Had heard about this place for a while and decided to check it out. My wife and I went for lunch. The service was good nothing special. I asked a question about one of the spices and the guy didn't know. Which was the only 'bad' thing. The food was delicious we had the chicken kabob. The price average. read more

I returned to my Shishleek and it is not the same. It's been about four years, so perhaps recipes and management has changed. But it is definitely for the worse. The shishleek tasted like it was seasoned with salt and pepper and nothing more. Very disappointing, especially for the price. I again used a coupon, but was told that I wasn't allowed to use it with any of the daily dinner specials (the coupon stated that lunch specials weren't allowed, which I can understand, as lunch specials are usually discounted, but the coupon did not state that dinner specials weren't allowed). The daily specials were numerous and were for the most part the only items on the menu that weren't kabobs, so excluding them was a real disappointment. I also tried the marinated beef chunk kabob and the meat seemed tough and unflavorful. Based on this latest experience, the restaurant just seems like a pricey kabob spot in Clarendon, though the outdoor seating was nice. And definitely don't order the Shishleek unless they get their act together. At $18, it's no better than the beef kabob for $12. read more

Iranian / Persian cuisine. Excellent food, and wonderful location just steps away from Clarendon Metro Station. So authentic. The two rice lunch specials were outta this world good. One had dates, lentils, and raisins. The other had berries and saffron. Supposed to come with chicken quarter but they were out, substituted with chicken thigh kabob, excellent. Lamb kabob was the best though, just superbly done and succulent. You have to order at the counter, for lunch anyway. read more

Great location! Open air dining available too outside! The chicken kabobs are excellent! Lamb kabob was good too! The persian ice cream is to die for! The chicken soup however, sucked and baklava was a little dry. However, you go there for the kabobs so all in all a pretty good place! read more

I recommend the shish kabob beef with rice or shish kabob lamb with salad. The bread and spinach dip are also excellent. The outdoor seating was excellent. Seating was available shortly after 5 PM. The flavor on the meat could be enhanced with more seasoning. I would have preferred more peppers than onions being used. Overall, I enjoyed this restaurant. read more

Love this place the food & service is great makes me appreciate every time like the 1st time...My favorite is the koobideh with rice seems like a simple dish but not everyone makes it great! read more

Good food, great customer service in Arlington VA. I'm glad they survived the COVID situation and still we have them in the neighborhood.

OMG.... the food was out of this world.... I loooooooved the kubideh!!! I took my parents and my grandparents out here because of the reviews and they did not lead me astray.... Service was extremely friendly.... if one waiter got busy, another came quickly to help. The palludeh was awesome.... better than Shamshiry's... and to be honest, I thought the kubideh was better than Shamshiry's. Don't let the decor fool you, this place is DE-LISH! One caveat, I'm not used to spicey must-o-khiyar... just a warning to those who crave and go there, ask for the appetizer of must-o-khiyar instead of what comes in the bread baskets and you will enjoy every last drop! I can't wait to go again! read more

Decor, service, bread, mint tea - 5 star Rice and roasted tomato - 4 star Beef kabob - 2 star After having tried many Kabob restaurants, this kabob didn't satify me enough. Kabob was kind of dry and didn't have spice and flavor that I expected. read more

First time having persian and our waitress was great about helping us out a bit. The food all seems very fresh and flavorful. There are definitely a lot of interesting, and unique flavors going on, and in many of the dishes they were very strong and opposing, but came together in a really good way. Just not flavor profiles I'm used to having in a single bite. The prices are extremely reasonable, and the dessert is not to be missed. We got the combination dessert which was pistachio ice cream and some sort of creamy persian icee with noodles. Again they were very different flavors that seemed like they should be nowhere near each other, but came together to be really, really good. Rich and creamy pistachio ice cream mixed with icee topped with lemon juice. Sounded too strange not to try, and I'm really glad we did. We will definitely be back in the summer when the patio opens up. read more

