La Miche Kabobgee

Delicious.
Owner responsiveness– excellent!
Quality of food– exceptional!
Well done!

Unfortunately my dinner experience at this restaurant simply didn’t match the quality of service or food others have reported with all the 5-​star reviews.
BF picked this place because of its great rating, and the menu certainly looked promising. The restaurant wasn’t hard to find or too packed for a Friday night, so reservation didn’t seem necessary. We were helped by a female server who left us after taking our drink order and came back several minutes later, apologetic for having forgotten about us. That was weird, but not a dealbreaker at all. Our appetizer was baba ghanouj topped with pomegranate seeds. I could have done without the seeds, but otherwise the flavor was ok. I liked the freshly made pita bread, but the server was a bit stingy — I should have taken a better photo, but the bread was small, and she was so reluctant on refilling it for us throughout our entire meal!
And then with the entrees, which took quite a while to come out, the flavor was just disappointingly lacking. Both our entrees were supposed to come with salad, hummus, rice and garlic sauce. We got hummus to share before the entrees came out, and it really lacked flavor. I mean completely. I mixed the garlic sauce that came out later (also a small portion to share) into the hummus to give it some flavor. The garlic sauce was the best part of our meal, and unfortunately the smallest, since we were given just a little bit between the two of us. To its credit though, it packed a lot of flavor and a little sauce went a long way. Since we both love garlic, that sauce went pretty quickly. The chicken shish kabob and rice entrée was ok — little real flavor on the meat; I tossed a bunch of pepper and garlic sauce-​baba ghanouj mixture onto my rice to make it all taste better. BF got the lamb tenderloin and really enjoyed it.
Overall the experience was just disappointing. I don’t think I’d come back, there are just more exciting options for awesome Mediterranean food in our area.

came today for lunch just by myself. not a busy restaurant with 60 percent empty seats. requested a half booth but the waiter insiste the table close to the door. it was cold outside. waiter even commented «booth by yourself» note to restaurant, you may have good food but if you are rude forget it. i guess you dont need a single customer. no wonder the place is not full even it is lunch time.

I have come to this restaurant many times and always for lunch. The lunch special is a great deal. Most of the items comes with your entrée a salad and of course hummus with homemade pita. I have tried many items but my favorite is the beef shawarma. I love the beef and sauce that comes on it as well as a salad that comes with it. The baba ganoush is very tasty and I love the pomegranate seeds that come on top. The kibbeh balls are very good. I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. The chicken shawarma is also very good and comes with a tasty garlic sauce. Whatever you order here is bound to be excellent.
Service is always excellent. I have never had a problem with the service or food. All servers are friendly as well as the owner.

Food 10
Service 10
Atmosphere 8
I didn’t take pictures because I was starving and the food smelled irresistible (unresistable?)
Mediterranean fish with a perfect tahina sauce and veggies. The fish was perfectly seared, flaky and crusted with a very zesty mixture of herbs and spices.
The baba ganoush was also very good and healthy. Worth the trek.
Note the Internet does not work.

I absolutely love this restaurant and would give it ten stars if I could. The owner is incredible and takes such good care of my family. The food is the best for Lebanese food but better than every restaurant food I have had in San Diego. We went for an early Xmas Eve and we enjoyed it so much we can’t wait to go back again.

Fresh, well spiced and great flavors. I love that the owner was there to greet, serve, and talk with us. He clearly takes pride in his restaurant, which is a refreshing change from most establishments.

My wife and I stopped in on one of our weekly dates and boy are we glad we did. First off, the gentleman who greeted, seated and served us was warm, helpful and attentive without hovering. Secondly, the food was amazing.
Margaret had the Chicken Shawarma Plate, which she describes as «beautiful, plentiful & delicious. Particularly the garlic spread, which was as smooth as butter.» She also enjoyed the pita bread, which is cooked to order in-​house.
Middle Eastern food is not always Whole30 friendly, but I was able to find some delicious items, on the sides menu, to make up a meal. I ordered the Armenian Sausages and Lebanese Salad. Both were small servings, but so full of flavor and healthy fats that they hit the spot.
Margaret had a bite of the sausage and thinks a trip to this restaurant is worth it just for the sausages. According to our server, these sausages cannot be found anywhere else in the local area.
La Miche Kabobgee is definitely on our ‘places to return to’ list.

