.
I have been coming to this restaurant for over 15 years now and enjoy each experience there.
The owners, Sam and Shams are a delight, especially if you engage them in a conversation about their grandkids.
A must try for great Lebanese (Mom and Pops) restaurant!!!
I visited this restaurant for lunch at around noon on a Tuesday. There was no wait but a little lack of direction on what to do. People were around but not really giving us much attention. Instead of waiting, we decided to seat ourselves. Unfortunately it took a little while to be served but I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. It's a little place and they seemed busy. A grandma came out to take our order and was super sweet.
We started out with some Yabrak (grape leaves stuffed with meat). They give you 6 per order for $5.39. When the grandma brought it out, she told us that it is like Lebanese sushi which I thought was an interesting way to describe something... probably because yours truly looks like she could be Japanese. Anyhow, this appetizer was delicious. Grape leaves practically melt in your mouth and the rice was cooked to a perfect moistness. Flavors weren't overpowering either.
I ordered a Shawarma sandwich (lamb served with tomatoes, parsley, onions and Tahini sauce in pita bread for $5.69). I had to eat it with a fork and knife because as soon as I took one bite, the sauce practically covered my face and hands. The meat was a little dry and not as tender as I've had at other places. The tomatoes, pasley & onions were all at the bottom of the pita so I after I finished the meat, I ended up eating a vegetarian sandwich. Not so great.
All in all, the sweet grandma provides a homely feeling to the restaurant but I'll have to give it a second chance by ordering something else on the menu.
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I must have gone on a bad day. The food was not as flavorful as I expected but the presentation was very good. That means the food looked yummy but lacked taste or fresh, deliciousness when you went to bite into it.
Though I do admit, the baklava was awesome. I don't know if they make it on site are buy it from a local bakery.
I agree that everything was not as fresh as I've come to count on from this type of food. Overall, I'd say it's not worth another trip from Sunnyvale, but I would let myself be dragged if a group of friends wanted to stop by there.
Looks like Falafel Drive In and Falafel etc. are still my go to places for falafels, Shawarma chicken and related side dishes.
I got my food to go, so I can't fairly comment on the temperature.
This is a very chill sit-down spot to get yummy Lebanese food. There are at least 6 different types of appetizers, plus falafels and other sandwiches, plus platters containing a combo of appetizers and main dishes, plus lots of meat selections if you're into that. The owners are extremely friendly, and there is a TV in the back turned on to Arab television. Get baklava and Turkish coffee for dessert -- but if you haven't had it before, beware that the coffee is this tiny shot that is extremely bitter!
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This place is right by my house. I was always hesitant to go in, until I realized I loved this kind of food. I try to stop by often, I like supporting family owned businesses.
The food is pretty good and when I switched over to being a vegetarian, I could still eat here no problem.
I like sitting on the patio area on a nice day and enjoy the fresh air while enjoying some great humus!
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I think family happy friendly when I go here. This is one of the major places my family would request on Friday nights as a take home meal after a long hard week. The owner and his wife are ALWAYS oh so thankful for your business. I've pretty much tasted everything they have on the menu. My fav is the shawarma. Hope I have the spelling correct. I've been eating there since 2001 and they've been consistant with the great quality and service. Place is clean. I've known them for years and they even get catering orders in Palo Alto/Stanford area especially during the Holidays.
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Ya Habibi! I love coming here because the food takes me back to my memories of Lebanon... the owner, Sam, his grandmother friendly waitress wife and their satellite TV with Arab variety shows complete the experience. Looks wise, the owners recently updated the restaurant's interior, so it's more inviting to those who care.
Let's just get to it:
-Their hummus is perfectly whipped.
-The dolma melts in your mouth.
-The Kibbeh delights my tummy.
-The Shawerma is packed with flavor.
I haven't tried everything, but I agree that the pita sandwiches are a waste of time and it's better to just get a plate (plates aren't cheap, so I usually visit this place when money is good).
It is imperative to end your meal with some baklawa and arabic coffee. Don't be afraid to talk to the owners if you think the food is great like I do... they love conversation and will share with you anything you want to know about Lebanon. Also, if their lebanese family friend is there, ask if he can read your coffee grinds... it's an incredible experience. YALLA!!!
I give this place 2.5 stars...
I'm typically a huge fan of Mediterranean food.
However, I must say this place is mediocre at best.
The Falafel was dry and bland and the Hummus tasted and looked quite unusual.
I had to douse the Falafel in sauce to get any flavor.
The quality or freshness however was good. Vegetables were fresh and crunchy and the bread tasted relatively fresh.
The staff and service was also quite good.
That said, I probably won't be returning anytime soon..
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This little gem serves up the best falafel this side of the bay. The balls are soft and moist, with a crunchy (but not atomically so) outside. They also have excellent hummus, baba ghanouj, tabbouleh, and kebobs.
