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An all-you-can-eat kebab journey from Istanbul to Delhi awaits at downtown Palo Alto’s newest restaurant, Meze Kebab.
The newest venture from the team behind Meyhouse, Meze Kebab offers an upscale 90-minute, meat-forward meal in the former Tacolicious space. The restaurant operates similarly to a Brazilian steakhouse, with waitstaff offering guests slices of succulent döner kebab, skewers of spicy paneer tikka and a cart brimming with various dips.
I visited during its soft opening on Jan. 10 to experience this kebab journey for myself.
The interior is chic and modern, upscale but not fussy. The floral-tiled floor from Tacolicious remains, while the large black-and-white wall mural has been replaced by bright red paint and framed artwork. The banquette seating is comfortable, with a foot rod to help with the height and a nice back pillow for support.
Ordering is done via QR code – a growing trend and one I’m not particularly a fan of. Three all-you-can-eat choices await: Nonvegetarian, listed as “Elite” ($60); vegetarian ($45); and one for kids under 12 ($25). Cocktails are also available for an extra charge; however, all the listed cocktails were standard bar drinks, and none were enticing enough to warrant ordering. I would have liked to have seen some Turkish- or Indian-inspired beverages.
The cost seems about right for downtown Palo Alto prices, although if the restaurant was located elsewhere I’d say it’s a tad on the steeper end considering the majority of protein options were chicken (for example, Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House in San Mateo and Santa Clara offers all-you-can-eat wagyu for $55, and Indian Sizzler has a very tasty meat-packed buffet for $25.)
The timed meal started with a gorgeous gold platter of small portions of meze and dips (all served with their own adorable mini gold spoon). Included in this sampler was humus masabacha (housemade humus topped with warm spicy chickpea stew), hot pepper dip (made with sun-dried and pickled red peppers), Mersin tahini (made with tahini, yogurt, parsley, garlic and lemon), assorted housemade pickles, tzatziki, babaganoush and spicy crushed tomato (with peppers, onion, garlic and pomegranate molasses). A wooden bowl with a piece of freshly baked garlic bread and lavash bread, as well as a large green salad, was also set on the table.
I’m not sure who’s reaching for salad at an all-you-can-eat spot (definitely not me), but the key is not to fill up with bread and carbs before the meat starts rolling in. That being said, all the meze and dips were fantastically flavorful and worth every calorie.
A short time later, a server came with a rolling cart topped with larger bowls of the same meze and dips that were in the sampler. Similar to a dim sum restaurant, guests pick which items they’d like more of, and the server puts them on the table.
The small two-top table was already getting crowded, but it reached its max capacity when a server dropped off bowls of French fries, bulgur pilaf, basmati rice and dal makhani. The French fries were soggy, but the bulgur pilaf and dal makhani were good.
While the menu listed 10 kebab options (plus daily specials), I was only offered eight protein options during the course of my meal. Either for soft opening Meze Kebab wasn’t offering beef tenderloin, chicken tikka kebab and a daily special, or they just didn’t make it to my table within the 90 minutes (notably, I was also not given shepherd’s skillet beef, borek, cilantro-mint chutney or fresh-baked pide, all of which were listed on the menu.)
The best meat by far was the döner kebab. Thinly sliced, incredibly juicy and perfectly seasoned with crispy, meaty edges, I ate my fair share of the döner kebab – and you should too.
Other highlights include the masala rack of lamb and the herb garlic shrimp. Both were cooked and seasoned perfectly.
Sorry vegetarians – I’d skip the spicy paneer tikka. Paneer is naturally bland and gets dry when grilled, and that’s why it’s typically served with a strong, robust chutney. This paneer kebab was underseasoned and needed some type of sauce to make it palatable.
At the end of the meal, the server offered a small slice of burnt Basque cheesecake, which was rich, creamy, delectable and the perfect ending for dinner. Note that the final bill (paid on your phone) comes with a 20% service charge.
Meze Kebab is a fun and unique addition to downtown Palo Alto. All-you-can-eat restaurants are making a comeback after the pandemic wiped out many of them. Darbar Indian Cuisine is the only longtime all-you-can-eat concept in Palo Alto, open since 1995, with newer restaurants such as Show De Carnes Brazilian Steakhouse proving to be popular.
Meze Kebab, 632 Emerson St., Palo Alto; 650-521-0935, Instagram: @mezekebab. Open Monday to Thursday and Sunday from 5-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 5-10:30 p.m.
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