4. Restaurants

House of Kabobs

161 S Sunnyvale Ave, Sunnyvale, CA, 94086
  • (408) 735-8199
  • Store is closed

House of Kabobs Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Sunnyvale for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 814 W Ahwanee Ave )

Visit below restaurant in Sunnyvale for healthy meals suggestion.

Denny’s ( 814 W Ahwanee Ave )

  • Golda R.

    First time trying Persian food, and I just thought it was great! We ordered the veggie platter appetizer with hummus, shirazy salad, and an eggplant dipping sauce. Sooooo good! It was all delicious. Surprisingly so our favorite was the shirazy salad. Simple ingredients but really really good. Their beef and lamb rice kabob plate comes with 2 kabobs and saffron rice. First impressions: has a very "mom and pop" feel to it and kind of divey.

    (4)

  • Morassa M.

    I'll start by saying I'm an Iranian and would not recommend this place. I'll start with the good: Khoobideh was good, not overly greasy, good flavor. Salad Shirazi was good too, hard to mess up honestly. The bad: Gheymeh bademjoon- no eggplant, oily (why???), lentils were undercooked and crunchy. Portion was small for the price. Fesenjoon- this was just sad looking. Feesenjoon is supposed to be dark brown, beautiful sheen from the pomegranate molasses and walnuts...this was light creamy beige. Again, sad. Not good at all. Portion was small as well for how much you pay. Sorry to the owner of this place, I hope you read this and get your act together.

    (2)

  • Bert K.

    I have been here a few times and dig this place: good food, good service, humble sun drenched dining area. For the money: the kabobs are always tender and juicy; a generous amount of yummy basmati rice is served too. Of course, for this low price you only get one piece of grilled veggie. Customer service: pleasant. Tip: I think they have lunch specials. Decor: humble, clean and low key. Good place for convo. Tip#2 : Located on the back side of Murphy street. Since you cannot see this place from Murphy street, drive on S. Sunnyvale avenue and park right in front. It's hard to find, but worth it IMHO.

    (3)

  • Jennifer N.

    This was a back up choice after my other "favorite" falafel place in town was closed at 2:30 for lunch. It's a bit disjointed when you walk in-there are take out numbers on each table we saw seated, so we assumed one ordered at the counter. After standing there for several minutes, a surly gentlemen shoved some menus at us and told us to have a seat. There was one harried waitress scurrying around who managed to get to us in a just few minutes. The ambiance is casual with glass top tables and an interesting Persian tablecloth underneath. But what was slightly off-putting is that the table next to us remained un-bussed our entire meal. Not a lot of fun to be seeing someone else's half eaten lunch while you're eating. As for the food, the hummus was actually quite good. At $4 for the appetizer, the portion was generous. It was odd that we got Saran wrapped lavash bread to accompany it-not at all conducive to dipping. My falafel was just alright-the texture was very crumbly and the tomatoes in the wrap mealy. It was extremely mediocre. I kind of felt unwelcome the whole time with inattentive service and a sour attitude from the (i believe) owner. Combine that with so-so, bland food and it added up to a disappointment. No need to ever try it again.

    (2)

  • Dave F.

    I was impressed to find a Persian/Mediterranean spot in the old town area of Sunnyvale. We went in for lunch. The place is small and the service is excellent. We had the Kabobs for 2 which was a good sampling of lamb 2 different ways and chicken two different ways. The sauces are good and the bread is marginal--sort of a square tortilla. That being said, they told us the bread isn't made in-house and perhaps this explains it. I enjoyed the yogurt drink with the meal. Good, reasonable priced place for lunch. ~$15 per person

    (3)

  • Beatrice W.

    3.5 stars. I came here for dinner and got the walnut pomegranate stew with lamb and rice ($12). Overall, it was quite good: the lamb was super tender, the stew was slightly sweet, with a hint of acidity. It didn't scream walnut or pomegranate flavors, but it definitely worked. The only downside was it was the most disgusting looking food I've ever been served at a restaurant. It was brown and chunky with a layer of oil on top, reminiscent of a broken sauce, and it was served in a beige cheap plastic cafeteria bowl. Man, was I worried when I saw that, but I guess it goes to show that looks aren't everything. The portion size was just moderate. My friend's lamb kebab was marinated and juicy, but not particularly tender. Though it did have a nice smokey char. He also got the veggie platter appetizer, and I was happily surprised to see that the dolmas were served warm, as they should be!

    (3)

  • Salman H.

    ordered the koobideh morgh and chicken kabobs to go. food came out quick. There was just one other person besides us. Tasted pretty decent. chicken kabobs were better than the koobideh IMO. The serving size was really small for the price. 9$ for one chicken kabob skewer!! The staff were OK but the lady was unhappy when I asked her for another yogurt dip.

    (3)

  • Kamran N.

    Quality of food is fair. Recently they decided to increase prices and decrease amount of food.

    (2)

  • Carmen V.

    Hum, don't think I will go back anytime soon. I had the koobideh with rice for $10 which i found cheap for Persian food. You enter there and it seems very authentic, nice tablecloths covered by glass, kind of warm and cozy. Then you get to order and find like they don't care about you and your order and you get reprimanded because taking some water yourself from the area to pick up napkins and utensils. The lady there reminded me loudly that they were already utensils at the table. I didn't feel comfortable eating there, maybe because at 7:30 I was the only customer until 2 other girls arrived and sat a the next table. Food: the meat was overcook from the outside, undone inside and seemed not the best quality. The rice was not of great quality and the yellow color looked more from a colorant than from real saffron. Tomato not well grilled and the whole ensemble was lacking solidity. The yogurt mix came in a plastic bottle (like ketchup) and was just so liquified and tasteless that made me regret adding it to the boring meat. Maybe I am too used to Luna Grill chain in San Diego. This was not satisfactory for me.

    (2)

  • Michelle M.

    I stopped by for take out and was greeted in a friendly manner. I ordered the ground beef kabob and chicken breast kabob entree- it was good but not the best I've had. The portions were on the smaller size and the meat was somewhat dry but all in all, not bad.

    (3)

  • Nika A.

    This is easily one of the best places to eat in Sunnyvale. It is a little off the beaten path, so it is not too noisy or crowded. Excellent service, delicious food--what else one could ask for. The combo starter (hummus, tomato and cucumber salad, lavash and something else) was amazing. We came with friends, so we ordered several types of kabobs and shishlik, and everything was juicy and delicious. My favorite is definitely shishlik (grilled lamb chops). Can't wait to come back!

    (5)

  • Amy D.

    3-3.5 stars but rounding down. Ok Persian/Mediterranean food, but I'd rather pay a bit more and order something tastier at DishDash around the block. I ordered the Kashk Bademjan (Kashk/Persian Sour Cream, Mashed Roasted Eggplant, Walnut, Served w/Lavash, $8, yelp.com/biz_photos/hous… ), which is a little pricey just for dip, essentially, but they do give you a huge portion with a good amount of pita pieces. However, I wish you could get smaller portions of different dips since I like more variety, but can't eat that much in one sitting. I tried some of my friend's kabob, and that was nicely flavored, but not amazing. I might come back to try additional dishes at some point, but wasn't that wowed by my first meal here. Parking isn't too bad since there is a parking lot in the back and also some street parking available.

    (3)

  • Rob E.

    One of my favorite restaurants in sunnyvale. The gheymeh bademjan (stew with meat and eggplant) is great and the fesenjoon (stew with walnut and pomegranate) is the best execution of the Persian classic I think I've had.

    (5)

  • Christina L.

    Two stars for the food that I've previously tried. This past experience definitely deserves not even 1 star, and they have definitely lost me as a customer. I normally don't like writing bad reviews and want to support the restaurants I've tried, but this one situation is the biggest disappointment of all. I called in a food order to quickly pick up for my lunch while I'm working, and the guy that answered literally told me that they had too many customers in their restaurant at the moment, so I can either order when I get there or eat in the restaurant. I was taken aback so I told him that I didn't have the time and wanted to just do a take out order and he abruptly hung up on me. I was pretty shocked at the customer service and the situation itself. You don't ever hang up on a customer or be that rude! The food was just ok precious times I've been there. Quality of food has slowly gone down, but I will not return to this restaurant ever again after that poor quality customer service.

    (1)

  • Chien M.

    Food is delicate and healthy here. If you like something fresh, try the homemade yogurt drink. It's flavorful and a little bit salty.

    (5)

  • Michelle H.

    My husband and I have been coming here for about 3+ years. We are locals that live in Sunnyvale and walk to the downtown area often. Ali and his wife are extremely nice! Every time we go there they always have a smile on their faces. Ali also has a great memory because he would ask how our family is doing (which includes our dog!). We also get to hear about his family as well which is nice! They are extremely sincere and humble people. Every now and again Ali would suggest something different for us to eat but I like my usual: Shirazy Salad (Diced Tomato, Cucumber, Onion, Cilantro, Mint, Lemon Juice) House of Kabobs "Special for Two" Special for two has everything! Four skewers of Kabobs; One Lamb, One Chicken Breast, Two Koobidehs (Ground Chicken and Ground Lamb & Beef) What can I say I like a taste of everything! Plus the Salad is nice to cut through all the meat. I like to spoon the diced salad into my rice and eat with the meats. The food is always fresh and hot. We have been to Dish Dash around the corner. I honestly hands down 200% will always choose House of Kabobs over Dish Dash. I find Dish Dash's rice too floral. All I tasted was rose oil or rose water (something floral) in their rice, which blew out my palate and I couldn't eat anything else. Not to mention the wait. I personally think Dish Dash is over hyped and the wait is not worth it for me. House of Kabobs is kid friendly, low-key atmosphere, nice service, and great tasting food!

    (5)

  • Vydesh R.

    On a rainy evening, nothing tastes better than a hot lamb kabob .. We had originally planned to go to dish dash (just around the corner) unfortunately, they were closed. There was nothing special about this place. The lamb kabob was decent but the rice felt a little dry. Try this place if you are in the neighborhood and if dish dash is closed. ( the server likes to chat with the customers- sometimes can be annoying )

    (3)

  • Brian L.

    Would give a reluctant 2 stars if I didn't have to spend nearly $20 for a microwave meal. The people are nice enough, so I regret the bad, albeit honest, review. Usually people need to offend more than my taste buds for 1 star, but this is an exception due to robbery of my salary. This place is not cheap, but the food is as cheap as it gets. I got the lamb kebab, which is served in store bought and cold lavash. Your first bite will be cold and disappointing, especially when you have spent $10 for this letdown. For your money, you get cold iceberg lettuce, cold tasteless tomatoes, store bought cold lavash, and a few cold, tough, and low grade microwaved chunks of lamb. I really wonder how the lamb tasted when fresh, might've been decent. I might've chalked this up as a one off bad dish if I didn't have a secondary data point in the lentil soup. Is this Progresso? If so, not too bad for a can, if not, how could you charge $5 for this? I could make a lentil soup for $5 on demand that would kill without needing frozen veggies.. at least I hope that's why they were tasteless.. please don't tell me that they were fresh and now that old!! Please... fo reals. They do give you Tapatio for your food, which is weird for a Persian restaurant..way to represent Mexico!.. I guess. Again, nothing personal, but if you get food like this when you visit don't tell me you haven't been warned. P.S. I already had a preview that something was off when I saw 1) the guy lick his fingers to separate a plastic bag before making my food and 2) saw the guy pull my lavash out of a bag and put my lavash on the counter where they put other junk

    (1)

  • Misha B.

    Ok-- THIRD time I placed an order online and very casually they call the DAY of delivery telling me they have no driver and I have to go pick up!! Unbelievable-- I order for a catering for a business meeting and no one bothers to fix their website to show that they DO NOT deliver?? Beware-- VERY unprofessional---

    (1)

  • Heather M.

    Amazing kabobs! I ordered the veggie platter which came with an amazing simple hummus, my sister ordered the chicken kabobs, they were perfectly seasoned and very tender. Perfect comfy atmosphere. Very nice and attentive staff.

    (5)

  • Mikkel R.

    This place serves the best kabobs in town! The atmosphere is very laid-back and relaxed, and the staff is extremely courteous. On top of that, the food is served very quickly. I definitely recommend anyone looking for high quality food to come here.

    (5)

  • Morgan B.

    Great place for a party! We hosted our rehearsal dinner here for about 45 people. Ali coordinated the menu with us ahead of time and went above and beyond in serving our guests. The food was delicious, but what I appreciated most for our large event was that everything including appetizers and main dishes came out right on time and hot, and they kept the food coming until everyone had their fill. Ali and his wife served each table. The atmosphere was very warm and friendly, and the food was great. I highly recommend reserving this place for a similarly sized event!

    (5)

  • Olga B.

    The place is in a nice location food is ok but definitely was better in the past and service is something else. If you want to have a lunch and enjoy it definitely not the place to have it

    (1)

  • Mom's P.

    As I read a few of these other negative reviews of House of Kabobs, I cannot believe I dined at the same place today -- our first experience was the extreme opposite, and could not have been better. We came in and were seated, and the owner immediately noticed that we seemed to be new to the restaurant and its menu. He came over and spent time advising us about the many different dishes on the menu, and gave recommendations according to preferences of each in the party. The three dishes we ordered, and which were shared among our party, included a generous portion of an appetizer platter of Kashk Bademjan, roasted eggplant and walnut with sour cream, served with Lavash bread. We also ordered Barrah and Koobideh, two skewers, one each of marinated lamb and ground lamb & beef, and finally, a lentil stew. Each of the two main course entrees came with very large portions of perfectly cooked, delicate long-grained rice with slender juliennes of citrus over each. There was a nicely-charred half tomato with the kabob lamb entree. The eggplant was unctuous and delicious, and the meats were tender and well-cooked. There was no sign of undercooking in the lentil stew. All of the food had excellent flavor. Finally, we shared a two-piece order of Turkish Baklava, which was, perhaps, the most delicious, buttery, flavorful, yet not-cloyingly-sweet example of this dessert I've ever tasted. The hosts were more than amazing, and answered our every need with immediate attention. We could not have been more pleased with our experience today.

    (5)

  • Raghu K.

    Worst middle eastern food I ever had.. Despite reading the bad reviews, I wanted to try this one out, but did not realize it was a bad idea until I saw the server bring my plate.. I ordered a chicken kebab plate which came with a chicken kebab skewer, rice and a grilled half tomato.. chicken - inner part of the meat was uncooked in almost all pieces, salty, looked like it was marinated for a long time, burnt on the outer side of the chicke.. Rice - greasy.. tomato - ok.. conclusion - I prayed to the non-existent God that I should not ruin my Saturday waking up with an upset stomach.. This is one of those places which you would say "I m not going back, ever!!" .. cheers -rK-

    (2)

  • Ahmad R.

    Food is mediocre at best. Joojeh (chicken) was bald tasting and small.

    (3)

  • Carlos Q.

    Food was great and reasonAbly priced . Came here with a group of 10. Owner was very nice and quickly accommodated us. Great customer service as well

    (4)

  • Amber D.

    Super friendly staff, great food, and decent prices! The owners were very polite when we came in and made us feel very welcomed. I tried their lamb and kubadai kabob...amazing!

    (5)

  • Phillip A.

    The kabob koobideh is tasty tasty tasty. I had one on friday, and it was the first thought in my mind lunchtime monday afternoon. The veggie kabob is nice too. I do feel a little unwelcome when I come here; the owner definitely doesn't go out of his way to make you feel like he's happy you're there. Other than that, though, I think this place is pretty nice :)

    (4)

  • David W.

    Love their saffron rice here. Very yummy. Got the $19 barreh koobideh. Pricey but left very happy for a sunny Friday lunch. =)

    (4)

  • Priyank C.

    Best chicken koobidehs. Try them with mix of red and white sauce. Owners are very friendly people. Always invite you with the smile. I love this place. Quick service, great koobidehs and friendly people. What else would you want.

    (5)

  • Ali M.

    I have been couple of times to this restaurant. I really like the khoobideh kebab, it is Juicy and has a good taste into it.

    (4)

  • Tina T.

    Came here on a sunday evening with my friends and their two kiddos. There were no other customers in the restaurant, but we figured it's a sunday so no real surprise there. Things ordered: Veggie Kabob Barreh Kabob Koobideh Veggie Platter (side) Sauteed barberries The lavash that they had served us was moldy. After we had pointed it out, they quickly replaced it (without apologizing) with a fresh bag (yes we saw her ripping open a small sealed bag of lavash squares) of microwaved (my best guess since it was in a clear plastic bag) squares of lavash. The veggie platter was ok. Hummus,roasted eggplant relish, dolmas, diced cucumber + tomato. The koobideh that I ordered was equally not very exciting and a bit on the greasy side. They forgot the side of barberries my friend had ordered, but still managed to charge us for it...until we mentioned that they had not given us the barberries. The owner (or at least I think he was the owner?) and his wife were friendly, but considering that we were the only patrons there, I would have expected them to be a little careful about serving moldy lavash and forgetting the barberries. I'm pretty sure I'll stick to Dish Dash or Chelokababi.

    (2)

  • Andre S.

