Sababa Falafel Shop

"The latest player on Little Arabia’s falafel scene is from Suzie Othman and husband Salah, across Katella Avenue by an “Anaheim” — but technically Garden Grove — bus stop. The couple hails from Beit Iksa on the West Bank, grew up in New York, and started serving Jerusalem-style Palestinian food in November 2021, earning long lines for their supple, parsley flecked orbs, which are about the size of gumballs. The name translates from Arabic as “amazing” or “wonderful” and both descriptions fit Sababa’s falafel. This casual restaurant serves chicken and ribeye, but it’s best known for falafel, which comes in bowls and pita sandwiches. For the latter, smashed falafel comes tucked into fluffy sliced pita, with options like creamy hummus, red chile sauce, pickles, red cabbage, tahini, a jalapeño garlic lemon slurry, and mint. Falih Abu Amba, an Iraqi mango sauce, provides a punchy finish. — Joshua Lurie" - Joshua Lurie, Anne Marie Panoringan

"This family-owned Palestinian restaurant in Garden Grove makes saying “no” very, very difficult, especially with its unlimited toppings special on the menu. We can’t resist their silky smooth roasted eggplant, charred cauliflower, or their selection of pickled vegetables that bring tons of briny flavor to the pita, even if our sandwich starts to look like an overstuffed TJ Maxx suitcase. The falafel at Sababa is also smaller and comes in a beautiful yellow color rather than the usual dark brown from its chickpea and spice mix. They’re super crispy and have a crumbly texture that contrasts nicely with the pillowy soft pita as well." - sylvio martins

"The latest player on Little Arabia’s falafel scene is from Suzie Othman and husband Salah, across Katella Avenue by an “Anaheim” – but actually Garden Grove – bus stop. The couple hails from Beit Iksa on the West Bank, grew up in New York and started serving  Jerusalem-style Palestinian food in November 2021, earning long lines for their supple, parsley flecked orbs, which are about the size of gumballs. The name translates from Arabic as “amazing” or “wonderful” and both descriptions fit Sababa’s falafel. This casual restaurant serves chicken and ribeye, but it’s best known for falafel, which comes in bowls and pita sandwiches. For the latter,  smashed falafel come tucked into fluffy sliced pita, with options like creamy hummus, red chile sauce, pickles, red cabbage, tahini, a jalapeño garlic lemon slurry, and mint. Falih Abu Amba, an Iraqi mango sauce, provides a punchy finish." - Joshua Lurie

"This family-owned Palestinian restaurant in Garden Grove makes saying “no” very, very difficult, especially with its unlimited toppings special on the menu. We can’t resist their silky smooth roasted eggplant, charred cauliflower, or their selection of pickled vegetables that bring tons of briny flavor to the pita, even if our sandwich starts to look like an overstuffed TJ Maxx suitcase. The falafel at Sababa is on the smaller side and comes in a beautiful yellow color rather than the usual dark brown from its chickpea and spice mix. They’re super crispy and have a crumbly texture that contrasts nicely with the pillowy soft pita as well." - Sylvio Martins