Kolbeh Restaurant

****Kolbeh is now called Pasha FYI.
First off you will want to set your GPS for Walter Mitty’s because this place does not show up on the map depending on what you are using. I almost want to give Pasha lunch deal/​this place a ⁵⁄₅. I think it is one of the best things I have experienced so far in 2015. We have been there 2x’s in the last couple of weeks. I can see myself becoming a regular patron of this place.
The lunch deal can’t be beat. The off the skewer chicken kabobs the first time we went were off the hook! I craved it. The next time we went however, it seems that they got the meat too close to the flame because it had a scorched taste to it. That and the ran out of grape leaves that week for their lunch and substituted beets which were nothing outstanding. Chicken Shwarma, meatballs and some sort of seasoned? curry? fish also available as for the meat selection. They also had an eggplant dish, seasoned yummy slaw, bread, great hummus, lentil dish, two different kinds of rice, salad w/​homemade dressing, various kinds of vegetables. The lasagna is better some weeks not so great others. I suspect they switch off family members of who is cooking on certain days??? They do have soup available on the lunch deal but it is across the room from the buffet so keep your eyes peeled for the pot. I suspect it is because they ran out of outlets on that side of the room so they have it plugged in close to the bar.
The Décor:
They have a lovely patio out back next door to Walter’s Patio. The interior has a full bar plenty of seating and is painted in theme to fit Pasha’s owners country of origin. They have belly dancing at night on weekends here. I see posters in the window for an 80’s night. They have a dance floor area and If I recall correctly a DJ & stage area. You are prob best to phone the Pasha to find out what entertainment they have going on that weekend.
They have a Facebook at Facebook dot com slash kolbehhookahlounge.
Sometimes used as Pasha’s events calendar.

Came here 16 years ago as a very young up, and it was 5 stars.
Came in 10 years ago as a somewhat young pup, new management, it was 3 stars.
Came today with the folks, where did the years go!!!
A sign said they were closed due to lease expiring. So…2 days ago when I called to verify you were open being you were recently closed another random day, you didn’t yet know you were closing 2 days later? Because you told me your buffet hours. Nothing was mentioned about being closed 2 days later. I specifically said I’d likely come Thu or Fri. Again, 2 days before your lease expires you are unaware of the lease? Were you scheduled to work for the week lady?
2 DAYS later the place was CLEANED OUT!
No food by default = 0 stars. My folks were starving. Thanks. A lot.

This was our first visit since they re-​opened again. I’ve visited many years ago and had their lunch buffets. Their Kabobs were excellent in the past and that’s why I returned with my kids this time.
We did arrive late to the lunch buffet, so this MAY be a factor. We arrived at 2:35 while the buffet ends at 3pm.
We got a table and went to the buffet to fill up. The buffet’s appearance was anything but appealing. All entrees were far in the back while the fillers and salads were directly in front of them. If you are 5’9″ or shorter then good luck reaching the food or even just seeing it. Very poor layout. Additionally, it allows for bodily hair, sweat, etc to fall into the open dishes as you reach in.
Ok fine, that aside, I went looking for the kabobs, nothing. The majority of dishes were not Persion. White rice was empty and some yellow rice was there. Filled the plates and sat down. After eating for a little bit we realized we needed water and drinks. I went and asked for them.
Fine. Now I’m still waiting for them to stock up on the Kabobs. After a while I went and asked and they said some was coming up. Then a fresh dish arrived at our table that had 3 long skewers of Beef Kabobs. They were juicy and tasty. I give them a 10. However, I went to ask for more and I was told «NO, we’re done for the day and lunch is over».
Now, how about the other dishes?
Hummus was probably canned or something as it was too plain and no special flavor nor was it tasty.
The Pita bread was dry and definitely the cheapest you can get. Not only that but my kids were the only ones who ate from the bread. Then at the end one left a piece so we ate it only to discover it was BAD! Spoiled bread.
The Dolmas were terrible from our judgement. We are professionals when it comes to Dolmas. Quite honestly I’ve had better canned Dolmas than these. The kids didn’t like the Dolmas either.
Now, it’s worth mentioning that our last visit, many years ago, we were a large group and all of us tried the Dolmas. They were rotten spoiled and smelled horrible. That made me question other items on the buffet.
We tried some baked Chicken and it was good. Meatballs were ok. Veggies were ok.
Finally, I highly recommend maintaining the cleanliness of the place, tables, and chairs — especially chairs. Lighting, signs, etc. Storefront needs work. Hasn’t changed since I first visited many many years ago.
Finally, please clearly publish your price list. Initially we were charged for our 3 yr old who refused to put even a grain of rice in her mouth. The single man staff took care of it though.
Final remarks, each time this restaurant was resurrected I thought I’d see a positive change. Don’t believe there was any change. I hope they get their act together and focus on the quality of the food and the experience.

