New Restaurants: Shahs of Kabob and GROU Coffee

Kings of Persia

Owner Amin Ebrahimi opened his first Shahs of Kabob in South Miami in 2017, which he describes as a “hole in the wall” for takeout, followed by a location in a Doral food hall. Now he has landed on Ponce with a proper restaurant that has become an instant hit. “We are super popular for lunch, and getting busier for dinner,” says Ebrahimi, whose family is from Iran. “We took the family recipes and modernized them to appeal to Miami.”

Among those are a pan-fried eggplant mash with mint, onions, and whey dressing ($8), which is a fantastic dip for one of their skewers or pita bread. We tried the koobideh ($17) which provides one skewer (aka shish kabob) of marinated chicken and one of mixed beef and lamb. Both tasty and well grilled, accompanied by a choice of two sides: rice, salad or bread. We had them add cranberry, feta, and walnuts to the rice (+$3), which made it even tastier. They also serve some nice slow-cooked meat stews ($16) and vegan dishes (hummus, $8; falafel, $14) for the non-carnivores among us.

INSTAGRAM: Watch as we feast like kings during lunch at Shahs of Kabob.

Shahs of Kabob
Open daily 11 am to 10 pm
2624 Ponce de Leon
786.580.5865
shahsofkabob.com

GROUing Up

The GROU brand is — pardon us — growing, with a new café in downtown Coral Gables to complement the existing café and coworking space by the Shops at Merrick Park. This one is less of a coworking space and more of a small sit-down café, with a short but efficient menu featuring all the expected items: coffee (of course), paninis, gelato, smoothies, and a few larger dishes, like baked lasagna and protein pancakes. Also in attendance are the famous GROU affogatos — Italian desserts that combine gelato with coffee. GROU proudly proclaims to be the first affogato bar in Miami.

All the ingredients at GROU, right down to the microgreens, are sourced locally. And, of course, GROU itself is family-owned. Somehow, just grabbing a matcha latte here feels like philanthropy. We tried a Tropical Smoothie and the Butcher’s Panini (provolone, ham, turkey, salami, and aioli mayo) during the first week of the cafe’s opening. Jazzy music trickles from overhead speakers, quiet enough to fade into the background, and the smell of freshly ground coffee beans permeates the air. A blissful respite.

GROU Coffee
Open Mon–Fri. 7:30 am to 6 pm, Sat.–Sun. 8:30 am to 3 pm
2626 Ponce de Leon, Unit 3
786.542.9923
groucommunity.com