I love this place! It's so, so much better than Moby Dick's just down the street (and elsewhere in the DC area). But don't be deceived by the name focusing on kabobs: it's also a lot more diverse than Moby Dick's, because it's a full restaurant that seems to be one of the best places for experiencing Persian cuisine in the area. Compared to Moby Dick's, the bread is dramatically better: cooked and leavened just right, instead of the flat/stale taste down the street. Kabobs come with lots of fresh, raw greens/radishes too. And the folks running the place are really friendly (so much nicer than their neighbors to the right, that's for sure). Highly recommended for both dine-in and take-out. read more

Really disappointing. We bought two entrees and both were disappointing. The Fish kabob in particular was inedible due to extreme dryness.

Come here with my family all the time. The owner and his wife are SO friendly and welcoming. The food is great. They even have delicious Persian ice cream that I absolutely love. We always have such a great time when we come. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

We definitely miss the Bethesda location as it was only a few minutes from us. We love the other location as well. The food is always fantastic, the service is great and the owner is a true gentleman who has always made us feel welcomed, at any location we've been to. Love this place. read more

This is what heaven must taste like. My favorite restaurant which I have not been able to patronize in over a year is open for business. Same lovely warm and welcoming staff. Picked up my two favorite dishes for a quick lunch: grilled vegetables and kashk-o-badmejan. Absolutely perfect. Just as I remembered it. Tastes heavenly! read more

This place is AMAZING. I have never actually ate at the restaurant always have picked up. Every time it satisfies my cravings. Everything is super yummy, you can't go wrong but my lamb kabobs and Greek salads are my favorites. The customer service is AAMZING. I ordered $200 worth of to go for Mother's Day and forgot the yogurt sauce and they were so apologetic they provided a tray of appetizers and cookies AND a huge order of white sauce. 5 stars alllll the way!!! read more

This place really great. Their kabob is juicy, flavorful, and tender. Portions are fairly decent as well. Definitely worth a visit for some authentic Persian food. Try branching outside of kabob and you won't be sorry. Absolutely worth a trip. read more

A lovely Old World dining spot with authentic Persian food and ambience. I stumbled across it over Super Bowl Sunday and was treated like royalty. Mostly gone are restaurants with well-dressed waiters in their 60s who still have the grace and manners of yore. Not here! I will be back with a special guest than can appreciate its quiet, unassuming charm. read more

Great place to eat Persian food. Food is great and so are the employees especially Abbas agha, he is so nice and polite... highly recommended! read more

It's hard to write a bad review, as most of my dining experiences are favorable. However, we hired Kabob Bazaar to cater selected meals for our daughter's Persian wedding reception. Though we insisted that the courses be Halal, as many Muslims were in attendance, half of the main courses were not Halal. A terrible disappointment for us and our guests. We cannot recommend them for catering important events. read more

I tried combination of Chenje Kubide. I liked chenje it was so tasty but Kubide was not perfect. I recommend you try Dough. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Combination of Chenje Kubide - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

On time delivery, and always good. Will definitely come back in person after COVID time. Thanks

This is our first visit to this restaurant. We are really amazed how good the food is. This is by far one of the beat Persian Food Restaurants in Washington DC Metro area. Excellent Service and very reasonably priced! read more

I never expected that some of the best Persian food I'd ever tried would be here. I now live in NYC where it's surprisingly hard to find Persian food, let alone find some great Shireen Polo. Let me tell you, this dish is one of the best things that's ever happened to me and this restaurant serves the best version I've encountered. I'm currently in my NYC office eating a Shireen Polo that does not live up to the standard of Kabob Bazaar. I remember the flavorful rice, the sweet orange peels, the full bodied flavor. If you enjoy Thai mango rice, you'll definitely enjoy the Shireen Polo here. I'm going to go ahead and finish up what I'm currently eating and plan for my next trip to Virginia to include this great place. I'm sure the rest of their food is good and I can confirm their desserts are great as well. Happy Eating! read more

