Sababa Restaurant & Lounge

Had plans to do a girls night out, and wanted to start it off right with some sababa! Little did I know, it closed, and I am so bummed. This was definitely one of my favorite places in lb to eat at, especially if I was in the mood for a fresh Greek salad, some yummy humus and of course, a cocktail. I hope this place re opens.
Praying that they only closed temporarily to give the place a little face lift and TLC if anything!

What?!! Why is this place closed? Honestly this was a great place! I had my college graduation party upstairs. The staff was amazing and so was the atmosphere.
The location was very easy to get to, but maybe too off the grid to be noticed (sigh).

Our last night at Sababa. Thank you Sagi, Marco, Slade, Lindsay et al. It’s been a beautiful moment.

Sababa is a cute little restaurant/​bar with a hip atmosphere. Came on a saturday night. They had a dj who played reggae (so loud for such a small space tho.) My review is mostly on the food. I ordered the chicken kabobs. It comes with just the smallest amount of sauce on the side. I need more sauce! It was really bland. Mediterranean nachos… I prefer mexican nachos esp if I’m drinking. Another plain dish that was in my opinion, overly priced. It’s a good place to get a drink or two but I wouldn’t spend the whole night here. The staff was friendly. Good indoor/​outdoor seating but it’s in a shopping center so don’t expect much. I wouldn’t come back for the food — just drinks.

This place has a very cool vibe. The service was great and we were greeted in person by the owner. My husband had the salmon. It was the best prepared salmon we ever had st a restaurant. I got the green salad with lamb. The dressing was nice and light. I love a salad with arugula, cucumber, tomatoes, feta and avocados! The dessert was delicious… Apple baklava, like mom’s best apple pie with light and crispy filo. Hubby got the ice cream sandwich which was big enough for 3 people. Unilocalers get a shot for $ 1 if you check in. It had a nice combo of raspberry liquor and peach schnapps and vodka. This is definitely a come again place. Perfect to celebrate any occasion with your adult friends. Kids are welcome too, but I choose to leave my teen home so that I can enjoy a few drinks. You can’t lose at this great find!

A very great meal in a hidden away spot. The food was interesting, cool takes on traditional pub fare. Decent beer selection. And the management was very nice, which is always a plus.

Love Sababa went on monday night for a birthday party it is so comfortable there. Yummy food and drinks. The general manager Greg was so attentive and our waitress Was so great. Will have more parties there

This place is dope. And i’ll tell you why.
A friend of mine had a Baptismal reception, they had opened up their place to a catered event, with a closed menu. There was a bartender (with dreds) who was awesome, the multiple very quick, very attentive waitresses, and What i believe to be the manger or the owner who looks like Max from Max’s of Saved By The Bell.
Food: Food was good, There was Pita Bread and Hummus which were great, the Calamari WAS ON HIT, that white sauce to accompany the lightly breaded calamari was awesome. The Mediterranean cucumber and tomato salad was very refreshing. French fries were crispy, pasta and rice were also very good. There were also lamb/​beef kabobs which were great, the chicken skewers were a little drier than expected, but had a lot of flavor. The salmon was amazing, as well as the sliders. All in all, a good serving of food, I was well satiated.
Service: The only problem? None. Service was exquisite.
Bar: Yo, this might be crazy, but we got turn’d up on Sunday… for a baptism. The Bartender with dreds served us all day, made great strong drinks, and had great recommendations. Cool guy, great drinks, there isn’t much more you need in a bartender. TV’s surrounded the bar, and had the NBA Playoffs on 1 screen, and Angels game on the other. Center TV playing music. It was perfect. Also? Drinks are fair priced. This isn’t a $ 14 a drink type of place… perfect!
All in all a great experience. Only reason for not having 5 stars is that space around the bar is tight, so it felt like we were at a crowded bar on a Friday night, when in reality, it was just my friends. Haha, so it was hard for the waitress to get through to clean and re-​stock the food.
Would definitely love to come back here again and try their other menu items.

Ok ambiance to sit and have a drink or five. Food is some sort of Americanized Mediterranean nonsense. Examples: Mediterranean nachos, apple baklava, etc. Edible, but not really good.
House cocktails all sounded horribly sweet.
Service was good. Seating was comfy. Music was terrible.
Don’t expect great things and you’ll be fine.

