Scrolling through Yelp in Canoga Park thinking, "I want Mediterranean... specifically…read morePersian/Iranian?" Look no further. This spot is takeout only, hidden in what basically feels like a restaurant warehouse, and as you walk down to pick up your food you genuinely start wondering, "Where the hell am I?" Then the aroma hits and suddenly you're floating like a cartoon character following the smell trail. I got the beef koobideh and WOW! Perfectly seasoned, insanely flavorful, fluffy rice, and the shirazi salad absolutely slapped. All this for $15 in 2026 when gas is $6.30. And the service? So kind. The person I called taking my order was sweet, everyone at pickup was welcoming, and I swear someone's grandma was in the kitchen because the food tasted like a warm hug. I don't usually write reviews unless the food is genuinely special, and I definitely don't gatekeep good food. So if you're craving Persian food, place the order now.

I'm from the Bay Area, but I was in Canoga Park a couple months ago and found this place…read more It's a hole-in-the-wall that only offers take-out, but I'm glad I got food here rather than drive all the way to Raffi's in Glendale! The chicken koobideh was flavorful and juicy. In fact, it was the juiciest koobideh I've ever had. The price was very reasonable at only around $15 (a steal for LA!). What I appreciated the most is the kind service. I could tell there was a lot of positive energy there. I'll be back whenever I'm in the area. In the meantime, I'm wishing them all the best and much success. Shukriya and merci!

The owner is always there. He's a hunter. He's was a friend of my father's and one of the kindest…read morehumans ever. My father has left this world but every time I come here I remember him loving this place. His favorite was the lamb shank. He would usually order two portions. One to take home. The grilled fish is excellent. Kabobs are of the highest quality. If you haven't been definitely try their lunch specials. The staff are very polite and servings are large. The smells are always delicious.

I have been going to Shamshiri in Nortridge for decades, to savor their mouthwatering Persian…read moreselections. My favorites are their kabobs and different modifications (think sour berries) of generous amounts of basmati rice that accompany their entrees. The Mast O' Mooseer (yoghurt with shallots) is another of my must haves. Generally, I always get the koobideh kabob to go, but this time, I was in the mood to sit down and have some chunks of meat. I chose the Shish Kabob, which is advertised as grilled filet mignon pieces. The restaurant prepares it medium well and past experience revealed it to be dry and tough. So I asked for it medium rare, for the first time. The dish that came to my table had marvelous optics. The beef was well charred, had an intoxicating aroma and well distributed coloring amongst the seven generous pieces. But there were a few problems. For one, I could not comfortably cut into the beef without using excess force, and shredding it. I asked for a sharper (steak) knife and was told that was all they had. While the meat was juicy, it was extremely chewy. I even questioned whether it was filet mignon, because it did not look and behave like it. I was told it was. If that was the case, could it have been a bad cut? This substantiates why I am leery about ordering meat pieces. Amongst the other items, the thick creamy yoghurt did not disappoint. Same with the grilled onion and tomato. The saffron rice is always fluffy and abundant. The green salad was crisp and refreshing. Take home message? Looks like I will have to skip the Shish Kabob and stick only with the koobideh, if I am ever in the mood for skewered grilled beef.

If there is a way to rate Ali, and his staff at Ali Baba 10 stars, I would. Our family has been…read morecelebrating big events at this restaurant and today was no different. We had my grandmother's funeral reception here and Ali and his staff did an amazing job with a set up and accommodated additional guest beyond our original reservation. On top of that, he gave us such a great deal too. The staff was friendly and very efficient. We are regulars at Ali Baba for their food, of course. So the spread did not disappoint. Our guest raved about the food and even scrambled to take home some of the left overs. My family and I will continue to have events here and we will continue to be a loyal customers. Ali is generous and a kind human being. He is easy to talk to and a great communicator. Thank you for having us during this special day. I truly appreciate your generosity and accommodations. _ Yvette

I don't usually like writing negative reviews because I truly believe every restaurant can have an…read moreoff day, but this experience was hard to overlook. I ordered directly through their website. Shortly after, I received a call from a San Diego number to confirm the order. During the call, they asked me to provide my credit card information again, confirm who was picking up the food, and seemed confused because the person picking it up wasn't the credit card holder -- even though they were speaking directly with the card owner at the time. The whole process felt unnecessarily complicated and a bit uncomfortable. When we picked up the food, unfortunately the quality didn't make up for the confusion. The chelo kabob was dry, and no sauces were included at all. The salad had a noticeably sweet flavor that we weren't expecting and didn't really enjoy. To make things more frustrating, I noticed that the prices are higher when ordering over the phone compared to what's listed online. I understand that mistakes happen and restaurants can have busy days, but overall this experience left me disappointed.