My friend bought a Groupon so we came here for dinner. The restaurant had a continuous flow of people coming in, but it wasn't packed. The waitress was nice, but was extremely difficult about using Groupon. She said it's only valid if we purchased it more than 24 hours ago, if we made reservations in advance, if four people were dining (our party of 3 planned to order for 4 anyway), etc. Everything we ordered was very good, especially the meat dishes (beef and lamb). The rice was also really good. My only complaint is that it's a little bland; I had to use the cucumber sauce that came with the pita to eat with my meat and rice. Perhaps that's how it is commonly eaten, but without the sauce, the meat's rather dry. read more

Tasty and affordable Iranian dish. The kabob Torsh came with olives and salad Shirazi which wad good. The kabob was good too. The prices are affordable for a good quality food. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Kabob torsh comes with olive and salad shirazi. The other one is soltani-barg combo. Good quality food with good price. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

See all

I'm a big kabob fan, but this place has not got the taste that you're looking for. They dont serve real kabob. Wasting money.

Would give 4.5 because parking was a pain and the lentil and bean soup was very mediocre Otherwise, service & location were great. The lamb kabab (called shishleek on menu) was the best I've had anywhere. The kubideh and tongue sandwich were excellent, as was the bread, yogurt sauce and greens that came with the food. Wish they had whole wheat bread though, that would probably have made it a 5-star rating. Oh and dessert combo was delicious. Cant wait to go back read more

the absolute Best!! Bread, yogurt Sauce, greens, rice, kabob and I believe the owner's wife make the baklava. read more

So I'm not an expert in Persian food, but this place is f'ing amazing. Along with Sakuramen in Admo, Crisp N Juicy off Lee, this is my go to place for great/quick food. Here's what I get, and i've probably told 30 other people to get this...all are regulars now... 1. The Tea. Put a few sugar cubes in...your good to go. 2. Hummus App. Probably not the best hummus in the world, you can def. get better bread somewhere else, but the hummus nonetheless is still pretty good. 3. Lamb or Chicken Sultani Combo with Rice... So the sultani combo meals...WOW. The meat is insane good. Not kidding, I go out to Clarendon 4-5 times a week to eat (I live right in the heart of it) I got to Kabob Bazaar 2x a week. It's always amazing, and trust me you won't have a bad visit. If I were goign to have a meal before I died, this place ultimately wouldn't be it, but it would be in the discussion...that's how good it is :) read more

In Summary: - Location: Convenient just cross the street from metro, Old and in need of renovation and cleanup to get to Clarendon standard in particular restroom is bad (1*) - Wait time: Non (5*) - Service: Very friendly, but staff need to work on their costumer service (3*) - Food: Delicious (5*) - Price: Very reasonable (5*) We stop by here last night. This was my first time to a an Iranian restaurant. My first impression was not good as the place really needs renovation. If I had to stop by the restroom before we got our food I would have left. I got Barg Kabak with bred. We got basket of fresh bred and some greens and a yogurt based souse as starter. It appears it is included no matter what you order. Our food arrived very fast and was very delicious. Hot bred with well cooked meat and grilled tomato, Uhmmm Long story short, If you are looking for good food this is the place to go but do not have high expectations, it is not a fancy place for date or dinning. read more

The service was amazing, maybe i didnt get the best dish. The lamb was tender and juicy but it lacked some flavor, i enjoyed the kufta alot. Worth every penny read more

Kabob Bazaar - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

See all

Abbas First time there and will defiantly go back because the food was delicious and service was great. The server, Abbas, is so friendly and puts a smile on your face along with a friendly atmosphere. read more

The Service is awesome and the food to die for! Staff goes out of their way to make you happy which is very rare in this day and age! You must also try their Persian hot tea, it's bottomless and they keep filling your glass for you! I tried the swordfish with herb-rice and salad and it was delicious. My favorite place in DC. read more

So good! Went with my family and we all had a great meal. I got the spicy chicken kabobs and they were so tender and delicious. Our waiter was so kind and hospitable. Highly recommend! read more

Great food and service. Enjoyed very much. I had the ghormeh bademjan. I'll definitely be back.

Excellent quality Barg and Chenjeh. Don't forget the Dizi / Kaleh Pacheh on weekends.

