Mediterranean food. Not ... really my thing. The flavor profiles, common ingredients, etc, just aren't ones that I gravitate towards.
Yet, I gravitate towards SAJJ, a mediterranean chain around the Bay Area. SAJJ builds their model around customizable standard Mediterranean fare: pitas, wraps, salad bowls, rice bowls, and freekeh bowls, all topped with your choice of protein (falafel, shawarma, kabob, etc), with spreads like hummus and tzatziki, and all sorts of toppings. All fresh, customizable, etc, etc, but ... totally not for me.
But I go there, fairly often. Because they have some serious gems hiding on the menu.
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| Sides & Dessert. |
I didn't order a traditional meal, but I did opt to try several sides, dips, and of course,
dessert. I enjoyed everything I tried, and gladly return whenever the craving strikes.
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Setting
The Sajj location I visited is on 2nd Street in San Francisco, just a few blocks from South Park, open only for lunch, only Mon-Fri, so it took me a while to carve off a time when I could visit.
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| Entrance. |
The entrance is small, just any other door front on the street. No sidewalk seating.
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| Assembly Line. |
The ordering style is assembly line, really just like Chipotle as everyone says. You work your way down the line to the register.
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| Station 1: Base, hot items, spreads. |
Pick your base to start, then the same staff member does your hot protein/veggies of choice (from steam tray, chicken or steak shawarma, pomegranate chicken, falafel, garbanzo beans, cooked cauliflower or eggplant), and hands you down for spreads and cold toppings. Spreads include hummus, garlic spread, and tzatziki.
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| Station 2: Fresh veggies, pickles, sauces. |
Fresh veggies come next (greens, onions, etc), then pickled things, extras (feta, avocado), and finally, sauces (tahini, spicy tahini, balsamic).
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| Register / Drinks / Dessert. |
Your main dish winds up down at the register, where you can add on a beverage or dessert.
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| Online Orders. |
Unless of course you order online, which a LOT of people seem to do. The rack was loaded up!
Sajj partners with nearly every order ahead / pickup / delivery service in town (seriously, they are on every platform!), so this isn't a surprise. For the lunchtime crowd, quick pickup can be key.
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| Condiment Station. |
Everything is served on disposables, even if you dine in, with plastic cutlery, napkins, and a water station available to help yourself to.
Additional toppings are available to complete your meal (hot sauce, cilantro chutney, ketchup), along with sumac shakers, salt, and pepper.
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| Seating. |
There is some seating, counter style (clearly targeting the solo diner), and a few tables, but most people grabbed their food and went right out the door. I did as well, and went to sit in South Park to enjoy.
Cuisine
The menu at Sajj is formed around picking your style: sandwich or bowl. Sandwiches are either served in pita or as a wrap, and bowls come with a rice or salad base. To these you add your choice of hot protein (or, proteins, if you go for their signature "shawafel" with both shawarma and falafel), a spread, toppings (hot, cold, pickled veggies), and finally, sauces.
But I didn't actually order any of the main dishes. I was there for ... the sides and dessert. Because, well, sandwiches and rice aren't my thing, nor are any of the proteins (chicken, beef, beans? meh!), but the sides called out. Sure, you could get a side of falafel, or pita bread, or lentil soup, which I wasn't interested in, but the others? Fries! Pita chips & dips!
And dessert? They had cookies, and baklava, as you may expect, but also a signature
dessert. Which, to be honest, is why I was there, really. You know me. Sajj offers up two types of packaged cookies (from Sweet Street, if you are familiar with that distributor), baklava (not sure if house made?), and their signature item: dessert hummus and chips. Oh yes.
I enjoyed everything I tried.
Sides
For sides, you can get any of the proteins (steak, chicken, falafel, etc), lentil soup (often complimentary), and some carby options: pita, fries, and pita chips. They also have a slew of dips to enjoy said carbs with. I've tried all but the proteins.
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| Pita Bread. $1.25. (Feb 2021). |
"Warm & soft to compliment any meal."
In February 2021, I was going through a carb phase. I have no idea what inspired it, but I wanted carbs, and in particular breads, all the time. And thus, I finally tried the pita bread at Sajj, something I had never even considered before, as, well, I don't usually fill up on bread (that's how I saw it, just taking up valuable stomach space that could go tastier things!).
