Lucky Kabob

Talk about not judging a book by the cover! This place is located in a absolute dump of a strip mall, but has the best chicken korma I’ve ever had in my life! The vegetable samosa were absolutely delicious. I can’t wait to try other items on the menu. Just a little note… I gave a few bucks to a couple people down on their luck. Sometimes people just need a hand; be respectful! You don’t know what someone has been through.

Absolutely delicious! It is a hole in a wall, but we all know those are the best places. Really inexpensive, really good food. A lot of it is pretty spicy though, but if you love Indian food, you will love this place.

First of all, the name has changed, so I thought I called the wrong place. I should have ordered online and paid online. I informed them we were paying with cash and yet the delivery driver didn’t have any change with him, thus got a $ 12 for a $ 28 order. What crap. The food was just ok. I was not impressed. If I lived in DC, I would not order from them again. The new name is Punjabi Dhaba.

I was in the area for work, and I saw the great reviews so I decided to try it out. If you are looking for «lucky» anything, you will not find it. The sign outside says kabob something or other, and the menu the cashier handed me says «Punjabi Dhaba»… Maybe they changed the name? there were two Indian food trucks outside so I figured this must be the place. I was going to try the buffet, but it didn’t have as many options as I expected so I got the combo special of two meats, two veggies, rice, and naan. The place was empty except for a couple people who looked like they were the owners. It was 12pm… This made me uneasy at first, but the gentleman showed me the items on the buffet and it looked and smelled good, so I figured what the heck… The service was very polite (I was the only customer so I hope it would be good) and my food was delicious! I got the spinach, chickpeas, tandoori chicken, and goat curry. I opted for garlic naan which was additional and it came to 12 $. Not too bad for the amount of food I got. The chole (chickpeas) was my favorite– perfect! Maybe I am just accustomed to having chole from a can, but this dish alone is enough to have me coming back! Also the garlic naan was on point. I think if I lived closer I would get delivery or take out from here regularly. All in all, don’t be scared off by the bare look of the place, the food is cooked very well!

Delicious delicious delicious… and CHEAP! This place is obviously just the kitchen for the food trucks, so coming here you won’t see anything… at all. You might as well have it delivered if you don’t have a car to drive here (let’s just say I wouldn’t walk here late at night…)
Some of the best value food I’ve had in DC, and their menu has all the regular dishes you would expect.
They also have pizza and burgers… odd. Didn’t try it, because I won’t skip up Indian for a burger.

Had Indian food from here delivered via GrubHub. Portions were surprisingly large, the taste of my curry was very nice, although I wish it had been spicier (I asked for spicy). The paneer was a bit hard, but the naan was quite good.
The delivery man was friendly and the food arrived just when it was projected to. They even called me to let me know they were leaving and ask about the location of my house (kinda confusing to find).
Can’t speak to the pizza or kabobs, but the curry was quite good. I imagine I’ll be ordering again!

It was lunch time and I decided to order from this restaurant through foodler. I ordered the chicken kabob, and was pleasantly surprised. The chicken was moist and super flavorful. The chickpeas were cold, but good once I heated them up. The bread on the side was tasty. Not bad for $ 10. I also ordered the vegetable samosas which were too greasy. I would not get them again. Overall, I thought that this place was decent for delivery if you are ordering at least 2 entrees. Keep in mind the $ 15 minimum for delivery.

Placed an order for delivery. Good prices, but my food was completely hit and miss. The customer service was absolutely atrocious. First, they called me and told me that they didn’t have the shrimp tandoori, but they said they would replace it with lamb kebab. Was disappointed, but sounded reasonable. I ended up getting chicken tandoori, lamb kebab, fries, and mango lassi. The chicken was the only decent food I got. Lamb was SUPER dry and tough (double-​disappointment considering I didn’t really want it in the first place). Was not grilled or in any way kebab-​like. Couldn’t bring myself to finish it even after I re-​heated it because I could barely chew it. Mango lassi was almost as awful… watery, warm, and mostly just a thick layer of gross foam. Fries showed up soggy and cold, pretty much inedible. They looked like cheap frozen crinkle fries that were shoved in the microwave — no crisp, no salt, no flavor. It’s an Indian place, so if that would’ve been the only problem I wouldn’t have really held it against them (I just REALLY wanted fries that day, and if you’re not going to make them edible then you should take it off your menu).
They also took 2 hrs to deliver… I was told 45 – 60 mins, so called them at the hour and a half point. I understand that it was a busy weekend, but why didn’t they tell me when they called the first time that it would be a 2hour wait??? The manager I spoke to was completely rude — just said the driver would be there any minute and hung up on me when I tried to ask questions. The driver then came about a half hour later and demanded I come outside tomeet him at the car. I don’t live on a busy street and there was plenty of parking. They took so long that by that point I was in the middle of getting ready to go out and still in a robe, so when I asked him to come to the door he was completely rude and argued — yes, ARGUED with me and basically refused to come to the door. Mind you, I live in a townhouse, not some big apartment building or anything so I’ve never had a delivery person demand I come outside. When I called the store to complain about the food and the driver’s rudeness, the «manager» Mr. Singh was equally rude and unhelpful, yet again. He didn’t even apologize — just said, go call the company. Are you kidding me? I just told you that an employee was disrespectful and that the food was cold — almost inedible — and you won’t even offer an apology? If not for the complete disrespect in customer service I probably would’ve given them another chance, but the mediocre (and cold) food I was given is not worth tolerating their rudness. There are way better Indian places with the same prices and better service.

