Gaby's Mediterranean

Gaby's always has yummy food that is not too expensive. Love their garlic paste. I usually get chicken kabob's and they are juicy and flavorful. more

I love coming here!! The food is absolutely fantastic!\r I had the vegetarian platter with falafel, hummus, baba ganoush, and salad, and it was everything I wanted, complemented by tahini, hot sauce, and delicious warm pita. The service was delightful, however, at times it does take a while to get your food. However, it's well worth the wait! I can't wait to go back, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it! \r SO yummy! more

Great food for a reasonable price. beef shish kabobs that are very TASTY~ Cute little patio seating....very charming. A++ more

My first visit to Gaby’s was over 10 years ago. At the time, the Venice/Motor location was the only location. I was there on an online date. He ordered the meal. Fresh hummus, fresh baba ghannouj, beef kafta, chicken kabob and the garlic sauce….the holy grail of condiments…the garlic sauce. I had never enjoyed many of these flavors before, it was new and delicious and my taste buds danced for days afterwards. He and I only dated for a couple months, but I am grateful to him, still today, for introducing me to Gaby’s.\r \r Fast forward 10 years, blissfully married. The husband and I and friends frequent Gaby’s often. There are 5 locations to choose from, but we enjoy the original.\r \r With hundreds of FANTASTIC restaurants in LA, we don't stray too far from Gaby's. We celebrate many of our birthdays there (one this upcoming Saturday), wedding rehearsal dinners, bring out of town guests here and it’s not uncommon to get/make the call/text/email any day of the week…What’s for dinner? Gaby’s? I have yet to receive/give any other reply than ‘yes’.\r \r The garlic sauce is reason enough to visit, but the chicken, the beef, the lamb, the veggie dishes, the incredibly fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors have kept us coming back.\r \r My favorite is bringing my family from Utah to Gaby’s when they visit, since many of them have never had Mediterranean food. I’m delighted as they ooohh and ahhh and WOW through their meal, just as I did my time. For an extra layer of fun, we’ll order the hookah at the end of the meal. When they get home and recall their visit to LA, they ALWAYS refer to Gaby’s and when they come back, it’s one of the first places they want to go. \r \r Among our friends, we have our favorites, and we often stick to them (which is sad, because everything on the menu is good!). Mine is the Leon’s Chicken Salad, which often times I will add a beef kabob and share with a friend. My husband’s favorite is the Venetian Lamb Salad or when he is hungry, the Kabob combo (he has a HUGE appetite). Dinner entrees avg about $11 and they are plentiful. If there are four of us, we start with hummus and/or mujadara (lentils with fried onions on top…tastes like an in&out burger). We bring our own wine and whether we have 2-8 people, the bill with tax and tip avgs $20pp. What other civilized restaurant can you go to, be guaranteed a fantastic meal and drink your wine for this price?\r \r About once a month we call ahead for take-out, but be fare warned your car will smell of Gaby’s goodness for a couple days afterwards. \r \r We do not see the owner, Gaby as often as we used to (he now spreads his time between the 5 locations), but when we do, we are greeted with the warmest smile and genuine hospitality.\r \r I am picky, frugal and demanding and I’ve been coming to Gaby’s consistently for 10 years, pleased with each experience. Gaby’s continues to be my #1 restaurant. \r more

