Tabaraka — Restaurant in Hawaii

Having done business in Dubai for the last 13 years and have spent quite some time in the UAE and Oman, I was more than ecstatic to have a taste of the region come to my part of the Island. I decided to go with the premium $26, essentially sampler plate that gives you a everything. The excitement was killing me. They advertised two, what appeared to be 6-8” skewers of chicken and beef. What I got was three little chunks of both, buried deep beneath a layer of veggies and sauce to hide the fact you were being skimped. The dissatisfaction was real and burned within my soul. After a total of $27 with change for lunch I was still hungry. I felt violated and as if I had been robbed. After a month of recovering from the shock of my initial visit, my deep love for that sweet, sweet shawarma drove me to give this place another go. Perhaps the first time was a fluke? It happens. After mustering the constitution and went to the window to order. To my disappointment, no shawarma available. I decided on the $14 shisha-kabab. Have a low bar going into it after my first experience, this plate was a little better portion and meat-wise. Perhaps because the owner was there? To be fair, the flavors of everything were very nice and took me back overseas. I would still recommend trying it out. Don’t waste your hard earned dollars on the expensive plates like I did. Go for the cheap options. The side of fries helps fill the hole. As a business owner, I understand the plight of opening a new storefront. Especially in a place as small as this one. That’s why I’m giving 3 stars. If the owner gave more meat and a larger portion for the expensive items, this place would truly be a gem and I would be eating here several times a week. Needless to say, I will not be back...

My husband and I moved from Los Angeles to Hilo last year and were missing Middle-Eastern food. My Persian dental hygienist who moved to Hilo from Los Angeles recommended Tabaraka. My mom, husband, and I tried the kafta sandwich (seasoned ground beef) and the "coast style shish-tawook" sandwich (skewered-chicken cubes with Lebanese garlic sauce). Both of the sandwiches were excellent! The sandwiches were made to order, so we did have to wait for a while for them to be prepared. But they were definitely worth the wait-the sandwiches were fresh and delicious! The fries were exceptionally delicious with a special paprika seasoning. The garlic sauce was very tasty, and the pita bread that was used for the sandwiches was soft, warm, and fluffy. You could tell that everything was prepared with great care and pride in excellence. My family and I highly recommend this food-truck restaurant. Thank you, Tabaraka, for bringing excellent Middle-Eastern kababs and...

This is the third time I’ve waited 34 minutes for my food, after I waited 10 min for them to acknowledge me to take my order. The first two times I didn’t write a review, but this seems to be a common issue (at least every time I’ve been here) needless to say- I won’t be coming back. The food is excellent, but a little costly for the service, portions and ingredients. I’ve seen the responses of other reviews and the excuse the owner makes for the service and food preparation is not acceptable. I’ve eaten at a lot of restaurants who prepare their food fresh and source local and there’s no reason it should take you 34 minutes to prepare such simple items. It’s obvious if multiple people are complaining about the same problem- you have an issue, so please don’t continue to make the same excuse, instead learn that you need improvement in this area and change it, because I’m not the first nor the last customer you will lose if things continue...