Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Tiki Taka: nothing to do with Mai Tais

I'll go out on a limb and venture that few people were heartbroken when Porkyland closed in Hillcrest. One less, not particularly outstanding taco shop just doesn't register on people's radars. The Tiki Taka Grill, which has opened up in the mini-mall that was home to the old Porkyland, has at least made a name for itself with one group. The restaurant, which serves Israeli-style Middle Eastern food, has been hosting members of the local Israeli-American community on the regular.

People are coming, in large part, for the "laffa," a pita bread topped with sumac and sesame seeds that's wildly popular as a street food in Israel. The bread, blistered in the center and chewy at the edges, is a big part of the table at Tiki Taka. Every guest gets some with little bowls of tahini, cabbage, and relish to top it off as an appetizer. It's extremely chewy and supple, a perfect bread for soaking up sauces or grabbing errant bits of food with.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31022/

They put sandwiches on laffa at Tiki Taka, for a dollar more than a regular pita. Sandwiches can be as humble as hummus on laffa ($5.99) or a decadent rib-eye sandwich ($13.99). Even a simple falafel on laffa ($7.99) makes a filling meal.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31023/

One of the best uses for Tiki Taka's laffa is the appetizer plate of assorted salads. It only costs $5.99 if it's ordered in addition to a main dish and the price rises to $9.99 if it's an entree in itself. Ten to twelve of the house's prepared salads come out of the kitchen, each arranged in its own little bowl, and a serving of hot laffa to go along with everything. Everything with eggplant is excellent, buttery and rich like the aubergine is at its best. Chopped chicken liver studded with bits of hard-boiled egg is intoxicating on the laffa and a Turkish salad of roasted red peppers is a perfect base for tabouli, tapenade, or a simple preparation of spiced cherry tomatoes.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31024/

More substantial entrees from the grill are served with a substantial side dish. The Israeli salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and onions) is a refreshing option alongside a hearty protein, but truly ambitious eaters might go for mashed potatoes or fries. Dishes can be as extravagant as filet mignon or lamb chops, which is frankly a pleasant surprise to see on Tiki Taka's menu, or more "street food" style like chicken livers and hearts on a skewer. Shnitzel leaps out as another surprise. The cutlet is breaded and fried, but served with ketchup instead of capers and lemon in the German fashion.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31026/

Smaller portions of selected dishes are available during lunch (10-3) for under $10.

TIki Taka serves no alcohol, but the mint tea is quite refreshing and very suited to the food.

At first glance, Tiki Taka has the look of a take-out joint, perhaps a place to grab a quick falafel. It's higher-than normal prices might seem scary in that situtation, but the reality is that Tiki Taka is an under-decorated, but nicer than expected, restaurant worthy of a good look.

646 University Avenue
619-295-0005

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Mang Tomas, banana ketchup barred in San Diego

What will happen to Filipino Christmas here?

I'll go out on a limb and venture that few people were heartbroken when Porkyland closed in Hillcrest. One less, not particularly outstanding taco shop just doesn't register on people's radars. The Tiki Taka Grill, which has opened up in the mini-mall that was home to the old Porkyland, has at least made a name for itself with one group. The restaurant, which serves Israeli-style Middle Eastern food, has been hosting members of the local Israeli-American community on the regular.

People are coming, in large part, for the "laffa," a pita bread topped with sumac and sesame seeds that's wildly popular as a street food in Israel. The bread, blistered in the center and chewy at the edges, is a big part of the table at Tiki Taka. Every guest gets some with little bowls of tahini, cabbage, and relish to top it off as an appetizer. It's extremely chewy and supple, a perfect bread for soaking up sauces or grabbing errant bits of food with.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31022/

They put sandwiches on laffa at Tiki Taka, for a dollar more than a regular pita. Sandwiches can be as humble as hummus on laffa ($5.99) or a decadent rib-eye sandwich ($13.99). Even a simple falafel on laffa ($7.99) makes a filling meal.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31023/

One of the best uses for Tiki Taka's laffa is the appetizer plate of assorted salads. It only costs $5.99 if it's ordered in addition to a main dish and the price rises to $9.99 if it's an entree in itself. Ten to twelve of the house's prepared salads come out of the kitchen, each arranged in its own little bowl, and a serving of hot laffa to go along with everything. Everything with eggplant is excellent, buttery and rich like the aubergine is at its best. Chopped chicken liver studded with bits of hard-boiled egg is intoxicating on the laffa and a Turkish salad of roasted red peppers is a perfect base for tabouli, tapenade, or a simple preparation of spiced cherry tomatoes.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31024/

More substantial entrees from the grill are served with a substantial side dish. The Israeli salad (cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, peppers, and onions) is a refreshing option alongside a hearty protein, but truly ambitious eaters might go for mashed potatoes or fries. Dishes can be as extravagant as filet mignon or lamb chops, which is frankly a pleasant surprise to see on Tiki Taka's menu, or more "street food" style like chicken livers and hearts on a skewer. Shnitzel leaps out as another surprise. The cutlet is breaded and fried, but served with ketchup instead of capers and lemon in the German fashion.

http://sandiegoreader.com/users/photos/2012/sep/06/31026/

Smaller portions of selected dishes are available during lunch (10-3) for under $10.

TIki Taka serves no alcohol, but the mint tea is quite refreshing and very suited to the food.

At first glance, Tiki Taka has the look of a take-out joint, perhaps a place to grab a quick falafel. It's higher-than normal prices might seem scary in that situtation, but the reality is that Tiki Taka is an under-decorated, but nicer than expected, restaurant worthy of a good look.

646 University Avenue
619-295-0005

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Prep Kitchen Little Italy: 2012 was a very good year...

Next Article

West Coast Tavern

Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader