Panini Kabob Grill - Rancho Cucamonga — Restaurant in Rancho Cucamonga

The food is consistently good even between different locations and using takeout (we usually alternate between Rancho Cucamonga and Irvine). However, we HIGHLY DO NOT recommend dine-in at this Rancho location.

First, they just simply can't manage their available space. We usually try to avoid primetime (usually eating between 3:30-4:30pm), but their wait times are always too long. When we visited this location for the first time, we had no idea and stood outside for at least 1 hour, watching others waiting also getting dejected. The next few times, we have been able to literally walk the entire Victoria Gardens (start at Panini Kabob to get on the waitlist, walk the entire rectangle to the complete opposite corner where the northwest parking lot / Gold's Gym is, shop in some stores, and then walk back) and we'd still have to wait at least another 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Often times, we see a lot of open tables, or we see tables that have not been cleaned for 15+ minutes, but the host stand usually never acknowledges that and just simply says the wait is still 1-1.5 hours.

Secondly, once you finally get your seat and are probably hangry from the 1-2 hour wait, the service to have a waiter come take your order and then eventually receive the food is just as slow.

The final straw for us was especially today when it was just one bad thing after another. After yet another 2-hour wait and slow time to receive even the hummus and pita, one of our entrees came out, but the server disappeared and never gave us utensils. While the food sat and got colder for about 10 minutes and we were trying to get any waiter's attention, they finally came with the utensils and then told us they ran out of the entree that my wife ordered. Already upset about the service, we simply declined to order another entree and decided to just share my plate. At that point, we ate as quickly as possible and the next time we could see our waiter again, we quickly asked for the check. Upon receiving the check, they disappeared again, but forgot to remove the entree that we never received, so we had to wait yet again for the waiter to come back. Eventually a different waiter came, we explained the situation, and our main waiter came back with a revised check. After dropping off my credit card, I was still able to head to the bathroom, wait in line for another customer taking their time in the bathroom, finally use the bathroom myself, and then come back to wait yet again to finally sign the check.

While we definitely understand how hectic food service can be, especially with the general holiday crowd, and try to be as patient as possible, the staff never even expressed any apologies for their mistakes, leaving us feeling like no one even cares.

All in all, we really wanted to like this location because the food was still good and it is much closer to us than Irvine, but the service after a few times, especially this last one, was the final straw for us to never come back. If you still ever want to visit this location, then just get takeout and avoid dine-in...

My recent dining experience at the Panini Kabab Grill in Victoria Garden branch, March 2, 2024, left much to be desired and unfortunately ranks as one of the most disappointing encounters I've had with a restaurant. Despite our anticipation, our wait time of 30 minutes for a table was only the beginning of our troubles. We then endured an additional 55 minutes until at 8:45 pm, our food finally arrived, and what greeted us was nothing short of a culinary catastrophe. The meat was exceedingly tough, the rice arrived cold, and the vegetables remained woefully undercooked.

With the restaurant's closing time looming at 9 pm, our hunger left us with little choice but to reluctantly consume the subpar meal. Upon receiving the check, I took a moment to express my dissatisfaction to our waiter, explaining the unfortunate circumstances of our hunger and the disappointing quality of the food. I was assured that our concerns would be conveyed to the manager.

However, the manager approached, instead of addressing our concerns with empathy, she seemed more focused on questioning our decision not to send the food back. Despite our explanation of hunger and the prolonged wait, she persisted in suggesting we should have returned the meal, seemingly overlooking the impracticality of doing so given the circumstances. It was disheartening to feel dismissed, with our genuine feedback brushed aside as mere complaints aimed at securing a discount.

Repeatedly, I emphasized that my intent was not to seek compensation but rather to provide honest feedback regarding the unsatisfactory experience. Unfortunately, the manager failed to acknowledge our disappointment or offer any form of apology for the disruption to our evening.

Having traveled 15 miles to patronize this establishment, it pains me to conclude that I won't be returning. This experience has left me profoundly disappointed, and I hope that in the future, the restaurant management prioritizes customer satisfaction and addresses feedback with greater attentiveness...

I just updated my review to a 5 because while it's really a 4.5, it's too good to round down.

I had the chicken/koobideh combo kabob plate and tried their hummus and their falafels.

The chicken: it was cooked well, but I prefer mine a little more done. Just a tad. It has a good amount of char, but not from slow charring. They just charred it up at the end. You can tell because it was closer to burn than proper charring. The portion was large. Flavor was adequate. Not the best chicken kabob in the area and not the worst. Could've used a little more seasoning. Best tasting chicken kabob in the area is probably Cafe Moderno in Montclair.

The Koobideh: perfectly adequate, but like almost every place I've tried, the texture is off likely due to the necessity of over packing the meat in order to get it to stay in the kabob blade.

Vegetables (cooked with the chicken): they were good, but needed more room on the skewer to allow the chicken to cook properly. Too much marinade was allowed to sit on them as they cooked. Same for the chicken, actually.

Rice: solid, but nothing special. It's a basmati rice with a small amount of saffron rice on top.

Salad: I had the Greek Mediterranean Salad and it was excellent. Almost the best part of the meal. Great dressing with the proper amount on the salad. Feta cheese was real and the proper amount was applied. Fantastic salad.

Pita Bread: it's the puffier style pita bread. It tastes fresh and works well with the hummus.

Hummus: good but not great. Texture was a little thin but it's big on flavor, as they are using garlic and spices to make it their own. Also needed more oil (Mezzateranean has the best hummus in the area, just beating out Cafe Moderno).

Falafel: Solid, although a little smaller than I'd like. They're very good, though. Nice and crunchy and seasoned perfectly.

Prices are more than they should be, but their portions justify it relative to their competition in the area.

Should you try it? Absolutely. It's arguably the best place of it's type...