3 stars for this place, I must be insane right? This is a 4 star Restaurant, unfortunately all I can give is 3 stars. My bf and I wanted to try something new, and I wanted Medeteranian so voila! in comes Sababa, the location is in a good neighbor hood with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, and lots of parking. We went on a Friday night, and I guess this is also a lounge. They have indoor and outdoor seating, the restaurant is quite small. We sat down, and were helped right away. The menu, however, was lacking. In my opinion they only had a few choices, and the choices were not what I expected. I Ordered the 3 chicken kabobs and they were tiny, and they did not come with vegetables as I have seen ither kabobs do, so basically just chicken on a stick with some sauce, and a tiny portion of rice. I also ordered fries $ 6.50. The kabobs were good, but without veggies it was too bland for my taste. The fries were decent but too pricey. I would not return, only because there wasn’t too much variety, and not what I expected. However, I have no compliants service, and location was good, and food was okay too.

Really enjoyed this place! The hummus was amazing. Loved the ambiance and the live music. Had the chicken breast with scallop potatoes and shared hummus and pita, salmon and chicken skewers with the table. Great service. Definitely recommended for big groups.

We went here for a black and white event, this place is kinda hard to find its like tuck back in between other stores, there was red carpet rolled out for the guests along with a photo booth, the only seats that were out was in the in close patio and up stairs the place is really kinda small, the ladies servers were very nice and friendly as they brought out chicken, lamb, salmon, calamari, all skewers in a martini glass some had fries or rice in the glass too, there were tables along the side on the well with dishes like nachos, salsa, flat bread, hummus and I think eggplant also, if you check in with Unilocal you get a $ 1.00 shot, as people were leaving they were pass out free ride cards with Lyft just had to download the app. for a ride up to $ 25.00…by the way the food was very delicious will return for a sit down dinner.

Sababa is what you would call a modern hybrid Mediterranean restaurant that has been designed and decorated to feel like a lounge. Unlike any other venues in the area, Sababa features a great dining and bar area and there is an upstairs mezzanine & outdoor patio as well.
Sababa offers great selection of Beer and wine and they also offer live music at nights.
I choose to sit at the bar and I was impressed by the two bartenders that were juggling all drinks orders but still super attentive and friendly and took care of me and my friend orders.
They offer happy hour menu from Tuesday — Friday 5:00 pm — 7:00 pm and Sunday 4:00 pm — 7:00 pm
I tried the Mediterranean nachos last time I was there: Pita chips topped with fresh spinach, goat cheese, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, tahini vinaigrette and topped with hummus. Super yummy and healthier than regular nachos.
I also tried the Tuna Tar tar: Sushi grade tuna with fresh lemon juice, orange juice and olive oil, sesame seeds and avocado, topped with arugula and balsamic with side of homemade potato chips. Tuna was super fresh and seasoned perfectly.
The food is both healthy and delicious here. Service was top notch. I’ll be returning soon!

I am the lucky guy at my company that got picked to try and find a place to have our team holiday party. I needed a place that could accommodate a large crowd, serve delicious food and pour some great drinks all on a strict budget.
Sarah and Sagie both delivered on those necessities in spades! My entire team had a great time! Thank you guys for the awesome time, we will definitely be going back!

Meh. Not the best first experience. I’m not sure I will be going back. They don’t clean and you can see the inch or so thick dust that has accumulated in the patio. The service wasn’t top notch when empty I’m concerned how it will be when packed. The quality wasn’t the best for the cost.

I love this clean modern place! It was a little difficult to find since it was tucked away in between Trader joes and Bevmos. The exterior is deceiving because the inside feels a lot bigger than it looks from the outside. Turning around the corner, ppl were sitting outside on the patio in these comfortable cushioned sectional chairs. Love the mahogany and white covers!
SETTING rating ⁴⁄₅
Walking in the two French doors, there’s a large spiral light connected to the tall ceiling hanging right over the top of the bar. There’s a man on the acoustic guitar and he sings into the mic, his voice echoes throughout the whole restaurant. We found our way upstairs where my friends were sitting and alongside the stairs there were framed art pieces hanging on the wall.
SERVICE, rating ⁴⁄₅
Our waitress was a little frazzled because we had a party of 10 and she was all over the place trying to accommodate us and others. Totally understandable, big parties could be difficult to handle. So the owner came out and served us instead. I thought it was a really awesome thing for him to do.
FOOD
I can’t give it a rating bc I didn’t eat anything other than nibble on the pita bread and drank water. But for sure, I would like to come back next time and try out their menu!

