- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
- Price Range:
-
$$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- None
9 reviews for Merrifield Kabob
Breakdown on the sheesha, MK Kabob has two different brands, Premium (which is Al Fakher) and Exotic (which I believe is Starbuzz). They sell for $12 and $15 respectively. The exotic flavors are really nice, they have a huge variety of flavors. One unique thing you can do here is they have for $15 a cored out apple that they use as a bowl and fill it with any type of tobacco that you want. I tried this with white grape premium flavor and it was awesome. I think the prices are very reasonable considering what others charge. Their pipes are kinda run down and i'm not a big fan of the plastic hoses they use. Aside from that smoke quality is great and they use three kings quick lite coal (the large size)
Environment: Unfortunately this is where MK Kabob sorta lacks. Going in it feels dirty, and it's disorganized. They have green booths that can be moved, green chairs, it's crowded even when people are not there as the furniture takes up a lot of space and doesn't seem to be any organization to it. Another problem is if you are in a hurry they are kinda slow in service. You can wait at the counter ready to order or pay and they have disappeared in the back or left the store to go around the corner and pick up something.
Food is not bad, I thought it was tasty. I liked their freshbread wraps. The one I ordered was the chicken kabob fresh bread for $6.75 i believe. They also have a variety of indian/pakistani style dishes. For lunch they offer a buffet. The prices are not bad and it is a pretty good deal.
During the night it gets packed. What i liked about it was people were friendly and it wasnt' ridiculously loud music playing. Also the owner is really friendly guy and doesn't overcharge if you want to buy some tobacco and coals for yourself. I've been regularly coming here for awhile now and even with small complaints, I leave happy and relaxed.
Man, my boy summed this place up with 1 sentence 'Fuck that place, I dont wanna go and see boogers on the wall'
Honestly, this place is nasty, dirty, smells like armpit (and not just any kind of armpit but vile I just played basketball and then worked out for 2 hours and decided to have sex and havent changed my underwear in 2 weeks type of armpit). The service is ass, the owners think I wana talk to them or something when im there to see my friends. I dont care about you.. leave me alone, im here to smoke hooka and talk about bullshit not to hear how your day is going.
The food sucks, I had a chicken kabob from here and had diarrhea for 3 weeks.... okay thats not true.. but regardless the food is crap.
Dont go here!
Crappy Kabobs. Awesome rice, great buffet dishes, awesome blended fruit drinks.
This place is also good for smoking a hookah, and lounging.
From the moment we walked into this place I had a bad vibe. The place was unclean and very dark. We ordered our food and we didn't get it for about 30 mins......so I asked the cashier where is our food and apparently he had forgotten our order. Meanwhile, people who were customers were walking in and out of the kitchen which is nasty because they did not work there so that means they hadn't washed their hands. The people there were weird and I'm assuming were only there to smoke the shisha....... Overall won't go back!
Smoke-filled. Forgettable. Pay too much for what little subpar food you get.
I have always believed that people tend to become experts about whatever concerns their parents' occupation. Therefore, being the daughter of a kaboby owner, I believe that I have the right to call myself a kabob connoisseur.
I know which spices are present... how to grill kabobs to perfection... and whether or not that extra effort was put forth to assure a juicy, mmm mmm good, euphoric kabob experience. So, the first thing I have to clarify is that this is not an Iranian restaurant (as the previous review stated) - it is Pakistani.
The food is definitely packed with some hot flavor and spice probably being marinated overnight, but the kabobs are over-cooked as they often come out to a rubbery, hard-to-chew texture... no juicy factor at all. The basmati rice has just the right amount of cardamom flavored with it, but again... overcooked and way too dry. My favorite thing to eat here? The chick peas, which are called chana. The seasoning is perfect with turmeric, garam masala, and more... make a meal out of this dish and their tandoor baked bread, and you're good to go.
Honestly though, I don't come here for the food. MK is one of my FAVORITE spots to just hang out, relax, and smoke some of the best hookahs I've ever had - which is why it deserves the 4-star rating. The reason for their amazing hookah? They use the best tobacco around, al-fakhr. Order one of their regular hookahs and you'll be happy. Order one of their premium hookahs and you'll be ecstatic! The premiums are twice the price, but it's so worth it. The tobacco is placed inside an actual fruit (such as an apple or orange) and you can make any combination that you want. These are my recommendations...
- Triple apple (double apple inside an apple)
- Apple and white grape (inside an apple)
- Jasmine and lemon (inside an apple)
- Lemon and mandarin orange (inside an orange)
It's best that you go at night to fully enjoy your experience. The lights are dimmed, Arabic and Desi music are pumped up, and you can smoke yourself to a wonderfully fruity oblivion.
I stopped in on my way home from work one day - this is definitely a hooka bar first, restaurant second. It seemed like everyone there were "regulars" and hanging out with the employees. They were also sharing a meal family style.
I ran in for takeout, and they were friendly, but I felt out of place. I got a lamb kabob and a veggie skewer. Both were about average, and I did not care for the sides that came with. I LOVE me som kabobs, but these didn't stand out. I also did not care for their "yogurt sauce." It was definitely not like any tzatziki I've had before.
I just finished my takeout lunch from MK and was quite disappointed. To begin with, the moment I walked in I noticed how dark, dingy, and quiet it was. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since previous reviews warn that this place gets more of an evening crowd, but I felt like I was walking into a hookah lounge hangover.
I asked for a menu from the fellow smoking a hookah behind the counter and he offered the lunch buffet. It had standard items like butter chicken, chicken biryani, cardamom rice, chickpeas, and creamed(?) spinach. I ordered the boneless lamb kabob platter and was told it would be 15 minutes. I would have waited at a table, but they were all covered in ash and drink rings from the night before... there was no clean surface in sight. I walked outside and noticed in the window a half-empty drink from the night before also as I made my way over to check out the persian rug shop next door.
Long story short, my kabob platter came with 5 measly bites of lamb, enough rice for 3 people, some wilted lettuce with the most watered down cucumber/mint/yogurt sauce i've ever had, and the chickpeas. Now, the lamb was fine, aside from there not being a lot of meat for $10, but the chickpeas were terrible! They were undercooked, underseasoned, and came in a weird broth, not anything like the chickpeas at Rawal Kabob in Chantilly or Ravi Kabob in Arlington.
This place could be pretty good with a bit of cleaning and investment in lights, pictures, or anything else to make it more hospitable. Or maybe quit pretending and just open at 5pm to cater to the hookah crowd?
Who likes Moby Dick's House of Kabob? Its ok. Merrifield Kabab is where its at! This place is good. I got the Lamb Chops, which is their most expensive item on the menu at $9.95. Dont expect high grade for that price. You get what you pay for, and its damn good. The flavor was tasty, though slightly saltier than I would have liked. In general I go light on the salt though. I could still taste all of the iranian spicing. I especially enjoyed the bit of fresh corriander I got.
There were two guys running the place when I went in on a saturday afternoon. I had just missed the all you can eat (for $7.50) buffet which ended at 3pm. I But they assured me the food was good. Their mother was the cook, and she makes each dish to order. The fresh bread is also very good. It is fresh and has both good taste and texture. Its not the rubbery consistency of the stuff you get at Moby Dicks.
Also, if you are into the whole hookah thing, they have a hookah lounge I saw. I just ate though. I was satisfied.
