Real Kabob

The beef is so moist and flavorful! The chicken was good but a little too fatty for me, still flavored well though. Plate comes with rice and pita bread with sauce.
Service here is excellent. They are so kind here. I’ll drive out of my way to eat here again.

This is my go to place when I’m craving Kebobs. The owner/​manager lady is very polite, welcoming, and respected. Way more than other other Persian places around San Jose! Sorry to say that, but I’m frustrated of poor customer service in Persian places. But Real Kabob, has been solved the customer service issue, and that’s what makes me keep going there. Food is great, tasty, and reasonably priced. I’ve tried almost all of their menue and never seen a bad thing in the food. So, Yeah, go there and enjoy the friendly service and delicious kabobs! :)

Took the host’s suggestion and had the Lamb Kabob. Meet was tender, cooked perfectly. Saffron rice was on point. Finished everything they put in front of me but a couple sprigs of basil. It was delicious. I will definitely be back.

I finally found my favorite Greek place! I’ve been searching for another one ever since the one I went to closed down, and this place is even better! The food is so flavorful and the portions are big! They are friendly and a family ran restaurant. I love supporting small businesses, they always have the best food! I ordered the chicken kabob plate with a vegetable skewer. It was amazing! :) definitely would recommend them.

Great service, very friendly and welcoming staff.
I ordered my favorite, Kobideh, and it was flavorless, undercooked, and disappointing. It looked and smelled great, but ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would NOT order again.
My husband got the chicken and it was better, but nothing special.

I have made it a point to bring my friends to Real Kebab. One by one I am converting them to only come here. This place is so delicious, the flavors remind me of when my Persian friends parents would cook homemade recipes. The feeling of nostalgia floods my senses as I enjoy my zereshk polo. I have even had a hard time ordering other variations on the menu for fear of cheating on my zereshk. I am even going as far as using/​catering Real Kebob for my upcoming engagement party. If i could express accurately how awesome Melissa and her family is — it wouldn’t compare to actually going. They are always kind and welcoming, I feel like they know me personally, and I have gone in time and time again to enjoy a perfectly made meal full of love. The meat is seasoned so well, I often get sad when I am full. No joke!
For those saying the rice is bland — ouch! Have you tried the Zereshk? Try it then review ;)
Come in and enjoy — and try that eggplant appetizer. It’s sooooo gooooooood.

Everything good written about this place is true. Great tasting shish kebob, chicken kebob, koobideh with generous portions. The workers came by our table a few times to check-​in on us and were extremely friendly. As others have noted, not the best area on the outside, but a lot of restaurant hidden gems are like that for some reason. We plan to go back to try other menu item.

This place is a hidden gem! The people here are so nice and make me feel so comfortable. Even though I’m new to the Persian cuisine. 2^nd time I came back they gave me a yogurt dish to try for FREE and she told me you will like it! And she was right! I love nice people and great food, it makes the best combination.

My girlfriend and I went here for lunch today because we were in the area and craving Mediterranean food. We Unilocaled restaurants in the area and found this place so decided to give it a try. Not the best looking place from the outside but once you walk in, you are greeted like you are family. The owners were extremely friendly and helped us with our order and even gave us a free dessert since it was our first time there. Most importantly, the food was absolutely delicious! One of the best Mediterranean restaurants we have ever been to. Highly recommended! You won’t regret it. A+!

Decided to try this place tonight instead of my usual go to places (Grab a Pita and Isfahan Kabob). Orderred the combination dinner to go. It looked and smelled good. Unfortunately the beef had zero flavor and just a very odd texture, unlike any other Koobideh I have had before. The chicken was pretty good. There was a MOUNTAIN of rice underneath, but it was so dry and bland. Overall I would not come back, as the flavors just where not there. I wanted to like this place, as it was close to my house, but no dice. Isfahan Kabob on Union Avenue is hands down a much better choice if you like flavor in your Middle Eastern food.

Ordered beef kabob again (and again and again lol its my fav thing on the menu) yesterday. This place never disappoints.
The food is incredibly flavorful, have tried the chicken and beef combo before and both were delicious. My absolute favorite plate is the beef kabob here.
The staff are always pleasant, and ordering is easy. If you are not sure what to order, just look at the pictures on the wall! :)
Thank You for being in my neighborhood! Keep up the great work Real Kabob, you guys are awesome.

