Last-Minute Catering in San Diego

Lunch meeting moved up. The other caterer fell through. Someone forgot to order until this morning. It happens — and when it does, the last thing you need is a form that says “we’ll get back to you in 2 business days.” Our catering guide lists 24 hours’ notice for the Family Tray, 48 hours for the 20- and 30-person spreads, 5 days for the 50- and 75-person spreads, and 7 days for the 100-person spread. For a smaller à-la-carte pickup request inside those windows, call (619) 352-0144 and ask. We’ll tell you whether the kitchen can make it work; same-day is never guaranteed.

We’re Shawarma House, a Mediterranean kitchen on Newport Ave in Ocean Beach that caters offices, clinics, and events across San Diego County. This page is the short version: what we can genuinely turn around on a tight timeline, what to order so you’re not making twelve decisions under pressure, and the fastest way to get a straight answer.

How fast can a catering order be ready?

Use the notice shown in our catering guide for catering packages: 24 hours for the Family Tray ($159.99, serves 7–10); 48 hours for the 20-person Spread ($399) and 30-person Office Spread ($599); 5 days for the 50-person Full Spread and 75-person Banquet Spread; and 7 days for the 100-person Grand Spread. Below those published windows, the website cannot promise availability. Call for a smaller à-la-carte pickup request and the kitchen will give you a direct yes or no.

Can I get same-day catering in San Diego?

Same-day catering is not guaranteed: its shortest published window is 24 hours for the Family Tray, and the 20- and 30-person spreads require 48 hours. For a smaller à-la-carte pickup request, call (619) 352-0144 and we’ll give you a direct yes or no based on that day’s kitchen load. What we won’t do is put “same-day catering guaranteed” on this page, because it isn’t.

The honest turnaround picture

• 24 hours: Toast’s published notice for the Family Tray ($159.99, serves 7–10).
• 48 hours: Toast’s published notice for the 20-person Spread ($399) and 30-person Office Spread ($599).
• 5 to 7 days: 5 days for the 50- and 75-person spreads; 7 days for the 100-person spread.
• Same-day: not offered as a catering package. Call only for a smaller à-la-carte pickup request; availability depends on that day’s prep and is never guaranteed.

What to order when time is short

Rushed orders go sideways when there are too many decisions. These three solve most situations:

Feeding 20? The 20-person Spread — $399

Our catering guide lists yellow basmati rice, beef and chicken shawarma, fresh hummus, Greek or Fattoush salad, 30 hand-formed falafel, four house sauces, and two pita per person. Place Settings (Per Person) are optional, and single-use serviceware is sent only when requested. Toast requires 48 hours’ notice.

Feeding 30: the 30-person Office Spread — $599

Our catering guide lists the same core menu at the 30-person scale, including 50 hand-formed falafel, four house sauces, and two pita per person. Toast requires 48 hours’ notice.

Small group of 7–10: the Family Tray — $159.99

The shortest-notice catering package for an office pod, site crew, or family gathering. Our catering guide lists 24 hours’ notice.

Individually boxed lunches are available by quote. Box contents, pricing, quantities, and preparation time are confirmed in your written quote. For shared trays, compare the current catering packages. Family Tray serves 7–10 for $159.99; 20-person Spread serves 20 for $399; 30-person Office Spread serves 30 for $599; 50-person Full Spread serves 50 for $999; 75-person Banquet Spread serves 75 for $1,500; 100-person Grand Spread serves 100 for $1,999.

Mixed dietary needs don’t have to slow the order down: all our beef and chicken is halal-sourced — more on that on our halal food in San Diego page — and we have vegetarian and vegan-friendly dishes to mix into any spread. Just tell us on the call.

Quick allergy heads-up even on a rush order: tahini contains sesame, and our hummus contains tahini — so it does too. Tzatziki contains dairy; pita contains wheat. We’re a shared kitchen and can’t guarantee zero cross-contact, so if anyone in your group has a severe allergy, tell us on the call and we’ll walk through it.

Pickup is the fastest path

Free pickup at 4884 Newport Ave, in the heart of Ocean Beach. No delivery window to schedule, no fee, and it removes one whole variable from an already-rushed day. The restaurant is open 11am–8pm daily for pickup — swing by on the way to your meeting and the food rides with you. Pickup also keeps a same-day request simplest: there’s no delivery slot to fit into someone else’s schedule, just a time you tell us you’re coming.

If you need it delivered

We deliver across San Diego County: free within 5 miles, $30 for 5–15 miles, $50 for 16–40 miles, and $60 beyond that. That covers everything from Point Loma and Mission Bay offices minutes from our Ocean Beach kitchen, to downtown San Diego and well beyond. One honest note: on a tight timeline, pickup is the option we can control end-to-end — delivery adds a scheduling variable. If delivery is the only way, say so on the call and we’ll build the timeline around it.

Searching for last-minute catering “near me” in San Diego?

If you’re searching for catering near you on a tight deadline, here’s how we cover the county: we’re based on Newport Ave in Ocean Beach, with free pickup right there, and delivery bands that reach Point Loma and Mission Bay in the closer free-to-$30 range and stretch out to downtown San Diego and beyond on the same $30/$50/$60 structure. Wherever you are in the county, the process is the same: call, tell us your headcount and timeline, and we’ll tell you honestly whether “near me” also means “in time.”

Call first — and have these four things ready

The phone is the conversion point on a rush order, not the form. Before you dial, gather:

1. Headcount — even a rough one.
2. Pickup or delivery — and the address if it’s delivery.
3. The time food needs to be on the table — not the delivery time, the eating time.
4. Any dietary needs in the group.

With those four answers, a couple of minutes on the phone gets you one of three outcomes: a yes, a yes-with-adjustments (“we can do 11:30 instead of 11”), or an honest no. We’d rather turn down an order than take one we can’t do right — that’s the whole reason this page exists. The catering line is staffed Monday through Friday, 7am to 4pm, so if you’re calling on a weekday during those hours, you’ll get an answer on the spot rather than a callback.

Hours, stated plainly so there’s no guessing: Catering line: (619) 352-0144, Mon–Fri 7am–4pm. Restaurant: open 11am–8pm daily for pickup orders.

Call (619) 352-0144 — Mon–Fri 7am–4pm to check availability. Not urgent-urgent? Use the quote form below — form replies come during catering-line hours (Mon–Fri 7–4), so if your event is inside 48 hours, call instead.

Frequently asked questions

Related: if you have more runway than 48 hours, start with our full catering menu and packages. See how our drop-off catering works, compare individually boxed lunches for per-person orders, or turn this month’s fire drill into a routine with recurring office lunches. Budgeting first? Here’s what catering costs in San Diego.