Ravi Kabob House

Nothing — absolutely nothing beats this place when it comes to a real Pakistani food … My all the time fav.

It is open late and that what makes it appealing. Usually, great for after bar bite. Every time, I have been the place has been packed. The ambiance is not fancy. Just basic. The chickpeas are the tastiest. They are soft and spicy. But, a bit oily. The best dish is probably the chicken karahi. It takes a while to cook and worth it. The are ample pieces of meat. This place accepts cash only. Bread is fresh and food is piping hot to enjoy.

After hearing recommendations of friends and also reviews, I decided I would give it a try (take out chicken and ground meat kabob) and was very surprised– in a bad way. How does this place have such good ratings if service/​food is not all that?
To start off, the meat wasn’t fully cooked and the rice barely had any flavor, just some dried-​chewy peas and cilantro leaves thrown on top as decoration. The chicken had that bright and pretty orange-​ish color, but again just bland. I went on a Saturday night, I understand it can get busy, however that shouldn’t mean for food to be inadequately prepared or lack flavor.
My star is mainly for the bread, that is the only thing we truly enjoyed.

This place … Came here for a late night meal and ended up kinda peeved. Maybe since I’m a ex-​nyer I expect service to be efficient.. Ordered … Then waited. And waited and waited some more. After a good 45 min went by they told us that there order had never been placed and no one had started working on it.
WHAT? Ok there’s really no excuse for that and their lame excuse was ‘sometimes when it gets really busy…’ Um… Ok based on the amount of ppl that have reviewed this place I’d say you were used to the volume of orders. Guess not .
Onto the food… Good? Sure … Any protein with rice I’m gonna say is good. Could it of used some more flavour? Yes… Salt? Yes… Spice .? More yes .
Will I go back?
Probably not. Poor service leaves such a lasting impression.

Best DESI kabobs!
By far my favorite place for a juice on the bone chicken kabob. Lamb chops are just out of the world.

The two best Pakistani Kabob restaurants in the area are both located in Arlington, Ravi Kabob and Kabob Palace. Both have their pluses and minuses, but I definitely think the grilled meats at Ravi Kabob are much more flavorful than Kabob Palace. I am a huge fan of the lamb kabob here. The side dishes at Ravi Kabob aren’t the greatest, but they are just the accompaniments to main meal.
Make sure you bring cash because they don’t accept credit cards.

Kabob is good but super expensive for the hype thats been created so not worth the bucks and they don’t accept cards to evade taxes which is a shame. Poor customer service and you can expect to find the worst mango lassi you would ever have right there!

Lamb Kahari just like my mother used to make. At least it would be if my mother was Pakistani and a good cook. Sadly, she was neither and I grew up eating lots of things that were either boiled or cooked in Crisco. But, that shouldn’t let you from eating at this wonderful place.
Ravi Kabob doesn’t have lots of ambience, cleanliness (in the eating area, the kitchen is fine), or curb appeal. If those things bother you then opt for something a bit more sterile. However, if you want the whole package as it might be served up on in southern Pakistan then this is your place.
I’ll start by admitting that I hate lamb. I see very little reason to kill a young animal just to eat it. (Veal is a different story because it is delicious. But, I digress.) Anyway, my go-​to entrée here is the Lamb Kahari, That’s because, like veal, it is delicious. It is a bit messy and it’s well worth it to get every tasty morsel from the generous portion. That, plus their spicy chickpeas easily make two filling meals. (everything reheats well in a microwave)
Someday I may try something else. However, for now, this is always so good that it is always what I order.

This is your go to spot for some great late night kabob. I had the lamb kabob and my friend ordered the chicken platter. It took about 20 – 30 mins to cook. Food was cooked to perfection with all the right spices and flavor was amazing. Dont forget the cash here because thats all they accept. Parking is tight but you can always find a spot in the back if the front is full. For a meal close to $ 15 we each walked out full.

Cash only so do not forget to drop by a bank before dining.
They serve Haleem on weekends only. My friend, Maria, was craving for it. It was delicious and very tasty. She explained that 12 different spices and meat were cooked for 7 hours l then grounded. The end result is a stew-​like goodness.
We also had chicken karahi. I always thought it’s karate. Very oily scrumptuous. Not to spicy. Chicken was tender and juicy.
Rice was also perfect. And bread was baked fresh– you would loved it so much.

