Shish Kebab House of Tucson

To my surprise, I ordered a chicken and lamb Shawarma to with babaganoosh. Something basic. The Rice was OK. A little undercooked, the chicken and lamb. Shawarma was disappointing. Portions were very slim. Could not differentiate, whether or not, I had chicken or lamb. The baba ghanoush was burnt in the process of making it, and you can taste it. Has Someone who grew up eating Food like this. I’m sadly disappointed aside from the food. The ambience of the restaurant was OK, and there was a belly dancer. Additionally keep your receipts they will change what you tipped and you’ll be charged more without knowing.

I started eating here when I was at the UofA for college in the late 90s. The husband and wife knew us by name then and we were in there weekly. Its been upgraded since then but the food is still amazing. I have visited every few years since I left and I still stop in for food when I'm in town. Great food and service!

Over the years the food here is consistent and wonderful, fresh and satisfying. Cozy and intimate atmosphere. Tried the yogurt drinks for the first time and they were light, refreshing and cool with intense complimenting flavors. The falafel and dolmas are great starters while the Kebab and Gyro meat never disappoint. We were pleasantly surprised when a dancer began to perform around 6:30 on a Friday night. The only downside was I got so full had to take the rest home for my lunch tomorrow, which is really an upside 🙃.

It’s sad to see all the yummy gravy poured in the bottom of the bag 😣 come on we’re almost in 2026! I hope you guys consider serving your customers a little better! Otherwise the taste was fine.

Excellent lunch today! First visit and enjoyed our time. Our server, Miguel, treated us like family, food came out quickly and each of our meals were delicious. Including a photo of us with Miguel. Food was so good we forgot to take a before pic, but here are the remnants of the baklava. You'll love it!

I am not sure why but they can never get an online order correct. The food is excellent..when you get all the ingredients. Like why do I need lettuce without dressing? This dish without yogurt sauce!! Like they charge an insane amount for this dish to be missing key items!! Get it together!

I'm visiting from out of town. The food was amazing. I had the gyro (or is it pronounced gyro lol) and a salad. The meat was super tender and seasoned to perfection. The lettuce for the salad was fresh and crisp. We shared a baklava for desert. Sheer perfection! It was warm and buttery with a light and flaky crust. Our waiter was attentive and friendly. The restaurant was clean. I would highly recommend Shish Kebab House, and I hope I get to visit again before I return home.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟 A five-star experience at the Shish Kebab House of Tucson! 🌟 👩‍👦‍👦 Took my mom out for dinner while in town, and this place is definitely one of her favorit hidden treats! The staff went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and attended to, adding a special touch to our evening. 💫 🍽️ As for the food, it was beyond delicious! 😋 The dolma was a flavorful explosion, and the lamb was cooked to perfection. Each bite was a delightful journey for our taste buds! 🥙🍖 🏞️ And let's not forget about the location – simply perfect! 😍 The cozy ambiance combined with the warm hospitality made for an unforgettable dining experience. 🌆 If you're in Tucson and craving authentic and mouthwatering Mediterranean cuisine, the Shish Kebab House is an absolute must-visit! 🥂🍽️

Upon our arrival we were greeted at the door and stayed quickly. The tables/menus/eating utensils were clean, the area free of dust and dirty floors. Clean bathrooms. The server was polite, helpful and knew the menu. The food was delicious, hot and plentiful with rich tender vegetables and meat. A quick Yelp search found another delicious restaurant for us to enjoy. 5+ stars

I ordered a falafel plate for take-out. My order did not include napkins or utensils, which inconvenienced me when I arrived at my destination and had to find some way to eat it. The falafels were crisped well but were flavorless. The hummus also lacked flavor--I could not taste any saltiness, any tanginess, any tahini richness, any garbanzo flavor--nothing. The tabbouleh was made with bulgur (a good sign) but featured an unknown herb flavor that I had not had before in tabbouleh and did not care for (just my preference). The menu items also seem to be overpriced. For the money I expected better. My expectations were not met and I'll never return.

The food here was delicious . The staff were very friendly and the environment was cozy and nice. The menu had quite a few items and everything we saw coming out of the kitchen looked wonderful. Everything is made fresh to order and the food was seasoned perfectly. Looking forward to visiting again when we are in the area to try other menu items.

