(703) 486-3535

  Full halal menu

  Alcohol-free

  $$ out of $$$$

   accepted

  Available to-go

  No prayer accomodations

  Marginal quality restrooms

  Mass transit nearby

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  as selected by the Zabihah editors

★★★★★ Kabob Palace has the best pakistani food we have ever had. Kids felt just like moms cooking. Good mango lassi, great naan, soft chicken, excellent lamb. Service is great, especially brother Mithu. They all took great care of us. Portions are plenty to share. Very much recommend. We surely will visit again next time we are in DC. (don’t mistake going to next door shawarma place) Posted on December 28, 2022

★★★★★ Some of the best kabob I have had, and open 24 hours!! Posted on June 21, 2019

★★★★★ Oh my god i cannot believe what i tasted man it felt so good . Food is of such high quality i cannot describe.Oh i forgot about service.It was top class and of high standards.If you have not tried kabob then you should taste food.Thanks for your service. Posted on August 5, 2018

★★★★★ Great food and great price Posted on July 27, 2018

★★★★☆ نننرننبنرن Posted on July 24, 2018

NR I have been coming to this place for the last 20 years and recently the quality of the service has significantly went down. Prices has gone up while side option is limited to one. As mush as I looked forwarding to returning to this place, I will limit my future visits to minimum. Posted on May 14, 2018

★★★★★ [No review submitted] Posted on May 4, 2018

★★★★★ Food was tasty. Portion size was significantly more than I expected. Initially I thought it was expensive, but considering portion size, prices are reasonable. Limited seating, but food makes up for it. Posted on June 29, 2017

★★★★☆ Food was nice and fresh and the place is conveniently located closed to Reagan airport. The koobideh was good, the bone in chicken kabab was excellent, and the naan was crisp but unfortunately got hard quickly. Next time I'll try the lamb kababs to see how they are. Posted on September 8, 2015

★☆☆☆☆ DO NOT GO !!! I went after viewing reviews . Food was served cold . No place to sit . No taste in kabab .. Waste of money Small portions Posted on September 2, 2015

★★★★★ Yummy! Like homemade. Fresh and fragrant. Kids enjoyed too. Posted on August 7, 2015

★★★★☆ Life saver: we reached dc in the midnight searching for halal restaurants (thinking we have to sleep hungry today) and suddenly called kabob palace n they are like we are 24hrs open. Wooooowww!! Quality of kababs are awesome n they serve huge quantity. Posted on June 5, 2015

★★★★★ Great place, great ambiance and most importantly great food, especially in an area like DC. Way to go guys! Posted on January 3, 2015

★★★★★ Where do I start? The food portion was excellent, high quality kabob, and the price was good. The service is not the best, but that is only because they are so busy and good! One of the best in DC! Posted on June 10, 2014

★★★★☆ Great food. Love the rice, lamb and chicken. Salad is also great. The place is packed, we're lucky to get a table without any reservation. Downside, have to be a bit patient to get the food served. But it's worth the while. Highly recommended. Posted on June 7, 2014

★★★★☆ Great Desi/Peshawari style food at Kabab Express every time My favorite is Bone-in chicken & Beef Sheekh Kabab combo with haleem if you are lucky to get someone else than Farid Ahmed (Reminds me of Soup Nazi on SNL TV show). Place is busy all the time. Workers looked tired & hot behing the hot tandoor. Lines have to keep moving here so staff is not too concerned about being polite or friendly. Prices are high. Quality is best. Serving size are just above average. Check your order if you order for pickup. May short you on meat pieces, salads & chutneys. Posted on July 1, 2013

★★★★★ Eating out is not all about food and service. The food and service were good at this place. What made me come and write a review for the first time ever is the atmosphere, once you enter a place and is death silent and you can hear the water fountain and people in the kitchen then you know you are at the wrong place, but when you enter a place like this where you can hear and feel people enjoying there food and people are in line to get food, makes me to go back there again. I definitely recommend this place. This place is open since 1992 !! and if you can survive this long and still be this busy then you deserve 5 stars. Posted on April 1, 2013

