Oren’s Hummus Shop

After a completely horrible experience, and a detailed explanation of how we were ignored while the staff played tag with each other, texted on their cell phones, and stood staring at us as we stacked our dishes in the center of our table with empty water glasses I was contacted by Oren’s Hummus Shop and invited back. Not only did I change my review from the original post pending a return, but I returned on my own without receiving any compensation for my meal as was promised, but the service was JUST as bad.
I recommend NOT visiting this location. It is clear they not only don’t care about guest service, but consider lying an appropriate solution to valid complaints.

Thick and pillowy pita, smooth hummus with delicious mushrooms, delicious falafel… why did I wait so long to try this place?

Food (⁵⁄₅): My bf and I split the beef pita sandwich and the chicken kebab with hummus and babaganouj as our two sides. Everything was amazing! The pita sandwich came stuffed with huge chunks of flavorful ground beef, hummus, tahini, cucumbers, and tomatoes. It’s so big that I struggled to get all the flavors at once. Eat this quickly, as the pita does get soggy if you’re slow.
The chicken was amazing — really flavorful and moist. One kebab comes with 5 – 6 sizable chunks of chicken, so it’s definitely filling. The hummus and babaganouj came with warm pita bread, which was the best pita bread I’ve ever had. So many places have super thin pita bread that doesn’t really add anything to your meal, but this pita bread was so soft and fluffy. I’m already craving it again.
Service (⁵⁄₅): Service was super friendly, food came out fast, water was refilled frequently. No complaints at all
Value (⁵⁄₅): For the amount of food we got and the location, I definitely expected to pay more than we did. You can easily get full here for less than $ 10 per person if you stick to hummus, but even if you branch out and try the other dishes, $ 15pp will definitely satisfy you too.

I hate giving 5 stars. It seems like there is no perfect place that deserves this. However, this place is AMAZING.
Pita bread is served fresh and warm. It is fluffy and flavorful. The hummus is as it should be based on the restaurant name.PERFECT.
All the sides (tabouli, beets, carrots, falafel, basmati rice) and the beef and chicken skewers were FANTASTIC.
The service is the BEST.
And what I really dig about this place is every menu items tasted UNIQUE and different from the other. Sometimes restaurants use the same spice/​herb mix or sauce on other menu items so it all sorta tastes the same… not this place.
GOING BACK within a week.

I’ve eaten at alot of falafel places and this place is the best! Scrumptious falafels. Soft pitas. Flavorful everything else. I got the chicken pita. Really good. But I tried my friend’s falafel pita… SOOOOO GOOD! DEFINITELY what I’m getting next time.
Also, sorry. I usually take pics of my food to Unilocal.But my food looked and smelled soo good that I ate it right up. Next time!
PS. I only gave it 4 stars cause the guy who checked us in (shorter latino man) was super rude. We came in 30mins before closing. He asks «To go or eating in? We’re only doing to go orders because we close soon.» RUDE! Like we didn’t already know that! Luckily, the manager took over our order and gave us the best service. And hooked it up with all the sauces since it was our first time.
Going back! And next time, I might give that server/​busboy a piece of my mind…

I have been to the Oren’s location in Palo Alto and I must say the Mt. View location was a lot more organized and on-​the-​ball with service. Oren’s is always delicious and a great place to take out-​of-​towners. I was a little bit worried about the wait time as this place is typically busy and at the other location I have had experiences with the waiters giving inaccurate wait times. This time, we were able to leave a number and only had to walk around for a short time. We ordered:
Appetizer platter to share: highly recommend! Came with marinated beets, spiced carrots, yogurt, and three kinds of eggplant spread. Delicious and a good way to try a little bit of everything!
All of us ordered pita sandwiches and all tables are given a basket of pita to start — which is useful if you order a side of hummus or want to venture into the spicy sauces on the table.
We were offered drink shortly after being seated and the wait staff was prompt with taking our order and clearing our table as we finished plates. They came by often to check on us and provide refills!
They were even accommodating with helping us to split the check at the end (which typically isn’t done more than two ways, but with a big group, we were not entirely prepared).
We had a great experience at this Oren’s location; the food is always delicious, but the service was fantastic this time around. This was the first time at an Oren’s for a local friend and an out-​of-​towner, both were thoroughly impressed!

I really enjoyed my visit here today. First off, I came around 3:30 pm, so it wasn’t very crowded. The waiter was really friendly [I didn’t catch his name :(], and kept refilling our water and asking if we wanted anything else. He also brought our check and a box for food really promptly.
I got the falafel pita which was sooo good especially if you add the side dish of Cole slaw to it, and the sweet potato fries. No joke, those fries are heavenly. They are crisped perfectly and have just the right amount of softness to them.
Overall good experience :)

A really pleasant surprise.
Started with chick pea hummus. Advertised as being lower in calories than the pedestrian variety, it was light and creamy, with a more pronounced sesame taste. Felafel were on the small side, green with herbs. The fluffy whole wheat pita sealed the deal.
Had the beef kebabs for the main course. They were on the small side but juicy and delicious. The sides I chose were eggplant and beets. The eggplant had a homemade taste (actually like my mother’s) but the beets were a bit bland.
My wife went with the eggplant sandwich (sabich) and enjoyed it. Kudos were also earned by my son’s chicken sandwich.
What sealed the deal was a turmeric spice tea, delicious and just the thing for a cold. Great service throughout the meal.

