California Kebab

BOOO!!! This place gets a bad review because no one took the time to mention that this place was closed. I suppose I’m also at fault for not reading the reviews prior to driving down there like an idiot, but when you: 1) have your mind set on what to eat for dinner and you 2) take the time to check Unilocal for their store hours and read that they’re open, ya kinda think it’s gonna be in-​business when you show… not the case… and now I read their way out in PB?!? Maybe when I’m in the area, but Cali Kebab definitely lost a few cool pts in my book.

I cannot believe they closed this location! I guess I will have to head down to PB for my CaliKebab. It’s delicious, so I guess I don’t mind the drive. I will miss the convenience of being right by work.
Good luck at the new spot, guys!

meh.
The chicken pita I had was supper salty and the garlic fries were good but salty as well. There is another, and better, pita place a short walk from here so it’s hard to see why I’d bother to try it again.

The gyro fries are good, but I wish they had less flavored salt on them. Addictive.
The chicken gyro wrap with falafel was ok, but dry.
The guy working there seemed baked.
There are lots of TVs with sports.
I felt old here.

Ok So I wanted to see what all the hype was about. I was on Unilocal and wanted to go somewhere for lunch in the college area. This place had great reviews.
When I walked in I was helped promptly, but then the hype stopped there. I decided to get a trio plate which included 3 different types of kabobs (meat, chicken, shrimp) and some fries and battered zucchini.
The wait was rather long, but expected as the meal was cooked/​grilled fresh. When I ordered my food I stated I wanted it «to go» and they put it as a dine in order. So the guy basically just dumped the food in a bag and handed it to me.
When I got to work (5 minutes down the street), the fries were already soggy and really greasy (inside a brown paper bag mind you). When I tried the food, the kabobs had no flavor! I mean I just paid $ 16 for a meal that I expected to taste better then this. The only up side to my meal was the parmessan fried zucchini… it was AMAZING!
This placed is over priced in my opinion. And deserves 2 stars.

myPley:
I cant believe that I walked sdsu campus for all these years and never hit this place up.
Their doner is better than the Kebab Shops. See im the kind of guy that needs richness, big flavor, big portions, and big personality.
The chicken doner I ordered had all kinds of yummy flavors, it felt like It had ras el hanout in it. The portions were really large, I was definitely on full after I polished it off. And the service and atmosphere is identical to the sdsu culture.
I mean, the light switch in the restroom reads «how would you like it if someone turned you on and left»
I will be coming back for more.

We got the doner fries which are similar to carne asada fries except for the fact that they use lamb or chicken topped with diced veggie items and sauces. Loved this concept but thought the meat wasn’t as flavorful as what I’m used to from other kebab places. I will, however, give them props for their homemade sauces which are brilliantly delish! But overall, no way does it compare to Kebab Shop.
P. S. They need to invest in a better AC system. It was uncomfortably hot in there, and made it hard to really sit and enjoy my meal.

I like everything here, especially the fried zucchini.
Can’t go wrong with the doner kebab, doner fries, or skewer plate.
I think you get the most for your money from the doner fries. It’s a very large portion and you probably would have to share it with someone.
The skewer plate is a good option too. You get three skewers and two sides but you can choose to have skewers as your sides so you can get five skewers! I sometimes get five sirloin skewers.

Big fan of this place. It’s tucked away off of College Ave on the edge of SDSU. The staff is super friendly and they have a nice varied menu. The lamb is delicious and flavorful and the salads are great. My husband had the standard lamb doner and he loved it. I got the mixed green salad with some salmon skewers and it was delicious and fresh. To balance out the healthy, we shared some fries and a few falafels. Everything was fresh and prepared to order. On top of that, they have great beers on tap at extremely reasonable prices.
This place is going to be on our regular rotation for quick, healthy, tasty, inexpensive meals.

