Harvest International Market

I live in LA and was visiting SD for the weekend. This grocery store is amazing! I wish they had one in LA. don't get me wrong, we do have similar and probably larger stores. However, this grocery store offers much more variety. I'm addition to the fresh produce, they offer lots of in house prepared ready to eat food. Prices are somehow incredibly reasonable. They have a butcher and I believe it's halal. The staff is friendly and helpful. The parking is small but has lots of spaces and there's a high turnover rate. I will definitely be returning whenever I'm in the area. On a side note, I noticed a few typos on some of the veggies labels that I found a bit funny.

I like shopping her for my fruits and vegetables and authentic middle eastern foods to cook my meals. They just remodeling and really cleaned up the store! Friendly staff members that will help you as needed. Bakery in the back is fresh and the butcher has nice selections of beef and lamb. They'll even cut it for you if you politely ask!

Great produce and meat at great prices. There is also a self-serve station and a to-go lunch counter and an even better separate dessert counter. The produce looked better and cheaper than any regular supermarket in the area.

I don’t write reviews usually. However, this place well deserves one. The service was warm and accommodating, their food tasted insanely good and fresh, lately the prices were unbelievably affordable. I ordered the chicken Tikka amongst several other items and pastries. Not one piece disappointed. This place makes want to move to this area.

This place is great! Beautiful fruits and produce, always the best prices. They have delicious prepared salads and sides, meats and fresh breads. Sweets, desserts, dates and more from different countries. Everything is so good that I want to but it all. Hahaha. Now, I just go in more often. They sell Dubai Chocolates and the ingredients to make it yourself if you want to.

Unfortunately, I encountered a very disappointing situation with one of the cashiers, a lady working during the morning shift. Her behavior was unprofessional and quite disrespectful. She made inappropriate comments questioning why I was happy and even stated that “it’s not healthy to be happy in the morning.” This type of behavior is not only uncalled for but also unacceptable in a customer-facing role. As a regular patron, I was truly shocked and saddened by the way I was treated. Everyone deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect, regardless of their mood or demeanor. I sincerely hope this issue is taken seriously, and appropriate steps are taken to ensure this does not happen to other customers in the future. Thank you for your time and attention

The employees are very helpful. A clean and very tidy market. When we saw an expired chocolates, they immediately removed it from the shelf, which was a very admirable behavior. Thank you for working to provide better quality service to your customers.

A great alternative to Mexican food. Many tasty options. Beef, Chicken Kebabs, plates platters hummus, any different types of salads all offered at a reasonable price. Freshly made is the way to go.

I stopped by late one evening after craving something unique, and I was blown away by the variety they offer. The staff are incredibly friendly and eager to help you find whatever you need. I ended up grabbing a mix of pastries, and every bite was amazing. It's rare to find a spot open late that not only has such a great selection but also feels so welcoming. If you're looking for a go-to place for Middle Eastern treats, this is it!

I've been enjoying the shawarma and kabobs at harvest international market for years. Today I wanted some of that delicious cucumber yogurt sauce/salad to go with my delicious Mediterranean delights and they were almost out of it. They had just enough to fill the smallest container just under halfway. So I enquired as to how I could pay for such a measly portion. The lady at the counter was very rude and told me they charged per container and that I'd have to pay for a full container. I really wanted that delicious yogurt sauce but the cheapskate in me would not allow me to pay full price for less than half product. It was weird to me that there was absolutely nothing they could do. There's way too many other delicious kabob shops in El Cajon for me to have to deal with such shenanigans. So I went home sans sauce and ate my dry-ass shawarma.

Made the trek to pick up a catering order for a family party. My brother in law recommended this place and it did not disappoint! The party was for about 30 people and although we ended up with way too much, the food was delicious. Everyone enjoyed it and even got to take some home with them!

