Twins Halal - Oakland

Hidden gem in West Oakland. Best halal place in the East Bay. Food may take a while, but that's because they're made to order, from scratch. Try the qabuli palow, gyro combo, and bolani.

This has changed ownership: I used to be a regular customer so I know who was always working there because it was family owned and run. I got there and didn't recognize the guy so I asked him if it had changed ownership and he gave me an evasive answer that didn't really answer my question. The bread is no longer baked fresh, the rice has cumin in it, the chicken seasoning has changed and they kept my least favorite part of the kebob plate (the lettuce, cucumber and tomato without any dressing). This is super disappointing: I used to love this restaurant but I won't be returning.

It's a drive up without much seating and little in the way of fineries of a restaurant, but this place isn't about that. The gyro plate was delicious, though I could have asked for more tzatziki sauce, I didn't. The rice and meat were cooked and seasoned to perfection. I look forward to trying more off this menu.

Tried this takeout restaurant for the first time and the owner was quite friendly, and the menu had a good range of choices. Unfortunately, they did not have the lamb/beef kabob options today, so we opted for the gyro with fries, rice plate with braised beef, and potato bolani. Nearly everything seemed made to order with fresh ingredients. The gyro was excellent with well seasoned meat, soft pita and tasty toppings and good portion size. The rice was also excellent with succulent beef cubes, sweet raisins/currants, carrots and properly cooked rice--just wish there was more meat. The cucumber salad was fresh and a good compliment to the rice but would have benefited from a salad dressing. The potato bolani had good flavor and we should have also gotten the tougher dipping sauce. While there was a small outdoor sitting area, it is really a full takeout place and street parking is variable so plan accordingly. Overall, very good food and look forward to trying other dishes soon!

I really love this spot and it's very close to my house, so it is a great go-to. We tried the donuts and a salad today and they were great. I'm only subtracting a star because my Philly was incorrect (it's always been perfect in the past).