Mouthwatering Kebab in San Francisco

Helmand Palace

★★★★☆ 4.3 (931) • $$

"An extra star for quality food a a real value. and a true family run restaurant (husband and wife and their 3 kids walking through the dining room on occasion)We shared the nan (not like indian nan, more like a less buttery, and flatter focaccia -- but served with 3 dipping sauces. And an order of somosas (more like a Persian wonton, than an Indian samosa). Quite good!For my main, I ordered the Theeka Kabob - which is prime rib served with rice and lentils (enough for 2 meals really) I was a bit skeptical that it would be good quality meat - but it sure was!It was a Monday night and we were one of 3 tables occupied, I know this is a bit of a SF institution, so hoping it is more packed on other nights."

MAZRA

★★★★★ 4.5 (507) • $$

"We were so lucky to have a party of 11, come on a Sunday evening ,and get seated right away. The host and staff were very accommodating of our small children and quick to help us. The food was easy to order through our phone and surprisingly affordable for being in downtown Redwood City! I love the self serve hot tea station. It smelled of cinnamon. The heaters and lights outside made for an enjoyable atmosphere. The interior transport you to a nice Mediterranean diner. The food was just as delightful and fresh. I love the baba ganoush, the tabouli salad, fluffy pita bread, and chopped chicken skewer plate with rice. The garlic sauce was so perfect. A surprising favorite was their giant charred cauliflower, seasoned and cooked perfectly. This was a sure highlight of our trip!"

Presidio Kebab

★★★★★ 4.7 (365) • $$

"I was lured into Presidio Kebab by the high Yelp rating. Most of the time, classic dishes hit waaayyyy better than viral and/or aesthetically pleasing ones. Our phones eat first, but they aren't the ones tasting it or paying for it!Never heard about Presidio Kebab before but it looks like they opened right before the pandemic hit. I had a nearby appointment so decided to give them a try. Indoor dining, takeout, and delivery available. They no longer have outdoor seating.M E N UTurkish and Mediterranean Cuisine: Starters, soups, salads, wraps, entrees, and desserts. Same all day menu. Beer and wine available.F O O D* İskender Kebab: Lamb & Beef Gyro w/ butter toasted pita, homemade marinara sauce, Greek yogurt ($23.95): https://tinyurl.com/4fe28w73My go-to Turkish dish, this rendition was my least fav one I've tried. IMO, what makes İskender kebab so good is the rich combo of flavors and contrasting textures. It seems they forgot to toast the pita because it was unappetizingly wet and mushy. Topped with chunky marinara sauce, gamey lamb & beef döner/gyro, and pale french fries. I think the accompanying tomato and green pepper were supposed to be grilled (?) but were still raw. Served with a side of cooling tangy yogurt. Not my jam - I picked at the döner/gyro, packed the rest to go, and tried to salvage it in the air-fryer. S E R V I C ECordial and prompt but no check-ins. I was the only diner at lunch and received my order in less than 10 minutes.A M B I A N C EUpscale cozy vibes with 12 tables, ideal for date night.P A R K I N GChallenging street parking at peak hours. Overall, wish I loved Presidio Kebab as much as others. Looks like several others had the same issues with the İskender Kebab so guess I choose the wrong dish. 2.5 stars rounded up for a small local business."

Lotus Falafel and Shawerma-San Bruno

★★★★★ 4.6 (378) • $$

"Stumbled on this place because Mazra was closed and what a pleasant surprise! The food is one of the best Mediterranean places in the bay.You order at the counter and there are lots of tables but know that it is a very casual establishment and nothing fancy. The food service is fast and the prices are very reasonable."

Gyro Xpress

★★★★☆ 3.6 (551) • $$

"I needed something quick and fast for I had an event to go to on Van Ness Ave. I have seen this Gryo Xpress in Castro for a long time, but never ate in here. Order is on the kiosk. I at night it was a quiet evening. I sat by the counter over looking the street below people watching. The food came in good time and the server brought my food to me. There were a few diners inside. I enjoyed my beef and lamb gryo."