Oh wow, I have not updated my review for a long time. The beef oozie still remains my favorite dish here. Interior seating remains plentiful. I like the middle eastern music that is played here. The murals in the walls are beautiful.

A day of pre Christmas shopping and came about this quaint little place. It was busy with customers in different sitting areas. They have a three stool bar when you walk in and that is the same place you place your orders to go. Friendly staff and the place was tidy. Didn't take long to receive my take out order. I didn't take any photos inside because it is small and there were lots of people in different nooks. Inside it is painted with murals and the ceilings is painted with clouds and blue sky. I order the Gyro deluxe. It smelled so good driving home. Perfectly seasoned meat and portion for the gyro. The salad was so fresh and crunchy. The tzatziki sauce and vinegar/oil were packaged separately. I appreciated that! I hope to try again, their menu is large!

Beautiful and delicious! Everything on the menu sounded good but I wanted salad, rice, and gyro meat. This plate had it all - #29 for $17.75. It was all so good - and big enough for leftovers! I also tried their baklava (kind of small for $4.50 but tasty.) Service was great. Clean and cute place.

First, this is a review of a to go order. The ordering process was easy, although it is a good idea to call as the online menus are not the most accurate. When you call you can make sure everything is accurate. The person taking the order was very friendly and helpful. Picking up the food was easy, the place looked busy but I was helped immediately. The food was wonderful. We are fans of various styles of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food and this place provided wonderful options. The kebab came with a nice salad as well as grilled vegetables and the lamb which we divided between us. The lamb was very good quality. In fact quality was the star in the meal. The prices are a bit higher than some places but the quality of the meat and vegetables made it worth it. Next we tried the hummus with lamb and the Turkish gyro, also with lamb. We are fans of lamb and each dish was prepared well. The hummus had some nice garlic and the lamb with it made a great protein rich dish. The Turkish gyro reminded us little of iskender with the tomato sauce and lamb. It had a nice flavor with the saffron rice. The staff were so very friendly and helpful, even for take out. When we are over near Park Place we are adding this place as a restaurant to frequent.

Ugh..same dish..high price. You'd think that paying the inflated price for chicken and rice with a spice scale 1-10...you could get some kind of consistency when it comes to spice. I have order level 5 for the last 5 years...usually it is spicier than expected this time it is literally a level 2 compared to what I have had in the past (5-7) I get that the spice level of pepper is hard but as a chefs special for $25 they would know, by now, what a level 5 spice is on the scale they created.

Talk about a hidden gem of Tucson! The food here is fantastic and if you're in the mood for Mediterranean food then this is your spot!

We had a party of ten and had called ahead to reserve a table. The restaurant isn't huge, but it was comfortable. Our server took our orders right away and was helpful in answering questions and working with our various dietary needs. The food came out in a timely manner and we all enjoyed our selections.

Super yummy place! Ambiance was good, smaller restaurant that was nice and open, with kind staff & lovely Arab music playing in the back. We got our food quick and the waiter gave us some great recommendations. Definitely recommend getting the house made dolmas and the hummus! We also got the french fries, chicken shawarma and chicken sizzling dish! Plus the chicken and lamb here are zabihah! We will be going again!

The good part is the serving was generous, the gyro was kinda stripped down... no tomato, no onion but lots of tzatziki sauce.

Best Middle Eastern food in Tucson. Every time. Amazing food! So flavorful. Consistently delicious.

Food was fantastic. The atmosphere is very relaxing and was a perfect dinner. The oozie and the chicken shawarma were great.

I guess I need to just stop ordering from shish kebab house. I asked him to please make sure they send a pita bread for my hummus as they did not last time so they did that and this time no salad dressing. I give up.

Food was pretty good. I got the Kafta Kabob. Good flavor, enough for two meals. I ordered it at the restaurant to go. While I waited, I ordered a martini at the bar. Next time, I'll stick to beer or soda. Gonna have to say the drink was not good at all - not cold enough, and for the olive - a kalamata?! To be fair, the person who made it did offer to make me another but I think mixed drinks are not their forte. Definitely will go back and try more food items.