I've always enjoyed the food at Malek's but avoid the restaurant because of the parking and parking…read morelot access. It's just difficult, which is a crying shame. Tonight we figured out that DoorDash (or was it GrubHub?) solves that problem! Quick preparation and delivery of absolutely delicious food. I'm very full and very happy.

Malek's Grill & Kabob is located in a small plaza. While finding parking is not hard, getting in…read moreand out of the spot may be. Their space is fairly clean, and service was great. The food, though, was just okay. I had their Koobideh Mix, and while I always enjoy Persian food, this one didn't leave a strong impression. The meats were a bit bland, the rice, too. Everything tasted and felt unexciting. I might return and give this them a second chance in the future, but this is the first time I've had Persian food that disappointed me.

The food is amazing and it was made with love. The service was great and the food was so fresh. It…read morewas such a nice experience and the food was made with love.

I've sampled and supported lots of small businesses, and I've ordered lots of falafel plates and…read morewraps--but I've NEVER been asked if I wanted a "vegan" or "vegetarian" falafel wrap. I was like "what?" And then Alberto the order taker started explaining the difference, but I cut him off. I said I already knew the difference, but they were the first to ever give the option. I was very impressed and I hadn't even had a bite yet. The service was very attentive, warm and wholly professional. The food was very reasonably priced. The portion sizes were hefty. And the best part was how good my food was. My falafel wrap was as good as it gets--but even bigger than that. The house salad that came with the wrap included a delicious dressing. Great little business in a popular shopping center with Dollar Tree and laundromat. I use the laundromat for my big blankets, and now I know where I'll go to kill time and wait. 5 stars.

By far , one of the best middle eastern restaurants I've been to. I don't usually write a lot…read moreof reviews but I feel that after visiting this place a few times , it truly deserves an outstanding review. The food is delicious , my favorite is the lamb shank and the ground beef kabob ( koobideh). The ambience is great ,There is usually live entertainment on Friday & Sat , the waiters and waitresses are professionals and the management is admirable . There is a full bar with fast and unique bartenders. If you are a fan of tequila, I recommend AR's Special, trust me you won't regret it!

This is a cute and cozy place with little blue couch booths. The floor was tiled with various black…read moreand white patterns and I thought it all worked very nicely. Seems like a cool place for a lunch date or a fun dinner and you could walk around the shopping mall after. The chicken was very juicy and the portions are very large, but it's still a bit on the expensive side. I thought for the price, I could probably get something better somewhere else. To me, the flavors were fine but something felt a bit off, like the ingredients could have punched a bit better. I'm still glad I tried this place. I do like that they have complimentary tea but I don't like that an automatic gratuity is included and applied automatically to parties of one or more, especially when we got our food to go. I've see more and more restaurants do this lately and I always dock a star on my review if they do, it just really isn't cool and I'd prefer to add gratuity on my own terms.

One of the best grilled Kabobs kobideh, in southern CA, I love it but unfortunately you guys moved,…read moreplease let me know new location. Thank you

Drove to this dump twice to give it a go but no one there at 12 peak of lunch time. Wasted my time…read more Not again. Had a sign "be back in 90 minutes." You kidding?

Easily Top 3 when it comes to authentic persian flavors and authentic kabob!…read more a chicken and beef kabob usually goes for $15-28 depending on the spot for $20 is a reasonable price for the amount of food you are getting the ambience of the restaurant truly gives it a very authentic experience. 10/10 I will be a regular. the restaurant is run by an older gentleman so food took about 15-20 minutes but it was worth the wait. would go here again.

Very rude owner,very poor service,!!! Do NOT waist your…read moremoney in this place, The owner is about to fight with you as soon as you walk in,!!!! You clearly can see his rude attitude..!!!! Also the food is NOT fresh at all, you can easily tell, It will be your horrible experience if you go to this place, And he charges you very over priced,!!!! I wouldn't spend a dime here again,

We tried Grillo for the first time today. The owner was friendly and informative about his menu…read more There are many choices and even vegetarian kebab for those interested. We had the Shawarma plate, the Zaatar flatbread, and a side of Falafel. Everything was delicious and the portions were very generous. Definitely worth trying this new addition. They are also available for catering and on food apps. The catering prices seem very reasonable for the value!!

Absolutely delicious. Their chicken is definitely a surprise hit that tasted great and was juicy…read more Saved an extra chicken shawarma for a later lunch 2 days after and it was still pretty amazing and juicy after reheating it. I will be making future visits here to try more of their menu

good food, the people are friendly…read moregood service accommodating past service easy to order

I always expect below average quality when it comes to mall food, but this place takes the cake in…read moretaste! The gyro and rice were absolutely delicious. Portions are the same as Luna Grill (if you frequent that one often), so it's huge! Only thing that could've been better is the service. It felt like every request or interaction was an inconvenience to their idle time. This was my first time there, so hopefully the cashier was just having a bad day and isn't like this every day. There's lots of seating and it's a great place to people watch. Would come here again!