★★☆☆☆ Just did not like the food. Neither Afghani nor Desi. Tasteless. The only plus was the service. Bland and unappetizing. Think twice before going. Posted on February 17, 2013

★★★★★ The long wait for food was totally worth it!!! Could go there any day any time! Posted on January 20, 2013

★★★★★ I haven't gone to the other sides much as their service varies. But the main one is THE KABOB PALACE! Quality is consistent and has been for the past many years they've been open. Everything is good. Not the cheapest place, but you can easily fill yourself up with $10. Within the 30 or so times I've been here, I don't remember every thinking that the food was subpar at any time. And, obviously, best of all: 24 hours. That just seals the deal. I have driven 35-40 minutes to here way too many times at odd time of the night. Posted on January 17, 2013

★★★☆☆ I visited this restaurant with my family. It was alright but I did not feel like it was anything special. The food didn't have much flavor and parking was hard to find. The atmosphere is noisy because it was busy. If I am in the area I might return. The only good thing was that they are open late. Posted on December 15, 2012

★★★★★ Was in the area for a few days and decided to stop by. This place can get really crowded. The food was really good, in fact I went here several times during my stay. Tried their chicken and lamb kabobs and they were one of the best I've had. Also, the naan was really good as well. Will definitely recommend if you are in the area. Posted on October 5, 2012

★★★★☆ The Food was good.. Posted on June 26, 2012

★★★★☆ Yum yum yum. We have been to both the 24-hr joint and it's neighboring family style restaurant. We order the same thing everyone. #5 with double chickpeas, rice, and nan. The food is consistently good and worth the 25 bucks (drinks included) for a couple. My husband finishes his plate but the portions are large enough for lunch the next day. The mango lassi is advertised to be made from pulp and isn't anything to write home about. The sides of spinach, nihari, daal are also mediocre. The biryani is average. The grilled stuff is definitely where it's at. Must try for afghani/middle eastern food lovers!! Posted on May 8, 2012

★★★★★ They never let me down!!! I go there all the time and always get the same quality of food. It is always packed and THAT is a sign of great food!! Posted on April 7, 2012

★★★★★ Talk about consistency.....highly recommended! Posted on March 13, 2012

★★★★★ 24/7 excellent food comes out of this place - what else does one want! Great kababs, decent karhai, good cholay, bhindi too as sides. Must try - chicken w/bone kabab Posted on February 1, 2012

★★★☆☆ went to their 24/7 restaurant on a saturday night,easily got a table and order came aft 20min,place was clean.Take cash with you because they charge extra for credit card.Beef n lamb kabobs were good but chicken pieces were tasteless n not cooked fully.I agree with a previous reviewer that this place is good for beef n lamb kabobz,Ravi kabob is best for chicken entrees.Portions were sufficient. Posted on November 27, 2011

★★★☆☆ I've only been to the family side restaurant. The entrees are not all that great, but the buffet is hearty for the price. Don't expect the buffet to have too much variety (there isn't much of a salad or dessert. I also only liked the kabob/red chicken--but those two were great!) Posted on January 9, 2011

★★★★★ Avoid peak lunch/dinner times. You can wait up to 40 minutes if theres a lot of people. The food ofcourse is excellent. I go here at least twice a month. The other place (24/7) actually has better food but it can take just as long. Not too expensive. Posted on January 3, 2011

★★★★★ Quick, extremely tasty, 24 hours, never fails. Enough said. Posted on July 10, 2010

★★★★☆ Kabob Palace (24/7) is a great gem in Crystal City. This restaurant churns out fresh kabobs all night and even has a hookah place next door. The restaurant also offers Haleem, Paya, and Nihari on weekends and is a great place to go with friends for a low cost pakistani meal. Posted on June 21, 2010

★★★★☆ Buffet is good, kebabs are exceptional, tried chicken kabob and ground beef kabob both were very good. The boti kabob was not grilled properly, that’s the only disappointment. Décor is ok, place can be kept cleaner, but if you are in for the food you are in the right place. I recommend the lunch buffet, you will enjoy it. Posted on June 18, 2010

★★★★★ Without a doubt our favourite place to eat!! Our usuals, Chappli Kabob & Butter Chicken!! The lunch buffet is pretty good too, when your not sure what to have! Posted on March 23, 2010

