Karam's Mediterranean Restaurant

Friendly service. Ample parking. This is a place worth putting in your weekly rotation of restaurants if you live or work in the Poway area.

The gyros and chicken kabobs are tender and flavorful. I wish the warm pita bread was thicker though. I was told that it's traditionally thin but I didn't care for it much.

We were super happy with our meals from Karam's that I picked up to go yesterday.

We got a gyros plate, a chicken kabob plate (with an extra skewer) and an order of tabbouleh.

Everything was delicious! Not overly seasoned - and like another reviewer said, not too salty either. The chicken kabob consisted of moist and tender white meat. The gyros meat was yummy as well.

The dressing on the side salad was tasty and the hummus was excellent.

To top it off, the owner Mo and a very nice young woman were both super friendly. We'll be back!

Karam's, named after a beloved son and brother, is churning out some fantastic Mediterranean cuisine.

For lunch, I had the Chicken Kebab plate which I had served with grilled vegetables, salad, hummus, and warm pita bread. The meal cost $13 and some change.

Although everything on the plate was quite tasty, the chicken kebab was the star. It was very well seasoned and properly cooked to a tender and juicy state. Their house seasoning gave the chicken great flavor. The chicken had great charring as well.

The grilled vegetables were nice and tender, and the salad came with a very good house dressing. The hummus was delicious and had a nice texture. It was good eating with the warm pita bread they served on the side.

The place is family run and the menu items represent family recipes that are sure to put a smile on your face.

Thought I'd give this place. Was hoping they might be as good as the previous restaurant that was located in that spot but sadly it was just okay. I tried the Gyro and Beef Shawarma sandwiches. Initially when I looked at the Yelp photos, I saw a one price and then when I came here it was $1 more. For quick eats, I generally prefer under $10 pricing.

The Beef Shawarma meats inside were pretty lean and geared towards as overcooked as it was kind of chewy and not that flavorful. Was expecting a juicy meat but did not get and it gets hard because they super thin pieces of meat. The Pita bread was also pretty dry making it a pretty dry sandwich to eat. I was not a fan of this sandwich.

Comparing to the Gyro sandwich, it fared much better. The Gyro meat was thicker and had more flavor and good texture. It was a tad overseasoned in my opinion. The Greek pita was nice and fluffy, much better than the Beef Shawarma pita bread.

Their house salad was super drenched in dressing and it was too vinegary for me. Had I known ahead of time, I probably would have asked to have dressing on the side.

Sadly there's too many generous 5 star Yelpers here. It's far from it. Just 3 stars max here. Just okay. Value and quality wise, I could have gotten a plate instead of sandwich somewhere else.

"It is not on the outside... but what is on the inside that counts..."

This place is a diamond in the rough. First and foremost, the food is delicious. I also appreciated that they don't cheat by salting everything to give it flavor. You can always add salt right? And the flavors stand up on their own.

I got the two kebob plate: one chicken and one beef. Imagine my surprise when the beef wasn't ground beef, but rather chunks of steak! Yum! The chicken was flavorful and tender, not overcooked. It came on a bed of rice that was done just right, with a hint of something added to give it a flavor balance. There was hummus on the plate too, which I believe was home-made unless I'm mistaken. I got some grit from tahini, which you tend not to get in store-bought kinds. Even the accompanying salad was tasty, served with a light lemon vinaigrette.

It's cute inside, but FYI there aren't many tables. We ate our food in the restaurant, and on a Sunday around lunch there wasn't anyone else there. A few people ordered to go during that time. This feels like a spot that mostly caters to weekday lunch and to-go crowds, but we very much enjoyed eating there.

The owner was extremely nice, and seemed genuinely happy that we enjoyed our meal.

Considering the quality, I felt it was very reasonably priced.

Will definitely return!

Lovely little neighborhood place. The food was freshly prepared , tasty , served in time and the people pleasant. What more can you want from a place around the corner.
I think it is the perfect spot for lunch as I feel it closely relatively early for dinner and it is a little small on the inside with a few tables for two. It is good spot for takeaways though.
We tried the falafel wrap and the falafel plate. The falafel was fried to order and fresh , crispy on the outside , soft on the inside - though I felt a little more moisture would not hurt. The hummus was good. They could definitely do better on their salad though.

All in all good place for a fresh and local lunch !

I made a mistake when I ordered online, but I have to say really amazing customer service when I called and spoke with them. Even though it was my issue, they made it right. Big thank you for helping dinner go on as planned. Will be going back for sure. Thanks and keep up the great service! And also the food was fantastic. Definitely going back.

This business is competing against larger chains that offer similar options for this type of cuisine. As far as value, great deals and large portions for lunch. Chicken Shawarma is nicely sliced, roasted and marinated. Order the plate or the best option is the wrap. Salad dressing a bit strong with mostly lemon juice and the pita bread is strangely thin and chewy. There is also an overpowering charcoal taste that lingers in your mouth after eating the pita. Is is better than other options in the area, about the same. I believe that value and portion are the deciding factor with all the other choices there are.

Wonderful! I really hope they make it. Reasonable prices. Great food. Friendly people. I was disappointed, no lamb, but heard they got it after our visit. Another reason to go back!


Update 1/18/18!
Please check the place out. Went again tonight for take out. Still wonderful!

Best baba ghanouj I've have, light and creamy!
Delicious seasoned fattoush!
The service is fast and the people are very friendly.
I'd recommend this restaurant!