Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Kebab King

Kebab shops seem to be springing up all over the place, which is a nice trend. One of the most recent arrivals to the Middle Eastern take-out scene, Kebab King on University Avenue, is in the building recently vacated by Jack's BBQ. For whatever reason, the "BBQ" insignia survived the remodel, thus creating a sort of culinary palimpsest that suggests a Greco-Memphis fusion that will probably never come to be in this world.

The decor is cheerful, orange, and bright. Everything is still shiny and new and inspiringly polished. It indicates that there's an ambitious person somewhere in the picture trying his hand in a competitive spot like this. The place has been put together to be a bit more welcoming than the big, square, concrete-and-tile building might at first suggest.

Insignia from the ubiquitous Kronos foods company reassure guests and passersby that they're in familiar territory, at least as far as gyros are concerned.

The kebabs are a bit unusual. Available with lamb or chicken that's been cooked on a spit and sliced off to order, the namesake sandwiches can come on the expected pita bread or — and here's where things get odd — on a grilled flour tortilla.

The tortilla option might seem a little awkward at first, but it proves to be a clever variation on the theme. A Rohdes Kebab ($5.49) arrives dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and feta cheese. It also includes a spiced tomato sauce that's a bit unfamiliar on a kebab such as this. The sauce has a richly concentrated tomato flavor that resembles pizza sauce. This detail is bothersome, as it doesn't really fit the flavor of the meat and fresh greenery. On a more positive note, the sandwich is enormous and makes a filling meal.

Kebab King offers burgers and shawarma sandwiches as well, all of which can be augmented as "combos" for an additional $2. This adds fries and a fountain drink and pushes the calorie content into borderline dangerous realms, which is A-OK if you're completely starving. The man behind the counter was kind enough to substitute a small order of the shiraz salad for the fries. It was delightful, featuring tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and parsley in a piquant marinade.

Big Plus: Kebab King sells beer! They have Karl on draft ($3.99/glass or $8.99 for a 49 oz. pitcher) and a bunch of stuff in bottles. Sitting around sipping on a Mythos Lager and chewing on a kebab might be a welcome respite from burritos and Coronas.

Kebab King
1290 E. University Avenue
619-574-1644
Sun-Thur 11am-10pm
Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

WAV College Church reminds kids that time is short

College is a formational time for decisions about belief
Next Article

Halloween opera style

Faust is the quintessential example

Kebab shops seem to be springing up all over the place, which is a nice trend. One of the most recent arrivals to the Middle Eastern take-out scene, Kebab King on University Avenue, is in the building recently vacated by Jack's BBQ. For whatever reason, the "BBQ" insignia survived the remodel, thus creating a sort of culinary palimpsest that suggests a Greco-Memphis fusion that will probably never come to be in this world.

The decor is cheerful, orange, and bright. Everything is still shiny and new and inspiringly polished. It indicates that there's an ambitious person somewhere in the picture trying his hand in a competitive spot like this. The place has been put together to be a bit more welcoming than the big, square, concrete-and-tile building might at first suggest.

Insignia from the ubiquitous Kronos foods company reassure guests and passersby that they're in familiar territory, at least as far as gyros are concerned.

The kebabs are a bit unusual. Available with lamb or chicken that's been cooked on a spit and sliced off to order, the namesake sandwiches can come on the expected pita bread or — and here's where things get odd — on a grilled flour tortilla.

The tortilla option might seem a little awkward at first, but it proves to be a clever variation on the theme. A Rohdes Kebab ($5.49) arrives dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and feta cheese. It also includes a spiced tomato sauce that's a bit unfamiliar on a kebab such as this. The sauce has a richly concentrated tomato flavor that resembles pizza sauce. This detail is bothersome, as it doesn't really fit the flavor of the meat and fresh greenery. On a more positive note, the sandwich is enormous and makes a filling meal.

Kebab King offers burgers and shawarma sandwiches as well, all of which can be augmented as "combos" for an additional $2. This adds fries and a fountain drink and pushes the calorie content into borderline dangerous realms, which is A-OK if you're completely starving. The man behind the counter was kind enough to substitute a small order of the shiraz salad for the fries. It was delightful, featuring tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and parsley in a piquant marinade.

Big Plus: Kebab King sells beer! They have Karl on draft ($3.99/glass or $8.99 for a 49 oz. pitcher) and a bunch of stuff in bottles. Sitting around sipping on a Mythos Lager and chewing on a kebab might be a welcome respite from burritos and Coronas.

Kebab King
1290 E. University Avenue
619-574-1644
Sun-Thur 11am-10pm
Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Which to eat first at Young Cluck: the fried chicken or the eggs?

A crispy sandwich, or take your pick among Southern, bodega, and Uganda style breakfasts
Next Article

Tiny Restaurant, Big Plates

Pillbox Tavern takes over where Dairy Queen left off
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader