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Usta Kababgy is an excellent restaurant for authentic Middle Eastern cuisine in Austin, TX located on N. Lamar Blvd. The restaurant has well seasoned, charcoal grilled meats. The kebabs are the true highlight...juicy, flavorful, and grilled to perfection. The portions are quite large as the hubs and I shared a wrap. We were sufficiently full after eating the chicken tikka wrap. Interestingly, the wrap came in a Shawarma King packaging with their contact phone number. So, I assume that Usta staff are sub-contracting from Shawarma King. Usta also has freshly baked bread and classic sides like hummus and rice paired with the main dishes. The restaurant has a homey, lived in feel. It has a few middle eastern artifacts sprinkled throughout the restaurant. The menu offers a wide variety of options, from Iraqi and Adana kebabs to shawarma and traditional Middle Eastern plates, so there are food items for both first timers and regulars who want to explore beyond the basics. They also serve flatbreads where you can have two different toppings. The food focus is on bold, traditional flavors rather than modern takes on middle eastern foods. On the desserts front, they have an assortment of desserts and several sections of ice cream. I had the baklava, which was surprisingly delicious...it was not eye-squinting sweet like a standard baklava. It was crunchy, flavorful, and had nuts that were substantial. Layla, my server, was so super sweet and welcoming. She pointed out that Usta provides its customers free tea. How cool is that? I cannot remember last time I received a free drink.
Usta Kababgy offers amazing charcoal-grilled Mediterranean food that provides authentic, "soul-fed" experience that's hard to find elsewhere. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, suitable for a place nice enough for a family/friend gathering. The service is friendly and reassures wanting to provide an enjoyable meal. The standout here is the charcoal grill definitely must try. It's all fresh and top-tier.
In one of the strip malls at the intersection of North Lamar and Runderburg, after driving through the speed-bump laden parking lot, you'll arrive at Usta Kababgy, nestled among establishments serving up tacos, pupusas, and more. I orders takeout from here once. The dolmas and the lahmbiajin were quite good. The dolmas were a nice size, with a good amount of filling, and a nice savory and lemony flavor. The lahmbiajin was savory and sour. If it had still been warm when I got around to eating it, I'm sure it would have been even better. But because it is quite thin, it cooled quickly on the way home. However, I thought the kebab I got was not particularly flavorful. It was still seasoned well, but just tasted plain beefy. They also offer some options under their "Halal Mexican Kitchen" menu which I've yet to try. One minor note was that the takeout bag they gave me contained a fly, which I unknowingly took and released into my home when I opened up the bag. Thankfully, I was able to capture the fly inside a cup and release it outside. Still, I'll probably return at some point in the future to try some more of their food out.
Wasn't sure what to expect but the restaurant was recommended by someone who had dined at the Round Rock location. Let's get the negatives out of the way first. The strip mall that the restaurant is located on Lamar is grungy and rundown. And the restaurant has seen better days and needs updating. The dining room feels dingy. Now for the positives. The server was very friendly and helpful and made great recommendations. We ordered the hummus and tabbouleh as appetizers and they were delicious. The waitress also brought out a huge plain flatbread and it was served hot and was chewy and soft at the same time. The flatbread is unlimited so we ordered a second one. It paired well with the hummus but is delicious by itself. For entrees, we ordered the lahmbiajin and the sharing barbecue plate. Everything was well seasoned and delicious. The kebabs were moist and flavorful and it was enough to feed a family of four. For dessert, we had the baklava and a chocolate cake and they were excellent too. We found out that they have an in house person who bakes the cakes. All in all, I would recommend this restaurant if you aren't picky about the ambience. Definitely go for the food. I would definitely go back again. According to the person who has dined at the round rock location, that restaurant is nicer and has better ambience. Food: 4.5 stars Ambience: 3.5 stars
Great food! Good service! And adequate ambiance. I enjoyed my meal and the food came out fairly quickly. I had 1 skewer of chicken tikka with rice, hummus, and pita bread. There is plenty of parking and the dining area is large. Great for groups.
Best halal Middle Eastern I've had in a while. The beef tenderloin was tender, kafta was juicy. Bread was fresh, nice chewy texture. Hummus was smooth with plenty of tahini, not sour or beany. Everything was good, including falafal and califlower. Service was friendly and patient.
Every bite was so delicious! Highlights were the tenderness and flavor of both of the kebabs (chicken and koftha) and the pita + hummus. I can tell all the ingredients are high quality, even down to the salad that came with it. Definitely get the tahini and jalapeño sauce as well! The service was amazing, and they gave me some recommendations as it was my first time. Will be back!
