Cafe Taraiz

I LOVE this place and their food! All homemade and fresh. My favorite is the Moussaka or the Cabbage Rolls. Tried them other places but no comparison. Owner is usually there and the cooks have been with Taraiz for years. Gotta get the Baklava! Yummy!

Best homemade Med. Hummus, lamb, desert all great. BYOB. Nice people always working and dining.

Nice local business. Usually I have the gyro with potatoes and it is always good. Service is good and friendly.

Not bad, it has a mom and pop diner feel to it, and it’s got decent food. I got a little spoiled by this greek restaurant back home, and it’s not as good as that. We got the hummus, falafel things that are fried, and the dolmades (grape leaf things), then a salad with gyro meat. The pita bread tastes/​feels like it came out of a package, but was never put in the oven to warm up up a bit, hummus is good but not super flavorful, dolmades aren’t bad-​little small diameter-​wise, and they’re a little dry. The dipping sauce that is cucumber-​y (sorry don’t remember the name) is a little thing also. The falafel fried things were good, great texture and taste.
Gaw, i sound really criticizing… it’s just little things here and there. Overall, I left happy with my food, and took the leftovers. I don’t like to waste:) Our waitress was nice and helpful, the owner (I’m assuming) greeted and said goodbye-​nice touch. I’d go back, but it’d be cool if they corrected some of the small stuff to take it up a notch.

I’ve been hesitant to write a review because I think the owner is delightful, service is attentive, and I’m happy to see a Greek restaurant in Pearland. But the food is mediocre. I’ve been here many times. i’ve ordered several different items. They’re good but nothing too brag about or take anyone you’re trying to impress. It’s not bad but it’s not great.
I’m sure I’ll go there again but I usually just make the drive to Mediterraneo across from NASA when I need my Greek fix.
Also, this place is pretty darn expensive in my opinion. At least for what it is.
Give it a try. You may think differently. :)
Clean, attentive staff. Nice selection. Finally a Greek place in Pearland!
Falafel, roasted potatoes, dolmas, shwarma, and baklava are not recommended. Gyro and kabobs and kibbeh are good.

Extremely friendly staff.
We ordered two 3 item sampler plates. Everything is freshly made and filled us. We could not believe that we were eating in a strip mall. Excellent food and service.

We visited Café Taraiz for the first time tonight. We are new to the area and are huge fans of Mediterranean food. We were a little put off by the prices since we are used to getting this food in the Hillcroft area, but as soon as the food arrived IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! I ordered the gyro and the meat was not salty and the tahini sauce was delicious. We ordered the tabouli salad along with the hummus, as appetizers and as a snob for tabouli this one met my high standards! My husband ordered the beef sandwich and it was delicious with lots and lots of meat. Over all this place surpassed all expectations and we are so happy we won’t have to drive all the way to hillcroft for our Mediterranean fix!

Sadly, this place has gone WAY downhill. This used to be one of my favorite restaurants. I don’t know what has happened. The last time we went the hummus (which is usually delicious) was so salty you couldn’t eat it. The lamb was rubbery like it had been microwaved, and the roasted potatoes (also normally delicious) were raw. This is the second time I have been very disappointed. I hope things turn around.

Just not a fan.
They service was great, but the food didn’t do it for me. I ordered a gyro and the salad was the best part. I took a bite of the gyro and just couldn’t do more than that. The meat was a bit dry and the pita too doughy. I also had the stuffed grape leaves for the first time and also did not enjoy it.

Everything made from scratch from the kids macaroni to the hummus and everything in between. Lamb, chicken, and beef all delicious! We will return!

I tried this place a few weeks ago because the Unilocal reviews were high, but when my food came out — it wasn’t bad but there also wasn’t anything to praise. The portions were adequate, not TX-​sized large and not too small, but it felt like a lunch portion that we received for a dinner meal. I was highly disappointed.