Ridiculous. Torsch is perfect and every stew and soup I've had has been great as well. A fun bread basket at every table and delicious hot tea. Far and away the best restaurant in the neighborhood for a sit down meal read more

Go for the kebabs like everyone else. They're excellent. The "Specials" are not worth the price...you can find better portions elsewhere. The Good -Friendly service -The kebabs are excellent and authentic as everyone mentions -Rice tastes the way Persian rice should The Bad -The "specials" are VERY tiny portions. In most of the weekend specials, you only get 2 tiny chicken nuggets of meat in sauce for $14. No exaggeration. You're basically paying for a plate of rice, absurd. read more

What an absolutely amazing experience! We love to travel and love Persian food even more so any time we travel we try to find at least one Persian restaurant. This one is a gem!!! Even though it was a fairly busy night, the person that answered the phone let us know she would reserve a table for us after I mentioned we were from out of town. We got there and I loved the ambiance. We ordered 3 or 4 appetizers and two entrees as well as tea and dessert. I have not even one complaint! Everything was phenomenal!!! It all tasted freshly prepared, perfectly seasoned and came out with just enough time to enjoy each course. I wish we lived nearby so we could have taken home leftovers because it was just so delicious!! We often come to the DC area and I think I have found my new favorite restaurant!!! read more

It's a little bland and I ordered shish kabob and it was not skewered. Overall not good and sort of sad I went with this place instead of another. There's like no seasoning on the vegetables. I had to grad salt and pepper to at least add flavor. I would like to edit this review and say that the presentation and portions is nice. The pita is also good. read more

This is probably the worst rating service I've ever gotten from any restaurant ever. I called them two times and they cut both times then I called again and explained to them that they cut and then they did not even apologize. It is Nowruz and places like this are supposed to treat you with open arms because this is when they do the highest business. But it is a joke that they call themselves a kabob authentic four star restaurant and treat their callers like trash and are unapologetic. Like I really for the life of me don't understand why a SERVICE industry restaurant has the balls to hang up on someone who calls twice. Not only is this place not going to get a good review I'm going to find a way to complain about them to the food board. read more

I was there on a short visit from New York. The food is great considering I've been to some of the best Persian restaurants in NYC. The appetizers were delicious and the kabobs are well marinated with fresh meat and chicken, and very tender. I loved the rice as well. The waiter was friendly, attending and polite and all the other staff were helpful as well, except that I got my check before I even asked for it. It is well known that in Manhattan many places expect you to leave once you're finished because they need the table. But here, they still had additional tables and I was not there for long. I was asked if I wanted to order anything else and the check was ready in the waiter's hand. It is not a proper manner in restaurant business, unless the customer is too cheap to spend or too lazy to leave, which was not the case for me. Other than that, I was very happy and I would go again if I'm in the area, for the food is delicious. read more

This restaurant is always my favorite steakhouse in Arlington. I loved that Saturday and Sunday special foods. also tea with lemonade and honey was so good when you get cold, just try this tea. You will be love it. Thank you guys read more

Highly recommend the chicken with the bone in majority of the food at this place is pretty good they should work on their kubedeh formula. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Awesome food. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Like an addict, I needed my "fix" on Persian food (seeing that I'm half persian). A friend suggested this restuarant and I was just ending my Sunday work day at my Arlington office. This is a very conveniently located restaurant and I could tell right away that this was a very authentic persian restuarant b/c of all the persians hanging around speaking in Farsi. We sat outside and people watched all the Persians that happen to walk in and out of this spot and this one Russian guy riding his bike up and down the side walk talking some gibberish. B/c it was a semi-hot summr day, I felt like having Salmon Kabob, but at the same time I really REALLY wanted Bargh, so I ordered a split order of Salmon along with Bargh, and also got a half order of rice and filled the other half with a salad. As an appetizer we ordered the Tahgdig, with a persian stew on top. For those of you not familiar with persian cuisine, Tahdig, is crispy rice taken from the bottom of the pot in which the rice is cooked. So it's super crunchy, but with the stew on top, it makes it more manageable to chew. Overall, I give this place 3.5 stars, and wouldn't mind coming back for another "fix" :) read more

