Kazan Restaurant — Restaurant in Virginia

You will leave stuffed with the best food of its kind you have EVER HAD!

I've been going to Kazan since it was a windowless cavern half the size of its current glory. It has evolved into the best eatery in 'downtown' McLean and a welcome oasis from the steak and cigar bars and trendy joints whose owners really wished they had forked over the rent for a space in Dupont Circle.

Today Kazan is a white tablecloth corner location with floor-to-ceiling windows for an upscale feel without any pretense or attitude. The owner is very down-to-earth and friendly and Isa, the lead server, knows the menu inside and out and remembers my drink and food preferences each time I go in. Amazing memory considering I only dine here twice a year since moving cross-country.

The doner kabob is the signature dish and is so good they only have it two nights a week! It's worth making reservations for Wednesday or Saturday so you can have it (I usually have it with the pita and yogurt). Lamb cannot get more delicious than how they prepare it here. The meza appetizer platter is also outstanding and includes hummus, yogurt dip, meat cigars, dolma, sausages... the 'for two' app will feed three hungry people easily.

The only real way to round out the night is with a semi-sweet Turkish coffee, a raki and the BAKLAVA, which comes with a topping so transcendent that it cannot be described as icing or whipped cream. It's something like out of a dream... I'm not an authority, but I have had baklava all over the country (including a place called baklava city in Los Angeles) and not eaten anything...

I try not to leave poor reviews having been in the restaurant business for ten years but... Recently I had the “special lamb” served certain days of the week. It was served with a cream sauce over some weird starch.

As I pondered the strange texture of the starch trying to figure out what it was, it hit me that it was pieces of stale pita bread which accompanies every entree.

Suddenly my mind started racing about other customers half eaten pita in my food and couldn’t eat another bite. I AM NOT SAYING the bread was from other people’s plates. My imagination said it to me. The place wasn’t busy. The owner trying to save money. Wouldn’t be the first time.

Nevertheless, the damage was done. It was the strange consistency of the slimy on the outside, hard and leathery on the inside that killed it. For crying out loud, how much is a handful of rice?

Restaurants often make croutons out of stale bread but croutons are seasoned and are baked with butter or oil not just chucked in. Sorry. Grossed me out.

Not to mention there was not much flavor in the lamb. Tasted like it had sat on a steam line all day and scooped on to the offensive pita after hours of stewing. Nothing about the timid sauce stuck out. It seemed well suited to the geriatric customers in the 1/3 full dining room.

39 years is something to be proud of. It’s a very long run....

We chose this restaurant based on a recommendation from a trusted waitress at Agora, who had previously worked here. Arriving with my wife and our 1-year-old baby, our experience was unfortunately marred by a less-than-welcoming atmosphere. The elderly hostess, in particular, made us feel as though our presence was an inconvenience. Despite numerous empty tables indoors, we were seated in the back corner under a tent on a cold evening. While I understand the importance of reservations, I found the hostess's demeanor disrespectful.

Our waiter, however, was a shining exception. He was courteous and gentlemanly, providing the only positive aspect of our visit. Regrettably, the restaurant fell short in terms of family-friendliness, with a broken high chair further highlighting the issue.

Turning to the food, the lentil soup was satisfactory, but the doner kebab left much to be desired. The meat lacked flavor and was excessively oily, resulting in a disappointing culinary experience. The rice, as depicted in the attached photo, was disappointingly mushy.

Having sampled doner kebabs across various states and restaurants in the US, I can confidently say that this was the most unsatisfactory meal I have ever encountered. I hope the management takes note of these observations for the benefit of...