Naseem’s Bakery & Kabob

3.5 popular lunch spot for the qualcomm crowd. chicken kabobs are smoked nicely but the wrap (lavash is a bit skimpy inside), thus recommend the plate instead.

Bland. Lots of better options around.

Was on business in the area and had a craving for Persian food for lunch… researching Unilocal I found this place and decided to give it a try. I grew up in SoCal eating Persian food and I feel like it’s as much Californian to have good Persian food as any other Asia food that is so good and popular here. I am used to the cuisine of Darya and Caspian in Orange County, and Shamshiri in LA. I wanted to order but was first surprised to see no Salmon, and all the kabobs are ground meat except for chicken… Koobideh style. I decided to order the chicken kabob plate with an extra lamb kabob skewer. When I got the food I thought the portion size was good, and the presentation was ok. However after «wolfing» it down because I was crazy hungry, here is what I thought…
The basmati rice looked like left overs… was not bright white, hot and fluffy
The salad was small, boring, with an uninteresting dressing
The chicken, which was the better of the two skewers was just ok and definitely not traditional Persian
The lamb skewer had no taste and was terrible.
I asked for a slice of lemon for my bottle water what I bought and the cook said they are out of lemons and offered me lemon juice… really?
The typical grilled tomato was a half of a tomato poorly grilled
I finished with a double expresso, which tasted like it came from a cheap coffee pod machine.
I tried to order sparkling water with my meal and they did not have. Just Soda. This place markets itself as a starbuck’s kind of café also… but the pasties did not look appetizing.
Bottom line is this place lacks the quality and interest of the typical good Persian restaurants I have come to be used to between LA and OC. It’s much more of a fast food place. Maybe this is how the new generation of Persians in SoCal do it, but it’s shameful to have a Persian restaurant in SoCal and serve such bad food. Bad Middle Eastern food can be found on the east coast and mostly in Detroit… but Persian food in SoCal is supposed to be awesome! My suggestions to the owners is to take a good look and decide what business they are in… because if you are going to open a Persian restaurant or Café in SoCal, you need to do all the Persians in SoCal justice and represent your traditions well. One more thing… Persians restaurant always have a «classyness» about them… this place felt so far removed from that. The cooks, which can be seen from the dinning area were not wearing any hairnet, but from a distance, the kitchen seemed relatively clean and organized.
So here is the problem… as I write this review my stomach is gurgling like crazy… which usually happens if the cuisine is not fresh or clean. I am speculating though…
Please Naseem Café… clean up your act and make the Persians of SoCal proud!!!
Good food from any country just relies on two criteria… FRESH (ingredients) and CLEAN (preparation and handling).
I guess most people have been rating this place well because San Diego does not have many or any good Persian restaurants to compare it too… or maybe their frame of reference is Starbucks/​McDonalds?

They weren’t lying about the cream puffs! I went to Naseem’s last week for a quick latte break and got a chai latte and a cream puff — both were awesome! The latte was creamy and perfectly sweetened, and the cream puff filling was nice and light. The lady at the counter was super friendly and really passionate about baking, and it shows in those cream puffs! My colleague also highly recommends their skewer plates, so I’ll definitely be back for lunch or dinner soon!

We stopped by the TESLA charging station and were hungry. Had 45 minutes to kill for a full charge and went onto Unilocal to check out some local eats! Landed here in-​between Sushi and Indian. We hit it right and the Unilocal reviews were great. We asked to have a Lamb Kebab on salad (no carbs) and they delivered. The lamb actually tasted like real lamb and had a special yougurt sauce with cucumber (kinda like Tzatziki) but the Iranian version. Great service, smile on their face and ready to deliver!

After moving to the area we chanced upon Naseem’s. Food was excellent. The kebab dishes are a winner. Comes with a nice salad and rice. Service is great. They even brought our dog water, even after he barked at the waitress. Our favorite place to grab lunch in the Sorrento area! We keep coming back.

Found this restaurant on Unilocal and figured I’d give it a try. I order the lamb plate (ground lamb, rice, salad, and tomato) and a cream puff. While I wasn’t blown away by the lamb, I absolutely fell in love with the cream puff! Seriously guys the best cream puff I’ve ever had. So light and fluffy, great balance. I loved it so much I came back a few days later to grab a few more and also tried their «éclair». It was amazing too! Same incredible shell, dark chocolate, and the filling… Omg to die for. It was like soft vanilla bean gelato but really it was cream. Mind blown. Desserts are a must try!

