Truly Mediterranean
Category: Greek and Mediterranean [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission3109 16th St
(at Valencia St)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 252-7482
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 11:00 a.m.-12:00 a.m.
Sun 11:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol: None
110 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Beautiful dining room. Wonderful service. Very interesting food. I'm not sure if it is quite my style (well, it isn't - quite a bit of…" read more »
333 Reviews for Truly Mediterranean
This shawerma isn't even the best in San Francisco. That honor goes to Yumma's. It's gotten increasingly expensive (really, $8.52 for a shawerma?). It gets busy.
But I am so relieved on my long Tuesdays, when I'm on campus for 12 hours, I can hop on BART and run away to Truly Med and stuff my face with a chicken shawerma. In less time than it would take me to pick a banh mi eatery less than 3 blocks away. I can step outside my little pseudo-legal world full of jargon and abstract, finite details, and run into the bosom of the Mission. I'll gladly pay $8.52 for that experience.
Oh, make sure to get extra napkins. You'll need 'em. Get hot sauce, too. Don't be wussy.
I walk from SOMA every Saturday to get my lamb shawarma because parking is horrific and weird people take MUNI on the weekends. But...that little piece of wrapped heaven is worth every mile and every blister. Seriously, if you haven't had one maybe you should hold off until you are willing to go to such extremes to get it.
I do have to take away one star because the guy that makes 'em gets pissed when I ask for no onions.
Truly Med is the bomb! this place would is border line on an A-OK b/c there is much space to eat the food and parking is terrible. Like the man who gave the tips I totally agree with him. I have them in my phone, call it in and park at the bus stop and run out and grab it to go. I wish they would expand and have a sit down restaurant, they once did in North Beach but it closed down a while ago, not sure how it wasn't a huge hit....
My favorite items on their menu is the Chicken Shewerma, actually it might be the only thing I have ever ordered from there.
I came here for dinner on Tuesday night. Lucky for me there was chicken on the spit that night. They let the chicken drippings fall on chunks of tomatoes that they use in your shawerma. It made the tomatoes awesome. This is a great deal for such a low price. It lasted me for two meals!
A friend and i went to Truly Mediterranean one night to try it out since we were in the neighborhood.
this is what we ordered:
Falafe was alright, (a little too dry)
combo plate was not bad (all veggies), hummus needed some more garlic
we also got the lamb shawerma, which was the best of all 3!
why 3 stars?? i had better mediterranean food made from someone else.
Overall, its an OKAY restaurant O YEAH, TAKE IT TO-GO only!!!
TRULY MED TIPS
1. Call in your order for a shawerma.
2. Ask for hot sauce for a nice burn
3. Park at the bus stop in front of the Roxie for pick up and go.
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great schwarmas... hot sauce please.
fyi - tuesdays & sundays, chicken only.
the falafel are always fresh... and they're cool with me ordering them as a side... when i'm poor, 3 for $1.35 ain't bad!
TAKE OUT ONLY - TAKE OUT ONLY
Dinner for two $18 at this hole in the wall
We braved the super narrow eating area (and got a back cramp in the process trying to twist around not touching other people)
An occasional, exceptionally smelly homeless person may wander in while you are eating.
Mexican children playing jungle gym in the corner on giant mama and baby stroller kick you every minute or so
You can also gander at the workers there, pretty much a modern day version of indentured servants.
Those better be enough reasons for TAKE OUT ONLY
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I was told about this place from some fellow friends because they always know I complain about the quality of Arabic food in this city considering that I am lebanese - I am a little picky especially when they try to Americanize it - it just doesn't taste the same.
However, I walked down to this place and ordered a falafel sandwich and they put friend potatoes in there for me - which is how we used to eat it as kids so it was perfect. The friend the falafel just right and it was crispy and warm and you could tell it was fresh and not made from a mix. The sandwich was perfect and it was priced just right. I can't wait to go back.
Best Falafel wrap ever. It's not really cheap like some other options in the Mission, but you definitely get your money's worth in portion size. The place is also a little tight and cramped, so it's good for takeout.
The food definitely caters to the the more tangy-friendly palate (like mine), so be prepared. I haven't tried the meat options, so I can't speak for that, but this is my favorite Mediterranean place in SF so far :)
Try it! You won't be disappointed!
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I used to frequent the Truly Mediterranean on Haight Street, across from Amoeba Music. When it moved to Berkeley, I started going there. Now this one is the only one left, and as much as I dislike trips to the Mission District of San Francisco, I now make regular pilgrimages for the schwarma. It's the best schwarma I've ever had, anywhere.
