Food, Service, people - this place has ambiance, quality and value. Highly recommend.

The food and the server Eduardo were fantastic. Had the same meal and server two weeks in a row. Great Kabobs!!!

We have been coming here for years, not tons but it always is so good! Inside is clean, and perfect for a casual dining experience for two or for the whole family. All of the items on the menu are great, and cooked fresh! This time I ordered the chicken soup and side Mediterranean salad because I wasn't super hungry, and they were great! We also ordered the Pesto Panini which was a first for us and o m g it was soooo good! I love all of their appetizers, so if you want one definitely get one!! Our server was attentive, friendly, and helped us achieve a great experience here (as usual) Check this place out if you're on the hunt for great Mediterranean food, we've also gone to the location in Mission Viejo at the Kaleidoscope which is equally as great as this location, we were just closer to this one this time! read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Cup Chicken Veg. Soup & Mediterranean Greek Salad - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

had a very disappointing experience at Panini. I was there with my son, and we sat for quite some time without anyone acknowledging us--not even to offer drinks or ask if we were ready to order. What made it more frustrating was seeing other customers come in after us and get immediate service, including drinks and even their meals, while we were still being overlooked. I hate to say it, but the experience left me feeling uncomfortable and questioning whether we were being treated differently. Unfortunately, based on this experience, I cannot recommend this place. The level of customer service we received was unacceptable. read more

Disappointing to say the least, but more like DISGUSTING. I suggested to meet here for lunch, so it was my own fault. Ambiance: I arrived first around 12 noon and waited at the stand where it stated to wait to be seated. No one helped me while I stood there for 5-10 minutes. Waiters were delivering food to the customers sitting in that area and saw me, one even said he'll get someone to help but...nothing. Finally I'm taken inside not by a hostess but a bus girl who starts to take me over in the direction by the "Toilets" when there were plenty of seats away from the toilets. I immediately told her I don't want to sit near the restrooms. I looked around and saw tables by the window that were available and asked to sit there. Service: Mentioned the welcome party and seating service previously. Our waitress was okay but I had to waive her down for everything we needed. Now, on to the Food: We both ordered the organic peach iced tea--it had no tea flavor just tasted like water. I let the waitress know and she said she brewed it herself. Hmm...she obviously should not be in charge of making the iced tea. I just kept the iced tea, but my friend requested to change her drink to lemonade, which seemed to annoy the waitress and took her some time to bring out the lemonade. For the food, I ordered the chicken shish kabob with avocado romaine salad, no rice. I have had this many times at work but from the Michelson location. The chicken and vegetables were good, salad was good until when I was almost done and picking out the tomatoes, I found a hair in the salad. I wasn't sure where it came from I didn't see it before, could it be my own hair? But it was on the far side of the plate so how could it be mine? And the strand color didn't look like my hair color. Honestly, it could have been my friend's but I don't know. Anyway, I let the waitress know and told her all those things I mentioned. She said, let me see what I can do. So a few minutes later someone else comes over, a man, not sure if he was the manager or not since he didn't introduce himself as one, holding a gift card in his hand and asked what was going on. Again I explained I wasn't sure whose hair it was and I was pretty much done with the food, especially since there's a hair in it. So he examines the hair and says okay or something and starts to walk away. I kind of laughed it off and said I'll take the gift card and he says, there's zero balance on it. Whaaattt?? What was the point of him coming over holding a gift card with no money on it?? This place is whack!! My friend and I thought well maybe they'll give a discount? Nope!! No discount. In fact they charged my friend for 2 drinks, the iced tea and lemonade, which I had to waive down the waitress to correct. No wonder this place has a low rating on Yelp! We won't be back! Should have taken a pic of the hair, oh well... read more

Comically bad service. We waited outside in the sun just to be acknowledged by the host, then waited again to be seated -- despite many open tables. We were placed in a tucked-away niche under a loud speaker for no apparent reason. Even after asking to move to a table in the open area, service never recovered. Long waits to take drink orders, long waits for the drinks themselves, and another long wait just to place a food order. Our glasses sat empty most of the meal. A food runner brought our cup of soup quickly, which gave us false hope. Unfortunately, four different requests for drink refills and salad dressing to others all yielded nothing. They only arrived after I stood up at the front counter and flagged down our server. Even then, staff seemed indifferent and disengaged. The shish kebab was excellent -- credit where due -- but the service overshadowed everything. When paying, the server apologized but blamed being "short-staffed." That wasn't accurate; we counted five servers in a half-full restaurant. Not taking responsibility sealed it. We won't return to this location. read more

