Caspian Kabob

Portland, United States

4.7

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 503-381-7803
Website:
www.kabobpdx.com
Address:
1003 SW Alder St, Portland, OR, 97205
at SW Alder and 10th Ave
Southwest Portland, Downtown
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
100 ftSouthwest 10th & Alder
250 ftSouthwest 11th & Alder
310 ftGalleria/Southwest 10th Avenue
Categories:
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Divey
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
No
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
No
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
Yes
Waiter Service
No
Caters
Yes

Today

Today 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Portland) 6:20 AM Thursday, May 22, 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 4:00 pm
Saturday –
Sunday –

Description

Specialties

Caspian Kabob specializes in Persian food cooked by an Iranian-​American: grilled kabobs with saffron rice, warm pita, or fresh salad. On occasion, this food cart also offers other Persian specials and doner kabob.

History

Established in 2013.

When Victor immigrated from Iran to the U.S. in 2000 to be with his American bride, he missed the rich flavors of the kabobs served on the streets of his hometown on the Caspian Sea. He began trying to replicate the recipes from his mom’s kitchen and his hometown streets.

Over the years, his wife’s family looked forward to get-​togethers in anticipation of the aromas and flavors of Victor’s grilled meats, steamed basmati rice, and freshly chopped salads. They encouraged him to start a food cart, but such opportunities were limited in Manhattan. In 2013, a move to Portland changed his fate, and Victor is happy to now share his Persian culture with the Rose City.

Food — like all other expressions of beauty and love — transcends religions and politics. Caspian Kabob aims to promote cultural understanding through culinary taste.

Meet the Business Owner

Victor D.

Business Owner

Victor lives to eat and to cook. He is never happier than when he is feeding people.

