Yalla Mediterranean

I really like the food here, it’s fresh, healthy and delicious. I especially like that they prepare beets and greens in a way that presents so well, I could never make beets taste so good in my home kitchen! The pita is wonderful, and tastes fresh, my kids favorite. Only shorted this place one star because they staff is a bit off putting, I don’t really feel welcome to ask my questions, I feel a big unwelcome when I am in this place. I think this type of restaurant and food is a new concept for some people… it sort of feels like the Chipoltle of Greek food but Chipoltle does a much better job of streamlining the ordering process and the staff is more approachable, I think it’s just a training issue.

The food at Yalla Mediterranean is delicious and their kebabs are prepared on an open grill, as you watch. During my last visit to Yalla, I had a problem with the order and when I called in from home, the staff was pleased to offer me a replacement meal, with no questions asked.

Food is good. In principle. Service sucks.
Been here a handful of times since they opened about a year ago in this location. The food is awesome… if you get your food that is… and without a bad attitude.
I’ve tried ordering online thru their website twice, ordered in person, and once thru Eat24. Everytime, I either get shorted on food or am left standing there for 15 to 30 minutes waiting.
Last time I went here I ordered in person. I’d like to mention I have an infant son and I am pregnant. I was here alone with my son, so I didn’t have any help. Not that I’m expecting help, but going out for food shouldn’t be made difficult either. My point is though, I was exhausted and starving.
The line ahead of me was not that long. I was holding my son in his carrier. I thought that I may be able to get my food within 10 to 15 minutes. Nope. A woman ahead of me had a large order, which is fine, but then my meat, rice and vegetables sat on the counter for over 15 minutes while I was forced to stand there. Not sure why they couldn’t just put my sides into the plate and wave me to the register. No concept of service. None. When I asked for an additional side of babaganoush some snotty guy… a redhead with a beard rolled his eyes and said I’ll have to ask the cashier. Yeah… if I can get to the freaking cashier.
Finally… So I have my food tray in one hand, carrying a carrier with my kid in the other, and I try to meander my way to a table with a booth seat so I can put my son down. The tables were dirty. The floors were dirty. I was exhausted and my feet hurt really bad. By the time I finally got to sit down my food was cold. Nevermind that the inside temp was well under 68 degrees and I was freezing… so naturally by keeping my hot items sitting on a tray for forever… my food wasn’t going to be hot. Heck, it wasn’t even warm.
I’m half way thru eating my 13 dollar meal and my son got cranky. The restaurant cleared out and at that point there was only one other patron there. I tried to calm him down and I started the process of cleaning up so we could leave since he was making noise and I didn’t want to irritate the one other patron seated on the other side of the store. Same snotty red headed employee threw me a stare like he was annoyed cos my son cried. We were leaving… geez. Instead of feeling like I should walk up and ask for lids for my food so I can take it home, I felt intimidated. I’d like to add that I’m not one of those mom’s that feel a need to impose their children upon the world. I get it.
So I had to toss my food and basically stormed out. Not felt welcome. Food was cold. Restaurant was cold. The experience was completely unpleasant. It seems a bit odd and disconnected that an establishment that prides itself on social/​eco conscious food treats its customers like crap.
Not going back to this restaurant ever again.

The food is fine. My problem is with the ordering and service experience.
I placed an order online through Eat24. When I arrived 15 minutes later to pick up my food, they cashier said they had not received my order. There was no record of it. She further told me that online orders take at least 30 minutes to get to their system, so it would be a while. I decided to cancel the online order and just order at the counter.
The service is friendly but disorganized. The counter employees could not keep track of who had ordered what, what sides they wanted, if french fries were for this person or that, etc.
I wish I had went somewhere else.