Very limited menu, but whatever is there tastes good. it’s reasonably priced, for the quantity of entrée you r getting. Lamb karhai was delicious, and love that all entrees come with Chana and naan. Size of one entrée is good for 2 people. On a sunday this is the only halal place I can dine in when in DC, and it’s open late too. 4 entrees cost like around $ 50.

I came here late last night with a couple of friends after having been absent from this great place for several years.
The dining experience was amazing to no surprise of course! We had lamb chops, bone-​in chicken, chapli kabob, and several side dishes that were all JUST AMAZING in flavor! Unbelievably delicious!!! The chutni sauce and bread were so fresh and mouth watering!!!
Our host, Mr. Siraj, as always, is just an outstanding host and worker that simple words cannot describe his greatness; he’s a gentleman and a huge asset to this establishment!
A must is Ravi Kabob my friends…

The food and customer service is excellent!!! if you are looking to try out Pakistani food Ravi Kabob is the place to go. I been coming here for about twenty years and will continue

Good price, good portion, good service. I was not ready for pink colored sweet Kashmiri tea; but definitely enjoyed it. Kababs are excellent; specially when I can choose the spice/​chili/​heat level.
For newest patrons, I recommend you order little, try & add more as need be.

Their food is OK but I think it is acceptable based on the fact that there are no good quality and authentic Pakistani cuisine around. I found their menu to be limited. I tried their chicken karhai twice, the first time it was really good however the next time it was just ok meaning that they need to work more on the quality control. They don’t have full size chicken Tikka and only offer boneless chicken Kabob style platters and I don’t understand why. Over all I think it’s OK to try it once and decide for yourself.

Without a doubt! the BEST Pakistani Kabob house in the DC Metro area! I left for 10 years from Arlington and just recently came back and the quality has gotten Better. You cannot come to the DC area and not come to RAVI! Absolute deliciousness from the Ravi special to the Daal to the Lamb Chops to the Karahi… You’re Welcome!

Came here for lunch today! Got their lamb shank special. Now I’ve had some pretty good lamb shanks around the Arlington area and this one although tender and delicious, was definitely not one of the better ones out in this area.
This place is cash only, and their ATM machine was down. My coworkers would’ve had to go out in the cold to get their cash to eat if I didn’t carry extra cash… Not cool :(
One coworker got the lamb kebob, excellent kebobs here, definitely a good spot to get your kebob fix.
My other coworker got the chicken curry, I tasted it and the meat was dry and bland. That is expected when it’s white meat chicken, but I expected more. Better sauce or something to elevate it.
The naan bread that comes with the lunch dish is freshly made and the spicy green sauce that comes with it is delicious! I got the chickpeas side which were tasty!
Water cups and water in the back of the restaurant. Free parking, but the parking lot is usually really crammed.

I love this place. It’s a great, casual dining establishment. I’ve been here several times, and this place never fails. The meat is always prepared so well, and all the food comes out piping hot, and pretty quick! The kashmiri tea here is also very good.

I have been hearing from friends and family about how good the food is at Ravi Kabob. The other day I stopped by and ordered the samosas and chicken kabob. I have to say it is definitely one of the best kabob places in Arlington. Not only is the food good, but the portions are pretty big as well. The chicken was very tasty and juicy as well. This my new go to spot for kabobs.
If your ever in the area and feel like kabobs, then give them a try. They will not disappoint.

Had a really good meal here tonight.
Ordered a couple house favorites, the special samosa and the Ravi special kabob platter. The special samosa is a meal in and of itself — not the crispy pastry you’re probably expecting because it’s drowned in sauce, but very very tasty. The kabob platter has everything you’d expect — naan, rice, tandoori chicken (juicy and orange from the tandoor) and beef kabob (lots of spices, ever so slightly on the tough end), a heaping portion of rice, and a basic iceberg/​onion/​cucumber salad, and the famous spicy chickpeas that are a requisite of the Ravi experience.
The service was fast and no-​frills, befitting the décor of the restaurant (fairly cafeteria-​esque and all plasticware).
At just under $ 20, we came away from the quick meal with leftovers and full stomachs. Will definitely be becoming back!