    This place makes me feel better every time I visit here. The service is great and the food is not only VERY tasty but also a value. Now a days that means something. The staff is friendly & professional. If I don't visit once a week I really get a craving for it. No other restaurant makes me feel like that. On my mind and on top of lst to eat for lunch. I wish I lived closer to visit for dinner.

    (5)

  • Albert C.

    Honestly, a little letdown given the 4-star average. A group of five converged for Sunday dinner. Being that Asians that we are, we ended up splitting a bunch of stuff. The waitstaff were pleasant and service was quick and efficient. We ended up getting the... Veggie combo - the hummus was really good and the highlight of the dish. The salad was, well, salad and the dolma were ok, but a little on the small side. The falafel looked nice and browned/fried but were rather mushy/soggy, not the crisp texture like I prefer. Chelo-kabob koobideh - my favorite of the night, the beef was fairly juicy and not too dry. Not as good as what I can remember from Reza's but respectable and worth a repeat order in the future. Chelo-chicken koobideh - not as good as the beef, as the chicken was drier and just not as flavorful. Arguably the #2 dish of the night. Shawarma plate - a little too dry, as the lamb was too tough. I've had good shawarma before and unfortunately this doesn't rank very highly on my list. Overall, the food wasn't bad and I would consider coming back if I was in the area and hungering for Persian food, but not really worth an especial trip out from PA.

    (3)

  • Jimmy L.

    First of all, since I am a huge fan of Persian food, I am usually pretty skeptical of trying a new place in fear of being disappointed (which has happened before!). I thought I'd take that risk since 1. it seemed like a logical in-between point for various friends scattered throughout the valley, and 2. I enjoy trying new places. You rarely see a seat-yourself restaurant take reservations, but they actually do - a huge plus. I called the day before to make reservations for noon, for a party of six, and spoke with a gentleman on the phone. He *did* seem gruff at first, though I also thought that it had something to do with the communication gap. He asked me a coupla times to call and confirm so as not to cancel, and asked me to call the next day at 10 am to confirm - which I did. Well, I arrived at the restaurant, and they have a dozen or so tables. It is your typical quick-food-seat-yourself restaurant, and now, I really understood why he asked me to confirm - they're busy, and can't afford to lose the tables. They posted one of the tables with a number - and since it wasn't occupied, and had the number of chairs that we needed, I assumed it was meant for us - however, since all of the other customers were waiting in line to order, at the cash register, so did we. The wait in line was approximately ten minutes. Well, finally, the first person in our party ordered and paid; then came me, and so I mentioned to the cashier/owner/cook (yes, they are all the same guy!) that I was the one who called with the reservation, and in his middle-eastern charm, said, "AAAH Yes!!" and whisked me and everyone else in our party away to get seated - whilst attempting to explain to us (with semi-fluency) that we should wait, and somebody would come to take our order. Well, half an hour later...I had to flag him down. At this point, he seemed both harried and sweaty. He was very apologetic and mentioned that they were busy (which they were!). We all know that Persian food takes awhile to cook, so....there goes another twenty minutes or so! Not to mention the server wasn't the one who originally took our order, so when the food arrived (all at different times mind you) it was also very charming to play the guessing game with who ordered what. Since they didn't have an existing combo plate with ground chicken (Chicken Koobideh) and ground beef (Koobideh), I ordered the koobideh plate with an skewer of chicken koobideh on the side. The ground chicken was REALLY moist, and the best I have ever had. The ground beef was good, but I have had "a little better" elsewhere - it was drier than I have had at Chelokababi and Chatanoga. The saffron rice was good, though I will always prefer the (baghala polo) dill rice at Chatanoga; of course, the plate also came with a grilled tomato, which you can't go wrong with. In the middle of my meal, the cahsier/cook/owner came by to profusely apologize for our wait, and he only charged me for the combo plate (rather than a skewer plate with another skewer a la carte) - which is slightly less expensive. Considering my comments, I wouldn't turn a meal from them down, and would definitely eat here again. I'd say that for the price, you can't go wrong with such a full meal - and the owner really tried to aim high. In coming here though, you have to assume that the wait might be long, and that your experience might be atypical of your usually uneventful restaurant experience - but it's all worth it!!

    (4)

  • J N.

    I was greatly disappointed with this place. From all the great reviews, I only expected the best. My 2 stars are actually for the staff, who were very polite & expedient. As for the food...where do I begin??? This was probably the strangest & most bland middle eastern food I've ever had. I'm sad to say but it feels like they are making the food to suit "American" tastes. The shawarma tasted like a stir-fry gone wrong. It had no flavor or spice...just grease. It was also crispy & I've only ever had very tender & moist shawarma. The "bread" was thin, powdery, & lacked flavor...but since they obviously didn't make it themselves, I guess I can't critique them for that. The falafel was a joke! My husband & I just started at each other, then at the falafel, and then back at each other. It didn't look like falafel or taste like falafel. It was spongy! It felt like I was eating a lightly seasoned sponge. No offense, but I don't think white people should be allowed to review ethnic restaurants. Really guys...is this what you consider authentic?? Maybe I'm completely missing something. If this is authentic then I prefer the fake stuff! I would love to be proven wrong about this place...but I don't think I can face going back there again especially when there are so many better restaurants elsewhere.

    (2)

  • Wendy T.

    Before heading out to fuz....we stopped by this place. I've been wanting to try this place for awhile now. YUMMY!! Would describe how I felt after I left...I was not disappointed at all. The chicken kabob is so nicely marinated and cooked. I also had the koobideh kabob which was good but I was already full so I couldn't enjoy it as much. My plate came with rice and a roasted tomato. The roasted tomato was really tasty, our food came out quick. The beers are also super cheap! And I love how they have the different bottles of sauce that they bring out to your table. I will definitely be coming back here. I highly recommend getting the chicken kabob plate!

    (5)

  • Howard S.

    As the closest Mediterranean restaurant to my house, I decided to give House of Kabobs a shot - I usually go to Gyro Gyro in Palo Alto or Gyro House on Castro. I went on three consecutive Saturdays for dinner; it was pretty empty each time (I went between 5:30pm and 7pm). I ordered it "to go" each time too. The interior is very clean, and the menu is in big, easy to read writing over the counter. One downside is that the menu is not always the most descriptive; however, they do have paper menus that give more details. Night 1: Shawarma Wrap - oddly labeled a sandwich on the menu board. I ordered this without knowing what shawarma was (remember how I mentioned the menu board not being descriptive?), so I was about halfway through before I figured out why there were so many peppers in my wrap. The gyro and vegetables were flavorful and nicely sauteed, but they didn't put enough yogurt sauce in the wrap, so it was sort of dry. They do give you a few little canisters with the to go order, but not enough. Night 2: The beef wrap and makhlout for dessert. Like the shawarma, the meat was excellent, but the wrap as a whole was dry. They also make their wraps by cooking the meat on a kabob, then putting it into the wrap. The makhlout, a combination of ice cream and frozen rice noodles, was different. The frozen rice noodles (Paloodeh or Faloodeh) were a bit weird. Interesting flavor, but not my preference. The ice cream was also an interesting flavor, but I really liked it. Night 3: Combo #3 - lamb and koobideh kabob kombo. This plate made it clear why this place is called House of Kabobs. The meat was excellent - juicy, tender, and fully cooked. The saffron rice was also amazing; it worked really well with the meat, but also had just enough flavor that you can eat it by itself. One combo was also enough for two meals for me, so I saved half for lunch the next day. I also got a piece of baklava and a piece of zolbia. The baklava is a bit of a small piece, but the price is also lower than Gyro Gyro. It was excellent baklava - the top was flaky and crisp; the bottom was sweet and NOT soggy. (I've had soggy baklava a few times - flavor is great, texture is kind of gross) The zolbia, which I will admit to eating the next day, made me think of funnel cake. I'm fairly certain it's deep-fried, and you get some oil with each bite. Most of the "juice" is honey though, so it's a good flavor. I did feel like it was more of an Asian thing for some reason. Overall: Meat is great. Don't get the wraps to go - eat them there where you can make use of the sauce squirt bottles to moisten the wrap. Desserts are great, though flavor is unconventional. I'll go back as long as I'm not craving a wrap.

    (4)

  • Sandy A.

    AWESOME!!!!! The BEST Kabobs in town! Better than "Kablah"

    (5)

  • A B.

    I love the food here! Just moved to the area and am so glad there's a high quality and reasonably priced middle eastern restaurant nearby.

    (5)

  • Stan L.

    Love this place. LOVE IT. I'm easy to please with simple tastes, so a plate of the beef/lamb/hamburger-like koobideh and their fluffy, tasty rice will completely and utterly satisfy me. It's been 5 hrs since my lunch of the double koobideh and I'm still enjoying the afterglow of the meal (probably due to the occasional burp). The other things like the chicken, beef or lamb kabob and generally delicious as well. I highly recommend this place for a simple, but tasty meal.

    (5)

  • Scottie H.

    Better than DishDash! It's clean, quiet and the food's great. I got falafel in a wrap and my husband got chicken. We both loved our meal. I'll be going back to try other things very soon!

    (4)

  • Tina J.

    I love this place! I agree with the last review that the food is not cheap, however I do not mind spending a little extra to support local business, great service, and yummy chicken kabobs. My favorite is the plate with 2 chicken kabobs--one breast meat and one ground chicken, and rice. I normally only like breast meat, but I got the ground chicken on recommendation from the owner and I LOVED it almost more than the chicken breast. My boyfriend got the chicken/lamb plate and also loved his selection. Everything we had was fresh, the spices were no overwhelming, and the service was excellent. Can't wait to go back!

    (5)

  • Dan F.

    A great place for casual dinner. Friendly, home-style service, seems family owned and its that sort of vibe. The food was awesome, hummus was tasty, kebabs were juicy and tender with a perfect balance of spices. I felt it was a little pricey for being somewhat of a hole in the wall type of place, but they have to pay rent in a pretty expensive area and well in the end it was worth it... 5 stars for not being a chain, making good food, and giving that family owned comfortable feeling.

    (5)

  • Srikanth M.

    Can I give 0 stars?

    (1)

  • IB V.

    Went to eat there at 1 PM earlier this week so it was pretty quiet. Food was tasty but not as good as Kabuls. We bought the Kabob special for three. The service was friendly and I would recommend this place.

    (4)

  • Kevin W.

    Been here a few times. They make good wraps. Good portions. I'd only stop here if you need some takeout. Only bring your good friends here because you won't be impressing any ladies by rolling into this joint.

    (3)

  • Somala A.

    I tried their Koobideh kabob, which is their ground beef kabob. The beef was so moist. It was pretty good. I like it with their purple spices.. don't know what that is but I always put more. I had to have it with hot sauce too. The rice that was served with the beef was really good.

    (3)

  • Christine C.

    Went there for the first time today and the kabobs were great, a perfectly grilled tomato and awesome rice. Great great eggplant, that I'm always in search of. If the next visit is as good, I'm upping to five stars. I will be back soon!

    (4)

  • Jacob F.

    Great food, but the place isn't very visible. The sharwma plate was tasty and the dolmas were some of the best we've had.

    (4)

  • Joe S.

    We came here to get a meal to go after seeing the positive reviews, and it did not disappoint. We had lamb and beef shawerma and the mixed veggie kabob, and everything was quite delicious. The standout part of this meal was, however, the service: both the chef and his assistant? wife? were very attentive to our needs (I have some food allergies) and warm generally, despite our inability to make up our minds at first. The excellent service and good food alone warrants a revisit.

    (4)

  • Samuel V.

    I have no idea where the high ratings come from? If you want oily, bland food with stale ingredients this is the place. We tried the eggplant appetizer, kabobs and the stew and they were all disappointing. The owner I believe is always trying to upsell you and I believe he over-charged on the total as well. This is not a good place for quick middle-eastern and definitely not for fine dining.

    (1)

  • Joe H.

    Great, great meat. Bland, oily rice. Spotty lavash bread (some of it was dry/stale). Good hummus, and _very_ friendly service. Definitely one of the best kebab places in the area.

    (4)

  • kathy c.

    Love the yellow rice and lamb. my bf rarely eats rice but he loves the rice here. the kabobs were juicy, perfectly cooked. small place, it looks like a store but the food is all that matters.

    (4)

  • Jaisen M.

    This place was delicious. I've only visited once but still feel compelled to give it 5 stars. Both the chicken and the lamb kabobs were exceptionally good. The main cook/owner(?) is friendly and has a sense of humor. He brought us hot sauce and told us that since we were Indian that we'd probably want to spice it up.

    (5)

  • Kal C.

    Very nice place for middle eastern food.Go here once a week.Kabobs are so delicious even though they are small portions.

    (4)

  • Thomas R.

    Wow!!! I consider myself an expert on Kabobs while my better half is the resident falafel/hummus expert. We cruised by here one weekend when we were in the area and fiending for some Persian food. We started off with the Veggie Combo which arrived quickly and easily fed 3 adults and my baby niece. This was the falafel/hummus portion of our meal and while not the best we've had this still was better than most. For the main course we each had Kabobs of varying variety and they were all very good...fresh, tender and juicy, seasoned just right. Lastly, but certainly not least, the owner and his staff are very nice, friendly, courteous and provide excellent service. I'll definitely stop by again and you should too.

    (5)

  • Adi O.

    Best. Rice. Ever. This may sound strange, but it's true. The chicken and beef kabobs were good too (especially with the yogurt sauce). The owner was very friendly and helpful. Overall an excellent value for the money. Will definitely go again, perhaps even this week :)

    (5)

  • Cheryl E.

    3.5 stars Overall, great tasting food but a couple little hiccups: - .5 star since my saffron rice had some crunchy rice bits instead of being nice and fluffy! Maybe let over warmer too long? -1 star for the pushy "'No soup for you' guy from Seinfeld" look-alike owner that demanded that I sit in a particular seat. So, I walk in at 11:30am on a Tues, and I am the only person in the joint. I was going to take my order to-go" but since no one was there, I decided to eat in. After ordering my food, the owner points to a table "for two" and says "you can sit over there." I politely say, "No thanks, I'll sit at the bigger table in the corner where it looks a little more comfortable." He answers and says, " We get very busy, so you should leave the bigger tables for larger groups." I don't want to make a big deal, so I sit at the table he wants me to, and I tell him, "No problem." My food comes out promptly and for the next 30 minutes, I wait for the massive crowds of people that should be storming the restaurant at any second. Disappointingly, when I left at noon, only 2 other people walked in and they didn't even sit at the table I originally wanted to sit at. I'll come back since the food is good. but the owner needs to *chill out* a bit or he may be known as the "NO SEATS FOR YOU!" guy!

    (3)

  • Becca K.

    The food here is great, I could eat Shawarma all day. Service is almost nonexistent as you order at the counter and get your own water. My kids love to eat the hummus plate and use the yogurt sauce. Yum!

    (5)

  • Food L.

    4.5 . We had Shawarma Plate (Chicken) and Veggie Kabob , Baklava and their Icecream. The main courses and icecream was delicious. The chicken was tender and cooked to perfection. The baklava was just OK. Rice was great and they served the chicken dish with a lot of fresh salad. Their hot sauce, white sauce and tahini sauce are worth mentioning. The prices are high, but the service is good.

    (5)

  • Greg S.

    I went today and get their combo for 2 person. The kabobs were tiny and there was not enough food for both of us and the rice was not enough. The kabobs was not tasty at all. I think they already cook the kabobs and just re-heat them in the microwave. I'd rather go to Yas in Saratoga. They got much bigger portion and fresh off the grill. I will never go back.

    (1)

  • BBrownEyes N.

    I'm not very adventurous when it comes to trying new foods but this little place is making a donation to our community event and I wanted to check it out and support them. WOW--I was delightfully surprised--we tried several items on the menu and everything was delicious. The chicken kabobs were especially tasty and the prices are so reasonable. I also love the "mom and pop" style and service of this place--I can definitely see myself coming here often with my family and friends. If you want a tasty meal in a relaxed setting AND support local restaurants that give back to the community--VISIT this place--you won't regret it!

    (5)

  • Jeff H.

    Nice service. Kabobs were delicious, albeit slightly drier than I would prefer.

    (4)

  • Gabrielle V.

    I went here for lunch with a friend and we ordered the House of Kabobs "Special for Two. I don't often eat Middle Eastern food, so I can't really compare. The portions were just right for the both of us and the meal was pretty simple (rice, lamb and chicken kabob, 2 koobideh, and tomatoes). It was a little pricier than what I normally spend on lunch. The owner was really friendly and made sure we got all our sauces and checked to see if our meal was good. I would come back.

    (3)

  • John S.

    This is a great place for a quick dinner or lunch. You order and pay at the counter, then the food is brought out to you. I think the man who takes the orders and rings you up is the owner. My standard order is the chelo kabob koobideh (ground beef and lamb). It tastes good with the sumac seasoning (the shaker of brown powder on each table). I also really like the lamb/beef shawarma. I can't always get it because they alternate with chicken (only one rotisserie).

    (4)

  • Dee B.

    Authentic, fresh great tasting food - we really like this place! This is a down-to-earth, small place where they will do their best to accomodate your special requests (especially for veggies). Falafel sandwiches are yummy and they bring you three different homemade sauces to the table. Fast service and clean restaurant.