Jonathan! He was our server that night and was SUPER attentive.
The food was good, but the service was awesome.
I will definitely be back.
Ordered:
1) Chicken skewer with falafel side and babaganoush eggplant: ⁴⁄₅
2) Hummus chickpea: ⁴⁄₅
3) Schnitzel de Noir: ³⁄₅ eh, this was OK
4) Traditional Malabi ⁴⁄₅ yum, light and not too decadent. You can also taste and smell the rose water.

I do like their hummus. And most of the other food. Honestly, everything I’ve ever had here tastes delicious. But I am seriously upset with them right now. I ate here on Wednesday with a friend and had the sampler plate, including three types of eggplant. Today, I was back on Castro so I stopped by with a friend to grab some to-​go boxes. Then I read the ingredients on the Oren’s Eggplant box. Chicken. Chicken in my eggplant. I grabbed a menu to confirm: no mention of chicken. No indication at all that this may not be a safe option for vegetarians. I’m really quite upset. Folks need to know that a dish usually appropriate for vegetarians is not, in fact, vegetarian. This is just unnecessary. Oren’s should update their menus immediately. Meanwhile, I’ll be avoiding this place for a while. Not cool, Oren.
Updating my review to bump you down to one star for your completely inadequate response. Egg is vegetarian, chicken is not. Vegetarian is not the same as vegan. Your menu should be more clear. You are feeding people chicken who think they are having a vegetarian item. Shame on you.

The best uses of eggplant since eggplant parmesan.
Being raised in an Israeli household, I’ve come to appreciate hummus and other Mediterranean dishes. While Oren does not necessarily serve the best hummus I’ve ever had, it’s still incredibly good for the price, quantity, and service.
I ordered the sabich, a pita filled with eggplant, hard boiled egg, Israeli salad, and tahini sauce. They added a few other special ingredients, and the overall dish was satisfying and tasty. I also tried a side or Oren’s Eggplant, a purée mix of eggplant and sweet onions. The taste was unique and delicious. The menu is filled eggplant related spreads and dishes, and you can bet I’ll be back to try each and every one of them. I also sampled their beef kebabs. Plenty juicy and seasoned with the standard mix of middle eastern spices.
The only complaint I have is that the service, while polite, is slow. After sitting down, it took some time for our waiter to take our orders and deliver our check. He was also waiting on three other tables, so perhaps additional hires are in order.
A great place for a light and healthy meal with plenty of eggplant variety!

The short: very delicious hummus
I first visited the Palo Alto branch and discovered that Oren’s popped up on Castro, too. Ah yes, Oren’s is my go-​to for delicious hummus and all that jazz. The hummus, the skewers, the sandwiches, the sides, and the pita. I love it all! The portions are generous and the food very filling.
My personal favorites at Oren’s are the sabich sandwich and the babaganoush eggplant side.
Why not a 5-​star? Well… the service I’ve received has either been perfect and not-​so-​great:
1. Gery was an amazing waiter! He had numerous tables to serve and was still able to give us our food fast, and check-​in with us during heavy lunch hour
2. Our normal guy was great until he disappeared. Then, we tried to flag another waiter who wasn’t looking at our table. Once we flagged him down when he came back to the area a third time, we asked for a refill of hot water and the bill. Well, that didn’t happen. Finally, our regular guy came and took care of everything. Where did you go and why was your co-​worker not helpful? (This was at 3 in the afternoon when it’s not crowded at all.)
I’ll still come back to enjoy the hummus :)

Highlights
— I am so glad I decided to come here for dinner prior to drinks around the area. it was definitely not what I originally expected in my head when I thought about a hummus shop. I thought deli style. The chandelier is a beauty that makes this place look upscale, but prices are not which is pretty amazing.
— Grilled chicken skewer: Comes with two sides. Amazingly flavored, juicy, and tender.
— Tabule: Abundance of mint, but it tasted delicious. it was the perfect accompaniment to my chicken and hummus.
— Hummus: Can I say how much I love their pita bread to go with this?! Soft, fluffy, and comes out warm. They offer wheat and white, but I prefer white. I like the non-​healthy nor grainy texture in my bread, thank you very much.
— Rice bowl with chicken skewer: rice accompanying the chicken tasted great and topped with the tahini sauce provided.
— Service was on point, the server came to check on us quite often. Props!
— Bathrooms are spacious and there are two unisex to choose from.
Improvements
— None really. It wasn’t a fully packed restaurant, but I can see that if all tables are filled, they may sit pretty closely together but it can be said for a lot of other restaurants.
Tip
— The sauces that are at the table are spicy! Proceed with caution (I’m a whimp when it comes to spicy stuff and it was SPICY!)

