Ariana’s Kabob House

I am very skeptical of new kebob places that replace old seedy places. So, I was really against going to this place, though hubby dear was very excited to try this place. So we decided to try it on a Friday I wasn’t that hungry. I went in with zero expectations.
Here’s the quick low-​down:
1. Don’t go in for the ambiance
2. The food is fresh, and cooked to order
3. The meats are fresh and ‘halal’ (like Kosher)
My recommendations: The beef kebob or the chopan kebob
Definitely go for the shwarma — I liked the chicken shwarma wrap meal (came with fries and a soda)
The spicy gyro wrap was very succulent and tasty.
I learned from the friendly cook at the counter (who does everything) that the owners are the same owners as the Café Gyros in Newark.
I didn’t like the chicken kebob so much — we got the combo kebab platter which had bread, chick peas salad, and rice.
overall– I definitely think the gyros are good — better than any place in Fremont/​Newark.
Kebobs — chicken kebobs are better at Salang’s
Meat quality is very important to me, but the food here was so oily and fried that I don’t think I’ll be coming here again

Tried after seing postive reviews on Unilocal–
had The hummus appetizor ok but a bit tangy. pita bread ok
Gyro tasty but extremly salty
Combo Kabob beef and chicken cooked good tasty but why the salad mix and no dressing???
Probably wont go backbut will try another Place in Fremont
Total bill 22.00 dollars
very run down and dirty looking. guy behind counter very nice but too slow save yourself a trip and go try the other ones first–

I haven’t tried this place since the new management. And I wish I tried it sooner. I was craving for a lamb kabob and Salang is closed on Mondays. So, I called and ordered their lamb chops and a falafel wrap for my mom.
They give 4 juicy tender lamb chops with rice, a potato garbanzo vinegar salad, and a lil lettuce mix salad. Also bread, with spicy green minty sauce… My fav. Dish cost, 12.99 $… Is worth it! The chops were to die for and love the portion size!
And the falafel was good as well, very crispy chickpea mounds and with lots of lettuce onions and most importantly plenty of sauce!
I will be coming back here again!

This is the weakest kabob place in Fremont, a city otherwise known for its kabobs. Both the beef and chicken kebabs were tough, dry and gamey. The rice was oily, the afghan pita bread stale and the salad yellow and wilting. At $ 10 average, most entrees seemed exceedingly overpriced for what appears to be an utter dive.
Their gyros too are nothing special and use the commercial Kronos sausage meat instead of home-​made meats used by most other Fremont establishments.

I have been going to Ariana’s since it came under new management. Farhad and Jose are very friendly and they make a mean qabili pallaw. So much that I may have to pick up my dinner there this evening. Also, the Gyro’s are in small and large, suitable for different moods and hungers. The Baklava is made in Farhad’s other establishment and is yummy, not too large, flakey and fresh.
Very friendly, good food. Highly recommended for a sandwich or a meal.

this food was good, it had a lot of flavor, and i got the chicken sandwich, which was on flat bread, and it was yummy, thanks, compliments to the chef

I saw the «new management» sign a few times driving past here and I finally stopped by. The people here are really friendly and helpful and the owner (I think) even gave me suggestions on different things to order.
I ordered the falafel wrap which I liked a lot. I’ve had falafel sandwiches in pitas and in wraps and never liked the wrap version until this one. It had onions, tomatoes, lettuce, falafel balls and sauce. Only $ 3.99! It was flavorful but still light.
They have a new much more extensive menu that has something for everyone from philly cheese steaks to gyros and the prices are really good. You order at the counter and come pick it up but there are plenty of tables and chairs to sit and eat at. It’s really clean and comfortable feeling in there.
Definitely worth a try.

Ariana’s is always peeking out the corner of my eye when I go to Palace Chef or Yogurt Delight in the plaza right next door. My coworkers and I decided to drop by here for lunch and when we walked in, it looked completely abandoned. No workers were there, the kitchen equipment was off, it was dead silent with no music and it just screamed «go home!» After a couple seconds, a guy quickly came out and took our orders. A couple minutes after that, the owner came out and helped prepare our food.
Tikkah Kabob (prime rib of beef, marinated in purée of onion, sun-​dried baby grapes and garlic – charbroiled on skewer, then grilled & served with salata and naan) — The presentation was great for a little café (see pictures) and the flavor of the meat was good. The reason why I’m giving it 2 stars is because the beef was SO TOUGH. After a couple tries, my slightly serrated butter knife couldn’t cut through it anymore so I started stabbing it with my fork and tearing it apart with my teeth. The salata (side salad) was bland. The whole time, I was wondering if they provided some type of hot sauce to compensate for the lack of taste but all they had was tabasco on the table. This dish is $ 9.99 WITHOUT rice.
They did give us each complimentary Shor-​Nakhood (potatoes & garbanzo beans mixed with chutney) which was refreshing to eat and not overly sour. Just the right amount to touch my palette before the meal.
They charge $ 1 extra for rice? HMPH. It’s in fine print on the board and on the menu but we didn’t find out until we were paying! The prices are a little steep considering that it’s very much a café style restaurant. There are no linens, table service, and we didn’t even get water. However for so little pastrons they get, the food is relatively fresh. It’s sad that this place is so barren; it makes me wonder how much longer it can survive.