It's 10:02am as I write this review. It would've been 10:00am on the dot, but as soon as I pulled up the listing I thought "ooh, I have leftover kabobs I should eat first!" Went last night and loved it! So why 4 stars? Well, sadly I think that's just because I prefer the Afghan/Pakistani style of kabobs a little bit more. While I loved my Iranian kabobs, I really did miss rice, chickpeas, and fluffy bread. I'm also used to spicier chicken. But KB is different so at least that gives me a reason to come back! It just sucks that all great kabob restaurants are in Arlington. Someone should file an antitrust lawsuit and get some "Arlington-quality" kabobs out in the suburbs. The highlight of my meal was the kubideh. Possibly the best kubideh I've had. Tender, juicy and with a delicious char on the outside. Chicken was great too, but just didn't excite me as much. One thing to note is how great of a deal you can get. When I saw $9.95 for a Chicken Soltani (chicken and kubideh combo) I thought for sure it would be a pathetic size. Nope, it was huge! Also had the salad shirazi for a measily $3.25 (if memory serves me). Again, huge! Hopefully Leila S. and family don't take this advice, but they could probably raise prices by 15-20% and no one would notice. read more

Ooooooh! So delicious! We wanted something (mostly) healthy. We wanted something good. Those two don't often go in the same sentence but when you go with Middle Eastern, your chances are good! We started off with a vegetarian dish that had tabouleh and falafel. I found the tabouleh to be okay but this was my first time with falafel. Yes! So good. I know I'll be ordering that again! For the main entree I had the lamb the kabob. She had the chicken and lamb. I ate a piece of her chicken. I didn't have to share my lamb. My lamb was legit. Servings were big. The dish came with green peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Everything tasted fresh and flavorful. Both meals came with rice sprinkled with I think, cheese. It's a nice touch... not my first choice of how this would be served so next time I would request this on the side. But all was good. Overall, a good choice. I was pleased and full but not in a food coma. I wish we had more places like this in the 757. read more

A crowded restaurant isn't always an indication of good quality, but in this case the droves of lunchers all knew what I just found out - that Kabob Bazaar has some great food! After hossing around stuff for the Yelp '08 party, Miriam and I had worked up quite an appetite. Good thing she knew of this place, just a short walk from Eleventh Street Lounge. Even during the busy lunch rush, we were able to find a table with minimal difficulty. I grabbed a lamb shish kabob and opted for bread instead of rice. I ordered the lamb cooked medium and came out tender and tasty like it should. The grilled tomatoes, peppers, mushrooms, and onions were good, but nothing spectacular. What I found myself chowing down more than anything was the bread! Warm and soft, it tasted great whether dunked in the yogurt sauce, or squeezed with lemon juice. I only find myself around Clarendon metro about three times a year it seems, but this is definitely a spot I'll remember for my next visit. read more

If ever anyone is out in Arlington, VA you gotta visit my peeps. Yup! I'm reviewing my parents' restaurant. I forewarn you all now, I am just a tad bit biased because the chef is my Baba (Dad). And he cooks at home just as he cooks in the restaurant....with tons of lovin' and authenticity. Freshly made pita bread, so it's warm when it hits the table. Have it with yogurt and cucumber (Must-o-Kheyar), or Sauteed eggplant (Kashk-o-Bademjan). I usually get Chenjeh Soltani (combo skewers of kubideh and chunks of lamb). Unless they have specials for the night like Ghormeh Sabzi or Gheymeh (two different beef stews, Persian style). And for dessert...homemade baklava (my Momma makes 'em at home and always has an extra tray for me to take) Gotta love the parents!!!! read more

