There are restaurants you visit because they are having a moment, and then there are restaurants you find because you are hungry and leave wondering why you had not heard of them sooner.
Maryam Persian Kebab House belongs to the second category.
sometimes, it is just a generous plate of kebab on a busy Quezon City road.
An Unpretentious Gem on Kamias Road
Along Kamias Road in Quezon City, the Persian restaurant offers the kind of dining experience that feels refreshingly removed from the polished, algorithm-approved world of trendy restaurants. There is no need for a dramatic entrance or a menu engineered for Instagram. The appeal is simpler: grilled meat, fragrant rice, warm bread and food that arrives with the unmistakable promise of comfort.
Located along Kamias Road, Maryam serves a menu that stretches well beyond the usual shawarma-and-rice formula. Beef, chicken, lamb and fish make appearances, alongside hummus, motabal, samosas, salads, biryani and several styles of kebab.
Atmosphere and Ambiance
The first impression is not one of fussiness.
Maryam has a homey, casual character that suits its food. The atmosphere feels relaxed and welcoming, with the sort of setting that encourages diners to settle in rather than rush through a meal.
That informality is part of the charm.
Walk in hungry and the experience quickly becomes about what is happening on the table. Plates arrive with mounds of rice, grilled meats and vegetables arranged with the practical generosity of a meal meant to be eaten rather than photographed. There is something almost old-school about it: sit down, order what sounds good, and let the food take over.
Classic Kebabs and Shawarma
The menu’s Chelo offerings are a natural place to start. The Chelo Kobedeh comes with two sticks of beef kabab, buttered rice and grilled tomato and onion. The Chelo Kabab pairs beef kabab with beef tenderloin, rice and the same smoky vegetables. There is also a Mixed Chelo for anyone who cannot decide between beef and chicken.
These are not tiny tasting portions. They are the kind of plates that make you pause when they land on the table.
The beef shawarma is another popular choice, available as a sandwich, on a plate or over rice. The latter comes with fluffy rice and sliced vegetables, creating the sort of no-nonsense comfort meal that makes sense for lunch, dinner or a late-night craving.
Adventurous Dishes and Menu Variety
Then the menu takes a turn for the adventurous.
There is ox tongue in mushroom sauce, grilled beef liver, beef liver with tomato and onion, and ox brain. The presence of these dishes gives Maryam a wider culinary vocabulary than a typical kebab stop. For the curious diner, it is an invitation to move beyond the familiar. For everyone else, the shawarma and kebabs are perfectly happy to play it safe.
The restaurant’s chicken selection is equally broad, including chicken kebab, chicken shawarma, chicken barbecue, biryani and Chicken Chelo Morgh. Lamb chops are available with either jasmine or basmati rice.
The Appeal Beyond the Trend
For Gen Z diners accustomed to chasing the next viral restaurant, Maryam offers a different kind of flex. The flex is knowing a place before everyone else does. It is ordering something unfamiliar, tearing into warm pita, mixing rice with grilled meat and garlic sauce, and realizing that a memorable meal does not always arrive with a minimalist interior or a carefully staged neon sign.
Sometimes, it is just a generous plate of kebab on a busy Quezon City road.
And honestly, that is more than enough.
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