I actually ate here 3 days in a week, just because my ‘Jerusalem style’ street wrap with chicken shawarma was really good, and I had to go back to try the others.
My excitement started to fizzle once I had the Moroccan style wrap with the shalafel. I didn’t know that feta cheese was a part of Moroccan cuisine until now. The wrap was meh, I tried it once — done.
The 3^rd time I went back for the Salmon skewer plate with rice, lentils and roasted vegetables. Here is the deal: They don’t know how to cook rice — it was too al dente. Same with lentils. It clearly showed some novice cooking on the lentils. The greek potato salad looked better than it tasted, simply because it wasn’t seasoned enough. Same with the beet-​kale salad, and the Moroccan carrot salad. And they were out of Chermoula on that particular day!
Interesting ambiance (in a good way) for a place that serves conscientious food.
Service was fine. The young people working the counter were courteous, but were clearly slammed with a lot of customers waiting in line for dinner on a weekend. To the contrary, I actually noticed some very rude customers (one particular loud, obnoxious, older caucasian woman in her 60s, that kept making faces in exasperation, only because the kids working the counter weren’t able to turn in the food faster). Makes you wonder in such instances what life taught any of these oldies anything, if at all…
This will be my go to place for the occasional Jerusalem style street wrap.

I like this «chipotle» type place is but poorly staff. However, the staff were great and had great attitude.

I teach at a school across the street, and get food here once a week, so I consider myself a regular customer.
GOOD: Food is healthy, fresh and tastes great! Young woman Mariah, who often works the register, is friendly and speedy. This is always greatly appreciated during the lunch rush hour! (I would rate this Yalla with 5 starts if I were just reviewing the food)
BAD: I dread it when I see the young woman Emily stationed to serve customers and prepare food. She has also served me at the PH location, and my experience was the same. She is not friendly, and always gives the impression there are 100 places she’d rather be. Emily serves small amounts of the food, and I always have to ask for more salad/​veggies etc. She plops salad dressing into the plastic side-​dish container so lazily that it always spills over the side.
Today was possibly a deal breaker for me with Yalla — she dished up my salad with her gloved hands, rather than utensils. As a person with food allergies this was not OK with me. I’ve never seen another employee do this, so perhaps it’s a new serving style at Yalla? Seems like a liability to me… Management should either train her further or get rid of her.

Yalla’s is like Chipotle in concept, and I think its successful for the most part. You get proteins (chicken, salmon, ground beef/​lamb) and veggies from the Middle East and Mediterranean cultures. You customize salads, wraps, or my favorite — the plates! Rice, roasted veggies (or lentils), flatbread, up to three more veggie sides, and your choice of sauce.
I came here two nights in a row, since the Walnut Creek location is closest to my swimming class that ends at 8pm. I’m definitely a fan of their Chicken Shawarma and Salmon kebab plates. Both seasoned well and not overcooked at all. As for veggies, I love the kale and beets (very sweet), Turkish Slaw, Moroccan Carrots, and Baba Ganoush.
I can also vouch for their excellent Baklava! Soft, Sticky, and Sweet — a slight hint of cinnamon I think.

I got the plate
Lamb, baba ganoush, greek potato salad, beets, rice, and bread.
The bread was eh
The beets were so delicious, I almost wish I had gotten 2 servings of that instead of the potatoes. Don’t get me wrong, the potatoes were good too.
The lamb was served in ball form after being grilled on skewers.
Very clean. Kind of loud because of the décor, and the chair scraped the floors very loudly.
Great place for a quick lunch.

My girlfriend and I walked in to get some frozen yogurt. My portion was much larger than hers and I asked the cashier if she could get a little more, showing the 2 portions side by side.
The African American girl at the register said in a somewhat sarcastic voice, «that’s actually more than what we usually give?»
Oh. I’m sorry! Who put her in charge of quality control? And would it have killed her to give a paying customer some better service? Instead she told us we had gotten more than what we should have?
I should have tossed our yogurts and taken our money elsewhere!
1 star for our terrible experience!
4÷18÷16
1:15pm

Fresh, clean, tasty AND Awesome Service!
You can’t go wrong if you are into Wild caught fish, responsibly raised meat AND GMO FREE.
Best Mediterranean/​Middle Eastern food around.

Boy with curly brown hair in a pony tail, was SO kind and helped us figure out the menu (first timers) and the girl with the glasses and tattoo on her inner left arm offered us (my boyfriend and i) a sample because we were not sure what sides to pick and the petite girl with long black hair at the register complemented me on my hair. They all were super nice and they all looked so happy! To top it off, as we were eating we could hear the boy with curly hair greeting everyone who came through the door with «welcome to yalla!» My salad was excellent! I did not expect the people working to be so nice!