Came to Sababa Lounge for one of my best friend’s birthday dinners. It’s in a very big plaza, and honestly. it can be a little confusing to find. 5 of us gals got lost on trying to find it.
We were assisted by the host stand outside, and when you walk in, you see the lounge area which is located mostly outside, a round bar with a couple of comfy high seats, and then to the left is the restaurant. Which is 2 long tables, basically. So. it’s a pretty small restaurant.
Our waitress was patient and helpful with us. She was present, quick, and very friendly. She made it easy for us and split all of our bills! No gratuity added to it, either. which I found surprising.
If you check in on Unilocal,you get their signature shot for only $ 1. It was actually really freakin’ delicious, too. No chaser needed haha. It was basically a cocktail in shot form.
Anyways! I ended up ordering their:
Half-​Pound Burger
Half-​pound lean ground beef burger served on a Hawaiian bun topped with sautéed onions, olives, peppers, arugula and Sababa Sauce; side of our seasoned spiced fries and harissa ketchup.
$ 12.50
It was a pretty plain burger, but it was decently good. I should’ve added cheese, but I thought the Sababa sauce would help it out. The waitress also provided their house made aioli sauce which turned out to be pretty tasty! Their fries, though. Crunchy, really flavorful, and addictive. I couldn’t stop munchin on em. It was a pretty big plate, and I was definitely full afterwards.
They brought out a chocolate lava cake with a candle for my friend, and we all sang happy birthday for her. Even the owner came out to sing for her! Haha. After that happened, my other friend returned to her seat next to me, and the chair straight up broke on her. She fell on her ass completely. Funny yet… not funny lol. But, the owner rushed over to her and asked if she was okay. The chair was already kind of wobbly to begin with.
When we were about to leave, the owner offered us a free shot on the house. We couldn’t deny it. It seemed to be the same shot as the one we got for $ 1, and I asked what was inside. Raspberry vodka, peach Schnapps, some soda, and champagne. Really delicious.
The owner was very friendly and happy to have us there.
The place was pretty dead on a Saturday night, and it had mainly older folks. I think this place would do much better in a different location. The plaza that it’s in has a lot of healthy choices, and I’m sure people wouldn’t want to go to a lounge after shopping at Trader Joe’s, or eating at Veggie Grill lol. Also, everything is pretty much closed when Sababa’s is one of the only places open.