I really wanted it to workout, but there were a lot of issues here. I feel terrible to say something about this business because a lot of the staff here were wonderful to myself and my family when we came here. Somehow when we first came here, we were charged for beef when we got 2 bags of 5 lb each chicken boneless thighs. We saw it on the receipt and called them. The manager said she will be in until 3pm so come back so they can check the cameras. They refunded us $5 and said sorry. We don't know how it happened? Maybe a sticker for beef was on the register area somehow. Anyway, we go home and check the chicken to marinate it and it smelled rotten (old). It was weird because the guy bagged it for my mom in front of her. Im not sure why none of us knew sooner. Im not sure if it was the refrigeration of the meat section. Other than this, we did speak to the staff over the phone and they said they would call us back Thursday but we didn't hear back and that was over a month ago. I have no malice. Maybe they forgot. I just know we don't plan on coming back here because of these issues. I hope it didn't happen to anyone else. I do have an appreciation for businesses with halal meat because my mom can only eat that, so I hope things can turn around for them because I see a lot of hard working staff. One good thing I discovered was Persian ice cream here by laleh so for that I am grateful, the diversity of candy was nice too. The batonchik is not Russian chocolate if anyone was wondering.

i was just in there about 12.50 pm when i came to number one cashier she put the sign closed then i went to the next cashier then the first cashier took out the closed sign. i asked to speak to the store manager so they were making fun and laughing with disrespectful manner then the first cashier lied to me and said i am the manager. so i asked again to speak to the real manager then 5 minutes later she said oh he is not here. i am soooooo disappointed on how those two cashiers treated me like garbage. this is a serious incident i will not take it lightly . all the guys in the kitchen know me really well. i hope you will do something about it. tried to email this letter to the company and it says their contact email does not exist. i want to give 5 below zero. very discriminatory

Had everything I needed and everyone was friendly and helpful. Good zataar bread, fresh tandoori bread, beef and chicken kebab to go and some of my favorite falafel in San Diego!

Great Middle Eastern Food in the heart of El Cajon. Food is authentic and taste great. Great dessert bar. They also have catering for all types of parties.

Very bad service and food. The dolma was very rotten and it has worms. I don't recommend this place

I bought food on December 1st, specifically stuffed beef and lahmacun. Unfortunately, the meat tasted very bad, and I ended up getting very sick afterward. I called the store to report this, and they informed me that a supervisor would call me back, but no one ever did. Furthermore, my calls have been rejected every time I've tried to reach them. This has been the worst food experience I have ever had. I am writing this review because I believe the food needs to be monitored. I have concerns that they may be using old meat to make the pastry, which could lead to serious stomach issues.

Nice, clean market that sells Halal meat, fresh bread, good prices on premade food and produce.

Wish I had known this place a little sooner. It was definitely a heaven to get everything from Turkish deli to Baklava to shawarma to kabob or salads and more whichever you were craving for they got it all. It was definitely a trip for me to explore all the new Mediterranean stuffs that I had not tried before and I cannot wait to come back and buy them all lol

Tried their chicken rice on menu, really fresh with authentic taste of chicken biryani with authentic spices smell. Chicken was juicy and price was reasonable. I asked for chicken rice in their kitchen and lady showed me big box but since I was the only one eating I got chicken rice by pound box. The big box she showed me looked yummy. I would definitely come back for other items and store was clean and lady at counter was very pleasant. This place doesn't deserve 1 star at all with the kind of collection of food they have and staff is helpful.

I visited Harvest International Market today to buy some meat. When I asked the butcher to cut it in half for me, he rudely told me it wasn't his job and shouted at me to do it myself at home. When I asked again, his manager came over and refused to sell me the meat. It wasn't until I spoke to the store manager that the butcher was finally told to cut the meat and apologized. Despite the apology, I do not recommend buying meat from this store.

