Kismet Falafel-Closed

Kismet Falafel
317 S Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213-357-2412

The last time I was at Grand Central Market, I went to a seafood place, Prawn.  I wasn't in the mood for something heavy, and found Kismet Falafel.  So I decided to give them a try.

They are located to the Hill entrance of Grand Central, and they are on the west side of the market.  They have a few seats at the counter, or you can find some tables that are spread around the market.

Classic falafel sandwich-$11. Tomato, tahini, cabbage, pickles, onion and basil.  This is stuffed with a ton of cabbage, pickles and onions.  Maybe two or three small sized falafel.  I would like to see more falafel-either bigger sized falafel, or another one inside the sandwich.  The falafel was fine.  Nothing special.  For what you get, it's a bit overpriced.

Service was good.

Kismet was ok. I won't return

Pizzita Circle

Pizzita Circle
4047 Grand Ave Ste E
Chino, CA 91710
909-590-0404

Much like Giuseppe's Pizza, Pizzita is a combination pizza and Middle Eastern place.  Pizzita is a fast casual restaurant, located in the very busy restaurant corner of the Wal Mart shopping center in Chino, with good size dining area with tasteful decor.

Veggie Pizza, $7.95. Mushrooms, spinach, green peppers, onion, olives.  Comes with broccoli but I asked for no broccoli.  The crust is just too crispy for me.  Some people may like it, but it's not my cup of team.  The sauce is a bit bland.  The toppings are, for the most part, plentiful, except it was hard finding any spinach on the pizza.  I wouldn't order the pizza again. 

Falafel-$3.  Loved the falafel!  This had lots of flavor and was fried perfectly.   This may also be the largest falafel I've had, huge!  Well worth the price.

Service is good and friendly.

While I didn't like the pizza, the falafel was great and I would go back for the falafel wrap or just another order of falafel.  I have heard the hummus, which comes in three or four flavors, is great!  I'll be ordering some hummus on my next trip!

Corner BBQ-Closed

Corner BBQ
3740 San Fernando Rd
Glendale
818-547-5555

When I first passed by Corner BBQ, I was surprised to see a BBQ restaurant open in Glendale.  When I walked up to Corner BBQ, I saw their picture menu and saw kebobs!  I'll admit I was a bit disappointed because I wanted BBQ.  But, I like kebobs and figured I was already there and figured I should give them a try.

Corner BBQ is a more casual, counter service restaurant.  They are comparable to Mediterranean Delight  or Kebab Way, two other casual, counter service kebobs restaurants that I've reviewed.  It's a fairly small location with a few tables inside and about four outside.  It's a west facing restaurant, so if you go in the summer during the later afternoon, it is hot and the sun is just beating down on you.

Chicken breast, $8.99, with salad and pita bread.  The rice is just plain white rice, no seasoning, nothing.  The chicken breast was a bit dry and chewy.  I wasn't impressed.  The portion size is generous for the price.

The salad was great!  Fresh veggies topped by a tangy white dressing.  I also loved their garlic sauce, which was heavy on the garlic, which is fine with me!

Falafel- 99 cents each.  A very interesting shaped falafel, more like a veggie patty than any falafel I've had.  I also saw him pan fry the falafel and not deep fried like I've seen most restaurant do.  But, a wonderful crust and flavor.  A bit spicy but not overpowering.  The quality of the falafel combined with the generous amount, makes this a steal!!

Service was good.  I assume the man who took my order is the owner and he was very nice and friendly.

I don't think I'll be coming back for the kebobs at Corner BBQ.  But, this maybe the best falafel I've had.

Mediterranean Delight

Mediterranean Delight
126 S Brand Blvd
Glendale
818-543-3272

Glendale is filled with Middle Eastern restaurants; Counter service restaurants like, Kebab Way, and full service restaurants like Shiraz, Raffi's Place, Carousel, and Elena's.  So, when I was in Glendale recently, I wanted to try a new middle eastern restaurant.  I went online and found Mediterranean Delight, which was much easier to find than the actual restaurant.

Mediterranean Delight is a small counter service restaurant.  There are a few tables inside, along with some outdoor seating.   Mediterranean Delight is located in a walk way, so you do no see their sign when you're on Brand Blvd.  The restaurant across from Mediterranean Delight is Vegas Seafood Buffet, that was packed, I may have to pay them a visit.