This was good pita. Very soft, and as described, quite fluffy. Very "puffy" style. Simple white bread base, fresh. No complaints.
Just pita, but, good pita.
***+.
Update: I've since gotten it several times, and, well, freshness seems to vary quite a bit. Sometimes it is soft, fluffy, fresh, and quite delicious. Other times though ... I really don't find it good at all, it is harder, kinda tastes old ...
I like it with Mediterranean dips/spreads, I like making pita pockets with tuna or krab salad, I think it even works great for pb&j. And toasted with butter and cinnamon/sugar or jam or pb in the morning ... glory! Just pita, yes, really, but seriously, good fluffy white pita.
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| Side: Pita Chips (with spread on side). $2. |
"Goes well with a side of spread."You could get nice fresh pita bread, a healthier carb, to go with your meal, or ... as I did, go for the fried version: pita chips. Made in house.
The pita chips come served in a little bag (like, it seems, most things). They are super fried, very crispy, extremely oily, and nicely spiced. I liked them, but they are definitely not a light item. I had read reviews where people complained about the oily/fried nature, but, yeah, they really truly are quite oily. But good.
And definitely you want to dip them in stuff.
Pita chips are served with your choice of spread: hummus, tzatziki, or "garlic", all of which are available complimentary on bowls/salads/wraps as well.
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| Pita Chips: Close Up. |
I get these often, and I always like them, although the heavy fried nature makes it hard to eat more than a few at a time without feeling fairly gross. The herb coating really does add a lot to them.
This time, the pita chips came in two styles - some were a single, thinner layer, and were very crisp. Others, were a double layer, likely pieces from the sides where the seam was, and they were puffier. I liked those considerably more, as the super crisp ones sometimes do actually kinda cut my mouth.
I'll continue to regularly order these.
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| Pita Chips & Garlic Spread. $2.40. (Jan 2021). |
One day, craving a snack while in the area, I remembered the pita chips at Sajj. As always, I had my choice of dip (hummus, tzatziki, or garlic spread), but it was really no question, of course I wanted the garlic spread.
I was pleased my snack.
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| Pita Chips. |
The pita chips were, as always, super oily, fried, but quite tasty, well seasoned.
I do like these quite a bit, great to dip in the garlic dip, or yogurt dips, really, in many things.
***+.
Update: I've gotten them several more times, and feel the same way every time. Yup, so greasy, but, so well seasoned, so flavorful, and so ridiculously good with their garlic spread ...
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| Garlic Spread / Tzatziki / Cilantro Chutney / Hot Sauce. |
The first time I visited, I didn't get hummus as I generally dislike it, but I opted for a side of the tzatziki and the garlic spread, and, pre-Covid, also made my own containers of the self-serve chutney and hot sauce.
"Freshly made cold meze."The tzatziki was fairly standard tzatziki, made with labneh and sour cream, garlic, cucumber, mint. It was ... fine. Tart. Good match for pita chips if you are into that sort of thing.
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| Garlic Spread. (2020). |
"Take off all your cloves."The garlic spread I was really curious about. I know people love it, but I had no idea what it was really. It turns out to be ... a creamy, vegan spread. With ... mashed potato as the base. You'd never know it was mashed potato if you didn't ask though. It has a thick consistency, a bit odd to dip things into, but very very tasty, and quite garlic-forward. Good with the pita chips, I think best suited for inside wraps or on bowls.
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| Garlic Spread. (2021). |
"Take off all your cloves."
The garlic spread was *really* oily this time, but it was still quite delicious. The garlic was crazy strong.
I found the ingredients for this listed online now (Sajj has enough locations they need to post these things!), and learned that besides the obvious garlic, oil, and potato I knew were in it, it has just a touch of lemon and salt, nothing else (olive oil and soy oil are both used in it though).
This stuff is addicting, great with the pita chips.
****.
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| Hummus. |
"Humm-us where the heart is."
My next visit I decided to branch out and try something different. If the chocolate hummus is soooo good, the regular hummus has promise right?
Well, eh.
It is still hummus. Not really my thing, although it had a nice amount of garlic in it. But very, um, chickpea flavored? I don't like it as a dip, but, warmed up, with falafel, or mixed with other Mediteranean dips, its ok.
But for the pita chips? Back to the garlic spread I go.