My first visit to Gaby’s was over 10 years ago. At the time, the Venice/Motor location was the only location. I was there on an online date. He ordered the meal. Fresh hummus, fresh baba ghannouj, beef kafta, chicken kabob and the garlic sauce….the holy grail of condiments…the garlic sauce. I had never enjoyed many of these flavors before, it was new and delicious and my taste buds danced for days afterwards. He and I only dated for a couple months, but I am grateful to him, still today, for introducing me to Gaby’s. Fast forward 10 years, blissfully married. The husband and I and friends frequent Gaby’s often. There are 5 locations to choose from, but we enjoy the original. With hundreds of FANTASTIC restaurants in LA, we don't stray too far from Gaby's. We celebrate many of our birthdays there (one this upcoming Saturday), wedding rehearsal dinners, bring out of town guests here and it’s not uncommon to get/make the call/text/email any day of the week…What’s for dinner? Gaby’s? I have yet to receive/give any other reply than ‘yes’. The garlic sauce is reason enough to visit, but the chicken, the beef, the lamb, the veggie dishes, the incredibly fresh ingredients and vibrant flavors have kept us coming back. My favorite is bringing my family from Utah to Gaby’s when they visit, since many of them have never had Mediterranean food. I’m delighted as they ooohh and ahhh and WOW through their meal, just as I did my time. For an extra layer of fun, we’ll order the hookah at the end of the meal. When they get home and recall their visit to LA, they ALWAYS refer to Gaby’s and when they come back, it’s one of the first places they want to go. Among our friends, we have our favorites, and we often stick to them (which is sad, because everything on the menu is good!). Mine is the Leon’s Chicken Salad, which often times I will add a beef kabob and share with a friend. My husband’s favorite is the Venetian Lamb Salad or when he is hungry, the Kabob combo (he has a HUGE appetite). Dinner entrees avg about $11 and they are plentiful. If there are four of us, we start with hummus and/or mujadara (lentils with fried onions on top…tastes like an in&out burger). We bring our own wine and whether we have 2-8 people, the bill with tax and tip avgs $20pp. What other civilized restaurant can you go to, be guaranteed a fantastic meal and drink your wine for this price? About once a month we call ahead for take-out, but be fare warned your car will smell of Gaby’s goodness for a couple days afterwards. We do not see the owner, Gaby as often as we used to (he now spreads his time between the 5 locations), but when we do, we are greeted with the warmest smile and genuine hospitality. I am picky, frugal and demanding and I’ve been coming to Gaby’s consistently for 10 years, pleased with each experience. Gaby’s continues to be my #1 restaurant. more

Hello City search staff and screeners... My aname is Gaby, the owner of Gaby's Mediterranean, First of all i would like to thank you for a great site where people can express their opinion freely and business owners get the chance to examin their operation and find some great insights about their business. sometimes, as a business owner , I feel desappointed when I see customers consider our devotion to quality, service and value, as point of weakness in our establishment. They take advantage of our kidness and generosity to a point where we feel insulted and manipulated. We make mistakes and our policy is to gladly correct them no questions asked. but people like Shydaug who wrote to you in june 25, 2010 think that they can eat free three times within three weeks because he knows how to manipulate our policy and take advantage of his loud mouth by makind a scene in front of customers. About the incident shydaug is talking about, My Manager called me to tell me about a customer who picked up his food at around 12:30 noonish and calls an hour later complaining about the meat and wants to pick up a replacement plate at 6:30 PM. I went to the restaurant around that time and waited for "Shydog" to personnaly talk to him and find out what he did not like about his food. When he came I did not even look at the plate he brought back. I only asked what is wrong with the meat, he said it was over cooked and started talking about how much he loves the food and how desapointed he was this afternoon because he was not able to eat the lunch he purchased but he loves this place so much he's not gonna write us up online . I appologised to him and went to the kitchen to prepare a whole new plate for him. The line cook who prepared his lunch earlier opened the plate shydog brough back and showed it to me. Four tiny pieces of shaved shawarms meat, 3 pieces of romain letuce and one table spoon of rice where left in the plate. The plate was literarly empty. The line cook whispered to me that this guy came in a week earlier and did the same thing. It was obvious that this "shydog" trying to scam another free ldinner, but still, I put a dinner portion of meat in the plate and hand it to him with a sincere apology. but this man had the adocity to ask me in front of a line of a people for a complete dinner. I brought the plate and told him :" you ate everything sir. Iam giving you meat because you were complaining about the meat" " Your cooks served me burned meat" he said. " If this is what they did I will fire them" I said " but I can not give free dinners all the time. I took pictures of the plate and customers where shoked when they saw it. Dear City search screener: I don't want this lettter to be published . that's not the purpose. Instead I would like you to realize that some people use your platform to manipulate business owners for their own benefit. so please try to get the other side of the story before you post derogatory comments that could hurt people's livelyhood. sincerely, Gaby more