Oven baked bread straight from their brick ovens. Display case of Arabic sweets. They have take away for quick meals. Arabic coffee and teas is well stocked. I'm here for the fresh breads and spices. It's a Middle Eastern grocery store with Halal meats and produce. Mel M Yelp 19:5

The Harvest International Market is a unique place near the center of downtown El Cajon. A Middle Eastern super market that specializes in food and products akin to that region. Fresh produce at great prices as well as helpful employees who are willing to answer any of your questions. With a bakery, butcher shop and deli; you will get ready ingredients for meals and/or hot prepared food to go. I was here especially to try their deli. I heard so many good things about the deli from my wife that I needed to try it for myself. From soups to beef or chicken kabobs, to gyros and rice dishes. There is a lot of different things to choose from. A definite foodie adventure for those who haven't had this type of cuisine before. Over the years it has become one of my favorites. I am glad to report that the deli didn't disappoint. I had the rice pilaf with dried fruit and almonds, a beef kabob, roasted chicken accompanied by bread and hummus. It was all delicious and the best part is that it was so inexpensive. Completely affordable for those on a tight budget. If your in the area. Drop by and take a look. You will be surprised on both the quality and prices. With a nice bakery, butcher shop and deli; meals for the family will be easy to prepare. Let me not forget the fresh produce and other products throughout the store. Support local business especially the good ones. The Harvest International Market is a bright spot in downtown El Cajon on East Main Street. I am a fan.

I knocked off a star because parking is limited, and made more so by patrons leaving their carts in empty parking spots, rather than bring their carts back to the cart corral. Rude! On to the review: In my continued quest for malawach frozen pastry-dough (think puff pastry and phyllo dough marrying and having a child --Malawach dough!), for someone who's never seen the products of a Middle Eastern community-- this place is amazing; the physical layout itself is very organized, well stocked, and most importantly, it's clean. The meat counter doesn't smell bloody/disgusting (as most meat counters do), the hot kitchen area features delicious foods, the bakery has two above ground tandoori ovens, where they bake a lot of their specialty bread items; there's a dessert display case that's located where the registers are. As I was perusing the meat pie display case, an older gentleman enthusiastically explained what flavors/fillings were offered; turns out, he's part owner, along with his brother and sister in law; according to him (I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name), this store has been here for at least 12 years. This gentleman graciously brought me a sample of the beef and chicken shawarmas, in addition to the very tasty rice pilaf dish that had nuts and vegetables in it. He also introduced me to the stores manager (?), and then he gave me a personalized tour of the store, and explained the type of desserts they offer. Their selection of Turkish delight dill not leave you disappointed. Thank you for the tasty samples and the guided tour! * UPDATE * I found the Ta'amti Malawach Pan Phyllo Bread in Ralph's supermarket, Kosher section in LaJolla.

Ordered catering and it was an hour and twenty minutes late. I called 3 times and kept being told different stories. They were not apologetic at all. This was embarrassing for us since some of our guests ended up leaving the event before the food arrived. Avoid trusting this business. There are so many options, especially in this area.

I am Armenian but these people know how to make the Armenian Pizza simpler way to say the real word absolutely delicious and their DOMA has real meat in it not let the people around where I live that don't put me in saves DOMA nice people that have everything you can imagine there

A few months ago, they replaced some of their girl cashiers with some young guys. I never had any problems with the girl cashiers. Whenever the cashiers were all guys or the lines of girl cashiers were too crowded, my items had to be scanned by the guy cashier, where I noticed that most times, those young guys made mistakes in scanning of the purchased items and I always found overcharged when later I checked the receipts. For example, for apples, I was charged for grapes when that day it was three times more expensive than apples. I always thought it was OK, they are young, and I should not embarrass them just for a couple of dollars. Today, right after paying, as soon as I got the receipt, suddenly I saw a charge for a pack of sushi as the first item. I never purchased any sushi, and it was not among my items. I showed it to the guy that I didn't have sushi. I thought he, by mistake, had charged me again for a different item, but actually, he had added it to my list of purchases without adding the sushi to my bag!! Anyway, I got a refund (probably takes a week or two to get back to my visa). His coworker defended him that the sushi belonged to the former customer (the former customer was an old lady that I don't think she even knew what sushi was), but I'm not sure how justifying it was. Just imagine how many customers are robbed every day by those young guys who probably are new immigrants hired as cashiers. This is how store management increases the profit! I'm sure many shoppers of this store can not even read English to check the receipts. Maybe someday the police should check to see what is going on at this store!

