Kolbeh

The staffs were friendly and the lunch was amazing. I had chicken barg and it was so good.

I’m a fan! Been going to this place for over 10 years. I can actually afford a nice dinner night out with the family at reasonable prices. The Persian food is authentic and fresh. I typically get the Kabob Koobideh. Also, on Sundays they have entertainment at 7pm the entire family of all ages can enjoy. It’s in a hidden location off of Miramar Road.

Delicious food: P My go-​to restaurant for Persian food. Love their koobideh.

I wish I would have read the reviews before. Bad service. Food ok. They double charged me on my credit card too and when I called with my card company on the line, they were very rude. I’m disappointed as I love Persian food. Very shady employees and barely speak any English. That makes it hard when you have a credit card dispute.

Very disappointed! I placed an order over the phone and was told it will take about 15 minutes to get ready, I waited half an hour for the food. When I got home to eat the food the chicken was literally burnt and tastes disgusting. If I’m going to pay $ 20 for a plate I do not want to eat burnt Kebab! Kinda ruined my night and I don’t know if I want to come back here after what happened.

I’d give less than one star if I could.
First things first: I love Persian food. I’ve had it at numerous restaurants in numerous cities and even cooked it at home. This was truly the worst Persian food I’ve ever had.
The usual delicious bread, herbs, cheese, nuts etc served before the meal? At Kolbeh you get a few pieces of bread, a few ice-​cold butter pats, and a quarter of a semi-​dried-​out raw onion.
Borani should be renamed Boring-​ani. Dull, dull, dull. Kebobs Soltani were the most flavorless meat I’ve ever had at a Persian restaurant. Even after I dumped salt and sumac on them, they tasted… gray. A McDonalds hamburger has more flavor. The Gheimeh was equally dead. Two bites, and we left the entire rest of the dish on the table, along with much of the rest of our food. Not that the waiter (owner, I suspect) cared. He just happily cleared it all away without asking if we were unhappy with the food.
In short: find ANY other Persian restaurant in the U.S., and you’ll have a better meal.

This restaurant is amazing. The food was fantastic, and the service was hard to believe. The owner himself, with the occasional assistance of the chef, made my meal a true cultural experience. I am no Eleanor Widmer or even Tin Fork Ed, but I consider myself an ethnic foodie and do I know when I’ve had a great restaurant experience. I did not feel like I was treated like Persian royalty at Kolbeh, but rather as a respected elder of a family, and that’s plenty good enough for me. It was hot and dusty outside, right across Miramar Road from the MCAS, but inside Kolbeh was a cool, quiet, clean oasis with the smell of spices in the air, and faint whiff, like promises of meats, legumes and vegetables. I had some delicious, refreshing cucumber-​based salad and the chef brought me some hot tasty-​looking but very soft pita-​type bread. When I asked if he could toast it for me, he hesitated. Sensing the need for a break, I switched to Spanish and his face relaxed. He said he would be happy to toast the bread for me, but that it would likely get «hard.» I told him I need for bread to be crispy, and he swept it away immediately. When he brought it back it was toasty, crispy and delicious, with a few blackened spots, just like authentic homemade tortillas or naan often have. This «Persian toast» made the salad even more enjoyable. Like many Middle Eastern places, the table had sumac on it as a seasoning. I mentioned to the owner that I enjoy the novelty of the taste of it, and that I had not yet seen it in Washington, DC, where I live, so he hurried into the kitchen and came back with three sealed packages of sumac for me, no charge. There were Persian customers in the restaurant. I could tell because there was one lady who was as loud and demanding than I was (and with the same lack of bad intent). She just knew what she wanted. She spoke in Farsi to the owner (I am Mexican American Jew but I know what most people speak in Iran) and also in English. When she remarked to him about his Persian chef being very good, and the food tasting just like back home in Iran, he thanked her. Then, a serious man with a sudden twinkle in his eye, he motioned toward the chef (who is as Persian as I am and was working the room) and told her, «He makes everything.» I overheard him telling the people at the table that the chef had come to him at age 15. «He 40-​something now,» he said. «Now he is like part of my family.» I liked that story very much, so I asked about it, in wonder, when the chef brought out my amazing lamb and eqqplant stew. He concurred. «I was scared and hungry,» he confided, in Spanish, «All I wanted was a chance to wash some dishes or sweep a little, maybe just for some food and a place to rest for awhile. He was an immigrant himself so he had a heart for me. I worked really hard and he kept asking me to stay another year. Now I’m a citizen and a partner, but he’s the boss.» At that moment the owner came by and said something very fast, in Farsi, (!) which the chef answered, in kind (!). «I gotta go now,» he said, switching back to Spanish, «We have a big party coming in.» I wish many big parties for these two awesome men and for this excellent restaurant. Let people like this and food like this help us all to find peace. In’sha’Allah. Si Dios quiere.

This place has delicious food its hidden and a little dark and maybe the service is a little different but the food is spectacular and with a freshness and delightful flavors yum people

Every time we have food catered from here at family occasions the consensus is the same. We love the barg, we love the koubideh, the chicken is good. However, the ghormeh sabzi sucks, and the gheymeh is subpar. I would stick to the Kabab.