★★★★★ my favorite place to eat in norther va area. best food. period. Posted on January 22, 2010

★★★★☆ This is the best place in DC/MD/VA for kabobs at any time of day or night. I usually go with the #10 Palace Combo which lasts me for at least 3-4 meals (though I know some folks who are able to polish their meals off in 1-2 sittings). The prices have definitely gone up over the years - I used to spend around $12 here, and now it's around $16-$17 without drinks (a little steep for a 'hole in the wall' if you ask me....). Still, definitely worth it - maybe just not as often as I'd like to go. Oh yeah, try to avoid the bathrooms if you can. They're usable but only under dire circumstances. Don't mistake this place for the family restaurant!!! Though owned by the same people, the food is definitely better at the 24 hr location. My only gripe is that it can take well over 35-45min to get your order during Fri/Sat/Sun nights when it's jam packed in there. If you're planning to go there at that time, just be sure to allow for some extra time to get your order. Otherwise, happy grubbing! Posted on August 23, 2009

★★★★☆ nice clean place, delicious food, very large portions. however our waitress was not very competent, she couldnt explain properly kept asking us if we wanted spinach or chickpeas with everything, didnt really listen to what we were saying. ended up wasting too much food which we couldnt take with us as we had a flight. but kababs were great as were lamb chops Posted on July 27, 2009

★★★★★ The food here is amazing. I loved the Kabobs and Naan. The pricing is fair and the restaurant is clean. Posted on July 10, 2009

★★★★★ This place has grown on me immensely, very impressive. Probably the best kabob place in DC. The beef and naan here are better than anywhere else, though I think Ravi has better chicken. Posted on April 23, 2009

★★★★★ By far the best Kabob joint in the entire DC metro area. I have been going to Kabob Palace for over twenty years and the food is still remarkable. I go there every weekend with my friends and we order the chicken kabob (w/bone) and lamb kahrai. The service is top notch and the food is even better. Please be advised that there are two Kabob Palaces within 500 ft of one another. One is a very mediocre "teenage hang out" joint and the other one is the "family oriented" joint. Posted on November 28, 2008

★★★★★ I must say that whenever i am in the crystal city area on business, I cannot resist the tempatation to stop by here. Everything on the menu is prepared fresh and the bread is hot out of the tandoori oven to eat. The food is just amazing. Another plus side is that this place is open 24 hours (although it is packed at all hours of the day). If you are going out with your family, they have another location just two stores down with a nice comfortable dining area that is much more family oriented. I have tried everything on the menu and it is all delicious, but my favorite is the chapeli kabob. You get two patties of sirloin beef grilled to perfection and then topped off with two slices of tomatoes. This is my favorite place to go to at all hours of the day. I would definitely recommend Kabob palace to anyone p.s. - The average wait for an order could be at the least 20 minutes to about 35 minutes. However, the food is worth the wait, trust me on this. Posted on September 19, 2008

★★★☆☆ I heard good reviews, but when I went there, it was not exceptional, just average. Had the mango lassi, was not made fresh. I had the buffet, all the dishes were dried out. My husband had the chicken biryani from the menu - it was average. Tables were not too clean. I was not impressed. Posted on April 13, 2008

NR i love their boneless tandoori chicken and naan. they have pretty good food. Posted on March 10, 2008

★★★★★ This is a must each time I visit DC. Succulent lamb kebab and crispy naan. Kebab Kubideh is also not bad either. Top this off with a cup of nice and thick mango lassi and you have a complete meal. Ask for the Baklava for desert. Order #9 on the menu and you'll know what I mean. FYI, locals claim that the one open for 24 hrs instead of the sit-down version of the restaurant (2 or 3 doors down) serves better food, Wallahu'Alam. Posted on February 26, 2008

NR i also heard lots of great things about this place, but my own experience was average. I had the dinner buffet. I don't usually like to judge a place by their buffet, but this way i get to try out alot of dishes at once, the food was ok, chicken karahi was great though, and I gotta give them that. all in all, average "kabob" place Posted on February 12, 2008

