Kabobs Indian - Best Lunch Deal in Downtown Minneapolis

[Jeremy Iggers]

Finally had a chance to check out the new Kabobs outpost in the 4th floor food court at Gaviidae II, 555 Nicollet Mall. I've long been a fan of the original Kabobs at 7814 Portland Av. in Bloomington, in spite of the dumpy strip mall setting and the complete lack of ambience. The selection is a bit smaller than in Bloomington, but still impressive - a wide variety of typical northern and Hyderabadi dishes, as well as south Indian specialties like dosas, pongal and idli.

For $4.99, you get a lunch tray piled high with just about anything you want, ranging from upma (semolina, vegetables and seasonings), tadka dal (spicy red lentils) and pongal (a savory rice dish) to meat and vegetable curries that change daily (when I visited, these included an okra curry, chicken in a rogan-josh style sauce, tandoori chicken, goat curry, chicken biryani and several more, as well as batura and roti breads, and a piece of gulab jamun (fried dumplings soaked in syrup for dessert. Even though there was far more food piled on my plate than I could possibly eat at a single sitting, I couldn't resist adding the lamb kabobs - two generous chunks of grilled marinated meat, for an additional $1.

The samosas, stuffed with potatoes or chicken, are also $1 a piece, and highly recommended. Originally, the downtown Kabobs only served their lunch items until 3 p.m., but they now offer their full menu until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. The ambience of the Gaviidae Food Court doesn't add much to the dining experience, but the next time I'm downtown, I'll stop by and pick up dinner to go.

[maryn]

Upma. That's hard-core.

[Benjamin Balling]

Good to know, I only live a few blocks from here. I'll definitely try it out soon!