I've been shopping here for years, always fresh and with a huge selection. Meats, produce frozen food offerings, and quite a friendly staff. Very clean with plenty of parking. Huge selection in virtually every category and department, you can get lost here. Fresh homemade bakery too.

Don't trust this guys And always check your receipt after you pay We just shops from there and was over charge $60 My wife went back to checking the items we buy The stupid manager was so rude and disrespectful with my wife . I want to tell the manger next time when you or your employees make mistakes you should say sorry and be nice to your customers because the customer pay your bills idiots. No more back to this store

There is magic in this community market. They make fresh bread and have a variety of hot food items that they make fresh all day. We have had the whole chicken dinner platter many times. It's sooo gooood!! I always get pickled turnips and garlic sauce to go with it. Lip smacking!! If you don't know about the fried fish plate, get your life and try it!!! You have been missing out!! They sprinkle that fish with fairy dust because the flavor is outstanding!! One of my favorite meals hands down right now. It comes with delicious rice with vegetables in it (eggplant, potatoes). There are no words!! They have an amazing assortment of accoutrements (olives, pickled turnips, tabbouleh, labneh, various cheeses, etc...). They always have great prices on their fresh produce. I noticed the last time I was in they have a dessert case again with yummy sweets to choose from. There is so much selection of products you may not be able to find in any other grocery store or market. Expand your horizons and check out Harvest Market!! I want to thank them for always making me feel welcome and for their quality of their food and products consistently being the highest.

This is my third time I bought food from harvest international market on main street this location is so bad I don't recommend it to my enemies to eat from there it's very very very bad, and you talk to the managers they show you this attitude that their food is the best three times i Bought food from and it is the same problem Mold.

The price in the Shelvis doesn't match the cashier and when I show the cashier the price he asked me from where I got the price I will never go there again . For all costumers check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price check the price the price in the shelf was 2for 1$ and at the check out was 1.49$ for (fuyu)

Of the many Chaldean owned places in El Cajon to get Arab food in El Cajon, this is by far the worst as of last two visits. Did they change owners with the remodel? The stuffed grape leaves were inedible and gave me and the b/f both heartburn. Where the rice should be tender and soft, even after reheating wrapped in foil, there were hard as a rock. The flavor awful, and very acidic, like they used the cheapest grape leaves. Just threw them away. The shawarma sandwich, have had twice, thought it was a mistake the first time. At Valley and North Park produce it comes with garlic sauce, turnip pickle, sumac, and plenty of onion and tomato, and at Valley, especially, the meat is tender; here, just a measly tiny bit of very vinegery cucke pickle, barely any tomato or onion, and the meat is dry and flavorless.... Bought some baklava. The cashier was incredibly rude, first scolding me for choosing a baklava that would not fit the size container i wanted, then and she kept grabbing the wrong selection cuz she was not listening. Besides that the baklava tastes like its made with margarine, not butter. Baklava should be quite buttery tasting. Even the kabob house in OB has much much better stuff.... The humus also not very good. Not enough garlic and very grainy. North Park Produce much better.

I found out about this market from Omar S. We came out here for a pip of a UYE that included a couple hours of food tasting. I wisely wore some stretchy pants, knowing all about the generous Arab hospitality. I got some cravings one day for some of their delectable pistachio baklava and Walter and I headed over. I love the way the market is setup. You walk in and can see pretty much the whole layout of the store. I like that the produce is centrally located, rather than off to the side like in most markets. I also like that they have some items outside as well. Naturally I enjoy the already made items like the salads and cooked meats shaved off the spit fresh to order, so good. And that bread, oh yeah, the bread. It's baked fresh all day. You can watch them making it. There's a reason people line up for it on the weekends! Everything I've tried here is good. Somethings were great. I mean I'd been craving that baklava. It's really worth the drive. They make assorted varieties. I can't just pick one, ya know? I gotta get the assortment. It's $8.99 a pound. It's handmade. I'm not lying because I got to watch it being made. It's so pretty too. You'd think little old sweet ladies made it. Nope. A big muscular dude makes it, haha. Don't let it deter you, it's delicious!! Get over there and pick some up!