I've been coming here for at least 10 years. The portion size has gotten so incredibly small that it's criminal. The last few times I have DoorDash I was shocked at how small it was but today.... Was the icing on top of the Cake.... I'm done coming here and I'm not ordering food from here anymore. The picture I'm uploading is of a $17 meal.

an excellent service and the food so fresh!! definitely coming back my son ordered the lamb kabab so tender and the smell of the rosemary it was delicious!!

This place is larger than it looks like from the outside. It has a larger part in the back and the vide throughout is very pleasant. My service was quick and everyone was friendly. I ordered the hummus and the chicken kabab which came with rice and a salad. Everything came out quickly and tasted great. I say they also offer catering and have a belly dancer on Friday nights. Totally recommend coming here.

Our first time. Wow! Just wow. The salad was beyond yummy, lite and flavorful. We had shrimp and chicken kababs with veggie skewers. All of it. So, so yummy. Light mouthfeel, just hint hit of spices. One of the best kept secrets of the east side. Run, don't walk.

As a repeat customer, the gyro sandwiches here are wonderful. Ambience, cleanliness, and service are also consistently good. I eat here twice per month - and have never been disappointed. The Greek Salad that accompanies the gyro is always clean and crisp with just the right amount of dressing. I need to make it over for the belly dancing shows, but until then, a special thank you to Shish Kebab House for being in my opinion the best Gyro in town!

I have been eating here for 30 years. We no longer live in Tucson but make special trips just for their grape leaves, motabal, and maglubeh!

We had lunch here today. Pleasant, quiet atmosphere indoors, and a few tables outside as well. We had the Falafel Appetizer which came with sliced you, cucumbers & onions. It was fairly good but neither the falafel nor the tzatziki sauce were great. The menu is large and varied, which was nice. I had the Chicken Shawarma and my husband had the Gyro Boy. Both came with a Greek Salad which was fine. I enjoyed my entree, but my husband's gyro meat had been cooked too long and was very browned. I'm not sure if we'll give it a second shot or not. There is another Greek Restaurant in Tucson that has a smaller menu, but has consistently good food which we'll probably return to instead.

I'm craving for a good Mediterranean food. I came across this place thru Yelp and it have good reviews. Their food is good, everything we tried, so far are really flavorful. Although they give you small portion on meat. The place is really small, very cozy, it makes you feel like you're in a different country. Service is fast although you have to wait for your food. But we didn't mind waiting cause good food takes time, that we understand. I would come back to this place, for sure.

Looking for something different than our regular routine, my husband and I stopped in for lunch on a Saturday. The restaurant was clean and modern, with lovely new flooring. There was only one other table occupied, but quite a few others filled up while we were there Service was prompt and efficient, and food didn't take long to arrive. I had the Kabsa, a dish I'd never tried, and my husband the beef shawarma. His was delicious, as were the sides he chose- hummus and rice. My lamb was falling off the bone tender, but quite bland, as was the rice with peppers and tomato. However, the yogurt side was delicious, and a bit of the restaurant's amazing hot sauce perked the dish right up. We'll be back, though I'd be trying a different dish- maybe the shawarma.

This restaurant had a nice vibe, interesting things to look at and clean. The waiter was nice. We went for lunch, they even had a banner advertising their variety of pita sandwiches for their specials. The pictures looked good. We go in, and are immediately given just the regular menu, no lunch menu. We had to ask for it. Are you trying to get more money out of us or something? Normally if a restaurant has special lunch offerings, they give us that menu first. Or maybe even give us the lunch menu along with the regular menu. It was just interesting that they kinda were dodging it. Mind you the regular menu offerings were double the price. Ok, let me clarify that I'm not some cheap ass when it comes to food. I regularly dine out and do not mind spending a decent amount for my food. After all, i want quality, i want the people there to be making decent wages etc. SO I order the chicken pita wrap and the fries. The waiter RECOMMENDED the fries, saying there were delicious. The food comes, and my god. The fries are just SWIMMING in oil, I mean it was so oily, we would want to drill it for Exxon. Moreover, whoever cut the potatoes, had no skill in cutting a potato, they were all different sizes, every fry was cooked unevenly due to this. I mean when you forked up a fry here, it resembled a flaccid you know what. Just sad. The sandwich has NO veggies as advertised, just a huge portion of greasy, discolored onions sprinkled with some dried parsley. No taste, no depth. If you took it out of the foil it was wrapped in, it just dripped grease. It was so disappointing! I knew I should have gone to Zaynas... but I wanted to try something different. Definitely not doing that again!

