Today we were at Saba, a Middle Eastern restaurant located on South Granville. They have held the space that was once West for 3-4 years now. The name is already well known for their bakery in Surrey, which supplies a lot of their baked goods here.
They are currently looking for another location. Their hopes is for a larger foot print that will be able to accommodate banquets and catering, with a cafe concept for their beverages and small bites.
We would get a look at these Middle Eastern inspired drinks today. Like the Date Cinnamon Latte and a Dubai Chocolate Mocha, for hot drinks. And Dubai Chocolate Shake and Biscoff Butter Cookie Shake for cold beverages.
Opting to not have any caffeine this morning I went for the Pistachio milkshake that came with a matching green straw. Made with vanilla ice cream it was like drinking a dessert, which didn’t necessarily match our meal to come, but would be nice as a treat to come in specifically for. It was topped with whipped cream and pistachio chunks, and included a pistachio spread rim, further crusted with nuts. The milkshake was more nutty than floral rose flavoured, which I appreciated. It also had a little hint of spice for a touch of savoury.
Our visit was to try their new brunch menu, which they were still working on perfecting during this visit. Therefore, take what you see here with a grain of salt. The brunch officially launched on Saturday May 9th, 2026 and is available 7 days a week during breakfast and lunching hours.
The following is what we had, shared family style between four. Starting with the new brunch menu items that was predominantly waffle driven.
I preferred the savoury waffle items more because they were served warm and the textures remained soft. Whereas the dessert ones had ice cream making the dough denser and harder.
The Dubai Pistachio Dream Waffle is a fluffy golden waffle layered with rich pistachio cream, premium ice cream, and fresh mixed berries. And the Biscoff Bliss Waffle is a waffle topped with creamy Biscoff spread, smooth vanilla ice cream, and seasonal berries. Both of these sweet waffles were essentially a take on the aforementioned milkshake, but with more chewing and less sucking.
I was much more enthusiastic over their already popular Charred Beef Potato Waffle. Shredded Yukon potato, eggs, cheddar cheese, and their house seasoning pressed into waffle. Topped with tender charred beef, fresh salad, and garlic mayo. This was like a crispy baked potato in waffle form, and I enjoyed it as is with its slightly spicy beef and sweet peppers, almost like a fajita.
By comparison the Falafel Garden Waffle was a little bland, even despite the generous drizzle of yogurt and its topping of fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and tahini sauce. This was a large waffle and it got monotonous after a few bites, I could have used a side here to change things up. Like the Crispy Chicken from the waffle below. I ended up using the mezza dips to remedy my concerns.
Admittedly the chicken tasted a lot better than in looked. Crispy golden fried chicken served on a fluffy waffle with a side of their salsa-like hot sauce and maple syrup, for a combination of savoury and sweet. This was chewy thick batter coating juicy chicken breast, seasoned in a similar spice as their house salad. I would have liked the waffle to have a more savoury flavour profile. A parallel zest and spice to the chicken, to make things bolder and more exciting, if not making it a falafel waffle, as I mentioned above.
Not specifically brunch, but still new were their cheese forward desserts. I liked them all considering they swung more on the savoury side, and resembled having a cheese platter for dessert. Ideal for those like me, who don’t like sugary sweet desserts.
The Yemeni Honeycomb Bread was named after its looks. This was sweet pull apart bread, each button round stuffed with a blend of feta cheese filling, and all coated in a condense milk drizzle. The dough was like that of a fried donut and the sweet and savoury combination well balanced. I could have had this as my main meal and I would have been just as happy with it.
The Pistachio Cheesecake was a crumbly cake with crunchy nuts. This wasn’t too sweet or too cheesy, but delivered on what I expected such a cheesecake to be.
And the last cheese dessert was a show stopper. It looked like a flan, but was basically a round of cheese that was served with a crispy crust and a warm and gooey centre for an exaggerated cheese pull. This is the Cheese Kunafa at 8 inches. It is a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with spun pastry dough soaked in a sweet, sugar-based syrup. It is layered or stuffed with ingredients like stretchy cheese, clotted cream, or nuts, and typically garnished with crushed pistachios. As is, it felt incomplete and could have been the filling to some bread. This I would have liked within a burger or sandwich.
We also got a chance to try some of their existing brunch and lunch menu items like the Shakshuka. This is a dish of gently poached eggs nestled in a simmering, spiced sauce of tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and garlic. This was like a saucy and zesty tomato stew served with runny eggs that thickened and a yogurt-like garlic sauce that gave things a balancing freshness. As is I would have liked a starchy base to enjoy this with. More pita like above, or some of the rice below.
This platter meant for two was an impressive feast. Roast lamb Haneeth, roast chicken leg Mandi, rice, salad, and Yemeni hot sauce served in a pan. Both the chicken and lamb was so tender than the meat easily pulled off the bone. Here, I could have used more of both to ration with all the additional rice provided.
The Shared Mezza was a collection of dips to have with pita bread. Hummus, Ful, and Baba Ganoush. The hummus was the largest serving and everyone’s favourite, as the most familiar. This was much like the Baba Ganoush. Roasted eggplant blended with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. New to me was the Ful. This is a hearty dish made of stewed and mashed fava beans. Like the other two, bold in flavours and easy to scoop. I just wish there was more of the charred pita to have with all of this, alone the dips were much.
The table fully enjoyed and was left raving over the Grilled Frenched Lamb Ribs. Each rib is grass fed and hormone free, served like a meat lollipop on a bone. Each stick was juicy and tender, carved up with just the right amount of gristle. Well seasoned and tasty with herbs and a smokey char.
For a freshening side, their House Salad is a lovely collection of mixed greens, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, Yemeni seasoning, vinegar, olive oil and pomegranate molasses. The vinaigrette reminded me of salted plum with a sweet and tangy finish. Definitely not your typical salad.
In conclusion, this was a great meal and a good amount of diversity if you are looking for something different for breakfast. I am a fan of heavy and savoury meals to start the day on, so this was right up my wheelhouse.
Saba Foods Middle Eastern Yemeni Restaurant
2881 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3J4
(604) 358-0566
sabafoods.ca