    (4)

  • Jay C.

    Went there today for lunch for the first time. The food was good and the service was excellent.

    (5)

  • Tina L.

    The food was great at a very reasonable price. I got the ground chicken kabobs ($5.99 for the meal with rice and a baked tomato half) and the mashed eggplant appetizer. The appetizer was really, really good: the eggplant was warm with nuts and sour cream sprinkled on top, and was delicious on the thin pita-like bread. The chicken kabob was very flavorful and juicy, and the rice was well seasoned. I went there on a Saturday night for dinner and there was NO ONE else there! I was surprised

    (4)

  • Bruno G.

    3 1/2 stars. Great fast takeout food. Kabobs and shwarma are excellent. Generous portions. This is within walking distance from our home so we use it as a reliable fallback.

    (3)

  • Mohsen K.

    Worst Kabob I have ever had in my life! I am Persian and I work in Sunnyvale so it is very desirable for me to find good Persian restaurants with Halal food. I went to this place last year and I have a very bad experience and decided not to go again. Today, I just said well, this time they might have a better deal so I went there again and ordered a Kabob. They brought me a Kabob soaked in oil. I ate it around 6pm now it is almost 2 am (8 hours later) and I still have a very unpleasant Kabob taste in my mouth stomach. I will NEVER go to this place again and recommend everyone not to go to.

    (1)

  • Susie T.

    The yogurt drink is gross here and the kabobs were a 5/10.. edible but not very flavorful. I most likely will not come back.

    (2)

  • Gokul K.

    Omg...his place really really bad. We ordered the vaggie combo and he hummus.And instead of normal pita bread... They gave really really thin flat bread...saying that was what they had..I mean...the first thing You look forward to in mediterranean cuisine is the pita bread with hummus. The veggie kabob was just tomato onion and capsicum on a skewer... No flavor whatsoever. Even the chicken was dry hard and flavorless. My friends ate the chelo kobideh(ubeef) and even they left more than half of their dishes.said something about too much buttery taste...which obviously was not very nice.

    (1)

  • Mahmoud E.

    One of the best customer service places out there, ordered the special combo for 2 and an appetizer (badmejan). The food came out in an efficient timely manner, the rice was great. Really good, tender and flavorful kabobs. I ordered the combination which was pretty good. Highly recommend for afghani food.

    (4)

  • Alison T.

    Still a fan of House of Kabobs ... and Ali, the owner. He still asks us to come in 10 minutes after we place our to-go orders, so we make sure to arrive promptly to pick it up. Sometimes he still calls us back to make sure we're coming. My go to order is the #7 - two koobideh kabobs with saffron rice and a roasted tomato. They don't serve the yogurt sauce anymore, or the sumac, but still have the hot sauce on the side. The portion is still pretty generous for $9. So when I'm wanting a savory and filling meaty meal ... this is where I request we go. The restaurant has changed to accommodate more dining in nowadays (which is kind of nice), and it's still a great option if you want something simpler and more affordable than Dish Dash. It's also guaranteed to have no wait time at the dinner hour. Affordable, tasty Medi fare.

    (4)

  • Neesh Q.

    Great kabob plates! The restaurant is pleasant and quiet. The owner is very nice. I've catered from him before and the experience was cozy. He put a lot of care into the order, took time to describe his dishes and was accurate on the number of people they would feed. It can get a bit pricey, but the food quality is proportional.

    (4)

  • Belle C.

    This is my absolute favorite place to get chicken kabobs! No other place compares, and they have amazing rice and salad shirazi! Definitely recommend! :)

    (5)

  • Shervin P.

    I really like their chicken kabob plate. My wife typically gets a salad and I get the Kabob plate and its a perfect lunch.

    (5)

  • Rocker K.

    The food here is very good, and the service is fast too! The owners are nice as well! This place is casual but nicely decorated. They're located inside a small shopping center near Macy's. Yesterday I ordered the kefta kabob I think it was. It's number 7 on the menu for $9.00. I also got an order of the yogurt dip with the cucumbers for $4.00. I don't recall the name of that dish. The entree comes with basmati rice, lavash bread, and a grilled tomato. The portions are a little smaller than they are at most Middle Eastern places, so I was still a bit hungry after I left. So if you come in here hungry, order an appetizer unless you have a teeny tiny appetite. The spicy red sauce on the table is spicy for sure! It was almost to spicy for me. Sometimes parking can be hard to find in this area at peak hours.

    (5)

  • Aris S.

    I live in the neighbourhood and this is my go-to place for kabobs. The food arrives very quickly, and the meats are moist and tasty.

    (5)

  • Alan C.

    This place is a hidden gem. Set at the back of Sunnyvale's Murphy street, you will be welcomed by some awesome Persian food. As soon as you walk in you are made to feel incredibly welcome. The place is ran by a Persian couple (he cooks and she is the host). Service is top notch, food is absolutely scrumptious and it's a laid back place where you can enjoy a peaceful and enjoyable meal. This has quickly become a regular hang out for us, and we don't envisage stopping our date nights here. Avoid the run of the mill places on the Main Street and check this place out - you won't be sorry you did. Enjoy!

    (5)

  • Andrew D.

    I'm surprised I never came here since I live so close by. The restaurant is located on the other side of Murphy Street which is probably why it's never crowded. The front entrance is like the back entrance for most of the restaurants that are located on Murphy. My first experience eating here was a good one. I ordered the chicken breast wrap and it was pretty darn good. The chicken was lean and the sauce was tangy. My fiance ordered the "mini" meal which consist of one ground chicken skewer and the popular safron rice. Her plate was delicious and I was eying it the whole time while eating my wrap! I will definitely be coming back here to get the skewers.

    (4)

  • Sarah C.

    This is one of my favorite spots in Sunnyvale. I've been here at least half a dozen times and have never been disappointed. Fantastic food, generous portions. The kabobs are delicious - very tasty and tender. I brought my dad - we ordered the special combo plate - and he was blown away. I lived in the Middle East for some time and this is good, authentic food. Plus it's a local, family-run business, which I like. Highly recommended.

    (5)

  • Diana N.

    Came here for the first time as tourists. I ordered the Gheyme Bademjoon (Prepared with Pieces of Fresh Lean Beef, Yellow Split Peas, Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Sauce) which came with a plate of Basmati Rice. All this for $11. For $11, I was a bit disappointed with what came out (the portions). I had a way lotta rice and not enough soup to accompany it. The soup itself was very warm and hearty. It had a good ratio of ingredients to soup broth in it although I wished the yellow-split peas were a bit more well-done. It was a bit undercooked since they were still hard. I'm not a huge fan of basmati rice, but it went well with the soup. I loved just throwing in a spoonful at a time into the soup, mixing it up a bit, and eating it like that. The service was like what service should be like: they came and took our order, the order came out in a reasonable time, and when we were almost finished, they came by and gave us our checks. The owner of the place was kind enough to check up on us every now and then. Would I ever come back? Probably not. Checking out this place once is good enough for me.

    (3)

  • Sea Turtle M.

    Vegetarian options were poor :( A dish made of eggplant was good - was part of the appetizer platter.. Faloodeh was great and I might go again just for that..

    (2)

  • Osman S.

    Very friendly people. I was on a diet and wanted to have only meat. The guy was super helpful and gave me gyro meat without rice for a very reasonable price.

    (5)

  • D J.

    The chef cum owner is rude and misbehaved person. He needs to learn modesty and how to behave in America. I don't think he can sustain his restaurant for long. Even on a Friday evening the restaurant is empty. Only a few first time customers, who get to know about this restaurant thru Yelp rating, come here. Soon this rating will also go away.

    (1)

  • Stacey L.

    Pretty standard pricing, $11 for 2 kebabs with rice. The meat was just okay but lacked flavor/spices, and the rice was pretty tasteless unlike the basmati rice you can get from good mediterranean places such as DishDash. The kebabs were also a bit greasy.

    (3)

  • Hanoch R.

    we got into this place since dish dash, our favorite med place is closed on Sundays. we have the veggie mix the combo meet and sampled every dessert. the meat combo was good and the desserts all were good. but the veggie combo was bad. both the falafel and humus were bad. stay away from falafel and humus on this place. the price was relative cheaper and looks like you get what you pay.

    (2)

  • Irfan R.

    Halal meat is served here, per the signs on the windows. Stopped in here for a late lunch (approx. 3:30pm) and it was empty. I tried the lamb kebab pieces which comes with rice and a tomato. The lamb was pretty tender and tasted good. The price was reasonable but a little on the high side (cost was over $10). Very clean interior and friendly service.

    (4)

  • Leilani Q.

    Love this place. I live in NY now and although we have a plethora of restaurants here, I find myself craving the chicken koobideh plate from House of Kabobs in sunnyvale. It's clean, fresh, and tastes amazing every time. The owner really prides himself on getting to know and recognize his customers; after 5 visits he remembered what I wanted! Make sure to cut up the koobideh and squeeze the lemon on top so the lemon juice gets all up in the meat! =X

    (5)

  • Cat H.

    I'm a fan of the kabobs here. I think I've actually eaten at the restaurant a while back, but we've been getting the 2 koobideh kabobs entree for take-out lately. The kabobs are really flavorful and tasty. It pairs well with the rice and roasted tomato they give you. And it's a generous portion at $9. Tasty and affordable is always a win in my book. I'll probably branch out and try other items on the menu, but this one is my favorite for now.

    (4)

  • Lee L.

    This is a great, off-the-beaten-path restaurant near Murphy Street in Sunnyvale. As such, it never seems as busy as the higher-priced restaurants just a few steps away, which suits me just fine. We've been coming here occasionally ever since they opened about 6 years ago. I think I've seen the same people there each and every time. The service is efficient, not gushingly friendly, but they are attentive and polite and that's all that I expect when I dine out. Their kabobs are very good, which is why we keep going back. I would prefer it if their meats weren't so heavily seasoned, however, because I think it masks that natural flavor of the meat, and the sodium tends to draw out the water and reduce the tenderness. But even so, I always leave quite satisfied. The portions are quite generous for the price. The saffron rice is buttery and aromatic, just to my liking. Their sampler appetizer plate is a nice way to start off your meal.

    (4)

  • Jim B.

    I've always made time to hit the original location when in the Bay Area. This faster, lower cost version is awesome.

    (4)

  • Jas W.

    Wow, maybe I order the wrong thing. I did not like this place at all. I like family owned establishment and don't wish anyone to go out of business. This food was just not to my liking. The lavash bread which looked like it was store bought was cold and store bought. I frequent Kabul in Sunnyvale and I was expecting this place to be similar. Maybe I was just expecting too much. Sorry for the bad review.

    (1)

  • Bindu A.

    Good food! The service was very prompt! We ordered the saffron marinated chicken kabobs and the ground chicken kabobs. We liked both. But it was a very quick fix nice dinner, so thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the Faloodeh! The icecream was very tasty and we havent tried the combination with frozen noodles before and we liked it very much.

    (4)

  • Mona W.

    It had been a while since I ate at this place. It was back in the days before I started writing reviews. I remember the food being good but I could not recall anymore details. I am so glad I came here again. The food was even better than I remember. The Double Chelo-Koobideh was amazing. At some point I was seriously contemplating to give this place a 5 star review. The ground meat was well seasoned and has the perfect balance of tenderness and texture. The Shawarma Plate with Lamb was good but not great. It was made more like a stir fried than then signature shaved meat. Tasty nonetheless but less impressive than the Koobideh. Dessert was Baklova and Makhlout (Persian Ice Cream and Paloodeh). I have had Baklova a handful of times before and I didn't think much of it. It was the first time I actually find this dessert delicious. It was pretty oily but I guess that is the way it is supposed to be. Makhlout was very interesting. The ice cream has this delicate rose flavor yet still very creamy and smooth. The Paloodeh has a slight tad flavor. The combination of these two was simply perfect. Almost like they were made for each other. Service was very friendly and intimate. I felt like I was invited to a friend's home for dinner. The owner (also the chef) came by a couple times to make sure we like our food. The lady serving us was very attentive. Overall a very solid restaurant. I will definitely come here again.

    (4)

  • Angel G.

    A great mom and pop restaurant. Good portions for the price and good service.

    (5)

  • Khody A.

    Got there and the place was pretty much empty. I had no problem with that since I was there on business and wanted to get seating quickly anyways. Small staff but appropriate for the volume they typically experience. Service was okay albeit we weren't that needy. I didn't even need my soda refilled (that's a first). So why the one star? Because the food was absolutely horrible. For people who don't know any better, this is not Iranian food! I made better Iranian dishes on my first go around. This was just plain bad food. Like messing up a turkey sandwich bad. How do you do that?? Anyways, the rice was eh, everything else horrendous. The koobideh tasted like bad meat and the chenjeh looked like McDonald's McRibs; I call it fake meat! Oddly enough the chenjeh tasted wayyyy better than their koobideh. The mast-o-khiar was also majorly lacking in taste factor. As if the cooks tastes buds were not working or something to that effect (missing tongue). Needless to say, with the plethora of Iranian restaurants around town, I'm not going back here again. Waste of calories if you ask me.

    (1)

  • Tyler B.

    Great service and great food! #16 was so good. Family owned and very authentic! Will definitely go again!

    (5)

  • Laura M.

    Yum!

    (4)

  • Phillip V.

    Okay, so, the hummus isn't very good, and neither are the flatbreads. Don't get them without lowered expectations. But... This place reminds me of the great, cheap takeout kabob places in the UK. The kabobs are so good! Juicy, juicy, juicy. Tender and never tough, even as they cool. Great flavor, not overly seasoned. And the rice! The rice is so buttery and fluffy. And the tomato is great. This place isn't a home run in every way, but it is where it counts: kabobs, rice, tomato. I have a special recommendation: the plain black tea. It's fresh and deeply flavored.

    (5)

  • Ronald L.

    Came here one day with a bunch of coworkers planning to go to Dish Dash (middle eastern restaurants in same plaza) but Dish Dash was full. Never again will I come here again. The beef kabob, while numerous, lacked any taste besides the grease. The chicken kabob, while numerous, lacked any trace of water in it to make it juicy. The rice, while ordinary in every way, was drenched in the grease from the beef and chicken kabob making me feel sick and sleepy for the rest of the work day. The bright side of this place is that the price is reasonable if you're lacking in funds. I rather spend a little extra for Dish Dash though.

    (2)

  • Farhan Y.

    I am a foodie and always looking for good places to eat... this place had mixed reviews but I was dying to try it since its located in my vicinity..so I did.. ordered Kashk Bademjan as an appetizer and Koobideh Morgh and Chenjeh & Koobideh as main entrees... I can tell you their food is great and not disappointing at all...There are a lot of places here but I couldn't find a descent Persian/Afghan.. Well now I have found one...

    (4)

  • Aditya D.

    This is one of our favorite kabob restaurants in the South Bay. We ordered the kabob koobideh and the morgh koobideh (lamb and chicken kabobs), and an order of Fresh cut Shirazy Salad. The kebabs were, as usual amazing. Very nice, low key, family run restaurant with amazing food! Easy to miss as it's not on Murphy St, so make sure you walk through the alley to find it!

    (5)

  • Carrie H.

    During my trip to North Cali, this was a place I wanted to check out and see how the food is. It's a Persian/Afghan place that provides you a good meal for a great price. It's a family owned business and they provide a homely atmosphere. I enjoyed their Chicken Kabob meal. Their saffron rice is to die for!! Their Hummus tastes fantastic, it has a zest to it. I am a Kabob fan and so trying out a new place like this was a treat for me. This is a great place for lunch and with their low prices it's a must try.

    (4)

  • Jamie C.

    Definitely a good meal for your money. Like other reviewers stated, their koobideh aren't as long as typical persian/afghan spots. The upside is, most people can finish a double with beef/lamb + chicken with their side of rice and grilled tomato. The chef was very nice and checked up on us. Place gets packed for lunch so come early or come later. Ordered the #17, best meal I've had in a while. Let me know your recommendations. Their veggie appetizer was bomb too. I also thoroughly enjoy their spicy red sauce and their white yogurt sauce. Mixes well.

    (4)

  • Chas A.

    I'm glad that I ventured to this restaurant today. Their interior has changed a lot since the last time that I saw the place with some authentic table covers, decor, and soft uplighting hanging from the ceiling. But that wasn't the best part of it all...the food was good! I ordered their small plate...number 8 (it came with one ground chicken skewer and safron rice). It was mighty tasty...I could taste a lot of flavor in the chicken, as well as, the rice. The chicken was also very tender. The portion was just enough as it was really filling. The only thing about the restaurant that I didn't like was that the waitress was really trying to sell their appetizers and dessert to us. I thought it was kinda weird, but I still liked the food and enjoyed my visit. I will definitely be back soon to try their other dishes.

    (3)

  • Mary G.

    flavor flavor flavor!!!! i really like this place. love the white sauce!

    (4)

  • K H.

    Food: Very good. More than just kabobs! Interesting regional dishes not found elsewhere in the area. Try the roasted eggplant and walnut appetizer and the walnut and pomegranate sauce with lamb. Service: excellent. Atmosphere: Casual. Mom and Pop feel. Value: good.