Wonderful Mediterranean food in Tucson. We love the simple beef, chicken and vegetable shish kebab. Upgrade to a Greek salad for a couple of bucks. The hummus is also delicious (get some extra pitas).

I ordered Chicken Shawarma and was pleasantly surprised. It was a 10/10 on taste and I'm able to 100% recommend it and this restaurant. The Hummus side was also beyond excellent. Unfortunately it didn't come with pita chips or anything to dip in it so I ate it with some chips at home. I can't speak much to the service or environment since this was a to go order but everything looked very cozy and "hole in the wall" in a good way. I did think it was odd that my takeout order had the chicken separate from the pita so I had to assemble it at home. I think they should consider assembling it then wrapping the whole thing in foil.

Good friendly service, tasty food, only not would be that the soda was running out of carbonation. Overall good experience, will definitely return!

Decided to get delivery from here to satisfy my craving for Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine during quarantine. After reading some other reviews, I decided in Kaftan be tahini, and for dessert emahalebia; both were dishes I never tried before but I'm a huge fan of tahini, as well as pistachios. Some of the food came leaking from their takeout containers, but I assumed it was due to the third party delivery service, as they were pretty good about packaging everything separately. I was surprised about the amount of food, and was quite content with the taste. The kaftan be tahini was well seasoned, though the potatoes on top were just ok in my opinion, and I felt a little unnecessary as I also had rice and pita bread. The salad on the side was fresh and the dressing light and simple yet flavorful. The amount of food is enough for two servings, and I'll happily eat my leftovers for dinner. My taste buds may have been oversaturated by the strong flavors of the entree but the emahalebia was mainly flavored by the honey and pistachios on top. I had to Google it to realize it was a milk custard. It felt a little more like a jelly to me, but it's probably because I am comparing it to Asian custards. There were many other items on the menu I'd be interested in trying in the future, and I appreciate their generous portions!

I've been a fan of Shish Kebab House's delicious food and enormous portions for years now -- their flavors never disappoint! Their menu is pretty large, and I've literally never gotten something I didn't like, but there are some standouts that I return to again and again. Among the many great appetizers, I particularly like the dips: hummus, motabal (a.k.a baba ganoush), and kousa be leban (a garlicky yogurt with pieces of fried squash mixed in). For entrees, you really can't go wrong with their classic shawarma or falafel plates, each of which come with your choice of two sides. I also love the Oozie, which is a beautifully spiced rice dish with your choice of meat. I recommend getting it with leban and pita, because the combination of flavors is out of this world. If you eat red meat, I encourage you to try the Kafta Be Tahini, a large patty of ground lamb and beef mixed with garlic, onion, herbs, then baked in tahini sauce. A good way to get the best of all worlds is to get a Mezza Appetizer Sampler (five appetizers of your choice) and then a Super Combination in which you get kebabs of your choice over an oozie of your choice. One note -- while their food does work well as take-out, I have had to wait a pretty long time every single time I've done take-out from them. You can specify a pick-up time when you place your order, but when I arrive at that specified time, my food has literally never been ready. I regularly wait at the restaurant anywhere from ten to twenty minutes (on one bad occasion, thirty-five minutes) for my food to be ready. It's not a deal-breaker, but it is very frustrating. Just be aware of that!

Best hummus I've ever tasted. We often come here just for the hummus and bread. Their meals and salads are great as well. This place has never disappointed.

Went back again... and it did not disappoint! Yummy food, good service and pet friendly out front! If you are going to order one thing is the hummus with meat! The Gyro has the option to order EXTRA meat for an additional 5$.... Overall great gem of a spot for delicious middle eastern food! Come!

Food was quite tasty and service was good and prompt. Will happily return to try other interesting dishes on the menu.

We were seated in the back room and totally ignored. After 15 minutes studying the drink and dinner menus and being bothered by a belly dancer, we left. Not our style!

