Fufu's Mideast Grill

4.5/5 . Wish the beef schwarma was from a rotisserie and in strips with a char like usually but the spices and flavor was very good. Great portion size too. Love that when you pick lettuce you also get onions and tomatoes so theres more flavor and fun! The grapes leaves and tabbouli were good too. The garlic sauce was very tasty and the pita bread is warmed in a fire oven. Very good. 23$ for the plate i was glad to pay. Service was quick and friendly. I recommend this place!

Came to the Riverside Food Lab where different eateries are available. It’s a cool vibe all around and decided on Mediterranean food. I ordered the Kafta Kabob bowl and ordered a side of hummus. I waited a little longer than norm and they compensated me for the extra time with an extra pita bread 😍 I highly recommend the pita 🫓 they are so soft like little clouds. The food was good. I recommend it for a decent Mediterranean meal. You will find their stand by the restroom.

I got a chicken shawarma bowl with lettuce as the base. I cannot describe it any way other than "wet." They washed the lettuce but did not dry it resulting in a splash zone-like experience for my lunch. It must have been sopping wet because I think I poured out nearly a cup of water from the bowl. I should have taken photos, but I wasn't thinking of it at the time. Other items on the menu are tasty and well seasoned, but maybe stay away from the lettuce, lest you wind up with unexpected soup...

Got my food 12.49 for a taco. I ordered a burrito. The sauce was Larry’s buffalo sauce. To top it off. The food was so small and thin I was still hungry. The picture and advertisement shows a full burrito. I ended up eating my kids food. He was full so it was all good. The Picture was wet the size was supposed to be

I usually do not make bad reviews, but i felt like this experience deserves it :(. I was welcomed by a lady screaming numbers at my face, and then showing no interest in taking my order or having patience to be doing any type of customer service. I ordered a Chicken Kabob Bowl, lowkey i was expecting like a normal tasty bowl, but it was flavorless :( I’m not trying to be mean, or get biased by the customer service, but maybe it wasn’t the best on the menu, or what i should have ordered. Anyway, hope next time i visit California i get a better experience at this place. (The lady on the picture was not the one screaming or the one that took my order just to be clear)

Fufu’s has delicious, fresh shawarmas that are full of flavor and made with quality ingredients. Everything tastes fresh and well-seasoned. Highly recommend and I’ll definitely be back!

Tasty. This is not the easiest kind of food to find around here, but this place delivers. Got that classic Shawarma taste. Garlic aioli on point. Pita was fresh and they crisped my wrap up heckin' goodly. Yaummy!

They charged my card $400 extra dollars instead of a $4 tip. Why would I tip $400 on a $20 meal? Luckily my bank flagged it as a fraudulent charge but I had to wait to get a whole new debit. I've heard they had also done this to others as well. The food was mediocre at best and not worth having to close your card and get a new one.

After walking around the Food Lab, I went with a vegan falafel wrap from Fufu's! It was affordable, decent size (one wrap was my complete dinner), and had various components I appreciated. It didn't blow my mind with flavor but it was a totally acceptable and good falafel wrap!

Service was terrible. Normally we receive our order in a timely manner. This time it took over an hour. I think they forgot about our order. I went to check on order about 45min and he said it's about 3 more min. I went back about an hour and he said they're making new shawarma and it'll take another 3min.

Affordable and delicious. We got the beef shawarma fries and omg so yummy! The perfect mix of sweet and a little spice. Absolutely loved, will definitely be back!

This is inisde the Food lab and next to the Fox performing art center. Convenient hours and location. It opens 11am thru 11pm on weekdays and thru 12am for Fridays & Saturdays. Food is tasty. Vibrant ambiance. Also Plenty of seatings inside and outside.

Wow!!!! This was inside the Food Lab in Riverside, which is a bunch of different cuisines in a food court style. We ordered the Chicken Shawarma Plate with 2sides. We chose Hummus and Greek Salad. Everything was so flavorful and on point. Too bad this is something we can only go to when we are in the Riverside area, but nonetheless, we are excited to come back here and try other items on the menu! The garlic spread was prolly one of the best we've had. Amazing!