Hello City search staff and screeners... My aname is Gaby, the owner of Gaby's Mediterranean, First of all i would like to thank you for a great site where people can express their opinion freely and business owners get the chance to examin their operation and find some great insights about their business.\r sometimes, as a business owner , I feel desappointed when I see customers consider our devotion to quality, service and value, as point of weakness in our establishment. They take advantage of our kidness and generosity to a point where we feel insulted and manipulated. \r We make mistakes and our policy is to gladly correct them no questions asked. but people like Shydaug who wrote to you in june 25, 2010 think that they can eat free three times within three weeks because he knows how to manipulate our policy and take advantage of his loud mouth by makind a scene in front of customers. About the incident shydaug is talking about, My Manager called me to tell me about a customer who picked up his food at around 12:30 noonish and calls an hour later complaining about the meat and wants to pick up a replacement plate at 6:30 PM. I went to the restaurant around that time and waited for ""Shydog"" to personnaly talk to him and find out what he did not like about his food. When he came I did not even look at the plate he brought back. I only asked what is wrong with the meat, he said it was over cooked and started talking about how much he loves the food and how desapointed he was this afternoon because he was not able to eat the lunch he purchased but he loves this place so much he's not gonna write us up online . I appologised to him and went to the kitchen to prepare a whole new plate for him. The line cook who prepared his lunch earlier opened the plate shydog brough back and showed it to me. Four tiny pieces of shaved shawarms meat, 3 pieces of romain letuce and one table spoon of rice where left in the plate. The plate was literarly empty. The line cook whispered to me that this guy came in a week earlier and did the same thing. It was obvious that this ""shydog"" trying to scam another free ldinner, but still, I put a dinner portion of meat in the plate and hand it to him with a sincere apology. but this man had the adocity to ask me in front of a line of a people for a complete dinner. I brought the plate and told him :"" you ate everything sir. Iam giving you meat because you were complaining about the meat"" "" Your cooks served me burned meat"" he said. "" If this is what they did I will fire them"" I said "" but I can not give free dinners all the time. \r I took pictures of the plate and customers where shoked when they saw it.\r \r Dear City search screener: I don't want this lettter to be published . that's not the purpose. Instead I would like you to realize that some people use your platform to manipulate business owners for their own benefit. so please try to get the other side of the story before you post derogatory comments that could hurt people's livelyhood.\r \r sincerely,\r Gaby more

I was on my way home from work. I bought it to go. when I got it home i found that I I bought a horribly burned swarama dinner. That I could not finishmost of the meat charred. tasteless bakalava, no honey? I asked for hummus and extra tahina, not there. so I decided I would tell the manager. I called and Arnold would not be in until 6. So I thought I would go there and show him the charred remains of good beef. He was very nice and offered another dinner. I said yes. and waited. when he said it was ready he opened it. there was meat but, no salad no hummus no rice. it seems some other guy, the owner? said I had eaten the meal and did not deserve a replacement. I asked him to show me. he went back and got my plate . there was salad, rice and charred meat. he said. "I gave you more meat .and proceeded to swear and yell at me and tell me he was going to fire people!!?? it was surreal.... I mean he went off. he said I did not deserve a full dinner. and because I complained that I was not given what I was offered, a replacement dinner, he took the ration of meat back. I left while he was screaming at the employees. needless to say I will not be back. and I do not think I will go to any others either. Pros: i will not be going back Cons: yelled at me more

I was on my way home from work. I bought it to go. when I got it home i found that I I bought a horribly burned swarama dinner. That I could not finishmost of the meat charred. tasteless bakalava, no honey? I asked for hummus and extra tahina, not there. so I decided I would tell the manager. I called and Arnold would not be in until 6. So I thought I would go there and show him the charred remains of good beef. He was very nice and offered another dinner. I said yes. and waited. when he said it was ready he opened it. there was meat but, no salad no hummus no rice. it seems some other guy, the owner? said I had eaten the meal and did not deserve a replacement. I asked him to show me. he went back and got my plate . there was salad, rice and charred meat. he said. ""I gave you more meat .and proceeded to swear and yell at me and tell me he was going to fire people!!?? it was surreal.... I mean he went off. he said I did not deserve a full dinner. and because I complained that I was not given what I was offered, a replacement dinner, he took the ration of meat back. I left while he was screaming at the employees. needless to say I will not be back. and I do not think I will go to any others either. Pros: i will not be going back Cons: yelled at me more