I have been ordering lucky kabob’s Indian dishes (delivery only) fairly regularly for over a year and have been continuously impressed by the price, quality and customer service. I love Indian food — and this place is as good or better than most restaurants I’ve tried in DC and other cities in all price ranges. Nan is always tasty and fresh and chicken tandoori and vegetarian dishes are the real deal. The quantity of food is great for the price (especially with free delivery) and if you like it spicy — this is the place to go. I always request medium or mild spice, however, and they always comply. The owner is extremely friendly and genuinely appreciative of his customers.
Note that the hours are a little weird for delivery purposes (they close at 7:30 on Friday and 5 on Sunday) but it’s a definite go-​to for weeknights and Saturdays.

Wow! I just got the butter chicken and it was amazing. Don’t let the bland cafeteria style décor fool you, there is some quality Indian food coming from these kitchens. The butter chicken was fresh, the sauce was spicy (unlike a lot of Americanized Indian shops that skimp on the spice) and the chicken obviously came from their tandoor oven. Also, for ten bucks my meal came with naan and rice! I just moved to the area and know I’m going to be a regular!

I haven’t been back in a while, but need to give this a negative update (as of about 6 months ago).
Not nearly as good as on the first few trips: smaller portions, higher prices, and not as fresh/​good food.

‘Hole in the wall’ success!
Sat in the office thinking about what can I eat for linner (late lunch/​almost dinner) and realized I still had a living social coupon.
I have to admit, when I first walked in I thought, «WTF did Living Social get me into with there $ 10 for $ 1 deal». Then I almost walked into the kitchen looking for a service counter with a register. After standing there for a while, a guy walked out of the kitchen and I told him I had an greek pizza. Opened the box and the pizza actually looked good. Got in my truck to take a bite and it was good! Fresh bread, fresh spinach and the cheese was good too. Think I will try them out again for lunch.

I’ve lived in the neighborhood most of my life. Next door was formerly called MJ’s and this was a laundromat until last year. Food has always been good despite all, and the owner treats the area residents like family. I believe they had sanitation issues before, but have overcome that.

Gotta hand it to this place: they are pulling off some damn good Indian food against all odds. For one thing, the place is situated in a rough residential area. The inside is bare and and everything is served in styrofoam and plastic. Reminds me of some reeaaaalllyyy authentic Mexican restaurants I like to frequent in California. (And coincidentally, the best I’ve been to)
Anyway, the Buffet is limited in options (not necessarily a bad thing), but they have the core Indian items: basmati rice, tandoori chicken, palak paneer, dal, curry chicken, etc. They bring hot, freshly cooked nan to your table, as opposed to a pile of stale bread sitting at the buffet.
Verdict. It was all very good. In fact, it was delicious! Very fresh tasting and of high quality ingredients. I don’t think these guys are getting the same Sysco pre-​frozen crap. The rice and nan were excellent and high quality Chicken was moist and juicy. All of it was freshly prepared. I can only register a minor complaint about the palak paneer and Dal Malaki, which I felt were just a tad on the salty side, but not overpowering. Not enough to keep me from going back for a second serving.
The best part? 8 bucks! This is the cheapest Indian buffet I’ve ever encountered. Owners were friendly and attentive.
Give Lucky Kabob a try. You won’t be disappointed, just don’t expect an elegant dining experience.

Being a fan of Indian food I didn’t need much convincing by my friends to try this place. After all, when those friends who lived in Kuwait tell me there’s good Indian cuisine in the area, I know to listen up.
Now I’ve only had delivery from Lucky Kabob, but I do intend to go there in person as soon as I’m able to get off of my couch having ordered from them so many times. I’ve stuck with their chicken dishes and haven’t run into one yet that hasn’t induced a pleasant food coma. Also their samosas are really good — nice and crispy on the outside but perfectly seasoned on the inside. Best of all is that you get good size portions for relatively cheap money.
Is this the best Indian place in DC? Probably not. Is it the best in the Southeast? Probably so. And Lucky Kabob, as any positive comments are apparently paid for according to another reviewer, you know where I live to drop off the food.

Stumbled on this place quite by accident. I can only assume its odd location (hidden a block to the west of Nationals’ Stadium in a rather low rent area) is due to the proximity of a taxi company.
Despite it’s name, Lucky Kabob has succumbed to the lunch buffet affliction so I am unable to comment on the state of their kabobs. The buffet itself was OK for $ 7.99 and included a VERY spicy chana masala (curried chickpeas), vegetable curry, goat curry, chicken tikka, rice and freshly-​made paratha (flat bread). The chicken tikka was very good, but the goat was a bit on the tough and chewy side (could have used a few more hours in the pot).
Service was outstanding, but the place is literally a hole in the wall with not much in the way of décor (a framed picture of a tiger, some Indian dancers, and a gyro poster!!!) Not something I would go out of my way for and they don’t have a liquor license, but it sure would make an unusual pre or post Nats game meal venue.

Meh. We live nearby and really hoped this was a hidden gem, but it’s pretty clear that the other reviewers are paid hacks. We paid $ 10.99 for a «sampler» that included seven tiny bits of food. The chicken tandoori was not nearly marinated and slow cooked enough. It was tough and flavorless. The lamb was tasty, but very oily. Overall, so-​so quality, and definitely not worth the price.
Shockingly, though, we also ordered, randomly, a bacon, egg and cheese croissant sandwich. It was actually pretty good. Big, buttery croissant filled with lots of egg and bacon. And very cheap. $ 3.50. Who knew? I’ll probably keep ordering their random breakfast food and avoid the Indian food. As an oasis in the food desert that is SW, I want to support them, so I’ll keep going. If I get better quality, I’ll definitely update the review. Everyone can have a bad day, right?