Sababa Pizza Inc. — Restaurant in Town of Oyster Bay

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the opening of Sababa for what seems like more than a year. A kosher pizza, sushi and falafel place — in Plainview no less! It had been so long since I’d had really good Israeli-style falafel so when the restaurant opened this week, I went in to get a falafel.

The restaurant itself is bright and cheery and there seem to be enough tables to accommodate a moderately busy dine-in service. But I wasn’t there for the ambiance; I came for the falafel. And while the counter staff told me they didn’t have enough mixture for a platter, they could do a sandwich instead. No problem - let’s go with the sandwich.

I sat down and waited, watching a good number of people walk in, order pizza or sushi and leave happy. I was glad that the foot traffic was plentiful; the last thing we need is another in and out restaurant in that strip mall. I cracked open my can of strawberry banana drink and waited.

After 10 minutes, I started to wonder what was happening. “The lunch rush is starting and they just opened,” I thought. “I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt.”

When 15 minutes had passed, I drained the last of my beverage and stood up. This falafel must be very fresh. It has taken a while for them to fry it up and add it to a pita. My stomach growled. I noticed a “We Want Moshiach Now” charity canister on the counter. It made me wonder if the Moshiach would arrive before my falafel did.

After 20 minutes, I tossed my can of juice in the garbage and walked over to the counter. The staff went to the back to check on my sandwich and like ten of the twelve biblical spies, he did not have a favorable report.

“They said we don’t have any falafel left.”

Like a stone slung from David, the news hit me hard. How could this be? Just 20 minutes ago there was enough falafel mix for my sandwich. Now? None. This was the reverse of the Hanukkah miracle. All of my lunch hopes and dreams were dashed. While I was offered something else instead, my heart was set on falafel, so I left with a refund and sadness in my soul.

EDIT: I’d like to address the review from Andy P. I’m sorry that you took my detailed review as a reason to “hate to be my friend” or an excuse to make a poor joke about abusing stimulants. I do in fact take (non-stimulant) medication for ADHD and have found that it helps me to better collect my thoughts and focus. I’m also sorry that you were so intimidated by a more than three sentence review that you needed to address my review. Hopefully you take some time to do some soul searching and learn not to judge others.

בֶּן זוֹמָא אוֹמֵר, אֵיזֶהוּ חָכָם, הַלּוֹמֵד...

Sababa Pizza Inc. – Hoping They Reopen Soon

Sababa Pizza Inc. was one of those rare gems in Long Island that truly stood out — especially for their falafel sandwich. In fact, it was the best falafel sandwich I ever had on Long Island. The only place that could beat it for me was Zyara Restaurant in Astoria, Queens, but Sababa’s was right up there with the best.

Their pizzas were also very good — fresh, flavorful, and always satisfying. While they also had a sushi business on the side (which I never tried), their main draw for me was always that incredible falafel sandwich. Perfectly seasoned, generous portions, and packed with flavor — it was a meal I’d look forward to every time.

It’s a real shame that they’ve had to close temporarily. Good food, good quality, and that kind of consistency aren’t easy to find. I truly hope the owners can bring Sababa back, because Long Island is definitely missing one of its...

My family and I absolutely love Sababa! This is some of the best pizza I've had anywhere. The regular pizza is great and the brick oven pizza is even better. And then there's the sushi. I have to admit, I am normally put off when sushi is served at a pizza place and had very low expectations. But the sushi at Sababa is better than the sushi we have back home in Los Angeles. I found myself coming back and ordering sushi over and over again. The tuna poke bowl is my favorite and I'm going to miss it when we go back home. I can't wait to visit again when we visit...