I wanted to just keep eating this food forever. I came here with my family a couple weeks ago and, aside from my sister, none of us had been here before. We were greeted promptly by one of the friendliest women ever. When we inquired about certain ingredients on the menu we didn't recognize, she was delighted to answer our questions and share with us how certain dishes are typically served and eaten. For an appetizer, we snacked on fresh hummus and a pita dish, which came with fresh mint, cilantro, parsley, as well as radish and goat cheese. Oh my lord. I enjoyed this so much I went to the store two days later and bought and made it at home. At my sister's recommendation, I ordered the lamb kabob for my entree, and decided to order Baghali Polo (Herbs and fava beans mixed with rice) instead of just the plain rice. The lamb was perfect, with a slight char and tender meat, and the rice was savory and awesome! I ended up trying a bite of the Zereshk Pollo as well, which is rice with bar berries (explained as a cross between a sour grape and a cranberry), and it was also delicious. The veggie kabob served with my dish consisted of mushrooms, red and green bell pepper, red onions, and zucchini. Everything was great, except for the onion which happened to be really strong and not anyone's fault. I had such a great experience here and I definitely plan on coming back soon. Thank you! read more

First off....I am a kabob snob. I am of middle eastern descent and my grandmother, in my opinion, makes the best kabobs on the planet. Well, the best until i tried them here. Good thing she is computer illiterate. Everything about this place is great. In the short time I have known about this place (3 weeks) I have eaten there 3 times. I started out with the standard beef kabobs but then i graduated to the completely addicting dark meat chicken kabobs. My latest creation, and i HIGHLY recommend it, is 1/2 dark meat chicken kabobs and 1/2 fillet mingon kabobs. Yikes. Whenever i get up to the area i go there and i would recommend this place to anyone, even "non-ethnic food eaters." The hummus was ok but not great. You may want to skip it because you are going to need the room for your main entree. They have live music some nights which only adds to the allure of this place. read more

I hate to leave such a low score for a restaurant, but my wife and I had a very bad experience here. We ordered the Lamb and Beef Shish Kebabs. They were $21.99 each, which is definitely on the top end of our price spectrum to begin with. The beef tasted like it was very old, perhaps freezer burnt, or maybe even slightly rotten. It tasted like it did not have any seasoning (We could not even detect salt). This beef tasted like the kind that you take out of your freezer and throw out because it has gone bad already. The Lamb was okay, it tasted like very plain lamb (very little seasoning). It was slightly gamey (which is somewhat expected with lamb). They definitely could have made it taste better. The final straw for us was that the green bell pepper served with the vegetables had a large rotten spot on it, that I did not see until I tasted it. It was mildewy and I had to spit it out on the plate. The rice, and the rest of the vegetables were fairly good though. We didn't want to say anything to the waitress (who was very nice fortunately) because we felt embarrassed that we could barely choke down the meat. We asked for a box so that we didn't leave an entire pile of food on our plate, but we ended up throwing it away when we got home. Both of us agreed that this was the most we had ever paid for food of such bad quality. We are hoping we don't get food poisoning tonight. read more

Pretty damn good. And cheaper than Famous Kabob! But, it is farther out than Famous Kabob (assuming you're in Downtown or out in Davis, like me). Nice interior decor, too! Very good kabobs (we tried lamb, chicken, and beef), excellent rice, bread, sabzi (greens), feta cheese, and above all, excellent soda (I hate it when restaurants bring you your $1.75-Coke in a can with no refills!). If you've tried Famous Kabob or you're in the mood for good Persian/Iranian food, head out here because you'll leave very satisfied. Perhaps even more satisfied than the morning after your wedding night. Perhaps. read more