I love the Chicken Mezza Platter! It doesn’t come with chicken, I add it and a side of rice.
Dolma, tobouleh, veggies, hummus, olives, pita, my added grilled chicken & rice, and I’m in Heaven!
Plus, the service is always very kind… like the good olé days :)
THIS IS CALLED PASHA NOW. SAME PLACE. SAME FABULOUS FOOD.

This place was a last resort for me and my lady as we were looking for Indian food but Lebanese and Persian food always pleases our pallets close to the same.
We tried this place and were greeted by the waiter. The wait staff is friendly and honest, yet a bit unprofessional and unrehearsed.
The food is absolutely amazing, the atmosphere OK and the prices a bit steep.
But if all else, your looking for a good foreign food joint that doesn’t close at 2:30pm for dinner prep like every Indian place, and aren’t concerned with atmosphere so much, this place is perfect.
Amazing food.

The kabob koobideh here is really good. I like to order the soltani and the meat is very tender. They cater to parties as well, which I use once in a whine when I do not feel like cooking for a big party.
Try the shishlik also, soo good!

Very nice setting and good food, good service, what else can someone expect? Defiantly recommended to go there if you like persian/​mediterranean food !! Their buffet is relatively cheeper than any other persian restaurant in the portland area but the food good.

So in reality a 4.5 but I round up so a 5 star it is. Somewhat inconspicuous in location it has an amazing view of trees sky and glimpses of the horizon.
Eating the lunch buffet can sometimes be hit or miss but I must say it was pretty tasty. Working in a restaurant myself I know how difficult it can be to keep the integrity of food while sitting in hotel pans. They manage to not only keep it hot (which meets health standards) but overall the quality is very good. Some of the chicken kebabs were dry but I attribute that to it being white meat and being in a buffet line.
The beef kebab is well seasoned and surprisingly tender. Not necessarily the biggest fan of the tzatziki but that can be forgiven as every place has a different style.
Friendliness of the hostess/​cashier/​waitress is great. Attentive but doesn’t hover. Friendly but not over familiar.
Wouldn’t have known about this place unless word of mouth but good to know I have an option for the future!

They had nice Belly Dancers, and a good bar. Food was ok but smelt the whole place smelt like dirty mop bucket and the sugar dishes was full of dirt and open sugar cubs… gross. When I asked for clean sugar dish they just grabbed one off the next door table. Like I said only went for the dancers.

Came here for lunch during the week and was very pleasantly surprised. The buffet is fantastic. For $ 8.99 you get choose from chicken/​ground beef kabobs, rice, a couple non-​Persian foods like hummus or curry rice. I can’t attest to the authenticity of Kolbeh, but the food was so good that I honestly don’t care. An all-​around great experience.

I came here for dinner on a Saturday night. The place was empty save for one other table of two people. The prices are nuts and the food is terrible. I got the «showarma» which is unlike any «Showarma «I’ve ever had — and not in a good way. It honestly tasted like they threw some boxed curry spices on it and called it good. The pita & hummus appetizer was okay, except the bread was stone cold. The first basket felt like they just took it out of the fridge, the second was warm (mostly, there were still cold pieces??), and the third was back to being stone cold. I’m assuming the hummus was store bought since it actually bordered on good. The portions are WAY too big, but at 15 $ for «Showarma «I suppose they chose quantity over quality. The rice either had old saffron that lost all its flavor before being used or no saffron.
Never eat anywhere that is empty at 7PM on a Saturday night, no matter how hungry you are.

The food was delicious, but I was not very impressed with the restaurant location being across from PCC sylvania and its sky high prices (irony). The waitress was not flexible in writing up separate checks for my party and gratuity is automatically included. No ATM inside. Due to automatic gratuity, my table was forgottten 80% of the time (even though we were up front by the dance floor). I have to say I’ve experience the same delicious food at more consumer friendly Persian restaurants.

I consider Kolbeh pan-​Mediterranean, rather than Persian, just like almost every other restaurant in Portland that has dubbed itself Persian. I’m not going to compare Kolbeh to the authentic places in L.A. or meals at my Iranian friend’s house. That said, the buffet here is very good, especially for $ 8.99. Lasagna and non-​Persian staples such as Hummus, Greek-​style Dolmas, and curry rice (not saffron) are offered along with Koobideh skewers and plain Basmanti rice. The dishes are hit and miss; the Pita bread is probably the worst I’ve had at any like restaurant. Maybe they should order from down the street at the Hummus Stop. In fact, why not serve Lavash which is more traditional and probably more interesting to customers. The Sumac at the table was a nice touch, Persian tea was good, and overall service was very good.
Portland is not Los Angeles, a.k.a. Teran-​gelos, so I’ll take Kolbeh in its odd location any day over The Persian House in Downtown.

Let me start by saying I don’t feel any buffet is better than ordering off the menu. I think this might be the first place that contradicts that thought. We visited this place because our first choice was closed… and boy am i glad. The food in this buffet was exceptional.
My office is close by and I never thought of going here in the past. Now it might be one of my favorite lunch destinations.

