Shashlik House

"If the vast grill at Shashlik House is a piano and the 30 simultaneously smoking skewers are keys, then chef-owner Suhrob Mullojonov is the maestro, in charge of knowing exactly when to play each note. The popular beef roll, for instance, is a whirl of thinly sliced red T-bone steak and white lamb fat that almost resembles a peppermint candy. It has to be grilled so that the beef achieves a soft uniform doneness as the fat drizzles over it and crisps up just so. The beef lula –an amalgam of ground beef, onion, and lamb fat – and lamb ribs are also hits. In traditional Uzbek style, the skewers,  simply seasoned with salt and pepper, are served with raw onions and a garlicky tomato sauce for dipping. The original Kensington-based Shashlik House has a Midwood outpost." - Caroline Shin

"This casual, friendly Uzbek cafe has two locations in South Brooklyn, but we like the one in Kensington more. Shashlik House is the kind of place where you get a pot of tea to linger over while you take your time coming to an agreement about which kebab to order. Try a bunch of different ones: We’re especially fond of the lula kebab, made from deeply spiced ground meat that’s shaped around the giant metal skewer it’s cooked on, but we also love the simple but flavorful chicken and the rich lamb chops." - carina finn koeppicus

"The beef rolls at Uzbeki Shashlik House — beef pulled from a T-bone steak then rolled in lamb fat for extra juice — are a rarity in NYC. They’re just one of twenty kebabs on an extensive menu that also includes three steaks and veggie sides. Owner and Tajikistan native Suhrob Mullojonov has been selling his charcoal-grilled skewers for a while now." - Caroline Shin, Robert Sietsema

"Some restaurants are like a pair of super cozy pajamas. Maybe nothing has gone right for you in the past 24 hours and you’re in desperate need of comfort. Maybe you actually had the best day ever and just want to bask in your own glory. Shashlik House is the kind of place you’ll want to go in either situation. They serve homestyle Uzbek food in a space that feels like an eat-in kitchen in an old Brooklyn apartment, except with live-fire cooking and an oven that bakes the best bread. Shashlik House has two locations in South Brooklyn, but we like the one in Kensington best. The main draw here is kebab, and you’ll want to try a bunch of different ones before you settle on a regular order. We’re especially fond of the lula kebab, made from deeply spiced ground meat that’s shaped around the giant metal skewer it’s cooked on. We also love the simple but flavorful chicken and the extremely rich baby lamb chops. Whatever you do, though, don’t come here thinking you can just order kebabs and be done with it. The servers will tell you you’re doing it wrong, and they’d be correct. You must also get at least one order of non, plus an achichuk salad made from sliced tomatoes and onions. These will help balance out your meat-heavy meal. When the weather is cool, there are few dishes we find more soothing than the lagman noodles at Shashlik House, so get an order of those, too. Note that you may not want to share. Food Rundown Lagman Noodles Exceedingly tender braised beef swimming in an herby, richly spiced tomato broth with a generous tangle of hand-pulled noodles. You’ll definitely want this. Kebab Check out the glass case by the kitchen to get a sense of what they have on offer when you visit. Get whatever sounds best to you, but don’t skip the lula kebab and baby lamb chops. Non Shashlik house has a traditional tandyr oven, which is probably why the non here is so good. One order is good for 2-3 people who want to eat some bread, but not a ton of bread. Samsa These flaky meat-filled pastries are also baked in the tandyr, and they’re very, very good. We like to order more than we can eat so we have them for breakfast the next day. Achichuk Salad A simple salad of tomatoes and onions that’s delicious with non or kebab, or on its own." - Carina Finn