IMPORTANT-- the chicken schwarma is the tasty thing to get, and you can only get it on Tuesday or Friday, so go on those days or miss out.
Another plus-- the staff is always very kind and friendly, and willing to do just about anything you ask them to do to your schwarma. A real plus. Go!
I enjoyed the lamb shawarma. The falafel from the combo plate was really good too. Service was fast.
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I love places like Truly Mediterranean. Small place with only a few seats, friendly people behind the counter and tasty foods.
The Chicken or Lamb Shawermas are cool, and the hot sauce gives it a little bit of Oomph.
Having never trying anything like the Garlic-Mint Yogurt, it was pretty good and tasty.
The only negatives is there is no parking whatsoever. So i only go if i'm in the area or for pick up. Order in advance, it takes a little bit of time for them to create these tasty products but you'll know it's fresh off the grill.
The staff comes off as unusually warm and friendly for such a loud and busy place. Major points there.
When I used to eat meat, I found the shawermas to be just OK. I recently tried their falafel, and that was just OK too.
Truly Med is closer to home, but I don't mind walking further to get to Ali Baba's Cave for their softer food. Truly Med is a bit too sharp and tangy for my taste. It's also somewhat on the pricey side, which keeps their food from being a more frequent burrito alternative for me.
I have nothing bad to say about Truly Med, but don't have much to rave about either.
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Tasty shawerma and HUGE. Get the hot sauce, it's not too hot, but it's really tasty. They cook the chicken kebab to order so it takes a while, but while it was cooking I got to watch them cook the falafels. I like the little scoop that they use to shape the falafel and drop them in the oil to fry.
It's a little more expensive than your typical mission hole in the wall, but you could totally share or save some for later.
I love Mediterranean food: crispy falafel, tangy feta, and hummus that begs for the pita to be dipped in it.
In the last two months, I've come here with my gf a handful of times. We share the combination plate and a falafel deluxe. The combo plate has everything you'd like in a standard Med meal: hummus, cucumber salad, tabouleh (light on bulgar wheat), feta, dolma, falafel, and warm pita. Grilling the lavash makes all the difference in making the falafel sandwich not collapse from the weight of ingredients.
It'd be great if we could find a third person to share the excess because this is all too much for just the two of us. Where else can you get so much for so little?
This place is beyond small. There are maybe half a dozen counter seats and half a dozen seats outside. 99% of their business appears to be takeout. This means that they are extremely nice to those who choose to stay.
Maybe this place has a goofy name. Or maybe they describe just as it is...Truly Mediterranean because it truly is what it is says it is. We will return again and again.
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Shawerma has been a huge part of my diet for the two months since I discovered this place. Think of it like the In-N-Out for mediterranean food; simple but with its own style. I also love the staff, as they seem like decent people and like they enjoy their work.
The shawerma is done burrito style with onions, amazing roasted tomatoes, lamb (or chicken depending on the day), garlic-mint yogurt, a "hot" sauce that is very mild, even when you respond to the "hot?" question affirmatively.
I love this place like I love puppies.
Came here on a Friday, and they didn't have the lamb shawarma. Too bad. So, instead, we ordered Original Falafel- it was very very good close to awesome; lamb kebab- was okay to good; and Kefta Kebab- it was very very good close to awesome.
We didn't know how big the portion was... so, we ordered those three. The portions are pretty big, they even cut the wrap into two. The wrap (lavash) is pretty crunchy, so it added to the "yumminess" of my order.
And it's pretty cheap, that is my highlight. Good and cheap food. All of the order plus drink came out to $23. Not too shabby!!
I just have to make sure that next time I avoid Tuesdays and Fridays, so I could taste their famous lamb shawarma.
I strolled into this tiny eatery with its five stools (and outdoor seating), feeling lucky after finding parking nearby (and no line!) and continued my shawerma quest by ordering the chicken shawerma wrap ($7.50).
They know what they're doing. He asked me if I wanted it spicy or not. No one's ever asked me that before when ordering shawerma though some places have given me hot sauce. Wow, good sign. They're very quick too - they spread the hot sauce on the lavash, shave off the chicken from the spit, throw on some yogurt sauce, tomatoes and onions, roll and then throw it on the grill. My wrap was ready in minutes, which gave me some time to look over their press clippings and awards.
The wrap did not disappoint. There's just the right amount of delicious garlic yogurt sauce, so that wrap doesn't fall apart and sauce doesn't squirt everywhere. They give you plenty of chicken which is thinly shaved and seasoned well. The crunchy seasoned onions, juicy broiled tomatoes and taste of fresh parsley all enhance the taste of the wrap. As for the hot sauce, I wish it were spicier.