Let's just start off with the service. Great service. We ordered a takeout and it was ready within about 8 minutes. Food was delicious.

This place is unassuming -- just a little storefront near the Park Place mall -- but the food and service are great. As a vegetarian I frequently have few options to choose from, and if I do choose a dish like falafel, it is usually bland, disappointing, and overly fried. Not so at this place! Today I ordered the Zatar pizza. It was a delightful, flavorful pita with a deep green, zesty herb and spice topping, tempered by the (optional) rich feta cheese, as well as the sliced veggies I ordered on the side. I also ordered a side of falafel and they were pillowy, crispy bites of chickpea heaven. The servers were attentive but didn't bother my friend and I as we were having a pretty intense conversation. I had a great experience here and I will definitely return!

We come here often just for this plate. The lamb is spiced perfectly the hummus is smooth and the hot sauce is fire hot!!! There is plenty of naan to wipe the plate clean so you don't have to lick it!! Give it a try its very tasty.

I was hesitant to go here, but glad that I did today. For middle-eastern food this is a very good place to go. The prices are good and the food is better than many other places here in Tucson.

I haven't been here in nearly four years. Good spot for Levantine-inspired food. Ordered a lamb kebab with rice and salad to go. The only issue I had was it was only one skewer. I also ordered spinach fatayer. All tasted fine. Will return to try other favorites like Fattoush.

The most authentic and true to the culture Mediterranean food in town! My husband would know since he grew up eating this food- he was raving about this place for 2 weeks! The best part in my opinion was not only the extremely reasonable prices but the desert was the best baklava I've ever had! This place is small but still busy even on a Monday night!

I have never been a fan of Mediterranean food but I absolutely love this place! I had the very yummy chicken kebabs with the rice and Greek salad. The price may seem a bit high but you definitely get your moneys worth. The portions are huge. My husband got the gyro with salad and it was delicious as well. The restaurant along with its bathrooms was very tidy and clean. I will definitely be back!

I used to eat here frequently years ago, but this was my first time here in ages. I ate here with a fairly large Meetup group; service was good. I had a lamb shawarma and tried my friend's chicken shawarma. They both came with pita bread and side dishes such as hummus, salad and baba ganoush. I also had a strawberry yogurt drink and a custard dessert. It was all good, especially the baba ganoush.

This place was so good!!! I'd been eyeing it for a while as I was bummed there weren't many true ethnic food around Tucson. Finally one night after a long day and taking the kids to Peter piper, I decided to grab food there as I didn't want to eat pizza. I could tell they were so busy and a bit short staffed but they were still so nice anyway. That would get 5 stars for sure. It was pretty expensive I'll admit, but the reason why I took off a star was bc the amount of meat was pretty small. I was disappointed about that fact - but I know lots of small businesses have struggled. I just figured with the hirer prices I would've gotten more meat, but I'll have to try a different dish next time.

We will not be returning here. We dined here a few times and finally have to say goodbye, after they gouged us for every little thing. Who ever heard of charging for lemon or sumac?!! These are condiments!! And it's a Mediterranean restaurant!! $3 for sumac, $1.20 for lemon, $2 for a few olives, $1.75 for a tablespoon of garlic sauce. And they don't inform you of any of these charges until they hand you your huge bill. This place is a rip off and it's not worth it. There are plenty of other delicious Mediterranean restaurants in Tucson that don't gouge you!

Great every time -- the prep proves they care about making fresh, delicious food at a fair price. Reliable service too -- everything is packaged well and arrives with one of the shortest delivery times in my area. Conversation in our kitchen included the comment that we should eat here every week. Can't wait to order again!

Thank you for remaining open and thank you for continuing to provide a wonderful respite during the day with wonderful food.

I loved the double meat when i ordered the gyros plate. The fries were good. The only thing i didn't care for was the sauce. It was more watery then other places. That's my only complaint. Food was real good.

The most impressive thing about this place is their menu. Wow. They offer home-cooked favorites like Palestinian Mechluba, and Mansef. I was so impressed. I ordered the falafel plate, and it was good. I will go back to order other items. The owner was engaging and chatted with me, and the two 18-year-old young men working there were also quite engaging, and provided me with above average customer service. I consider this a hidden gem.