Algo nuevo para mi, sin duda lo recomiendo, la comida te la dan muy rapido, calidad excelente y el servicio muy bien, esta fue la primera vez que vine y los trabajadores me ayudaron para saber pedir mi platillo ideal. Volvere cada vez que tenga oportunidad. Se habla espanol!

This restaurant has a great and healthy concept. They don’t have organic meats but at least they are hormone and antibiotics free which is a huge plus.
My first impression was the employees were very young and not properly trained to know what they’re roll is. I ordered chicken with salad and 2 sides. They got the salad done quickly but another employee took my chicken and placed it into another order to go. They got into a fight about it in front of me. That should never happen. I waited about 20 min for my meal which seemed too long given there was no line. The manager of the store wanted to give me little discount but I paid cash already. My meal was $ 11.72 and I gave the young cashier $ 12 in cash. And she asked me «that’s it?» Like she was expecting a tip or maybe she miscalculated. Either way it made me feel bad.
The food itself was good although I wish the salad was more with mixed greens rather than the cheapest lettuce and red cabbage for color.
Everything is recycled or from recycled materials which is nice but I would still rather see regular plate and real silverware. They give you your food on recycled paper plates with one time use plastic silverware. What happened to washing dishes? Why do we have to eat from plastic or paper? What a waste. Save the planet by introducing real dishes. Somebody has to recycle this mess.
If you had more organic options I would eat there every day and so as many other people.
Good concept but could be even better.

I was exited about coming here but seriously the food is really no no no!!!
Maybe because I know what is a real Mediterranean food I was disappointed. The hummus feels like it’s made from a powder, the chicken shawarma is so lame and the kids portion is so poor, what do you think, if they are kids they don’t eat? The babaganush was horrible and the pita is not a real pita it’s a flat bread.
My first and last time here.

I’m a fan of Yalla and have been since they opened up. You can see my review of the other location in Pleasant Hill.
I felt compelled to write after a few recent visits though, as I’ve noticed their menu and pricing has changed slightly, and so has service.
Service:
Either lack of training or the changes to the menu, but I’ve noticed employees have been making mistakes to orders. For example, an extra serving of falafel results in different numbers of falafel each visit. Ordering no pickles gets you three pickles. And the street style Pita wrap, which should be topped with French fries and their feta ranch sauce was prepared pretty naked. I ended up ordering fries so I could complete the wrap myself, and they gave me sauce on the side when I pointed out what was missing.
A few changes I’ve noticed:
You can now order Pita Wraps and Frozen Yogurt a la carte. Only the Yalla Plate comes with three sides.
You have the option now to purchase 1 side or 3 sides.
Fries no longer count as a side, and instead are a separate menu item.
Arugula became kale in one of the salad sides.
Tabbouli is no longer offered. Might be seasonal? But it’s been several months now since I’ve seen it.
Once, they had baklava squares for sale. Haven’t seen them since. I should’ve bought when I saw it!

Yalla is a great place to swing by during the week to grab dinner for the family. You can place orders online and it will be ready for you when you arrive. It has a Chipotle type of vibe, you pick the way you want your food wrap, salad, or plate, select your protean and sides/​toppings or you can go family style. They are widely versatile and have dietary restriction indicators on the menu allowing for easy customization. I love how they have more than just the standard GF, Vegan, and Vegetarian indicators it says dairy free or egg free.
The food is well seasoned and a good bang for your buck. The falafel is dense and meaty and is amazing with the feta ranch. When ordering the salmon you get a nice portion for the price, ours was well cooked still moist and mildly seasoned so the taste of the fish shines. There is a wide variety of sides each with their own unique flavor. The carrot salad has a wonderful lemon taste mixed with sweet carrot matchsticks. The hummus and baba ganoush are fairly traditional tasting sides, personally I would recommend getting one or the other and not both.
The establishment itself is open, airy, and has a nice large seating area. The physical set up is similar to Chipotle there is a line to one side and a bar of items that you go down to select your items.

So pleasantly surprised with this place! It is like a Mediterranean chipotle. You get into a line and order your food with an abundant variety of delicious side dishes. The meat is cooked right in front of your eyes in this elaborate decorative grill.
The food was t-​a-​s-​t-​y!!!