One word DISGUSTING!!!!! Chicken kebab taste rubbery gross !!! They serve rice pilaf like it's been reheated as it had balls of rice smushed together, their beef is salty as hell, their sour cream smells like ass. I didn't eat my food I threw it away. Waste of money. Everything was disgusting!! Salad dressing has no flavor at all!!! For the people who left 5 star reviews is because you were raised eating microwave food. You don't know what good fresh quality tasting food taste like.

I got the falafel plate. It came with 4 pieces of falafels. My sides were the grape leaves and hummus. The hummus was pretty standard and the grape leaves were a little bland for my liking, usually I expect some sort of kick almost pickled like flavor from the grape leaves. The star of the show, which I was hoping to be the falafel was kind of a let down. It was crunchy but kind of on the dryer side. I wish this place had some lemon slices or something to give it some more flavor. Maybe some tzatziki sauce on the side would have been nice. Service is pretty good. It took about 10 minutes to get my food. I might be back, but next time I'll try something else from their menu.

Not authentic Not jasmine rice Food was way to salty Big portions but food was ehhh The cheese had a funky taste

I love Mediterranean food and Fufu's did not disappoint. Staff was friendly and service was quick. The menu all looks so good but I had to try the fries with chicken shawarma. I've had a lot of different versions or fries at many places and these by far were the best I've had! I can't wait to visit again and try something else.

I give Fufu's a solid 3 out of 5. The service was slow. I waited at the register for quite some time before ordering because the people behind the counter were chatting. The cashier was friendly when he finally did stop talking and greeted me. Prices were steep. We went with a beef schwarma bowl and a beef schwarma wrap. The rice on my bowl was undercooked, so that ruined the whole thing for me, but the meat was very good. My husband said his wrap was just ok. Overall, I wouldn't eat here again if I returned to the Food Lab.

This is my newest obsession because it's that good!! Enough to share for two people, the only thing I wish was that it included a total of 2 pita bread. Overall the food is so flavorful and delicious. This is a must for new comers checking out the food lab.

Honestly pretty good. Meats are well seasoned and they are definitely making the flatbread in the back.

Mid at best. I am so disappointed. The service was pretty average, but what was even worse was the flavorless food. It was my first time trying something different at the food lab, but this was such a miss.

Service was quick and all is fresh. Takes about 15 mins but is worth the wait. So far is been good. Ambiance is an open seating area. You order and once is ready they call your name.

This was my first time here. I ordered the mix plate kabob & it was not well cooked. The meat looked terrible.

I went there today and got a chicken shawarma wrap and there was hair inside. None of the three girls were wearing hair nets. I get it, things happen, but the woman that helped me was so rude. Nasty attitude. Didn't apologize or seem concerned. Then demanded the second wrap back even though we were going to throw it away. No manners and clearly not very sanitary.

3.5/5 Prices were a little steep probably due to it being in the food lab but the ambiance is nice. Relatively fast service for how busy it was Food was pretty good, I wish they had more topping variety but it's a little limited. Meat is well seasoned. Rice was a little basic. Fries very good.

Stopped by the Riverside Food Lab to get out some spots. The food lab has a diverse selection of restaurants and seating. Fufu immediately got my attention with their menu. I ordered a beef shawarma wrap for a total, including tax, of $14. It was a good size. The flavor was good. I love spicy food so we asked for some hot sauce and they have Cholula. I like Cholula but wish they had their own hot sauce (not sure if that's typical or not). The employees has great customer service! I'd recommend trying - their shawarma fries looked really good.

I've been to Fufu's twice now, and it's an ok meal for the price. Considering that a burger and fries is about $20 now from the other stands, I'd rather order a plate from Fufu's. I've ordered the chicken shawarma and chicken kabob plates, and here are my thoughts about them overall: Strengths - The portion size was decent and it'll leave you full if you eat it by yourself - The pita bread was warm and soft - The fries were warm and perfectly crispy - All of their sides were pretty good: fries, hummus, baba ganoush, salad - They gave free garlic sauce - The food came fast Areas for improvement - The meat was dry. I also haven't actually seen a shawarma spit the couple of times I've been here, so it seems like they're just cutting up pieces of meat and cooking them on the grill. - They gave a large scoop of sliced pickles, which didn't taste special at all and just seemed like filler. - I would have liked a little more fries (I counted only 11). If you're wondering about Riverside Food Lab itself, it can be hard to find seating. I've had to sit outside both times I've come. There's 90 minutes free parking in the attached parking garage with validation (validation machine is by the front door).