Chicken breast dinner plate, $8.70 with rice, salad, hummus, pita bread, and tomato.  The chicken was moist, juicy and flavorful!  The portion size was very generous, especially for the low price.  The rice was fluffy and cooked perfectly.  The salad was bagged salad with a tangy vinaigrette dressing.  The hummus was very smooth, but a bit bland I prefer hummus with more garlic.  But, overall a damn good chicken breast kebob.  Well worth the price. 

Four falafel al carte, $2.  This is among the best falafel that I have ever had!!  Crunchy on the outside, with a moist flavorful inside.  Just wonderful and you can tell they made this fresh!!

Service was very good.  We were greeted when we entered and the server was very nice and helpful.

Mediterranean Delight blows away the other counter service Middle Eastern restaurant, Kebab Way, that I've tried in Glendale.  And comes very close to Shirazz and Raffi's place in terms of quality, even though both of those places are full service restaurants.  I would go back to Mediterranean Delight anytime!!  What a wonderful discovery.  

Cafe Ravo-Closed

Cafe Ravo
2662 Griffith Park Blvd
Los Angeles
323-912-1111

Good Friday! I thought about going for sushi, but then I passed by Cafe Ravo and decided to get some falafel instead! Cafe Ravo is located in Silver Lake, not that far from Tomato Pie Pizza Joint. Cafe Ravo used to be called Cafe Bravo but changed it's name recently to Cafe Ravo. Maybe the electrical on the B went out and they didn't want to fix it?

Cafe Ravo is a small counter service restaurant, with about six tables. Even near closing time, 9pm, about half the tables were still filled.



I got the falafel plate, $7.34, with a garden salad, tabouli salad, hummus, and pita bread. I really like the spice mix and texture of the falafel. It had bold flavors and a crispy outside. But they were small and there was only four pieces.

The regular salad, had all fresh ingredients-chopped romaine lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes with an olive oil dressing.

I'm really not a fan of tabouli salad but this tabouli was very good. Fresh parsley and barley or whatever kind of wheat they used was perfectly blended and seasoned.

Service was pretty good. The lady who took my order was nice enough, though she could have explained they were closing in about 20 minutes, instead of asking will this be to go? She wasn't rude about it, but there are better ways to say things.

While I did enjoy the food, I thought the prices were a bit high for the amount of food I got. Four small pieces of falafel and some salads for $7.34?? I would have been better off just order falafel al carte!! No need for me to come back to Cafe Ravo.

Upland Kabob

Upland Kabob
733 N Mountain Ave
Upland
909-985-5454

It's Friday during Lent, so that means no meat. I've gotten tired of eating fish on Friday. So I decided to get some falafel! Upland Kebob has been on my list of places to try but I haven't had a chance to go to the area. So, this was as good of a time as any.

Upland Kebob is a good sized restaurant, that is separated into three parts. The dining room, the buffet table, and the counter area. I wasn't sure if it was a sit down restaurant or a counter service restaurant. It's actually a sit down restaurant, where people can order at the counter for to go orders.



Falafel wrap, $5.95. The falafel wrap was filled with three pieces of falafel, hummus, garlic sauce, lettuce, onions, tomatoes in pita bread. First thing I noticed was the texture of the hummus, a bit more chunky than the hummus I'm used to. But, it was fresh and a nice mild flavor, not that overly tangy flavor I get from most hummus.

Falafel is a chick peas/garbanzo beans mixture that is fried. I liked this falafel because it was crunchy on the outside and had a nice flavorful taste.

All the combinations of flavors worked well with this falafel wrap.



Falafel salad, $8.95 with romaine lettuce, tahini sauce I really just wanted six pieces of falafel, not a damn salad, but whatever. Again the same crunchy outside and flavorful inside. But, one thing I noticed, they used bottle lemon juice!! Why not use fresh lemons??

Service is friendly but kinda of off. I walked in and they told me they do not serve falafel for dinner!! I have never heard of any Middle Eastern place not serving falafel. Then when I told him I wanted just falafel, I got the damn falafel salad. I don't want to pay for stupid lettuce and other stuff I don't want or need.

Overall, I did enjoy the falafel from Upland Kebob. I will go back for their lunch buffet, $11.95 for all you can eat chicken kebobs, beef and chicken shawarma, and many other items.