Sagmani's Restaurant-Mediterranean (El Cajon)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Both Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are on well deserved vacations. Cathy's well deserved vacation will be starting in a few days, so she is blogging about food.

On the hypotenuse side of a triangular corner in El Cajon (Douglas Avenue intersects El Cajon Boulevard which turns into Main Street) is a small strip mall containing a Barber shop and Tire Store, all across the parking lot from a gas station) as well as the (now faded) signage for Sagmani's Restaurant. Sagmanis has been here since 2010. Here is a link to Kirk's post.

Five tables inside and one or two tables out front, neat and clean with a one page menu, Sagmanis is not pretentious.

You can have a pitcher of water or bottled water.  Hot tea will be brought out after your meal. There are two televisions, which I've never seen on at lunch time. 

 Warm bread is brought out with your meal. 

 

The lentil soup ($4), made fresh daily, is always our order here.  It is excellent, made with plenty of lentils, onions, vermicelli noodle bits and fresh spices.  Unique for such a seemingly basic soup. That bowl, by the way, is deceptively large; this is enough soup to share.

 A side of hummus ($5) is also fresh made, topped with olive oil, sumac and cumin as well as parsley and and olive.  This large portion could be considered a meal, especially with the large soup and all the bread.

On this day a beef shish kabob plate ($7) was part of our shared order.  Served on top of fresh sumac topped rice mixed with vermicelli  and with lettuce, tomato, onion, cucumber and yellow (turmeric) pickled cabbage (not hot, but more vinegar-y) slices, the kabobs are cooked to order.

Made with coarse ground meat, fresh herbs and spices before grilling, the juicy meatiness of these kabobs are flavor filled. Really, the kabobs here are my favorite. The daily stews are also very good. 

 As mentioned, hot tea is brought out when your meal is finished. 

This is the sign you'll see if you are heading West on Douglas, toward the El Cajon signal light; you'll have just passed the row of storefronts in that parking area and will be seeing the gas station.

Find your way here. Good, fresh food. Stay warm!

Sagmani's Restaurant 478 W. Douglas Ave El Cajon 92020 (619) 440-0077 

Comments

[caninecologne]

I really like the spices they use for these kabobs (very fragrant and savory). We haven't tried this restaurant yet but will plan a future visit.

[Ed (from Yuma)]

That looks very tasty. So what are your Middle Eastern favs out El Cajon way currently now that Sultan is no more?

[Cathy]

The kabobs here are excellent, cc, as is the lentil soup. The stews seem to be on every table, ordered by the 'regulars' whenever we are here. If you do drive out, note the arrow on the map on Yelp is wrong;just remember if you see the USA Gas
The food here is really nice Ed. We very much are regulars at the eat-in-the-store restaurants at Kaelins Mi Pueblo (have been ordering the kabobs and bread and not the Mexican choices) and the steam tray (as well as breakfast items) at Valley Foods, both on either side of Sultan. We do like Sammoon for sit down. There are several other take out only newer grocers with a kitchen I have to post.