    (4)

  • Brittny A.

    I'm actually surprised about how bad their reviews are on yelp but I went here the other day for the first time and this place was great. I've had a lot of kabobs in my lifetime and I would say this is one of my favorite, get in, get out type places. It's pretty empty most of the time and service is quick which is good. The reviews I've seen on yelp say the food sucks but my girlfriend and I both got lamb kabobs and they were AMAZING. I think everyone is mistaken about their kabobs because you NEED to try it with their yogurt AND hot sauce. Some people don't like diluting their foods with sauces but I've put sauces on my kabobs at every other place I've been to. It's not an amazing 5 star restaurant to wow your friends with or anything, but it's a great local place with decent pricing for the amount of food they serve.

    (4)

  • Laura L.

    We decided to eat here instead of waiting in line at dish dash. What a tremendous disappointment. We ordered the #1 which was 3 soggy falafels balls that were certainly made earlier in the day and microwaved to reheat them, very average "grainy" humus and 3 warm mushy dolmas, and a tasteless "salad" consisting of a few shards of bland white head lettuce, 2 bland slices of tomato and cucumber. The lavash bread comes in a little stack that to my amazement was served in a plastic bag. When asked by the (friendly and very nice) cook if we liked our food i told him about the falafel and he smiled and said some people like them soggy -what a load of bullshit. he said "if you ask me next time, i will make them crispy for you". He was a sweet old man but unfortunately does not know how to Serve a decent meal. Now the #16 was a "meal for 2" that was 4 kebabs- each nasty in its own way. The worst was a kebab of small hamburger -maybe it was lamb-patties that when cut open smelled no different than a hamburger patty from McDonalds. The chicken kebab was dry but was edible , the lamb kebab was ok, the 4th was a ground chicken kebab and was Edible as well. The rice was dry and hard to chew-seemed as if it was scraped from the bottom of a pan. On a positive note, the staff was friendly and polite. The bill was exorbitant -$46 including the tip- for such low quality food. Don't waste your time here. I am a big falafel and kebab fan- worst I have eaten in Bay Area

    (1)

  • imran a.

    Koobideh and lamb combo; lamb was under cooked and dried out already; Koobideh had that distinct smell (stink) and taste (gamey) that I do not like at all, probably too much fat in the mix; rice was kinda dry and broken. I prefer Isfahan down in Campbell.

    (2)

  • Richard G.

    I recently took a client and his friend for lunch here and was very pleasantly surprised by the quality and the amount of food we received. Much better than Chelokababi Restaurant which I had been to before. Fortunately we got there early as all the tables filled up right away and I can see why! I think it is a couple that run the restaurant and they both made sure we were welcome and were helpful with describing the menu selections. I ordered the combo #3 with the Lamb and Koobideth which comes with the saffron rice and roasted tomato and lemon. I had the Shirazy Salad and between the two really filled me up. One of my guests ordered the Chicken and the other the Koobideth plate. Both were very happy with their selections. The staff was helpful and courteous and made sure our glasses were full. One of my guests ordered the Persian Ice Cream which we all shared and I had the Baklava with the Cardamom Black Tea. Am looking forward to returning sometime soon!

    (5)

  • Anna Richel R.

    I have been going here for the last 4 years and they already know what I want as soon as I get in their restaurant. They are nice people and they have good food.

    (5)

  • John F.

    This is one of the places in our regular rotation at work. We come here quite often, and really like the menu. The kabobs are really tasty, as are the wraps. Dolmas are also quite good. Prices aren't bad. Service is good. I have no complaints with this place.

    (5)

  • S J.

    This place sucks!! I am from this part of the world but the food in this Resturant is neither fresh nor authentic. You might go somewhere else for the amount of money you will spend here. Not recommended unless they improve their level of quality.

    (1)

  • Sree M.

    I have no idea how this place got over 3 stars. Firstly the quantity of food is deplorable. I know I'm paying $10 but 2 tiny cubes of kabab ?seriously. And they tasted like dry cardboard, I think it was stale. I feel sick after eating this. Don't eat here.

    (1)

  • R M.

    I like this place. I get good service and decently-priced really good kebobs for lunch fairly quickly. Not overly crowded with enthusiastic techies yelling about their business so I don't have to raise my voice either. A lot of people knows this is a good place for lunch, but the side-street location from Murphy is one of the few facts not getting much traffic. It works for me since I don't like waiting for lunch when I'm hungry.

    (4)

  • Janey A.

    Reading through the other reviews, it seems this place may be up and down. Unfortunately, my visit was down. We decided to try this place for lunch after shopping at the farmers market on Saturday. It was after noon, so definitely lunch time. We were the only people there the whole time. We got wraps. The koobideh wrap was cold. They don't put sauce in the wrap...they provide squeeze bottles and the sauce was very running and leaking all over. The taste was okay. We too had lavash come in plastic bag..it looks like they may reuse the plastic bags. Next time, I'll go to Dishdash.

    (2)

  • Matt V.

    House of Kabobs really is one of the better Middle Eastern places in the area, but unfortunately, it often gets overshadowed since the always-crowded Dish Dash is right in front of it. Indeed, I only found this place one day when I tried to go to Dish Dash and discovered that they were closed. Boy am I glad that I did! When you walk into House of Kabobs, you may be a bit underwhelmed by the ambiance. Tables are placed throughout the restaurant, and are nothing to look at, just some wooden chairs along with simple tables. But don't let that deter you because you really will miss out if it does! Service is very attentive and friendly, happy to help you through your orders. Every time I've come here with my girlfriend, we've gotten the House of Kabobs Special for Two, which comes with several different flavors to taste: the lamb kabob, the chicken kabob, the chicken koobideh, and the lamb koobideh. All of the kabobs are very tender and juicy, just wonderful all around! Sauces and seasonings are made available tableside, if you want to complement the flavor with something else (personally, I like the spicy sauce to give the kabobs a little extra kick!) These are some amazing kabobs, and a place that I can't recommend enough.

    (5)

  • Michael S.

    I'm going to start sounding like a broken record, but my edict that a food place must do three things: 1] manage itself well 2] be consistent 3] serve food that you otherwise would have a difficult time replicating at home... that edict? Well, House of Kabobs delivers all three. We've been lunching there for a couple years now. Same owners, nice people, great food, and also, you usually don't associate this with Persian cuisine; great value. Order a #7 and tell me you didn't just get a great, huge meal, for a lot less than you'd pay at any other Kabob place. I only ever order a #7. When comparing it to another great place, City Kabob, in Sunnyvale, at the Tennis Courts, I can say House of Kabobs place excels in the khoobideh dept (ground, spiced meat on a kabob) and is not quite a great as City at the cut pieces of meat skewered on a stick. No matter.... order the khoobideh and know it will be excellent and a great value.

    (4)

  • Victor L.

    I tried the lamb, ground beef, and ground chicken kabobs. 1. The owner was extremely, extremely nice. 2. The rice was very buttery and wasn't as fluffly as I was expecting. A bit of the rice was actually a bit hard, indicative of perhaps having been sitting around for a little bit or having been scraped from the bottom of the pan. I've been to other places where the rice is soft and fluffy, and they put the butter on the side so you can add to your own taste. 3. All the kabobs lacked the nice, charcoal grilled/smoked flavor. I believe that they cook their kabobs using gas based on the taste. If I'm going out for grilled items, I really like to taste that wood grilled flavor. I don't believe I will be coming back for this reason alone.

    (3)

  • Dee R.

    This place is often empty when I come in, which makes me so sad! Then again, I don't usually visit during peak times. Really great mom-n-pop atmosphere, and everything seems clean. The falafel wrap is great, cheap ($7) and very filling. From memory there's just lettuce and tomato in there with the falafel, but the falafel themselves have a nice balance of herbs and spices. Plus they really pack the falafel in to the wrap, I think there's usually about 5 in it. Along with the falafel, they always give me a little stack of flatbread and three little containers of different sauces to go with it - a mild creamy one, a spicy one and an in-between one. No idea what's in them but I love being to change it up in between bites. The rice is quite buttery. Dolmas are fresh and tasty.

    (5)

  • Arlene M.

    Don't let the mom and pop atmosphere fool you, the food here is very tasty and I would even venture to say that theirs is at par or even better than the higher-priced Persian/Mediterranean restaurants in the area. I've always ordered their combo kabob of chicken and koobideh. Their chicken kabob is the moistest (if that's considered a word) and tastiest I've tried so far and I have been going to Dishdash, Chelokababi, and Arya before and since. Their koobideh ranks up there with those. Next time, I'll definitely order other things in the menu. But alas, they need to drum up some excitement and life in this place -- It is very dry, the decor needs to be coherently contemporary (adding some low lights will not do the trick), etc. Unfortunately, food and service alone does not make for a great restaurant.

    (4)

  • John A.

    It may lack the ambiance of Dish Dash -- but this mom and shop joint serves some tasty persian food. I tried the zereshk polo with chicken and it was just like it came out of my mom's kitchen back home. Big fluffy rice, tangy red currants, and the white me chicken was juicy, tender, and well seasoned. Portions were not huge, but neither was the price. Overall: good value for the money, service was solid too. I will be back!

    (4)

  • Lucia N.

    I came here twice. The first time my order was right and it was good. Second order was the same dish i had ordered but they put stuff in it that i didn't want so when i got to work i couldn't really eat it and i wasn't going to come back. Next time i will just check there to make sure is right, but first time it was good and tasty.

    (4)

  • Lucy M.

    I had a joojeh kabob here for a late lunch and it was very tasty and wonderful. It was a bit more than I could eat so I took half of it home, the service was very quick and nice. They gave me some yogurt sauce to take home since I liked it so much.

    (4)

  • James S.

    I liked this place, although I would hope they find a way to attract more customers away from the touristy DishDash on the opposite side. My Koobideh was pretty tasty (not dry at all) and the service from the warm, friendly Persian couple was very nice. I will definitely return to this place.

    (4)

  • Chris V.

    I love this place, the Chicken Koobideh is great, owners are very nice, the price is pretty good, I come here minimum twice a week for the Koobideh or the Chenjeh. Compared to the Persian food in the area, I choose this spot hands down.

    (5)

  • Kien M.

    I love coming here for lunch when I need my kabob fix. I always order the double chelo kabob. I constantly dress my kabobs and rice with hot sauce and yogurt. Also, try their shawarma wrap....even better with hot sauce and yogurt. The couple that runs this place always makes us feel welcome by giving great service.

    (5)

  • Diana C.

    Awful awful awful!!! They shouldn't be allowed to call this Persian food. I don't understand how this place could get 4 stars. Really horrible, overpriced food, small portions (which didn't matter too much because we left almost everything on the plate), and bad service. Do NOT try it!!!

    (1)

  • Lissa o.

    Went here with my daughter and friend. It's clean, the food is ok. The kabobs were a little dry. The rice was good. The falafels were delicious! So if I went back, that's what I'd have.

    (3)

  • Lana P.

    There are many other places that have decent kebab, so stay away from this place. We went out on Saturday night, we were the only guests in this empty restaurant. 2 starts because the lady that served food was nice and food was quick. But the food itself is not good. Every dish is a bit off. Tahini is diluted with water and lemon. Humus texture is OK but lemon is everywhere. Falafels are meh, no taste. Kebabs missing spices. Another place I am not going to visit. Unfortunately, Murphy street has only a couple of good places, the rest are very mediocre.

    (2)

  • Shiella L.

    I thought that the place was pretty decent. It's not as crowded as dish dash and I preferred their simply marinated food here at HOK rather than the dash (thought it was too salty). Otherwise, the hostess was super nice and the cook even came out and asked us how our first time experience was. I thought that was impressive! Will likely go back to the awesome maw & paw place

    (5)

  • Brian H.

    The food is very delicious here - I had the ground chicken kabobs (which I had never had nor seen anywhere else before) and they were excellent. They were marinated and very tender. The rice was great as well. We were both a little dismayed that the plates did not come with bread - guess should've asked/ordered some. We also felt that the portion was a tad underwhelming - I guess their prices reflect this as this place was the most reasonably priced Middle Eastern eatery in this area I found on Yelp. Their kabob plates averaged $7-13, which is considerably less then many others around here by at least $5.

    (4)

  • Munib S.

    Love the chicken kobeideh! That's pretty much why I go to this place. I have tried some other dishes but I would recommend sticking to the kabobs. Hummus, bread, felafels definitely get a taste score below average so don't expect much at all if you end up ordering these. During summers, they serve fresh water melon juice and banana shake...good stuff. The hosts are very warm and welcoming. Once I was there with a friend who left his keys at the table. The host waited for an hour after closing the restaurant for us to come back and get the keys. It was definitely very nice of him!

    (4)

  • Sunset B.

    Cheap middle eastern restaurant.... I will skip this one.. not a fan!

    (2)

  • Ahmar F.

    food was ok but then two issues: first: the quantity of food when compared with price is not right. I was surprised to see the size of plate although mine was a combo plate. second: I do not feel like a welcome sort of environment as the owner was kinda rude and I will not go to this place again.

    (2)

  • Aileen A.

    This place is really good. We came on a Friday night around 7-8ish. This place is in downtown Sunnyvale, behind Murphy St. We were lucky to find parking around this time, but I can see parking to be somewhat of a slight difficulty. Some sort of event was going on, as there was a lady belly dancing in costume. The restaurant is small, but they made it work. We did have to share a table with 15 other strangers, but that was no issue here. This is a sit down place, but I think typically how it works here is you place your order at the counter (menu above the counter) and then find a table. Because of the event, we had to be ushered to a table and order was taken at the table. We were a party of two, but only one of was hungry (ALWAYS ME!), so we only ordered one meal, desert, and one beer (for my bf). Regardless, the owner was really friendly and gracious with us throughout our entire meal. I got the #3 combo, which was a one lamb and one koobideh (season lean ground beef) on a skewer with saffron rice and a grilled tomato. ($12.95). The lamb was so-so, a little chewy for my taste, but flavored nicely. The koobideh was delicious, I had it with the yogurt sauce. For desert, I had the baklava and hot tea. I've had baklava before, and this was just the perfect amount of sweetness. Petite, nice, and flaky. Perfect after dinner with hot tea. Stupendous service, great food, and really really reasonable prices. I find that many Persian joints tend to be a tad expensive, and this place is affordable. Though it's a fancy sit down place, it has it's intimate charm. Good for a date or dinner with the pals.

    (5)

  • Angele O.

    I love the food here! My husband started getting takeout from here as I was very pregnant and when company would visit, it made things easier on us. After the baby was born, we started dining in and it was nice to finally meet the chef and his wife. I love the koobideh wraps, but miss the roasted tomato that comes with plated dishes. The fesenjoon stew is really amazing and the homemade baklava is also divine! I popped in to get take out a week or so ago and they had made a few changes to the dining room to fancy it up a bit. I'm looking forward to returning again soon!

    (5)

  • Daniel R.

    Great food; cheap price. Good for a quick casual lunch with friends.

    (4)

  • Charles J.

    This was a very good experience. Can't wait to go back.

    (3)

  • Jackie S.

    Review: 3.5 Stars I went here for lunch with the fiance, and the food was pretty good. We ordered the schwarma wrapped kebob sandwich (#25) and the chelo-lamb platter (#11). The schwarma was a good size, but lacked any flavor. The three sauces didn't help. The meat was really dry. I would not recommend this item. The chelo-lamb platter was excellent! The lamb was very moist and cooked perfectly. The dish also came with the saffron rice and a roasted tomato. I still think there should be an even balance of rice-meat for these platters. There is way too much rice! The prices are a bit high for the amount of food that you receive. I wish there were more items that came with the platters besides meat and rice. The lady who seated us needs to work on the customer service. My fiance got up to ask for water, and she yelled, "At your table." You can't have a bad day yet since it's only lunch time. If I was to come back again, I would just order the kebob platters.

    (3)

  • Eugene L.

    I was at work talking about food with a couple of Co-Workers and we started talking about Middle Eastern food.. That got me thinking about Kabobs so I rolled to the House of Kabobs. I arrived there and wandered in . I was greeted by the Cashier who turned out to be the Cook and Owner. I ordered the Number 17 . The number 17 comes with Saffron Rice,Roasted Tomato , One Koobideh and One Chicken Kabob. My Kabobs were freshly cooked over a open flame. I was served my food 15 minutes later. the Saffron rice was light and fluffy, the Kabobs were tasty ,flavorful and very clean tasting. A very Satisfying meal. They take Visa and MasterCard.

    (4)

  • Ajit G.

    Do not get the hummus starter. You get semi decent hummus and cold bread from the fridge. Finally in the appetizer, there were hair strands in the rice plate. While they substituted, still made it a bad experience.

    (1)

  • Navid P.

    I grew up in Iran and I know what Persian food is supposed to taste like, so I was very pleasantly surprised to find that the food was very tasty and true to its roots. Granted, they have modified the "authentic" recipes here and there, but the food was extremely delicious nevertheless. I was exceptionally happy with the Dough (yogurt drink), but be forewarned that this drink will put you to sleep!! Still, very much recommended. The Kashk Baademjoon appetizer was also super delicious!! We tried the Combo Kabobs plate for the entree and all the meats were juicy, tender, and well seasoned. The place often does look empty (we were there on a Tuesday night and were the only couple there), but don't let that deter you. =)

    (4)

  • Terence T.