The food and service was incredible. Shared 3 dishes with my husband and they were all fantastic. more

The food and service was incredible. Shared 3 dishes with my husband and they were all fantastic. more

back in the day, gaby's used to be a great place to have dinner and chill. however, the service these days is ridiculously crappy. it took half an hour to get our drink and appetizer order in...another 20 minutes passed before drinks came. side dishes came with appetizers 25 minutes before the actual entrees; these weren't any better as they were cold and overcooked. never returning to this poor excuse of a restaurant. Pros: being outdoors in nice weather Cons: service and food more

back in the day, gaby's used to be a great place to have dinner and chill. however, the service these days is ridiculously crappy. it took half an hour to get our drink and appetizer order in...another 20 minutes passed before drinks came. side dishes came with appetizers 25 minutes before the actual entrees; these weren't any better as they were cold and overcooked. never returning to this poor excuse of a restaurant. Pros: being outdoors in nice weather Cons: service and food more

Here are my views on “Mediterranean” food. Prepare to be astounded.\r \r I enjoy Mediterranean food immensely. I just don’t see how one place is any different than the other.\r \r The Kabob Express is just like the Falafel Emporium which is just like the House of Hummus.\r \r Rarely do I see a fluctuation in a menu. Perhaps the shwarma at one place is a bit juicier, or the falafel might be a bit drier but they all seem to have the same recipes and the same dishes. They are all quite uniform and there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as Mediterranean Fusion.\r \r Which I’m totally fine with. I love all that stuff, and when I crave it, I don’t want to wonder what I’m getting.\r \r Which brings me to Gaby’s, located on a nondescript section of Venice blvd…actually .isn’t all of Venice blvd nondescript??\r \r I just deleted a whole paragraph of boring description of the place. Who cares? The food is good, you’re not coming here for the ambience.\r \r I ordered the Vegetarian special, I got a little hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouli, dolmas, falafel, garlic sauce and pita. What, what? Yum, yum. \r \r I’m amused that these places exotically call themselves “Mediterranean” to steer the customers against what they really are: Middle Eastern joints. \r \r You walk in and you aren’t quite sure where you’re supposed to be. Are those faded photos in bad frames of Greece? Is the olive skinned waitress from Spain? Those are places in the Mediterranean.\r \r No. You are most likely in a Lebanese restaurant that thinks you will not come to a Middle Eastern food establishment. And sadly, in the case of some folks, they’re probably right.\r \r FOR MORE HONEST REVIEWS, PLEASE LOOK UP:\r \r BUN BOY EATS LA more

Here are my views on “Mediterranean” food. Prepare to be astounded. I enjoy Mediterranean food immensely. I just don’t see how one place is any different than the other. The Kabob Express is just like the Falafel Emporium which is just like the House of Hummus. Rarely do I see a fluctuation in a menu. Perhaps the shwarma at one place is a bit juicier, or the falafel might be a bit drier but they all seem to have the same recipes and the same dishes. They are all quite uniform and there doesn’t seem to be such a thing as Mediterranean Fusion. Which I’m totally fine with. I love all that stuff, and when I crave it, I don’t want to wonder what I’m getting. Which brings me to Gaby’s, located on a nondescript section of Venice blvd…actually .isn’t all of Venice blvd nondescript?? I just deleted a whole paragraph of boring description of the place. Who cares? The food is good, you’re not coming here for the ambience. I ordered the Vegetarian special, I got a little hummus, baba ghanoush, tabouli, dolmas, falafel, garlic sauce and pita. What, what? Yum, yum. I’m amused that these places exotically call themselves “Mediterranean” to steer the customers against what they really are: Middle Eastern joints. You walk in and you aren’t quite sure where you’re supposed to be. Are those faded photos in bad frames of Greece? Is the olive skinned waitress from Spain? Those are places in the Mediterranean. No. You are most likely in a Lebanese restaurant that thinks you will not come to a Middle Eastern food establishment. And sadly, in the case of some folks, they’re probably right. FOR MORE HONEST REVIEWS, PLEASE LOOK UP: BUN BOY EATS LA more

