1781 Newport Blvd. Suite C
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
I've written about it before, but Katie is obsessed with garlic sauce. She's been looking for one as good as she used to have when she worked in Ontario about ten years ago. We've had some good ones, but nothing compared to the garlic sauce from Alina's Lebanese Cuisine. That is until we ventured into Kabob Republic in Costa Mesa on a recent Saturday evening.
We had just finished walking the Newport Back Bay Trail and needed nourishment after our three-mile stroll. Kabob Republic has been written up in the OC Register four times by their restaurant critic, Brad A. Johnson. He named it one of the best new restaurants back when they started out in 2017, one of the best 75 places to eat in OC in 2018, hailed their doner kebab as the best available in OC, and lastly listed this restaurant as one of the top 20 spots for cheap eats in OC. You can say he really enjoyed this place.
We arrived just after 7 p.m. and were met with an empty restaurant, but the phone was going crazy with people calling in orders to go. Ordering is done at the counter, and the food is brought to you. The space is bathed in light colors, with the predominant color being ocean blue, which is very calming. The wooden chairs are not the most comfortable; maybe some padding would help make things a little better.
The menu at Kabob Republic is divided into appetizers, salads, wraps, bowls, entrees, specialties, and sides. All the greatest hits of Mediterranian cuisine are represented here; falafel, hummus, beef gyro, and chicken shish kabob, among others, are offered. There are also some deeper cuts of Mediterranean cooking that I need to familiarize myself with. Those will have to wait for future visits, as I'm a creature of habit when trying a spot for the first time. Let's see if all the love that Brad Johnson heaped upon this place was warranted.
For the most part, Katie and I get along famously. Yes, I'm not a big fan of her Starbucks obsession, and sometimes, when I let her pick an appetizer, she whiffs. It happens to everyone, so I chalk it up to experience. That's what happened when she chose these Feta Cheese Rolls ($8.99). These came three to an order and were stuffed with feta and herbs. I'm not a big feta fan, as I only like it in limited amounts. This was too much for me. Katie liked them, though, and would not let them go to waste.
My strategy when eating out is to get a combination plate to get a feel for a place. At Kabob Republic, that meant the Duet Doner Gyro Kabob ($14.99) would be placed in front of me. With this entree, I chose the beef tri-tip doner shwarma and the lamb gyro. Both were extremely good. The lamb was just a bit better, with its well-spiced and tender curls of deliciousness. The beef was heartier, and both proteins were made even better with the excellent garlic sauce, which I'm happy to report is the best we've had in OC. With this meal, I got to pick two sides, and I went with the spicy hummus and the fries. The fries were okay, but the spicy hummus was as advertised, it was spicy. Most other places just call their hummus spicy, which doesn't deliver. This one had some kick to it, which I appreciated.
Katie got this Chicken Gyro Bowl ($14.50) to go along with her soon-to-be favorite garlic sauce. This bowl had plenty of chicken, vibrant cabbage, mixed greens, tomatoes, red onion, and a pickle mixture. She loved this, with the well-seasoned chicken, the fresh veggies, and, of course, the garlic sauce. The portion size was more than she bargained for, as she could not finish it in one sitting. No need to worry, as I stepped up and ate the rest. It's the least I could do.
When we walked out the door after our meal, stomachs full, we both felt that this was one of the better Mediterranean meals we've had in recent memory. It was made even better with the brief, but our conversation with the owner on our way out was fantastic. He's very proud of the food he serves here, which shows in their execution. The portion sizes were pretty generous, especially when portions are shrinking as prices increase. Our garlic sauce quest has ended, but maybe there's another one out there that's just as good. We will head to Kabob Republic when we are craving Mediterranean food.
Out of five Peeps (because this horrible Easter candy was introduced in 1953, the same year that Costa Mesa was founded), five being best to zero being worst, Kabob Republic gets 3.5 Peeps.
For more information about Kabob Republic, head to their website here: https://kabobrepublic.com/
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