Best kabob hands down, maybe the place is a little small and the atmosphere ethnic but it’s worthwhile. If you never had afghan food try any kabob from their menu… I love bone-​in chicken kabob, it is delicious and not too spicy, it comes with rice, a small salad, fresh afghan bread, and one side from their hot buffet.

What’s the saying? «When in Rome, do as the Romans do». Well my version is «When you crave Ethnic food than ask the proper Ethnic person.» I was craving Kabobs so I came here per recommendation from my Pakistani boss. He did not disappoint. This place is amazing. The décor is lil dank but I don’t care about décor. I care about food. We got the lamb kahari which came with 2 warm naan and 2 side salad. We also got an order of chickpeas. We ate and ate until my stomach were screaming to stop but we didn’t and we kept eating until our brain started screaming STOP!
I could see the parking could be an issue but it’s all about managing expectations. I didn’t even try to find parking in the front and found spots in the neighborhood behind. Overall delicious spot. Highly recommend.

I’m really glad I tried something different today. This place has great food! My colleagues and I had an offsite meeting close by and opted to stop by this place for lunch. Delicious!
We didn’t find out until we arrived that it was cash only. Hence the reason I docked a star. I never carry cash but of course they have an ATM inside. But the cost of that is a meal within itself. Out parking is a nightmare but we lucked up on a spot on the street just behind the restaurant. Outside of that, no other complaints. Friendly and fast service.
I had the chicken kabob with chick peas, rice and a salad. It was really good and a nice size portion. I could not finish it all.
I’d definitely try again except I’m rarely in the area. But, if ever in Arlington, definitely a must try.

If this had been the first karahi I tried I may have loved it. But unfortunately I started at the best, Kabob n Karahi. Other than that the food is decent. The line is crazy and they do massive business so they dont really need my good review. Try em out.

We tried This place for dinner tonight after hearing rave reviews and it getting Washingtonian’s cheap eats endorsement. A couple surprises right off the bat: (1) it’s not very cheap. To me, cheap is around $ 10 or under for one person, especially in a counter-​service restaurant like this one. It’s more around $ 13 – 15 per person. (2) It wasn’t very clean. There were flies on the tables. A worked walked around picking up individual crumbs off the tables but not actually wiping or cleaning anything. Made me worry about cleanliness in the kitchen. (3) It’s cash only.
The kebobs are cooked to order, so when our number was called after about 10 – 15 minutes, my husband went up to get the food. The guy who called the number then picked up his cell phone and walked away… without putting out the food. So we waited a while longer, not sure what was going on. A few minutes later, we got the food but had to remind them that it came with bread.
We ordered a chicken kebob and a lamb spinach dish. The lamb was a huge waste of money. There were literally five bites of meat in the lamb dish. The rest was all bones, no exaggeration.
Good thing it also comes with rice, chickpeas and salad. But…
The salad was brown and yellow. I couldn’t bring myself to eat it. In fact, having it on the plate at all made the rest of the food less appetizing. Besides, there was no salad dressing. It was just droopy, old iceberg lettuce.
The chicken kebobs were pretty good, and I really liked the chickpeas. That was about the only good thing.
Perhaps the worst part was that all the employees made me feel very uncomfortable. I notice I’m not the only young woman to comment on Unilocal about the leering at Ravi Kebob. I was stared at the entire time. I couldn’t relax, and neither could my husband.
This review was wavering between one and two stars. The kebobs were good, and since it’s a kebob house, I’ll go with two stars. But for service, comfort, cleanliness, value and the other food, it’s one star. I don’t think we’ll be going back, and I wouldn’t recommend going out of your way to eat here.