★☆☆☆☆ yuck this restaurant is disguisting! The service is horrible and so is the food. The naan is usually burnt. The workers dont even use gloves! I reccomend if you are looking for a good halal restaurant you go to food corner kabob and rostisseri in D.C. Its kind of far but worth the drive. I give kabob palace my lowest rating Posted on November 24, 2007

★☆☆☆☆ this place ISN'T THE SAME ANYMORE, their bread is burnt and overcooked most of the time, not to mention the people that make them don't wear gloves, Allah knows what they do in between bread making in that congested area. I onced catered from there and their chick peas tasted two days old. And Finally their customer service his AWSOME....NOT!!!! , they don't care about customer service, they too rich being open 24/7..... Posted on September 23, 2007

★★★★★ They have two establishments close to each other. One is open 24/7 with limited dining space. The other is family restaurant which closes at 11pm. The food is quite decent with good serving size. However because of the long lines, it can take a long time before your order is prepared. In my case it was 35 mins before my turn came. I guess this is just evidence of the quality and the popularity of the place! two thumbs up!! Posted on July 6, 2007

★★☆☆☆ Kabob Palace's food quality has gone down considerably in the past few months. This restaurant had always been my husband and I's favorite..but no longer. The chanae taste awful now and the lamb chops come out burnt and dry. I don't know if they have new cooks or something..but it's not the same type of food quality anymore. We gave kabob Palace several chances but that food continues to be of poor quality. Posted on July 5, 2007

★★★★★ Kabab Palace is by far the benchmark of fast food desi food. Consistenly ranked as an A-1 restaurant. Other restaurants can come close, but KP is still one of the best in the area. Posted on May 15, 2007

★★★★★ This is the restaurant against which we judge all others. My wife and I have eaten here over 50 times, and we have almost always been highly satisfied. The 24 hour restaurant serves the best kubedah and chapli kabobs of any place we have ever been. The sit-down restaurant (the one a couple doors down that is not open 24 hours) has very slow service, but even more food options and the same great quality. The free tea at both places is great. The samosas at both places are only so-so, as they taste as though they were fried earlier and then just warmed-up. We highly recommend that anyone living in or visiting DC drop by and try the best halal food in the area. Posted on January 21, 2007

★★★★☆ Ok food.. I would rate it right between average and above average. Bread and boneless chicken was good, nihari was so so. All in all, a nice hole in the wall to visit if you run out of options. Posted on December 24, 2006

★★★★☆ Really good food! The tables are a little small so you feel cramped when everyone has their food served but definately worth it. Their rice is better than any place I've been to and the rest of the menu is really good too. Posted on July 30, 2006

★★★★☆ Very good Afghan food, and very generous portions. The spices might be too hot for some folks, but I found it to be just the right amount. All that for an extremely reasonable price, too. KF Posted on July 3, 2006

★★★★★ Check out this article praising this hole in the wall. mykabobpalace.com is their site I believe. Posted on February 23, 2006

★★★★★ EXCELLENT. Run with a high degree of professionalism and the food was great. Even a large number of non-muslims come in for the great food. Would highly recommend Posted on February 15, 2006

★★★★☆ It's a good one.I recommend their Biryani and beef kabob. Posted on January 2, 2006

★★★★★ Thanks to this site I tried this restaurant this weekend. Just loved it. They mean business. No money spent on the out look only on food. That is why I go to a restaurant to enjoy some authentic food. Best Pakistani food. All Kabobs are the best. Haleem and Nihari were superb. Decent prices with plenty of food. I was happy to see people from all over the world enjoying true Pakistani/Afghani food there. I was amazed to see this little "Blonde" boy reminding his dad that he had not gotten his Haleem as he asked for. Bread coming fresh out of the clay oven is the best feeling. Great location which is right next to Jefferson Davis Hwy and 23rd. They do have parking in the back as well. They are open 24/7 so don't worry about rushing for lunch or dinner time. Posted on December 5, 2005

★★★★☆ Good food. Especially the boneless chicken. Posted on July 12, 2005

★★★★☆ One of the better places around. Friendly staff and very quick service. Portions are decent size and food is tasty. Their rice and chick peas are better than most others. Posted on June 1, 2005