Location: Random. Ambiance: Unlike most Persian restaurants that I am used to, with the white cloth tablecloths, Kolbeh Kabob is slightly more casual. I think we need more casual Persian restaurants, because as wonderful as a pricey meal at Shalizar (San Carlos, CA) can be, sometimes don't we just want to sit down with a friend and a kabob? ;) Food: I enjoyed the sabzi (herbs) but wished our platter came with a little more feta. I had the koobideh (ground beef) kabob, which was perfectly nice but not the best I've had. My friend who was completely new to Persian cuisine, had the fesenjahn (ground meat and pomegranate stew), which she loved. I had a taste of it, and I was very glad she was so happy, but I immediately thought that someone more familiar with Persian cuisine would have been less enthusiastic about it. It was nice, but lacked the deep richness in flavor and color I am accustomed to in fesenjahn. The conversation with my friend was so good, I decided to order dessert to prolong our stay. I ordered faludeh (kind of like a rice noodle granita with rose water) with ice cream. I think they made the pistachio rose ice cream there. You know how sometimes long after you've eaten something, you keep reminiscing about how good it was? That is what I've been doing about Kolbeh Kabob's faludeh. It was by far the best faludeh I have ever had, and that is definitely attributable to the fabulous ice cream. I cannot recommend this enough if you enjoy the flavor of rose water. Just writing this makes me want to go back for dessert! Service: The service was amazingly attentive and courteous, in the true spirit of Persian hospitality. Our waitress wanted to make sure we had everything we wanted and that we were happy with our food. When we stayed at our table long after paying our bill, chatting and laughing, the owner (I believe) offered us complimentary cardomom tea (also fabulous) and encouraged us to sit as long as we wanted. The staff was all smiles and warmth. We finally left as they were closing, to friendly goodbyes and wishes that we return. I look forward to doing so. read more

I've eaten at Kolbeh Kabob a half dozen times and this is a compendium of my dining experiences. I judge a restaurant based on: - Taste, presentation, and wholesomeness of the food. - Service - Atmosphere - Value I cannot find fault with the food - it's simply delicious! I've eaten lamb shish kebab, beef shish kebab, lamb koobideh, beef koobideh, and bone-in Cornish game hen. The kebabs are always juicy, tender, well-seasoned, served piping hot, cooked to the degree ordered, and nicely garnished with grilled veggies and perfectly cooked Basmati rice. The lunch portions are average and the dinner portions are huge! Kudos for some of the best hummus I've had anywhere, including Lebanon. Unlike many places that serve a leaden, clay-like hummus, Kolbeh's hummus is light, fluffy and delicious. Who would have thought that a Persian restaurant's hummus would outshine Arab restaurants.The accompanying pita-style bread is a bit thin for my taste but it gets the job done. In spite of some of the negative reviews, my experience is that the food is very wholesome. I am kind of disappointed to see tilapia - a garbage fish IMHO - on the menu. If you knew what tilapia are fed you would NEVER eat it again. The atmosphere is comfortable and the restaurant is clean. Maybe a little stuffy by contemporary American standards. Parking can be be a problem given the small strip mall parking lot and dire threats from the other merchants if you park in their allotted spaces. If there's anything I can find fault with, it's the lackadaisical service. The servers are friendly but seem to get easily distracted, resulting in longer-than-necessary waits to place the order, get drink and bread refills, and get the check. I think that for a restaurant of this caliber and price range, the management/ownership needs to make service much more of a priority. In terms of the dinner menu, I think the restaurant offers good value for the money. Though the prices are a bit on the steep side - e.g. $25.99 for the lamb shish kebab - the portions are HUGE and for an average-sized appetite can EASILY make two meals. The lunch specials are less of a good value given the much smaller portions. My summary ratings: - Food: 4 1/2 stars - Atmosphere: 3 stars - Service: 2 1/2 stars - Value: 3 stars (considering both lunch & dinner menus). read more