I have been wanting to try this place for a long time! I was so excited to finally try it tonight!
I really do like the open kitchen «chipotle/​subway» type ordering system which I was prepared for since I’ve read reviews here on Unilocal and explored the menu online already. The food looked very fresh and healthy. The first thing they ask is what kind of meat you want. My mom was extremely confused on how to order so I helped her since the employees didn’t seem to wanna explain stuff. But I was confused too, since it was my first time there. They were very nice but I felt clueless on what things were since I don’t eat mediterranean food rarely ever. I kinda knew visually what i wanted since since seeing all the yummy photos here in Unilocal.If I hadn’t seen pictures I probably would be writing a really different review.
My mom ordered the chicken skewers with lentails and mixed veggies. They grill the chicken to order which is very cool. She got 3 sides and at the end you’re supposed to get a choice of sauces, but she wasn’t offered anything. If I hadn’t asked, her meal would have been kinda plain I think.
I got chicken skewers with veggies. Some kinda carrots, and 2 other sides. Again, if I hadn’t asked for their «white sauces «or what things were, my meal would have not been what I’d have wanted. But once I got home and ate my meal, the food is really really yummy! So fresh and very different. Exactly what I’ve been craving! Just make sure you get their tasiki sauce (unsure if thats how its spelled) and their pesto sauce! That’s what made the whole meal come together! Soooooo good!
So even though the lack of direction and confusion, I still liked the food. I’ll be back for sure.

First time here and it’s my second time eating mediterranean food. A bit pricey but my bf and I got the yalla plate and it comes with like 5 different things? So there you go.
I love the cucumber yogurt spread and chicken shwarma. I wish they spread the yogurt on my rice and just everything lol. I’m not a fan of hummus or the beet salad. The potato salad is alright. Not really feeling rice and lentils.
Greek ice cream for free checking was refreshing and makes a good combination with baklava.

Just an update to my previous review. They changed the recipe for their falafels and now I’m a huge fan of the falafels! Thank you Yalla!

Very good and healthy choice for lunch. It is cafeteria style, but food is very tasty. I had the chicken shalafel plate including baba ganoush, beet and kale salad and Lebanese carrot salad. The portions were pretty large for an $ 8.95 plate. Everything was mild, but sill done right. They give a small pita bread if you order hummus or baba ganoush. Checking in on Unilocal gets you a free frozen yogurt with a topping.
It’s fast, great tasting and has friendly staff. It is a great choice for lunch.

Yalla just set the bar sky high for catering at my office! I order food monthly for a recurring meeting, and for many months now those attendees have been stuck with the atypical Walnut Creek deli fare of sandwiches and salads. Sure that option is tasty, but it isn’t particularly exciting or inspiring. A rep from Yalla visited our office a few months back, leaving us with samples of their tabouli salad and other goodies, plus their catering menu. We gave them a shot today and it’s been nothing but praise ever since!
For $ 114, we got a full meal for 8 delivered — we went with their pita wrap party, chose the grilled chicken and falafel as our proteins, and enjoyed all the accompanying goodies (a wide variety of veggies like seasoned red onions and savory pickles, plus generous containers of tahini and chermoula for saucing up the sandwiches). I asked the manager Chris I spoke to for a recommendation of 3 sides that would pair well together, and I followed his suggestion of the beet and kale salad, Greek potato salad, and corn and arugula salad. That price covered delivery costs too! Everyone left stuffed and very happy, and the leftovers were devoured by coworkers in minutes.
Everyone kept asking where was this food from! So THANK YOU Yalla for an incredible lunch, kind and quick service, and for dazzling this office crew! You will definitely hear from us again soon!

While both the salmon and falafel plates (on top of salad) are my two fave menu items, I really only come to this location for dessert. In fact, sometimes I come here and skip the hot food and move straight to the Frozen Greek Yogurt machine. I like it best with baklava and honey drizzled on top. ($ 3.80) The creamy, cold flavors are unique with a perfect balance of tart and sweetness.
When I’m not skipping the lunch items and moving straight to dessert, I really enjoy their beet salad and the French fries (served with a cheesy sauce — but I like their hot sauce too!). Last time I took the food to-​go, I noticed that beet juice was leaking out of the container they serve it in, had leaked through the carrying bag and was making quite a mess in the car. I love that their containers are environmentally friendly though so I cleaned it up and went on to enjoy their delicious, healthy food.
The place is always nice and clean with a helpful and friendly staff. It’s the food that keeps me coming back, but this location is great too (so close to my work) and there’s even a little outside seating.