I've been coming to Gaby's for about 5 or 6 years now and I've never been disappointed. When Gaby is working, he always comes over to say hi and gives me a hug. He's a very nice man. The food is wonderful. The hummus is the best I've ever had and they will bring you as much pita as you want at no extra charge. My favorite dish is the lemon chicken and I order it almost every time I visit. The salad that comes with the chicken is delicious. Yes, the service is very slow, but I think it's more of a cultural thing than anything else. The Middle Eastern people who eat here tend to stay for hours, playing backgammon and smoking hookahs. No one seems to be in a hurry and I kind of like it. Meals should be relaxed, not rushed. This place is nothing fancy, just great food and friendly employees. I keep telling Gaby he should raise his prices, but he won't hear of it. He's just that kind of guy. I can't say enough good things about Gaby's. It's one of my favorite places and I drive from South Orange County (about 50 miles each way) just for the food. Pros: Food, friendly staff Cons: Too far away from my home more

I've been coming to Gaby's for about 5 or 6 years now and I've never been disappointed. When Gaby is working, he always comes over to say hi and gives me a hug. He's a very nice man. The food is wonderful. The hummus is the best I've ever had and they will bring you as much pita as you want at no extra charge. My favorite dish is the lemon chicken and I order it almost every time I visit. The salad that comes with the chicken is delicious. Yes, the service is very slow, but I think it's more of a cultural thing than anything else. The Middle Eastern people who eat here tend to stay for hours, playing backgammon and smoking hookahs. No one seems to be in a hurry and I kind of like it. Meals should be relaxed, not rushed. This place is nothing fancy, just great food and friendly employees. I keep telling Gaby he should raise his prices, but he won't hear of it. He's just that kind of guy. I can't say enough good things about Gaby's. It's one of my favorite places and I drive from South Orange County (about 50 miles each way) just for the food. Pros: Food, friendly staff Cons: Too far away from my home more

I LOVE ""Gaby's Express"" on Washington Blvd. I can't tell you how happy I am that I finally decided to stop by this place a couple months ago and now I order lunch from there practically every day. The salads are so fresh and crisp. My favorite is ""Leon's Fattoush Salad"". The chicken is delicious and so reasonably priced for everything that comes with it including rice, salad and hummus. The service is good. They are usually busy so I like to call in my order in advance. I don't eat red meat so I can't vouch for the shawerma but the falafel is great and all their appetizers (at least most that I have tried) are priced well and quite good. This is my favorite place for lunch. I hope they never move as they are so close to my work. Pros: Excellent healthy food Cons: Can be a bit too busy depending on the time you go but I would not let that stop me more

I LOVE "Gaby's Express" on Washington Blvd. I can't tell you how happy I am that I finally decided to stop by this place a couple months ago and now I order lunch from there practically every day. The salads are so fresh and crisp. My favorite is "Leon's Fattoush Salad". The chicken is delicious and so reasonably priced for everything that comes with it including rice, salad and hummus. The service is good. They are usually busy so I like to call in my order in advance. I don't eat red meat so I can't vouch for the shawerma but the falafel is great and all their appetizers (at least most that I have tried) are priced well and quite good. This is my favorite place for lunch. I hope they never move as they are so close to my work. Pros: Excellent healthy food Cons: Can be a bit too busy depending on the time you go but I would not let that stop me more

This is a story about the Gaby's on Washington . . . Went there with a date, okay, so not the best atmosphere but they had kibbeh. Boy was I excited. We ordered the mezze platter. Okay this is not a pricey place, but it was one of the more expensive things on the menu; when we were finally able to put in our order (the waitress was very busy with her friends at a nearby table) it arrived with no kibbeh, no baba ganoush, just extra falafel and hummus - no explanation, same price. We were finally able to flag our server down ( if you saw the size of the place you would get the joke) and apparently they had run out of almost everything listed on the mezze platter and just made random substitutions, no consulting, nothing. this was the first time in my life I left a 10% tip . . . more