91, Galle Road, Dehiwala
This place has closed down
Kebabish is a new street side restaurant in Dehiwala that offers South Asian and Mediterranean cuisine. They maybe a small place but their big on taste.
Kebabish is a little eatery that serves up shawarma, biriyani and kottu in Dehiwela. While they've never got around to offering up their namesake kebab, they used to have a reputation for their biriyani. However, what's really good there right now is the shawarma. We swung by and grabbed some takeaway for dinner.
What's great about Kebabish is that you won't break the bank eating here as all the items on the menu are under Rs 400. They've got a dolphin kottu for just Rs 280, coming up to maybe Rs 350 if you add cheese to it, which is a good deal. At lunch time you'd probably want to get their biriyani, but after 6 PM you can try their naan with curries.
We ordered a shawarma to go, and watched as the chef delicately prepared it. It takes a good 10 minutes to make the shawarma, mostly because of how carefully this guy works at it. If you watch, you can see him pick up each element of the shawarma one by one and place it onto the roti. It's all done so neatly that you feel the love this guy has for this dish.
While it doesn't come close to the likes of Arabian Knights, the shawarma at Kebabish is a humble creation that sates your cravings. It's got a bit of crunch from the cucumber, and just enough mayo to make the filling creamy but not so much that it spills out. There's a generous amount of chicken in there. Overall it's not too spicy and a decent bite. A large chicken shawarma is Rs 350, though it's only one inch bigger than the regular 6" at Rs 300.
We also asked for a chicken masala (Rs 180) and some garlic butter naan (Rs 80). While the chicken curry was cheap, the portion was so small you could call it a handful, with just a whole lot of onions and no gravy. Ideally, you want so much gravy that you keep grabbing at naan after naan, but that's not the case here, and we were disappointed.
Still, the chicken is tasty enough but it's a pretty one dimensional flavour of a savoury masala. You only get one piece of chicken so it's meant for a single person.
Kebabish isn't much for ambiance. You never really feel like eating there. It's a cramped space with capacity for 8 or 12 people, and it's not air-conditioned so it's not super comfortable. The service is just okay. They won't go out of their way to make recommendations. It's a pretty straightforward process of just making your order, telling them if it's to go or to eat there. The man making the shawarma seems nice, though.
While their shawarma is good, nothing else really makes much of an impression at Kebabish. Their menu caters to single servings, so it's not the place you want to go to if you want a large biriyani. They do deliver if you're around the area, so if you're feeling the munchies and want to chow down on some shawarma, they're the one to call.
Address
Directions
On Galle Road past Chariot, right at the entrance to Hilda Lane (opposite Holy Family Convent Dehiwala).
Contacts
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This place has closed down
Price Range
Dish Types
Ratings Breakdown
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3/5
The man who made the delicious shawarma was missing in kebabish during our recent visits and shawarmas were horrible. We Spotted him in "Rich Bombay Sweets" (galle road Dehiwala. Next to dominos). He also makes vegetable Shawarmas. They taste awesome too
Is that the guy from Arabian Knights, when they were in Marine Drive? Man they just learn for a while then spring up everywhere else!
^ He was in Arabian Knights and then AlTarbush Hillstreet… so cannot complain on their Shawarmas - too good I'd say!
@aimless no mate guess you've mistaken, I know the chef personally he's worked in Lebanon for over 10 years and that's why Arabian knights employed him… He's an expert in shawarmas even before Arabian knights was born :) but unfortunately they took an age to relocate
Errr that due couldn't wrap a sandwich when he came to Arabian Knights. The Syrian chef at the time swore that if he ever dies, he would die of a heart attack because of this dudes slow speed and lack of hand-eye coordination. Of course with time everyone learns and then become ungrateful!
I bought chicken biriyani and shawarma from this place last week. When I saw the cook I was hesitant but anyway I decided to buy. Chicken buriyani was good. Rice was perfectly cooked so was the chicken. Shawarma was also good. I thought he had done a pretty good job.
This place is disgusting. There was rubbish on the floor, and dirty dishes piled up on the counters. We even saw a cockroach on top of the biriyani pot. One of the waiters used a rag to trap it, and then used that same rag to wipe the area the shawarmas were made on.
Avoid at all costs!!!
Their Biriyani not bad, but BBQ chicken and Dolphin very unsatisfied. Acually that was not BBQ. They cheating custemers.
please be aware that they are serving shawarmas with rotten chicken as i noticed they keep the doner chiken for days…… tonight they served shawarama with rotten chicken….
3/5
Princelavan
The man who made the delicious shawarma was missing in kebabish during our recent visits and shawarmas were horrible. We Spotted him in "Rich Bombay Sweets" (galle road Dehiwala. Next to dominos). He also makes vegetable Shawarmas. They taste awesome too
3/5
SHS
We had biriyani from Kebabish on Sunday and it certainly tasted good, but the cleanliness was suspect as there were flies buzzing around despite the insectocutor installed and the place could really do with the floor being mopped and cleaned!