LA’s Kabab & More is taking their tried and true family recipes that have stood the test of time and winning over the hearts of LA Mediterranean Food lovers with their phenomenal kebob and friendly customer service. We spoke with Marty Sookazian, manager, to learn about what makes their kabob so special, and he lets us in on his family’s trick to cooking Middle Eastern crispy rice that will have you fighting over who gets to devour the coveted rice at the bottom of the pan.

Foodies of Los Angeles love you! Why do you think they voted you Best Mediterranean?

We think it starts with using the freshest food—one bite and you can taste the freshness. Our meats are never frozen and we use the ripest ingredients we can find. We’re a family business, and my dad gets up every morning at 5 am to get everything ready every day—I really think our customers taste the difference.

We’ve been Kabab & More since 2001, but we’ve been in the kabob industry for over 60 years—so we’ve learned a few timeless tricks along the way. Since we’re a family business, whether our customers are picking food up at a pop-up or enjoying our catering, they all feel like family. We want our customers to feel like they’re at home eating a great meal.

Your menu draws inspiration back 60-years, tell us more.

Our menu comes from old family recipes from the 50s when my grandfather ran one of the most well-known restaurants in his county in Iran. Our food is simple, old school, healthy, and tasty.

What dish does LA go crazy for?

Definitely our Soltani Plate, a thinly sliced prime sirloin steak with ground beef or chicken, skewered and charbroiled to perfection. This comes paired with basmati rice, crisp salad, and grilled tomato. Our plates are a good choice for big appetites, and almost everyone who orders the Soltani Plate needs to get a takeout box—it’s a lot of food!

That sounds delicious! Is there an easy Mediterranean dish we can make at home?

We can’t share our 60-year old kabob recipe, but you’ll become obsessed with how my mom makes tadik, Middle Eastern crispy rice. Using a steel pot (it’s important to use steel), add olive oil on the bottom along with sliced onions and some saffron, then cook it on high. The saffron gives it the zing and the color that you won’t see at any other restaurant. A plain pot of rice is rarely suspect, but now you know about the prize of crispy deliciousness that’s hiding at the bottom.

What kinds of food trends are you seeing in LA?

Los Angeles is enjoying the healthy eating movement and people are being more conscious about what goes on their plate so they’re loading up on meat and fresh veggies and skipping the rice and heavier items. We grill everything here—nothing is fried, so we’re already offering our customers healthy options.

Does Kebab & More have any 2017 resolutions? 

Yes! We’re working on becoming the only kabob restaurant that offers all organic food. We’re investing a lot of time testing out our recipes with organic ingredients and working to get everything right. It’s a bigger challenge than we thought, so we’ll only release it when we get the taste right—we’re aiming for sometime this summer. We’re also talking about expanding to another location.

The foodies of LA have spoken and voted Kabab & More the Best Mediterranean Lunch in LA—Congratulations! This fresh-obsessed family-oriented eatery has won bragging rights and the top spot for their good food, good people, and good service.