See all

Chicken shish kabob is always a solid option. The wraps have recently been off for some reason. Both the chicken wrap or the Cesar chicken wrap used to be my favorites but they are not tasting right for some reason the last few times. Somewhat tasteless. Won't be getting the wraps anymore unfortunately but they were good options and on the lighter side.. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Chicken Wrap - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

friendly, and I genuinely liked the place. Unfortunately, the men's restroom appeared to have lost a lengthy battle with modern sanitation standards. I mention this only because I'd happily come back if somebody introduces the men's room to a mop. read more

I would like to introduce you to the best soup around OC. Yes, if you want a warm bowl of amazing soup, that includes fresh vegetables, and incredible chicken that melts in your mouth, come to this place. The soup is their famous "Chicken Soup," and is incredible. I have no idea how they make it seem so fresh with crunchy veggies. All I know is it is worth a trip just to taste this soup. Yes, soup for you. Jerry Seinfeld would be proud. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Best soup in Orange County. - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

First time here with family friends for lunch, it was a very spacious and neat restaurant. We were greeted as soon as we walked in, staffs are very welcoming and nice. We ordered a beef kabob, salmon kabob and a dessert Tiramisu. Very delicious and tasty food with good freshness. The wait time was reasonable too. We spent a great time here and will recommend this place to my friends for sure if they are in the area. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

Parking is a bit difficult during busy times but there is plenty of seating at this place. I usually order the chicken kebab. Sometimes the onion is undercooked but this time the whole kebab was cooked perfectly. Chicken was juicy and tender, onions tomato and pepper on the kebab was nicely roasted. Service was great. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Chicken kebab - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I've loved Panini for a long time- my family loves to get the combo for 4 here takeout. Their food is always a little burnt and I've never minded too much, but this particular recent time was just way too burnt to eat. We cut off all the black parts and by the time we were done, basically nothing was left. I'm not sure if the food is supposed to be like this but seems a little unhealthy to be consuming this much burnt food. Sad because I love their rice and salad and the service was very kind. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - chicken - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I have been coming here for years. I feel like I always give them a chance especially when I order food for to-go here but today was my last straw. First was the almost 30 minute wait which was long given that it didnt seem very busy today at all. The person helping me also seemed lost as to where my order went or is. Either way when I went to pick it up I still waited an additional 5 minutes. That really wasnt the bad part but the freaking food portions omg why have they gotten so small. In the past I got like 2 rows of skewers for SALMON mind you but i bought the full salmon set with the salad and they forgot the salad too -_- like i guess it could be the economy that the food portions are smaller but how could you forget the salad. Additionally, I bought the kabox in the past and I got the same amount of protein. So today I ordered the full portion meal thinking I would get more salmon but nope not true. I spent an extra $5-6 thinking I would get more but bruh its the same thing. Finally when I opened the box all the food was all over the place and it just looked unappetizing. I think it could have moved while in transit but still I think the food was just thrown in the box like whatever. The wait and food portions are just not worth it anymore unfortunately. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - salmon - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I'm a big fan of Panini Kebab as all my reviews for them indicate but something happened to this location. I think there may be a rat in the kitchen. Periodically someone cuts the size of the portions in the back, half of the grilled vegetables from orders and sometimes even dropping portions of the grilled meats. Not the first time this has happened to me and I'll take it up to the Manager. See the picture attached.. I'm dropping the review until this is fixed. Unacceptable. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Salmon kebob with half ingredients missing - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Hardest place to find parking ever. If you are coming for lunch, give yourself plenty of time. It took us about 20 min to find parking. Great food and lots of tables inside and outside. We got the appetizer sampler plate. It was a lot of food for four people! The edamame hummus was delicious and the falafel was amazing. You can tell the falafel was handmade and perfectly cooked. Moist and crunchy. Well worth dealing with the parking fiasco. read more

I've been coming to this location with my family for years--dining in, ordering takeout, and even delivery. Unfortunately, the quality of both food and service has declined drastically in the past couple of years, and especially in the last year. Almost every takeout or delivery order has had issues. One time, half of our order was missing. After waiting an additional 40 minutes for two kids' meals, we got home only to realize the order was still wrong. For a while, I used to order their grilled broccoli as my go-to side. But it was repeatedly substituted with grilled onions and tomatoes--without any notice or option to choose something else. Every time I asked, I was told the supplier was out. After hearing that same excuse for over a year, I stopped ordering it altogether. Even when I reached out to corporate to share my concerns, I never received a response. The decline in quality has been even more obvious recently. A few weeks ago, my husband picked up food that was promised in 20 minutes but wasn't ready until nearly an hour later. His koobideh was raw in the middle and inedible, and the yogurt dip was hot because it had been packed with the rice. The only thing that turned out okay was my soup. Today I ordered a salmon Caesar salad through DoorDash. The app clearly shows the salad comes with four pieces of salmon, but what I received was two and a half pieces. The "half" didn't even look like a proper portion--more like someone had eaten part of it before sending it out. This used to be a place we could count on, but between the repeated mistakes, poor quality control, lack of communication, and corporate's silence, we're done giving this location another chance. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - The salmon that came with my Caesar salad. Not 4 pieces and looks like somebody ate it - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