I wanted to check this place out as i was around, as I’m all about authentic pakistani food.
Been here on a late sunday nite, it was filled to the brim, and it took us few minutes to find our way to the shabby nook of the food display.
I didnt understand one bit how their combo works, so i chose ckn haleem from their menu to take out.
At this point people were almost pushing each other to make their way to the billing counter.
I stepped out of the place as my husband took the task of making the payment which he later told me was cash only.
The parking lot made no sense and the fellow customers had no parking sense too as our car had a couple of scratches in the few minutes we were gone.
As of the food, it was no where near authentic haleem, this was almost made to look and taste like a curry.
Honestly people who visit this place needs to calm down as theres nothing spcl about this place

I liked the food there very much! It was very close to ballston
I recommend trying it out

Fine middle eastern food but nothing to go out of the way for.
After the Washingtonian labelled this best cheap eats, my husband and I were very excited to try it while we were staying in Alexandria because it was one of the few places close to us. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s a place we’d go out of our way to eat at again.
We ordered the lamb curry (specialty of the house) on the recommendation of the owner and we also got an order of shish kabob. The lamb curry was quite expensive– like $ 22 or so, and it just wasn’t that good. The lamb was tender but still tasted a bit gamey. More importantly though there were tons of bones which made it difficult to eat.
The shish kabob were good as were the chickpeas. The salad is a pretty standard iceberg with some onions– nothing to get excited over. The bread was large & they provided a fair amount of it which was appreciated.
One other issue we had was with the length of time it took to get the food. My husband went to get takeout and it took 30 min. or so. Apparently they said something about how one of the entrees (maybe the curry) was made to order. Be aware of this if you are trying to get take out.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend kabob palace in Crystal City over this place.

I have been living in the DC Metro area now for over 5 years and I am frequently asked whether or not I have gone to the wonder, the gem, the legend that is Ravi Kabob. Now that I can finally say yes I have, I have to say I am disappointed. It could be all the hype, but I just wasn’t impressed. I ordered a Ravi Special Platter, which came with chicken tikka and seekh kabob, rice, channa and salad. I also ordered a special samosa, which was essentially samosa chaat. The chicken was okay, but the beef was very dry. The serving size was very small for the price, which judging from the pics of the huge portions of food I am seeing, was an anomally. I am used the monster servings at Kabob n’ Karahi and Eastern Kabob in MD so that took me back. The special samosa was different, not the usual spices I am used to using on a chaat type dish, so that threw me off a bit, but it was still very good.
Overall, I am going to try this place again, because I am not a quitter.

I would have given this place 5 stars (because the food was absolutely delicious), but for one reason: I have never felt more uncomfortable at a dining establishment in my entire life. From the moment I walked in, the employees (including the servers and waiters and sweepers) stared at me in a very uncomfortable way and they persisted in doing so to the point that I felt like I should walk out and wait in the car. Both my fiancé and I, who were simply placing an order to go, noticed it and felt extremely uncomfortable. I wasn’t wearing anything provocative (I was wearing opaque black tights, a dress that went down below my knees, and a long cardigan) or any makeup, not that any of that should matter or excuse such behavior. It felt degrading and no woman should go through that. For that reason, I won’t ever visit again and I can’t give this place more than 2 stars.
The food, however, was delicious. We both ordered kabob platters to go (I got beef and my fiancé got chicken) and they came with a side of basmati rice and an ambrosial spicy chickpea stew. I loved the food so much and it’s just too bad that I had the experience I had there.
The food took an inordinate amount of time to come out (about 25 minutes for a to-​go order where most of the ingredients were already pre-​made and sitting in a display case) and my fiancé literally had to stand in front of me to block me from view of the disgusting oglers. I suggested that I could go wait outside, but my fiancé is a gentleman and said I shouldn’t have to do that. I have literally never felt that way at any other restaurant. And we won’t be patronizing this restaurant ever again.
I’m not visiting again, but I have to recommend the food because it was delicious.

Ravi OMG. What can I say? Best Pakistanian food in the area. I’ve been eating here for years now and I’m not sure why it took me so long to write a review about it. My favorite here is the lamb karahi. On it’s board it says it’s for two people but you can easily share it among 3 – 4 people. I love their chickpeas here. It’s the best in the NOVA area. I love their lamb shank as well. Served every Tuesday and Thursday so if you happen to be in Ravi those day. Remember to try it.
The restaurant can get a little busy depending on what time of the day you come so be prepared to wait around for a bit for table. I typically like to call in my lamb karahi as I’m driving over so I don’t have to wait too long for my order to be ready. The karahi dishes and kabobs are cook to order so it takes a while to be ready.
Cash only ! There’s an ATM at the back the shop and there’s a SunTrust around the corner.