THE BIG: Located in northeast Austin inside the Northgate shopping center. Very big interior with minimal decor. Plenty of parking spaces in the lot outside, however the curbs are very tall, so be careful with a small sedan in parking. THE BLACK AND WHITE: We came here for a pickup order since the wife was feeling mediterranean. This place has the decor and windows of a legit middle eastern restaurant. It's pretty big from the inside. Here we got the lahmbiajin Pita, Naan and kabab combo plate. The lahmbiajin resembled the viral egg in the middle pita (khachapuri), but with just meat and peppers. Still very delciious. The helping of pita was very generous and the meats were nice and tender. THE FINAL BAMBOO: Overall damage done for three items was around $37, which is a great deal in my opinion. Will be back!
Outstanding meal! Fresh, authentic and a lot for what you pay. We had the kafta kabob meal. The flavor was so good. The bread they serve ahead with the sauces - so fresh and chewy. The plain white sauce was our favorite - lots of garlic flavor. Service was great. Ambiance is nothing special. We will be back!
The best chicken kabab ever. It's so moist and tender. The seasoning is just perfect. My tastebuds are too sensitive with saltiness recently, and this place nails it. There's just enough seasoning of every flavor. It's not a fancy place, just a family run small restaurant, so don't expect too much from ambiance and service.
I was a little bit surprised when we walked in because I'm not really sure what happened to the interior... The pictures on Yelp show two different decor schemes--one with gorgeous traditional tables and chairs, and another with mostly banquettes that was also pretty, but less of a total wow factor. When we got there, the furniture in the room was a lot more scarce with tons of empty space, and the remaining banquettes had mostly ripped or worn out material. The friend who took us there said it looked really different from the last time he came, so it surprised him too. I'm not always huge on Middle Eastern food, so I wasn't expecting a lot, but the food was incredible. We ordered the sharing barbecue plate, which comes with 6 regular skewers, a choice of 1 premium skewer, 2 cold appetizers (we chose hummus and baba ghanoush,) and bread, plus we ordered the lahmbiajin (meat bread.) There were 5 adults and one kid, and this was plenty of food. The hummus was the best I've ever had--super smooth and silky, and I couldn't stop eating it. Skewers were amazing, bread was pillowy with the right amount of chew, and I even didn't mind the baba ghanoush despite hating eggplant in general. The sharing bbq plate also came with some perfectly charred onions and tomatoes. They were so good that when I got home, I started googling ways to cook veggies like that without having access to a grill. All that to say, this isn't somewhere to come for the ambiance, but the food will have me coming back for sure. Really friendly service too!
Highly recommend this hidden gem of a restaurant! FOOD: 10/10. I got a kofta kabab plate and everything on it was excellent. The portions and flatbread were nice and large! SERVICE: The service was quick and friendly. When we were checking out, I ordered an ice cream and the employee offered me and my friend double scoops on the house! PARKING: The location is in a plaza with a good-sized parking lot.
No frills spot for amazing halal/Mediterranean food! Decided to try this place for take out on a Saturday afternoon. The restaurant itself is large. They didn't have as many tables as space available. It was also really hot inside but the food smelled incredible. Bread is always made fresh and delicious. I got the mixed plate and the Lahmbiajin Pita. The Lahmbiajin Pita was incredible! Highly recommend adding egg and cheese if you can. Bread was soft and doughy. The mixed plate was good, except the lamb was very salty and not as tender as the chicken. The chicken was the best part! Overall, not a bad place for real halal.