One of the best food ever, very humble and kind and super sweet personal. I love the place and food and service

It's a smaller restaurant with a homey feel. I had a beef skewer combo. You have a choice of bread or rice. Get the bread. It comes on a homemade flat bread and the bread is excellent (and actually my favorite part of the meal). The meat was a bit bland and also dry. I ordered medium but it was definitely well-done. Service was friendly and fast. It's a decent choice for a casual meal. read more

I'm only rating this based on service, not taste. I ordered at 6:10 for pick up. They told me 20 minutes. I got there at 6:40. I didn't get my food until 6:55. The guy had to TAKE MY ORDER AGAIN, which says to me they never made it nor put it into the system. He also wasn't wearing his mask on his nose and the restaurant was packed with people that were in no way socially distanced. I will not support this place again with such poor service and lack of safety measures. read more

Coming from a Persian family, I'm incredibly picky about my Persian food. This place can honestly rival some of my own mother's cooking!! The kabob is good... but its not what I go for. In fact, I rarely order kabob from here. Go and order WHATEVER is on special (they change every day), this is where the restaurant truly shines!! Adas Polo (rice with lentils and dates served with chicken), Estamboli polo (super moist rice with potatoes green beans and chunks of fork tender meat), the Baghali Polo with lamb shank - are you kidding me?!?! A heaping plate of the yummiest rice with lima beans and a GIANT lamb shank, meat falling off the bone ... for under $10?? The food is incredible!! For appetizers: the dolmeh are fantastic and served warm... truly delicious. The Kashk-o-Bademjan is amazing. Eggplant and khask with sweet carmelized onions on top. Order the noon, paneer and sabzee: a basket of fresh herbs, bread, radishes, persian cheese and walnuts. It will supplement your entire meal. I love the Olovieyeh Sandwich. Think... Persian Chicken salad, wrapped up in delicious bread with tangy pickles. I usually stuff mine full of herbs. The kubideh sandwich is good too. The ashereshte soup is my winter-time favorite. A thick soup with noodles and greens... made as perfectly as my grand mother makes it! For dessert don't pass on the Persian ice cream or the Persian pastries. It doesn't disappoint!! It's the only place I've been able to find in the DC area that actually offers authentic Persian dishes (not just the standard kabob and rice). Just get what's on special! Also - not on the menu, but ask for a side of "crunchy rice" topped with one of the daily stews. Its the rice from the bottom of the pan (called tah-deeg). It's to die for! read more

The fact that a Persian introduced me to Kabob Bazaar is a good sign. There are always Persian men sitting at the bar watching TV or chatting, which lends more credibility, and even when it's close to closing time, there's a crowd. Once, they let us in although they'd be closing in 10 minutes because we really wanted some ice cream. I've been here numerous times and every time is delicious. The ash-e-rashteh is huge, delicious, and filling. The lamb (I only ever order lamb because YUM) is always succulent, the yogurt is tangy and fresh, the tea is steeped well, the barberry rice is mouth-watering, and the Persian ice cream and paludeh/falludeh is fantastic. In fact, I have been known to metro here just for the ice cream. Don't leave until you've tried it. The service is sometimes abrupt, but always efficient and generally friendly. The prices are definitely reasonable, and it's a nice environment for a group of friends or a casual date. It's a step up from Moby Dick, and I think very worth the extra few dollars/longer metro ride. During the nicer weather, it's nice to sit on the patio and watch people while enjoying your meal. Definitely high on my restaurant rotation. read more

I ordered lamb sandwich. The service was good and the food was delicious. The atmosphere is not noisy a nice place to have dinner. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