The beef koobideh had a weird texture resembling processed meat or fake/​mystery meat. The chicken kebabs were good and had some tangy yogurt marinated flavor, but unfortunately it was a bit dry. If you value quality meat, don’t order the koobideh.

First (and last) time visit for us. I’ve eaten at a number of kebab restaurants which varied from Greek to Afghani and I’ve really loved them. The food is usually exotically seasoned, spicy and delicious. The Real Kabob is none of these. I’m sure some regulars will disagree, but this review is not for them…
Located in a very sketchy, dimly lit strip mall, this tiny Iranian restaurant offers falafel, chicken, beef or lamb «kabobs» although none are presented as such. The chicken was cooked nicely and mildly seasoned, but the lamb was dry, over-​cooked and was very gamey (not from a young lamb). The long grain rice was mountainous and cooked well, but nothing on the plate really had much flavor. The only condiments offered were tzatziki sauce, lime slices, salt and pepper — a rather meager range of seasonings. I was not impressed.
As a first time visitor, we were surprised to discover that this restaurant was a counter-​service style (a la Carl’s Jr) as we stood dumbly for a few moments wondering why nobody would seat us. The friendly Persian ladies who work here were not very helpful and their table service following was only adequate. I think that they really expect customers to know «how to dine here». Combined with the modestly padded patio furniture you will be seated upon, I would only advise dining for those who are literally hard core. I would estimate the dining room temp to be 63 deg F this evening, so dress accordingly.
Better yet, find another place if you’re a true kebab lover.

Real Kabob (RK) is the proverbial diamond in the rough eatery that most people probably pass up without a moment’s hesitation. The Lincoln Glen shopping center RK is located in is one of the more decrepit strip malls in SJ, and is probably known more for the gun shop (a rarity ’round these parts) there than good eats. Despite having all that against it, RK is a Unilocal superstar and one of my favorite places to eat in the area. I’ve only really sampled one thing here, and it’s their #13 combo: Beef Kabob (Koobideh) and Chicken Kabob plate.
Beef Koobideh– RK’s Beef Kabob’s are a marinated ground chuck that, while juicy and flavorful, has a bit of an odd, mushy texture that’s slightly off; it almost comes across as «raw,» but I know that’s not the case. Despite all that, I still order it because the taste is awesome, and I can push thru the texture issue by combining it with their rice. 3.5*
Chicken Kabob– Wonderfully seasoned, juicy and a nice slight char from the grill makes this my favorite chicken kabob of all-​time. I really appreciate that they use thighs as their standard, because it really helps in the flavor and juiciness department. 5*
Rice– Pretty bland –but perfectly cooked– rice that comes out seasoned with the traditional nuclear yellow glow of Saffron. I like to spice it up by asking for some of their chili oil and adding a little Sumac (the red flaky stuff at the table) to it. The charred tomato is also a delightful accouterment, as well! 3*
Service & Ambiance– My first visit to RK (over a year ago) they were a waiter service establishment, but in subsequent visits they turned into an «order at the counter and we’ll bring it to you» joint – which is my favorite for lunch! The service is always friendly, the décor is a bit fancy and the interior is always clean and smells delicious. 4*
Value– RK’s prices are a bit high, but the quality, taste and freshness of the ingredients makes it worthwhile. For an extra bonus make sure you check-​in to get a free soda! 3*
RK is a solid choice for lunch and would actually be a really good option for take-​out, as nothing there needs to be kept piping hot to be fully enjoyed. So, next time you’re in the area getting clips for your AK and want something delicious to eat give RK a shot. You’ll be glad you did. Happy Kabobbing!
P. S. RK is the brick-​and-​mortar store location for Uncle Ray’s Catering (
) in case you’re looking to host a Kabob-​fest at your next shindig.