The food here is amazing. And the best little gem is the coffee. I would prefer to go here over Starbucks.
Everyone that works here is very nice. Love coming here for lunch

I tried Naseem’s Bakery & Kabob for the first time today and all I can say is I’ll definitely come here again! I ordered the lamb wrap and it didn’t take too long for the food to come out. The lamb is made to order, and you can watch the chef cook in the kitchen. The lamb was very flavorful, and I’m glad I got the mild and not spicy because it was already spicy enough for my taste.
The wrap was very light, which I enjoyed a lot! It isn’t your normal wrap and is wrapped with this special bread that I believe they make themselves. It was pretty filling for me even though it was just the wrap, but if you’re a big eater, I would suggest going with the Lamb Kabob plate.
The place itself is very tiny. Only about 20 people can actually physically sit and eat inside at a time, however they do have a couple tables outside if it’s a nice day that you can enjoy the sunny California weather and your meal simultaneously.

when we visit a place we make sure we dont come to the same place twI had to break the rule with this restaurent. We were in San diego for a week and in first few days i stumbled upon this gem. I had one of the best Mediterranean in USA. So i ordered the mocha and veg kabab platter and humus plate. Humus was the best consistency and beautifully presented. But that was nothing in comparison to the veg kabab platter which was superemly beautiful and very tasty.
What makes this a special place beside the good food and casual ambience is the staff. They are always smiling, very friendly. she greeted me and my son as if we know each other and have been old friends and talked with the same ease. Actually there was always laughter around, it was a special place.
And so i broke my rule and came back to the place before leaving and had the exact same experience :)

Chicken Kabob is a favorite here and it lives up to the hype — tender and flavorful.
The puff pastries are something special and especially nice with a latte.
They care about their customers and it shows in their service and their food.

Hole in the wall Mediterranean place. After a long long time ate an utterly delicious chicken panini. My taste buts and the memory just can’t get over the taste of it. Just the right combination of the cheese and mustard along with the chicken pieces. The panini was filled just about decently for it to not fall apart and was nicely packed and presented in two halves. Easy to hold and eat while talking to friends.
Another friend of mine ordered a chicken kabob platter. Which was also cooked go perfection and great in taste.

No way Naseem’s is a 4.5 stars. I have had beef kabebs a few times here and it was okay. Wasn’t juicy enough, kinda dry and bland.
There is just not enough restaurants in the area, but don’t lower your standard! If you want kabebs, drive a few more miles to Grill House Café in Miramar, best kabebs in the area!

This place has its unquiness — a very cozy café-​styled bakery shop in the center of all the business buildings. They have tables and couch for you to hang out with friends. The lighting is great, especially after a day sitting in the office, you will find comfort sipping a cup of tea here.
I ordered lamb kabob and the famous cream puff. Yum yum. With the price of 8 dollars for a kabob wrap, it’s worth every penny. The wrap is filled with a giant kabob, it’s defiantly a good portion of protein. The cream puff… absolutely a must-​try. The puffiness of the shell is filled with loads and loads of cream! You won’t even see an airy bubble in the shell, oh yes, it is that filling!
Price is very fair, lunch could be in an average of 9 to 10 dollars. Their servers are friendly and efficient too. Highly recommended this place. #famouscreampuff #sorrentovalleykabob

My Persian coworker introduced me to this place. I’ve never had «Persian» food but have had similar cuisines. It’s a small little restaurant with nice décor which makes it cozy. Staff is friendly and courteous. So far I’ve had the Chicken Kabob Plate and the Beef Kabob Plate. Each plate comes with a kabob, rice, salad, and roasted tomato. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised! Everything was delicious. I’ve had different types of kabobs throughout my life and none has ever impressed me till Naseem’s. Especially the chicken kabob — fresh tasting, plump, juicy chicken breast grilled to perfection. The rice was cooked nice and fluffy with a bit of saffron. They have this seasoning (at each table) that I use on the rice to give it a slight tanginess — try it! I just wish I knew what it was called. For $ 8.99 it was a decent amount of food and I clean the plate every single time!
It was recommended that I try their cream puff. Now, let me tell you I don’t like the typical cream, whipped cream, frosting, etc. But their cream puff surprised me also. It was big sized cream puff, like the size of my hand, and the cream was not overly sweet and the texture was super fluffy. They DO NOT skimp out on the cream! It probably takes up 90% of the whole puff. Pretty darn good even for me who don’t typically like this type of dessert.
Overall, great restaurant. Good quality food that taste fantastic. It’s located near the Qualcomm campus so it gets pretty busy around noon (Mon-​Fri). Naseem’s is definitely on my rotation of lunch places around Sorrento Valley and I can’t wait to try their other dishes.

