Two plates account for most of the lunch orders at Mediterranean Grill House on Castro Street, and they could not be more different in how they are cooked. Chicken shawarma is marinated, stacked, roasted slowly and shaved thin. Kofta kebab is ground beef and lamb, seasoned, pressed onto a skewer and charbroiled. Both come as a plate with rice and two sides, and both come as a wrap. This guide explains the difference, who each one suits, and how to build the plate once you have chosen.
How the two meats are cooked
Shawarma is the vertical roast. Marinated chicken is stacked on a spit and cooked slowly, then shaved off in thin pieces as it browns. The menu describes the Chicken Shawarma Plate as tender shredded chicken, slowly roasted. The outside is caramelised, the inside stays moist, and the pieces are small and loose, which is why shawarma works so well in a wrap.
Kofta kebab is the grill. The menu lists it as seasoned ground beef and lamb, formed on a skewer and cooked over the charbroiler. It arrives as one or two long, browned skewers’ worth of meat with a soft, juicy centre and the kind of char you only get from an open grill.
Chicken Shawarma: shaved, roasted, mild
Order the Chicken Shawarma Plate if:
- You want chicken, and you want it to taste roasted rather than grilled
- You like a plate you can mix: the shaved pieces fold into rice and hummus easily
- You are ordering for someone who prefers mild food; shawarma is seasoned, not hot
- You want the yogurt sauce. The wrap version comes with lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles and yogurt sauce, and the plate pairs well with the Cucumber Yogurt Salad as one of its sides
Menu card — Chicken Shawarma Plate
Tender shredded chicken, slowly roasted, served with rice and your choice of two sides.
Order on the Mediterranean Grill House menu
Kofta Kebab: ground, charbroiled, rich
Order the Kofta Kebab Plate if:
- You want red meat; it is the beef-and-lamb option on the plate list
- You like char and smoke; the charbroiler is the whole point of kofta
- You are hungry: the Kofta Kebab Plate comes in Single Skewer and Double Skewer versions, so the portion scales
- You want the tahini sauce. The Kofta Kebab Wrap is dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and tahini, and tahini is the sauce that belongs next to lamb
Menu card — Kofta Kebab Plate – Single Skewer
Seasoned ground beef and lamb skewer, charbroiled, served with rice and your choice of two sides. Also available as a Double Skewer.
Order on the Mediterranean Grill House menu
Plate or wrap?
| Plate | Wrap | |
| Chicken Shawarma | Rice + two sides of your choice | Lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles, yogurt sauce |
| Kofta Kebab | Rice + two sides; single or double skewer | Lettuce, fresh tomatoes, onions, pickles, tahini sauce |
| Best for | Sitting down, or a pickup dinner | A fast Castro Street lunch on foot |
| Add-ons | Bag of Pita Bread, Red Lentil Soup | French Fries, Garlic Potatoes |
The plate is the better choice if you care about the sides, and on this menu the sides are half the reason to order a plate.
Choosing your two sides
Every plate comes with rice and your choice of two sides. The Sides list is long enough to make the choice matter:
- Cold, with shawarma: Cucumber Yogurt Salad (cucumber, yogurt, parsley) and Tabbouleh Salad (cracked wheat, parsley, mint, green onion, tomato, lemon and olive oil)
- Cold, with kofta: Hummus (garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon, garlic, olive oil, paprika) and Baba Ghanoush (smoked eggplant and tahini)
- Warm, with either: Garlic Potatoes, or Falafel if you want something crisp on the plate
- If you want something different: Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with rice), Kibbeh, or a Mediterranean Salad (cucumber, tomato, bell pepper and onion with the house dressing)
A reliable first order: Chicken Shawarma Plate with Hummus and Cucumber Yogurt Salad, or Kofta Kebab Plate with Baba Ghanoush and Tabbouleh Salad.
Can’t decide? The combo plates
Mediterranean Grill House has three plates that put both meats, or more, in front of you:
- Kebab Combo Plate — one chicken kebab skewer and one kofta kebab skewer, with rice and two sides
- Three Meat Combo Plate — one chicken kebab skewer, one kofta kebab skewer, and your choice of beef or chicken shawarma, with rice and one side. This is the only plate that gives you shawarma and kofta together.
- Lamb and Chicken Kebab Combo Plate — for the person who wants cubed lamb kebab rather than kofta
For children, the Kids Menu has a Kids Meat Combo Plate with rice, salad, hummus and a choice of chicken or beef shawarma.
The restaurant is at 650 Castro Street, Unit 110, in downtown Mountain View, a short walk from the Mountain View Caltrain station and the Castro Street restaurant blocks. Pickup and delivery run through the restaurant’s own ordering page, so a direct order reaches the kitchen without a delivery-app commission.
FAQ
Is the food at Mediterranean Grill House halal? Yes. The restaurant describes itself as the halal Mediterranean restaurant of downtown Mountain View.
What is the difference between shawarma and kofta? Shawarma is marinated meat roasted slowly on a spit and shaved thin. Kofta is seasoned ground meat formed on a skewer and charbroiled. At Mediterranean Grill House the shawarma is chicken or beef; the kofta is beef and lamb.
Which is milder, the chicken shawarma or the kofta kebab? The chicken shawarma. Kofta is richer because it is ground beef and lamb with more seasoning and grill char.
What comes with a plate? Rice and your choice of two sides from the Sides list, such as hummus, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, cucumber yogurt salad, garlic potatoes or falafel.
Is there a plate with both shawarma and kofta? Yes, the Three Meat Combo Plate: chicken kebab, kofta kebab and your choice of beef or chicken shawarma, with rice and one side.
Order your plate
Roasted and shaved, or ground and charbroiled. Pick one, pick two sides, and order it direct.
Order direct from Mediterranean Grill House for pickup or delivery
