Cafe Jaffa is a great cheap eats alternative in the Back Bay on Gloucester Street between Boylston and Newbury Street that has been serving authentic Middle Eastern food since 1991. When I lived in the Back Bay, I regularly came here for a quick lunch or dinner.
Cafe Jaffa’s menu is fairly large with plenty of options under $15. Keep it simple and stick to the many options in the sandwiches, salads and kabobs section of the menu and I promise you will enjoy your meal. On this visit I opted to have the chicken kabob salad for $9.75 with a tall glass of Lemonana for $2.50 (homemade lemonade with mint).
The kabob salad is served over a packed Greek Salad and a warmed pita that is briefly grilled prior to serving. As you can see from the photo above, the chicken is piled high and the bowl full of delicious feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce. While beer and wine is available at Cafe Jaffa, I’ve always opted for the Lemonana because the minty lemonade is so good. If you’ve never had it and you like lemonade, give this a try – it is rather addictive. You can also get it by the pitcher for $4.75.
Cafe Jaffa is open Monday thru Thursday 11AM – 10:30PM; from Friday thru Saturday 11AM – 11PM; and Sunday from 12PM – 10PM. 
BosGuy 