City Kabob House

City Kabob in Arlington, VA is well-regarded for its flavorful, generously portioned Pakistani cuisine, friendly service, and a value-focused buffet that appeals to both locals and new visitors.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 4

I am really embarrassed about last visit at 15th November. I had to give at least one star to submit the review, but honestly it deserves zero.
We were a group of five people and ordered food worth around $150. The problems started from the very beginning. They served chicken pakoda as an appetizer, but it was basically tender-style fried chicken with very little meat. I still thought maybe it was normal and didn’t say anything.
Then the horrible experience continued.
We ordered four main courses. First, they gave us cheap and dirty plates. When we asked for new ones, they brought clean glass plates — so why they served dirty and different plates in the first place, I don’t understand.
None of the food was hot. Even the naan was cold and so hard that we had to struggle just to tear it. The rice and naan were both terrible. The lamb kadai was full of fat with only three or four tiny pieces of meat — I have never seen anything like that anywhere. The chicken kebab was also not properly cooked.
The worst part happened at the end. When we asked for the check, the waitress brought the Clover machine and told us the prices on the menu were wrong because the menu was four years old. Then she charged us the new prices without informing us earlier. That was extremely embarrassing. They later offered a 10% discount, but I declined because after so many issues, saving $14 didn’t matter anymore.
One or two things can go wrong sometimes, but here everything was disappointing.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Assalamualaikum alaikum to the Muslim family that work here who pay zakat and look out for the homeless and misfortunate

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I normally don’t leave reviews, but this really bothered me and I think people should know.
I ordered two dishes, each around $14.95, so my total was about $29. Everything seemed fine at the time. A month later, I was looking through my bank statement and noticed two charges on the same day — one that matched my $29 order, and another random charge for about $26.
I called the restaurant before going there, and the guy on the phone responded like we had already talked about this before. It honestly made me feel like maybe someone else had the same problem, because that was my first time calling them. It felt weird.
When I went in to clear things up, the guy told me the $29 I originally paid was a “mistake” because they had recently updated their prices and the same dishes were now $37. But here’s the thing: I ordered when the price was $29, so that should’ve been the price I paid. You can’t raise the price after someone already ate the food. That just doesn’t make sense.
Even after I showed him both charges on my bank statement, it didn’t help. He only gave me $20 back, and the whole time he was acting rude and kind of implying that maybe I had ordered more food and was trying to get money back. That really annoyed me because I know what I ordered.
He also asked me for the original paper receipt… but honestly, who keeps a food receipt for a month? Most people throw it out the same day.
And what really pushed me over the edge was when he got loud with me in front of other customers. It was embarrassing and unnecessary. When I asked to speak with a manager, he just said, “There’s no manager, I’m the manager,” in a really dismissive tone.
I’m not trying to attack the restaurant. I’m just sharing exactly what happened to me so other people can double-check their charges. I really hope they improve their customer service and how they handle billing issues.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

Service: 1

Came to try the lunch buffet and everything was great! The veggie biriyani was delicious as well as the tandoori chicken.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great buffet experience. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. For a buffet, I would say they are serving really good food for the price. Great options overall. The gentleman who served us was also very kind and seemed professional. Good luck to the team.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The chicken combo was great! The person who took our order was very nice, food is quality and great prices. Will be coming by more often

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The food was awesome.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great food

I love Indian food,
Let me begin by saying there is nothing Indian in here. If you’d like to order chicken kabobs, you’re fine.

I ordered chicken korma. This is supposed to be thicker due to cashew and little heavy cream. The color isn’t completely red. More creamier. Their chicken korma was just tomato based soup loaded with oil, I had to dump the oil floating on the top. Mostly use chicken thigh. They had used chicken breast and it was pretty dry.

Let’s talk about naan, garlic naan had no garlic smell or flavor or pieces of garlic. Rice they provide on the side is spicy pulao, nothing else.

I don’t think so I’ll order here ever again. You can literally find better restaurant with much better price than this place.

They load up their most of their curry with oil.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 2

We've been here twice for takeout. Each time we were impressed. Butter chicken chicken kebobs, vegetables...and the rice and naan l, which some places I relook, were delicious. And staff has always been welcoming. Sorry, no pictures, well open the containers and straight dig in! Maybe on our next visit.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Butter Chicken, Boneless Chicken Kabob, Bone in Chicken Kabob

Good service

I almost forgot to leave a review here but I wanted to be sure I did. My mom and I came here after the Chris Brown concert Wednesday night so it was pretty late, definitely after midnight. The employees were kind and our server was very helpful with our questions! The food was delicious, well sized portions and perfectly seasoned! The manager on duty let us know its been under new management I believe a year and a half he said and you can truly tell they care about their food quality and making sure their customers are happy! You don't see that often anymore and I wanted to be sure to say how great they were. Thank you for the great food and service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This cozy and very homely place right in the heart of Columbia Pike is perfect spot to dine in with your friends and family. Let me start with their Samosa Chaat which was truly so good I devoured it even though I'm not a fan of Samosa Chaat neither Chickpeas. We tried their Chicken Kadhai as our Entrée with Chickpeas and Naan bread as sides. Everything was absolutely delicious. The Garlic bread were so soft and bursting with flavor. The chicken kadhai wasn't overwhelmed with loads of spices or greasy at all. Everything tasted like home cooked food with lots of love. So simple yet packed with flavor. The place is run by an amazingly sweet family and their hospitality was unmatched. Last but not least their special Chai ( milk tea ) is a must after the meal. Will definitely go back to try their Kabobs which I heard so many good things about! A heartfelt Thanks to the whole team for a wonderful experience. Wish you the very best 💕

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I ordered butter chicken with white rice I received an old disgusting look chicken and yellow rice that is awful. Pls avoid going there food poisoning.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1