We had the shawarma sandwich catering at a party recently and it was fantastic! The layout at the party was beautiful and the food was super tasty. Thanks for the great food and service!

This review is specifically for their hot food section. I love this place so much. I wonder how they keep the prices so low with such high quality food. Their lamb shank entree is 8.99 for a whole lamb shank and a bed of mixed rice. It can feed two people at least. Their breakfast shawarma with eggs is also 8.99. Can feed at least 3 people. Friendly staff. Always giving away free samples. Will come back often.

Food is great with the place is a little bigger seems a little crowded, but other than that very good prices and great options for Middle Eastern food

Grocery is ok , i buy grocery from ralphs its way fresher but in terms of hot food they have good quality food , out of all the iraqi markets in the area their stews are the best , i always get stews from here even if i got other food from different resturant . We had lamb over rice for easter it was well cooked but it needed more spices . Customer service is very good , manal & the young girl at hot food cashier are helpful

This is the worst market I have ever entered. Beware of the lies and deceit. They only care about making a quick buck. Fruits and vegetables were moldy and old. The shelves indicate one price but once you get rung up it's a more expensive price. Embarrassment to the middle eastern community. You're ripping off your own people. On top of that the meat they sell is old and has a horrendous stench. When you let them know they tell you to keep your voice down so the other customers don't hear and try to kick you out of the store as if I or anyone I know was going to return there anyways. Health department needs to be contacted ASAP.

The food there is pretty good. Not too strong or pungent. I would definitely recommend the cheese pie( it's like a pizza) The only issue I see is that the CUSTOMERS there more so the men, stare and just look at you. It's not super creepy but it s just there. And they don't even try to hide it. They will look at you, you can be beyond coverd up and they still will. This is NOT a reflection on the store. The store is great, they have great food. This is purely customers. Overall, food is great and people there are nice and I would 100% recommend the food there to others.

Place is just a three. Been here a few times, and it seems everyone working is ALWAYS in a bad mood. One thing I guarantee is when you walk in nobody is smiling. Not even the customers. This place feels like a funeral home. Anyhow, I have bought the zaatar (Mediterranean pizza) and the schwarmas. The worker at the zaatar is bossy like your bothering him, and the same with the schwarma place. They just want you to order and that's it. Plus, you have to ask for garlic as they will not give you any if you don't ask. I think if they added bhabbaganoush and hummus on plate they'll have way more sales. Otherwise it's dry without the garlic. They have the get in and get out attitude. Also, I have purchased some groceries here, but it's no different than going to other grocery stores. I wouldn't make an effort on coming in unless I'm in the area and need something really, really, really, really, really bad. You'll get sad when you walk in...

When opening a business or trying to run a successful business ; customer service is your number one priority ! If you do not have 100 percent satisfaction from customers then that should already be a BIG sign, to change or switch out employees / policies . My family has small businesses so I know first hand how someone should be treated when walking into a store. Won't be recommending this place to any of my family or friends .

I came to get two sandwiches from here and saw the guy in the kitchen touching his hair and rubbing his neck while making the sandwiches .. and then he started touching his nose! Goddammit how am I suppose to eat the sandwiches ‍

The cashier girls are super rude, don't greet, they fling bags at check out. They talk shit in Arabic and laugh in your face. They put the bags so far back you have a hard time reaching to put them back in your cart after you're done purchasing. The produce was scarce. The fruit looked bad. I used to love this market but I won't be returning after today. They need to revamp. What a shame for the owner to have his company go to shit. I think they are a lot of great markets around that are way better.