I enjoy coming here on my lunch breaks, fast service, great food, nice wait staff and plenty of seating that is spread out nicely!
My favorite dish to get is the Salmon Salad with a side of garlic paste! Healthy and hearty lunch options.
As for something on the heavier side, the chicken shwarma is a nice option!

As more and more restaurants cut back on freshly made quality food due to costs and prep time, we found this place to be a throwback. Truly fresh falafel is rare. I know because when we first moved to San Diego I looked all over. One place had it, then didn’t because the owner said not enough people ordered it. Nabih explained he makes large batches from scratch and then freezes. It takes a little while for the chef to get it going, so he advised ordering right away or calling ahead.
Along with satisfying our love of fried chickpea he explained his food, the rationale and process behind the amazing flavors. Everything else was just as good. Samples were offered gratis and it’s clear there is passion behind the cooking. The premises are clean. One of our party suggested the commercial vibe in the dining room could be brightened up a bit. But you can’t knock the food. It’s all that and a bag of chips.

This is great place. It is nice and open the hostess was very accommodating and nice.
After we were seated she promptly brought out fresh made pita bread and hummus (i wasnt expecting that).
The jawaneh (fried chicken) was over done. The meat was very tough and too lemony.
But, the beef shwarma was delicious and presented well. For me personally the portions were a little small but I guess quality over quantity right?
Overall experience was great I would recommend it to everyone to try it.

Fan-​freaking-​tastic! That’s all I can really say! My first visit was through a UYE which was my intro to this place. I can only thank Omar again and again for introducing me to the magic of Lebanese food which Nabih (owner) does so tastefully and moreso so TASTY! I’ve returned twice since my initial visit and both times my friends were impressed and said they too would be back again! I have tried another Lebanese restaurant in the area and I’d say hands down the baba ghanoush and hummus here are still the best! By far, this is the best baba ghanoush I’ve ever had. Ok, so I haven’t had many… ok, maybe this is only the second or third, regardless, it’s delicious! The smooth, creamy texture with the pomegranate seeds just adds that little crunch and sweetness that you want! I actually enjoy it so much I’d order that over the hummus. Although you can’t go wrong with the hummus either! My friend practically licked the plate of baba ghanoush. Basically that means, you need to try it! Another favorite I’ve discovered is the very fresh Fattoush salad. Presentation is lovely with a crisp bread-​cracker beneath a bed of aromatic greens mixed with fresh herbs on top– yummy! The bread-​cracker gives that crunch and the greens are so well-​seasonsed that you can’t feel bad eating the whole plate because it tastes so fresh and good! Ok, you actually probably couldn’t eat the whole plate because the portions are very generous. Next, the beef and chicken kabobs are amazing! Both were cooked great and still juicy and tender but more importantly, they come with this garlic paste that is unreal! Seriously people, it’s like crack! It looks like butter but it’s a garlic paste whipped to perfection and adds an element of flavor that knocks your socks off! I dreamed about eating that paste again… and I have! The restaurant layout is open and has tables and booths. It’s not an overly decorative spot but the warmth of Nabih, the gracious and generous owner and mastermind of this amazing restaurant is always so cordial and thoughtful. He always takes extra care to make sure all his patrons are happy, satisfied and well-​fed! The food and his service will bring you back! This restaurant is located in a strip mall that has a decent amount of parking. Prices are great especially with lunch specials around $ 10 per person and includes hummus, pita bread and salad. Dinner can be upwards $ 15 – 30 per person depending on what you order. Either way, the food is great here and it really gives you a flavor of something unique, delicious and inspiring!

