Ravi Kabob

Address: 305 N. Glebe Rd., Arlington, VA 22203

Phone: 703-522-6666

Neighborhood: Arlington, Ballston, Arlington

Cuisines: Middle Eastern

Opening Hours: Open Monday through Thursday 11 AM to 1 AM, Friday and Saturday 11 AM to 2 AM, Sunday 11 AM to midnight.

Wheelchair Accessible: Yes

Kid Friendly: Yes

Nearby Metro Stops: Virginia Square-GMU, Ballston-MU

Price Range: Inexpensive

Dress: Informal

Noise Level: Chatty

Reservations: Not Needed

Website: Click here to open in new window.

Best Dishes Lamb and lamb brains karahi; kebabs, including lamb chops, bone-in chicken, kubideh, and seekh kebab; chana masala; mango lassi.

Price Details: Appetizers $1.25 to $2.50, entrées $9 to $17.

Special Features:
Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly

Why do we consider Ravi the king of the area’s kebab houses? Not just because it’s good—there are plenty of good kebab houses. But when we think of the Platonic ideal of kebabs—distinctive and assertive spicing, delicate exterior char, tender juiciness within— it’s Ravi that leaps to mind. Also because its accoutrements are better than most, probably because they don’t taste like accoutrements. The rice is always hot, light, and fluffy, the crunchy-chewy disks of naan are baked to order, and the chana masala, a slow-simmered stew of chickpeas, onions, and garlic, is a marvel—so good we’re almost tempted to bypass the meat altogether. Almost.

Also good: Seekh kebab; bone-in chicken kebab; lamb-brain karahi.