A very strong 4! We were very, very pleasantly surprised. So my impression of Yalla before going there was this was a Walnut Creek local eatery. However when we were standing in line, I saw some corporate/​regional people type, sitting at some tables w/​a taptop and corporate literature out. It had both the names Yalla and Daphne’s Greek on it. So I imagine that both are owned by the same parent company. Hey, I love Daphne’s as far as fast casual goes, so I saw this as a good sign.
As others have mentioned, its like Chipotle — but very unlike Daphnes. This is one of those pleaces where you have to read the step by step ordering instructions, so don’t be sitting there like a d-​bag on your phone before you reach the first person who assembles step 1! Anyways my fiancé had the beef kebabs with fries and salad while I had the combo schwarma and falafel + 3 sides. I had beets, babganoush, and kale salad.
The food was very fresh, very well put together, good flavor all around! Fiancé thought it was great too and we’ve put this place down as one of the few places we’ll go when we’re both too tired to cook.
Parking is really easy as the complex has a lot of spaces. Also another tip: if you’re gong to Heather Farms, you could make it really easy on yourself and grab food to go here. Their take out containers are very sturdy.

I am a fan of Yalla Mediterranean since their food offerings are wholesome and delicious. They are one of the places where I feel good about my food choices, regardless if I ate a reasonable portion or enough to feed at least three people.
This location did not disappoint. The food that I love could be found here, and the staff were incredibly friendly. They were also efficient as they were able to serve the dinner rush crowd competently and fast.
The only thing to count against them is not having the spicy hummus, which is one of my favorite Yalla sides. Other than that, I am sure to be back here again when I want something healthy to eat.

Cafeteria style/​fast food mediterranean joint that allows you to build your own plate and control your intake of calories/​macros, basically heaven for a health nut… that’s about the only cool thing about this place.
Food: MEH. There was absolutely nothing on my plate that I felt was absolutely delicious. Everything was average or mediocre IMO. Most dishes are cold, which was a major bummer. The only thing I truly liked on my plate was the beet and kale salad, similar to what I’d get at WFoods. The chicken was healthy for sure, not oily at all which I appreciated. However, it was really dry, they must have forgot to take it off the grill or something. The portion of meat was minimal by a long shot. I truly only ate about ¹⁄₃ of my plate and went to ask for a to-​go box, because I hate wasting food, but after taking another look at it… I realized I was not going to eat it. My boyfriend ate about ¼ of his plate, he was so disappointed, much more than I was… and he never gets disappointed. We literally walked over to High Tech to grab some food after. The only upside was the free greek yogurt with baklava for checking in on Unilocal.Other than that, the food was far from appetizing. My boyfriend’s words «this is probably what prison food tastes like… it even looks like it.» This guy.
Service: Terrible. About four people behind the counter, 3 males and 1 female. The female employee was the only friendly and courteous one. The other three were completely hostile and inhospitable towards us. I asked a few questions about the items on the menu and the two people I asked both answered in a rude tone. Service obviously came before the food, so I was already irked before even trying my cold/​mediocre food.
Ambiance: Clean, modern, hip. It’s a nice place and they focus on health a lot, which is great. It wasn’t super busy when I visited and I like that it’s not located in central WC. Less foot traffic overall.
Price: I think it’s pricey considering how unappetizing everything was, but that’s just my opinion. It’s definitely «cheaper» in comparison to other WC Medi restaurants, however I’d much rather pay like 2 – 3 bucks more to get some delicious eats at Babalous.

Second visit yesterday for lunch, and my mental «Meh, 3 stars» has transformed into a «Heck yeah, 4 stars»! I’ve only ever had the Salmon Plate ($ 10.50) in the past, and found the fish to be drier and tougher than preferred — properly cooked fish is a beautiful, beautiful thing! They may want to give the fish a quick pan-​fry rather than cook it on a little kebab.
I decided to try to the Shalafel (½ Chicken, ½ Falafel) plate ($ 9) yesterday for lunch, and loved it! They also hooked it up with a piece of pita bread this time, which made me happier than it probably should have. And tzatziki and tahini! I guess the person that served me last time was asleep, because it was a dry, disappointing meal. DEFinitely take advantage of the amazing sauces! :-)
In all, service and quality are trending upward, which is always a great thing. We really enjoy eating outside, and there is plenty of seating (and an excellent AC indoors) wherever you want to be. This is a very welcome update from the ol’ Daphne’s that used to be here, and I look forward to making my way back soon for more hummus and Yalla Fries!