My koobideh was delicious and so was the salad it came with. I was a little surprised that there was so very little meat on the plate, however. My friend’s expensive shrimp salad was meh. The restaurant was very clean and the service was efficient and friendly enough. A little pricey for what it is. I may still return, though, because of the location and the quick service.

Thanks to Omar S for inviting me to try La Miche! I have to say that I’m not the biggest Mediterranean food dude so I don’t have much to compare the grub here to, but I know quality ingredients and great service when I see it. The owner really rolled it out for our group but you could tell this the usual routine for his team.
WHEN YOU GO– located on the east end of Clairemont Mesa Blvd, La Miche is spacious and very comfortable. We enjoyed the humus, olives and Baba Ghannouj as apps. These were delicious with the Lebanese beer (can’t remember the name) and they went down well. The kabobs and grilled vegetables were also a big hit at our table, but the stars of the night for me we’re the coffee and baklava. Those alone will bring me back. Again, I’m no expert on Lebanese food, but this is really tasty chow served by some really nice people. I’m a fan!

Authentic Lebanese dishes — love this place!
Dining in for lunch can sometimes be crowded so I usually order and pick-​up and it’s super quick. I order the beef shawarma plate for lunch because its fantastic — comes out to $ 13. Served with hummus & pita, a small salad and slices of beef with sauce over white rice. The beef strips are tender and extremely flavorful with an interesting tasty kick, love the sauce they drizzle on top. The rice is plain, but this is needed when the hummus and beef have a flavor overload (in a good way).
Owner is really nice and walks around making sure diners are happy with their experience.

I’ve never had lebanese food, so this was a first! I have had mediterranean and not too sure what the difference is, but I know very little about this style cuisine. I’m not a hummus eater, but I gave it a shot as it was brought out fresh to our table and it was delicious! Very creamy, seasoned with a light garlic flavor served with fresh and warm pieces of pita bread. I haven’t had pita bread like this, so it makes me think all other pita bread is typically store bought. This was so good! They brought out about 7 pieces of bread with 2 app-​size plates of hummus. YUM!
I ordered the beef shawarma for lunch. I didn’t see a lunch menu offered anywhere, but the prices aren’t too bad. I’d just rather eat a smaller plate of food during lunch, so I don’t feel the need to pass out once I get back to work. Back to the shawarma, it was served with a small salad and slices of beef with sauce over white rice. The beef had an interesting taste to it, either that or the sauce did. I can’t describe it, but it was a sort of sour-​ish taste. The rice was plain, not seasoned, and piecey like stove top cooked rice. I liked the dressing on the salad, but it could use a little more veggies other than lettuce and 2 slices of tomato. Color on the plate is definitely an eye catcher and builds an appetite!
I do want to try the baklava next time. Oh, and definitely get more hummus and pita (:

My eating partner and I ordered the Feast for 2. It’s $ 38 for a choice of two meats, plus: baba ghanoush, hummus, rice, unlimited pita, salad, spicy olives, tabbouleh, and a garlic sauce. The 2 meats we selected were chicken kebab and beef shawarma.
The baba ghanoush was the star of the night. It was soooo creamy and delicious… maybe the best I’ve ever had. We both loved it. I also enjoyed the cinnamon-​y beef, the tender chicken, and olives. The hummus was good, but didn’t stand out.
The owner (I think) was very attentive and asked us multiple times how everything was going. The restaurant is big and open with a high ceiling.
I would go back again for the baba ghanoush and to try more meats and other tasty things. Eating here reminded me how much I miss eating Lebanese/​middle eastern food… it’s been too long!

