Jay T.
Yelp
Yafa is Located in the Portola Village Center shopping mall in Livermore. Before I came here, have checked their website about the history and what they offer. It's very interesting how Yafa Hummus was established.
Their menu is very simple. They offer wraps, bowls and sides. Chicken, Falafel and Gyro are in offering. There are a few wraps and you can make a bowl with your choices. I ordered a Chicken Shawarma Wrap, Back Home style Wrap and a Chicken Shawarma Bowl, lentil soup, Baklava ice-cream and fountain drink as well.
Chicken Shawarma is served on lavash - with spring mix and Mediterranean salad. It is served with a garlic sauce. If you want a spicy one, you have the option to add their chili sauce to it as well. I opted for the spicy version. I would say a medium spicy. It definitely added a special flavor to the Shawarma wrap. Perfectly cooked and delicious. I really enjoyed the flavor of it.
Back home style is also a wrap, but cut into bite size pieces. Served with pickles and garlic sauce on the side. Very similar to Chicken Shawarma, but the flavor is different. It goes really well with the garlic sauce. I guess the garlic sauce add some the magic into this dish. Flavorful.
For the bowl, you can pick a base - from the choices of white/brown rice, hummus, salad or Kale Slaw. Add a topping of Chicken, Falafel or Gyro. Or you can opt for half and half as well. Then you can pick 2 sides and a dressing. I opted of Chicken and Falafel - half and half, with brown rice as the base. Baba Ghanoush and spicy hummus for the side with tahini & tzatziki for dressing. It turned out to be really good, especially with the spicy hummus and baba ghanoush. Tzatziki has added a nice flavor to it as well. The brown rice was a little sticky, different from other Mediterranean places. Really enjoyed the bowl.
The lentil soup and the baklava ice-cream also turned out to be really good. I loved baklava ice-cream. I was trying it for the very first time and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Never knew Baklava and ice-cream are a good combination. The caramel drizzle added a different twist to it.
While the food was great, the service was fantastic. From the lady who took my order to the lady who prepared it, super friendly and helpful. They were patient enough to listen and answer my questions. Really enjoyed the hospitality of the employees. They took some time to prepare the food. They packed it really well, added utensils and also asked whether I need some additional sauces.
It's part of the big shopping center, parking is plenty. You can order in yelp/Grubhub as well. The food is great, service is fantastic; if you love Mediterranean food, what's stopping you from trying this place? Well, recommended.