Rojbas Grill

★★★★★ 4.5 (307) • $$

"We unexpectedly based our plans to be in Berkeley for most of the afternoon/evening. We wanted some good Mediterranean food and Berkeley is one of the best cities to eat Mediterranean food. Therefore, we came across Rojbas Grill. I am genuinely so happy we did! I would go back for sure. *Overview: Food: 8/10 ratingService: 10/10 rating Ambiance: 7/10 rating*What we ordered: Dolma (4pcs)Chicken Gyro Plate Adana Kebab Plate FOOD: 8/10 ratingThe food was so flavorful. The proteins were juicy, seasoned well, and tender. I love how they served a platter of piping hot soft pita bread. It paired so well with our food. I was shocked by the complimentary hot tea served post-meal. It was not an average brewed Lipton tea. The tea was a yummy subtle herbal tea and perfect for digestion since we were so full. SERVICE: 10/10 rating The waiter was SO attentive. He was not overdoing it as well. He was very chill, kind, and attentive without us asking. He refilled our napkins and water without us asking. It bothers me when people say "It's their job and also they're just being nice for more tips". But, you can always tell when it's genuine!Ambiance: 7/10 ratingI love how "homey" the ambiance is. Rojbas Grill has a lot of intricate details on their curtains, artifacts, etc. My favorite pieces were the Mandala art hung up on the walls. Parking can be decent. There is a lot of meter-based parking. However, on a busy weekend, it can be hard to find parking."

Gourmet Gyros & Kebabs

★★★★★ 4.5 (208) • $$

"Tried this place recently again. Got the Falafel plate and sauteed eggplant . The food overall was decent, except that the Tzatziki sauce served as part of the plate the sauteed eggplant dish had a bitter / sour taste, perhpas because they were stale and on the verge of going bad. The falafels were fried fresh. The pita bread was warm as well. Seems like they don't make everything very fresh. Only 1 other customer besides me on a friday afternoon. Not sure I will try it again."

Hella Mediterranean

★★★★☆ 4.4 (206) • $$

"I've been here several times and have enjoyed it every time. You order at the register and then have a seat. They bring your to the table. It usually arrives very quickly. The food is great and I haven't been disappointed in anything that I have ordered. The restaurant is clean and comfortable."

Grill Kebabs and Gyros

★★★★★ 4.6 (174) • $$

"Lamb beef gyro wrap - perfectly executed, nice solid pieces of meat. Lavash was nice and grilled. white sauce is served on the side.Rice pudding - It was so good! Nice and light, not too sweet, a subtle perfect touch of warm spice. It was the perfect consistency for me, not too thick and ricey, and not too thin either.The owner is so nice! And they keep the place really clean."

Mesopotamia Kitchen

★★★★☆ 4.3 (134)

"I absolutely love this place! I almost always get a kebab plate because I love the combination of the grilled meat with rice, salad, and hummus with pita. It's a filling and healthy meal. My only complaint is the hummus used to be the best in town when they first opened, but I can tell they're thinning it out a little bit now so that it goes further. It's slightly watery compared to the thick hummus they had when they first opened. I still order from them all the time. The chicken kebabs are great (especially dipped in the spicy sauce) and the kofte kebab also delicious. I wish they would go back to the original hummus recipe!"

Broadway Kebab and Gyros

★★★★★ 4.5 (88)

"LOVE Pom salad with chicken. Chicken had great flavor. LIKEYoung woman in a "Dreamer" T-shirt was very kind."

Fanoos Grills

★★★★★ 4.7 (78)

"We were wandering around this area doing a self-guided tour related to Dashell Hammett (who lived in SF for 8 years) and realized it was lunch time. Boy, were we lucky to find this place.Chicken Shawarma Rice Bowl: 5/5. I have been to dozens of mediterranean restaurants and this is the first one in a LONG time where I have said to myself "damn, this chicken is GOOD!" All of the ingredients were fresh.You know a place is good when as you leave you are already thinking of coming back.And the service is awesome. We were here on Dec 22, and the guy behind the counter was incredibly nice and friendly."

Alborz

★★★★☆ 3.8 (94)

"Ordered the plate for two and the combo plate for an appetizer. The eggplant dish from the combo plate pretty much had no flavor, which is devastating. Everything else on there was decent. The filet from the plate for two was meh, no flavor, which was a big shock. Not even a chargrilled mark. The chicken was nice and juicy. The koobedieh was the best part, lots of flavor. The rice also had lots of flavor. The service overall was okay. The waitress -- not so happy. The ambiance of the restaurant was awkward. Overall, a hit or miss on the flavors. Most likely won't be coming back when I'm in the area."

