As the men continuously bake fresh sangak (sesame flatbread) and a woman argues vehemently in Farsi with someone behind the counter, The Monster peruses the pictures of the menu at Glat kosher restaurant Kabab Mahaleh and tries to decide what he’ll be eating. BBQ salmon or chicken kobideh? Salad or spread?
Brightly done up in reds and yellows with traditional photographs of men preparing sangak along the walls, Kabab Mahaleh is a local stopping off point for the large Persian community to eat, kibbutz and take home the fresh baked bread in huge rolls.
The Monster orders up some sangak and Kashk Bademjan, an eggplant spread to start. It’s wonderfully fresh and a perfect start to the meal.
Chicken kobideh is the call for the main dish. Accompanied by raw onion, mint and tomato along with more fresh sangak, it’s a healthy and tasty lunch that clocks in well under $10.
Service is efficient and the food arrives fairly quickly which is always appreciated by a hungry Monster.
Why go? It’s any day but Saturday.
Monster rating: 3/5 Monsters
8762 West Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 275-3000
Feed The Monster 
Address is 8762 W. Pico. Website menu does not list prices — really dumb, considering how reasonable they are.
On your rec, went for lunch today. Bread was very good, and plentiful. Price was right, only $4.99 + tax for the ground beef kabob — koobideh. But the lunch was disappointing. The koobideh was very bland and rubbery, like it had been baked rather than grilled. Seasoning very blah and no char. Doesn’t come near my usual koobideh platter at Sahmshiri — sure the lamb is $8.95 (beef a buck cheaper) but it is charred and juicy, comes with a huge mound of rice and grilled onion, pepper, and tomato, and a choice of salad — I get the shirazi. Much better deal all around.
Can’t speak to the beef kobideh as The Monster sampled the chicken which for the price was pretty decent. But yes, there is better to be had for sure.