Massis Kabob The Original Kabobery — Restaurant in Los Angeles

After several fantastic visits to the Glendale store, I was preparing for much of the same at the Sherman Oaks Massis Kabob. Unfortunately, my ground beef kabobs were rubbery, and lacking any sign that they were cooked over a fire. No char at all. Sort of grey inside and out, like they were defrosted and cooked in a microwave. Other than the rubbery texture and unappetizing appearance, they tasted just ok, there was some flavor. The cucumber and tomatoes salad however, had no flavor. How is that possible, right? It's supposedly prepared with vinegar & oil, or lemon & oil. They question of when were they prepared, may answer as to why there was none. Then I recalled that the Glendale store had no flavor in their salad either. Here's the thing about this type of food: Those who appreciate Persian/Armenian/Iranian/Lebonese/Russian Armenian food, have had it prepared in a restaurant setting. Which means the kabobs were made and marinated just hours before browning them on an open fire, so they're bursting with fresh flavor. The salad: prepped fresh as it's ordered, and the dressing is added just before your waiter brings it out. Again, theirs tons of acidic flavor in the vinegar or lemon dressings. My mouth is watering! I love Persian food! We know what it's supposed to look and taste like. And I love what Massis is trying to do, but with everything prepped ahead of time...the flavors are falling flat, and the appearance is unappetizing. These aren't hot-dogs or cheese steak sandwiches, this is Kabobs! Respect must be given to their food. You can't rush Persian food. It's not fast-food. Do it right, or not at all. Much respect for Mr. Massis,...

As a level 8 contributor as I write this review , I usually don't post a negative review. Positive or no review but I hope my review will make management aware. Today I visited this place and wanted "soltani" which is 2 skewers, 1 koubideh, 1 barg kabob. Either by my mistake or the employee, the order was taken for just a barg. At the time of pickup I brought this up. Instead of offering to make another skewer and having me pay the difference she wanted me to charge a separate koubideh. And of course no apologies nothing, just penalizing me for a mistake which we'll never know who's fault it was. Bad cop attitude. Food was bad, meat was dry and hard. Rice not Persian or basmati either. Gross! What a disaster! At this price drive a few miles and find a true Persian kabob restaurant such as Panini Cafe or s few others in Encino and see the difference for yourself. Or try in a few years maybe the owners train their employees. Another tip for the owners: on a Saturday at 1 pm, which is rush hour, always put a few koubideh ahead of orders. Don't worry they'll get sold fast. If there was one available, despite the price I would have still paid for that extra koubideh even on a separate order over priced, if I didn't have to wait another 10...

Meh....the customer service and the wait kinda of ruined this experience for me... I think it's a neat idea to have variety in the food court, so kudos on providing ethic dining options but the execution needs a bit more work. Customer service wise the employees seemed disorganized; orders where being confused and the flow of work seemed to be stunted. The hectic confusion most likely contributed to the overall friendliness of the employees.

Ordering is a pain. I ordered the Chicken Kabobs and wanted hummus instead of rice or the cucumber salad and of course they weren't able to accommodate the request. The chicken was flavorful it was just the combo of rice and pita without the hummus left me feeling as if the dish was missing something. Would recommend getting it on the side if you have a bit of money to blow.

Lastly this place isn't fast food so don't expect a speedy order. When you order, do not get it to go. I ordered before my friend for takeout and she received her food faster than mines. So to cut down on the wait, go with the dine-in options.

Between 2.5...