If you like kabobs, you will love this place. You can sprinkle your own sumac on your food like salt and pepper. I enjoyed my kabob, prime rib and chicken breast, although I think I really prefer dark meat chicken. The meat was marinated in a saffron based sauce, so the chicken came out yellow. It was too spicy for Beanie, my baby who loves chicken, but she chowed on her dad's filet mignon kabob (very good cut, very subtle flavors) and my mom's lamb stew (cinnamon based egglplant and lamb stew, very tender meat, not very lamb-y if you know what I mean. Good stuff.) We also got the hummus, which was garlicky and sour, and not as tahini-esque as it can be. It was made with sesame oil instead of tahini. There was a cucumber-tomato-onion salad that was good as a relish/salsa. The yogurt/cucumber dip was really good too, and Beanie had some of that. She likes plain yogurt, so it was flavorful, but not too spicy. The hummus was too spicy for her. She actually shuddered and clenched up all 4 of her teeth when I fed her some of the hummus. Poor kid. But she liked all the cucumber dip and salad. I got a green romaine salad. It was made with apple cider vinegar and "liquid aminos". I kept thinking of that crazy Bragg's company. Suffice it to say, the little salad looked good, was nutritious, but it had a weird flavor due to the aminos. I also have to mention the stuff that comes before the meal: basket of herbs (cilantro, mint, basil, green onion tips), feta cheese (small little block) and flat bread (this is not pita-looking, it's more like rectangles of flat, flat tortilla only it tastes very good and not greasy.) You drop a few herbs on the flat bread, pinch off some feta and sprinkle it on, and bingo, the oddly tasty little refreshing bite of yum . I started adding hummus and yogurt cuke dip and really getting into my food. I was so full, I could not finish my giant plate of meats, rice, and grilled roma tomatoes (I will eat them cooked or diced very teensy.) I just finished it for lunch, and it's good the next day as well. The restaurant itself: weirdly, it's in a strip mall between a pond/koi supply and a liquor store, at the corner of Illinois and Greenback across from the new Winco (sniff, no more Lumberjack, sniff.) It's lovely inside. They reallly put a lot of effort into the decor. Even the bathroom sink is really pretty in the ladies' room. So there you go. Really good Persian Kabobs. They easily rival Famous Kabob for good yummy yums, and the price is right. Me: 15 bucks for meal and salad PF: 15 bucks for filet mignon kabob Cuke salad: ~2.99 for a very generous portion bonus: super kid friendly and clean. Pretty great! read more

Kolbeh Kabob has been around for awhile and due to it's location, across the street from Winco, I have ignored it. But the reviews on Yelp have encouraged me to go for a visit. We went on a Friday night and the place was comfortably busy but we were able to get a table after a few minutes wait. I immediately recognized how incredibly kind and friendly the staff is. They're very comfortable talking to you and answering any questions you have about the menu. Since I had never been to a Persian restaurant, I wanted to try the most authentic items on the menu. Our server suggested the beef koobideh combo with filet kabob. I also ordered the hummus upon suggestion. The pita basket came out with fresh basil, mint, butter and feta as well as the order of hummus. It was so delicious! I could have easily eaten only this mini buffet of amazingness and been full. The hummus and pita basket was abundant and fresh. The hummus is creamy and topped with a curry type spice that we enjoyed very much. Our dishes came out and the filet was prepared exactly as ordered. Plenty of rice, grilled veggies accompanied the dishes and the kabobs were generous portions. And I was very happy with the beef koobideh - something I had never eaten before. I loved the flavor! Upon the end of our meal, we decided to try the homemade desserts they offered. We went with the ice creams that had rosewater and pistachios. I'm not sure what they're called but we had them prepared with cherry flavor. The desserts are very well made, but extremely sweet. I think we were just too full to enjoy them for what they are. But I can say that they are made with the utmost quality and care. Yes, there was a belly dancer. I'm never comfortable with that element. It's a personal thing but I know it's part of the atmosphere and others seemed to enjoy it. I am regretful that it took me a year to visit Kolbeh Kabob. We're taking friends next time and I cannot wait for that pita basket and hummus again!! read more

Chicken Kabob- 1 Lamb Koobideh -3 Chicken Koobideh-2 I was hoping to like this place since my friend recommended it, but to me it was not a good experience at all. I ordered chicken kabob for kids and it was so blend. Felt like i was eating chicken satay instead of Chicken kabob. There was no seasoning nor flavor. Lamb and chicken Kiibideh were alright, nothing great. read more

