Med Grill San Diego

Walking into this place was sort of a whim. The girlfriend and I were on our way to Taste of Italy down the street, but it was cold, so a shorter walk was completely welcome.
The first thing we noticed about this place was it was completely dead. It was the dinner hour, but there were perhaps four other people eating and a group of three middle aged people at the bar. They were certainly enjoying themselves.
I had the angus steak. Probably the best steak I’ve had in a long while. Granted, I haven’t been eating much steak, but as steaks go, this is one of the better ones in recent memory. A little spicy and an overall robust flavor. The mashed potatoes on the side were good and the vegetables were great.
This place understands portions. I’m not used to that as it seems every other entrée at every other restaurant is enormous. So I wish I would have ordered an appetizer, but that was more or less my fault.
Décor was awesome and the drinks were stiff. I really don’t have a bad thing to say about this place.

This place is mediocre at best. I took my girlfriend there on our first date, and let me say, NOT a good place to bring someone you are trying to impress. The food was rather bland and the service was terrible. We were the only customers there, and still had to wait 15 minutes before our drink orders were taken. the server hardly noticed that we were there. I almost felt like self serve buffet style would have better service, and been more worthy of a tip. I would only recommend this place to someone who didn’t really like food, or customer service.

My cousin and I wanted to try something new and we came across this place. Everyone’s right: this place isn’t that busy but at least we didn’t have to wait to be seated.
We started off with the carpaccio — it was good, flavorful with the mustard and capers. Our waiter suggested that we try them with a little vinegar and olive oil too, and it wasn’t bad.
I had the ribeye steak and it was ok. A little bland for my taste so I had to reach for the A-​1 steak sauce, much to our waiter’s dismay. But the meat had a good consistency and wasn’t dry. My cousin had the mixed grill and there was a variety of meats. The lamb wasn’t as good as Café Eleven’s though, and everything else was just ok.
Overall, this place was ordinary, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t outstanding either.

The places is always dead
The only nice thing i have to say is it’s a nice romantic place.
The food is HORRIBLE. I ordered chicken kabob and the rice was all wet and not cooked. I sent it back and they put it in the microwave for like 6 minutes, when he returned my food it was burning hot and the rice was still uncooked.
My boyfriend ordered eggplant parmisan and it tasted like a TV dinner.
I don’t know how they can call it MED food… They have like 2 middle eastern items and the rest is all pasta or fish.

It is always dead in here. I know because I drive past it almost every day. I’ve gotten take out before and it was ok.
Man its gotta suck for the owner unless its a front and hes laundering money or something.

Med Grill used to be really good. It had a huge menu with a lot of variety. But I guess it changed owners recently (Mexicans bought it) and it isn’t nearly as good as it used to be. The menu choices were slashed by, oh, maybe 50%. The food is now pretty basic Middle Eastern with nothing special. And parking blows. It’s either a street spot or one of the three spots in front of the restaurant.
Go to Alladin across the street by Trader Joe’s. That is quality Lebanese/​Middle Eastern food.

This is the perfect place if you want a romantic dinner while on date. This place is empty on most nights, which is a crying shame because the food and service really is good. My bf and I think many people pass it by because its quiet compared to nearby noisy places that serve mediocre meals like Baja Betty’s. If they start playing dance and hip hop music, maybe it will attract more people. I hope not.
This place was recently bought out and is under new management. I’ve eaten here twice with my bf and both times I have liked the food and loved the service. When you are the only couple in the restaurant, you literally get one on one service which is so rare these days.
The complimentary bread they serve is worth the visit alone. It comes with a delicious pesto spread consisting of parsley, olive oil, and some other herbs and spices. I like it even more than just plain butter on bread.
The food is a little bit pricey, but Hillcrest and cheap eating don’t exactly come hand in hand. The first meal I had was the fettuccine and escargot. It was okay, but I think the escargot could have been substituted with portabello mushrooms and would have tasted better. It does keep well though, because I was too full from eating two servings of the complimentary bread. So I popped it in the frig and used the microwave to heat it up the following day. It tasted almost as good as when they served it at the restaurant.
The second time I ate here, I ordered the 4 cheese linguine. That dish was close to perfect and I would definitely order it again. In both visits, my bf ordered the sausage dish in the back of the menu page. He really likes sausage and seems to like the dish. He did comment that the tomato based sauce on the sausage on our second visit wasn’t as good as the first time we visited.
The place has a few parking spots, but otherwise you will just have to deal with the Hillcrest street parking.

