Kabob 2

I stopped at Kebob 2 on Devon for lunch a while back. I remembered the place had once been recommended to me by an Assyrian friend. The menu was pretty typical of Assyrian kebab houses, featuring shawarma, kifta, kibbeh Mosul etc. What was unique about Kebob2 though, was that they made kebab sandwiches on french bread (maybe Gonella?). I mentioned to the proprietor that I liked the sandwiches at Uncle's (2 blocks east) that are made on Samoon (soft Assyrian bread). He told me that the owner of Uncle's was his cousin. The shawarma (gus) spit looked pretty good, so I ordered a shawarma sub sandwich. The owner told me the sandwich came with mayo, mustard, tomato and lettuce, but I could have it any way I wanted. I asked if I could forget the mayo and mustard and have some Torshi (pickled cabbage) on it instead. That choice seemed to please him greatly, and he suggested I get hummous on it also. I watched the cook carve the gus from the spit, and was pleased to see that the meat inside was still pink. I then watched in horror as he tossed the medium rare meat onto a hot griddle and cooked all the color out of it. I tried to tell the cook that I actually liked the meat more rare, but alas, he didn't understand. All in all, the sandwich was pretty good on the crusty bread, but the meat itself was rather bland and not well marinated (and overcooked thanks to the griddling), but the torshi and hummous toppings were definitely the way to go. I would like to go back and try a kifta kebab (kabob?) sub, and also see if I can get some gus straight off the spit. Overall, it is always nice to find a new Assyrian restaurant, and the "sub" sandwiches (with torshi and hummous) are definitely worth trying, but I still prefer Uncle's Kabob down the street.

Kabob 2
3104 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 508-0415

Had lunch today at the "new" location. I've never been to the old one on Devon.

I chose the $5.99 Lunch Special which consists of a combination of shish kabob, kafta kabob, chicken kabob and shawarma. It comes with rice and pita bread. While not indicated on the menu, it came with a decent sized salad. The salad was good. However, I chose tahini as my dressing. The dressing was a bit watery.

Everything else made up for the watery salad. The meat was well season and cooked tender. Good flavor in the yellow rice. I asked for a small side of tahini. As in the salad, it was a bit watery. My server also brought a side of some type of red sauce which has a bit of heat.

Not a bad lunch spot within a short drive of my office. Definitely added to my lunch rotation.

Kabob 2
6320 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
http://kabob2.com/default.aspx

I am glad these guys re-opened at a new location. No doubt it has better visibility than the dismal strip mall they used to be in. Kabob 2 is not the greatest Assyrian restaurant in town, but like most Assyrian restaurants, it has a few things that make it stand out from the others. The option of getting an Assyrian sandwich on crunchy (Gonella?) french bread is pretty unique (pita is also available, but not Samoon). They also sell chicken Kuftas, which I have only seen at one other place. Unfortunately, the "subs" come with American style sub toppings by default (lettuce, tomato, mustard mayo), but they have no problem with special orders. I like the chicken kufta on sub bread with onion, hummous, torshi and a touch of that thick red hot sauce. That's a tasty sandwich. I will have to check them out at the new location.