by david b.

we ate here on the recommendation of a few friends. I had the beef kabob sandwich rare. pretty good stuff. the combo plates are huge. i enjoyed the rice and couldn't quite identify a few things on the plate. the veggies are grilled and have some good fresh flavor.  i will go back

by chad w.

I have eaten here several times.  The kabobs are great, and the meals have large portions.  The service is good, and the televisions playing mediteranian channels can be very entertaining.  Its in the business district, so it can be a little crowded at lunchtime.  If you are into smocking hookah then come by in the evening and enjoy a little hookah on the outside patio, it seems to be quite popular these days.

by Megan H.

Flame Skewers is our go-to restaurant. The food is great, it's reasonably priced, it's good for lunch and dinner. Go, you won't regret it! It's not fancy (you order at the counter; sandwiches come out wrapped in foil, meals come in Styrofoam boxes, salads come in clear plastic containers), but the food is better than you'd expect given the setup. Everything we've ordered has been delicious- I especially like the lamb kabob sandwich. They always ask me how I want it cooked, and they deliver on the medium-rare! Much appreciated. The chicken is a bit greasy (both the chicken shawarma sandwich and the chicken salad).The plate dinners are more substantial than the sandwiches, and come with a deliciously tart little salad, hummus, rice, pita, and charred onion and tomato as well as your kabob of choice (see picture). For variety, sometimes I substitute out the hummus (chickpea spread) for baba ghanouj (roasted eggplant spread), and they are always really nice about it.I've had similar meals at fancier restaurants (where the rice has a delicate saffron taste, or sour berries and almonds mixed in). However, those places cost twice as much and I think the kabobs here are just as good. If they had better hot sauce (am I crazy, or is it just Asian chili garlic sauce?) and tastier pitas, that would be good enough for me.I haven't tried the falafel yet- every time we come I start craving the lamb and it's over for the poor falafel. One of these times I'll stay strong and report back.Bako desperately needs more restaurants like Flame Skewers!

by adam b.

Excellent food at an excellent price. The shwarma, fries, and salad were all very tasty.  I eat this kind of food all the time at many different restaurants and this is one of my new favorites.  This place is definitely worth coming back.

by Michele M.

Not as good as Zankou Chicken in L.A. but for Bakersfield it's very passable. The portions are fairly large, my falafal were piping hot. I've been to both Bakersfield locations. The larger restaurant is on California Ave. and provides Hookah on the patio.Cheers!

by Jake Z.

You know, I had this gig in Bakersfield and not knowing the area, wasn't going to take any chances for lunch before i headed back to LA.  I googled a few known safe bets and found a Baja Fresh nearby.  I parked in front of Flame and Skewers and it looked okay, so I blew off Baja and decided to give it a try.  One of my better decisions, for sure.  The menu had lots of choices, it was totally reasonable and the food was great.  If it was in LA, I'd totally eat at this place.  My only issue was that for some reason, they package your food up in styrofoam containers, even if you're eating there.  That was a bit wierd and awkward.  A plate  and some real utensils would have been nice.

by Dina S.

I went in there with high hopes from the reviews I read on Yelp.Because this is practically the only Mediterranean place Bakersfield has, overall it was okI ordered the chicken and beef shawarma for my sister and I to splitand my boyfriend ordered the lamb kebobThe portions were not as big as I've had at other placesThey didn't put enough garlic sauce in the shawarmaThe lamb kebob was so tinyThe chicken shawarma was way too greasy!It looked like the place was about to close, or they were really dead here's the craziest part though they were out of BAKLAVA!!! I was super bummed out about that.

by Dan K.

Mediterranean in Bakersfield is a rare thing. Huge props for opening the place and I'm really glad it exists. That said, it could be a whole lot better.I'm spoiled. Come to Fremont and try Falafels, Etc., then go to Flame and Skewers and you'll see what I mean. It's just 10x better, and I go there very often, so I have a lot of experience to compare.I've been to Flame Skewers twice. The prices are very good (cheap), the portions are huge. The establishment is clean. The staff seems friendly.The bad: it takes a while to get my food. The pita bread was not as fresh or not as good as I'd expect both times. The hummus was too pastie (not creamy enough), the tabbouleh seemed really old and wilted (and seemed like 75% parsley). The falafels weren't bad, but overcooked (ultra well-done, too crispy). The seasonings are okay, but a bit too much. Salty. One of my biggest complaints is that even getting it for dine-in, everything is served in huge Styrofoam containers. The whole trash bin was packed with hundreds of these. Why not plates and metal forks? I guess it's just overhead, but it sure kills the dining out experience for me. Considering it's edible Mediterranean in Bakersfield (a really nice sight if you're a vegetarian, too), I gave it 2 stars. But it could be a lot better.

by Laura B.

I'm really surprised this place only has two reviews so far (mine being the 3rd)...come on, B-town, get out there and have some falafel! (or shawerma)My parents got hooked on this place and insisted that I go there the next time I'm in town...well, now EVERY TIME I'm in town, I have to go here. My favorite is the falafel sandwich...it's not the dry crumbly falafel you may have had elsewhere. It's most and flavorful, and terrifically paired with pickles and some other veggies. Their fries are great too, and they serve a LOT of them...so be prepared to share...or don't. The shawerma sandwiches and even the kids meal (kabob and rice) are great too. The prices are pretty reasonable for the amount of food you get.  My dad frequents this place so many times, that he's made friends with the guys at this location and they always hook it up. The new location on California is MUCH bigger, with flat screens, same decor, and they offer hookah. Although, when I was at that particular location, the wait was exceedingly long, but they gave me free baklava for the wait, so all was well.