Kebab Skewer — Restaurant in Cary

After enjoying Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro in Cary last week, my girl & I decided to explore another kebab/gyro restaurant in Cary, so we went to Kebab Skewer & dined in on a Saturday night. This is located close to Milklab, which I also reviewed.

My girl ordered a gyro wrap, then the young adult cashier asked if we wanted to add fries & drink for additional $3+. She asked if she can swap the fries for another side: baba ghannouj, our favorite Mediterranean side dish, and the cashier said she can. The menu overhead is clear, so we didn't have trouble deciding what to order.

I ordered the Kebab Platter - Double Skewer that comes with salad, rice, a tiny cup of tzatziki, a tiny cup of salad dressing, and pita bread. Platter costs $15.99 + additional $1.99 because I chose lamb kebab.

We also ordered the 4-piece falafel & a lamb kofta skewer. Total cost was about $50+. As always, we tried each other's foods, split the falafel & lamb kofta.

The lamb gyro wrap was delicious with fresh meat, lettuce, tomatoes, and tzatziki sauce. The few bites I had of the gyro were pure bliss; part of me wish I ordered a gyro wrap too, but I wanted us to have different orders.

The baba ghannouj that came with her gyro was excellent unlike what we tried from Baba Ghannouj Mediterranean Bistro (BGM Bistro). The texture of the mashed eggplant and mix of spices were perfect, and the amount was good enough for the 2 of us to share.

I also enjoyed my double skewer lamb kebab platter. The salad was fresh, the basmati rice wasn't as sopisticated as other spiced varieties but it went well with the lamb kebab, fresh from the grill. However, for an $18+ meal, wish it included another small side like baba ghannouj. BGM Bistro's platters let you choose 2 sides along with the rice and salad for about the same price, so you get more value there but the baba ghannouj tastes better here.

Falafel is a good-tasting side, about the same quality as BGM Bistro's. It comes with tahini sauce. The lamb kofta skewer, which looks like a sausage, was well-spiced and went well with tzatziki.

Our orders were served in less than 12 min, and we had to pick up our trays at the front when they were ready instead of bringing to our table. It looks like this is the kind of place that's better for take out than dine in as the ambiance isn't inviting. There was one area where the floor was left uncleaned and the dull illumination of the fluorescent lights inside doesn't make this restaurant ideal for a romantic date.

We were somewhat satisfied with our dinner with the gyro and baba ghannouj being the highlights. Lamb kebab & lamb kofta tasted good but I don't think the whole platter is worth $18+. We might alternate BGM Bistro & this as each has their own pros & cons. Or we might explore another we haven't tried...

Good food, just wish there were better menu options.

Unless you’re going for salad or sandwich, the main options are just plain kebabs and kebab plates that come with rice and salad. Well, when ordering from a Mediterranean restaurant, personally I’d prefer to have sides like hummus, baba ghannouj, tabbouleh, grape leaves, and such. Many other similar restaurants offer either combos or choice of sides. I can make rice and salad myself, so this plate combination is very disappointing. Other sides are available a la carte but at $4 each that would quickly make the meal too expensive.

Same goes for vegetarian options. There is no good plate / combo on the menu. The only sampler comes with kibbeh, which was actually the only disappointing item in our meal. Too dry, little flavor and had tough crust. My husband doesn’t eat meat (and doesn’t like vegetables much either lol) and, even though I understand that kabobs are specialty here, if I can’t get good food for both of us I likely won’t be coming back much.

For kabob, I tried chicken koobideh and it was a bit too heavy on the onion but very tasty, juicy, with unusual spice combination. Bread that came with the meal was very good. If only the sides would catch up to the kabobs and bread I think this place could easily put a couple of other restaurants nearby out of business.

Our order was to go but while picking it up I noticed they also offer complimentary tea. This is a nice touch and speaks well about their hospitality.

Also our food was very neatly packed in the attractive containers. If you don’t need plastic utensils make sure to ask...

Newer place, hasn't even had it's grand opening yet. The staff is SUPER friendly and eager to please. The food was better than i expected by a fair margin. The lamb was not ground, and was delicious if just a bit on the tougher side. The chicken pieces were excellent. The ground chicken has good flavor, but a very odd texture I'm not quite sold on. The bread.... well I'm not sure how I'm supposed to say it more clear than the other reviewers, but they throw a medium size pizza bit of dough down on the flat top and cook it until it pillows and finds the slightest hint of char then they immediately bring it to your table. It's hot, its flavorful and it's plentiful. In the event it's not enough for you we were asked if we wanted some more. My slight nod to the negative side was the salad. Specifically the lettuce. It had way too much core/yellow in it, which took away from the fine ingredients they took the time to add. I would gladly steer people here for a pretty...