I was going to wait until I came here a second time, but I loved it so much, I am writing about it now.
I love my mechanic, Tony. He’s the most honest mechanic around and I drive from OB to Kearny Mesa just to go to him. Here are his reviews on Unilocal.
Fortunately, he’s also Lebanese, so he took me here one afternoon when my car was taking way longer than expected and I was hot and hungry. He actually said, «C’mon, I’m going to buy you lunch, you will love this place.» Boy, he wasn’t kidding!
I can’t stop thinking about my meal here and I’ve only been once and there is so much more to try! I ordered the chicken shwarma and was not disappointed. Whilst a bit dry, it was a great plate of food. But what really knocked me out was their Baba Ghanoush. I’ve never had it with pomegranate seeds on it and I couldn’t stop thinking about the flavor of the ghanoush and the tart and sweet pomegranate seeds on top. I liked it so much, that I was thrilled when I found that Trader Joes sells the seeds in a package for $ 4. I bought it and put in the hummus I bought at TJ’s and now on their Ghanoush.
I forgot to post their dessert we tried. Wow it was different. It was cheese topped with this crunchy stuff and it was so good! The cheese was soft and gooey, but not in a messy kind of way. A must try!
The owner knew Tony and served us all their food. They make their own little pita breads here and they were very fresh.
I’m really looking forward to coming back here and trying everything. I love the menu that Omar S. had here. He let the owner bring out what he wanted within Omar’s budget. He had some very exotic dishes I’m not familiar with. Love to try all that too.

I was so excited to share the Lebanese feast for 3 with my fam that I forgot to check in on my 2^nd visit to La Miche Kabobgee. This place is a gem! Lunch is under $ 10, whereas dinner can be a little pricey. But they roast and grind their own spices at this restaurant, and who else does that any more?! The owner is kind and passionate about his business, and if it’s not too busy, he’s happy to stop by my table and chat about the food.
Four of us were delighted with the Lebanese Feast for 3. We had 3 adults and 1 child. My little granddaughter ate 3 helpings of the hummus on the homemade pita! The Lebanese Feast comes with a plate of meats, and various outstanding side dishes. On the meat plate, the Kafta Kabobgee were my fav, with the best texture and flavor I’ve ever found in any Kafta. The chicken shish kabob was a little dry, and could have used more tenderness and less cooking. The Beef Shawarma was good. The Lebanese Feast for 3, for $ 49, also comes with the best Baba Gannouj I’ve found, very fresh Tabbouleh, mild Hummus, Spicy Olives, and wonderful homemade pita bread.
In addition to the Lebanese Feast, we also tried the Kibbeh Beirut, filled with eggplant, roasted almonds, & pomegranate seeds. This is a colorful and tasty appetizer! We also enjoyed the Labneh, which looks like sour cream and tastes like yogurt. Both yummy!
Kouzy for $ 19 on the dinner menu is braised lamb with aromatic spices served over rice with roasted nuts. I ordered this on my previous 1^st visit to this restaurant. The lamb is tender, and I love how the delicate spices compliment the lamb, and yet there’s no overpowering sauce.
Warak Inab is 4 grape leaves stuffed with rice, parsley, lemon juice & olive oil for $ 4.75 on the dinner menu. These are the best vegetarian stuffed grape leaves I’ve ever tasted. The textures and flavors are enjoyable, as they are made from fresh ingredients.
I enjoyed fantastic service from the owner himself. He said they roast and grind their own spices twice a week. On my second visit, we also met the owners wife. This sit-​down restaurant is a wonderful find!
Oopsie! You won’t find a photo of the freshly made baklava, because it literally disappeared in an instant! So good… The texture of freshly made baklava is amazing. I like the baklava better than the Karabeege for dessert.
Wine & beer are offered. My glass of smooth red wine was $ 7.50.
The interior is spacious, and the tables & chairs are comfortable and attractive.
I’ll definitely return to try the Mediterranean fish! In fact, you can expect me to try every item on the delightful menu!