How do I even begin to describe Kabob Bazaar? I can't think of the words. Maybe it's because I don't speak Farsi, or maybe it's because it's THAT good. Now yes, I will admit I am a bit biased seeing as how my best friend's parents own the place, and I've probably enjoyed the "take out" so to speak more often than I've been to the restaurant itself (hey why get off your butt when the deliciousness comes to you!), but I promise you will not be disappointed by ANYTHING at Kabob Bazaar. Everything from the Kabob to the amazing stews is fantastic. Half of the Persians (ok MORE than half of the Persians) in the DC metro wouldn't eat there if it wasn't amazing. You'll also see a nice mix of other ethnicities enjoying the Persian flava, so don't be shy if you're not from the Middle East. Everyone loves a good kabob right? :) read more

I don't know why I haven't reviewed this place sooner, as it's been my favorite place to eat for about the last 4 years. Oh yeah, I've been drunk for the last few months. Anyway, hands down the best kabob joint you'll find in Arlington, or even in the DC metro area as far as I know. I normally hit this place at least once a month. And when I meet someone who hasn't been there, it's always my first recommendation. (And yes I will gladly take some free food for all of the business I have given them.) They start you out with Must-o-Kheyar, and even that is somehow better than most places. I don't exactly know the names of all of the different meats, as I'm a honky, but I've definitely had the chicken, beef, and lamb, and they all come out moist and perfectly spiced. I like the combo, which is one of each, usually a lamb and a steak. The eggplant is a tasty vegetarian option, but I like my meat too much. And you must try the rose water-pistachio ice cream. My favorite ice cream ever. I'm not even a big dessert person but I always cram one of these down at the end of a meal. It's too good to pass up. The outdoor seating is a nice bonus, and a really good option if you want to sit outside and have a few drinks with your meal. For some reason it's normally not as packed as the several other outdoor options in that neighborhood, which is weird because the food is so much better. Eat here, you won't regret it. read more

It's hard to add much that hasn't already been said. The family and I went here twice during the holidays with friends and family in from out of town. It was nice the first time we went with friends that had been there before. We would not have known what to get. It is Persian, not Lebanese, so it's a little different that what you might expect. We had Kubideh with rice, which is like a beef kabob, but the beef is sort of like meatballs. I'm not sure how they are seasoned, but they are very tasty. The kids liked them too. We also got a vegetarian platter, which included hummus, tabbouleh and falafel. We liked that they give you bread with a slightly spicy cucumber/yogurt dip too. The service was very good and as others have said, it was clearly popular with people of middle eastern descent. read more

Good people run this place. But I think the rent on the blvd sucks away the the money that could go towards the quality of the food. In short you get for what you're paying for. If you're looking for a quick middle eastern meal you have. But it is a bit of a far cry from the original recipes and flavors. I'd give food 3 stars and service 5 stars. read more

This is a tough one to review. If you want a good healthy kabob that won't make you feel like crap afterwards then this is a great place. Just know it comes at the expense of an underwhelming flavor profile (like most healthy alternatives) and you won't get all the extra sides you would get at a place like Kabob Palace (the gold standard of kabob). The staff is awesome here and the environment is clean and welcoming. Good experience overall, just wish the food had a bit more bang for the tastebuds. read more

