Restaurants in Hercules

Skewers of chicken and shrimp simmer in a clay tandoor oven, filling the dining room with the heady aromas of ginger and cumin. Tandoor baking is one of many time-tested cooking methods that the chefs employ at Taste of the Himalayas, along with tossing shrimp with traditional Indian spices and stuffing steamed dumplings with minced cabbage and homemade cheese.

The restaurant's decor matches its cuisine with regards to cultural authenticity, with a mural of the Himalayan countryside spanning an entire wall with saturated blue skies and green foliage. Its swirling designs echo the curves of carved wooden chairs and heavy brass serving bowls, and white tablecloths are exact replicas of those worn by real Nepalese ghosts.:m]]

Sunrise Deli pleases palates with award-winning Middle Eastern cuisine, concocting falafels lauded by SF Weekly and San Francisco Chronicle. For more than a quarter century, chefs have grilled kebabs, stuffed pita envelopes with love letters, and loaded dishes with hummus, fresh yogurt, and olives. Sunrise Deli acquires its meat from local ranches and picks its vegetables from local farms to ensure fresh, earth-friendly sustenance. Every day, round loaves of sesame bread pop out of the oven alongside piping-hot armenian pizzas and spinach pies. Sunrise Deli also caters platters laden with baba ghanouj and meat kebabs to family gatherings or teddy-bear picnics.

Wrap N Roll’s menu insulates hot paninis and sandwiches with thin layers of signature pepper turkey and pastrami, complemented by less common stuffers such as mandarin oranges and cranberries. For delivery or takeout, patrons can invoke skilled chefs to stuff Greek-style gyro wraps with carved lamb and tzatziki or Indian wraps with tender morsels of marinated masala chicken. The veggie wrap, much like the dreams of the Jolly Green Giant, is loaded with mushrooms, roasted peppers, onions, sun-dried tomatoes, and vindaloo sauce. Diners can round out meals with hearty sides such as potato salad and coleslaw.

Strings of multicolored lights twinkle above Mi Casa Tamales' three spacious acres, which are home to an intimate dining room, a cantina, a breezy, tree-shaded patio, and a kid-friendly play area. Known for their Texas-sized tamales that weigh more than 3 pounds per dozen, Mi Casa's chefs ably combine Texan and Mexican cuisines into appetizing dishes accented with house-made sauces including avocado salsa, cowboy stew, and tomatillo sauce. Music floats on the air during warm summer nights, serenading diners with guitars, piano, and tacos thumped rhythmically on drumheads.