Shish Kabab Restaurant: Shady Restaurant of the Month
by Andrew | December 18, 2008 | 20 Comments
(votes: 11, average: 3.27) 
Loading ...Shish Kabab Restaurant is located at 3608 N. May in Oklahoma City (map). They are open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner. You can reach them at (405) 942-5051.
Editor’s note: This is the 100th restaurant review posted on EatAroundOKC.com. I thought it appropriate that review 100 would feature a Shady Restaurant of the Month, as Andrew’s shady series has so captured the heart of our city and brought fame to OKC’s culinary underbelly. Thank you, Andrew, for tirelessly braving Oklahoma City’s shady spots to bring us new adventures in dining. And thanks to all our writers and our readers for supporting us. Here’s to the next 100!
For this month’s Shady Restaurant selection, I wanted to stay away from the southwest side of town. As shady and edible as the southwest is, I feel that other areas of Oklahoma City are being neglected. This month, I am choosing a place on on a particularly shady stretch at the southern end of N. May Avenue. This part of town is home to one of my favorite sports, pawn shopping. Yes, it is a sport. It is also home to a handful of delicious eateries. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you one of my personal favorites, Shish Kabab!
Shish Kabab Restaurant is just south of 36th, nestled between a Dunkin Donuts and a Blockbuster. I know, pretty benign, but go another block south and you can get your supply of drug paraphernalia, stolen car stereos, and even that dirty Santa outfit you were wanting to sport at the company Christmas party. If that’s not shady enough for you, come hang out at Shish Kabab on a Friday or Saturday night and smoke some hookah while you enjoy the belly dancing.
Ok, wait. I really don’t mean to imply that hookah pipes and belly dancing are, in and of themselves, shady activities. The truth is, they are both beautiful cultural art forms. But the point of my shady restaurant series is to introduce the average Oklahoma City resident to dining experiences they would normally be too scared to try. And trust me, hookah smoke and belly dancing scare plenty of people. But that’s too bad, because these irrational fears of shadiness only cause us to miss out on so many hidden treasures in our city. No more, I say! No more!
Ok, back to the review …
The food here is served buffet-style or menu-style. I like the lunch buffet. It is incredibly fresh plus they will bring you warm bread and fresh-out-of-the-pot kababs straight to your table as they are ready. Terrific!
The shish kabobs here are not what backyard BBQ Joe makes skewering a tough piece of sirloin and some veggies and cooking them just past well done. No, these are more like grilled meatloaf than steak. At least the beef kababs are. They are particularly good when you get a plate of fresh ones brought to your table with some warm pieces of flat bread on the side.
Apparently, you can also enjoy the buffet for dinner, I just haven’t been around here that late. The hookah room is open in the evenings for you as well in case you like to chase your kebabs with a little flavored tobacco.
On the buffet, there are a variety of fantastic choices. Honestly, I don’t know what they all are. I just know they are tasty. There are several lentil dishes, rice dishes and chicken dishes. There is usually a palao-type dish, which is the Middle East’s version of a meat combo rice (like America’s chicken and rice or Asia’s fried rice varieties). Picture something like this. There is also plenty of basmati rice, and several soupy dishes with a variety of different meats to spoon over it. They also have a very tasty spaghetti that is always on the line. I think it’s funny to eat spaghetti off a Middle Eastern buffet. Food here is very Middle Eastern, by the way. More Afghan and Persian than Turkish and Mediterranean. To me, that means these dishes look more like Indian foods than the foods you would get at Zorbas or even ZamZam for that matter.
Aside from the food, there is lots of fun to be had at Shish Kabob. In the evenings, you can get your hookah fix here. I still haven’t tried the hookah. My Bangali friend, Rana, swears it is a tasty treat and I plan to join him one day and report back. Don’t feel like eating or smoking but still want to spend some money? You are in luck! They sell DirectTV packages with all your favorite Middle Eastern programing. And, of course, there is always belly dancing, and from what I can tell, you are more than welcome to join in and show off your mad belly skills.
If you’re into shady people watching, you might be disappointed here. While most of our shady reviews feature a handful of interesting, shady characters, they are conspicuously absent at Shish Kabob. There’s not enough gravy here to attract Mustache Man or some of the shady guys who frequent Sydney’s. The waitresses here don’t stop to smoke between taking your drink order and bringing you your main course. So, in this respect, Shish Kabob is lacking in shadiness, but I think it makes up for it in other ways.
So, give Shish Kabob a try. To play it safe, swing by at lunch. I think you will really like the buffet. If you’re more adventuresome, check it out on a Friday night and you might catch me belly dancing after my first hookah experience. Ok, probably not, but you’ll at least have a good time. And please, somebody … anybody … do some belly-dancing and then tell us all about it in the comments. This has to happen.
We want to hear from you!
So far, 20 people have responded to this article. Won't you join in?December 19th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
No interest in the hookah, having been smoke free for going on 1/2 a decade now. However, the rest does sound like a worthwhile evening adventure.
December 20th, 2008 at 11:18 am
i thought hookah’s were only legal in vegas?
and dont you have a wife and kids/? shame on you!
December 20th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Thanks for doing a review about a shady restaurant on the North side of I-40. Trust me, there are plenty!
I’ve been meaning to try Shish Kabob. A friend of mine and I decided a few years ago to eat at restaurants from around the world. Maybe I will make this a stop.
