Mister Kabab Kalayaan Avenue — Restaurant in Quezon City

Had a weekend lunch here because all other preferred places around the area had no parking. This place, in contrast, has lots of parking.

Mister Kabab is a longstanding restaurant with a number of branches around Metro Manila. I've been aware of it many years but I've only eaten here twice, and both in 2024.

This is a good option, in a way, because it serves lamb which is a little uncommon among restaurants in Metro Manila. Atmosphere is good and better than the branch in Quezon Avenue. It felt a bit newer, no strays, and shockingly no flies or mosquitos despite being an al fresco establishment. It was also suitably cool despite the sun.

Lamb Chelo Kabab (P290) 3/5 This is okay and a repeat order for me. The consistency in taste is there but it's still something you need to pour on the garlic sauce and chili sauce to enjoy.

Lamb Ground Kabab Sandwich (P220) 3/5 This is just the lamb chelo in wrap form. The wrap was a bit thicker than I'd like but par for the course for similar establishments.

Spicy Vegetable Keema Pizza (P370) 3.5/5 The first two dishes weren't enough to satiate us for lunch so we tried this. Pretty good and the best dish we had in that meal. Dough did not feel store-bought and there was enough toppings. I wouldn't say it was spicy though.

Yoghurt Shake (P95) 3/5 I would have preferred a thicker consistency like a milk shake rather than a fruit shake. Taste is okay but could be more yoghurt-y. You need to drink it relatively quickly since the al fresco environment means that it will turn room temperature pretty quickly.

Service was pretty prompt but I noticed that the senior citizen discount was applied to one our of three dishes (there were just two of us). Credit...

Decent Middle Eastern Food with a mid-range price point.

Vibe and Service: Al-fresco dining. Lots of open windows and it felt like dining outside in the open. Went on a rainy day so I could feel the cold air blow through the open windows. No Aircon, only ceiling fans so I can imagine it might be hot on a normal day. It has the standard Mister Kabab aesthetic. Middle eastern style design and brown wooden tables. I wish they played some music to add to the atmosphere.

Staff were nice and attentive. Lots of parking space. They also allowed me to leave my car while I went to a cafe across the street to work.

Food: Ordered the Beef Kofte and Basmati Rice, Hummus with Pita, Spinach and Cheese Samosa. Beef Kofte tasted good but the texture wasn't meatball-like. Too emulsified. The sauce it was cooked in was watery which I disliked. Hummus tasted ok, not the best I've had but good enough. The Pita it came with was too flat for my liking, it's supposed to be hollow. I loved the Spinach Samosa. It had the right balance of spinach and cheese. Seasoned well too!

They have frozen food that you can take home too! Got some frozen Beef Chelo Kebab and Garlic Sauce. Apparently, they also have desserts. Tried the Letifeh. It's 2 ladyfinger cookies but round with a cream filling in between. Tasted ok. It looked light but as I bit into it, the cream filling was quite thick like buttercream. Was expecting whipped cream...

Saw this on TikTok and ang tagal na namin nadadaan daanan that's why we tried. Take note: it was our first time eating there. Place and ambience was amazing. Maganda lighting and very spacious. No AC but open space so hindi naman mainit (but it was dinner and January so malamig ang panahon, not sure during summer).

So why did I rate 1 star? Nag order kami ng 2 mixed special choice (beef and chicken kabab) and we upgraded to basmati rice. What came was mixed special with pita bread. Since it was our first time, we got confused so kinain na lang namin then nag-follow up kami ng Basmati rice. Biglang sabi ng waiter, additional order po ba? Sabi namin na no, and we upgraded upon ordering pa lang to Basmati rice and to check the receipt kung ano nakalagay. So tama naman ang order namin sa receipt, namali lang sila ng serve. Sabi agad ng waiter, sino po magbabayad niyang pita? So para di masira ang gabi, my partner said na sige, bayaran na lang namin. Pero mejo badtrip na ko kasi tama naman kami ng order, sila ang mali ng pag serve ng food. What if sakto lang ang dalang pera ng tao and they just wanted to try? Sabi pa ng isang ate, dapat daw binalik namin na lang - 1. Unsanitary 2. It was our first time so di namin nga alam.

Bill out na, and the first receipt they gave us was mixed special + basmati rice upgrade + additional order ng basmati rice. In short, we're paying twice for the basmati rice which was 80 pesos each (single order) so plus 160. If you're not checking the receipt, mapapabayad ka na lang and thank you na yung 160 na yun. So I approached the cashier and calmly narrated what happened. Nag-apologize naman so walang commotion. Ang ginawa ko na lang is, retain yung upgrade since mas mura siya than buying the single order of basmati rice na 80 pesos kasi 25 pesos lang per pita (they served 2 per plate so we had 4, total of 100 (25 each)). So okay na.

Dahil nawala na sa mood kumain, takeout na lang lahat ng kinain, they first took, 2 plates (we had 3 - 1 mixed, 1 mixed and 1 ox brain). Naubos kasi mga yogurt shakes. Then sinunod na lang yung 3rd plate. Upon checking the takeout, kulang pa pala yung isang plate. Buti na lang talaga nagche-check kami.

Again, take note, this all happened na konti lang ang tao. I don't know if this was their way para mapalaki yung bill ng tao. Or ewan ko. Pero sabi ko sa partner ko, never again. As in never na kami kakain dito. Better pa sa Babaganoush Kapitolyo. Better tasting din ang food and pwede din magpa-takeout ng sauce.

*Picture of the receipt was already the updated one. But proof lang na we...