I came here with my boyfriend for a late dinner because the Food Lab was walking distance from the hotel we were staying at. We ordered a medium hummus as an appetizer and the beef and chicken shawarma plate with the grape leaves and battata harra (potatoes) as sides. Medium hummus was huge and fresh and came with 2 pieces of pita bread - it probably could have been shared among 4 people. Beef and chicken shawarma were disappointing - meat was dry and salty. The toppings and garlic sauce, which helped counteract the dryness and saltiness, were sparse. Battata harra was delicious and easily my favorite part of the meal. Grape leaves were ok. Service was good. The worker was nice and talked me through different options when I was being indecisive with my order. Meal was $28 before tip. Probably would not recommend or go back, but props to them for being one of the food stalls open at 10pm on a Monday.

Had a chance to try Fufu's Mid East Grill, and we ordered Kafta platters and a meat pie. The meat pie was especially delicious because it was made fresh. Kafta was a tad spicy and a little tougher than expected. Customer service was amazing. The food hall environment is fun and helps when you are in a group that wants to try different things.

Food is just okay, not quite as good as I hoped for. I ordered the falafel bowl and it was fine, but the sauce they put on top was awful, as well as the garlic. I love garlic sauce but this one, even the vegan one tasted too much like mayo...I have a strong disliking to mayo, sorry but it wasn't good at all. The falafel wasn't very good either, kind of gritty and missing the freshness of really good falafel. Was worth it to come and try them, had a good time but probably will skip this one next time I'm in town.

This place need some house cleaning. Me and my wife threw up from eating here. Lots of bacteria in here. Beware

Fufu's was alright to eat but I probably wouldn't eat here again unless I was trying the shawarma fries. I got the combo plate with chicken, beef, hummus, and the potatoes. The best part was the potatoes but they were LOADED with garlic and a little spicy. The beef, chicken, and hummus was all pretty much flavorless but the staff was super friendly.

Good food and fast service if you call your order ahead of time. It's located inside the Food Lab in Downtown Riverside. The ambiance is loud, which is why I always order to go.

Had a chicken kabob wrap. Came out to $14 after tax. Flavor was good, but it was not worth $14.

Pretty good and very easy to order. The wait time was a little bit long for what I ordered which was a chicken shawarma & fries, but other than that everything was very good. The food lab it's located at is very loud so be ready

I came here for lunch this past Friday and I had a great experience here! Fufu's is located in the Riverside Food Lab next to Brick & Birch. I came in around 11:30am when they just opened and I ordered a beef shawarma bowl. The person assisting me at the counter was friendly and courteous as I pondered what I wanted to get. You can customize your bowl with various toppings and sauces. I chose to get tomatoes, grilled onions, & parsley and garlic sauce with my bowl! My bowl came out quite quickly in about 5 minutes since I was their first customer of the day. The portion size was decent for the price I paid and they did put a lot of meat into the bowl. It was quite flavorful overall and the beef shawarma was tasty and not dry at all. All the toppings meshed well together with the beef and rice. It was a pleasant lunch and I look forward to coming backs soon for more delicious meals! PS: Parking can be a bit tough on the weekends as the structure can get full quickly and there's only a few spots for parking on the street!

had the chicken shwarma plate on Tuesday. Chicken was really dry so I'm suspecting over cooked or sitting too long. Disappointed to say the least and to have paid $18 plus an obligatory flip the screen tip...Food business is tough, but at these prices, in my opinion, there's no room for anything but excellence.

The guy up front is so rude. He needs to be retrained or fired for customer service. Asked him to keep everything away from meat and he said that's not his policy. Really? Cancelled the order and won't be coming back.

I ordered the beef wrap, thinking it has more stuff in it but its just a pita bread wrapped in beef, it was ok. I also ordered the chicken bowl. You can order it with rice or veggies I believe and it was good too. Flavorful. A bit pricey. Ordered the leaves on the side, an order of small is 6 pieces. It was good, lemony flavorful. Service was ok, told the guy it was my first time and he basically told me what was on the menu lol. I wouldn't go back but def worth a try.

Thank you, this was much greater. The kofta kabob was grilled to perfection, rice and salad was great.