The menu is limited to various wraps and some dips and salads but I like limited menu hole in the wall spots. It's a shame that you can only get the chicken shawerma on Tuesdays and Fridays though - wish they could squeeze in one more spit. They have some drinks and some fresh desserts (baklava and some others) too.
Credit cards accepted.
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The spicy sauce "dries out" the shawerma a bit, because it is more pasty than a thick chili liquid, which on the plus side doesn't soak through the wrap and therefore holds well when taking out, but I think next time I'll ask for extra yogurt sauce, which was divine. The meat was succulent--you can see them carve it out of a heaping mound on their rotating spit; just watching it and absorbing all the aroma... mouth watering! The rest of the filling is standard and very complementary; I love what they use for the wrap. Versus a pita or tortilla-esque wrap like some other places, they put it on lavash, a first for me. Awesome, perfect wrapping material.
Reasonable pricing for dinner fare, about $8 for a lamb shawerma; service is speedy and very friendly, and the place is immaculate for an over-the-counter eatery.
I agree with Giedon K. that this is a Take-Out only place; the stool and bar for "seating" are far too few and cramped to be able to truly enjoy your meal (plus it's a little weird to stare into a mirror and watch yourself scarf down food... it's almost like you're having an eating contest with yourself?).
Food a-plenty, I will be back for sure, especially to try out the chicken shawerma which is only served twice a week and therefore, makes it mysterious and worthy of my curiosity.
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OK all you fellow falafephiles, I have to say that Truly Mediterranean is really growing on me......that's not really doing it justice, I'm actually starting to love this place.
So a little background: Before I moved to San Francisco, I felt pretty familiar with the Middle Eastern culinary arts, particularly Lebanese and Syrian cuisine. I went to college in Montreal, Canadia where you're literally tripping over Lebanese fast food joints. All you Habitants know what I'm talking about. Falafel, shish taouk, shawarma, kafta kebabs with rice pilaf and roasted potatoes and creamy garlic mayo and delicate, flaky baklava oozing with honey and pistachios and................ excuse me, I'm having a moment..............
........... talk amongst yourselves.
............OK, I'm done. Anyway all of these wonderful things were our lunches, our dinners and our late-night, post-clubbing, drunken food orgies (along with Madonna Pizza but that's another story:). So I have a very clear picture of what a falafel sandwich for example should look like, smell like and taste like, i.e. deep fried nuggets of delicious chickpea meal, with humus, fresh lettuce, tomato, pickled turnip (dyed an ungodly hot pink for some reason) and garlic mayo, all wrapped up in a pita and grilled on a sandwich press. That's how we kicked it La Metropole style.
So imagine my skepticism going to Truly Mediterranean for the first time and ordering a falafel and seeing the guy whip out a giant sheet of lavash, smear it with hot sauce (hot sauce??), onions, and diced cucumber salad (the humanity!!), falafel balls and yogurt sauce??? I wanted to say "Dude, you're doing it wrong!! Haven't you ever been to Montreal?" Well despite my consternation at having my falafel world-view turned on it's ass (we can say ass on Yelp right?) it turned out that it was actually DELICIOUS! I continued investigating this newly discovered bizzaro world of Middle Eastern food with the lamb shawarma (equally delicious, with tender morsels of lamb shaved off the rotating meat thingy, marinated onions, parsley, roasted tomatoes, and hot sauce (tastes like harissa) and wrapped in lavash bread). I'm totally sold. I now crave this stuff on a daily basis. I'm looking forward to venturing further and sampling the "deluxe" falafel (which adds pickled eggplant and fried potatoes into the mix) and some of the chicken and lamb kebabs. The garlic and mint yogurt drink is also intriguing.
Turns out that the owners of the restaurant are Jordanian and not Lebanese or Syrian. Perhaps there are regional differences in some of these dishes?
In any event, I've come around and am now a very big fan of Truly Mediterranean despite my preconceived notions of what "real" Middle Eastern cuisine should be. Can't we all just get along?
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I came across this ethnic conundrum on my way to the Roxie theater next door. Why is it that most places like this get labeled (or even label themselves) as Mediterranean, while the food is actually Middle Eastern? Is the average American falafel craver slightly uncomfortable that there may be an IED in your wrap? Not to mention that your order is served up by a bunch of energetic Latin-Americans, adding to the Babylonian confusion.
Either way, if you're looking for a quick and filling meal at the buzzing corner of Valencia and 16th, the stuff in this ethnic melting pot looks fresh, is served with a smile, and is quite delicious.