Wow the best food.. I am Persian and very picky. The food was wonderful.. the serve is great and kind. Loved the fact that there was Persian working there. Everytime I'm in Washington I am coming here. The kabob was wonderful it melts in your mouth. Better then anything I tried.. read more

Eating here right now on July 4th. Not impressed with service. Server acted like he could not stick around and talk about the menu with me or suggest any popular items. I ordered the lamb soltarini and it was good except.... I asked for plain yogurt which the dish did not come with(weird I know) and was upcharged!! How can you serve a dish like that with NO YOGURT! then upcharge me!! REDONKULOUS. ordered hummus for app. Not worth your five bucks nothing special. Stay away from the sweet rice shireen polo rice, once again another 3.00 upcharge for no tastebud satisfaction! But unless you like the taste of sweet rice! To me it wasn't a good pairing. On a good note when said I did not like the sweet rice they sent me out just plain rice which was nice and took off the sweet rice! the meat was pretty tasty as well. Overall not really impressed! Bummer. read more

Kabob Bazaar - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Outside the box for us and we Loved it! Portions are large and price is very reasonable. We are from out of state but if we find ourselves in DC again we will absolutely be back! Try the lamb or chicken shish kabobs! read more

Kabob Bazaar - Kabob bazaar in Arlington! Great start to our night! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I've been eating at Kabob Bazaar for the 25 years I've lived in this area, but hadn't gone there in a couple of years (live in a different part of Arlington that is close to a different kabob place). Went today for lunch and was reminded how great it is. Delicious shish kebob worth the drive and LOVE the curbside delivery. It is absolutely superior to other kabob places. read more

my family has been coming here for 15 years now. The staff have literally watched my siblings and I grow up. They are extremely friendly and they remodeled the place so it is a lot nicer. My family is Persian and there aren't very many good middle eastern eats around (aside from fast food Moby dick) I enjoy the food here a lot and I recommend highly as a middle eastern restaurant in the surrounding area. read more

Awesome food every-time! my favorite place to eat when I am in DC area. friendly staffs and owners are very polite .

I loved it here! Kalle pache, ash reshte and torshi!!! Super yummy persian food. I recommend everyone to try this place. Would go back anytime read more

If you ever wonder where your food actually gets prepared, just do a little chicken necking to the kitchen which is crusted with germs and black crusted stains and molds. Take a look at the bathrooms and door handles where their staff and manager handle the door knob and get to prepare food next. Read some of the reviews of those whom had a chance to see beyond the food taste!! Only if you know how your food was being prepaid, you would have never eaten there again ! I also never forget the time that the cucumber fell off a salad dish when the manager was bringing it to a table having their back toward him. He gently picked it up, first put it in the tray, and then quietly moved it to the plate and hand it to the customer. I never went back to this restaurant after this! If you ever get sick after having their food, report to it to the health department. read more

A hybrid -- order at the counter and they bring your food when it is ready. Started off with complimentary warm flat bread with yogurt sauce and a couple of radish sections. Tasty. Main course was Cornish game hen. Quite tasty and filling. And at $11 with rice and a couple of roasted tomato sections, quite reasonably priced. Glad it is a short walk from home. read more

So yummy and consistently good! Today I had the lamb stew with garbanzo beans and white beans. It was one of the specials for today and it was absolutely amazing!!! My husband had the jujeh kabob with rice and it was exactly what he wanted! We highly recommend both dishes. I also love that they serve warm bread with yogurt sauce, radishes, parsley, and cilantro. Service is very attentive. read more

This is my go-to place for birthday party catering as well as relaxing but delicious dinner with friends. The Persian food I came to love throughout the past 19 years is authentic, delicious, delightful! read more

Kabob Bazaar - 20+ person farewell party! - Middle Eastern Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Craving kabobs and falafel... too tipsy to walk there... order by Takeout Taxi! 40 minutes later we were noshing on warm rice, tender chicken breast, lamb, falafel and warm chewy flatbread. I rarely like my tomatoes cooked but with a kabob dinner, they serve as a moist and sweet element to the meal. There is a huge amount of rice and the raita/yogurt dressing is peppery which is actually a great sauce for dipping the bread into. Drool. read more