I really like Cali Kebab. Try the chicken Doner, good stuff. Their skewer plates are really good as well. There are 6 taps that are always quality micro brews.
Get 10% cashback here when you sign up for

I came by here to grab some dinner and correct some papers this early evening. I ordered the Lamb Doner Kebab on Pita with all the fixings for $ 6.00. I also ordered a Aztec Cesar salad with grilled Skewered Chicken, Preserved Lemon, Fresh Romaine Hearts, Parmigiano, Hard Boiled Egg, Pita Croutons, but I axed the egg and added a sprinkle of feta cheese for $ 6.00.
My feelings about the food is mixed. The lamb kebab on the pita was very good. It had a nice amount of fillings (
) but I thought the lamb was a bit salty. The salad was good. The best part was the spicy and well cooked chicken skewers. (
) They were extremely flavorful and juicy. However, the salad dressing was overwhelmingly salty. I was only able to eat half of the salad, but I ate all of the chicken. Chicken good.
Using the law of averages, the meal averaged out to an A-​Okay hence the three stars. I would eat here again, but I would not go way out of my way to come here. The place is 90% college students and it is loud with music always playing. The tunes were cool though.
No need to bring your own salt…

I came here with one of my apartmentmates to use a Groupon deal. Honestly, if it wasn’t for that deal, we would’ve never even heard of this place. On top of that we almost drove right past it. The space is also very small.
But I’m glad we came here! They had the gluten free items marked which was great since my apartmentmate is gluten sensitive [poor guy]. He got a kebab plate with two sides. I believe he chose lamb, chicken, and salmon. I didn’t try any of his, but he enjoyed it. As for the sides, he got the falafels and fries.
The falafels were a bit bland, probably could’ve used a bit more salt. However, I really liked the fries. I believe the guy helping us said there was sugar, paprika, and salt. A bit sweet, a bit smoky. There was some grated parm and found various herbs on the bottom like rosemary and green onions. Good stuff!
I got the lamb doner. I love lamb! It’s pretty much a gyro, I’m wondering if they’re interchangeable? Anyways, I picked habanero sauce + tzatziki to go in my doner and all the toppings. It was pretty good. The lamb was moist and flavorful. The habanero gave a great spicy kick balanced by the creamy cooling tzatziki. Good stuff!
The staff was really friendly and helpful to first timers like us. I liked this place a lot! Hope to swing by again!

Got this groupon thingy. Foodwise, sometimes they work. Sometimes not. This one was leaning towards the «not» side.
First of all, and a good thing for anyone on a budget, the most expensive entrée on menu is $ 7.50. For a kebab plate that is unheard of. That’s 3 kebabs (your choice (s) of meat) and two sides. That made Mr. B happy. As for me, I got the summer salad with two kabobs. After deducting my $ 16 groupon, it cost 52 cents. That’s right!
Looking around, I noticed that we were definitely the oldest ones there. And yes, we are old fogies. Seriously, we were like fish out of water. Like, no one over the age of 23 patronizes. And it seems we forgot to read the memo — gotta have your cap on backwards and a few piercings in non-​traditional places. Then there was the music. Now I really know I’m old. Loud enough to evoke a headache. Resigned myself to head bouncing to gansta music.
Good place for starving students. Not a good place for retirees and foodies.
So, the guy at the counter was very nice and quite patient. Even gave me a complimentary drink. You serve yourself. For those who need to know, Coke products. Yesssssssssss!
On to the food — Small kebabs, each a 2 – 3 oz decent serving, still moist but really overdone. The beef had a distinct spice flavor of clove in the pomegranate marinade. I could not detect the sweetness I anticipated, pomegranate influence and all. Not eye-​rollingly wonderful, but still good.
My Summer Salad — really nice. Two beef kebabs on top, and heaped into a large bowl… orange chunks, toasted almond slices, pomegranate seeds, avocado, crisp wonton strips, and practcally a whole bag of mixed baby greens, lightly coated with a light citrus vinagrette. Glad I got it. This I would recommend, and it’s likely the other salads would be good too.
Mr. B was not so lucky. He got two steak kababs and one chicken. The ckicken kebab tasted strangely like curry (They called it tarragon. Couldn’t prove it by me). The rice and hummus were just plain awful. Rice — way over seasoned and unnatural tasting (memories of Rice A Roni). Hummos — dry and tasteless. Howeverrrrrrrr… the grilled veggies, skewered, including red bells, onion, zucchini, were nicely caramelized and the saving grace to an otherwise sub standard meal.
Bottom line — just because it says Kebab in the name, does not make this a Mediterranean restaurant. This is an attempt at California cuisine, with a ways to go to get my 100% vote. But the salad, yum, and the grilled veggies were superb.

