Flame Kabob

My husband and I ordered chicken, lamb, and falafel platters for the family. There wasn’t much conversation during dinner, since everyone was so busy just eating and enjoying the flavors! Juicy meats, crunchy salad, fluffy rice, perfectly cooked chickpeas, (at least for me, I find some places overcook chickpeas, making them mushy), warm bread, and the sauces were perfect accompaniment! Green sauce is slightly spicy and white sauce smooths out the spiciness. I didn’t try the falafel, but family member told me it was delicious. Overall, all of us really enjoyed the food and we are definitely coming back!

I have now been to this location three times and I am yet to have a poor experience. I have gotten steak and chicken platters each time and the meat has been very tender, rice has been solid, spinach and salad sides have been fresh and flavorful. While I am not a connoisseur of middle eastern food, this restaurant has been a very enjoyable takeout option and I recommend giving it a shot.

Let me give a little background before I get into my review: My favorite kabob place of more than a decade closed last year, so I have been in search of an equally good replacement. I have been to this restaurant several times in person about 10 years ago or more, but haven't been back since then. My most recent experience might as well have been my first time. So with that out of the way, here we go.. I ordered from here on Grubhub. Pro: fast delivery. Con: I think I know why the food came so quickly. I ordered the chicken kabob with a side of chickpeas. Chicken was just okay. Dry (but I compensated with copious amounts of green chutney), and lacked flavor that I normally expect from Afghan food. The green chutney was also not quite what I am used to. It was not even the slightest bit spicy. The naan was not fresh and just not what I expect. The Afghan place I used to go to you could see them put the naan dough in the tandoor oven and bake it fresh. This naan tasted equivalent to store-bought. They also only give you half a piece when you order a kabob. I don't need the extra carbs, but just a note. The rice was good and flavorful, and was the only part of the meal I enjoyed. Now to the true embarrassments. The chickpeas.. where do I start? I genuinely gagged when I put a spoonful into my mouth. I promise I am not over-exaggerating. The amount of oil in the chickpeas was insane. I thought maybe the oil had just separated, but I tried my best to stir it and the oil never incorporated back into the rest of the sauce. The sauce was completely broken. A chef should notice when their sauce is not properly emulsified. I ended up spooning about 3 tablespoons of oil out of the container. I was only able to eat a couple of the chickpeas because the oil coating my palate was unbearable. I have attached a picture of the chickpea side I received. The salad was clearly old. The lettuce was not vibrant in color and some pieces were even brown, and the shredded carrots were dry. This is either an old bag of a mixed salad they buy already prepped, or a salad they prepped several days in advance. The salad had to be at least 3 or 4 days past when it was fresh. I couldn't eat that. Overall, for an $11 meal and quick delivery, it's fine if you only want to eat 1/3 of your food and toss the rest. In my lowly and unpresuming opinion, spend a little more money and wait a little longer for fresh quality food elsewhere. I won't be ordering here again. I am really sad about my food today because I remember this restaurant actually being good 10 years ago. It feels like this is no longer the same place.

I was in the area and was craving kabobs so I decided to give this place a shot. I ordered the Chicken Kubideh Kabob (ground chicken) that came with a small portion of salad, half piece of bread and a side. I was very unimpressed entering the establishment as it looked pretty run down. There are a few tables inside and a couple outdoors. The set-up or location is not ideal for lunch time as there is limited space inside. Food was ready upon my arrival, made payment and left within 5 minutes. Upon opening my order, I was looking forward to trying the perfectly cooked kabob. The side of potatoes was okay, however, the bread and salad was definitely not fresh which was disappointing. I decided not to let that ruin my meal and only ate the chicken and rice which was actually very delicious. I might be inclined to return just for the kabob and rice again one day, but I do hope they can improve the freshness of food and appearance/cleanliness inside to prevent any issues down the road.