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How many kebabs does this tiny kebab specialist go through in a week?

Mini Kabob in Glendale churns out 1,000 of its specialties per week.
(Hana Carter / For The Times)
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1,000: The number of orders this tiny Glendale specialist — called, fittingly, Mini Kabob — makes every week.

Mini Kabob has been operating out of a 299-square-foot space for the last 33 years, run by married couple Ovakim and Alvard Martirosyan (67 and 63, respectively). The Martirosyans immigrated to Glendale from Armenia in 1987. “My dad started cooking almost 50 years ago, and was a main chef in the Russian Soviet army back in the day,” says their son Armen, who joined his parents in the business.

Lucas visits the Martirosyan family and their restaurant, Mini Kabob, a three-table grilled meat specialty place in Glendale, home of much of L.A.’s Armenian community.

Per month, Mini Kabob goes through about 800 quarts of hummus, 1,000 pounds of chicken thighs, 1,000 pounds of chicken breasts and 2,000 pounds of beef — and 3,000 1.5-ounce containers of garlic sauce. The beef is what goes into that mini kebab plate, which also includes rice, hummus, sliced onions and a grilled tomato and jalapeño. The eatery also does catering orders, about 6 every week. But the joy of the place is best experienced in the tiny, 8-seat restaurant.

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