@ lunch, 1 server 15 ppl. Slow service, when food was brought, the lamb was not cooked as asked! I asked that it was remain, after witch I found a hair in my plate. Great, their goes my lunch. I wanted to vomit!!!! What's sad is, I've always been satisfied with this place. Never again! I'm sure this doesn't happen often, but, me personally, I'm not coming here again. read more

Super tasty kabobs. I had the Cornish Hen Kabob (I can't remember the proper name for it) and it was perfect, very flavorful and juicy. The saffron rice is EXCELLENT. I love saffron rice but never make it (saffron is too damned expensive), so I let the nice folks there bring me a heaping portion with my kabob so I can promptly inhale it. They've also got lovely Persian tea. I dragged my parents there for dinner. My pops, who is very reluctant to try new cuisine, got the lamb kabob and is still talking about it. I've made a convert out of him! It's a good place to bring groups, and they had a belly dancer there on Saturday. It's a bit far from downtown, but worth the drive for a nice evening with good food and friends. read more

The Fesenjan was amazing and Hasna is an outstanding server!

The only things I would add to the reviews already up are: (1) They have two eggplant appetizers, and several people didn't specify which one they were recommending. I'd definitely recommend the Bademjan Borani, which is something I hadn't seen before and is very good. (2) I much prefer the fesenjan at M. Shahrzad. It's tastier, prettier, and has no bones. The dish at Kolbeh Kabob will literally have you picking dozens of bones out of your mouth. read more

If you are in the mood for some good FOOD you need to visit! I love these savory Kabobs and I think you will too! They even have belly-dancing on Friday nights! read more

This is the only Middle Eastern place that we've unanimously as a family agree that it's good food and good ambiance since the move from LA. We are very happy to find this place. It can be pricier than what we were used to but this is not LA where it's a food Mecca. read more

Kolbeh kabob is is gem I discovered recently. Since then I have taken friends there and also ordered take-out. I love their chicken (ground) kabobs. Perfectly seasoned, succulent and served hot off the oven/grill, over seasoned basmati rice. The portions are huge and served on large plates. You will never go away hungry. Food is fresh, served piping hot and good quality. The owner stopped by our table and is a pleasant gentleman who takes great pride In his authentic recipes. The waitress Rahz was very personable, sweet and efficient. She did a great job serving our table of 4. Always smiling and helpful. This restaurant is my go-to place when I don't want to cook some days. read more

I come here as often as I can with my parents. Amazing food and great service. Wish I could get out there more often. I'll have to have a beer with my next meal. read more

Great quality food. The rice melts in your mouth and the kabobs are very well made. Have yet to try to their stews

We've had a couple meals there and both were very good. They also get very good health department inspection results. Very clean establishment. Something I check on every restaurant that I frequent. read more

Kolbeh Kravings + My Changeh Kabob (copied and pasted from the online menu - $20.99 Tender pieces of filet mignon and rib eye marinated & skewered & cooked over an open flame) was fantastic. Tender as advertised. The rice was elegantly light and flavorful. Kobe Bryant - What killed the deal however, was the bathroom. Sticky, and not well maintained. There was urine all over the toilet seat. Yuck. And when flushing, things began to overflow. With the prices here for kabobs (you'll go well into the $20's) I expect the bathrooms to be close to pristine and better maintained. If for the food only, I'd give Kolbeh 4 stars. Minus one star - things are rather pricey. Unfortunately, due to the Chinese restaurant quality bathroom, I'd be embarrassed to recommend this high quality dining to any of my friends. read more

they have delicious vegetarian/vegan options

My husband and I tried Kolbeh Kabob tonight for the first time and absolutely loved it! The food was so fresh, the service was great, and the owner came over and spoke with us and was such a nice man. We can't wait to bring our friends and family back to try it. It's our new favorite restaurant in Orangevale! read more

Kolbeh Kabob - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Orangevale, California

