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Shishkabab Restaurant (Closed)

3608 N. May Ave.
Oklahoma City, OK

When I discovered Shishkabab Restaurant it filled a void in the city's Middle Eastern dining that does not seem to be covered by the other restaurants. Eddy's is closing, and until I went to Shishkabab I had not found another really good tabouli that I could eat once the one at Eddy's was no longer available. Zorba's serves large quantities of food on many of the plates, but does not allow the choice of items that are available at Shishkabab. I cannot say for certain Shishkabab is the best Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant in the city, but I believe it is one of the ones that should be considered.

I am not a fan of buffets, since I believe food that is allowed to sit for any length of time is not the best it can be. At Shishkabab there is little choice other than to get the buffet, especially if you want vegetarian items. The menu includes several grilled meats, but the price for any of them is almost the same as the buffet. The buffet is available at both lunch and dinner, and is what most people eat. I agreed to eat from the buffet once I determined this was the only way to sample many of the restaurant's dishes that were not listed on the menu.

Several soups and salads are available on the buffet. These keep very well, even when sitting on the buffet for a long time. I did not find them to be particularly memorable, however.

A sampling from Shishkabab's buffet

Veggie pasta is part of the buffet, while pita and shish kababs are cooked fresh in the kitchen

I had gone with the intention of eating a vegetarian meal at Shishkabab, and several things were available on the buffet (but not the menu). Perhaps the fact that they turned out to be good is the reason I liked the restaurant more than I expected. These were baked dishes that I thought were much more healthy than the fried items served at other restaurants, and they were substantial enough to be served as main courses.

Veggie Pasta was on the buffet the day I went, and was my favorite of the items I tried. This was a casserole of pasta, cheese, olives, and vegetables that I thought must have come from a family recipe (it was so good). The most impressive thing was that several other vegetarian items were served, and they were good as well.

An order of Shish Kababs is cooked in the kitchen and brought fresh to the table at no extra charge. I think they were made with two types of meat, and I really liked the flavor. If I had known they were coming I probably would have told the owner I just wanted to eat vegetarian dishes, but I am glad I ended up trying the kababs. They really were one of the best parts of the dinner.

Pita is cooked in the kitchen and brought to the table as well. This was very good, and apparently made from scratch.

Hot Tea is specially blended with several types of tea mixed together. This was especially refreshing to me now that Zorba's has stopped serving Middle Eastern style tea.

I still do not like buffets very much, but the thing about Shishkabab Restaurant is that a substantial portion of the meal is cooked in the kitchen, even if you order the buffet. The items served on the buffet are things that will keep, and everything else is cooked fresh.

I do not recall seeing or trying any falafel or some of the normal vegetables I usually try. I did not miss them, though, with the vegetable dishes that were served. I think it would have been better if everything had been cooked fresh, and not served on the buffet. What I had, though, was good enough to make me want to return. While some of the items got cold and tasted like buffet food, there were enough other items to make up for it, and to make a satisfying meal. I was very impressed with it overall.