Warning: This will be a long review!
Before: First off, I called this place to make reservations 2 weeks in advanced! I spoke to someone about having a group of about 20 people and the person said that we could have an area upstairs. Booking the place was easy! They said that a guy named John will call me to confirm that it is good to go. A few days later, John called and told me that there was another big party that was going to be in that same area. As thoughtful as John was, he thought about how this could be a problem as there would be to many people upstairs. He suggested the outside front patio with heaters and that was totally fine with me. It is a bit more intimate because there is not a lot of noise/​loud music. This way, we could still have a conversation with other people. On the day of the event (surprise birthday party), John calls just to confirm that everything was still set and if there were any changes. This right here is awesome management! I love it! Makes me feel super important!
During: On the day of the event, reservations were made at 7:30pm. A couple of my friends arrived first so we could surprise my boyfriend. Everyone, I assume, was seated and ordered a couple of appetizers. When my boyfriend and I arrived, there was no one to check us in, which was alright. We just walked in and my boyfriend was in utter shock! We then started chit chatting while ordering food. Sarah, our server, was AMAZING!!! She took everyones order prior to when I got there and she was very attentive with our group throughout the entire night. My boyfriend and I shared the Half-​Pound Burger ($ 12.50) which was half-​pound beef, hawaiian buns, sauteed onions, olives, peppers, sababa sauce, arugula, seasoned fries, harrisa ketchup. I thought this was deliciously amazing!!! Love the taste of arugula in a burger! That burger tasted to perfection. The fries were awesome as well! I also had a sample of the Stuffed Mushrooms ($ 8.50), which contained zucchini, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese, garlic, olives, mozzarella cheese, red fresnos. NOt a big fan of olives so I took those out but this was a great appetizer to nibble on. You can never go wrong with fries, which was Seasoned Fries that were ultra crispy. Came with a side of harrisa ketchup and lemon artichoke aioli.
Since this was a surprise birthday dinner, my friend was able to buy a cake from a local bakery and bring it to the place. They did a nice job of refrigerating it for us. When it was time for cake, I asked Sarah to bring it out. She lit the candle, waited for everyone to sing happy birthday, and then proceeded to ask how many people were in our party. We said 15, she took the cake, and a few minutes later, the cake was cut into perfect slices and they were served directly to us with a few extra pieces! How nice was that!!! :) I was beyond thrilled that this was going very well. I could not believe the services and of course, I didn’t think that it would get better than this but it did!!!
When it was time to pay the bill, mind you, we had a large group and everyone was ordering things from left to right. I asked Sarah for the bill and she said that we could either put it on one bill or do separate checks. I told her that one bill would be easier because I was going to pay the whole thing but she then proceeded to let me know that she had already started separate bills and kept track of who ordered what. OMG this girl is amazing!!! When the bill came out, everything was accurate to the T!!! I was impressed!!! We all basically found our own bill, wrapped our cash or credit card and put it in the book. The cool thing was even though we had a huge party, we got separate checks, gratuity was not added. SCORE!
As we made our way outside the restaurant and was about to leave, a man (Sagi) comes running out saying, «WHERE ARE YOU GUYS GOING?! IT’S STILL EARLY!!» (11:00PM). We all told him that it was time to head home. He asked me who the birthday person was and I pointed to my boyfriend. He then said, «OKAY WE NEED TO GET A SHOT FOR HIM!» Then he asked me how many people were in the party. (some people had already left). I told him we had 11 people and then he dragged us into the bar and gave us all free shots! WOW, this night is getting better by the minute! I have no idea what the shot consisted of but it was amazingly delicious! We had some DD’s so they didn’t take it, so I took it! Although we did not end up staying after those free shots, I can say with confidence that I will definitely be back soon! I cannot wait to try the other food items they have to offer! Love the atmosphere, service, location, and people! SEE YOU SOON SABABA!
NOTE:
–Make reservations!
–Closed Mondays
–Every Tuesday: $ 15 wine tasting (7−9pm)
–Happy Hour Tuesday-​Thursday: 5−7pm
–Late Night Happy hour Tuesday-​Thursday 9pm-​12am
–Every Thursday $ 15 Martini Flights (7−9pm)
–Every Friday: Live DJ and Dancing: 9pm-​2am

Celebrated my birthday here. Great food, awesome service and fun vibe! Definitely exceeded my expectations. Menu is diverse. Nice happy hour specials. I can’t wait to go back again.
Pros: Affordable. Diverse menu. Ample parking. Patio area.
Cons: none.

I like this place. Lemme tell you why:
LOCATION
While hecka-​hard to find in the shopping center, once you know it, you’ll love it. The outside patio is my favorite. The outside lounge is chic. It’s near enough to the fountain for you to get the benefit of listening to the water. The inner sanctum has an interesting vibe, but still nice. People seem to really prefer to sit at the bar…
SERVICE
I love good customer service. Jeff, the owner rocks. Chris, the event manager, rocks hard. ;) All the other servers are equally as wonderful, which beckons you back.
FOOD
Mediterranean Israeli, from the owner’s heritage. EVERYTHING is delicious.
–YOU MUST HAVE THE NACHOS! Looking healthy, I wanted to stop my server and tell them they brought me the wrong dish. Spinach, olives, hummus… but these things are DELICIOUS together with the goat cheese – and SO filling! Whoo! Makes you wanna slap yo’ Momma (‘s back)!
–Lamb kabobs. New and different. I’ll pass, but my friends liked it. We just wanted to do something besides chicken.
–Tuna tar tar. I believe it was left on the plate – but it’s an acquired taste anyway.
–Burger sliders. YUM!
–Chicken wings. Delicious. Spicy. Needs libation to balance the spice.
–I don’t drink, but my friends do, and everyone liked their drinks.
VIBE
You’ll have a great time! I first spent time in this locale when I was in the plaza and heard a D.J. It turns out that 9PM brings a DJ. Nice and grown. Even before the DJ (before 9PM), there’s a great vibe of folk just enjoying the day.