Taste Of Old Street

★★★★☆ 4.4 (56)

"Always enjoy food on sticks. They serve Chengdu style food which is something I'm not familiar with, but I have eaten some similar dishes in other restaurants. This is a small restaurant but feels very comfortable and familial. Let's talk about the dishes we like.Smashed Cucumber - refreshing and delicious.Beef Pancake Rolls - delicious! My husband's favorite since Dong Bei Mama closed down.Old Chengdu Spicy Pot - I love how this looks but I personally prefer skewers.Pan fried dumplings - it's basically potstickers. Okay.Black Fungus Salad - Found this to be too salty, otherwise it's good.Dan Dan dry noodles (requested non spicy) - although delicious, found it to be different from other Dan Dan noodles we tried. Is this more authentic? Also very skimpy on meat.Skewers (different ones) - I enjoy these the most! Very satisfying to eat!Service friendly although my first dine in experience we encountered a payment issue with my Visa CC. They said they can't use it for some strange reason and requested that we paid using another method. Good thing I had cash on me. Second visit I just use cash to avoid repeat problem. But I use the same Visa CC elsewhere and no issue, so not sure why they had problems."

Curry & Kababs

★★★★★ 4.5 (17)

"After Zaika closed next to the ball park, I was so relieved to see this place open to see if it could fill my curry cravings. Although the name is bland, the food is anything but. I've seen the other reviews here and I'm guessing they read them and upped the spice meter significantly. I visited last week and my friend and I ordered the chicken tikka masala and Chana masala with garlic and paneer naan, with a side of rice. The waiter asked what spice level (from four: low, medium, spicy, extra spicy) and chose spicy for the chicken tikka and medium for the Chana. The chicken tikka was one of the richest and flavorful ones I've had in the city. Similar to the explosion of flavor that Aslam's Rasoi provides on Valencia. In fact, it was too spicy for my friend and we had to order a side of raita so she could bear the heat! The other plus of the chicken tikka was that it wasn't just cubed chicken that was previously frozen as is found in other Indian spots. This chicken was tender and you could easily chew it, evidence of quality cooking and ingredients. The naan was plentiful and the rice had little bits of wild mushrooms which was a nice surprise! They've done a great job with the decor as well, with an intent to make it seem like you're eating at a luxury restaurant with affordably priced dishes. They're playing classical music above, which elevated the experience. The furniture is clean with long cushioned benches and the bathroom feels like it was just updated, with no grime in sight.I will definitely be back to try their Korma dishes and fish curries since I now know this place means business."

Kebab Baba

★★★★☆ 3.9 (8)

"Delicious small Mediterranean place.Went on a Saturday 2pm and was only customer there!Ambience - 9/10 -- Quaint interior and small overflow upstairs area with restrooms. Very clean and well-lit.Service - 9/10 -- Fast and friendly, well-packed meal-to-go and explained each of the sauces.Quality - 7/10 -- Solid food. Very warm, although I found the meats just a bit dry, would have preferred more tender or thinner. They also could absorb the sauces better.Value - 9/10 -- Good for SF! $20 for a delicious meal!Overall - 8.5/10"

Cordon Bleu

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$

"So, I had a hankering for 5 Spice Chicken & happened to walk by this place a week ago, it's a sliver of a restaurant but there was lots of chattering coming from inside the place, it intrigued me. I had already eaten but decided to give it a try next time.So after reading all the positive reviews, I went. As I entered the place I noticed the narrow counter/seating & surrounding area is in bad shape, not the cleanest, by no means. I was pretty surprised. The place needs a good wash down & paint but perhaps that would raise the prices on the fabulous, large portions of food. The opposite side where the chef/owner cooks is where the magic takes place. Flames are grilling the meats, heating up the area, the exhaust sucks out all the smoke. Another woman is bringing out large pots of steamed rice. The meals are being plated, egg rolls, salad, dressing. It's like an assembly line. And some how the chef doesn't forget anything the diners are adding or subtracting from their orders. She tallies up the charges on a yellow pad, taking cash only. This is her domain. You can tell she loves every moment, order & customer."

Maykadeh

★★★★☆ 3.9 • $$

"I love coming to this restaurant when I'm in the city and craving for Persian food.It was busy during dinner time, but luckily we got seated in about 15 minutes.We ordered the Baba Ghanoush, a smoked roasted egg plant with tahini that's finely chopped smoothly to spread over the pita bread.Kashke Bademjan is an eggplant with garlic and mint combined smoothly. A perfect combination with the pita bread.Chelo-kabob Koobideh, a ground meat that's combined with Angus beef and lamb with Persian spices, it was perfectly grilled.Koresht Fesenjoon, a chicken thigh cooked in dry roasted walnuts and pomegranate juice. This was tender, and the sauce had a mild sweet and sour taste to it.Koresht bademjan, a lamb shank that's braised with eggplant and tomato saffron, it was really tender and savory. My favorite dessert is the homemade Baklava, a sweet phyllo crust with pistachios, a perfect way to end the meal. Great service, definitely will come back again."