**+.
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| Cilantro Chutney. |
"The green one."And finally, cilantro chutney. Cilantro, garlic, mint, olive oil, etc. Very herby. It too had some kick, from jalapeño that I didn't know to expect.
It was fine.
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| Hot Sauce. |
The hot sauce was just ... hot sauce. Very spicy.
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| Side: Fries. $2.50. |
"Renowned for hitting the spot."
Speaking of fried side dishes ... next up, actual fries!
These are, as far as I can tell, the only item that Sajj makes to order (and maybe that is just because I as the first to order them?) The pita chips, the falafel, etc, had all been fried in advance, and everything else was in steam trays. So, they took a while, but I greatly appreciated getting literally fried to order fries!
They too came served in a bag, which made sense for the pita chips, but much less sense for the fries. Fairly annoying to eat from. I wanted somewhere to be able to put some ketchup ...
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| Fries: Close Up. |
Anyway, the fries were quite good.
A fascinating style, kinda battered and seasoned. Crispy, but fluffy inside. Very good.
I did however really want a dipping sauce. They don't come with anything, although packets of Heinz ketchup are available in the condiment station. I tried that, but, it was boring, and didn't really do them justice. I used the dips from my pita chips too, but none of those worked. I definitely would recommend bringing some aioli or other sauce with you for these!
Overall though, good fries, good price for a freshly fried quality item, and although they come in only one size, I found they reheated fine in the toaster oven later that night for round two (with appropriate dipping sauces, of course).
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| Lentil Soup. $2.50. |
"Rich, hearty, & served hot."
The lentil soup is on the menu at a slightly price $2.50 for a small cup, but Sajj often includes it for free in your order, as they did this day.
Given that I don't care for lentils, I'd never order this myself, but it was interesting to try. What surprised me is that rather than having whole lentils, chunks of lentil, it was actually a thin soup, and very nicely spiced, sorta like a split pea soup.
It wasn't bad actually, but it isn't really the sort of thing I go for. It was great to dunk pita chips into as well.
Desserts
Sajj offers only a few desserts, but the selection is extremely well curated. Two kinds of cookies, not made in house, but, actually, one is my favorite cookies out there - Sweet Street Salted Caramel Manifesto cookies! Seriously, I adore these, and the price at Sajj rivals that at the fancy market that carries them nearby. Stay tuned for that review. They also offer the chocolate chunk version.
The dessert lineup also includes baklava, because, um, Meditereanean restaurant, I guess it is obligatory, and their own creation: chocolate hummus with cinnamon pita chips. I'm rather addicted to the later.
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| Dessert: Chocolate Hummus & Cinnamon Chips. $3. |
I may not like hummus, but this sounded fascinating. Chocolate hummus? The $3 price tag for a full bag of chips and a big container of hummus was great.
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| Cinnamon Chips. |
The cinnamon chips came ... in a bag. Of course. These are also made in house.
I am not sure what the base is for these actually, it is not the same as the pita chips. They were much lighter and thinner than the pita chips. I think it might be their flatbread used for wraps?
They were crispy, good, and absolutely loaded in cinnamon and sugar. I liked them more than the pita chips.
A very tasty snack, just on their own (but you can't buy just them). Because, they come as the vessel to eat your chocolate hummus of course.
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| Chocolate Hummus. |
Yes, chocolate hummus.
Now, I hate hummus. I just dislike chickpea taste so much, that no matter what you mix into hummus, I just don't care for it. Or, so I thought. It turns out, mixing in tahini, cocoa powder, maple syrup, chocolate hazelnut spread, and vanilla is all it takes to make me like hummus!
This was really quite fascinating. The texture was quite thick, well, a bit like traditional hummus, but more creamy. No ingredient was one you could really detect. It was sweet, but not too sweet. I didn't taste maple syrup, but there was a sweetness to it. I didn't taste tahini or chickpea distinctly, but, there was an underlying slightly savory nutty quality to it. It was chocolatey, but not intense chocolate. It was really just like a thick, rich, creamy chocolate pudding.
So, pudding with some protein? I'm in. I enjoyed it, and think it would be great to dunk strawberries into, or even just eat with a spoon and whipped cream.
The cinnamon sugar chips I liked too, but I'm not one for cinnamon and chocolate together, so I wanted to dunk them in other things.
