Mini Kabob has no sign worth mentioning, no ambiance to speak of, and approximately fifteen seats. It has also been called one of the best restaurants in Los Angeles by nearly every food critic who has found it — and finding it is half the adventure.
Ara Balyan mans the charcoal grill with the focused intensity of someone who has been doing this for a very long time and has no interest in doing it any other way. His mother Sona prepares the sides, the dips, the pilaf. Together, in a room that would be considered small for a studio apartment, they produce Armenian food of stunning quality.
The lula kebab is the reason people make special trips. Ground lamb and beef, hand-formed and seasoned with a proprietary blend of herbs, cooked over live charcoal until the outside is charred and the inside remains impossibly tender. It arrives over saffron rice with a simple salad and warm lavash, and it is one of the most satisfying plates of food you can eat in the San Fernando Valley.
The lamb chops — when available, as they are limited daily — are a revelation. Baby chops marinated overnight and seared at a temperature that creates a crust while keeping the interior pink and yielding.
Prices remain shockingly fair, the lines move efficiently, and the whole experience has the quality of a secret that everyone knows but nobody wants to share too widely, for fear of ruining it. Mini Kabob is Burbank-adjacent Armenian dining at its absolute finest.
