Photo Gallery: New Restaurant Sizzles in Lexington

There's skewers and spice and the takeout's quite nice at at Sizzling House of Kabab, a new take-out restaruant on Woburn Street in Lexington.

The month-old restaurant, brought to town by Fred Salemi, a 22-year veteran of the restaurant industry, specializes in affordable Mediterranean and Middle Eastern fare, such as falafel, shawarma and kababs -- spelled the Persian way as a nod to Salemi's heritage.

"The neighbors and customers so far have been very nice and very supportive," said Salemi. "People love it because this is a different kind of food, that they've been waiting for."

Salemi's been in the industry for more than two decades, but this is his first restaurant. He said he was close to closing on a dine-in restaurant in Brookline, but when that fell through he jumped at the chance to open his take-out spot in Lexington.

"The quality of food we're serving is really dine-in quality, not fast take-out," said Salemi. "All of our food is cooked fresh."

Skewers and dishes come in Styrofoam containers with tabouleh, hummus and lie atop rice or salads. The menu also includes some distinctly American offerings, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, roast beef sandwiches and fries.

As desserts go, Sizzling House of Kabab does buy its baklava and, though it makes its own basbousa cake, Salemi said they plan on bringing in prepared cream puffs from a Boston bakery.

Salemi stressed the freshness of his fare and the importance of using natural ingredients, as opposed to canned or pre-cooked food.

Business has been good so far, he said, adding that Sizzling House of Kabab should become known to the lunch and dinner crowds as the best place around for falafel, shawarma and kababs.

"I hope people will give it a try, and I have confidence they're going to come by," said Salemi. "I've been surprised with the amount of compliments we've gotten so far, for the foods, variety and quality."

Sizzling House of Kabab is located at 321 Woburn St., Lexington. Hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. For a menu and prices, visit www.sizzlinghouseofkabab.com.