★★★☆☆ Fair - have had better. Skewer kababs are good, the chapli horrible. Set combo plates only - no a'la carte menu. Inflexible on the combo content - end up ordering too much food, and not necessarily the combos one would like. Friendly staff. Posted on March 14, 2005

★★★☆☆ Honestly, I've always heard them described as awesome, but I think the food is just decent. I seem to remember finding it too spicy at times. Posted on March 2, 2005

★★★★★ Here is the new kabob palace website. www.mykabobpalace.com. Thank you! Posted on September 25, 2004

★★★★★ The best kabobs in the area! Posted on September 18, 2004

★★★★★ The most fresh food will be found here!!!!!!!! Posted on August 17, 2004

★★★★★ Excellent food. Fresh and tasty every time. Try anything you like, you will love it. But they should change their dining style. they need better, clean plance with some good dining. Posted on June 23, 2004

★★★★★ Simply wonderful food. The seikh kebab and lamb kebabs are the best Posted on June 21, 2004

★★★★★ All their bbq stuff is excellent, amazing cholas. The restaurant is clean and well maintained. The free tea is an added pro! I go there atleast once a week. Posted on May 26, 2004

★★★★☆ Very good food. Posted on May 10, 2004

★★★★★ I have eaten food from many Halal Restaurants. I live in Ca and was on a visit to East Coast. Kabab Palace was so good that I wanted to dine in there daily. Especially, there Lamb Chops and Chanas are excellent. Posted on April 10, 2004

★★★★★ This restaurant serves excellent food and is reasonably priced. Everytime I visit DC I try to stop by here and eat. Staff is friendly and the naan is fresh. Even though small and deli like seating area, they decorate it nicely and the food makes up for whatever is lost in ambiance. Try it out, you wont be dissapointed! Posted on March 18, 2004

★★★☆☆ When I called on 03/13/04 to inquire about their meat, I was told that all of their meat is "kosher." Muslims should note that modern kosher meat is not necessarily halal to eat. Posted on March 13, 2004

★★★★★ Great food, great portions, great prices. Unbelievable value for price! Best food in the DC Metro area so far. Posted on November 14, 2003

★★★★★ Dear Kebob Palace, I love you I love you I love you. I love the great guys who work behind the counter, I love the incredible food you serve me, and I love the atmosphere... This is a palace where everyone eats like a King! Posted on October 21, 2003

★★★★★ Every time I visit D.C. I make sure that I visit the Kabob Palace. The food is fresh, tasty and the service is great. I would definitely recommend a visit to this restaurant. Posted on October 11, 2003

★★★★★ By far the best Kabob place in the DC area. The portions are huge. The prices are very fair. Employees are very freindly. Very trustworthy. Highly recommend!! Posted on April 16, 2003

★★★★☆ "Busy @ times but offers friendly service with great tasting food+plenty of side dishes including haleem,piyas,& nihari on wkd.Arlington's Finest (cops) eat here + Airport Cabbies. No parking unless you can get away parking at CVS store a block away." Posted on February 12, 2003

★★★★★ clean environment and delicious food Posted on January 11, 2003

★★★★★ This is the best kabob restaurant for me. I tried so many kabob restaurant in Maryland, D.C. even in Virginia as well. The friendly staff and renovated dining room, and so a delicious lamb chop, and lamb curry made my routine lunch twice a week at Kabob Palace. Posted on January 9, 2003

★★★★★ This is a nice, clean, affordable and very good restaurant. They are efficient and nice. Phenomenal lamb chops! Posted on April 11, 2002

★★★★★ "Kabob Palace is the finest mid-range priced kabob restaurant in the immediate DC vicinity. That they serve halal meats is clearly written on the storefront. At all hours of the evening, the joint is bustling with customers, and impressively enough, they are a mixture of ethnic groups. Many non-Muslim locals frequent this place. As one would hope, Kabob Palace's kabobs are exceptional, not to mention the perfect naan and yoghurt condiments. The hot tea is free for customers, and sometimes, when you're lucky, they'll have it prepared with cardomon. This joint is a charming value." Posted on December 10, 2000

★★★★☆ Awesome lamb chop and great chanas (chickpeas). Posted on March 18, 2000