It was while I was waiting for a takeout order at Kababstic Mediterranean Grill that I realized this was more than a mini-mall kebab house with exceptionally tender beef, chicken and lamb — and some of the best hummus and garlic dipping sauce in town. Kababstic is, in its understated way, a journey to the good manners of its home country of Jordan.
While I waited for my kebab plate with rice, a fresh green salad, hummus and garlic sauce, with warm pita bread, the man at the counter asked if I’d like a cup of tea. That seemed like a nice enough offer.
I was expecting a paper cup with a Lipton tea bag, and some small packets of sweetener. What I got instead was a polished metal tray, topped with two paper doilies, with a silvery teapot filled with steaming water and a tea bag with Arabic writing on it, a glass shaped like an hourglass with a golden spoon sitting in it, and a syrup pourer with granular sugar in it.
It was very good tea, hot and refreshing. But more importantly, it was not served like a cuppa tea in a mini-mall café. It was served as it might be in a tea shop in Amman, the capital of Jordan, a city that’s estimated to be more than 9,000 years old. Time enough to build up some fine traditions. Like the serving of tea.
And indeed, what a culture shock it must be to come from a city that was already ancient when Jesus walked the land … to a city that established as a municipality in 1909. Yet the cooking has traveled just fine. And is a reminder to the universality of the cuisine of the Middle East. Though there may be technical points of difference, by and large what you’ll find in a Jordanian restaurant, is what you’ll find in a Lebanese kebab shop, an Egyptian skewer house, an Israeli hummus specialist.
The hummus is a must-try at Kababstic Mediterranean Grill in Arcadia. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
It’s tea time at Kababstic Mediterranean Grill in Arcadia. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Kababstic Mediterranean Grill in Arcadia is a Jordanian kebab shop with a handsome interior and a large menu of many kebab combinations, says restaurant critic Merrill Shindler. The specialty of the house, he adds, is served with some superb hummus and garlic dip. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
Artwork recalling the Middle East is part of the decor at Kababstic Mediterranean Grill in Arcadia. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
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The hummus is a must-try at Kababstic Mediterranean Grill in Arcadia. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)
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Which is not to say that Jordan doesn’t have a world of unique dishes all its own. You just won’t find them at a shop called Kababstic Mediterranean Grill (3 stars out of 4; 304 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia; 626-348-8127, www.kababstic.com). Those dishes would include mansaf, Jordan’s national dish, a stew of lamb in fermented dried yogurt. Maqluba, a pot of rice and meat that when it’s cooked, is ceremoniously turned upside down. A rice and lentils combination called mujadera. The stuffed grape leaves warak enab. Cook tomatoes, peppers and onions in olive oil and you get galayet bandora. And a roasted chicken seasoned with sumac is musakhan.
What we get instead at Kababstic is an exercise in familiarity, very well prepared. Beginning with the wonderful hummus — very well whipped garbanzo beans, mixed with tahini, garlic and lemon juice, and flavored with paprika and cumin. It’s swirled about, with garbanzo beans and olive oil on top. I’ve eaten hummus many times, in many places, and I’ve rarely enjoyed hummus as much as I did at Kababstic.
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I also quickly went through the garlic sauce. Which was so mild I wasn’t sure, at first, that it was garlic sauce. But the flavor snuck up on me. It became more garlicky, the more I ate. It’s a clever culinary trick. I don’t know how they did it. What I do know is that the spicing on the kebabs is just perfect — mild enough not to be intrusive, to allow the flavor of the chicken and lamb and beef to creep through, but strong enough to let you know this is a kitchen with a large rack of fresh herbs and spices.
And so, in front of a mural of a camel caravan heading past a verdant oasis out into the desert sand, we have a menu of baba ghanoush — a hummus-like dip of roasted eggplant mixed with tahini, garlic, lemon juice, paprika and olive oil. Crunchy garbanzo bean falafel balls. Equally crispy cracked wheat and ground beef “footballs” called kibbeh. And the terrific chopped parsley, bulghur wheat, tomato, mint and onion salad called tabbouleh.
There are other salads on the menu, made with chicken and beef. There’s the fried pita bread salad called fattoush, which is more Lebanese than Jordanian. But then, as I said, food knows nothing of borders. Dishes spread with alacrity.
You can have your kebabs over rice. Or you can have your kebabs inside pita bread sandwiches. With french fries on the side. I’m old school. I like my kebabs over rice. I like my pita warm. I like my tea served in a glass, not a paper cup. From the outside, Kababstic doesn’t look traditional. But from the first sip of tea, you know it is. The camels may be headed out into the desert. But I’m happy to have found an oasis.
Merrill Shindler is a Los Angeles-based freelance dining critic. Email mreats@aol.com.
Kababstic Mediterranean Grill
Rating: 3 stars
Where: 304 E. Huntington Drive, Arcadia
Information: 626-348-8127; www.kababstic.com
When: Breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day
Details: Soft drinks and wonderful tea; no reservations
The food: Jordanian kebab shop, mini-mall location, handsome interior, large menu of many kebab combinations, served with some superb hummus and garlic dip.
How much: About $20 per person
Suggested dishes: 10 Appetizers ($5.99-$17.99), 6 Salads ($10.99-$16.99), 1 Soup ($12.99), 14 Combination Plates ($14.99-$33.99), 8 Sandwiches ($10.99-$14.990, 10 A La Carte Items ($8.99-$12.99), 1 Dessert ($2.49)
Credit cards: MC, V
What the stars mean: 4 (World class! Worth a trip from anywhere!), 3 (Most excellent, even exceptional. Worth a trip from anywhere in Southern California.), 2 (A good place to go for a meal. Worth a trip from anywhere in the neighborhood.) 1 (If you’re hungry, and it’s nearby, but don’t get stuck in traffic going.) 0 (Honestly, not worth writing about.)
Originally Published: August 24, 2025 at 11:16 AM PDT
Dining and Cooking