The menu is consist mostly Italian with some kebabs and gyro. Bread is served with a pesto sauce, I really didn’t care for that. I prefer my bread with butter. Their Hummus is great; the pita is excellent! slightly charred and crispy on the outer edges yet warm and soft in the middle. I must’ve eaten at least 3 whole (round) of them. The kebabs were nicely cooked, the meat is tender and tasty, gyro was OK, rice wasn’t good. It’s a little pricey considering the quality of the food is really not worthy.
About the service: their was only one waiter, and he was extremely slow. Even when we told him that we were in a hurry because we needed to catch a flight, he did not come back to take our credit card 15 minutes after dropping off the bill. And it wasn’t like he was busy either. Oh, and the owner /​manager needs to dressed better, he was wearing some t-​shirt and shorts standing outside greeting guests. It just doesn’t feel right with the somewhat «upscale» decoration of the place.
Overall, the place is nice, food was OK, service is slow. I didn’t like it too much but didn’t really dislike it either. I *might* (not with a strong desire) come back another time to have the hummus and pita and try out their Italian side of the menu, maybe there are some surprises hidden in there.

Really great tasting food, but a little bit pricey. Have eaten there twice. Really liked the chicken marsala and the italian sausage meals. Live within a couple blocks and would go there more often if they were a couple of bucks less, or else included soup or salad for the price they are currently charging. Go to Yogart (awesome people and service) right next door at least a couple of times a week and have noticed that Med Grill usually has less than five tables in use. Tonight we were the only table that was occupied in the place during our entire visit, so service was really great. Crème Brulee is awesome. The lower layer is still chilled with the caramelized top!

I’ve only eaten here once. In fact, I went here for dinner the day it opened, which was risky since new restaurants usually have a lot of kinks to work out. I’ve never eaten here since then. I thought the food was decent, but way overpriced. I would recommend Aladdin Mediterranean Café down the street instead.

My wife and I are trying a new thing where we go out to dinner every Tuesday night. We ended up at this place because it’s pretty close to home, and it was a wonderful choice.
First of all, this is a pretty liberal interpretation of «mediteranean.» A lot of the food is Italian, which yes, technically is on the Mediteranean Sea, but not what I usually think of when I think of mediteranean cuisine. Despite that, the food was delicious (we had the mussel and clam appetizer, I had the risotto verde, she had the portobella ravioli, and we shared the chocolate fondant), although the risotto was a bit too oily and the shrimp were slightly overcooked. I was a bit disappointed at the unimaginativeness of the risotto, but my wife’s portobella ravioli were perfect, and the creamy roasted garlic sauce was amazing.
The service was wonderful — there weren’t too many people there, so our waiter kept a pretty close eye on us and was very quick to lift a plate or offer more wine, but not to the point that he was hovering over us. All around, we had a very enjoyable dining experience. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant.

«I’m always a little nervous about eating somewhere that’s totally dead» my date quietly confessed after we’d been seated on the empty patio of Med Grill Café at 8:30pm on a Friday night.
We giggled a bit at this, but had I been reading about this dinner or watching it in a movie, I would have recognized this statement as a literary device called FORESHADOWING.
The super-​garlicky pesto oil stuff they served with the ciabatta was okay, though we would have preferred a more traditional oil and vinegar – we weren’t given a choice. The Caesar salads that followed were… medium, I suppose. Oily lettuce smothered with powdered Parmesan. Fine. We were hungry.
The oddest moment came when my friend tried to order a couple glasses of wine. He simply asked if the slightly higher-​priced Chianti was better than the house brand. Our enthusiastic, attentive (almost over-​attentive), friendly server insisted that it was, but instead of simply letting us order the superior wine, he went on to insist he wasn’t trying to upsell us, and would prove it by bringing us one of each. He then dared us to taste test and decide for ourselves, which was better. *sigh* Seriously? We weren’t looking for a game or a test; we just wanted a wine recommendation that we would have been perfectly content to accept. If my companion was a cheapskate, he would have simply ordered the house wine without question. Perhaps I should simply use the word «simply» just one more time in this paragraph.
Finally the food. Well, the risotto was fine (only fine, but fine), according to my date, but my cheese ravioli? Not so much. Besides the unappetizing presentation (the ravioli were arranged in a circle on a plate in way too much sauce, with a large clump of powdered Parmesan piled on the center ravioli), what was supposed to be a tomato cream sauce tasted like something from the kitchen of Chef Boyardee, cut with skim milk.
I would have loved to like this place – it would be a welcome addition to the veritable sea of Mexican restaurants in the area – but sadly, it did not deliver. The prices weren’t particularly high, but far too high for the cafeteria quality.

