Damasco Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Yucaipa

Fresh, incredible tasting, high-quality food with HUGE portions. Don't let the location fool you!

Located in an old, forgotten strip mall, and the interior was pretty basic. We almost walked back out, but my mom was hungry so we stayed. We were pleasantly surprised how great it was!

The guy who served us was very friendly and accommodating, and helped us with every special request.

We were the first customers that day, so he flipped on some "atmospheric" sounds (birds etc.) and the TV when we sat down. Turned out to be a whole documentary on traveling in Syria, which was interesting and beautiful to watch. In other words, he did the most he could to make the place as nice as possible.

Food on the menu seemed expensive, until it arrived: portions were enormous! We got three meals, and we decided that next time we would get only ONE meal to feed all THREE of us!

I travel a lot and eat everywhere I go, but let me just say that the food here was SPECTACULAR.

Beautifully done with all fresh ingredients from obviously homemade recipes. I literally couldn't believe what I was eating. I can't say enough about how good each dish was.

I got the combo plate (Damasco Vege Plate), which had a little bit of everything, and there were no duds or afterthoughts. Absolutely everything was high quality, tasty and fresh.

We will definitely go out of our way to return again and again!

Worth the trip, and worth the price. If you like absolutely top quality Syrian food and don't mind the sparse atmosphere, this...

I found out about this little hole in the wall place from a friend. It's hard to miss if you don't know it's there. Just to throw this out there, this isn't a sit-down restaurant. It's take out only, and that's just fine. The kitchen is right up front and you can watch them make everything fresh.

I grew up in a blended middle-eastern home, and grew up eating pretty much everything on the menu. My opinion is based on my personal experiences comparing to the food I grew up enjoying. With that, I loved everything I got. My two favorites were the tabbouleh and mixed pickle plate. The tabbouleh was nice and fresh, a good amount of lemon, and more parsley than wheat. The pickles and picked turnips were great, and they make them all themselves (they even sell jars of various pickled veggies in the restaurant). The rice is good, but not as flavorful as I'm used to, but this is likely a regional thing. The chicken was well marinaded and the lamb tasted fresh (albeit a little overcooked, I like mine medium).

Spoke a while with the owner while waiting. I appreciate when heart and soul is put into a place, and I was made to feel like my order was the most important. I even got samples to eat while I waited; nice touch. Prices are reasonable for this sort of food, which is higher than fast food, but this is sooo much better. Overall I am very happy to have something like this in Yucaipa and we will be coming back...

This is not a fancy restaurant at all, but if you are looking for great food in a very casual atmosphere, Damasco is a must-try location.

I gave it 5 Stars for Atmosphere, not because it was fancy, but because it was efficient and authentic. So check your expectations for atmosphere and be ready for tile floors and laminated tables...that just highlight how good the food is.

The owner took our lunch order and suggested the food would take 20 minutes to prepare, but it came out in perhaps under 15 minutes. While we waited for food, we had some Turkish Coffee, which is like espresso, only it is better. Next came a plate of Grape Leaves and a special request plate of olives.

The Grape Leaves were outstanding. They were served on a bed of cabbage slaw that paired well with the Grape Leaves. The Grape Leave plate can easily serve two, which it did today.

The Olives were amazing. The owner's son mentioned that he and his dad made the olives. They were outstanding. I did not see them on the menu--IMHO, they should be a featured appetizer.

Both my friend and I had Shawarma wraps, I had Beef, and my friend had chicken. The Beef Shawerma was wrapped in a fresh, soft pita and nicely spiced and dressed.

Service was there when we needed it and not intrusive when we were discussing business. That to me...