    I've only had Persian food three times in my life so by no means am I an expert in this type of cuisine. Based on taste alone, I thoroughly enjoyed the kabobs that I had. I ordered the special that feeds two for $27 and it comes with four different kabobs and two plates of rice. The lamb (ground) was my personally favorite. Service is pretty great. Be prepared though, the owner comes to take your order pretty much within a minute of you sitting down and is persistently there until your order has been taken. Came in around 1pm and there were only three tables taken. By the time we finished at 2pm, the whole place was empty.

    (4)

  • Av A.

    I really like this place. I've come here a few times before and the food always came out great and tasted great. The service was attentive and courteous. I just had a chicken kebob last time, but even that was a good portion to fill me up a little bit. The prices are not cheap, but at least they meet [and sometimes exceed] it with good food and service. I will def. come back again, and again, and again.

    (5)

  • Sara L.

    Love this place. The meat is always juicy and fresh, the service is always on point, and the prices are very competitive! I'm always a satisfied customer each time I come; and I love to bring coworkers here for lunch too. If you get there before 12, parking should be no problem.

    (5)

  • Amy O.

    Very friendly service. Super food. Slighty pricey, but they are strictly halal. We'll be back, especially for some more lamb kabob. Parking can be a little dizzying on weekdays during lunch. Walked in with the boyfriend, and the owner yells at us "#16 it's for two". So, we ordered it, threw in an extra beef kabob, grabbed some drinks. It was quite tastey, and even though the restaurant is kinda plain, the food isn't, and the service is exceptional.

    (4)

  • M T.

    Summary: Great kabobs and decent prices. Pros: - Food is tasty, hygenic, and well-portioned - Prices are reasonable ($12 for lunch) Cons: - Service is a bit slow - Restaurant doesn't feel very posh

    (4)

  • Alex Y.

    The food is very good here and quite authentic. The prices are very reasonable, but the service is the best part. I met the boss and he is a great guy, very personal, hospitable, and just makes sure you are having a good time. This place is never too packed (at least not when I have been) and I have never been disappointed with the food or the service.

    (4)

  • jas k.

    Fantastic option in Sunnyvale downtown for persian/middle eastern food. There was a long wait at dish dash and we discovered this place by chance and now would actually specially come in to eat here. We loved the chicken entree with rice (9. Koobideh Morgh) and also Koobideh wrap (Seasoned Ground Lamb & Beef Kabob). The food was mouth watering. The reason I did not give it 5 star was because the ambience can be better/cleaner plus I ordered a drink and they forgot to get it....however the food and staff is gr8..would definitely come here again.

    (4)

  • George C.

    After reading mixed reviews of this place, I wanted to try it out myself. We tried the hummus appetizer and four different types of kabobs (ground chicken, ground beef, lamb and chicken white meat). All the kabobs were tasty and moist. But the ground chicken was the moistest followed by the chicken breasts. I felt the hummus could use a bit more lemon juice. The rice was very light and could have been just a bit more moist. The portions were very generous and the prices were very reasonable. The menu said all meats are halal. Service was friendly . Overall, a great meal from what appears to be a husband and wife team.

    (4)

  • Dan B.

    Overrated! The kabobs are good but overpriced. The falafel is the worst I have ever had - spongy and ultra-greasy, it was obviously re-warmed via microwave, with zero crispiness. Yes, I know the place is called "House of Kabobs" but falafel was offered on the menu as part of the "veggie combo." If they can't make decent falafel, they should keep it off the menu! --- Veggie combo: 3 horrific falafel balls , 3 tiny, sub-par dolmas (unevenly heated in microwave, with hot and cold spots), a dollop of decent hummus, a lackluster salad and a few squares of lavash bread sealed in a sandwich bag (no really). A complete ripoff at just under $10 incl tax. A 1.5 star meal. But this was not the only thing I tried. I've had better meals here on previous visits: --- Chicken breast and koubideh combo #1: Two kabobs, (one chicken, one koubideh) plus rice and a grilled tomato. No hummus, no bread. The bi-color basmati rice was excellent and the meat was tender and tasty, though the koubideh was a tad dry. All in all, this kabob plate is pretty average when compared to other places in the area. Total cost was just over $14 with tax. Kinda pricey - This is actually more expensive than the larger and much better koubideh plate at Chelokababi, which costs $13, including tip (I had it last week). Can't give any more than 3 stars for this meal due to high price. --- Gourmeh Sabzi. Waited a while for this, but it arrived with a healthy portion of bi-color rice. The stew itself seemed a little light on the meat. Maybe ten small meat cubes total. Not the best I've had but good enough to satisfy. Maybe a 3.5 star meal. The owner was nice enough, but he has the tendency to frown at you for some orders (who knows why). On two occasions he did walk by and ask how everything was. I lied to him during the horrible veggie platter incident when I said "uh...fine." So I'm looking at about 2.5 stars for House of Kabobs. But I'll round down to 2 stars to do my small part in offsetting all the overly-generous reviews, though I doubt it'll make a dent. Pros: Clean and attractive dining room; OK kabob and gourmeh sabzi Cons: Overpriced; horrifying falafel; Blaring TV in dining room can be annoying.

    (2)

  • Arash S.

    It was awful experience. The food is uneatable.

    (1)

  • Flor D.

    *****************Support Mom and Pop Joints*************** KQN strikes again....! This joint is a fabulous find...thanks yet AGAIN to my awesome boyfriend, YELP. I worked in Sunnyvale for what seemed like 45 years of my life (in reality like 3) and I never knew about this place. What in the world. Truth be told, I had it bookmarked on yelp for days. Luckily, this place did not disappoint. Pricing was up to par with what I expected, especially for HALAL food. I arrived at about 1115AM or so to avoid the lines-looking back, I was just super hungry and needed some protein! Steady stream of people walked in and out. Decor and ambiance were very clean. Like most yelpers have stated, this place has it's act together. Although it's a mom and pop shop, it was fairly "classy." I would dare to say, you could even entertain clients here...KINDA. I love that they have self serve pitchers of water...so if you want more...you can grab some. I ordered my standard chicken kebab meal, also known as Chelo-Chicken Breast, for 8.95. It was moist and served with lemon, rice, and smushy gooey tomato. I loved it. I hope to try new wraps coming soon. Oh yeah...and the gentleman on the flier was at the counter. I tried to make conversation, like I always do, but he might have not been in the mood. Maybe he was tired. He was a little dry, unlike his chicken!

    (4)

  • Kat B.

    i love this place, the kabobs are fresh and juicy, the rice is fluffly and flavorful. The atmosphere is very cozy and homey, service is slow but it's ok because they don't rush you so you can chat in peace. :) the sad thing is that i developed a gluten allergy and their seasoning is not gluten free. i came home with a swollen lip and rash all over my hands! :/ very sad.

    (3)

  • Warren M.

    Me and my friends paid a visit to this place quite late in the night on a Monday. The service was good. The chef and his wife are pretty warm, friendly and love cracking jokes. The food was pretty good, I ordered the Shawarma Plate, Hummus and Lavash bread. The lavash bread was amazing and really soft, its also used in the wraps if you order them but you'll realize that the bread for the wraps is cold cause you can't heat them and further they don't have an oven :(. Overall the Shawarma was good choice for me.. Beef and lamb cooked thoroughly.

    (4)

  • Wayne P.

    Went here for lunch at noon on a Thursday. The place was moderately crowded but not uncomfortable. I ordered a Falafel wrap and my buddy ordered a lamb kabob. The food was presented to us within 5 minutes. My Falafel wrap was excellent. The produce was cool and crispy, the Falafel warm and firm (not mushy). The sauces were very tasty. My buddy's lamb kabob looked very appetizing. We got in and out of there in under 30 minutes for under 20 bucks. Not too bad.

    (4)

  • nAv p.

    Three words: ground chicken kebabs. Hits the spot

    (5)

  • Sri R.

    Over priced, little quantity. The grounded chicken skewer i ordered was soggy and tasteless and on top of that they charged me extra for the rice. My friends were also disappointed with their dishes. There are many other better places that serve awesome kabobs . I would never go again.

    (1)

  • Manish P.

    This is a small restaurant kinda 'hidden' from the hustle and bustle of the Murphy Avenue. It is a mom-and-pop type of restaurant, so you get all the positives and all the negatives of similar restaurant. They have reasonably good menu options, but I wasn't too impressed by the food. I thought Falafel were bit too dry and the Tahini sauce was sour instead of being creamier !!! I may not come back here again ...

    (2)

  • Susan D.

    I want to like this place... really I do. It's a family joint on the backside of Murphy St... which is conveniently close to my place but, it just falls short. Because of the system (order, pay, get number, food is delivered to your table), I have had a few group dinner or lunches here but, in all the times I've eaten here, have really only liked a couple of things. I think the thing that bothers me most is... their hummus is really not good... no flavor. That's kinda how I feel about most of their stuff. Guess I have to keep heading to San Mateo for my Shish Kabob cravings. Won't see ya there.

    (2)

  • M R.

    Great fresh food. Personal service, reasonable prices. Good portions.Very polite and nice owners.....I love the koobideh morg at Chelokababi, this place comes in second. Will definitely go back for more.

    (4)

  • Ren L.

    I was here for lunch with co-workers the other day. I grabbed an order of the ground chicken kabob. It actually wasn't too bad. It was pretty flavorful. The service was decent. The hummus was good, though the bread came wrapped with plastic all over, which I found kinda skeptical. Overall it wasn't the best in the area, but it was certainly worth a try.

    (3)

  • Nathan W.

    Had the lamb kabob wrap for lunch here recently... It was very tasty, but I have to admit that I was put off by the gratuitous use of Tapatio here. The meat was tender, succulent, and well-spiced; and the wrap itself made for a nice mid day meal. But I'd prefer something a bit more authentic than Tapatio in my food and on the table in a halal eatery... Prices are fair, and all of the Persian staples could be found here. The owner really does know his way around a grill, too, for what it's worth. The service was a bit off, and I couldn't help but think that the lady waiting on me was new. I really don't know why the whole hot sauce thing is bugging me so much, but it does. Dishdash would never dare do this...

    (3)

  • vickie j.

    Excellent rice! I stole some off my friend's plate. I got the falafel wrap which was quite tasty. The tahini sauce was very tasty and spicy. Which is only bad because I'm allergic to chili. I couldn't help but eat it though, next time I'll refrain.

    (4)

  • Rick L.

    Update (9/13/2010): Changing from four to five stars. We went there again this Saturday night for takeout, and the food was just excellent - moist and scrumptious meat, fluffy and flavorful rice, and excellent desserts. The owner was obviously very proud of his food, and was extremely friendly again. He showed us his grill and recommended the right way to eat the food (crush the tomato over the rice, add a little salt and pepper), and he even threw in some dried pomegranate to go with the koobideh. I've been on a Persian food kick lately and this place is as good as it gets in this area. Again, highly recommended. --------------------------------- Found the House of Kabobs today after a quick trip to Target. When I walked in, the owner was very nice and greeted me right away. He showed the same politeness to everyone in the restaurant. I ordered takeout and it was cooked relatively quickly. Had the #17 combo, it was great. Good amount of saffron rice, chicken and koobideh were flavorful and moist, and the sauces added a good flavor. I had a dessert, no idea what it was, but it looked like a crispier, crunchier fried dough dipped in honey - it was amazing. Highly recommend this place - I'll be back.

    (5)

  • Visa C.

    It's run as a fast-food place. Line up, take a number, sit down, and ponder the uses of Pomegranate seasoning during your short wait. But the quality of dishes would give more formal sit-down places a run for their money. Nothing like a place run by the owner himself. I don't know how to prepare lamb (yet), so I usually order it whenever it's available. So Combo #17 is one of my mainstays. But this place's Koobideh was what really won me over. Koobideh is my get-to-know dish for Persian restaurants, the one I use as a basis for comparison. Most versions of the dish I've tried typically . . . need contrast . . . half way through. HoK's doesn't, and is good throughout the meal. It's already good all by itself, but drizilling it with Lemon -- to paraphrase Emeril Lagasse -- "kicks it up a notch". Two other options that are ideal for the rice lover: #16 with Chicken kabob instead of Lamb, and #18 with Beef kabob.

    (4)

  • Veronica S.

    Please beware of this restaurant. Some of the items off their menu are delicious, and some are just downright plain tasting /boring/rip OFF!! Stay away from the beef wrapped kabob. The beef chunks were hard, and the mixture in there was just lettuce! How boring. it didn't taste like anything I wish it did. However, their lamb combination entree plate w/ saffron rice is VERY good! Tasty & tender lamb. That's all I have to say. Prices are mediocre. $9 for the kabob wrap or $11-$15 for an entree plate. I would come here again for the entree plates but the wraps suck.

    (3)

  • Alecia R.

    Several friends and I decided to come to downtown Sunnyvale for lunch. Originally we were going to a different place but there was a 30 minute wait. We decided to go here since it was just down the street from where we were. When we got here we just stood in the doorway for a good 5 minutes before being seated. after we sat down it was probably another 20 minutes before we ordered.. at that point i had to go ask the waitress to take our order... another 30 minutes must have passed and our food was not there yet! i spent about an hour here and have not even eaten at that point i was already running late for an appointment and asked my food to be boxed up to go ..10 minutes later they come out with everyone's food and mine boxed up.. at that point it was too late to try to make my appointment so i had to call to reschedule.. Upon opening my to go box i saw several TINY!! pieces of chicken probably the size of a quarter.. i have been to many Iranian restaurants and i have never seen chicken this small.. not only was it small but it was hard and rubbery and lacked any flavor... the rice also had a weird taste to it .. it was probably overcooked and was missing several ingredients compared to how the dish is originally supposed to be made. I have no idea how this restaurant got such high reviews perhaps its because the people that go here have not been to many Persian restaurants.

    (1)

  • Cassandra E.

    If you want some good ole' home-cooking from Iran, this is definitely the spot to go. Each order is made fresh and served to you by the husband or wife that owns this place. I ordered the special: Fesenjoon with rice. mmm.... This is one of my favorite Persian cuisines... I highly recommend it!

    (4)

  • A. M.

    I've eaten here at least a dozen times and keeps me coming back. Why? Chicken Koobideh. It's soooooo DE-LI-CIOUS! They're consistent and always tastes great...juicy, flavorful, mouth watering....literally gone in 6 minutes! Including the rice! Love the rice! Love the sauce they provide...I drown my Koobideh with all three flavors! I tried their Hummus this time and I couldn't believe how ultra fresh it tasted! It wasn't overly garlicky or drowned in olive oil. All you taste is the ultra smooth and creamy hummus goodness.

    (4)

  • Sara T.

    Meh, I've experienced better! That sums up everything about the place from the ambiance to the service and the food! First, my co-worker and I waited about 15-20 minutes until the waiter (aka owner) showed up and asked us, so unenthusiastically, what we'd like to drink - mind you we were the only ones in the restaurant. Anyways, we ordered the bademjan (aka babaghanooj) for appetizer and the bread it came with was so cold and untasty, kind of turned me off since the bread was still in the bag it was probably purchased in. Food came out about 20 minutes later, so boring! Nothing disgusting and nothing tasty, just regular kabob and rice. I've had WAY better rice & kabobs at other places. The rice looked old, like it had been cooked yesterday. All and all, I would not come back to this place...not because it was gross or anything, but I'd rather spend my money else where!

    (2)

  • Selina C.

    The service was excellent, our waitress and chef were very friendly. Food came out quickly. The dolmas were warm, savory, and tastey. My friend tried their spinach based soup... but it tasted too much like lamb (she has an aversion to it), so she wasn't able to enjoy it so much. Hummus was normal. My swarmarma (chicken) was decent, wrapped in a large lavash. I think if I go here again, I'd give them another shot. I tried my friend's soup and I have to agree, it was a little unusual for our tastes. Parking was not hard to find on a Sunday afternoon.

    (3)

  • Christine L.

    Everything here is so tender and juicy! After going to a few other kabob places and being let down, I think I'll just stick to this place in the future. Everything here is just so good! Even the lamb was amazing and I don't even like lamb that much.

    (5)

  • Janet S.

    House of Kabobs is incredible. My family and I shared the hummus which was creamy, smooth, and delicious. I got the steak kabob (#11, I believe) which was super tender and nicely seasoned. My favorite part was the saffron rice! It was amazingly buttery and so so so good. Everyone very much enjoyed their meals and we will definitely be back!

    (4)

  • Sankaran S.

    Nine place. Economical and tasty.

    (4)

  • Ahmed A.

    the food was a disaster. koobideh was so oily, soaked in oil. i could easily tell it was old and stale. then the rice was so hard and again old rice. baklava for 4 dollars is just throwing money into trash bin. it was only sugary and the owner told me it was freshly made. after having one bite, i could easily tell it was lying there for several days. I recommend pls don't come here. definitely rose international market stands out in all kabab items.

    (1)

  • Jing F.