I bought two days ago, plate of chicken and rice and I founded a piece of iron I want everybody to be careful when you buy stuff from them

I called and order 2 chicken Shaurma, the lady told me 15 min I said ok. Go there 20 min later.. the lady told me 5 min so I was waiting and it seems like the chef hadn't even start preparing the sandwich's, anyways this dude was giving no fucks he was literally stoping every second having a 5 min conversation with anybody that he sees. Do you fucking job, I got my sandwichs an hour later!! What a shame. Never coming back again

I love persian and european food, groceries, come here once a week.

Full disclosure-- I am not of middle eastern descent and I really didn't recognize a lot of the products they had here. The reason for the two star review is due to three things- I was there early in the morning, there were maybe two other customers and several employees. I was clearly out of my element and I was searching for an item a relative asked me to get them. I was not greeted by anyone and no one asked me if I needed help. I had to seek out an employee and ask about the product. The woman shortly said NO and walked away. Next was when I walked by the meat section. The old man behind the counter was not wearing a mask and he was coughing all over everything without covering his mouth. Gross! The last straw was the baklava... it looked delicious but it tasted old and stale and dry. Oh well. I'm sure this place pleases some people, I'm just not one of them.

This is not a place to eat, but a dumpster . Bad food and bad customer service . Sorry there is no less than one star.

Hookah and Shewarma Heaven in El Cajon! Visited Harvest International Market (formerly, Baghdad Market) on a whim, and was pleasantly suprised to see how clean and neat the store was. Very clean, no smells of funky lamb meat gone bad. Fresh fruits and veggies, A lovely assortment of Arabic teas, cookies, and pastries. A whole corner of the store is set up for hookahs, hookah parts, accessories, and fruit bowls already packed and ready to take home! I picked up a pound of the chicken shewarma which was shaved off just for me, and grabbed some hookah grommets for my hookahs at home. The Shewarma was just right, seasoned, fully cooked, flavorful and juicy. What I was suprised with also was the level of friendliness and helpful workers there. The lady taking my order at the hot food section greeted me right away with a friendly smile and helped me to place my order. Definatley will go back here soon and try the Bulgar, and various rices, shewarmas.

for a second i got flash back that iam still living in some sort of a country dosent have any customers rights !! i drove for about 20 mint to there to buy bread and other groceries, the lady who cooks the bread gave me 2 out of three burned kind of breads ! and i should take them whatever how they look!! really? and when iam not gonna take the burned ones she started yalling at me!! ok thanks for the non professional customers service, not coming back ever again.

I bought frozen beans and it's was expired since 9/2019 and now we are in February 2020 !!!!! Five months expired and they still selling it

I bought few pounds already packed up meats from here few times when I went home ready to open up and clean up the meats to cook at least I got one pound fat from four pounds meat. What they do the pack two pieces of meats on top of each other the good meat the top and the bad meat with lots of fat in the bottom. That's why one of this business in balboa Ave got closed down because of bad business. I'm very disappointed and I don't appreciate this type of business to ripping customers. That's why my whole families, relatives and friends stopped shopping from Harvest market in El Cajon. I can't give them any star.

I bought those falafel today. They smell so bad I couldn't even stand the smell of them and I tasted one I was about to throw up there were disgusting I'm sorry to say that ...

Horrible! the new owner sucks! he brings the cheapest products ever and sells it for high prices. I'm throwing away half of what I bought because it's either expired or bad quality. The bread section is very slow and there's always a long waiting line. The Samoon is horrible too and always dry. To the new owner, you should be ashamed of yourself. Before the old owner used to give $10 coupons if you spend $100, and the owner took that off. I'm never coming back here. What a waste of money and time.

Dolma is dry and i think someone was practicing on it because they obviously forgot how much lemon and smaqq to put because we were not able to eat any. This place has gotten bad and its only getting worse. Whoever made this dolma had one job and they couldn't even do it the proper way. Please dont make dolma if you don't know how. ‍

This wouldn't be my first choice for grocery shopping, but they have some pretty good products. The prices are a bit high, compared to others. Really great produce selection.