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20 reviews of Caspian Kabob

No registration required
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
$ 12 for a combo plate with the lamb and chicken kabob and tons of food. You can choose rice, salad, or pita. I must have missed the rush because the food is amazing, fresh and there was no line. The owner threw in his house made hot sauce which went really great with the lamb.
Place rating: 4
Boston, MA
Had the kabob combo with rice, which has the kubideh (ground beef and lamb) and chicken kabob. The cooking is on point, meat is so moist and juicy, especially the kubideh. They’re like mini hamburgers cooked to perfection and I could really taste the lamb flavor but it was still a little bland for me, I was expecting more flavor and spice.
I think I liked the chicken kabobs more. The seasoning that’s sprinkled on top is magical, so good! Chicken is very tender and juicy.
Rice is fluffy and delicious, paired perfectly with the meat. The cool yogurt sauce it scrumptious too! So fresh and creamy, even tastes awesome with the meat.
They really do have the freshest and best quality kabobs here, pick this place in Portland’s aisle of food truck heaven if you’re craving kabobs.
Place rating: 4
Portland, OR
I had the chicken due to them being out of everything else. Reached them around closing time. so I tried it anyway. Generously seasoned and done just right. I’ll be back again.
Place rating: 5
West Linn, OR
Food is incredible, and the owner is a very warm gentleman. I also made some special requests around getting more salad instead of pita, picking up at a certain time, and he made sure to honor all of those requests without charging extra or making it seem like a pain. I’ll definitely be back!
Place rating: 5
Tacoma, WA
What a treat! My husband and I both had the kubideh with pita– some of the best we’ve ever had! And the gentleman owner was kind and provided great conversation. It’s now one of our have-​to-​visit spots in Portland.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Caspian Kabob’s Kofte Kabob (Kubideh) and Chicken Kabob on Salad are two of my favorite dishes here. With the dearth of Persian food in Portland, Viktor has brought food from his home country to the northwest. He truly takes pride in his craft and produces some of the best Persian street food. How can you say no to perfectly grilled, tender, juicy, chopped beef, chicken and lamb?
Place rating: 2
Beaverton, OR
Seeing many 5 star reviews for this place was tempted to try this but was disappointed with what we had. We got the Veggie kabobs with rice and a skewer of the Chicken Kebab. The veggie kebabs were nothing special and the rice that came with it definitely needed salt and was too bland and lacked flavor. The chicken kebab skewer was just so so and also was less on salt. The food was bland and that was a turn-​off for me.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Beef/​Lamb Kabob salad. The meat was juicy, tender and well-​seasoned. Quality that you can taste. I didn’t have the Gyro-​looking item, but it’s essentially the salad but with pita bread, so I know it’s probably delicious too. This place knows what they’re doing. I hope the stay.
There are like 10 Kabob-​middle-​eastern-​Gyro-​type of places in this foodcart pod. Most of them have that old-​looking ground grey meat on a spit that rotates. This place is NO such thing. The meat is legit and is made by a man named, Victor, who is the real deal.
We were here at 12:30PM on a sunny friday. The line was really short and food took about 10 minutes. Come here before it gets crazy, because it will.
Place rating: 5
Boise, ID
Victor and his food are the best! Kubideh salad is where it is at!
Place rating: 4
Portland, OR
Great food cart pumping out quality, made-​to-​order, food. I got the Caspian Kabob — one chicken and one veggie kabob — I got it over salad and it comes with pita on the side. Opted for the yogurt sauce on the side too, which is a dollar extra, but not to be missed!
Not one of the speedier carts, but also they were pretty busy — 7 people had orders ahead of me (a testament to how great the food is). I suggest that if you are in a hurry to ask how many orders are ahead of you before placing your own.
But give it a try! Fresh and delicious ingredients! Chicken cooked to perfection, a nice blend of seasonings, and the veggies were nicely charred. Get your kabob fix here!
Place rating: 5
Kirkland, WA
The only authentic Persian food that you can have in Portland.
Go with Koobideh with rice seasoning with Saffron. Mast o Khiar and Salad Shirazi.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
We stayed in Portland last summer and I got to try Caspian Kabob a few times. During the months I was away, I would dream of this place, salivating thinking about the doner and kubideh kebob — it’s really that good.
Victor, the owner, is a great guy and takes pride in his craft. Every Monday and Wednesday, he makes doner the hard way, by stacking the meat by hand — a 2 – 3 hour process. If you want it done right, this is the way to do it, and you can taste the difference.
Now that we’re back in Portland for awhile, I will be eating here weekly.
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I am happy I decided to try this food truck. The kubideh kebob is a must! It was really juicy. I am usually not a big fan of lamb but the lamb and beef kebob was delicious!
Note: do not travel to Portland in January but if you do you must try this food truck.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
There are places where the food is good or cheap or the service is good. Its rare to come across a place where you find all three rolled together.
Caspian kabob is one of those rare gems where you would find exceptionally good Iranian food. The doner kabob, available on Wednesdays, had a wonderful blend of different tastes topped with flavorful meat. The fact that it is marinated for 24 hrs really shows. I also had a sample of kubideh (beef n lamb kabob served over rice) after the diner kabob and surprising it was able to top off the already wonderful doners. The kabob was soft juicy and well seasoned.
The portion sizes for the different items are good and the prices are very reasonable. In addition, Victor makes you feel welcome and it was nice chatting with him. A great experience at possibly one of the best food carts in PDX.
Place rating: 5
San Jose, CA
Best Persian food I have had in Portland, extra points for pulling it all off in a food truck: Portland style, along with very friendly service. Definitely worth trying.
I have been wanting to go to this cart for a while but as it is open only on weekdays it has been hard for me to make it. But, this holiday season this small wish of mine also got granted.
The food: was amazing. We had the Donner kabob in a pita with some veggies and hot sauce. The meat was very flavorful and it tasted different, read good different, than what I have had at other places. The donner meat is the Turkish influence on this Persian cuisine. We also had a taste of the Kubideh kabob, mix of beef and lamb, and it was a perfect example of how a good kabob should taste. It was juicy inside but still well cooked and very well flavored.
The service: was excellent too. We reached while it was raining and it was a slow day overall. So the owner talked with us for a while explained his philosophy of only serving food that he considered good to his customers. His expression of joy achieved through serving food to others made the whole experience even more fulfilling.
A must try food truck in Portland.
Place rating: 5
Portland, OR
Taste: 4 stars. I got the Caspiab kabob, which is a chicken plus a veggie skewer. It’s good, and probably the best I’ve had in Portland, but if you’ve lived in NYC or even DC, you’ll know it ain’t the best. Dude in front of me swore by the rice and I’m just like, «it’s rice». And it was. The best part of the experience was not having my taste buds destroyed by a salt bomb, which happens too often with kabobs. Everything was flavorful and fresh. I do think the marinade could use a little more salt, but that’s my pref.
Everything else: 5 stars. Portions are generous. Service is outstanding. Truck is clean.
Looking forward to trying the kubideh: his best seller.
Place rating: 5
Louisville, KY
I was pretty sure I had died and gone to heaven when I ate at Caspian Kabob’s food cart.
I ordered the Kubideh plate with basmati rice and a cucumber and tomato salad. It was perfection! The kabob was juicy and flavorful, and the rice went perfectly with the sauce they served alongside. The portions are HUGE. Lots of amazing food for a very reasonable price.
The service was so friendly. You could definitely tell that the owner has such a passion for the food he serves and business he runs. He was doing the cooking himself and just looked so happy! I hope we get to return one day when we visit Portland again!
Place rating: 5
Orange, CA
Amazing and delicious. Loved it. Tender chicken which was flavorful. Super friendly service. Only downside was that it was slow to come out. Otherwise it tasted super fresh.
Place rating: 5
Owensboro, KY
Caspian Kabob is an excellent middle eastern food truck. I got the Kubideh Kabob on a pita. The kabob was AMAZING! It was juicy and flavorful. The salad that came on the pita with it was very refreshing. The pita itself seemed very fresh and delicious.
The service was really good. The employees were very friendly. You could definitely tell they have a great passion for their food even in the limited interaction you have with them.
The best part was the value. You get a lot of delicious food for a very reasonable price ($ 7.95 for the Kubideh).
Place rating: 5
Redmond, WA
Victor happened to open his stand this long weekend so we were lucky that we had a chance to taste such great food in Portland! I ordered the minced beef and lamb kabob wrapped in pita bread.
It smelt so good when Victor was preparing the kabob, and the pita wrap was very pretty. I can’t resist the urge of stopping in the middle of the street to take a picture for this pita because it looks so vivid under Portland’s grey sky! Victor is such an artistic cook who arranged the food like a piece of art. Grilled red tomato cut into pieces laying on top of kabob. Purple onions, green herbs and veggies sprinkle on top.
The kabob tasted just as great as it looks. Grilled to perfect, very juicy. Everything is very fresh and delicious. Definitely will visit again next time in Portland!