FOOD REVIEW: Kabobs Rule at the Grill Hut

Based on the recommendation of a friend, my husband and I visited The Grill Hut restaurant this week. They offer, “delicious fresh shish kabob dishes cooked on a pure mesquite charcoal grill.”

Located at 27020 Alicia Pkwy., in Laguna Niguel, the restaurant is very small. Customers order at the counter from a large menu on the wall, and then the food is brought to the table. There is just room for a couple of tables inside, but luckily there is a large, pretty patio outside with plenty of places to eat. The patio is shared by several restaurants in the immediate area, but the night we were there, it was not hard to find a table.

The menu is concise. Appetizers include hummus and pita bread, maust’ khiar (plain yogurt and chopped cucumbers served on pita bread), shirazai salad (chopped tomatoes and cucumbers mixed in olive oil and lemon juice) and green salad. The entrée salad, is made of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, walnuts, feta cheese, and can be topped with steak, chicken or fish. Wraps can be made with hummus, ground beef, chicken or fish.

Of course, the kabobs are the star of the menu. They can be made with ground beef, veggies, chicken, steak and fish. Peppers and onions can be added for $1.49. Kabobs are served with basmati rice, green salad and pita bread. The low carb version replaces the rice and pita bread with additional salad or grilled tomatoes. I chose the steak kabob and my husband chose the chicken, and we headed out to the patio.

The eating area is pleasant, with a large fountain in the center and lots of seating options available. We had plenty of time to enjoy it, because it did take quite awhile for the food to be brought to us. Our plates looked pretty when they arrived. We both thought that the steak and chicken were tender and flavorful and well prepared. While the rice and salad looked attractive, both seemed to lack flavor. We were served a cup of salad dressing with our meal, but I found it to be a little heavy and bland.

Overall, even though the steak and chicken were good, we thought the rest of the meal was lacking. I also found the service to be a little underwhelming. Our two entrees and two soft drinks cost more than $23. However, the night we visited, we saw many people coming to pick up their orders. So, perhaps, it just was not our cup of tea. The Grill Hut is open for lunch and dinner.

I give the Grill Hut 2 ½ Patches out of 5.