Simple, delicious kabob place. Its not fancy, but the price is great, its rarely busy, and the food is some of the best I’ve had in Fremont. Ok, Fremont isn’t known as a culinary center, so that’s not much of a comparison, but its nice to have somewhere to grab a tasty meal that’s less than 10 miles away.
The same guy is always behind the counter. I think he cooks most of it as well, and he’s really awesome. Remembers our names, and that my husband always orders the same thing, and that we don’t want the plastic silverware for our to-​go orders. Yup, it’s the little details that set this place apart. And the fantastic lamb kabobs.

I too found this place by accident. I am from Pacifica and was in the area to do business with another local shop. But a fortunate wrong turn led me to pass by Ariana’s Kabob house. The smell coming from the place was so good that I went back after I had done my business.
As stated the place served up Afghan food. If you have never eaten Afghan then visualize all kinds of Shish kabobs over a fire served with delicious basmati rice and other fresh vegetables, a bed of rice (pallow), and a nice yogurt sauce. The meats are usually chicken, beef, lamb, or a mixture of them.
If you have eaten Persian before then you are close to Afghan food but without the really good stews that are a hallmark of Persian cuisine.
Ariana’s is a simple place. The owner Farhad was a pleasure to to meet and talk with. The restaurant was clean and well presented being recently remodeled, but not overly so. The paint is fresh. The kitchen is up front and meticulously clean. The tables are clean. The floors and the bath room were clean. The items on the walls are not ornate but they are tasteful. But then you don go to Ariana’s for the walls and tables, you go for the food. I give Ariana’s good marks for the food I was served.
Ariana’s is not fast food. With that in mind when you go be prepared to wait a few minutes for your food. You will order at the counter but after that the food is brought to your table.
While you wait for the main part of your order to arrive you will be presented with an appetizer. Enjoy the appetizer and let your nose go to work. The grilling of kabobs over the fire will wake up your nose and set your mouth in a position launch into the meat when it arrives.
Since this was my first visit I asked the owner to serve up a surprise. What arrived at the table a a good plate of food with a variety of items in small amounts. But first let mentions something of the rice. Usually the rice is a good indicator to me of the other items on the plate. Fail with the rice and this says the details are being overlooked. Succeed with the rice and you have a good base to to go forward with me. Ariana’s basmati rice was perfectly tender, not sticky. Aromatic and had the right amount of saffron in the rice to balance it out.
Ok so on to the meats. I was served a little lamb, beef, and saffron chicken kabobs. The lamb and beef were cooked to a perfect medium which was just the way I ordered it. The chicken was cooked through but was still juicy tender and delicious. I give the meet five stars for taste, looks and texture.
The plate also came with yogurt sauce, salad, and naan (bread). The bread was served in little chrome basket with a cool little multicolored Afghan themed cloth towel to keep it warm. Another small point of decoration that definitely shows you the owner cares about the customer.
While talking with the owner I was also informed he will soon be installing a traditional oven especially for the naan baking. Nice to know the Ariana’s will be improved the next time I go back.
To finish off the meal the way I do you will also find a samovar for preparing tea.
The whole meal was less than $ 15 and you will not leave hungry.
If you are on the run then call in your order for take out of a tasty and complete meal. Ariana’s is a great choice for this option.
I was going to give Ariana’s five stars instead of four. The food was great. The location was quiet. The conversation with owner was nice and friendly. The interior was pleasant. But to reserve some wiggle room for the future when they have a more formal atmosphere and real glasses I will give Ariana’s a solid four stars a a recommendation to visit as soon as you can.
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Croissant Meter: [-_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​-​] (⁰⁄₁₀) They aren’t bakers!
Croissant Supplier: They have no Croissants.

Found this place totally by accident… For the price you pay it is really not bad! The lamb kabob dish is huge. comes with a lot of meat considering its 11 bucks and it also has rice, and you also get small appetizer before your meal!
Very casual dining place just so you know, and the location is kind of not so pretty on Thorton in Fremont. but the inside of the kabob house is clean and cute

Small little Afghan place off of Thornton in an older strip mall. Unlike most Afghan places which are full sitdown fancy joints, this one is a small café-​ish outfit where you order at the counter, grill up your food, and then bring it out to you. Had the lamb chop and shami kabobs, which cone with rice, a tomato/​onion/​herb salad, and a spicy chickpea/​potato mixture. The entrees also come with your normal Afghan spicy mint chutney. The lamb chops were tasty but a bit on the blander side than I liked. The shami kabobs were juicy and flavorful. The rice is also on the plain side but the chickpea potato mixture was good.
The place is rather small but newly remodelled, so the paint and furniture look new. The people who work behind the counter are really friendly and served up my kabobs were cooked up in about 15 min, so this place is also ideal for takeout.