Pretty good Lebanese good. Get the chicken shawarma because it's WAY faster than the chicken kabobs. The baklava is outstanding.

This little restaurant is located in the Food Lab. There were lots of food selections ranging from a wrap, bowl, and plate. The beef and chicken shawarma plate tasted more like Mexican food. The garlic sauce was yummy, but the meat did not have the Greek spice taste I was hoping for. The salad and hummus was alright, nothing significant to note. The hummus was on the oily side. Which I personally do not like as I prefer more of a creamy consistency. The service was quick and the portion was huge.

Horrible, rude manager throws hard-working staff under the bus. My recent visit to Fufu's at the Food Lab, after patronizing this business from its early days in Mission Grove up to the present, will be my last. There was a new, young trainee taking my phone order who unfortunately added the incorrect side to my multi-plate pick-up order. I'm by no means upset about that-- it was busy and it happens-- but for spending nearly $70 on three plates, I was hoping that the error could be remedied. I called the restaurant and was passed off to the manager. I explained to her what had happened and she said she'd give me a free side if I came back. Since I already was home, that wasn't an option. She then said she'd give me a free side on my next visit, which again wasn't an option as it was multiple sides that were wrong. I explained to her that wasn't acceptable and asked for at least a partial refund to cover the error across the multiple plates. Eating out is expensive nowadays and at $20+ a meal, a free side just doesn't cut it. She then got extremely combative with me, accusing me of trying to pull a fast one on her and that I was trying to get free meals. I wasn't, just wanted a partial refund for the multiple errors made across the meals I ordered or to try and a solution. She eventually hung up on me after once again accusing me of trying to get my entire order refunded. I feel bad for the hard-working Fufu's employees who have to deal with the chaos of the Food Lab while working under the rude tyrant of a manager that I spoke to. I understand how stressful working in food service is, which is why I was understanding of what had happened and wanted to find an appropriate solution. I work hard as well and $70 is a lot of money to spend on meals that were incorrect. Because of the discourteous and unpleasant manager who'd rather berate their customer than try and remedy the situation, I will be taking my hard-earned money to other restaurants in the region.

Stopped by here as I was in the area for a dance competition. We had a chance to get food so we chose the Riverside food lab! I had the mixed plate of 1/2 beef and 1/2 chicken. The amount of meat was really good! The chicken was definitely seasoned and has a little kick. Both beef and chicken were juicy and flavorful. I wish there was a little more rice but it was a surprisingly large amount of hummus. The pita bread also came as one large flat round (not sliced or cut which was ok). Overall it took a bit of time to prepare as I mobile ordered, but the wait seemed to be worth it. I was happy with the portion sizes and the quality of food.

Food is great. Beef Shawarma wraps are fire. Went in around 3pm Saturday. Looked kinda busy, but It looked like the staff was lackadaisical. A couple staff members took turns standing around. Waited about 30 mins for a Shawarma wrap without getting a warning. So careful of weekends. Weekdays I dont have a problem. Wait is maybe 5 mins during lunch time

Fufu's Mid East Grill is in the Riverside Food Lab. My friend and I came here to grab some dinner before seeing a show at the Fox Performing Arts Theater next door. I ordered a chicken kabob plate with hummus and potatoes. As I waited for my order, there were a few patrons who came to the pick up counter because their order was incorrect or they were missing items like sauce or pita bread. That caused some concern, so I made sure to check my order before leaving the counter. (Mine was correct!) We sat at a table on the outside patio. Despite the heat, it was comfortable in the shade with the water misters flowing. Out of all the food in my order, the potatoes stand out the most. They were seasoned well, and had just the right amount of crunch on the outside. Highly recommend this side dish. The chicken was moist but not the most flavorful by itself. It definitely needed the garlic sauce! The hummus wasn't bad; it was just ok. I'm accustomed to hummus with stronger flavor. Would I return to Fufu's? Probably. I want to try some other dishes to see if their flavor game is different than the chicken kabobs that I ordered.

FRIENDLY STAFF!! Waited in line which went by pretty fast. The guy at the cash register was friendly and helpful. I ordered the chicken shawarma wrap. I did not have to wait very long for it to be ready. The first bite and every bite to follow was delicious. There was a satisfying amount of each ingredient. The garlic sauce was not too overpowering. Overall, if you are in this mood for fast Mediterranean this is a great spot.