How I heard of this place: A new friend in Arlington suggested it. We quickly learned it's a Clarendon favorite! Type of cuisine: Persian rice and kabobs, including beef, lamb and chicken varieties. Skewers of meat, sometimes with vegetables, always with grilled tomatoes served over rice or bread. Ambiance: Outdoor patio seating, chained in, with small, mismatched tables and chairs welcomed our party. One green, plastic table with plastic, faux wood center and matching chairs were accompanied by a retro, white linoleum top and silver border. The large, double doors opened up from the restaurant onto the patio, creating what seemed to be an open space that allowed for restaurant furniture to transition between the two areas. The sun glaring above, over the trees that provided shade onto the sidewalk and patio, made it difficult to see the inside, but the darkness, dim lighting and romantic ambiance was apparent. What I ordered: To start, our table was presented with a basket of warm, fresh baked pita bread, sliced radishes and spring onions, and a bounty of greens (parsley, mint, basil), with small, plastic containers of watery yogurt and dried mint. We had one order for a pitcher of homemade doogh ($7.95) at our table, less carbonated and more thick yogurt, as well as the addition of fresh mint leaves to accompany the dried. For dinner, Kubideh Kabob, two skewers of ground sirloin mixed with grated onion and house seasoning, over rice ($8.95) and a side of grilled tomatoes, and Jujeh Kabob, marinated chunks of boneless and skinless breast of chicken, seved with rice ($9.45) and grilled tomatoes. Others in our party enjoyed the Chicken Soltani, a combination of one skewer of kubideh and one chicken, with rice ($11.75), the Chicken Shish Kabob, marinated chunks of boneless and skinless breast served with grilled mushroom, green pepper, tomato, and onion, with rice ($10.45), and the Chenjeh Kabob ($10.45), marinated chunks of prime beef, with zereshk polo (for an additional cost), fluffy basmati rice mixed with saffron and barberries. For dessert, the Napoleon ($2.95), phyllo pastry lightly layered with cream and dusted with powdered sugar, served on a plate drizzled with chocolate, a Chocolate Mousse Cake ($5-something), a light, chocolate mousse atop a thin layer of moist cake, decorated with chocolate curls and set atop a plate drizzled with chocolate sauce, Persian Ice Cream ($3.75), homemade ice cream flavoured with rose water and saffron and mixed with pistachio nuts, and the Combination Delight ($4.95), a combination of the ice cream and paludeh (Paludeh Shirazi, rice noodles boiled in syrup, mixed with crushed ice, flavoured with rose water and served with lemon juice). On a return visit, Saturday, May 14, 2011: Two of us shared the Chenjeh Kabob ($10.45), marinated chunks of grilled, prime beef, with rice. To accompany that, we also ordered a large bowl of Chicken Noodle Soup ($4.95), a Persian chicken soup mixed with carrots, fresh herbs, potatoes, corn, and noodles. The soup was perfectly Persian, flavored with a generous amount of fresh squeezed lemon juice and an abundance of herbs. One of our two dining companions ordered the Kubideh Kabob with rice. The second opted for the Barreh Kabob ($10.45), chunks of marinated prime lamb, with rice. What I loved: Of the dinner, I really enjoyed the jujeh kabob most, moist and tender, juicy and well-marinated. The rice was fluffy and perfectly prepared. The warm bread and presentation of the basket were a welcome embrace and created the best mini appetizer to whet our appetites before the meals arrived. The desserts, all of which I sampled, were, each one, sweet and delicious. My Napoleon was light and not too dense or sweet. The mousse, creamy and fluffy, yet full of chocolate goodness. The ice cream and paludeh, sweet, and rose-scented made for a surprise, as I was giving them a chance, but prepared for preferring my own. In fact, I wanted to take another bite, and another! Even the doogh was surprisingly good! Why I loved it: The portions are more manageable than many Persian kabob houses, and the opportunity to share still exists! The low cost and convenient location, great company and friendly staff make for a winning combination! Cost: Low to average ($9-$15 per dinner entree) read more

I scream, you scream, we all scream for meats on sticks. Who doesn't love well seasoned meat, chicken or fish cooked over a red hot flames on a steel stick? Kabob Bazaar serves up authentic Persian food that's light on your wallet and heavy on taste. The Chicken Barg with Rice comes with juicy pieces of spicy chicken breast, jasmine rice and charred tomatos. A filling dish that can be lunch the next day. Other winners are the Kibbeh Kabobs (ground lamb with plenty of spices) and the Chicken Ju Jeh (like barg but less spicy). Stay away from the Falafel, a little too seasoned for my taste with large corriander seeds and too much parsley in the mix. The Hummous and Must Khey are both tasty treats and help round out your persian feast. Bazaar doesn't deliever but pickup is easy and doesn't take much time if you order there to take with you. read more