Ran up in this place the other day because I was about to die of starvtion.
My logic was, if it’s tucked back in this corner they probably have some bomb ass food. Long story short, I was right! Hell yeah!
First impression:
It’s a small joint, clean, simple, unique, inviting, very college area!
They have a small dining area with bar-​like seating and they prepare the food right in front of you, which is awesome.
Having never ate there before I took a look at the menu and turned to the guy behind the counter and asked what the most popular item was. After a friggin’ awesome run down of the food I was ready to order.
Honestly I cannot remember what I got because I was too exicted to stuff my face. Oh, almost forgot, they have beer! Verrrry importaint information right there.
Anyway, you can customize what you want from the meat (protein), toppings (get them all!), sauce (which is boss), and hummus. The hummus was pretty decent but I wish I had more…
Bottome line: Try it at least once. I would even say try it again if you don’t like it the first time because you will probably change your mind. Seriously. I’m craving it right now, infact!
On a side note, the people are very friendly and damn knowledgable about the food and what eveyone likes.
Awesome!

Delicious food, great service and cute boys. I’m set!
My friend introduced me to this place a few weeks ago and I’m hooked. I always get the chicken doner and the fries. Everything has a ton of flavor and the ingredients are really, really, really fresh.
Plus you can order online and request curbside delivery since the parking lot isn’t the largest. Love it!

Bomb proof grub. I got the falafel pita with all the fixin’s and a rad habenero sauce that is actually spicy. With groupon it was crazy cheap, normal price is 6.50. Really good sides too. Olives, mixed green salad, zucchini sticks, etc.
The people working there were super nice and the food was done fast.
Decent beer selection considering being in the college area where most frat dudes want shock top (although they do have it) and light beers.

If you’re ever in the SDSU area and sick of eating at Daphne’s, this is option 2. Although really, unless you have a Meal Plan, it should be your first option.
The Doner is what I like to call the «Greek Burrito.» It was SO good. Instead of a tortilla, it is a pita. And you can pick from lamb, chicken, or falafel as your protein. Then you can add your veggies and sauces and BOY, I scarfed it down it was so good! This was the first thing I tried here and the guy at the register was very helpful on how to order the Doner.
I’ve also tried the «Combo» Meal. You get to choose your meat on skewer sticks (I tried the chicken and it was so tasty!) and you get to choose the different sides. The rice and fried zucchini is BOMB! I’ve heard their fries are good too. Again, the guy at the register was very friendly.
It has average pricing, but I guess with competition of La Casita’s right next door, sometimes you can’t beat a $ 2 Bean&Cheese Burrito for dinner. So with the tastiness of their food, I wish it was more affordable!
P. S. I have seen coupons in the Dollar Stretcher.

Wow, still have the taste of garlic in my mouth. This place is a great spot for having a satisfying meal and a great beer. CK has great beers on tap and have a good happy hour too. This was the first time I got food here and was extremely impressed. The lamb Donner was juicy and it had a great mix of spices and sauces on it.
I spent a lot of time eating kabob and shwarma in Europe and Israel and I can attest that this place is legit. Reminds me of those places out there, but I don’t have to worry if I’m eating a cat kabob.
One tip: Not a great place if are meeting someone of the opposite sex after because your breath will reek of delicious garlicness.
Give this place a try and you won’t regret it.

Lunch special was great – $ 7.95 for a kebab (burrito-​like sandwich filled with meat and veggies, and it came with a choice of a side and a drink.) The kabob was HUGE, filled with rotisserie-​like chicken and veggies, and despite being really hungry I still took a large amount home in a box. From the many choices available, I went with the grilled veggie kabob as my side, and it was pretty good except for the carrots, which were somewhat wilted and reminded me of rabbit food.
Overall though, for $ 8 and change, great lunch. I will return.

Had one of their specialties which was the Doner Fries. It was fairly decent but a bit too salty for my tasting.
Boyfriend had a skewer plate. definitely was not impress, but the rice was good.
This place is okay.