    My favorite yelper is Kathleen M. I am here today because of her. I have also invited yelpers in that talk thread (re: I am craving for a great burger, fries, and strawberry shakes) for an impromptu lunch. But they politely declined...I would have paid for their meal. Well, maybe next time. I am not new to Persian cuisine. I had my first taste in 1983 ...introduced by a friend who makes killer (in a good way) Ghorme Sabzy! I have been to other Persian restaurants mostly in the south bay and one in Phoenix , AZ. That one restaurant in Phoenix have no business serving Middle Eastern Cuisine b/c their food is terrible and shame on them trying to represent . I felt bad for the people in that part of Phoenix...they are missing out! Well, enough already. I am suppose to review this place. For my appetizer , I had Kashk Bademjan ( Kashk, Fresh roasted mashed eggplant with garlic, onion, and dried mint) served with lavash bread . They were very tasty..but I have to put it aside (i had it to go) b/c it will fill me up and that serving would have been enough for atleast 3 people. For my main dish, I had the Combo Kabob #23 (one beef, one koobideh) served with saffron rice, roasted tomato, and lemon. I really love, love, love this Persian rice...i put the roasted tomato slices on top of that rice and sprinkle it with that Persian spice. And I squeezed a slice of lemon on those Kabob!!! Oh, it was really good! The staff...i really appreciate their service..Good Food and Good People!!!

    (4)

  • Sue H.

    We order takeout from this place 3 to 4 times per week and the food has always been excellent. Falafels are one of my favorite food and their wraps are huge and delicious. The owners are very polite to everyone, they take running their business very seriously and are obviously hard workers. My only "critique" would be that the outside seating and plants look a bit run down, new tables and chairs might be a nice touch. oh I am very pick about my baklava and theirs is perfect. Nice and syrupy, but not so much that it is difficult to eat.

    (5)

  • kayvan n.

    Probably the WORST Persian restaurant in bay area. I'm Persian and I know how should Persian foods taste like, I didn't see any quality in their food and they charge you the price for a decent Persian Food. Also the customer service was awful, even kinda rude, you can imagine when the waitress tells you, after finishing your meal, "You didn't want desert, did you?" and I did not tell her anything about deserts. usually they should like customers to have deserts but it was kinda like they wanted us out of there.

    (1)

  • Jeff D.

    Got the "Special for Two" and beef shawarma wrap to go, and wow. First of all, taking food to go like this is a test of patience and a bit masochistic. My car started to fill up with the smell of spices, meat, and grilled tomato. Even the next day, I can still catch a whiff of the lingering smell. It's a terribly wonderful thing. The "Special for Two"... It could very well have been a special for three of four. The meat is high quality and the marinade is excellent. It comes with a lot of seasoned rice and two grilled tomatoes. The wrap is huge and full of vegetables and meat. Beef shawarma was moist and tender. The first bite into the wrap brought about intense flavor and joy. However, it was a bit difficult to keep together at the end, and I think I would have rather eaten my kabob on plate with rice. The service was excellent even for take out. Very friendly and personal! Thanks House of Kabobs, I will be back!

    (4)

  • M P.

    I went here for an early lunch last Monday, I was glad they were open at 11 am. So I walked in at 11:05 and headed to the restroom to wash my hands. I then came out and headed to the counter so I can order my food, the cook suddenly begins shouting at me and gives me a hard time for using the restroom without notifying anyone. I was perplexed but apologized immediately. But he was very upset and did not want to hear any of it. So I sat down and ordered the Lamb Kabob, the nice waitress took my order and I waited no more than 10 minutes to get my food unfortunately it was not good at all. The lamb cubes looked old as well as the rice. I figured the cook was still upset for what transpired earlier and gave me yesterdays setup. So overall this was a bad experience for me. What irritated me more was the way the cook and the waitress constantly staired at me as if I was going to leave without paying for my meal. I would not recommend this restaurant unless you speak the cook's language and he'll go out of his way to please you like what I observed when I was there. Fortunately the bay area has a lot of other Persian restaurants you can try, pass on this one.

    (2)

  • Kathy H.

    Driving around Mountain View on a very rainy day (boo!), my stomach began to growl. My friend and I decided it was time to be adventurous and go somewhere we've never been before! Using our trusty yelp iphone app, we searched $$ and found 'House of Kabobs' as our first entry. This place is located in downtown Sunnyvale, but on this particular day, downtown was empty. We hopped out of the car and quickly ran inside to avoid the heavy rainfall! Having tried Persian food once or twice, I knew there would be a large helping of meat. We decided to order the special for 2, which comes with 1 beef, 2 chicken, and 1 lamb kabob. As well as 2 orders of rice! As much as I enjoy eating meat, I have a soft spot for veggies, so I asked if there was anyway we could get a salad, and the owner was quick to replace one of the orders of rice with a salad! Due to the rain, they were probably having a slow day, so the owner decided to chat with us! He said he had been doing this for the past 18 years, and owned this location for 4 years. He explain how he made the Kabobs and entertained us while making our food. It made the wait go by very quickly, which is especially hard to do when my tummy is rumbling! The flavors were outstanding! The rice had bits of saffron and went very well with the meat. The owner said we should eat the kabobs with this hot sauce, but I preferred the yogurt sauce. The salad was very fresh, with large tomato slices and crisp lettuce. I'm usually not a fan of lamb, but it was really tasty! It was a generous serving of food, but we were able to finish the entire meal quite satisfied. The only downside is I was overcome with an insanely strong desire to go to sleep afterward. I'm normally not the type to take naps during the day, but I was forced to pass out for a few hours after the heavy meal. All in all, the meal was priced decently, and the service was enjoyable. However, I would probably only eat here on a Weekend due to the aggressive food coma that I ended up in!

    (4)

  • Kim N.

    What used to be the space for Andoh (RIP), which was one of my favorite all time Japanese restaurants (oh how I miss the katsu curry), has finally gotten new life. After a couple of years of being closed, due to a family illness, the space has evolved into a middle eastern establishment, with emphasis on Iranian cuisine. I'm a bit of a koobideh monster so when I dropped in I had to have a skewer of that and for variety, one of lamb. Both were pretty tasty, with the lamb being pretty tender and the koobideh being leaner than places I usually have it. For $7.99 you don't get enough for the lamb so at $2.79 the koobideh is much more economical. The place is an order at the counter type joint, where they give you a number and find you at your table. The owner seems like a pretty friendly guy and when I went it he had actually stepped out and I ordered from the cook himself, who was super friendly. Now that I know that it's of good quality, I'm going to try and return and try some of their more specialized dishes like the ghorme sabsi , gheyme, and aush kashk.

    (4)

  • Clara E.

    My husband loves, LOVES, LOVES kabobs. He loves meat. He loves House of Kabobs. Ali, the owner was very friendly and helpful in telling us what was good on the menu. The meat was cooked very well. The rice was very tasty, and all the sauces were lovely. We both loved the roasted tomatoes that came with each of our meals. I had the lamb kabobs, and Hub had the beef and chicken kabobs. For dessert, my husband ordered the rose water ice cream. He adored it. Ate the entire thing!!! We both felt very satisfied with our meal and we plan on going back soon.

    (4)

  • Karen C.

    I love this place. I mean it's a big chunk of meat cooked over an open flame. What's not to love... I usually get the koobideh but I've had the lamb and the chicken kabobs and they are all good. The saffron rice is delicious and the portions are large. My son loves the Lamb and Beef Shawarma and it fills him up with is a feat all in itself. The prices are good and the food really is delicious! It's worth seeking out when you're in downtown Sunnyvale.

    (5)

  • Robert N.

    I'm sad that they're closed this month... this is one of my favorite places to eat in Sunnyvale. The owner is friendly and helpful, the "combo for two" is enough for hungry me and not-so-hungry girlfriend, they pay attention and answer questions about ingredients if you ask about allergy issues, and the price is great for the amount of food (and the amount of food is great too). Two entrees and the veggie plate will serve three people for about $30ish. Desserts are good although we usually don't have room for them after the meal. I like the sauces, but usually forget to ask for pomegranate. Never had a bad experience here. Oh yeah... worst thing about carry-out from House of Kabobs is you can smell the food through the carry-out packaging, and it's hard to resist eating on the drive home. Yum.

    (5)

  • Roshan V.

    Well that was probably the worst falafel I've ever had. I just went to grab a quick dinner to go from House of Kabobs. It came up highly rated on Yelp in a search for "falafel", but maybe that's their weak link. It definitely tasted like it. The falafel sandwich was really dry, the falafel balls were soggy, and there was absolutely no flavor at all. They gave me 3 types of sauces with my sandwich, but none of them added any flavor or alleviated the dryness of the bread. One of the falafel balls fell out while I was eating, so I ate it at the end. Without the bread to create a buffer, I tasted the true horror of it. It had the consistency of a wet ball of tissue paper. I'm sure the tissue paper would have tasted better too. Yuck yuck yuck. I'm trying to find something to get that bad taste out of my mouth now.

    (1)

  • Shiva S.

    This place gets better with each visit. The Hummus (#4) was the best I've had ever. The Chelo Chicken Koobideh is also much much better than from any of the other kabob places in this area. I like em juicy and you can specify that while ordering (you can also get it well done). Best thing about this place though, is that the owner genuinely cares about the business and his customers. My favorites from here: - Chelo Chicken Koobideh - Shawarma Plate

    (5)

  • Mallory K.

    Awful falafel.

    (1)

  • Carolyn K.

    My coworkers took me here for the first time and I was definitely wowed by delicious-ness. It's a little family-owned place - the owner is really nice and recommended a kabob for me after learning I was a noob. I got a beef kabob plate: 1 beef kabob, rice, and a roasted tomato. It looks plain, but what it lacks visually, it definitely makes up for it in my mouth. The kabob was juicy and really flavorful, the rice had a slight tang to it, and the roasted tomato was SO GOOD. Who knew that just by roasting it could bring out so many more flavors?? The waitress is really good about refilling waters and asking if there's anything you need, and the owner will come out once in a while to check up on you too. LIKE!

    (5)

  • Sagar A.

    Been here twice in last couple of weeks, one reason might be near to the place I live, though definitely, the aromatic & super delicious food brought me here. I have tried there Chelo Chicken, (very tender chicken kabobs) & Shawarma Plate, both were very flavorsome & right on top. One other thing I liked about this pace is their quicker service, you won't have wait for long, with all the aromatic fumes of food floating around. The owner & chef is very friendly & had a warmth welcome for me :), which I liked a lot. I'm getting in love with various Family owned Persian / Greek restaurant around Sunnyvale, they care for you, there passion for food gets you the best, also way better than so called "food chains", as these places are not managed by someone rather doesn't know much about the food & manages them just for the heck of paycheck.

    (5)

  • Kay L.

    The ground up chicken kabob is good.... I ordered to go. The rice was dry... Not a good dry... Kinda like the dry where it's been out and not fresh. Saffron rice should be nice and fluffy. The whole piece chicken kabob was dry also. The meal didn't come with any sort of bread that usually accompanies Mediterranean food. I would not recommend this place. I would rather go to dish n dash!

    (3)

  • Kim l.

    So I am a big fan of persian food. This place did not live up to my standards. I ordered the koobideh, my bf ordered chicken or something and we shared eggplant app, and my friend had the beef wrap thing. My friend literally took two bites out of his wrap thing that totally fell apart. The eggplant was warm and tasted alright. My koobideh didn't taste like koobideh. It just didn't taste right. My rice was rubbery...no good. On the other hand, I must give them a star for their service. The owners seemed super nice. I am sad to say I didn't enjoy my food.

    (2)

  • Amit R.

    I happened to stumble upon this place while looking for another middle eastern place that happened to be closed when I arrived. Luckily House of Kabobs provided me that schwarma fix I was looking for. I ordered the falafal wrap and also tried the lamb schwarma. Both were very good. Both came in what appeared to be a homemade wrap that was just the right thickness. I hate gyros-wraps- schwarma etc. where the wrap itself prevents you from enjoying the ingredients. The wrap here was a light, thin, yet flavorful one that complimented the meat/falafal perfectly. The falafal was great, but then again, most falafals are pretty standard. But none the less a tasty, freshly cooked patty that was nice and crispy with a sufficient spice. The lamb was not as good as the falafal. The meat was bit tough, but still full of flavor and appeared to be cooked fresh. The real winner of the meal, however, was the homemade sauces on each table. There were tahini, hot, and yogurt sauce, all made by the nice lady serving our food. The hot sauce was pretty spicy, but had the right type of spice, not just a super generic "hot-ness." The tahini was a nice compliment to the both the falafal and the lamb. My favorite was the yogurt sauce. It tamped down the hotness from the hot sauce without sacrificing any of the flovor, furthermore that yogurt sauce on the lamb meat was really a great combo. All in all, I highly recommend this family owned and run place for a delicious lunch. I've had better lamb at other places, but really the combination of the service, food and condiments were great that hit the spot for me.

    (4)

  • Monica L.

    This review is long over due! I came here a while back with a great Yelp friend. We were in the mood for Mediterranean type food in the Sunnyvale area and came across this place. A small quaint place with not much to look at as far as culture goes but the people that work here were really nice. I decided to try something different and try their special Haleem. I had no idea what it was and decided to take the risk. It's like a bowl full of porridge with lentils and I believe this one had bits of turkey. It was warm but not really something I was wanting to get. The people working there seemed surprised when I ordered it. LOL! My friend got the chicken kabob and it was very good. Overall a good meal....I have had better Mediterranean food elsewhere but I would come back if I was in the area. The people working here are really nice and accommodating.

    (3)

  • Psy D.

    This place gets five stars for a few reasons: The food has always been delicious, and the owner has always recommended me to great dishes based on what I liked previously. It is a bit pricey, but you get plenty of food, and they have a great selection. The wrap is well priced and huge, and the kabobs are delicious. Be sure to try the special for two - you get a few different kabobs to try. The owner is one of the nicest people I have ever met - not only did he tell my boyfriend and I to come in when we were walking by after most of Murphy St. was closed, looking for a place to eat, but I've taken friends and my parents here, and he goes out of his way to make sure that everything is done well. Plus, he always remembers me, which is something that always keeps me coming back. I wish I could afford to eat out more often - I worry about these little places especially during these economic times. Last time I went here, the owner mentioned that he had to work seven days a week.

    (5)

  • Beth T.

    Wow, what a nice place to stop in for a quick dinner. It was a Sunday night, right around 7:30, and my neighbor and I stopped in for something to eat. Not knowing what was the menu, I pointed up at a large picture above the register/menu and asked for it. It turned out to be lamb kabob, chicken kabob, a tomato and some type of rice. I'm still not sure exactly what I ordered, but it turned out precisely like the picture and was ready quite quickly. My neighbor ordered a sandwich, and the man (I believe he was the owner) made it huge, much larger than I expected. He made a lighthearted joke on my tall neighbor needing extra food, and having enough for two nights (even though he finished it in one) and gave us tons of little sauces. Right before leaving, we grabbed a sweet little honey/flour dessert. It was super sweet and should definitely be shared if you're not used to the overwhelming honey flavor. When I got home, maybe 10 minutes later, the food was still very warm, everything tasted excellent, and was a great "last meal" before my surgery the next day.

    (5)

  • Omid M.

    it placed on downtown Sunnyvale. The owner and his wife was so kind and friendly. The Doogh drink was awesome. Also I ordered Tahdig with Ghormesabzi that was OK. and kabob Koobide and Barre with rice. the Koobide is OK but barre and rice was so delicious. I'll come back there for trying more ...

    (5)

  • Kara K.

    Great food, great service! I like Mediterranean food and often go to different places in santa clara county for kebabs. I truly believe that this place has the most tasty and juicy kebabs in the area! Surprisingly, this place is never crowded and great for lunch or dinner. The service is also amazingly quick and very-very friendly. I always go there when I need tasty food quickly. Highly recommend.

    (5)

  • Tetsu N.

    Crys, Lu, Michael, and I came here yesterday for a quick lunch. House of Kabob is where Andoh restaurant used to be. I miss that restaurant...and hadn't been back to that small lot since it closed. So it was a little strange going into the same place and not seeing the Japanese restaurant and menu. House of Kabob serves a variety of dishes for lunch, and they all seemed very good. I like that pretty much all the entree dishes have saffron rice, which I like, and half a grilled tomato, which I also like. The entree I ordered was the very basic #6 which had one ground lamb kabob. The other dishes typically had variations or additions to the meat. The sandwiches also looked pretty good. The format is rather simple. Go up to the counter, order food, get a number, take a seat, and the food is brought out to you. The hummus and ultra-thin soft bread was also good. As a fast food style restaurant for food that is a little more interesting than American fast food joints, this place is just great. But it's nothing too fancy, and I'm not exactly sure it'd be worth the drive for me. But I'm very glad I came here and would probably not mind coming here again on a group decision.

    (3)

  • I K.