Kholba! Good people doing good job, just need new Decour and air freshener and that would be perfect! I can only give you 4 stars for good food this time…

Ok the interior of the place is. shall we say dated. and the service may not be 4 star, but the food here is absolutely delicious. The chicken kabob is white meat but so juicy and tender, the kabob koobideh is flat out yummy. I like to order the borani eggplant/​yogurt appetizer is really delicious as well. I’ve been here enough to not expect super excellent service, so I just get up and ask the guys like I do over at Todo sushi (which ironically is just down the road). it’s really that easy.

Out here to try the Fensenjen as it is recommended in a review. The Unilocal review describes fensenjen as a Mediterranean mole. It’s a chicken stew made with a walnut and pomegranate sauce. The version at Kolbeh does not look appetizing with it’s dark complexion. Not picture perfect, but that’s ok. It’s also much sweeter than the first time tried this dish while on vacation. While it was good and better as leftovers, I won’t be back for their version of this dish. As far as service, it came w/​o a smile durning this visit. All business. No sense of customer service at all.

Owner seemed kind of shady. Didn’t have total amount of bill on my credit card when he ran it. Instead of telling me the I still owed a balance because my card only got partially charged, he said it was denied and asked for another card or form of payment and it appeared as if he were ready to just swipe my card for the whole amount all over again. Thank goodness I checked my online banking statement on its mobile app right away to see that I did indeed get charged, because he didn’t even offer me a receipt stating it was declined or in reality «only partial payment» received. The receipt said I only owed another $ 3, which I gave him in cash. Unbelievable!!!

I have eaten at every persian place in San Diego and this is the best and most authentic. I asked why? the cook is persian and he is the owner.
The décor is dated but if your looking for great food this is your hidden spot

Meh x infinity, maybe. I went last Sunday night to watch my friend belly dance so I don’t know if what I experienced was atypical of what I can expect from a normal dining experience. But if sitting there for almost 90 minutes without ever being approached a single time to see if I wanted something — oh, I don’t know, food, beer, water, attention, disdain — is what I can expect than I’ll pass. My friends share their wrapped grape leaves and chicken kabobs. The chicken was moist, if somewhat bland, and the grape leaves were tangy and delicious. But here’s the rub. There are almost as many Middle Eastern restaurants in San Diego county as there are grape leaves in the Middle East. So if I want to be ignored, I certainly don’t have to drive to Miramar Road for that.

Horrible service from the servers to the manager. Food was alright but overpriced. Small on the inside, it’s very tight. Definitely not coming back.

My wife and I have been going to this restaurants for years.
Love the service and the food, specifically the Chicken Kabob.

A little secret gem tucked away in a tiny rundown corner strip mall. Think Taste of Himalayas in-​terms of unassuming location. Dined here for the second time with my folks last night for an early dinner. I rarely get to this side of the city anymore so it’s great to have a goto spot handy. Just like the outside the inside looks the way it probably did when it opened up a over a dozen years or so ago. Place was empty but the food was great as always.
The menu is meat centric with a lot of kababs. I had the Chicken Barg with a side of Beef Koobideh. Both cooked to perfection with great flavors and juiciness. Side salad, basmati rice, and our eggplant appetizer were very tasty too. Quality of the food was on the same level as another favorite Persian spot of mine, Darband on 5^th.
Bottom line while this place is a sit down restaurant the ambiance will either scare you or make you smile but know that the food is delicious and not too pricey.

I’ve been to Kolbeh several times, and I have never left this place hungry. This low-​key restaurant on Miramar has always been my go-​to restaurant for Persian food.
Kolbeh isn’t very visible from the main road, which may be the reason the restaurant seems to have only a few patrons whenever I dine here. The ambience is very welcoming and the owners have always been friendly.
I always order the same thing: Kabob Koobideh. This marinated kabob of sirloin is so delicious and served with basmati rice and charbroiled tomato. You can order a single kabob on the lunch menu or two kabobs off the dinner menu. If you’re like me, you can devour three or four kabobs of this delicious heaven on Earth. It’s impossible for me to venture into other items on the menu when I keep ordering the delicious Koobideh every single time. Definitely recommended!
I also enjoy the pita bread they bring out before your meal. They give you so many. If you’re still hungry after a pile of pita bread and two massive kabobs, then I’m afraid there’s nothing else I can do for you.
Check it out if you’re on Miramar!

Came here for a work lunch one day. We preordered and made reservations because we had a pretty big party (about 10 of us) and we were seated as soon as we got there.
The waiters brought out the «bread» (I’m not sure the correct term is but it’s like a tortilla almost). You spread butter and put fresh onions in it. Pretty good but don’t put too much onion! The food came out in probably 10 minutes.
I ordered the chicken kabob lunch special and it came with a side of rice and salad. The salad was really good. The dressing was light and refreshing. The chicken was juicy and tender and the portions were perfect.
Best part of the meal was that it was only $ 8! Deff a great find!
Downpart: The place and parking are both extremely limited. So a small party would probably be better but I look forward to trying more Persian food!