Perhaps we came at an off-​hour. So we have a rule: If there’s no one in the restaurant, then don’t eat there. Even if the food is decent, we’ve found unpopulated eateries to have inattentive service. We first stopped at Kolbeh, but the inattention, empty room, enormous prices, and sticky booth seat bid us an early exit.
So we have another rule: Don’t eat anywhere with the name «Lounge» in the title. Sorry folks. We’re somewhat in-​between Xers and millenials, and not on tour in an RV. Hence we ended up at Baba Fresh.

WOW! IS THIS THE BEST LUNCH BUFFET IN TOWN?!
On the never ending quest to find the best lunch buffet I think my journey may have found its last stop…
So much for New Year’s Resolutions…

This place has been at this location two different times since I’ve lived in the area and yet, this is the first visit for me.
We walk in and there was only one other table in use. Very empty for a Thursday night.
The waiter was all over it. Great guy kept up on the drinks, we just had water and soda but kept it coming.
I got the chicken mazeh plate, which is the picture I posted on here. A lot of food and he packaged it for us to go as well as extra pitas for the hummus.
Great service, tasty food. I’ll be back to try it again.

This review is for the nightclub aspect of Kolbeh, not Kolbeh as a restaurant. Christmas night was lively and fun. The server was attentive and friendly. She brought us water and menus right away. We started out with a glass of wine and the baked brie appetizer with kalamata olives, served with pita bread. Even if I am not hungry, I always have room for brie. I happen to love kalamata olives so I particularly liked the presentation of this dish.
The D.J. Boris was playing mostly Arabic and Persian as that was most of the clientele at the time. After having a few glasses of wine, brie, and having partaken of two Christmas dinners, dancing was a must to burn some of those calories. There is a big accommodating dance floor and people were making the most of it.
If hookah is your thing, there is a patio just off of the dance floor. As it is winter it is heated and enclosed. New stupid smoking laws really cramp my style… no more hookah at the table inside. I am all for the banning of cigarettes because they stink but hookah smells good. Alas, I am looking forward to summer and sitting outside under the stars and checking out the hookah there.
Not your typical American night club. This is the reason to go there.

Located near PCC Sylvania campus, this restaurant is a real find. They offer a lunch buffet Monday thru Friday for $ 7.99.
I did the buffet today and with really nice weather I sat outside on their deck. Doesn’t that sound like paradise — a really awesome spread of food with all sorts of veggie and meat dishes, curried rice, kabobs, wrapped grape leaves with rice inside, cabbage roll, curry chicken, curry potatoes, and more in a really nice atmosphere and good weather! You could order off the menu, but I like the buffet for trying all of the different foods they offer and seeing which ones I really like a lot — then I can order one off the menu next time and not be disappointed. All of the food here (I did try everything too) tasted really good and I have no complaints.
I was obviously really impressed with the food and the service here. I have already told some of my friends about this place already. I am definitely going back and I’m bringing a bunch of my friends with me.

Giant. Kabobs. Kabobs the size of my arm. With a pound of rice to take it down. The first time I came here, I came with a group and we all ordered individual entrees. We might have looked pretty stupid if you could have seen our faces behind the giant mounds of food placed in front of us. This is definitely a shared plate kind of place. In fact, if you can eat a plate all to yourself in one sitting, you should just be ashamed.
The kabobs are surprisingly great. The meat is really soft, tender, and flavorful. The orange peel and almond chicken kabob is such a surprising bitter-​salty-​sweet on the tongue with no cheap sugary or artificial saffron flavor. Get a kebab combo and you will get two different meats for the same price, and the kebabs are only slightly smaller apiece than the solo ones. The rice is fluffy and buttery and perfect with a genuine hint of saffron, and not day glo yellow, surprise again. For a random empty restaurant in a residential area this place has some amazing food so far…
And now here’s where a five star kebab experience gets ugly. The pita is the cheapest kind you can get at the store. This kind of cardboard should be used to wipe the floor. The order of grilled pita is this same store-​bought cardboard, but blackened unnecessarily. Do not accept any offers for pita as this item should not be encouraged as is. If you do, you will find yourself with a pile of cardboard stomach filler with some butter to go on it, and then you’ll be too full for the actual good stuff. Avoid all items on the menu that come with pita too.
The vegetables are an afterthought. In fact they’re more like a didn’thavethethought. A barely charred tomato with cold grainy flesh inside? You don’t need it. The first time I came here they had some grilled mixed vegetables on the side but I haven’t seen it since and I remember picking out some undercooked onions then.
No turkish coffee, and no desserts. Wait, I can see why they wouldn’t have desserts, but really why is the coffee Folgers?
The waitresses are really nice and eager to please but the place is always empty. They supposedly have a big Persian party here on Saturdays though I’ve never been. But the prices are amazing and as long as you stick with the kabobs and rice the quality is on par with the best. So, I can’t tell if it’s going to close up next month or blast off with popularity. But until either of that happens let’s all get in on the giant kabobs.