    A great alternative to expensive Kabob restaurants. I always order the Koobideh. Very flavorful, moist and juicy. Entree's come with flat bread. If they forget, just remind them. My co-workers love the chicken kabobs and chicken koobideh. Don't try to ask for all beef koobideh (if you're a lamb hater), just order a beef kabob instead (more expensive but worth it). Shawarma Plate is also very tasty. You'll almost always find a football (ie soccer) match in progress on the plasma TV. Chelokababi is still my favorite kabob house, but you really can't get out of there for less than $20-$30/person, even during lunch hour (unless of course you're a very very light eater). That's why for lunch time kabobs, we always end up here instead. I much prefer this place over Falafel House even though Falafel House is within walking distance of my work. Food quality is better, I don't have to fight stupid lines like at Falafel house, and the place is a thousand times cleaner.

    (4)

  • Anna L.

    Quick and yummy! I've been in a number of times, and my favorite item to get is the Combo #1 (one chicken kabob, one koobideh kabob, saffron rice and a roasted tomato for $12.95.) It's a about a meal-and-a-half for me, and a little pricey, but I've realized that I could just order off the side order menu and do just fine. The owner (Ali) is super nice, and will help you figure out what to order if you're not sure what to get. I only wish I lived closer... I'd eat here all the time!

    (4)

  • Matin P.

    the food was horrible, specially the lamb kabob and the koobideh! I was able to tolerate the chicken kabob and the ground chicken. the owner was very kind and friendly , but I guess it won't hep if the food was horrible.

    (1)

  • Michael C.

    All right, fine... I'll post before Tetsu N. again... So we met up with Chrys and Lu for lunch over here. I have been here before, and I have always liked the service in this place. I never know what to order, and they always give me wonderful suggestions. Foodwise, I have never left unsatisfied, nor hungry. 4-stars for good food and good service...

    (4)

  • Brady E.

    We hit up House of Kabobs for the first time tonight. The chicken and lamb skewers were juicy and flavorful, and the koobideh was buttery and delicious. I will most definitely be back!

    (4)

  • Chikinini G.

    I love it, We ordered the special for 2 persons. 2 rice, 1 lamb, 2 chicken, 1 beef. The lamb and chicken were moist and tender. It is great but it tasted like all were marinated in the same sauce. Still tastes delicious, Even my baby loved it. We also ordered the beef shawarma, I like my shawarma with lots of meat, this one has not a lot of meat but it's still tasty. The one thing I don't like is that you have to go to the counter and order. You have to get your drinks at the fridge. The owner seems nice and very accomodating. The price is a little high too. I will definitely come back!

    (3)

  • Zheng L.

    Great place for a casual lunch or dinner of persian food. Food tasts great, it is casual and cheap, and the owner/chef is very charming. I go there every month now. Everything I have had is great, the only drawback is not having good salads to balance the great meat dishes.

    (4)

  • Dave K.

    Went here last week with a friend. I hadn't had Persian food in several months so I was really looking forward to it. First of all, because this is downtown Sunnyvale, parking is atrocious, even at 7:30pm. It literally took me 15 minutes to find parking and I ended up parking 3 blocks away. I ordered the Combo 2, which is a koobideh and a beef kabob entree. The food is flavorful but I feel it's a bit expensive. The kabob was excellent but the koobideh seemed dry. The owner was very friendly and nice and my friend loves this place though so I'll have to try it again.

    (3)

  • Justin R.

    I love House of Kabobs - I come here all the time! They have that Tehran-style Chicken Kabob with Saffron Rice that I'm used to (#10 on their menu). Great food, great service, great prices, and it's open every day.

    (5)

  • Anna V.

    I came here for a quick lunch and some Persian food and I was disappointed by it. I've been here once before and I wasn't too impressed but I decided to try it again and was once again not too impressed. I got the chicken kabob with rice and tomato and found the rice dry and the chicken to be okay. I also got a cup of tea and was sad to find out that I get no refills even though the cup of tea was tinnnyyyy... :( Overall, it's okay. It wasn't too expensive but it wasn't too great either. Next time I think I'm just going to go to Rose Market because everything is so much tastier for the same price and you get more!

    (2)

  • K P.

    comparing it to other kabobs in the bay area, this place will only get 2 stars from me. I ordered the Koobideh, which was dry and a lot smaller compared to other places. I would pay $2-$3 more to get a more decent meal.

    (2)

  • Christy S.

    This place is cool. It's small and I usually get take-out. Since they have re-modeled the interior a little, the lighting is much more pleasing, however, it's not necessarily a place you would spend an evening dining at. The menu is small but they do serve beer which is great. All is all the food is great. I personally love #13 and #10. The appetizers are also good and I especially like the grape leaves. I recommend this place because the food is great, the price is fair and the guy making it is awesome! If you get take-out and he tells you to be there in 10 minutes he means business... :)

    (4)

  • Notblueatall N.

    Visited two more times and this place is consistently fantastic! The minced meat kabob I mentioned is actually called Koobedah and is ridiculously good! Not only that, the owner/chef responded to my first review the next day. That is so cool! Weather you eat there or get it to go you will be in taste bud heaven...and very full!

    (5)

  • Sarita A.

    The place is just ok, was completely empty on a Saturday night. There Water melon juice was terrible, I just left it, it did not taste fresh at all. I order veggie kabobs and veggies were not marinated, onion was way too pungent and felt almost raw. But my husband order chicken kabobs and he said they were good and juicy. The owner is really nice guys, was very hospitable. Is worth a visit if you like chicken kabobs.

    (3)

  • Marylou A.

    For casual dining, I was quite pleased with the quality of the food and the good customer service. I ordered the koobideh meal (lean ground beef) and shirazy salad (diced tomato, cucumber, onion, mint, & lemon juice) . The combo comes with a roasted tomato and saffron rice along with the meat. The food came out fast, and it was deliciously juicy and buttery.

    (4)

  • Caroline L.

    I would rate the food about a 3.5 and I bump up to four stars because of the great service. The husband and wife team are very sweet and kind. Checking up on us regularly even though it's essentially an order and sit down joint. The chicken and beef kabobs were very tender, though the lamb/beef kabob was a little more tough. Overall, pretty good quality for the price.

    (4)

  • Marie A.

    Went here to celebrate my sister's birthday as she was craving persian food. You have to order at the register then you can sit down at a table, however since we were a party of 8 the owner was nice enough to let us have a standing tab so we could split after we were done. The staff and the owner were very hospitable to my family and made us feel welcome. I order the koobideh (lean ground beef) & chicken combo (#17) and had a little shirazy salad (diced tomato, cucuber, onion, mint, & lemon juice) and mast-o-khiar (yogurt, cucumber, mint). The combo comes with a roasted tomato and saffron rice along with the meat. The food came out pretty fast and was very delicous. Normally chicken kabobs tend to be dry but mine was still juicy & flavorful. Overall I was very please with the quality of the food for the price and the great service. Highly recommend this place! 5 stars!

    (5)

  • Moe R.

    I originally reviewed House of Kebabs a couple of years ago and have been here maybe 20 times since. I'm increasing my rating because the food is uniformly excellent, the service fast and friendly, and the prices are reasonable. As I said previously: "I like the food here a great deal and the service (usually the owner, Ali) is attentive. "On the plus side, the food is really delicious. The koobideh (a kebab made from ground meat -- lamb and beef, I am guessing) is especially delicious. Just the smell is enough to make me hungry. "And I am not a rice fan but the rice here is fantastic. Fluffy and flavorful, with a toothy bite. Most perfect rice anywhere." Those things all remain true and I have become even more fond of it. I am not the type to order the same thing over and over, but I like the koobideh (number 7 dinner) so much that it is all I order. Years ago, I said that "I found the chicken kebab dry." I don't know if that's still true. I previously said, "the prices are not cheap." It doesn't seem that way now. Maybe I was thinking of a quick lunch or maybe I was ordering something pricier. But now I always get "two number 7s to go" and it's less than $20 (including tax, before tip).

    (5)

  • Jonathan M.

    I hate giving out 5-star ratings like how cops write up parking tickets at the end of the month, but I seriously can't think of anything wrong about this place. I started going here last year after a trip to NYC left me craving some Halal you get from the street vendors. One visit to this place left me hooked. The kabobs here are so juicy and they always let you smother the kabobs with the very yummy white and red sauces. I've tried all of the kabobs and none of them disappoint. And the lamb shwarma brings me back to the Big Apple every time. Even though the portions are very generous, I can usually devour two kabobs, rice and the roasted tomato in less than 10 minutes. This coming from someone who HATES tomatoes. I hear the rose ice cream is very good too, but I am always too full to try some. The owner is super friendly and nice, also. He always remembers me and my gf whenever we go there and greets us with a wide grin. One time my gf went without me, and he asked her "where is your boyfriend? He is a good guy." Let's just say compliments go a long way with moi! 6 STARS!!!

    (5)

  • Emily M.

    I was on a trivia puzzle hunt thing called Shinteki ( shinteki.com ) and my team was in the area and desperately needed to make a food pitstop. We wanted to go to DishDash, but it was way too busy with the Saturday night crowd. We randomly stumbled upon the out-of-the-way House of Kabobs after it was taking too long at DishDash. It's a very homey place, clearly family run. Immediately, I noticed there was one of those "I'm a young white westerner but I've embraced Islam as my religion" types of dudes eating there. He had a skullcap, long beard, and robelike clothes, the whole 9 yards. I don't think it's all that weird, but I didn't really expect it in Sunnyvale specifically. Maybe the fact that this restaurant is Halal brings in observant Muslims, I guess. Anyway, the food was great. I had the Shawarma plate. The meat was tasty and the rice was perfectly cooked. The stew one of my teammates had looked excellent; I would get it next time, were I in the area again. The best part was that the owner/server didn't bat an eye when 4 adults were using crayons to color-by-number a Pepsi logo, SpongeBob, xmas tree, birthday cake, etc at the table. Like I said, we were on a puzzle quest, and the fact that we were in a restaurant wasn't going to stop us! Well, we were embarrassed enough to remove our bandannas with foam bananas on them beforehand (our costumes) but dammit, the puzzling wouldn't stop! ;)

    (5)

  • C R.

    Friendly and fast! Excellent food. The shawarma plate was very tasty. The meat was sauteed with onions, mushrooms, and green bell peppers. The saffron butter on the rice was just the perfect amount. The owner/ chef is very friendly. He was very welcoming and made sure all the diners were happy and well-fed. Definitely worth coming here. We will certainly be coming back.

    (5)

  • Liz L.

    Not as good as House of Falafel, but better than Gyros House. The kabobs here are indeed very delicious. My first bite of my beef kabob was pure heaven - juicy, flavorful, just the way I like it. However, the next few pieces were tough and very hard to chew. I'll chalk that up to a 1-time thing, because that first taste blew me away. I ordered the beef and koobideh combo and the bf ordered the shawarma 'sandwich.' By the end, we switched plates as he likes his meat untainted by accoutrements, and I like mine with them. The shawarma wrap was good, and just the right portion size. By that, I mean it is smaller and less filling than at most places, but it's really more than enough for a meal. I think prices are a bit expensive ($13 for the combo, $8 for the wrap), but service is good. The owner and his wife, I'm assuming, are very friendly - they made suggestions and came by our table inquiring about our meal. At the end, we also bought the half Persian ice cream (saffron + rose flavored), half faloodeh (sp?) dessert ($4.50). The faloodeh was interesting - bits of rose flavored rice noodles. Together with the ice cream, it was quite good, albeit a bit sweet. I'd suggest trying it if you haven't before.

    (4)

  • Tita M.

    The place has been renovated and looks very nice. The chef and wife were very friendly. We had Chicken and sirlion steak kabobs (both juicy and tender) were excellent including the rice. We had the hummus (home made)- real good. We tried the beef soup with beans and spinach. It was good. Lastly, you must try the Persian baklava (very different from regular baklava). This is an excellent desert to complete the meal. This place has a lot to offer-menu list is great. We recommend this place...GREAT food and price. Next, I will try for catering. In case you don't know, there are a lot of parking in downtown Sunnyvale. You just need to know where they are.

    (5)

  • Mike H.

    Mmmmmm... Savory... If you come here, order the namesake dishes and the soups/stews. If you're looking for shawarma, House of Falafel is a better choice. My personal favorite is the chicken and koobideh with barberries (like mini-dried cranberries served on top of the rice). A bit pricey.

    (4)

  • Marcus R.

    In my personal life I try to avoid situations where I have to go on a tab with a group of strangers. So before meeting a group of randoms I wanted to get my eat on and went to the House of Kabobs. The chicken was magical and the glass of malinkey was filled without asking!!!

    (5)

  • Paul C.

    Fairly small restaurant, get there before noon, they fill fast. Great food, fast, tasty. Doesn't exactly wow you with the presentation or the quantity for the $. The guy taking orders (Owner?) is very solicitous and friendly. Really deserves 3.5 stars, but I'll be generous and give it 4.

    (4)

  • Steven S.

    Food looks simple but extremely well seasoned. The meat is very tender and juicy.

    (5)

  • Rizza O.

    I have been going to this place for like.. a year now? This restaurant is near my workplace so I come here pretty often. I would always order for pick up and my food would always be ready by the time I get there. The owner is so sweet, he gave me free dessert one time =). Their food is pretty consistent and you can never go wrong with whatever your selection is. If you're a meat-eater, give this place a try!

    (5)

  • Ravi B.

    I tried the Koobideh Morgh and it does not meet my expectations at all. I love persian food especially kabobs but these are no good. I had food at kabul afgan restaurant at san carlos. They have the real persian food. I would strongly suggest not to try here if you really love kabobs like me....

    (2)

  • Brady K.

    I'm down in Santa Clara hell this week for training on a mobile phone operating system. While it's quite enjoyable to be out of the office, eating cookies, doughnuts and other fattening food all day, and listening to someone with an IQ of 120, Santa Clara sucks salty balls. Fortunately today my two co-workers and I flew the coop for lunch. Despite a bit of a drive from Great America Parkway we hit up the Haus uv Kabops. Sorry, my course instructor is Austrian - like the Guvanator. The place was in a cheery section of Sunnyvale? and had a nice menu of middle eastern plates. I had a chicken kebab sandwich for $6 and my co-workers had lamb and beef kebab plates with rice, salad and schwarma for $10. The meat was tender, not overcooked and delicious. I could've gone for more spicey-flameyness, but the squirt bottles of tahini, cucumber dill, and mildly hottie tottie sauce were pretty good. The man who rung us up was chatty and friendly. I liked it when he came by later to ask, "How was everything, Boss?" Adding "Boss" to the end of questions to strangers really makes everything seem cooler and sincere, Boss. No, really! 3.5 stars

    (3)

  • Brooks B.

    Went here for the first time the other day. Everything was cooked well and very tasty. I was looking for a bit more variety in my entree without having to buy an expensive combo but what I ended up settling for, a lamb kabob, was great!

    (4)

  • ClosetDork ..

    Cheap, tasty food, generous portion and ultra-friendly service. Need I say more? For those of you who need convincing, YES it is that good. Got the special for two - saffron rice (tasty even by itself) with grilled meat (ground beef, lamb and chicken). I thought the chicken was a bit on the dry side... but I'm asian and I don't eat white meat. So go figure.

    (4)

  • Smarty Pants P.

    This place should be on Murphy, not behind the main street down the alley... I wouldn't have gone except I was starving and I just needed FOOD! We ordered Kashk Bademjan (roasted mashed eggplant, and walnut dip) Delicious!!! Then we ordered One chicken and one koobideh combo... Very tasty... The chicken was very tender and juicy... Nice portion, and price was very reasonable... I love discovering this hole in the wall... The owner said he's been a chef for over 15 years in different bay area restaurants. You can tell he take pride in his business... I would go back there for sure...

    (4)

  • christine o.

    I love this place. My fiance and I come here often and order take out because they're close and the owner is always friendly. The food is great and the prices are fair. I went here again tonight for dinner because I couldn't be bothered to cook. I called in my order and it was ready as I arrived. Maybe it's just perfect timing, but I don' t care it made my evening a lot simpler.

    (5)

  • Eugene F.

    One of my friends from work is Muslim, so I try to find restaurants near our work that serve halal meat when we go out to eat. We went here based on the Yelp reviews, and I've been hard core craving for some good kabobs for the past week and knowledge that the food would meet her dietary needs. Thanks again to all the other Yelpers, because this place has got its act together and the food is spectacular. I don't claim to be an expert on middle eastern food by any means, but I know what tastes good! I ordered a combo of a koobideh and a chicken kabob. The combo came with a roasted roma tomato, a mountain of rice, and lemon to put on top of the kabob. When the food came out, it looked and tasted great. The koobideh was probably some of the most tender, delicious I've had. The chicken had a great grilled flavor to it, and the rice was really good and fluffy. I'm supposed to be low-carb, but I finished the whole entire plate. It was GREAT! House of Kabobs is a not a full service restaurant, but it treats its customers like one. The owner/guy behind the counter came to our table a few times throughout the meal to check up on us. Considering that I had scarfed down the whole plate, I think that it would have been a good indicator. Parking by the restaurant is next to impossible, so you are better to park in the Macy's parking lot and walk over from there. I'll definitely come back for some more and check out their other offerings. The food is fresh, flavors are great, and best part--it's not super expensive! Combo lunch with a glass of hot tea came to about $12 which ain't all that bad.

    (5)

  • Todd M.