We placed an order for 120 boxed lunches on Friday (4/24) for a 11:30am delivery on 4/28 following a company meeting. The meeting ended at 11:45am but the food had not arrived. When I called to check on the order, I was told that they had experienced some kind of delay and that they were currently "prioritizing" our order. When I asked why we were not notified about the delay, the person on the phone just repeated that they were working on it. THE ORDER ENDED UP BEING AN HOUR AND A HALF LATE which is completely unacceptable (especially since we did not receive notice of the delay) and embarrassing for my HR team as employees were standing around the office waiting!!! We called the restaurant after the fact to provide feedback and request a refund and only received $230 back - our original order was $3,308.21!!! We have previously used Panini Kabob Grill for other company events but will NOT be using them again in the future! read more

I've been a regular at this Panini Cafe location and usually enjoy coming here. Today I brought a friend who ordered a full meal, and I wasn't very hungry, so I wanted something small to avoid wasting food. The kids pasta seemed like the right portion. I was told it's "kids only," which I understand is a policy. But I even offered to pay the full adult price and simply receive the smaller portion -- and they still refused. At that point, it stopped being about policy and started feeling unnecessarily rigid. When a paying customer is trying to avoid waste and even offering to pay full price, a little flexibility would go a long way. Disappointing experience for someone who comes here often. read more

The food is varied, sumptuous & very yummy. What you'd expect for a Persian place with a larger than usual menu. Enough for at least 2 plus meals. A small variety of spicy & not spicy sauces. Service is at a counter but delivered to your table. It wasn't crowded when we were there, so good food arrived fast. The staff was helpful & friendly. Inside is a typical fast-food eatery; nothing fancy with a bunch of tables. Good lighting. I recommend for casual lunch or dinner for couples, families, or even, moderately sized groups. read more

Zero stars if I could. Almost $35 for this is unacceptable. The meat was raw and completely tasteless. We ordered takeout, and the portion size was ridiculously small--more like a Costco sample. Very disappointing. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Raw meat! - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I really enjoy coming here for their pasta dishes. My favorite dish is the chicken pesto pasta with extra sauce. It tastes extremely delicious and flavorful. The pasta tastes just right and the chicken is tender. I like the sauce a lot as well. The salmon scampi tastes good too. The inside is nice with plenty of seating. I like the decor. The hot chamomile tea is a nice drink. Some of the employees are friendly. read more

Food is awesome, family meal is our favorite for the table! Service is always excellent... every time I come hear I leave thoroughly impressed with the staff. Thank you Martha for taking such good care of us! read more

We ised to go there alot, recently they keep increasing prices and food quality and portion went down, just ordered a salmon kabob, $25, and they gave 2 pieces of salmon, really panini, you ised to be better. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Food was great, and our server, Daniel, was perfect as always. We ask to sit in his section every time we eat at the Panini Kabob Grill. Tonight, he remembered our usual (unusual) order without me having to make any corrections to his recall of it. He checks in at our table the right amount of times, and is super respectful. Will always ask for him whenever we go in the future... read more

Our group of 10 came here for dinner tonight. We had 4 orders of chicken kabobs, 5 koobideh (ground beef) meals, a lamb kabob meal, and a salmon & shrimp dinner. 2 of the chicken kabobs dinners, the chicken and veggies skewers were almost totally burnt. We showed them to the food runner and he said that's how they are??? I went and got the manager and he said he can get the kitchen to redo it but can't guarantee it would be better. So I asked them to replace the skewer on my sister's plate since burnt meat is very unhealthy to eat and it was so burnt, you can't really it because it was so bitter. I trimmed all the burnt parts of the chicken on my plate but the veggies were totally charred, they were inedible. Overall, food was good otherwise. Service by our server was just okay. She was indifferent and didn't have a smile on her face the whole time until we paid at the end. We still gave her a good tip and she was finally more pleasant. The young manager that helped us was pleasant and tried hard to rectify the issue and replaced one of the burnt chicken skewers. Thank you. Sorry I didn't get his name. My sister liked her shrimp plate and our cousin liked his lamb dinner. For dessert, we ordered 2 teramisu to share and that was excellent. Forgot to capture a photo of that beautiful and fantastic dessert. read more

See all

Come for the food and take it to go because the ambience is pretty blasé. I love the chicken breast kebab and the date salad-no cheese or onions. The family platter is the most cost effective option. read more

See all

Amazing healthy fresh food . Karina was our server and she was full of joy . We can always count on a great value here at Panini Kabob Grill. read more

