Jaffa Cafe
1212 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA‎
(805) 543-2449‎

In the middle of the incredibly white town of San Luis Obispo is a little bit of life disguised as a resturant. Jaffa Cafe is a family owned Mediterranean restaurant and serves some of the best tasting and most authentic Mediterranean and Near Eastern food I’ve ever tried. What’s really charming about Jaffa is the staff which always are up for a chat about business, life, and anything else you can think of. Most days the owner works the register and if you come even once a month he’s sure to remember your face, name, and probably life story if you are willing to share it.

Jaffa doesn’t have any pretensions about what it is and what it does. The restaurant is as laid back as restaurants come and fits perfectly with the San Luis lifestyle. Upon entering there’s a handful of tables strewn about with a big deli counter at the back. Like most other delis in the town, ordering takes place on a simple paper menu that is handed to the cooks and it’s a great way to ask what’s the best to get from the people making the food. After ordering it’s just a few minutes before it’s ready to enjoy. The whole tedious business of paying is taken care of after the meal so you get to eat relaxed, while thinking about how much to tip the great staff over whatever great dish you ordered.

Every visit I’ve enjoyed and I’ve tried quite a few things on the menu. My immediate favourites are the Lamb Shwarma, gyro, and kebab. All the meats are prepared just as they should be, full of flavour, soft, and tender. I don’t know how they do it, but it’s always amazing how great tasting such simple foods can be. I usually get some humus and pita or lentil soup to bolster the meal since the portions are relatively small. The humus and soups can be spotty since they are homemade and depending on the day can be amazing or rather bland. If you’re not sure whether you want a side or not I don’t recommend it due to their price, but if you’re definitely hungry give it a try and it might be a great choice. The pita is always great though and makes the best gyros and wraps. If it weren’t for the meats and falafel Jaffa would be just another average restaurant in a town already too full of them, but it truly is some of the best Mediterranean food I have ever tasted.

The one draw back to Jaffa is the cost. Probably due to the distance of San Luis Obispo to any major city, the ingredients are most likely a little more expensive than most similar Mediterranean restaurants and it’s difficult to get a full lunch for under $10. Some slightly better sides would help justify the extra costs and hopefully those will increase since business has picked up in recent years and Jaffa’s owners are expanding into more restaurants. As I said before, the meats, gyro, and falafel are really amazing and bring much needed spice to a town devoid of variety.