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I had bookmarked this place a while ago after reading my friend Jenny K's review, but it took me a while to go there. After my meal last night, I immediately regretted not going much sooner -- and I can't wait until my next visit!
We split a combination platter and a falafel pita. The combination platter was so delicious - pita, hummus, cucumber salad, tabouleh, feta, dolmas, falafel, some more sauces. After we polished that off we were almost full, but we still had a big falafel pita waiting for us (good thing we didn't order two!). As good as it was, we could only finish half - the portions are huge here! At just under $20 for two and a half meals (I took the rest of the falafel home - no way was I letting something so good go to waste), this place is quite a good deal.
The guys working there are nice, too. They wiped down the counter for us without our asking, and when I got a bottle of water from their fridge, they gave me a colder one.
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My attempt to write a review about here has made me realize that I know how to spell neither "Truly" or "Mediterranean". So much for being from the country which invented our fair language :(
Anyways, on to the review :)
I eat here far too much. "Far too much" because I'm in a weightloss bet at the moment and the food here is both appetizing, and filling and unhealthy (in a good good way!).
I've had, and recommend, the falafel shawarma and the lamb shawarma. Both are delicious. Price wise its adequate - its about $8. It completely fills you up. I guess the only issues I have with it are that the chilly isn't hot enough and the garlic yoghurt sauce is too garlicy. Then again, im less of a garlic aficiendo (another word I cannot spell!!!) than most of you californian's!
Greatest thing is it is open late, so great for drunken food :)
We love this place! It was my first shawerma and it definitely won't be my last. Great selection, fresh, and fast. It is a small place with counter/stools inside and a couple of patio tables outside.
It is really good for take out. I have tried the lamb and chicken shawerma and also the falafel wrap. Very good indeed!
Always say Yes for the hot sauce. It actually isn't that spicy.
I'd pass through a Hezbollah road block to get to one of their chicken shwarmas. There have been days that I've gone and not been able to get a chicken shwarma for some reason not explained to me. On those days I've resorted to the falafel. I usually tell myself "I got to remember the chicken shwarma days" but have forgotten to do so for the past 13 years. I guess the falafel is so good that I never remember the chicken shwarma days, and when I DO get a shwarma it's like those fu@kin guys gave me a gift. Walkin in from 16th St. with all the hipsters, or any of the "sters" or "istas" then into here is a nice trip. It's small, not the cleanest, but not rank, with dope music out the a.m. radio type sh!t. You might think you found yourself in Lebanon somehow, until you hear Spanish in the kitchen and remember you're in the good ol' U.S.A.!
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Consistently delicious! This is absolutely my go-to place when I'm ravenous and in no mood to wait more than a couple minutes. I get the falafel regular, extra spicy, because it's really not that hot. They wrap it in lavash and then grill it which, in my opinion, is the mark of a quality med wrap.
Kabobs take a while because they grill them fresh to order. I always see people in there waiting for kebabs. They serve either chicken or lamb shawerma depending on the day (I'll report back on which days are which.) I tried the garlic, yogurt & mint drink last time I was there. It was great, not salty (I just don't dig the salty ones) but it was pretty garlicy. Seriously, you would not want to have an important meeting or date later in the day, but it was tasty.
Consistently delicious! This is absolutely my go-to place when I'm ravenous and in no mood to wait more than a couple minutes. I always get the falafel regular, extra spicy, because it's not really that hot. They wrap it in lavash and then grill it which makes their falafel wrap superior to others.
Kabobs take a while because they grill them fresh to order. I always see people in there waiting for kebabs. The shawerma always looks and smells awesome, whether its chicken or lamb (it depends on the day.) I tried the garlic, yogurt & mint drink last time I was there. It was great, not salty (I just don't dig the salty ones) but it was pretty garlicy. Seriously, you would not want to have an important meeting or date later in the day, but it was tasty.
I really miss you Truly Med.
I really miss your Feta Sandwich w/ hot sauce and a nice can of diet coke to wash all that feta goodness down. I'm sure you remember me.. that crazy brown girl who ALWAYS orders the same thing.
I will be back.. oh yes, I will be back soon.
It's the freakin best Mediterranean food I've ever had. I get the veggie combo plate and it's wonderful. The hummus is amazing.
Only draw back it that it is the tiniest shop with few places to sit.
Truly Mediterranean? What a relief! Heaven only knows how many places fuse Mediterranean food with Mexican or, heaven forbid, Irish food. Come on, San Francisco, you can only have Corned Beef & Hummus so many times.
Not.
Aside from their silly name, this place is the bomb. Oh no, can I make bomb jokes? (I get so caught up being P.C. that I'm never sure if I have offended someone).