Had lunch here today with my friend and her 4 month old daughter– we both got the falafel pita sandwiches, and I added a side of fries. We were the ONLY people in the entire restaurant, and we actually weren’t even sure they were open at first b/​c it was completely empty.
The fries came quickly and were perfectly hot and crunchy. They were followed a few minutes later by our falafel pita sandwiches, which were spicy and flavorful. The side salad was nothing special, but I did like the mini cucumbers in it. Both of us were pleasantly full after a relaxed and leisurely lunch.
Only criticism would be on behalf of my friend– the bathroom didn’t have a changing station so she had to improvise with her stroller to change her baby’s diaper. Other than that, $ 5 for a lunch plate is reasonable, and I’ll definitely be back!

This is the deadest (deadiest? most dead?) joint in Hillcrest on a Friday night. The high ceilings and big windows make the restaurant too big and empty. My date and I dined on dry (although flavorful) chicken and average falafel to the sweet sounds of an instrumental version of Mariah Carey’s «Hero» backed by the pumping bass of the nightclub next door. Entrees should be about $ 5 less than they are.
Guess I won’t be choosing the restaurant next time.

Wow! I wanted to try this place and it looks like it got good reviews, but we were about to walk in the door when my hubby gave me a big nudge and urgently whispered «There’s a B in the window!» You know, that letter grade you almost never pay attention to? Well, we just couldn’t go in after we saw that. I’ve heard they’re allowed a few problems even with an A rating, so a B is just questionable.

Used to be my fav restaurant in all of SD. However the ownership just changed, and the cooking staff is totally new and the food quality is just not what it used to be.
It’s sad, as the formerly out of this world food was the only thing this place had going for it.

One of the best mediterranean restaurants I’ve been to! It’s inexpensive with big portions, the atmosphere is dim lit and romantic, and most importantly, the food is oh so tasty. All the entrees come with a house salad, pita bread, hummus, and basmati rice, fries, or couscous. For about a 6 bucks an entrée? What a deal!
Appetizer:
Baba ghanouj — Baked aubergine eggplant blended with tahini sauce, lemon and garlic, topped with olive oil & parsley. Perfect with the pita bread. It tasted a bit more pureed than regular hummus but it really tasted roasted.
Entrees:
Shawarma djaaj — Layered strips of marinated chicken slow grilled and served with garlic sauce. It was delicioussss… the chicken was tender, the hummus was tasty… cooked to perfection.
Shawarma lahem — Marinated slices of tender lamb and beef delicately spiced and slow grilled. Served with tomatoes & tahini sauce. My friend couldn’t stop making tasty noises.
If you’re a tea lover try the passion hot tea. My friend loved it. This place try if you’re in the SD area and you like Mediterranean food!

I LOVE Middle Eastern food. No really, it’s like an affair or something creepy.
San Diego doesn’t have much good Mediterranean fare… buttttttttt Med Grill is #1 in my book for getting some good med chow.
I’ve always driven by it (it’s in Hillcrest) to and from Trader Joe’s– but thought it looked kind of cheesy. WRONG. Soooooooo good! Great service, not usually too busy, and when you go in at lunch, there are a bunch of white collars there hiding away in this hidden gem!
You HAVE to try it! While I’m not a vegetarian… there is something called the Vegetarian Delight (something like that), and it is has EVERYTHING I love in it… dolmas, hummus, babaganoush, falafel, tabouleh, cous cous. and I think one or two other items… AND it’s reasonably priced.
If you’re down to try something different, you won’t regret the Aladdin-​like feel of Med Grill!

This is my favorite restaurant in San Diego. It strikes a nice balance between being casual and offering great service and food.
The feta cheese fatayer is unbelievable, as is the shish tawook (grilled seasoned chicken). The shrimp and beef dishes are also excellent.
They also have a good wine selection, including more expensive Lebanese wines and their own inexpensive, but pretty decent, private label (bottled locally, but I forget by who…)

CAUTION: while still pretty good, there are new owners and it’s not the same. not sure what it is but somethings missing. too bad :(
wow. I can’t believe this is the first review of this delicious eastern european-​mediterranean fusion restaurant. Located in the heart of hillcrest (next to wine steals) this classy while inexpensive café offers a romantic setting with a professional waitstaff that’s sure to please.
Greek salads topped with bunches of mint, a thick bowl of lentil soup with a fat lemon slice, freshly pureed baba ghanouj and hummus with succulent olive oil drizzled luciously atop, and lightly fried falafel with still warm tahini sauce make for my fantasy meal that in my dreams lasts for hours with a bottle of wine and some good company.