Waited 30 minutes just to find out our order was never put in. Instead of an apology the worker just said "Oh looks like i never put in the order, ill put that in right now..." No how about "I'm sorry," or any type of apology? They were not busy. You should skip the tip button until your order comes out. So tired of tipping for bad service prior to getting my order.

The food is very good. I am very disappointed with customer service. Our door dash order was missing an item and when I called to tell them. The lady kept saying she remembers putting it in the bag. Door dash refunded me for the item but that doesn't cover the delivery fee and more tip it would cost to get it delivered again. The lady on the phone was un empathetic and refused to take accountability or help solve the issue. After a log road trip we were excited to sit down and have dinner together as a family and the horrible customer service put such a bad taste in our mouths.

I normally get my favorite, the lamb plate. Their popular menu items are the shawarma fries & the wraps--still have to try those. This time I got the wings and fried cauliflower--wonderful! The wings were a good size (not too small or steroid large) with good flavor. Cauliflower is fried so of course there was some grease, but not too much & not too salty. I will eat both again. Pleasant surprise--better quality & (slightly) cheaper than Wing Stop.

I went to this location and it's at the food lab. This is about my fourth time being there. The food is always good. It was good this time as well. The only problem I had was with the service the lady who took my order finished drinking as she's looking at me and I'm standing at the counter finally walked over and took my order, and then the young lady in the back preparing the food, had a sucker in her mouth as she's preparing her food. I thought that was rather unsanitary for her to do very unprofessional and so disappointed, but the food was good and the location is great always enjoyed the atmosphere.

My work group decided to come here for dinner. I ended up here for chicken skewers. It came with 2 sides, I did a double tabouli salad. The meal came with 2 chicken skewers on top of a bed of rice. The rice tasted like instant rice, not a deal breaker, watching my carbs I only ate a little. The flavor was great on the salad and chicken. Their garlic sauce was a nice surprise. Extra sauce costs 85 cents. We found seating right away inside, but in case it is full they do have a patio. They are located in the Riverside Food Lab.

Got this as a DoorDash order and i ordered the Chicken shawarma fries, they were so good!! Never had/heard of anything like this so I was super excited to try it. And it didn't disappoint. Hope to come in one day and try it freshly made.

Drove 40 minutes to come here at 10pm when they "close at 11pm" just for them to tell me they are only serving appetizers. That is insane and unacceptable for a business, you might as well close at 10pm instead of wasting your customers time. I am highly disappointed as I am from out of town and wanted to try what I thought would be good food. Terrible customer service.

Photos and videos of this location is very tempting. Food looks great. Service was kind of a letdown. They were not friendly or very helpful when asking questions. The worst part is they said they would call you when the order is ready we waited so long I finally went up and my order had been sitting there. The portions are large my chicken Shawarma fries were a little salty, but still tasty. The tabouli had fresh parsley and tomatoes, but it was missing something in flavor and didn't even come with pita. This is Mediterranean fast food for sure. Came for dinner with my mom. She said she wouldn't be back but I'll give it one more try

I used to love this place. The service and food has taken a turn for the worst. I ordered the beef shawarma salad, fried cauliflower and small humus. This cost over $22 dollars. The salad literally was Romain lettuce and beef on top. No dressing, no turnips, no pickle. Just plain Romain and beef and no flavor. Gross to say the least. Picture provided. I asked for garlic dressing and the guy gave it to me and says $.75 for next time. I should have told him to take it from the tip I left. Like, seriously. Had I known this was how the salad came I would have made my complaint there. It's too bad because I really liked the food here.

I had a worst customer service experience here. I couldn't even get her name I was so frustrated with her to whoever you are around 5:30 pm. Please seek a new job where your happy. Placed a order here to where I guess apparently the food lab system is down she claimed to be a manager and as she explained I get it but you didn't need to be rude when I asked about getting a refund. You didn't need to get hyped to where I thought you were gonna curse me out. I asked for a person above you number and you gave me a number all right but it was you who answered and you told me the person who owns this number has/is dead. I work in customer service and this is the worst I've seen. Food is is great and the atmosphere is great but other employees were good I've just never had this experience with a worker here but with her.