1 year ago
10 months ago
10 months ago
What a find! We ordered a fairly big to-go dinner for 2 .. it lasted at least 3 days! Mixed kabob - beef and chicken both seasoned well. Definitely a step up compared to some other takeout places around town. The rice was also incredibly flavorful (there were actually two kinds of rice). Hummus came with the dish, too.. along with the largest piece of pita bread I've ever seen. Chicken tikka kabab - I preferred this one to either meat in the mixed kabab. The chicken was cooked perfectly, and was sooo juicy. Lentil soup - perfect for a cold day Flatbread - I really liked both the zataar and the cheese flatbreads. If it's your first time I'd recommend the mix just to try them both! Fries - these were pretty good, would order again if craving fries Overall, the food was great, portions were generous, and it didn't break the bank. Definitely try this place out! read more
Guys guys guys. I don't know when I'll ever stop reviewing this place but it's clearly not today. The food here is perfection. I come all the way from south Austin everytime but I'd drive a 100 miles for this place. Today we finally had a chance to try the newly added Akkawi cheese & zattar flatbread - I now know what heaven will be like. Firstly, Owners, if you're reading this, pls never change your flatbread dough recipe. The dough is soft and pillowy while not being too thick or too thin and perfectly ratioed to the toppings. And then you add my all time fav akkawi cheese?! I. Cannot. Get. Enough. We then ordered our staples which was the chicken Kabab (not to be confused with chicken shawarma). Delicious. And then Ofcourse our Adana kebabs with the perfectly cooked and slightly buttery rice. Damn, I just finished eating here and I'm still salivating. GO HERE! read more
2 years ago
Great service staff, really good food! Would definitely come back again to eat here. Also got a mango smoothie which was very delicious. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Authentic, amazing, comforting, delicious. Love this place for a halal bbq meal. Came with complimentary tea and good service. The flavors were immaculate. read more
6 years ago
I've been trying to find some of the best Mediterranean food in Austin (on a budget!) Usta Kababgy came up as a recommendation on Yelp. I figured, "why not?", jumped in my car and zoomed on over. This is a small and quaint restaurant. I was greeted and sat immediately. The menu isn't too big, so I knew immediately what I wanted. I started off with a mixture of beef and lamb shawarma with the feta and zaatar "pie". I also got some regular tea. The entree was fantastic! Not too fatty, just enough flavor. I appreciated that the meat wasn't too chewy. The shiner here was the pie! I could have honestly eaten the whole thing. It's essentially like a breadstick, but better! On the side of the tea- it was WAYYYY too hot. It was scalding when it came out. I ate all of my food and an additional 10 minutes so it could cool down enough for me to sip- it didn't. I ended up taking it in a to-go cup to drink at home. Would definitely come back! read more
1 year ago
The best authentic halal restaurant I have had in Austin. Everything about the meal was delicious & left feeling satisfied. I had the chicken tikka with double rice & it came with the most delicious homemade garlic sauce & a hot sauce. The chicken was tender & full of flavor. I could eat a whole bowl of the rice on its own too, perfectly done. This is now my go to spot. Staff was incredibly attentive, informative, & kind as well. read more
6 years ago
Let me preface by saying I'm not an Austin native so my perspective won't be the same as a locals, and considering as this is one of maybe 3 actual halal Mediterranean places in Austin and in close proximity to the Mosque they don't have much competition. That aside, the quality of service brings this location from a 3 to a 4 star. Despite their relatively cramped seating area, early into quarantine they enforced distancing for the seating area and staff in front wore masks while kitchen staff added gloves. As for service, it was 2 young girls working up front who got a little busy but did their best. There was a bit of mix up during payment, but they honored the Yelp deal for free tea and gave us a bunch of extra sauce so it's easily forgivable to me. In general there was very much a family-run kinds of vibe. As for food, it's the typical Mediterranean affair with a set menu of kebabs/kabobs accompanied by your choice of rice, fries or in a sandwich. Getting a plate is definitely worth the value. As for the kabobs themselves, they were well cooked but a little plain. A bit of salt and pepper gave it a hand. Rice, Fries and Salad were fresh made which was nice. If you come with close friends or family during regular times this would definitely be a great place to order different things and try from each other so you really get to taste what they've got to offer. If you've been to Mediterranean places all over then you're not going to be craving this place when you visit Austin, but if you live in town or expect to be here a while and really want to get your fix then this place definitely deserves your business. Give them a chance and stay safe everyone! read more
Some of the best kebab I've had in Austin, honestly. There's a bit of quirkiness to the place (for example, I don't think my menu had all the pages in it compared to the menu my friend had). Still, totally delicious. I played it safe with my order this time, but next time, I'd love to try one of the more fusion-leaning dishes. read more
So cute and so authentic! Definitely in a more sketchy plaza but the people are soo sweet and welcoming. My friends shared a plate but I got my own and also shared a Mediterranean pizza (apologies I forgot the correct name) as well as some naan. I was really trying not to finish my plate because it was a lot of food but ended up eating most of it! The spicy kebab isn't as spicy as I was hoping, but that didn't take away from the great amount of flavor. Love that I found this authentic spot, will definitely be returning for my fixins read more