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OMG !!! This place is amazing, staff its super nice and polite , food hands down, amazing !! And big portions ! So far its may favorite Mediterranean food from Sacramento area read more

Strange location, but amazing food! I love Persian food and have a few good Persian friends so I am a little picky when it comes to this type of cuisine. Everything we ordered was scrumptious! Loved the KASHKE-BADEMJAN! I ordered a cinnamon rice vegetarian dish which is something I have never tried and it was fantastic! I was so looking forward to a bottle of Due Vigne Dolcetto. Not in the cards for me today as they were all out... total bummer! Portions are huge! I have a meal for tomorrow. I also took home some baklava and it was tasty! Our server threw in an extra baklava to make up for the lack of wine I think ; ) She was so sweet! We will definitely be back! read more

Got here at 8:22 PM and got turned away saying we are closing soon at 9 PM. Not sure about their food rating but service definitely is poor. If your service level is poor, food really don't mean a lot. read more

Not that this place needs any more endorsements, 193 reviews with a 4 and half stars rating.... But here goes, I'll stick to highlights. 1. The Eggplant and yogurt appetizer is absolutely crave worthy! 2. The lamb shish kabob plate was awesome. (Don't skip the dark brown seasoning next to the salt and pepper, that stuff was awesome! At least put it on your rice, but consider putting it on meat and veggies too.) 3. They serve beer in mugs straight out of the freezer, and so cold it literally started to frost my beer. Sometimes it's the little things... :) 4. The service was great! So there it is. If you haven't been here, fix that! read more

This food is amaizing you have to try it!!! I like chicken and beef and the prices is very reasonable. Personal is very nice and if you want can buy catering as well. read more

I like to try new ethnic restaurants instead of the same ol' common foods like pizza, burgers, etc. Here at Kolbeh Kabob, you are in for a treat to the food senses. Tried with my aunt earlier this week, and being a Monday, it was nearly empty, but it shouldn't be if more knew about this place. I admit, I'm not one that totally understands all the types of food offered here, but that's okay, because probably anything you try here is bound to be delicious. We each tried a lunch special, my aunt had the vegetarian plate with delicious hot veggies that are seasoned perfectly (I ate some to sample and will likely get this next time!!) I ordered the chicken lunch special, and instead of rice, got a salad added in it's place which turned out to be very good tasting (my aunt also got the salad and was very happy that she did). The waitress Rahz was very helpful and answered all our questions and told us about our food. The layout of the platers of food were so colorful and the food was hot and ready to be eaten right away. We both agreed that we would be back again, but with more of the family so they can also enjoy what we found here in Orangevale. read more

We came for lunch and we loved it ! From A to Z is perfect. Easy parking, clean restaurant, clean restroom, fast delivery on appetizers, water the way we wanted it (no ice, and yes it came no ice!!!). Chiken kabob was delicious and humos was unique! Fresh herbs and tasty potatoes bread! Definitely we are regulars from now on read more

Cute restaurant, Great customer service & tasty food. It's one of best in California. We go to many restaurants all over & this one is one of the best Persian restaurants we've been to. Tasty tender kabobs, great tasting & rich stews and other flavorful dishes. I wish they would add Albaloo polo & Shirin polo to their menu. The drive is also a little far as they're 6 miles away from the freeway but it was worth going there. read more

I love this place though I've only ordered one thing. The chicken kabobs. The chicken and rice are both top notch. The chicken is tender and very well seasoned. The rice is light and fluffy with a very tasty buttery flavor. The atmosphere is also very nice but casual. I've been here 4 or 5 times and each time it was quite empty. It scares me that this might be the next in line of my favorite places that falls victim to the economy. I hope that it's only that I go at odd times. The service has always been great thought most of the time I'm the only customer. read more

The food & service were very good. Large portions - a little expensive but well worth it. Comparable to Anatolian Table in Rocklin. Iced tea is strong. read more