    Ooooh, I'm so happy to see all the positive reviews for this place! I happened upon it by chance (although I've walked by many times) when the delicious Vietnamese place across Murphy was closed (Sunday). My daughter loves kabobs so we tried it. The owner and his wife? were so friendly-- loved them. The food was delicious. We had both the chicken and beef kabobs which were yummy. I LOVED the shirazy salad (cucumber, tomatoes, onion) it was salty and lemon-y too. The next weekend we brought my husband and son there, too. It was a hit for all of us! And it was empty both visits (Sundays) and it made me sad. Go here!!

    (4)

  • Kimberly F.

    Good kabobs. I got the chicken and beef (it's like ground beef that is grilled together on a stick... my bro-in-law calls it meat poo cuz that's what it looks like, but don't worry it doesn't taste that way). It was very tasty! Along with those two very good sized kabobs came basmati rice, a grilled tomato, lemon for squeezing on top, and 3 different sauces. One of the sauces was this yogurty/sour creamy sauce, another was this red, watery, spicey sauce, and the other was a sour, tangy, herby sauce. All very good to go with the kabobs.

    (3)

  • Lakis K.

    After multiple people said how great it was, we decided to try it. Unfortunately, we did not like it at all:-(

    (1)

  • Carly V.

    best kabob place ever! very accommodating, friendly and their food is delicious! I usually eat here at least once a week!

    (5)

  • Lindsey A.

    The one shining aspect of this restaurant is: the price. I've never seen the selection of kabobs in any place for this low of a price. The prices are really low. The atmosphere is nice, yet a little on the cold side, and the service was friendly and fast. Appetizer: We ordered the hummus ($4) that comes with plenty of lavash. It was worth it, but totally had a hard-boiled egg taste that completely overpowered it. In fact, I didn't taste any tahini whatsoever which was funky and made it somewhat bland. Dinner: I ordered the Zereshk Polo with Chicken with a side order skewer of the Chicken Koobideh. The portion was tiiiiiiiny, for what you normally get at kabob restaurants. Now, granted I'm 9 months pregnant and was sharing with my toddler, but I wasn't even that hungry and everyone else at the table complained of the small portions as well. The chicken kabob was decent, if not a little bland. (It made for good eats for the toddler, but not for the spice craving adults.) The chicken koobideh had a weird aftertaste that I couldn't identify. This was disappointing because I ALWAYS look forward to eating chicken koobideh. My husband devoured his chicken koobideh and said he didn't notice any funky tastes (which is unusual for him). The rice on all of our dishes was the tiniest portion and it was not that tasty. I'm not really sure how they charge $3 extra for the barberries on the Zereshk Polo when you don't get any tomatoes and onions on the side, either. Anyway, that's a side thought. Also: The sauces served with kabobs were red (Tapatio?!?!), pink (vinegary salad dressing?), and white (yogurt-based sour cream), all were not tasty at all. All 4 of us ignored. The tab: for 1 appetizer, 4 kabob plates, and 3 drinks, we paid over $70. This wasn't as reasonable as we expected, but it wasn't that bad. Overall, it wasn't horrible, but it certainly wasn't great. We likely won't be back again except maybe to give the chicken koobideh another shot. (Fingers crossed!)

    (3)

  • Electro B.

    A wonderful place for juicy, delicious kabobs, yummy humus and a variety of other Middle Eastern Food. We found House of Kabob on the back side of busy Murphy Ave. in the Goodwill parking lot, near Gumba's. You can't see it from Murphy, at all. However, what a find! The people are super friendly, smile all the time and have attentive service. Unpretentious and homey atmosphere was nice. Had #22, aka Combo #1, chicken was cooked perfectly, not dry like at some other places I've tried it at in Sunnyvale. We've been there 3 times and deemed it one of our favorites.

    (5)

  • Bobby J.

    This is the best Kabob place I've ever been to! We go here all the time after crossfit to get some tasty Paleo food and we receive great service and they remember you and your order after only a couple visits. Get the number 19! Worth every cent!

    (5)

  • Jack H.

    Maybe I'm not the best person to review a kabob restaurant, but I came out of there full and satisfied. The owner asked us if we've tried it before since we didn't look Middle Eastern. In fact, it was our first time here, but not the first time for kabobs. The grilled chicken breast was juicier than another kabob I had couple of days prior. The meal course isn't cheap, but you can choice Ala Carte. The place is hidden behind the main strip of tiny downtown Sunnyvale facing Sunnyvale/Saratoga road. Update 10/17/07 Bring back the cilantro for the single kabobs.. side salad is ok, but isn't as 'authentic'... or at least give us a choice between the two

    (4)

  • Kathleen M.

    Ground Shaking Persian Food at Sunnyvale's House of Kabobs Cheap. Persian. Food. Those are the three things that drew me here. Unreinforced. Masonry. Building. That's what the sign said in the window, and that's what worried me about coming inside. That's like the worst kind of structure in an earthquake. Having worked several years in earthquake preparedness planning I couldn't pretend I didn't notice the sign. I braved a potential disaster, and came inside. You order at the counter and then you sit at a table that's nicer than you'd expect for an order at the counter joint. We chose the zeresht polo ($11) and a skewer of koobideh ($3.50?). We considered getting a whole koobideh platter ($10) which only gets you some rice and maybe another skewer, but I figured we had enough with our zeresht polo and I was right. We also got an order of the shirazi salad ($5) which was nicely tart but would be better when tomatoes are more in season. The rice in the zeresht polo (studded with the usual barberries and other goodies) was better than many places that charge $5 more. It had a good tartness to sweetness ratio, too. the chicken was nice and moist. The koobideh was slightly oily but very flavorful. I'd definitely come back. However, I picture myself calling in my order, running in to pay and grab my food as quickly as possible, and then heading home secure in the knowledge that I don't live in an unreinforced masonry building.

    (4)

  • Darryl A.

    My wife and I had parked in the parking lot between Murphy and Sunnyvale Avenues behind The Palace and we were heading to the little alley connecting to Murphy when we saw this restaurant. We decided to give them a try and we are glad that we did. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. The order board overhead, which gives the restaurant more of a fast food atmosphere, was easy to read with reasonably priced standard MIddle Eastern fare. I opted for #14 - the Shawarma Plate, and my wife ordered #12 - the Chelo-Lamb (kabob) entree. We usually compare dishes to see who "wins" and has the more flavorful selection. Her grilled lamb very good, but my lamb shwarama with grilled vegetables was delicious and moist with enough juice to soak into the rice. Mine came with a salad. They served lavash and three sauces on the side. I should have asked what was in the sauces, but my favorites were the cool, creamy white and the hot red. Better still, try them together! We frequent Dishdash and Taverna Bistro, so we are very familiar with Middle Eastern and Mediterranean food. House of Kabobs is welcome competition in the heart of Sunnyvale. We will definitely return to try our personal Middle Eastern favorites: Chelo-Koobideh and falafel. Also, the owner came by to say hello and that is a nice touch.

    (4)

  • J C.

    I had the chicken kabob here. Perhaps I was expecting something more from the reviews, and the name of the restaurant, I mean come on, they are basically declaring this is the end-all be-all for kabobs! The chicken kabob was dry and flavorless. And, it wasn't very big, was still hungry afterward, so that was a big disappointment, especially with the premium price. I came here with a bunch of friends for lunch, and no one seemed to keen on the place. It was my suggestion, so I'll have to make it up to them with a better recommendation next time. If you really want an amazing kabob, go to Santorini in San Carlos. That is the best in the Bay, seriously. Chicken/falafel wrap will blow your mind! Or go to Kabul in Sunnyvale, biggest juiciest Afghan kabobs ever, better than anything you can find in Fremont in my opinion.

    (2)

  • Aaron A.

    I have to agree with the other reviewers. This place is easily one of the best spots in the entire Bay Area for food of any kind, let alone Persian, and the price is right to boot. The Kabobs are the best I've ever had. I spoke with the owner who said they marinade them for a day or two before cooking them up right before your eyes. The rice that comes with the very fairly priced combo meals is delicious and the way they cook the tomato is just right in my opinion. The shawarma's are really good too. Pretty much everything I have ever ordered here (I am becoming a regular) has been really, really yummy. -Never been disappointed with anything I have tried! Customer service is always warm, helpful and pleasant. They check on you to see if you need anything and are always quick to get it for you. Smiling, happy people from the counter to the cooks!! When it's all over and you've stuffed yourself full or savory chicken, beef, and lamb the Baklavah and ice cream begin calling to you in a voice that is difficult to resist. If you have never had this kind of ice cream (Rose/Pistachio) you are in for a real treat. Check this place out at your own risk. I have been driving out of my way to get my fix ever since I first went here.. .

    (5)

  • Channon W.

    This was the first place i've ever had a falafel sandwich AND IT WAS HELLA GOOD! The falafel has a great texture, not too soggy and it's got tons of spices. I've tried other places after coming to house of kabobs and nothing compares. You're always getting checked up on seeing, if you're doing ok so it's a really homey feeling. I've been here 3 times now and never had bad service and the food has always been delicious.

    (5)

  • Liqa M.

    Food is expensive and the portions are small portions. Food is yummy but that's because oil is drenched on everything! Not a bad option if you're in downtown Sunnyvale, but there are much better options for Persian food in this area.

    (3)

  • Ninja C.

    So my first experience with "halal food" was back in New York at the food carts on the corners. Hesitant at first, I grew to love the stuff...crave it even. As plentiful as they are in NY, I've never seen anything close here in the Bay. I've tried several restaurants to try to fill the void but none really came close. After walking down Murphy, I noticed a small little sign hanging "House of Kabobs" with an arrow sign. Hmm...kabobs. And hey...a yelp sticker on the door! We both ordered the shawarma, one beef and one chicken. They were both very good though I liked the beef more than the chicken. Salad, rice and meat along with three sauces (hot sauce, white yogurt sauce and a 3rd sauce I wasn't familiar with). I *was* familiar with the white sauce from the carts and drowned my meat in it....mmMMMMm. The service was very good and the owner (and wife/sister?) were very nice. Checked in on us and asked us how it was. I wanted to tell him that the food satisfied my NY cart food craving but didn't...might have thought I was weird or something (even though I am). I'd come back again!

    (4)

  • Daniel E.

    Had the chicken shwarma wrap and was very disappointed... tasted like a bland chicken salad in a wrap with no dressing.

    (2)

  • Randy S.

    I ate here for the third time a couple of days ago. The food is just as good as I recalled, but it seemed that the decor has been upgraded somewhat since House of Kabobs first opened. My wife and I split the falafel sandwich and the appetizer platter. I particularly recommend the falafel sandwich, which was a very good value. Mmmm - falafel!

    (4)

  • Adam B.

    This place is great! I got the chicken fesenjan, which is not on the menu but looks to be a "permanent special." It's a very unique Persian dish and it is quite tasty. I was sad to be the only customer in the restaurant.

    (5)

  • Betty T.

    We had wanted to try the House of Kabobs a few months back but at the time they were closed for vacation. We where very happy that they were opened when we were deciding about dinner this time around, we ordered the "Special for Two." It could have very well been a special for three. The rice was flavorful and buttery, chicken and lamb skewers were juicy, and delicious! We couldn't stop eating. The atmosphere was quaint and friendly, the service was awesome! We'll definitely be back for more.

    (4)

  • Jay K.

    Very decent place for the money. My first time here... very simple clean interiors. Ordered the Chicken and Lamb combo. Rice was perfectly flavored, chicken, not much to say, it is usual. but the lamb, very nicely marinated. Next time I would just order lamb alone. Not chewy, not too hard. Both meats were juicy. Perfect portion size. Wifey ordered the falafel wrap, had a bit of that, was really good. No complaints about this place.

    (4)

  • sionn a.

    Terrible Terrible Terrible... Absolutely terrible service at this location... Today a group of us from work went there for lunch, 7 in total. We all got out orders in apparently without issue... Granted it was a very hot day, but there was only the owner and one cook to run this whole place. Anyway we were completely looked over and had to wait over 45 mins to get our food while other tables got theirs way ahead of us. After we had told the owner several times about of late food he eventually got it for us. Not a word of apology from him... Another totally disgusting and perhaps more important factor was that he and his cook were totally sweating buckets. Their sweat was dripping onto plates of food which their is no excuse for...In addition out of all our food two plates had human hair in the dishes... The food was genuinely tasty, but they need to get their act together and hire more staff - have much better hygiene - learn to clean off tables - not be so expensive - and know that the critical lunch crowd are what pay for the owners business, get your lunch out on time and learn to appreciate your customers... We will not be returning to this place and I would strongly recommend that others do not either... Yelp don't go and delete this review or tone it down, even if they pay your fees, this is a genuine review that the public deserve to hear about...

    (1)

  • Hangover O.

    The food here is ok not great and the portions are also pretty small the price too is on the expensive side. Chicken was not fully cooked

    (2)

  • Rono W.

    Had the Double Chelo Chicken Koobideh (9). It was great. Can't wait to come back

    (4)

  • Patricia S.

    this place is just ok my husband likes it so we go there once I a while the owner is very nice I suggest its worth a try

    (3)

  • D E.

    I usually get the koobideh and chicken kabob combo and it's enough food for two meals. A couple of times the chicken has been a bit dry, but in general, the food is consistently good. The man who owns the place is really nice, and even though I probably only stop by once every month and a half, he still manages to remember me.

    (4)

  • Patrick R.

    im loving the shawarmas and the falafels here the kabobs are pretty good good freindly service and not super crowded definetely an out of the way spot to just hang out and have a quiet dinner with freinds

    (3)

  • Zeke S.

    (probabyl 3 1/2 stars) Kabobs are good. Kabobs are fine. Kabobs make all other bobs look sad, even Bob Hope. I will name my next son "Kabert." House of Kabob is a whole house of kabobs and what can be wrong with that? Its pretty good, conveniently located and they serve food pretty quick. The place is clean and the owner is way way friendly. Overall the food was a little less flavorful then City Kabobs a couple mile away (of course getting your food in under an hour is a big plus over city kabob). The red flake powder (name?) did not have the zing that I expect and the kabobs were a little bland in comparison. Overall a great place to get lunch, but I have had much better kabobs in terms of the overall spectrum of meat on a stick.

    (3)

  • Nancy C.

    Yesterday I had my first experience with Persian food at the House of Kabobs in Sunnyvale - and "Yay! I'm a Fan! I was treated to the lamb, chicken, and koobideh (ground chicken/lamb/beef) kabobs, a great lunch! I don't usually rave about rice, but their twice-cooked saffron-topped basmati rice was worth bringing home. Reasonable prices, good food, great location.

    (4)

  • Helen H.

    Delicious chicken koobideh and saffron rice. The beef kabobs were not good, too much gristle and dry. Good flavor, just poor cut of meat. Wish the entree came with more vegetables just than a piece of tomato. It was roasted and charred and had good flavor at least. I came because was craving falafels. Unfortunately, they're not available as an appetizer by itself so got the wrap. Wasn't impressed because the falafel is very dry by itself and the bread to filling ratio is too high. Could have eaten the extra bread with hummus, but didn't think to order it in the beginning. That's all my husband and I tried today. the beef and eggplant stew (#29 on the menu) sounded good and I would like to try this, maybe as takeout after work some night. I would come back for more koobideh and rice but not falafel or beef kabobs.

    (4)

  • christine l.

    We had a friend's birthday party there tonight, which went well because where else can you: * Order appetizers and whatever you want off the menu without worrying what kind of ballooning bill you're going to get from your large group (~20 people) * Get friendly, personalized service that was also SPEEDY, especially given that the waiter/owner/chef was extremely busy -- it was a full house that night (mostly due to our large party). I don't know how he does it, but he does. * Feast on amazing, juicy, grilled meat (oh, the MEAT!), saffron rice, and even satisfy the vegetarians in the group for $~10/entree? The price is right. The place isn't super fancy, but it's clean and also doesn't have any of the super-fancy restrictions that many places inflict on large parties, like minimum charges, or trying to get you to order way more than you need/want . They didn't even add an an automatic gratuity even though we had 20 people (but we sure left a good tip, because they totally deserved it)/

    (4)

  • Jonathan C.

    Mmmm tasty. And people love them on yelp too. At the behest of one of my co-workers who discovered this restaurant just a week earlier, we ordered a set of take out. My surprise when they said our orders would be ready within 10 minutes. Fast service! I ordered the double koobideh with rice. Koobideh was excellent, solid, though yet juicy. Slightly salty though, but went well with the rice. The tomato was grilled well. Juicy and hot, all the way through. Surprisingly good for take out - dishes soon get lukewarm. They provide that sumac seasoning (the reddish spices) in a nice side small cup. By accident, I spilled all of it into my rice. It was too much texturally, the rice was a bit soft, but I tasted hard pieces of the sumac while chewing. Didn't taste so good afterwards, but hey, my fault. I'll be more careful of the sumac next time. I'll have to try another dish here sometime, especially other kabobs. 4 stars - Decent food for this neck of the woods. Great for takeout - quick service.

    (4)

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Map

Opening Hours

  • Mon :11:00 am - 8:00pm

Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : Yes
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Bike Parking : Yes
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
    Outdoor Seating : Yes
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : Yes
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : Yes

House of Kabobs

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