Note to self: When eating at a New York-style deli for the first time, don’t start with falafel.

OK, maybe I shouldn’t have ordered falafel. But I was craving it, and I knew that Innabi’s in Redlands was one of the closest places to get my fix.

In fact, they have several variations: as an appetizer, served over hummus; or as a sandwich, wrapped in pita bread (my choice, $3.75), served panini-style, or as a wrap.

Why, oh why, didn’t I order the turkey panini instead?

It’s not that the felafel wasn’t good…it’s just that I should probably have started with something a little more deli-like.

My lunch partner, Richard, made the smarter choice: the pastrami combo ($6.99), which came with a generous amount of lean pastrami on sourdough bread (they were out of the usual rye), steak fries and a soda.


I had a little piece of the pastrami. It was very tasty.

Of course, they serve Boar’s Head meats, so you know everything is the best quality. In fact, the Boar’s Head driver showed up while we were there.

We also had a wonderful dessert…pistachio baklava rolls ($1.00). We missed out on the sugar-free carrot cake from West Coast Whoopies, though. If only we had known…

Another plus in their favor, for me anyway, is that they serve breakfast all day. I could (and generally do) eat breakfast any time.

And for those of you on a budget, they can be found on restaurant.com, which means you can try them for cheap.

I’ll definitely be going back to Innabi’s, especially now that I’m over my falafel craving and will be in the mood for something else.

Breakfast, perhaps?

Innabi is at 802 W. Colton Ave., Redlands, at Texas Street. They’re open daily. They take cash and credit, with a 50 fee for debit cards.

For another take on Innabi, read Allan Borgen’s review from a couple of months back here.