Open for 15 years now, Kabob Bazaar, specializing in Iranian fare, is consistently full of Middle Eastern locals, which is always a good sign. The inside has a comfortable feel and the bar is particularly nice to eat at. The outside seating is also a nice option. Be prepared not to understand any of the conversations going on around you though. I went today for a late lunch. They had the green rice with fava (and chicken if you want to substitute) special still available, but I opted to try a bunch of small dishes instead. First tip, order some Persian tea AND a glass of cold water. The tea is served to you scalding hot and you may want to temper with a few cubes of ice. I chose to sweeten mine with the saffron sugar instead of the regular sugar cubes to make the experience more authentic. It was different - not good and not bad, but I won't be running out to purchase any. First came the Noon Paneer Sabzi which was a pile of various fresh herbs, chunks of feta cheese, and walnuts served with crispy baked pita bread. I wasn't expecting it to be such a LARGE pile of herbs. From the description I thought it was all blended together. Then came my soup, Ash-e-Reshteh, which is a mixture of lentils, beans, spinach, vegetables, herbs, and Persian noodles topped with boiled yogurt and fried onion and mint. I did not like it. It was too tangy and something about it just didn't mesh with my tastebuds. I tried 5 spoonfuls and that was more than enough. Then my main dish arrived - the Olovieyeh Sandwich - which is essentially a Persian chicken salad that is made up of chicken, potatoes, peas, boiled eggs and pickles served on French baguette. This was good, but having it as a sandwich was redundant. I'd recommend getting it as a single scoop salad instead. I decided then that I needed to try more so I ordered the Kashk-o-Bademjan (in the Veg section) which is made up of sauteed eggplant, fried onion, garlic, mint, and sour cream served with pita bread. I was told to mix it all up and then dip the pita. It was OK, but I won't be returning for more. The best part of the meal and the reason I will return again is dessert (and to try the namesake of the place - a kabob). While the Baklava was huge and looked amazing and the Persian Ice Cream flavored with rose water, saffron and pistachio nuts was intriguing, I order the Zilbi. Zilbi are small donut hole like pastries made of dough, deep fried and soaked in honey syrup. They are uber-sweet and best eaten with unsweetened hot tea. I loved these! The service was excellent: efficient and friendly. The two women working the bar were very helpful - explaining everything to me as I ate and asking me tons of questions about myself along the way. The owner walked around chatting with everyone. Clearly they are a chatty bunch there at Kabob Bazaar. read more

Great place. The kabobs and veggie appetizers are great here. You can order than crunchy rice stuff (I forget the actual name) and a pot of Persian tea. They have a buffet for Persian New year every year. Oh, tuesday's lunch special of lamb shank with green rice and fava beans is really good....and they sometimes have some left at dinner. read more

Came here for a quick dinner with a friend. I ordered the Kubideh Kabob with bread. The dish came out as two large skewers of sirloin mixed with some grated onion and house seasoning. Kabobs were nicely cooked and tasted pretty good. Service was very prompt and friendly, another plus. I still like Shamshiry more - think their kabobs are flavored a lot better and it's a better deal - but this is a nice alternative and I would certainly choose this place over some of the other restaurants in Clarendon. read more

I forgot to mention that the last time we went here, which was New Year's Day, I ordered the ghormeh sabzi. I didn't see it on the menu, but I saw it on a sign near the cash register and got all excited about it. Needless to say, it was super-khoshmazeh. But I'm writing this update to mention just how great the staff made me feel there. I didn't announce that I was Persian. I didn't ask for anything special. But my ghormeh sabzi came with a dried lemon placed in the middle (so I'd know that this was the real deal) and an enormous piece of tahdig on top of my rice. When we ordered tea it came in a teapot with the little glasses instead of a big glass or a mug (which looking around, it seemed like others had big glasses). I felt very very special. This really good meal kicked off a really good year. Thanks KB. read more

I eated here by myself well... too bad! outside smell like cheap Cuba Cigar with sweet flavor or something who knows what is was that , the food is to chilly but to dry a lot rice in my plate.for a moment I felt like eat desertum sicut harena .I almost forgot to mention the whole place smells like old sausage! read more