Three skewers sit next to each other on the Cairo Grill menu, and all three come as the same kind of plate: one grilled skewer, a house salad, rice or fries, and hummus or baba ghanoush. The difference is the meat, and that changes everything about how the plate eats. This guide walks through the Kofta Kabab, the New York Steak Kabab and the Chicken Thigh skewer so you can order the right one the first time.
What every skewer plate comes with
Every skewer plate at Cairo Grill is built the same way, so you are only deciding on the meat:
- One grilled skewer (the plate names tell you which)
- A house salad
- Your choice of basmati rice or French fries
- Your choice of hummus or baba ghanoush
Pita is sold separately as a side, and the grilled onion, tomato and jalapeño skewers are also add-ons, not part of the plate. Keep that in mind when you compare prices on the ordering page: the plate is the skewer plus the three sides above, nothing more.
Menu card — Kofta Kabab Plate
Flame-grilled halal kofta kabab skewer, served with a house salad, rice or fries, and hummus or baba ghanoush.
Kofta Kabab Skewer: the one to share
Kofta is seasoned ground meat pressed onto the skewer and grilled, so it has more surface area touching the fire than a cubed kabab does. The result is a crust on the outside and a soft, juicy centre, with the seasoning running all the way through rather than sitting on the surface.
Order the Kofta Kabab Skewer if:
- You want something that pulls apart easily and goes into pita without a knife
- You are feeding a child or a mixed group, because kofta is mild and familiar
- You like a plate where the sauce matters: kofta and tahini, or kofta and the Toumiya garlic dip, is the classic Egyptian pairing
Cairo Grill also lists a Chicken Kofta Kabab Skewer, made from marinated ground chicken grilled with yellow and red bell peppers. If you want the kofta texture with a lighter meat, that is the one to look for.
New York Steak Kabab Skewer: the one for steak people
The New York Steak Kabab Skewer is cubed halal New York steak, seasoned and grilled. Compared with kofta it chews like steak, because it is steak. The cubes take on char at the edges and stay pink in the middle if you ask for it that way.
Order the New York Steak Kabab Skewer if:
- You would normally order a steak and want it in Egyptian grill form
- You prefer rice over fries; the steak juices run into basmati rice better than they do into fries
- You want the plate that feels the most like a dinner rather than a lunch
If you want to go further up the beef ladder, the menu also has a Filet Mignon Kabab Skewer and an 8 oz Ribeye Steak plate. The New York Steak Kabab sits in the middle: more bite than kofta, less than ribeye.
Menu card — New York Steak Kabab Plate
Flame-grilled halal New York steak skewer, served with a house salad, rice or fries, and hummus or baba ghanoush.
Chicken Thigh Skewer: the one that never dries out
Cairo Grill offers both a Chicken Breast Kabab Skewer and a Chicken Thigh Skewer, and the thigh is the one to pick if you are not sure. Thigh meat has more fat than breast, so it stays moist on a hot grill and takes on more colour. It also carries the marinade better.
Order the Chicken Thigh Skewer if:
- You want chicken but you have been disappointed by dry kabab chicken elsewhere
- You are ordering for pickup and the food will sit in the box for twenty minutes; thigh holds up, breast does not
- You like tzatziki or the Mint Yogurt Drink on the side, both of which work well with the richer meat
Menu card — Chicken Thigh Plate
Flame-grilled halal chicken thigh skewer, served with a house salad, rice or fries, and hummus or baba ghanoush.
Plate, bowl or wrap? Same skewer, three formats
Each of the three skewers appears in three places on the menu, and the format changes how much you get and how you eat it.
| Format | What it is | Best for |
| Plate | Skewer + house salad + rice or fries + hummus or baba ghanoush | A full meal at the table, or a pickup dinner |
| Bowl | Skewer served over your choice of fries, house salad, iceberg lettuce, rice, or a mix of all, topped with fresh vegetables and dressing | A one-container lunch; easy to eat at a desk |
| Wrap | Skewer on toasted lavash with lettuce, tomatoes, tahini sauce and garlic spread | Eating on the move; add fries and a soda as a Combo |
The Kofta Bowl, Chicken Thigh Bowl and New York Steak Kabab Bowl are all on the Bowls list; the Kofta Kabab Wrap, Chicken Thigh Wrap and New York Steak Kabab Wrap are on the Wraps list, each with a Combo version that adds fries and a regular soda.
Side and sauce pairings that work
A few pairings the kitchen’s menu makes easy:
- Kofta + Toumiya. Toumiya is the garlic dip on the Appetizers list. It cuts through the richness of ground meat.
- Steak kabab + Baba Ghanoush + rice. Smoky eggplant next to charred beef, with rice to catch the juices.
- Chicken thigh + Tzatziki + fries. Cucumber yogurt cools the plate down; fries make it a comfortable lunch.
- Any skewer + a grilled veggie skewer. The Grilled Onion, Grilled Tomato and Grilled Jalapeño skewers are listed as individual sides, so you can add exactly the one you want.
- To finish: Pistachio Baklava or Rice Pudding, and a Turkish Coffee if you are eating in.
Ordering for a table
If you cannot decide, Cairo Grill’s Family Grill Feast settles it. The listing includes one beef kabab skewer, one kofta skewer, one chicken thigh skewer and one chicken breast skewer, two sides of rice or fries, one side of salad (hummus, baba ghanoush, tzatziki or garlic spread), four lavash breads, grilled mixed veggies and assorted pickles. It is the easiest way to taste all three of the skewers in this guide at once.
Cairo Grill is at 805 Scott Blvd in Santa Clara, a few minutes from the Lawrence Expressway and Central Expressway, with pickup and delivery available through the restaurant’s own ordering page. Ordering direct means the restaurant receives the full order, with no third-party markup on the menu.
FAQ
Which Cairo Grill skewer is the mildest? The Chicken Thigh Skewer and the Kofta Kabab Skewer are both mild. Kofta carries more seasoning; chicken thigh is closer to a plain grilled chicken flavour.
Is the kabab at Cairo Grill halal? Yes. The menu lists the Kofta Kabab, Chicken Thigh, Chicken Breast and New York Steak skewers as halal.
Can I get a skewer plate without rice or fries? The plate comes with a choice of rice or fries. If you want neither, the Bowl format lets you choose house salad or iceberg lettuce as the base instead.
Do the plates include pita? No. Pita Bread (1 piece) is listed as a separate side, and the wraps use lavash. Add pita to the order if you want to make sandwiches at the table.
What is the difference between the Kofta Kabab and the Chicken Kofta Kabab? Both are ground-meat skewers. The Chicken Kofta Kabab is made with marinated ground chicken grilled with yellow and red bell peppers; the Kofta Kabab is the house kofta.
Order your skewer plate
Pick your skewer, pick rice or fries, pick hummus or baba ghanoush, and the kitchen does the rest.