"Obama is like so popular and my friend likes him, jump on the bandwagon and vote for him, you narrow-minded fools!" Sorry, had to buy a few friends back.
Their "special" was the chicken schwarma, my friend ordered one and she devoured the entire thing. My sampler a.k.a. variety plate a.k.a. "you'll take whatever I throw in front of you and like it" was really good. Aside from a healthy serving of feta, dolma(s?), hummus & pita bread, it contained the best falafel I have ever had. Of course, that isn't saying much, but it sure beats the stuff my mom used to cook from a box when she was pretending to be domestic.
Very limited seating, I wouldn't recommend sitting along the counter inside... instead, I would head outside, wipe down one of the plastic lawn chairs, and keep one hand on your food and the other on your pepper spray.
This is the only place that a homeless guy has offered me money. He approached and asked me if I wanted a quarter. So I took it. Okay, I didn't really take it, but I wanted to. I like shiny things... it's a curse. If I wouldn't have been 50% sure that he was going to rip off my ear with his teeth, I would have been all over that coin. Plus, I didn't want to hurt his feelings..
I treated my friend to dinner here, like the loaded little lady I am, and after 2 entrees, 2 drinks, and dessert I still didn't break a twenty.
Truly Mediterranean reminds me of what my mother used to say, "It doesn't matter what they look like on the outside, it's what's inside that counts."
Then again, she also used to say, "remember, you can change Fat, but you can't change Ugly."
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Definitely the best shawerma I've had in SF. I love the toasty flatbread wrapping. Ask for extra hot sauce. It's not that spicy, but really tasty! One of these days I'll try the yogurt garlic drink....
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LOVE IT! So good. I think I go there maybe once a week? Maybe more? I even eat there sometimes... Yes, in that tiny space where you have to watch yourself eat -- there's a mirror placed right above the counter there to either make that place look bigger or so you can make sure you don't have dried tahini on your face when you leave... Their food is so good, and it's a plus that they got a perfect score on their health/cleanliness code check thing (whatever it's called).
Sometimes the guys working there give me funny looks, but whatever... Keep making me the best falafel deluxe with extra hot sauce I've ever had (no, I haven't traveled to the middle east and had TRULY authentic Mediterranean food, but who cares?). Everything I get there is always well spiced, perfectly crisp/cooked, and just yumalicious! I'll keep coming back for as long as you're there, Truly Mediterranean...
Maybe I'll go back right now! Yum...
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Their falafel is great for vegetarians... I usually get it light on tahini and heavy on spicy sauce. I used to eat here almost every night (kind of sad) when I first moved to the Mish, and I never got tired of it. The place is small but that's part of the Truly Med experience :-)
One of the better falafels I've had in SF. Nicely spiced and crisp without being greasy, and I love the cucumber salad they throw in there. Very friendly service and super affordable prices, too!
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One of the few top Falafel places in the city....
grab a falafel deluxe and walk or ride to delores...
well worth it!!!
$7 bucks for a wrap might sound expensive, but it's money well spent at this spot. Their shwarma's are motherfucking delicious and I don't use the word motherfucking to describe something often. They got meat drippings falling off their spindles onto grilled tomatoes!! Tastes like God's vagina.
Honestly the best Shwarma's and Falafel's!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about them....mmmmmm!!! Awesome place...i just wish they had a llittle more room to sit...
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I have been going to this place since my college years in the '90s. They are really as good as it gets for falafel. I always have the Falafel Deluxe and my husband the Lamb Shawerma and it just tasty and delicious. There are only maybe 6 seats inside the place but we still enjoy eating it there while still fresh from the grill. But with the foil wrap, they stay warm and toasty still when we take it to Ocean Beach, Marina or the Golden Gate Park. This place has never failed.
I'm carrying around half a shawerma while i'm out drinking and hanging out a Gestalt Haus and Casanova. I think to myself I am glad this purse was inexpensive because the old leather is likely to hold on to the scent of lamb though it might counter out the initial smell of thrift store.
Truly Mediterranean's shawerma was tasty enough that I didn't want to leave behind my uneaten portion. The place is tiny but there are a few spots along the wall to eat at. Saw a couple come in for some baklava and that sounded good. As I gazed at the Baba Ganoush sign on the wall I thought out loud that Baba Ganoush would be a good name for a cat but only if it was long hair and a little ugly.
The cashier stared at me longingly I don't know if it was endearing or scary. But as I ate my food on the stool in front of the mirror wall I felt a little exposed.
Good food and prices and a welcome yet handy diversion from the ubiquitous Mission burrito.
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