Q's Halal Chicken, Alameda: Good kabobs, great prices
The restaurant was previously a kabob shop, which was open a few years with multiple changes in ownership, before Q Samad and his father, Sam, who is also the head chef, took it over and began preparing Sam's recipes. Try the chicken kabobs as part of the combo plate ($13) that also includes ground beef skewers (shami kabobs), rice, salad and naan. The steamed ground beef dumplings are topped with yogurt and a tomatoey vegetable and ground beef sauce, then dusted with dried mint.