And if you are wondering, the 6 ounce container has 240 calories, which, if you compare to actually having a bowl of pudding, is clearly a nice choice! I'll definitely get this again.
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| Strawberry / Chocolate Hummus / Whipped Cream. |
Of course I got it again! It turns out, I got kinda addicted to this stuff.
This time, I took my own advice, and tried pairing it with other things. I still really enjoyed it even by the spoonful with a little whipped cream, but I also tried my strawberries idea, and found it *really* fun to bite the end off my strawberry, dunk it in the chocolate hummus, and then top with whipped cream. I had visions of some sprinkles or coconut flakes on the side to then roll it in, but I never made it to that step. Yet.
I really enjoyed this healthy snack, more than most any other healthy thing I've had in ages.
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| Chocolate Hummus and Chips. $3. (June 2020) |
I returned a random day in June, just to get this. It was during the COVID days, and I was working from home full time, and often found it necessary to add protein in throughout my day, as I'm often too lazy to cook the proteins I really like (e.g. seafood). So, adding some protein through my dessert and snacks sounded like a great idea :).
The chocolate hummus was again surprisingly *not* hummus-y, but it is really rich, and really thick, and I didn't actually like it that much with the cinnamon sugar pita chips (they are too good to mask with it!). But topped with whipped cream, or folding some in to make it more like a mousse!, works well, and just eating like pudding. Bonus points for adding cocoa nibs. And I do still like it on a strawberry, with whip, and nibs too.
Now, the chips. This batch was great!!!
They were not oily, they were perfectly fried, and totally coated in cinnamon and sugar.
I could devour this bag in a heartbeat. I really wish I could buy *just* the chips.
The chip portion was far, far too small for the amount of hummus (and I don't like them with the hummus anyway). But totally delicious just to eat, and I think they'd go great with whipped cream, ice cream, etc.
I'll continue to get these items whenever I can.
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| Chocolate Hummus & Cinnamon Chips. $3. (Jan 2021). |
One day, I was seriously craving chocolate hummus. I am not sure what brought on this ridiculous craving, but, it was quite strong, and I had no choice but to head to Sajj to pick up an order, stat.
As always, the chocolate hummus came with a bag of pita chips, which should have been the sweet cinnamon ones. I was quite surprised when I took one without looking too closely, dipped it into my glorious savory-sweet chocolate hummus and tasted ... garlic and spices?! Alas, I was given the pita chips normally served with your choice of savory dip (garlic, hummus, or tzatziki). Those savory, garlicy pita chips are totally delicious, but, um, NOT with chocolate hummus. Doh.
I didn't open my order until I was home, so I wasn't able to get the proper pita chips. I used pretzels and plantain chips at home, both of which worked, but I really wished I had strawberries, or even fresh banana. Oh, and of course I added whipped cream. Seriously, love this stuff.
Update: I got it again, and this time was prepared: strawberries, raspberries, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles. Perfect, perfect.
Update #2: Ok, I'm addicted. Surprise pairing? Great with matzah! And whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles of course.
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| Walnut Baklava. $2.60. |
"A mediterranean treat, walnut flavored."
I do not think Sajj makes their own baklava (in fact, I think it comes from Shatila bakery), but it does come in their own custom packaging. They offer only one kind, walnut, the more common variety in Greek cuisine rather than pistachio as found in Turkish baklava. It came in a square form, rather than more customary triangle. Well, they call it "walnut" but it contains basically, um, all the nuts? Almonds, cashews, pistachios ... dreaded pinenuts ... and yes, walnuts.
I had to laugh a little when I saw the label proclaimed this 2 servings, yet was a single piece of baklava. Sure, it might be slightly bigger than a standard piece of baklava, but it certainly wasn't twice as large, and, um, it wasn't cut into too. Really, who would cut this down?
Anyway.
It was ... ok. Layers of sorta flaky filo, but it seemed a bit dried out, not really fresh. Some sweetness, not sticky sweet though, and it did taste of rose water. The nuts were all ground together, in a single layer in the middle, and no nut was dominant. I wouldn't have deemed this "walnut baklava" from tasting it.
Overall, just, kinda, ok? I prefer
Sinbad's, the kinda standard mass produced foodservice brand around here.
