Petra Cafe

Hole in the wall with only 3 tables. Food is great. I usually get a chicken souvlaki sandwich and when feeling decadent, an order of fries. They have traditional Greek dishes that also taste great and their salads are on par with the surrounding restaurant businesses. Food is always fresh and ingredients are high quality. Best to come for lunch and enjoy on a sunny warm day with outside seating or takeout. They have a green salsa that is also really yummy. I put that ish on everything!

Watch for receipt, charges and make sure that your entire order is given to you. Change of owners? Service

This is a little hole in the wall place that I’ve driven by a dozen times, but never stopped in to see what’s up. My fiancé got in sorta late, so I decided to pick her up at Orinda station. I decided to find a take out place and so it was now the time to check it out.
It was pretty good for takeout, esp in Orinda! The place is smaller than all hell. Smaller than the Starbucks next door. So don’t plan on having a team lunch unless your team is 4 people.
I had the shwarma which is cut off the doner spit. It was pretty tasty. The highlight though was the side salad. Man, that just made it all the better.
This will be our takeout spot for Orinda. Very close to the BART station.

I went there today to pick up a 3 lunch orders. Worst experience ever! I usually go when the two men are there no they are so nice and helpful! But today two women were working and younger women in the front and an elder lady cooking. I get there to pick up orders for a group (which I specified over on the phone order) the cashier made a big deal about separating the orders for two cards. Then simply made a request for one of the orders, they wanted extra vinegar on the side. The Old women cooking turned around and yelled at me, No, she doesn’t give vinegar! I think this very unprofessional to yell at your customers and get upset for simple request. Learn how to speak to your paying customers. To the two women working. I’m sorry I have to give one star to the gentlemen working there as well but these women ruined my experience for good!

I had the chicken souvlaki and it was good… everything was fresh and the pita bread was homemade…

Went here tonight for the first time and wish I had gone before! The owner– Alex– creates amazingly delicious food from scratch (you can watch him do so) and the prices are more than reasonable!!! My teenage kids turned me on to this place and it is a huge favorite of local high school students (for take out food). I will absolutely go back. For those who support small businesses generally and Orinda Square businesses specifically, I strongly recommend this place!!!

Mom and pop Greek food that is fast, inexpensive, tastes great, with large portions and quality ingredients. Wish they had a place like this in SF where I live. In SF this would cost 50% more for ½ the portion size.

I really like this small little Greek place. Orinda food options being limited I’d been looking for a salad joint like this one for a while. It’s perfect for a quick lunch on the go or even a sit down meal if you manage to get there when the few seats are not taken.
My favorite options are:
The chicken salad
The salmon salad
The falafel plate
It’s not the best I’ve had but it’s affordable and tasty.

Expected great things from the rating, reviews and location, but was not too impressed. The food was good but not great, the service was ok but not tip-​worthy.

Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines, so I’m stoked to have Petra Café close to work.
Too bad I came here on my half-​hour break and thought if I ordered a soup to go, it would be a faster option. I had no idea that ordering soup in a to-​go container would turn out to be a 15-​minute process.
Regardless, the Avgolemono (lemon soup) was absolutely divine; I creepily eyed other patrons’ food while waiting for mine, and saw some other amazing-​looking plates as well.
I’m not sure if my judgement was colored because I resented the solid relationship the employees seemed to have with each other, but they sure talked among themselves a lot behind the counter. I suppose that even if they didn’t necessarily like their job, they certainly still liked being there.
The interior was a tad run-​down looking, but I won’t be too quick to judge. I’d much rather frequent a cozy, laid-​back, local business than another Daphne’s (blecch!). There’s also outdoor patio seating so you can enjoy the atmosphere while donning a pair of Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses and channeling your inner (or outer) Lamorindan.
Stop by Sweet Dreams afterwards for a sweet treat!

This is the perfect place for fast food. I think it’s healthy.
The service is quick prices are reasonable and the location is great. They sit right next to the movie theater.
There is limited seating inside but there is plenty of seating outside so you can tab a seat outside.
Just hope it doesn’t rain.

The food here is delicious! 5 stars for tastiness.
I ordered the chicken shawarma and my husband had the lamb gyro. The chicken shawarma was great — the chicken was grilled nicely and the sauce was really good. It was a little messy to eat since it was served like a taco rather than wrapped up like a burrito. It also could have done with a little bit more cucumbers/​vegetables (there were a couple hanging out near the bottom), but the food was so good that I didn’t mind. I preferred the lamb gyro over the chicken shawarma, but both were delicious.
The restaurant is tiny. It only has 4 tables, 3 of which have 2 seats. The 4^th table has 3 seats. There is some seating outside, though (more 2-​seater tables).

Pros:
Cheap prices
Grilled vegetables
Gyro
Gyro salad
Grilled vegetable sandwich (custom order)
Cons:
Small interior
No table service

Just walked in at 9:08, craving a gyro– and the kid at the register says, «sorry we’re closed». Unilocal says it closes at 9:30. The door even states it closes at 9:30. I was so disappointed. I pointed out the door sign and Unilocal,but he just said– yeah sorry we’re closed.
I think he was just lazy and didn’t want to stay till 9:30 on a Saturday night. Not cool.

Been coming here for years and love this place! I usually get the gyro platter or gyro wrap. Lots of take outs here so although you think you’re the only one here, there may be other phone orders ahead of yours.
Food is fast and reliable — I get the same meal every time.
Love that we have 2 great Mediterranean restaurants (Turquoise, a block away) to choose from in town.

Awesome food, service and beer ~ best pita in town. Can’t go wrong.

I’m at Petra café right now as I’m writing this review. This place is more than just a restaurant with amazing gyros. Here’s why, first off my phone died way earlier today in sf so I took Bart to orinda. I asked around small shops for phone chargers to call my ride. But no luck. I stopped by Petra café looking for a charger. She not only gave me her charger, she also gave me her cell phone to use while my phone charges. She offered water and said I’m free to wait here for my ride. She over delivered by far, I ended up ordering a lamb gyros and it was amazing. I really appreciate and enjoy the hospitality I received here and I’m glad I found this place by accident. I will be returning for more gyros too

The gyros is delicious, I usually get the larger one. That and fries and I’m happy. The salad is good too. I love this place, a favorite in orinda

I work in a dental office nearby and this is definitely our number one sport for lunch! The place is pretty small so if you’re going to eat there make sure you don’t have a big group with you. I would definitely recommend ordering ahead of time to go.
I usually get the Troy Salad ($ 7), it’s delicious! The chicken is seasoned perfectly and there’s lots of goodies in the salad, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions! The dressing is nice and zesty. The salad is a good, generous size and they also give a side of pita bread!
I’ve also had the Greek gyros. A lot of the same flavors as the salad but add a delicious tzaziki sauce. If I go the gyros route I usually order a side of their crispy, delicious fries! They’re a nice sized order to share with someone else.
All in all great lunch spot! Great portions! Speedy especially when you call ahead and the prices aren’t bad at all!

I love Greek/​Mediterranean food but I have not been impressed with Petra, despite multiple visits. Located next to the Orinda Theatre, Petra could use a good interior cleaning as well as a menu quality control brush up. After ordering a large and regular sized lamb gyro with extra sauce, I compared the ingredients in both to witness that the only difference was the size of the pita bread. There was hardly any sauce in either, despite asking (and willing to pay for) additional nor was there enough lettuce. It was dismaying that they didn’t cut the meat fresh from the rack, but instead took slices from a bag to heat on the stove. The two small slices of baklava purchased were stale. Prices are too high for what was served. On the positive side, take out was swift. Rating 2.5−3.