The food here is great!! I'm not new to Mediterranean cuisine but I'm new to this restaurant...but I don't think it'll be new for too long. Ha! My husband, myself and 4 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed our humus (the best I've experienced thus far), and shared the All koobideh (chicken, beef and lamb) plate. Everything was super fresh and delicious. Yum! My mouth is watering now at the memory of eating said food. The hospitality is also great! It was apparent that we were new to the restaurant but we were certainly made to feel welcome. Our waitress took a little time to welcome us and give some highlights and descriptions of menu items. Although I can't necessarily say (didn't notice) they do or don't have a children's menu-their food is scrumptious enough to to please anybody. We even got our 4 year old to try the "basket of leaves" (complimentary appetizer of warm pita bread, herbs, cheese and butter) so that was kind of fun for all of us. So the food was scrumptious, our waitress attentive, and....well- that's enough to keep me going as often as I can. I hope this is helpful...Either way, give this place a whirl. You'll be satisfied that you did! Pun intended. read more

The food served here is "out of this world" phenomenal... I have been to many restaurants serving this style of food, in different parts of the country, and there is something very special going on at Kolbeh Kabob that sets them far apart from the others. Highly developed and refined flavors were to be found in every dish we ordered. I was with a group of thirteen people, so we had quite a broad sampling of the full menu to experience the first time we visited, and I was blown away by the quality and taste of each entree. The atmosphere was very nice also, with almost elegant but still quite comfortable decor. Prices were on the expensive side, and the menu does not contain any selections for children. Make sure you try the Dolmeh (Stuffed graped leaves with rice and herbs topped with barberries)! Delicious! read more

I went to Kolbeh Kabob a few nights ago. The food was absolutely terrible. I ordered the Salmon and Lamb koobideh. The Lamb was raw and the Salmon tasted expired. From the night i ate the Salmon i've been feeling sick. It seems like food poisoning. The waitress did not serve my table very well. Overall, not only was the customer service terrible, but their food was also disgusting. I do not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

I have to throw in for Kolbeh Kabob! What a gem right in the heart of my hometown, Orangevale no less. You have to be in the mood for something different, because this is by no means your standard American fair. The experience starts from the moment you enter. You are not expecting an exotic get a way in a strip mall next to a mini mart and across from Winco. The ambience is rich, the food is delicious....yet affordable! They start you out with a basket of herbs, pita and feta cheese. American food is more hearty, this is more sensual. If you are there on a Friday or Saturday night you are treated to a live belly dancer. Beautiful and aluring, my seven year old was soon in love with our pretty hostess. When she threw down her veil to him he reluctantly agreed to get up and dance with her. It was very cute. The food was what we came for so I have to say it was very good. I shared a sirloin kabob with my son. They bring out the dish with a generous portion of saffron rice and I got roasted tomato for my veggie. My husband ordred chicken in a walnut sauce. I tasted it, very unique and robust flavor. One that I find lingers in the brain prompting you to return for reassurance that was really as good as you remembered. We did not have our college student with us last night. But we have taken him to Kolbeh before. As a vegetarian, he is a fan of Kolbeh as they have a very large vegetarian menu. read more

I LOVE this place! Very cute atmosphere, belly dancers, great food with fresh herbs, and good service. Most people drive right by this place. It doesn't look like a charming restaurant would be hiding inside. Awesome! Go give it a taste... read more

This place is excellent! It is a go to spot for me and my family. We always get the sultan feast and it feeds all four of us with leftovers.

Loved the good - chicken barg was best we have had and the homemade hummus was amazing,. Very authentic and lovely interior -we wanted to try the fesenjoon but do full we will try next time . The location is sort of remote but nice inside read more

The best Persian restaurant hands down in Sacramento! I mean it. I'm a picky eater and rarely give 5 stars but this place gets and earns every single star! Everything is good here. I've tried almost every dish on the menu and they're all amazing. My favorites are kashk bademjoon, mast o mooseer, shirazi salad for appetizer and beef soltani, chicken kebab with saffron rice for main food. Eat here and you want to keep coming back. I'm glad I gave this place a chance. I've been here 7 times in the past month already! read more