You can get similar Mediterranean food at a cheaper rate in downtown Sunnyvale. We went without reservation and we had to wait for 30 minutes or so and while we were waiting, we realized that its a first-​grab-​first-​service philosophy, there was no line we had to run and take the chairs, so wear your sports shoes if you are not planning to reserve a table here.
This is a typical Mediterranean restaurant, I would suggest not to have very high expectations. The food wont let you down, it wont amaze you either. The service is ok.

Whenever I’m in Mountain View, there are a handful of places that I’ll want to eat at and it boils down to pizza, ramen or Oren’s Hummus Shop. I decided on Oren’s. I really enjoy the healthy and delicious food they offer here: hummus, skewers, pita sandwiches, salads, and other entrees/​sides. Yesterday, I had a meeting in town that ran late and I missed lunch. Stomach grumbling and fading fast from hunger, I quickly headed over here after my meeting and was immediately greeted by one of the employees who was very friendly/​courteous and promptly took my order:
1. Beef Skewer Entrée with Falafel and Red Cabbage Sides — The ground beef and lamb was seasoned well, herby, and topped with tahini. It’s usually very moist, but yesterday it was dry and somewhat disappointing for me and the portions were small so I knocked off a star on this review as a result (might have been an off-​day or it was pre-​cooked and sitting around for a little bit since lunchtime was well over). However, the sides made up for it as the Falafel was fried perfectly, crunchy on the outside, moist on the inside, and flavorful (not the best I’ve had but still good) AND the Red Cabbage was crunchy, crispy, tangy, and sweet altogether (wonderfully marinated and pickled just right).
2. Chicken Skewer Entrée with Tabule and Hummus Sides — The well-​spiced chicken was grilled to perfection and charred nicely, yet still juicy, moist, and succulent. Definitely much better experience than the beef skewer. The side of Tabule was refreshing to me especially because of the herbs, lemon juice, and seasoning, which all paired well with the nuttiness of the quinoa. Oh, and that HUMMUS! OMG, just amazing!!! Smooth, creamy, garlicky… I could eat it all day everyday! And the pita bread they give you (wheat or regular; opted for both) must be consumed with that hummus. So soft, warm, and pillowy… fantastic!
These dishes (or any food ordered here) are not complete without their Hot Green Harissa Sauce (reminds me of a spicy Chimichurri sauce that has an awesome kick and flavor; you’ll love this one if you enjoy heat) and the Red Chili Garlic Sauce (milder than the green one and almost reminiscent of the chili garlic sauce from Huy Fong, the maker of Sriracha).
Other memorable items I’ve had in the past here are the Schnitzel de Noir, Rice Bowl, Pita Sandwich, and the Sampler Dish of sides. You really can’t go wrong here with any of the selections at Oren’s (although I’ll be more cautious with any future beef skewer order, LOL) and I know that I can always get my Mediterranean fix at this bustling eatery (whether in Mountain View or their other location in Palo Alto).

I love pita bread and falafels since I tried my first falafel sandwich in college. And Oren’s hummus is no exception! They handmade their pita bread and I could taste the difference. It was soft and fluffy and perfectly warm when the waiter gave it to us. They did (somewhat oddly in my opinion) bring out the pita bread a good 5 – 10 minutes before the rest of our order and we were worried they would get cold but it wasn’t too bad. I like how each dish/​entrée comes with 2 pita breads each which is more than enough. We tried hummus mushrooms, beef kebab rice bowl, and chicken skewer with a side of falafels and Israeli salad. Everything was delicious and I would recommend them all! They even give you a small bowl of salad in the beginning free of charge. The portions are definitely big enough and we had enough leftovers for the next night. I can’t wait to come back!

It was my first time here with my boyfriend and we really enjoyed the food. It was very lightweight just right before our open house in the area. I really like there outdoor seating. Very quiet and refreshing. Their food was very well prepared. It was our first time so we ordered an entrée and shared it. Overall, I think they had very good service and great food. We’ll definitely come back if we’re ever in the area.

So much yes.
Rice bowl 4ever. I literally inhaled the whole thing. I was so full but I didn’t regret it at all. I can’t wait to come back again and try their hummus and pita!

Just tried their beef hummus bowl and babaganoush, they are both delish. The babaganoush has an excellent smoky flavor to it, very complex. The beef and hummus bowl is great if you want to make a meal out of hummus, beef, and pita bread. The beef hummus bowl could benefit with a little side salad to add crunch if you’re making little pita sandwiches, some onion and lettuce, etc. Still all is great in the world of Oren’s hummus, life will continue and everything is grand. :)
Side note: So I gave my unconvinced co-​worker one of the fresh pitas from Oren’s mountain view and she agreed it was amazing. She said the pitas from Oren’s in Palo Alto are much drier and not as soft and chewy delish as the pitas from the Mountain View location. So if you went to the PA location and were not impressed come to this location!

There was no wait but my best friend and i went here during the art and wine festival and we were expecting a line we didn’t have to wait however we were seated outside so it was pretty hot and also there was a bee that was keeping us from having a good lunch.
I got the Schnitzel Noir it was pretty good and filling with mixed pita bread or white and wheat and im in love with the orange dip versus the green one. I guess, i’m giving it a fair score for the service. It wasnt as great as i expected.