I was in town for a work related training so we decided to eat at Naseem’s after a lengthy discussion. We found parking easily in the strip mall and walked over to the bakery/​café. The place is pretty small. Our group of 8 wasn’t sure if we’d have enough seating but the lady behind the counter assured us that tables would open up when the food was ready. We ended up splitting our group in half and sat at two different tables but it wasn’t a big deal. We ordered at the counter. Upon asking what the most popular dishes were, we were informed the lamb kabob and beef kabob dishes. I ordered the beef kabob and a cream puff while my coworkers also put in their orders. The cashier asked if I wanted the cream puff out with the entrée or after, so I opted for after my meal. They utilize an iPad ordering system which is pretty cool.
Our entrees came out shortly after. There was a long skewer of ground beef, rice pilaf with saffron rice, salad, and a roasted tomato. It was a hearty meal to say the least. I could have easily finished it all in one sitting but opted to save some to bring home for dinner. The beef had a slight gamey taste probably due to being cooked on the same grill as lamb but it wasn’t overpowering. I did try the lamb which my coworker ordered, and it was good too. She also had the chocolate éclair which had a vanilla cream inside of it. My cream puff was sliced in half for me for ease of eating. It was light and fluffy. Delicious! Everything was really good. I wasn’t sure if they had a bathroom for customers but my coworker did inquire and she was told that we could use the one in the back of the kitchen. It was really nice of them to allow us to use it because it’s only accessible by going through the kitchen and there’s only one unisex stall. Again, really amazing service. If you’re in the area and you’re in the mood for Persian food, check out Naseem’s Bakery & Kabob.

Came here for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. I wanted the beef kabob plate, but they were sold out, so I went with the chicken instead.
Perhaps it was a mixed blessing that the beef was sold out, because the chicken was fantastic! This was probably one of the best chicken kabobs that I’ve ever had! Unlike other «Mediterranean» establishments that serve overcooked and dried out chicken bits, this was immensely flavorful and moist.
Next time I’ll have to save room for one of their cream puffs. They do look fantastic!

If I ever go back to that part of San Diego (Mira Mesa), I am definitely going back here! It’s near a lot of business buildings but in the plaza it’s located, there are a lot of restaurant variety!
As soon as you walk into this place, it feel so inviting, and intimate. It’s not big but enough to make you want to stay. The lady who helped us, was extremely nice, warm and friendly. I think they have a big lunch rush but during dinner time it seemed to be a little slow.
We got the (2) spring salads– and you can put any type of meat, chormeh sabzi stew. I wish we had room to try their pastries because it looked delicious. Without any meat, the spring salad is 6.99 and their portions are BIG! The ingredients tasted fresh and amazing. I had left over and it still tasted great the next day!
I had an americano to go and it was good– not the best but hey, it was good enough for what I needed!
I’m definitely going back to try their pastries.

I came here for lunch, and I am so happy I chose this place over all the other places around! I got the chicken plate, and it was very good. Rice was perfectly cooked, chicken seasoned well, and the salad was fresh. My friend got the lamb and it looked very tender (didn’t taste it). They were pretty fast so I imagine it works well for all the Qualcomm folk in the area!
It took me all of 5 seconds to take down that cream puff. I will definitely be going back for more, but my wallet won’t be happy since they are over $ 3 each! :(

I’ve been here a few more times since my first review and I can say that service was better. A lot nicer, calm, and more observant.
The food however, it’s still okay. The first time I ordered the Lamb and this time I ordered the beef and I’m just as disappointed that it’s all ground meat. With a lot of rice. The rice tastes delicious and buttery but it’s a little basic.
Unless you request more, your kabob meal is simply ground meat and rice with a side salad. And with a total coming out after tax to 10 $ and some change… I wish there were more.
The wraps are really good. I tried one and it was a little better and very flavorful. Def try one instead of the kabob plate.