It seems like everything is made in-house. They actually own their own factory in Union City where their pita bread is made. They even make their own ice cream, including my favorite, vanilla laced with rosewater.
I thought the price was more than right for a home-cooked meal. The owners are very warm and looooooooooove children. Our 2-year-old son received tons of treats and kisses, which is such a welcome relief from the cold-to-tepid shoulder you normally get at restaurants in the Bay Area. It's like paying a visit to the Lebanese grandparents you never had, and that is priceless in and of itself.
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Three and a half stars rounded up to four.
Very good Arab food at a reasonable price. The interior is rather spartan but this is overcome by the friendly management of the owner (Sam) and staff. The combination platters are in the $20-25 price range and feeds two hungry people with a lot of leftovers. Chicken, shish kabobs, falafel and tabooli. You can tell the food is authentic and fresh. You won't walk away hungry.
The last time we were there, Sam sent over some complimentary baklava for us. A nice touch.
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The best falafel balls I've had, extremely flavorful and great texture. The hummus, foule, tabbouleh, everything is delicious. Don't bother to get a sandwich, but split a platter and some side dishes with your friends. A sit-down place and accordingly, not as cheap as a quick falafel shop, but worth it.
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I'm thinking two and a half stars, but I'll round up to three because the owner was really friendly. I had high hopes for this place, but sadly I found the food to be dry and some of the meat to be sour tasting (due to the marinade). Also, the back half of the restaurant wasn't particularly clean. Those carry-out styrofoam trays? They're stored in boxes on the men's room floor (not near the toilet though).
The pocket bread tasted like it came right out of a package (which I'm assuming it did because the owner told us that they have a large bakery in Union City where they make and package the stuff for retail sale - he did give use a free package to take home with our leftovers, however, which was very nice). I found the rice pilaf to be very plain and I found the menu to be somewhat limited. My overall impression: meh.
This place has the best falafel and hummus I have had. The foul is also very good, as is the tabbouleh.
Eating here is an exciting food experience, and I'm willing to make a trip to Fremont for it. Your mouth will thank you. I think the prices are quite reasonable for the quality of the food.
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I liked the food a lot.... especially the falafels and hummus. I will be back to try some more things. The portions were large, but the service was a little cold. I had high expectations, I suppose, from all the reviews I read before going there. Maybe the reception wasn't as friendly because I don't have a kid. I don't know. But I'll still be back! i love to eat!!
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A family business, this Lebanese place serves up a great variety of plates. Get the pita bread and hummus to start things off then order a variety of chicken, baked kebbi, or a kabob. For the stout of heart have a coffee at the end (leaves a layer of sludge on your teeth) with baklava. The only negative is that service tends to be slow yet the family is friendly and the food is worth waiting for.
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I wasn't impressed at all by this place. It was kind of a dark hole-in-the- wall type of place and it didn't seem very clean to me.
The owner was friendly but it took about 30 minutes for us to get our food. It shouldn't have been more than 15 minutes considering all we ordered were french fries, a falafel sandwich and shawarma. My boyfriend said the shawarma was ok, but nothing spectacular. As for my falafel sandwich, the pita bread was cold abd seemed a little stale, like it had been sitting in the fridge for a month. This was in sharp contrast to the falafels, which were almost TOO hot. It was ok, but I was expecting a little bit more fresh and flavorful.
I tried the Burma from dessert, which was a lot like baklava, but in a candy form as well as being a lot crunchier. That was probably the best part of my meal.
I think I'll give this place another chance, but I'm not sure when that will be considering I am in no rush to go back there.
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Food is good! I like the Falafel's, hummus, and tabouli. The atmosphere is not the greatest. Today was a hot day so they had the doors open; flies were in the air. Not as friendly as I would have thought. Though I would prefer to order food to go, I most likely will eat inside again. I really liked the food. Oh... and I will make sure I get bottled water next time I go. Instead of a free mint with your check; they give out key chains.
Good food. Family owned are both big plusses. I have had the lamb shish kabobs,hommus,tabbouly. and baba ganouj, All very good. I am willing to pay more for good food, pay more to support small businesses even then I thought the cost was a little high. They have a web site http://habibirestauran...
The first time My boyfriend and I tried this retaurant we would have given it 4 stars for food & service & the great chicken dish my BF tried. However, May 7th we stopped by at 8:30pm to eat -as we walked in the door the owner bellowed from his chair "we close at nine" I thought okay its only 8:30pm- what he really was saying was we close at nine which really means 8:30pm or 8:30pm if we feel like it. Perhaps they didn't teach polite customer service at the American University of Lebannon- perhaps they forgot to mention that ambiguous opening and closing hours are a customer deterent?! We won't be back.
The schwarma was decent but not entirely satisfying. The french fries can be great at times, other times they are soaking in a pool of oil; ask for the garlic mayo dip. The owners are friendly in their own way. I have heard good things about the vegi-special.
I ate there a couple times. Didn't like the food. I can't recommend it.
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