Kabab City to open in Merced adding a fifth Central Valley location

Andrew Kuhn
·2 min read

A restaurant known for offering Mediterranean cuisine in the Central Valley is opening a location at the Yosemite Crossing in Merced.

Kabab City, which has locations in Fresno, Reedley and Fowler, will open a location at 125 E. Yosemite Ave. in the newly built Yosemite Crossing. It will be the fifth location of the family-owned business in the Central Valley.

According to Tony Yanni, owner of the Merced location, one thing that sets Kabab City apart from other restaurants is that a lot of the cuisine is made from scratch.

“A lot of our food that we have, we make everything from scratch,” said Yanni. “Our spices on the chicken, everything we do is in the back of the house. So it’s a lot of recipes that are a homemade type of thing.”

Spicy chicken breast cubes, stir-fried with onion, bell peppers, roasted garlic, hot spices are on the menu at Kabab City, in this file photograph from September, 2019 in Fresno.
Spicy chicken breast cubes, stir-fried with onion, bell peppers, roasted garlic, hot spices are on the menu at Kabab City, in this file photograph from September, 2019 in Fresno.

According to Yanni, one of the more popular menu offerings is a spicy chicken dish consisting of chicken breast mixed with a spicy sauce. According to Kabab City’s website, the restaurant offers appetizers such as hummus and falafel, tabbouleh, burak and samosa. Some of the entree choices include various meat kababs, vegetarian plates, chicken or beef shawarma, lamb chops and grilled tilapia as well as various pita wraps.

Yanni said the first Kabab City opened in Fowler in Fresno County. He described it as a little hole-in-the-wall kind of place that just grew really well in the community.

“Everywhere we have a Kabab City, we know all of our customers,” Yanni said. “We found Merced, being another city by our other locations, growing and we wanted to come over here and present Merced with a Kabab City because they don’t really have many Mediterranean options here and a lot of people from Merced actually come to Fresno to eat at our restaurants over there.”

About 25 employees will work at the Merced location which is in the final stages of preparation and is expected to open in about three weeks. The restaurant will offer some seating inside for customers as well as a large outdoor patio area.

According to Yanni, because of the nearby college and other locations such as the hospital, the Merced Kabab City location was modified to feature a to-go window, allowing people to quickly pick up their orders.

Yanni said people in the community seem excited that the restaurant will be opening in Merced, with some people coming up to the door of the restaurant, which remains under construction, asking when the location will open.

“They’re very happy that we’re here so I’m very happy to be here and seeing those type of responses.”

Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.
Works continues inside Kabab City, a restaurant offering Mediterranean cuisine located at 125 E. Yosemite Avenue in Merced, Calif., on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. According to owner Tony Yanni, the location is expected to open in May.