This place is a hidden gem! The food was so so fresh and authentic. We ordered the half zataar &feta flatbread & a mix 2lb grill & yogurt salad . The meat was so tender and juicy!! It's amazing how flavorful the meat was. The fresh bread so flaky and perfect match with the meat. We also ordered a side of rice because it smelled amazing. Even got a sample taste of the lentil soup and it is something i could order on the daily. 100% recommend coming to this place! I will be back again read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
3 years ago
USTA Kababgy has the best Kebabs in Austin, Texas, and their fusion with Mexican dishes, spices, and their accompanying salsas makes their food perfect. Their hummus are luxuriously creamy and well seasoned. Their aguas naturales are rich and natural. We bought an agua de tamarindo that tasted like something you would drink in a pueblo mágico in México. The staff are exemplary friendly and accommodating. I can't wait to eat there again. read more
2 years ago
3 years ago
Best Kabobs and Hummus in town! Have been getting their food via delivery services for years and went in person today. Loved the food and it we even better freshly served. read more
7 years ago
This place was so authentic and delicious! Its a fantastic spot for lunch. Everything looked so good and I can't wait to come back and try more. There's plenty of parking (located in a strip mall off north Lamar) and a lot of seating inside. The menu was pretty robust; plates, wraps, appetizers. The feta and Zaatar bread were my favorite. The Arabic kebab was verY yummy, especially with the hummus and tAhini. read more
3 years ago
Came here while visiting Austin to eat halal food based on a food blogger's recommendation. We didn't care much for the ambience or the location, just wanted good food. Unfortunately we had a really bad experience. My husband's wrap had a hard black plastic-like piece and a piece of bone. It hit his gums really hard and is now needing to go to the dentist. We complained about that and the server said she'd replace the wrap and apologized. We moved on because mistakes happen. Now onto my chicken kabab plate. Towards the end of my meal I starting cutting the chicken pieces because I wanted to make sure there no unsightly surprises in my food. Turns it I was eating raw chicken the whole time. I left the restaurant with a stomachache. We didn't want to create an issue so my husband just got up to to pay for the food. He mentioned the raw chicken to them and the server just said sorry and proceeded to charge us for the entree. Only offered 20 % discount when my husband asked for it. We don't like complaining about minor things but when big issues like these don't even bother the management, it's a big red flag. Update: My husband had to go see a dentist and pay out of pocket for the damage done to his teeth from biting into the hard objects in the wrap. read more
7 years ago
This place is a HIDDEN GEM in the Rundberg + Lamar area. Usta Kababgy is an authentic kebab restaurant whose owner/chef is Georgian. They serve Iraqi-style kebabs that are juicy and nicely sized. Their Kofth stew is homey and comforting. The rice that comes with the entrees is flavorful and delicious. + Generous portions of food + Plenty of parking in the strip mall + Love their small, lovely front patio with high-top tables and faux greenery + Kind, welcoming staff They offer some larger family packages if you're looking to serve a big group of people at once. I'm definitely coming back with friends and family soon! read more
5 years ago
So freaking delicious! Super friendly service, perfectly flavored kebabs and so many options I wish I could try. Highly recommend the Iraqi Kebab because it's a good mix of lamb and beef. Ask for the garlic sauce because it's to die for! The rice is also a great compliment to the kebab. The hummus is on the nutty side but still good. read more
4 years ago
Came here for lunch on a Friday, it's a fairly new spot and wasn't too busy in the middle of the afternoon. The service was very friendly and got to us pretty quickly throughout the meal. We were first served the lentil soup and hummus, considering the size of the entree and appetizer we ordered I don't think the lentil soup is worth taking up the stomach space, compared to everything else we had it wasn't too flavorful. The hummus was tasty, again I wouldn't recommend going for a ton of the bread it comes with since the entrees were so large (and they come with even more nan). After that we shared the meat flatbread, the spices and vegetables gave it a nice mild flavor and the tender meat went nicely with the crunchy base. If you have any hummus leftover I would recommend dipping this in it! For my entree I had the mixed kebab platter, with the Adana kebab, chicken tikka kebab and it also comes with rice, tomato, salad, and more nan. The Adana had a great rich taste with a nice Smokey flavor in the background from being grilled over charcoal. The chicken tikka had a more mild flavor than I was expecting, but the seasoning was still fantastic and the chicken was cooked to make it perfectly moist. Overall, I think it's a great spot to check out for a filling meal, particularly if you haven't had much Turkish food in the past. read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
I have only one word about this food: UNREAL!!!! I absolutely love their Iraqi kofteh kabab and there's no better in town. I only had a chance to order delivery a couple times but I definitely have to make a trip there because they are doing a damn good job with their food and I want to try more stuff! Everything is fresh, the portions are huge, and food gets prepared pretty quick. Highly recommended! read more
2 years ago
Wanted to try something new. Kabobs looked good online. And they didn't disappoint. Had falafels and humus. And the stuffed bread boat with meat. Lots of leftovers ! read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
More info about USTA KABABGY
9310 North Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
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(512) 465-2720
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https://ustakababgy.com
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