December 20th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Well ebeneezer roam, maybe I don’t have the right, maybe I don’t even care. Sometimes you have to yell “Give me something new!” I’m sure the wife and kids will understand.
December 21st, 2008 at 9:28 pm
OMG hilarious review. Sound good…-would you say you like it better than Zorbas?
December 21st, 2008 at 10:37 pm
I’m not really a fan of Zorbas, so that would be a yes. I don’t dislike Zorbas particularly, just think its over-rated. Zam-Zam is better for Eastern European / Near East food for me. Shish Kabab for the further west type variety.
December 30th, 2008 at 12:17 pm
May I ask how much about the lunch buffet ? Thank you so much!
January 3rd, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I think it is extremely questionble to put Shish Kabab in the “Shady” category!! Food is great, but “shady”?? no way!!
January 4th, 2009 at 11:22 am
Inside Shish Kabab…not shady.
This section of town in general…shady.
Last time I was over here a homeless guy tried to clean my windshield. Seriously. And if you are within a square block of a Ziggy’s drug paraphernalia shop, a Christie’s toy box, and 3 pawn shops…you are officially shady.
January 8th, 2009 at 4:24 pm
I approve of Shish Kabab. Good food, and they are always happy to see you, or anyone there. There is also a hookah place over on 36th and college I believe in bethany. Somewhere that direction. But shishkabob’s is great.
January 14th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
My husband and I tried Shish Kabab this evening entirely due to your Shady review. We had a beef shish kabab plate with rice – 4 large pieces of meat plus more rice than 6 people would eat. We shared a plate of hummas and pita bread plus one serving of the Persian (chopped) salad and a cup of the really good yoghurt cucumber sauce. The cost (we both had tap water) was $16 and we not only ate well, we had enough left over for lunch tomorrow. They tell us the shish kabab is enough for two people but those two folk had better be hungry. The food was tasty, quick to the table and we were equally quick to tell friends that “Hey, we have got to go back to this place.” Maybe even by the weekend we will return with friends in tow. Yum.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
This place was fantastic at night. It comes alive with music, belly dancing, and hookah smoke along with a great and comfortable atmosphere. The food is amazing but all in all the experience was something i will never forget.
February 8th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
I used to visit ShishKebab all the time from when they opened. I planned a work dinner there for about 12 people, gave plenty of notice, etc. And they were so rude about every thing! After a dismal buffet, we went to the hookah room. No one brought us a menu, then when we finally got one they rusked up to make a decision. We were ordering beers and had never had hookah and the woman treated us like were just taking space since we couldn’t decide on the hookah.
I have not been back since early 2007 and will probably never go back. I was embarrassed and disappointed.
March 25th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Zorba? Zorba’s is terrible. Their version of a Greek salad is hugely laughable. I’m still shaking my head in disbelief. Shish Kabob is fairly good for the price and the owners are really nice and attentive. Persian food does not sit well on a buffet – but its good enough.
March 28th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Overall good reviews for the most part but I have not been back since they had a private party and the owner told my friend I to leave because of the private party. There was no note on the door that said closed due to a private party, made us look like idiots. I may be back but I dont know. There are better mediterranean restaurants such as Zam Zams or a new great place called Camilya’s.
April 24th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Shish Kabob is NOT shady. The part of town, as Andrew notes, is a bit shady. After Shish Kabob, my friend Lisa and I sat on the patio at the Starbuck’s just north of Shish Kabob, and a guy who claimed to be from Carrollton stopped by to tell us his sob story. We gave him some money. After he left, Lisa pointed out that his prescription bottle that he claimed to have just had filled said 2006 on it. Oh well.
Oh, right — Shish Kabob. Excellent. Both the chicken and the lamb on the buffet were amazingly tender. The tabouli and onion/tomato salads were very good, as was the tajiki sauce. The place was very quiet and everyone was respectable and well mannered. Highly recommend it.
May 25th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
I love Shish Kabab. Being half persian, when I need a quick fix I would go here if I couldn’t make it to the Mediterranean Grill. The first time I went, we had the buffet only, but when I asked the woman about Ghormeh Sabzi (amazing parsley/spinach based stew over rice) she was more than happy to bring some out. Since it has a gross dirty green color, she said when she puts it out on the buffet, no one wants to eat it. They are so nice, and the food is good.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:19 am
I will be at ShishKabob’s bellydancing on Friday, June 19th, 2009. Come out and enjoy truly fine food, entertainment, a drink or 2, and the hookah’s. I am a nonsmoker, but I will smoke a hookah, as it’s wonderful for pain and relaxation, which is what it is actually meant for. The food at the Shish is awesome, and the owners make this place a truly fun experience. You will forget you are in OKC while you’re there! All are welcome here, especially wife and kids. There’s nothing shady about this place!
June 29th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Shish Kabab is one of my hubby’s favorite places! We both LOOOOVE the Chicken Byriani which we can’t seem to find exactly the same anywhere else!
The owners are amazingly friendly and the lady can cook her butt off! I will admit we usually get it to go, but there or home its still wonderful! And you know you go too much when you call and all you have to do is give them your name and they say “oh the usual? it will be ready in 20 minutes” lol
April 20th, 2010 at 6:45 pm
Ate here today…. Have no idea what I was eating but it was all tasty.
I will definitely go back and maybe order from the menu next time. I just wanted to be able to try a bit of everything this trip. So had the lunch buffet.
Please tell us what you think.