Old City Cafe & Grill
“Easy to eat vegetarian or paleo here too.”
“Their Kibbeh Nayeeh is spectacular, as well as their hummus and kibbeh balls.”
“I've also had the shish tawook and shawarma sandwich for lunch- chicken was cooked perfectly!”
Old City Cafe & Grill
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Thanks to Tony J. of Rahway's recommendation, I hit this place twice last week for takeout. First of all, Old City's amazingly friendly on the phone and in person. Then, if you like your meat on the moister side, you can request how "done" it's prepared.
Of the starters, my favorites are the smoky eggplant-based Baba Ganouj, lemony-garlicky Hummus, fresh and finely prepared Tabbouleh salad with the perfect amount of bulgur, and the warm kidney bean and chickpea-based Fooul stew- excellent over their fluffy vegetable-strewn rice (which can come with entrees). Their Spinach Pie deserves an honorable mention with a mildly lemony spinach filling. Of all the meat entrees, I totally love the Shawarma platter which comes with a grilled spicy jalapeño and tomato and your choice of a garden salad or rice. Trust me… go for the rice! For dessert, I thoroughly enjoyed the crispy Baklava- easy to eat and literally handle with a light drizzle of simple syrup and the classic Rice Pudding- the kind that sticks to your spoon upside down in all its creamy, ricey goodness.
Not a great spot for a single, lunch-time diner. I suspect if you're here with a group, or are willing to spend more and take home a lot of leftovers, the review would be much better.
Looking over the menu you'll find a lot of the Middle Eastern / Mediterranean classics we've all grown to love (hummus, falafel, baba ghanoush, kebabs, etc.) but all served independent of one another with no sampler to speak of. If you're dining alone and want more than "just hummus" or "just a kebab" you'll have to commit to a $15+ entree or one of the sandwiches. I'm a huge fan of ordering a variety and sharing, but when flying solo for an afternoon it's less convenient.
I did try the falafel sandwich and a side of grilled veggies. The sandwich had a generous portion of falafel, but to me was a bit soggy and left my stomach feeling a bit murky. It tasted "ok" – not great, but not bad either. Maybe I just ate too much in one sitting? The sandwich was topped with shredded lettuce, a few slices of tomatoes, slivers of pickle, and a drizzle of tahini sauce which I think was closer to yogurt than tahini. I was told the grilled veggies were "very authentic". Translation – half an onion, a green bell pepper split in half, a tomato in half, and a long hot pepper, all grilled with a bit of char. Totally up my alley, and for $3.50 I felt fair enough about it. *Caution* The onion is still a bit raw, and the long hots are HOT (but who doesn't love some spice?)
The space is a cozy, nicely decorated setting with mostly small tables for 2 and a few for 4 people. Service was friendly, and food was served promptly.
If I had a bigger group to try a medley of items, I'd try again. Next time I'm walking Cranford on my own, I'll default to one of the tried and true Italian / pizza shops.
1st time here. Had the falafel appetizer which was good and I had the old city dinner which let u sample the chicken, beef and lamb. It comes with rice which was bland and nothing to write home about. Other than that – it was good. Service was nice and attentive.
Preface before I dig into this review I'd really rate this a "3.5 Stars", meaning it wasn't just average, but nor was it extraordinary.
When it comes to these smaller towns in New Jersey, diversity in dining is a bit of a Craps shoot. Some towns have very little diversity outside of maybe a Chinese take-out joints. Other towns have a bit more in terms of options, and Cranford is one of them. Adding to this mix is Old City Cafe & Grille, a Mediterranean restaurant that offers many of the familiar dishes from such restaurants including falafel, gyro, hummus and more. Wanting something a bit different, my girlfriend and I decided to check Old City Cafe & Grill out.
The space is very warm and inviting. Glass surrounds the front of the store front so plenty of light comes flooding in during the day and at night you can see outside across the attractive block the restaurant is located on. Inside is a range of seating options from two person tables, to booths to a gigantic table that (i believe) was a gigantic tree trunk slice. It's a very nice and comfortable.
Service was very good. Our waitress was attentive and able to answer questions we had about dishes. The manager also came over to check on us during our meal. We felt welcome and taken care of.
Here's the range of dishes we ordered:
KIBBEH NAYEH (Raw ground beef, cracked wheat, onion, spices and garlic)
If you enjoy steak tartar this is a great dish to try out. The description says it all. You are given pita bread and slices of onion to eat with the meat. It works perfectly when you put everything together. However, the cherry on the proverbial whipped cream was a garlic sauce provided with the dish. It had amazing flavor and a light texture. A different, but tasty dish.
FALAFEL
These falafel balls were HUGE. I'm so used to the medium sized ones I get in Manhattan that these were a shock. They were wonderfully crispy and had a good flavor. They're not quite Crisp or Maoz, but definitely tasty.
SHAWARMA PLATTER (Thinly sliced rotisserie beef served with onions and Tahini dressing)
Portion alert! This dish was *gigantic*. Our eyes bulged at how huge the serving was. You definitely get your money's worth in sheer quantity. Unfortunately, the beef was nowhere near the quality of Mamoun's in the West Village. It wasn't dry, but it was on the edge of it. On the good side the seasoning was done well, my issue was more texture.
SHISH TAWOOK PLATTER (Marinated chicken medallions served with a garlic sauce)
In sharp contrast to the shawarma dish, the chicken in this dish was spectacular. It was moist and flavorful. Also,like the Shawarma platter the serving size was amazing for the price.
Overall we enjoyed our time at Old City Cafe & Grill. Not everything was spectacular but there was definitely more good than bad.
Hummus and falafel; two of my favorite things! The food here is legit (not that I have any idea what legit Middle Eastern food is, but I'd imagine it tastes like this). Been here a handful of times and have done takeout as well. The food is always fresh and that staff is very knowledgeable about the food. Service is quick too which is nice.
But seriously, order the hummus.
Cranford is having an influx of restaurants at long last. This one adds welcome diversity.
Very nice staff. Very good grilled shrimp. Good grilled meats, salad and pita. Basic decor. BYOB mskes it a very economical dinner. Hummus fans liked the hummus, which I skipped.
Food is excellent! We stopped here for a nice dinner on a Friday night. It was pretty quiet when we got there but was full by the time we left. We ordered falafel, hummus, and each of us got a sandwich. I ordered the chicken and my boyfriend got Schwama. Everything was delicious. We ended our meal with cappuccinos. The place is byob Which keeps the price down.
Came here for a lunch Sunday afternoon. The establishment is well decorated cozy and clean. This place has an assortment of Middle Eastern foods such as hummus, shawarma , fool, falafel , pita and more.
The hummus and fool were absolutely amazing. I wish I had two stomachs just to eat more.
Prices are very reasonable.
I will certainly be coming again to Old City Grille.