I frequent this location often and have never had a bad experience. Just had lunch about an hour ago and was not disappointed. The food is always spot on and delicious. All the employees here are nice and hard working. My waitress Crystal whom has taken care of me many times is always so kind and helpful. Love this place!!! read more

Delicious food and huge portions, always! One of my favorite places to go for a healthy and hearty meal. My regular order is the chicken kebab with the hummus trio and it hits every single time. There is always plenty of leftovers and it makes for a great catering option as well. Panini kabob has never let me down! read more

My wife and I come to this place at least once a month. It's tucked away in the corner of the Los Olivos lot, so there's plenty of parking, though it can get a little packed during peak dinner hours. You'll end up finding a spot...it'll take a bit of circling. The interior of this place is a bit dated with dark wood chairs, tables, and walls with plenty of indoor seating and a small outdoor option as well. Food is consistently good. My wife usually gets the koobideh plate and I go for the koobideh wrap, both with a side of Mediterranean salad (solid side). Portions are generous but the price is probably the most shocking part of it all - it's quite low for how much food you get (or maybe I'm just getting used to the crazy prices). Service can be on the slower side, so don't expect anything out of the ordinary. Overall, a solid spot! read more

Title: Horrible service - avoid at all costs! Went for my mom's birthday--restaurant nearly empty, service terrible. Our server never returned after taking our order. My mom's dish was burnt and her salad wrong. My husband and I ordered a double kabob filet and chicken plate: first we got just the chicken kebab with no sides, then my filet separately, then my salad. My husband waited 30 minutes for his filet and 15 minutes just for his salad. The manager came yelling, waving his hands, and pointing at us, claiming we weren't patient. Rude, discriminatory, and disrespectful. We had to take my husband's food to go and ran out. Avoid this place--they clearly hate their customers. With terrible service and rude staff we were not surprised the restaurant was empty. They will most likely close down soon. Irvine company wake up. We don't need them in our city read more

We dined at Panini Grill in Los Olivos plaza in Irvine and Eduardo was our server. He was so kind and attentive and took such great care of our table. The food is amazing and the servers are the best! Give Eduardo a shout out! read more

Maybe the bad reviews are for take out??Been here over a handful of times and the food has always been fresh and consistently delicious, with generous portions. Tonight was no exception! read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Recently got a Salmon Kabob with Mediterranean Salad and Brown Rice to go from here and it was excellent. Probably one of the best dinners I have ever had. The manager checked it over before I left to make sure it was prepared correctly--No Olives on the salad. (I would just get all the Olives out of the restaurant.) They packaged the salad in an individual container which I liked. They gave me tons of brown rice which I LOVED! Their brown rice is the best! First time dining at this Panini and first time dining at Panini in years. I stopped coming to Panini when they closed the Beverly Hills location years ago and the food at some other Panini locations was mediocre. But I have renewed faith after my Salmon meal here. Keep up the great quality and I will keep coming back to this location, (probably not the other locations.) read more

We came on a Sunday around 6, before the rush. But we didn't really beat it. We ordered a chicken plate, beef plate, and pasta. They all took 25+ min to come out. Both the chicken and beef were dry and unflavorful. However the salmon pasta was actually pretty good surprisingly! The portion was huge for the plates, but they didn't really check up on us. I was pretty excited to try this place given the reviews. They were pretty backed up with other orders and takeout as well too read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

See all

We are regular at this joint for so many years now, we went there tonight and they hired a new reception name Geisel, and when she said wait time is 20 minutes and I asked but you have free table already, she replied, it's what it is, do you want me to take your name off the list? I told her why are you being so rude with me, she said that's how it is now so do you want me to take you off the list? I asked to see her manager and she said she is the manager. Anyway, extremely nightmare experience. read more

Mailet was amazing! She truly made the experience smooth and comfortable for my family. She was understanding and made good conversation. Very happy with our visit because of her, oh and the food was great too :) read more

One of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. The lack of service is disappointing and the chaos seems the best a constant part of the experience. The food isn't even worth the mess. I would just avoid this place read more

Very nice location. Easy parking. Pleasant service. Great food. Grant the 18 month old loved the chicken soup. We also enjoyed salmon kabob with rice & salad and lentil soup. Like a 45 minute visit to Persia. Tania service was first class. Guests and Grant got along well around 4 pm on a Saturday. read more

Panini Kabob Grill - Nice high chair. - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

SERVICE needs HUGE IMPROVEMENT. I feel very sad to write this review. Used to be a regular At this place for years. The manager (Giselle) must be fired immediately. The level of rudeness and coldness with us and other customers was unheard of. The restaurant was EMPTY and yet she would refuse to sit people. I understand if as manager one needs to do a judgement call if they are understaff but having SEVERE attitude with customers????? UNACCEPTABLE read more