After two visits to the Walnut Creek location, I can safely say that I am still a fan of Yalla. They may have had a few kinks upon opening, but after my visit last Thursday, I had a good feeling that they’ve worked through those. The options are fresh at any time of day I’ve visited. The falafel is my go-​to and I’ve tried the wrap, salad and rice/​lentil plate and been pleased each time. My favorite sides include the Mint & Pea salad, Moroccan Carrot salad and Greek Potato. They are all on the lighter side and very refreshing as summer dish.
The layout and cleanliness and simple design is on par with the PH location. Staff is friendly and there is a free greek yogurt dessert available with Unilocal check in. I haven’t tried that yet, but hope to soon.
Location is great in a small shopping center away from the craziness of downtown Walnut Creek. Plenty of parking, ample seating and fresh/​healthy food. Yalla in the WC is still a win!

Holllla holla for the yalla!!!
First Unilocal elite event and it was bombbbbbb diggity!!! Everyone was so welcoming and friendly, even the workers! The atmosphere was more than lively and the worker’s smile always lit up the room.
Who can turn down the opportunity to meet a bunch of cooool new people while trying out some authentic mediterranean food!
What first caught my attention was our community manager Steph! She was so cheerful and happy to see everyone. Definitely a great person overall and really easy to get along with!
Now​.to the food. oh dear lawd. If you’ve never tried this type of food before, Yalla will make you fall in love with it. It’s honestly like a Chipotle but mediterranean style hole in the wall. The neat thing about Yalla is that everythinig is cooked FRESH, right before your eyes!!! Yes, that’s right. they have this awesome conveyor belt that cooks your choice of meat to order. It’s pretty neat because it’s suppose to «follow you» as you go down the line ordering everything you want on your plate, and by the end your meat will be finished!
The owner Michael was such a great host! He was soooo passionate about the ingredients and would literally convince you to want to try EVERYTHING on the menu. Great person to talk to and he even made me a special order on their «secret» menu for SCHWARMA FRIES. OH MY LAWDY LAWDY. they were heavenly and breathtaking. If any of you have had carne asada fries before, this is the mediterranean version of it!!!
Words don’t do this place justice. If you’re scared of trying new things, don’t be. It always good to be outside your comfort zone and experience new things :)
PS: Wine is on tap and they also server bottled beers ;)

After my first visit to Yalla, I was impressed. Healthy, flavorful, and affordable grub on the go? I’m a fan. But after my fourth visit, I’m completely obsessed. If you’re both health and budget conscious, Yalla is a dream come true. For about $ 10, you get a gigantic plate of all the best things: meat, rice, veggies, sauces. Or, you can opt for the salad or pita version. I can rarely finish an entire Yalla plate, and am always craving it the next day.
Meats are cooked to order over a special rotisserie flame, and the salad options are a feast for the eyes — more beautiful than any spread I’ve seen at Whole Foods. Beets, carrots, peas, potatoes, eggplant… you can get a big dose of veggies, prepared with Mediterraean flair. I usually get the Yalla plate with salmon, rice, and 3 salad sides. I’m a sauce fiend, and Yalla has a bunch to choose from: tahini, chermoula, harissa, feta ranch, and more. Everything is better with sauce!
Besides the crave-​able food, the ambiance is really tasteful and modern, too. Turquoise walls, with real lemon trees and a living herb wall inside. Reclaimed barn wood tables, and shaded outdoor seating make Yalla the kind of «fast food» joint you’ll be happy to linger at.
Don’t miss the greek frozen yogurt with chopped baklava or chocolate pita cookie! I never have stomach space after the Yalla feast, but manage to make room for a few bites (ok, I totally eat the whole thing).
Plus — bottled beers and wine on tap! Does it really get any better?

Not sure where the 4 star reviews are coming from. This is fast food done poorly in my opinion. The falafel are dry I mean really dry. The yogurt sauce was runny. The chicken was just meh at best. Wish I could have given a better review on the food.
The staff on the other hand were fantastic