Having driven by this place many times I finally had the chance to go in.
It’s a homey place with a comfortable feel.
The menu is large and easy to read, if a bit daunting. However, once you see a #12 chicken kabob wrap for just $ 7.99 you wonder if it’s any good. So, I plunked down my hard earned rubles for a wrap of heaven, er chicken. Well, it tasted so good, it coulda been a slice of heaven. The wrap was not low rent, but high rent: came with freshly cooked chicken pieces, yogurt, fresh cilantro. An explosion of flavors detonated in my mouth, I might have seen colors.
Tip: two light eaters could order just one of these.
Tip: if you dine in, you get the small plate of flat bread, butter, cilantro and slices of white onion.
Like all good middle eastern eateries, you are brought a side of butter, fresh cilantro, fresh sliced white onion and small pieces of flat bread. A good sign. Put all four together with a dash of sumac and your tongue will be a happy clam indeed.
Customer service: very good.
Décor: homey and clean.
Like others said the plates are around $ 12 to $ 15; my friend had the chicken/​beef kabob plate, comes with side of rice, generous shirazi salad and a BBQ’d tomato, and said it was deelish.
I’ll go back any time.

This place has never disappointed me. I’m thrifty with my five star reviews but this place deserves.
Their food is always on point.
I love their beef kabobs and eggplant dip and their complimentary bread and yogurt is so addictive.
And their service has constantly stood out.
They are a family owned business and they are just superb with their customer service. Courteous, quick, nice. Always a smile on everyone’s faces.
The prices are reasonable, even cheaper than many other kabob places I’ve eaten. $ 3.99 for the best beef kabob ever!
On my eats list. If I’m ever jonsing for some kabobs, this is my spot.

Delicious, clean, friendly. Must do.
The girl at the front counter was super helpful in deciding what to order and I ended up getting the chicken breast wrap and my friend got the traditional beef kabob (with rice). Both were very well put together, they look just like the pictures and were NOT just slopped onto the plate.
We ended up being there for quite a while and the lady came over a couple times to make sure we had what we needed and offered to refill our iced teas, which they made by the way.
It was a great environment with good food and a helpful staff. Give it a shot.

I’ve been passing this place daily for a few years and have been wanting to try. Today we finally made the stop after the gym. We are on our healthy streak right now. I got the combo chicken breast & beef kabob with salad. Chicken was a bit on the salty side :(. Boyfriend and son got the chicken thigh & beef kabob with rice. They also said a little too salty.
Great service, very friendly! I will definitely be back to try other dishes and the stew.

Ma n’ Pa’s hole in the wall surprise! It’s pretty in here, cute what they did for Christmas :)
Shirazi Salad goes really good with their Hummus. Creamiest Hummus I’ve ever had. They also give you a whole plate of sliced raw onions. Now that’s hardcore. I’m glad we got these because the food took long and we were the only customers.
One friend taught me about the Sumac table spice and we sprinkled it in our rice. It’s so nice I could sprinkle it all the way home!
I got the Salmon Plate. We all shared and my dish was the favorite yay I win! The Salmon was perfectly cooked just enough on the outside so that it had all its juices and was really smooth and fresh.
Their hot tea is a spice tea and it comes in a cute little glass mug.
I don’t believe I’ve ever tried Persian. Their motto is «perfect Persian food» they’re not joking yo.
5 star food.

This place is the hidden gem of South San Jose!
When they say looks can be deceiving, case and point when you pull into the parking lot of Real Kabob. Really old shopping center with a liquor store, donut shop, and a few rag tag haircut shops. Don’t worry they have plenty of parking here and the inside dining area for this place is actually really nice. Also don’t forget to use your Unilocal Checkin to get a free can of soda which is valid when dining in or for carryout orders. Enough of the tid bits, now let’s breakdown the food:
Complimentary Bread & Onions — this is a great way to start off your meal and don’t forget about the yogurt sauce.
Yogurt Sauce — this is amazing with the free bread or even poured over your rice, I always ask for extras so good!
Chicken Kabob — I always get the Chicken Kabob plate comes with rice and the free bread, the softest and juiciest meat you will ever eat in your life, no joke!
Beef Kabob — good but not as good as the Chicken, first timers can order the mix plate which includes 1 chicken and 1 beef kabob so you can make an informed decision.
Rose Ice Cream — I don’t even know if this was on the menu but ask for it, one of the most flavorful ice creams you will ever eat.
Those of you fans of that famous place called Dish Dash in Sunnyvale, the Kabobs here are just as good if not better. Their 4.5 star rating is no joke, and this is my go to spot when I am craving Persian Kabobs (that sounded dirty). Anywho, if you’re in South San Jose you need to peep this place out and get your Kabob fix yo!!!