I did not enjoy the falafel. It was mediocre at best.
Everyone says the staff is friendly, but both times I went there I felt rather… accosted. by the older lady that was working there. She always seemed very curt. When I went in to get my falafel I asked for tzatziki sauce, as I wanted something creamy and garlicy with my falafel. I know its not traditional…
So the lady says «it comes with tahini.» I replied, «Oh I know, I would just like tzatziki, I don’t mind if its extra»
To which she replied «it doesn’t com with that, Tahini is for falafel, NOT TZATZIKI»
Look, If I wanna put freaking ketchup on my falafel, its my falafel that I paid for, and I don’t want to argue with you about how I should eat it…
I was rather turned off by that, and with Niko Niko’s right down the road, I won’t be coming back.

My wife and I stopped here on the way through Pearland for a quick lunch based on Unilocal reviews. We were very pleasantly surprised.
The interior was clean, the wait staff was attentive, and the place was mercifully cool.
We ordered off of the daily specials menu and a hummus appetizer. After around ten minutes, the hummus arrived. It was thick and well-​seasoned and very reasonably priced.
My wife ordered the tilapia and shrimp. Apparently it was the fifth ordered in a row. I can see why. The portions were generous, the sauce amazing, and the vegetables were fresh. We considered getting another one to bring home.
I had the moussaka off the daily menu and was also very happy with it. The managed to not over-​oil it as many restaurants do. It was well-​seasoned and the sauce was filled with very fresh tomatoes and herbs. The owner explained that everything gets delivered fresh daily and everything made in house and from scratch; you can really tell!
Even the bill was a pleasant surprise.
What was a random stop has now become a destination. Wholly recommended!

The Greek salad was brown, the Gyro meat was out of a box and the fountain Coke was the worst I have ever had.
The Staff was friendly, but Did not remove the charge for the coke.

Ate here last week and the food was delicious. The service was fantastic, a little too much attention (as we were the only people in the restaurant), but great. There was a lady and a guy, older, who I am assuming was the owner. They were sitting over at a table by the cash register and they were arguing very loudly about something. That was a bit awkward.
But the food was great, the humus was a little bit salty, but all in all very delicious.
It is a BYOB and there is a cork fee.

For delicious, authentic Mediterranean food, you can’t beat this place! I’ve eaten lunch here twice, and been pleasantly surprised each time. I highly recommend the Greek salad with gyro meat — salad is fresh, with yummy house dressing, plentiful feta cheese, and the gyro meat is absolutely delicious.
The owner is always around, helping with orders and checking in on patrons, and the desserts are the bomb. I always get the baklava to go. It’s a small space, and seating gets pretty cramped, but that’s a small price to pay for such good food. It’s a bit pricey for lunch, as most entrée options are $ 15 upwards, but well worth it, and the portions are large. If you love Greek food, check this place out!

Rare occasion to actually go out to lunch during work day.
Tried this place again after over a year. The service is very friendly. Came to late lunch, around 2:30pm, so I don’t know how the service would be if they’re full. There were 2 other tables.
The food is average but we are likely to drive into Houston for Niko Niko on Montrose (NOT the location inside HEB in Pearland).
1. Original gyro — came out hot and fresh with potatoes; gyro meat tasted okay
2. Appetizers sample
— eggplant dip — okay
— hummus — tasted salty
— falafel — okay
Will try to come back to support a local business but not my prefer place to go for Greek food. I’ll have to remember to bring a bottle of wine since this place is BYOB.

Fresh, homemade Mediterranean food and a nice chat with the ever present Greek owner make Café Taraiz an ideal place for a quick lunch.
The hummus and dolmas are delicious, and I have devoured every wrap, gyro or shawarma I have tried here. The service has also been perfect every time.
Please support local business and give Café Taraiz a try!

The place is clean and causal setting. The owner and the employees are super friendly. Every ingredient in the meals are fresh.
My sister loves their beef lasagna! It’s the right amount of meat and cheese. Also, there was no bad smell coming from the meat. This is considered as special dish of the day, so I would call ahead to make sure they have it. Their salads and the dressings are delicious. The chicken sharawema was bit bland and the white sauce had a weird after taste. The lentil soup was warm and yummy. The ice cream was good that the children wanted more.
I would come back again to try other dishes on their menu next time.

Good food. I tried cabbage rolls for the first time, and I wasn’t disappointed. The salad is huge and delicious. It seems like everything comes with toasted bread! The pita bread though could have been thicker. Overall, I like this place.