My prized possessions include a passport, strong teeth, and several Lebanese friends that cook.
The marvelous thing about Lebanese cooks is that while they’re capable of grand performances (attend a Lebanese wedding and try not to use the word «sumptuous»), they can also, with seeming ease, delight the palate with the feast of small plates called «mezze». And it’s not just the dishes’ tastes that gratify. The mezze looks beautiful, and the preparations are presented a few at a time, so the meal is a bit of a show.
I recently enjoyed the mezze at La Miche Kabobgee, one of few real Lebanese restaurants in the County. My dining companion and I were greeted kindly by owner Nabih Geha. I whispered a budget to Nabih and asked him to guide us. He smiled, removed our menus and began the show, bringing:
— Ma’anek, small veal sausages, flame-​glazed in lemon juice, olive oil and pomegranate juice. The lean and tender meat absorbed tart, sour flavor from the sauté (sour being common in Middle Eastern cuisine), making the ma’anek unavoidably craveable. Drink-the-juice-from-the-dish-when-no-one’s-looking craveable. Really good.
— Basturma, an air-​dried beef cured and seasoned with salt, ground pepper, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and coriander. La Miche served its basturma sheerly sliced. The meat, being fatty in a prosciutto crudo sort of way, benefited from the astringency of garnishes including delicate bits of pickled turnip.
— Khubz’arabi, or Arab bread, which resembles pita but is thinner, chewier and offers more of a yeast «bite». Nabih and his helper were so insistent that we eat the best, freshest bread they could provide that twice, we’d only eaten a single piece from our basket before the whole thing was replaced. Arab hospitality can be over-​the-​top.
— Labneh, strained unflavored yogurt not unlike mascarpone. Throughout our meal, Nabih kept a full bowl of labneh on our table. It was dressed with a drizzle of good olive oil, and was a delicious accompaniment to the rest of our dinner.
While we ate, Nabih spoke amiably of food and family, occasionally disappearing into the kitchen and returning with more plates. He brought:
— Kibbeh, made of burghul (cracked wheat), minced onions and lean ground meat. It’s often served à la tartare («Kibbeh Nayyeh») or as fried croquettes stuffed with minced meat (think arancini).
We had La Miche’s Kibbeh «Beirut», a signature dish that I haven’t seen elsewhere. Nabih presses the kibbeh into cup form, bakes ’til it’s firm, then fills the kibbeh cups with caramelized onion, eggplant and roasted almonds, all touched with pomegranate juice. It’s one of the prettiest, most flavorful dishes I’ve tasted in San Diego.
— Tabouleh. This salad was light, nicely balancing parsley, burghul and bright tomatoes, mint and onion, olive oil and lemon. I preferred this to the garden salad we had later.
— Baba ghanoush. La Miche’s take on this classic included eggplant mixed with onions, tomatoes, tahini, olive oil, and a touch of yogurt to make it very light and pleasant. I’m not usually a fan, but I enjoyed this version.
— Grilled lamb tenderloin and chicken breast, served with white rice and dressed garden salad.
The chicken was dusted with a pleasing, savory spice mix that Nabih let us smell, but whose ingredients he wouldn’t enumerate. The lamb was tender, as its name suggests, but something else: I thought it had been marinated, but Nabih said no, it was spiced just before grilling; otherwise, its succulence was native to the meat itself.
— «Toum» (garlic in Arabic) was offered as a garnish to the meats. La Miche’s excellent toum was a delectable aioli of garlic, salt, olive oil and lemon juice in mild, balanced portions.
We ate and enjoyed Nabih’s company (at one point convincing him to sit with us), then suddenly, he announced that it was time for dessert.
He brought out something new to me, «ghorayeba», a tasty semolina shortbread filled with a paste of pistachio, rosewater and orange blossom water. It was served with a slightly-​sweet white sauce resembling stiff marshmallow fluff, called naatiffe.
We finished with Turkish coffee, laced with cardamom and served traditionally, each demitasse being filled from a long-​handled pot. The drink’s aroma provided my Arab companion and I memories of comfort, family and home. After we finished drinking, I read my friend’s fortune from her cup. Turns out, in the future, she needs to quit hogging the ma’anek.
Once, long ago, I ate at Restaurant Fakhr el Dine in Paris. Their mezze was renowned in the City’s large Lebanese community, and I saw why: over several hours, my friends and I discussed travel, politics and food, savoring dozens of unreasonably delicious dishes, each gorgeous course served by beautiful women.
I might have stayed in Paris, but having chosen San Diego, I’m glad La Miche Kabobgee reminds me of that night.