Afghani and Persian cuisine

[MateoJacobo]

Looking for a recommendation for outstanding Afghani and Persian cuisine in the LA area. Thanks!

[marlane]

I like Darya on the Westside (SM Blvd) but the interior is pretty cheesy. Also the wine list sucks but the food is consistently good.

[SauceSupreme]

Haven't been to the Darya on the Westside, but I have been to the one in Santa Ana next to the South Coast Plaza (which I thought was pretty good, if not a bit on the expensive side). Are they related?

[Lee by the Sea]

No. Having eaten at both I would say Darya South Coast Plaza is in Javan's league, which is saying a lot, and it has the fanciest interior of **any** Persian place I have encountered. We were only at Darya Westside once, not long after it opened, and the only thing memorable was that they charged my credit card twice. In fairness, marlane is not the only poster to say nice things about their food, so they may be better now.

[Lee by the Sea]

No listing of best Westside Persian would be complete without Javan. IMHO it is consistently the best of all the many Persian restaurants I've enjoyed in the last 20 or so years.

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Javan
11500 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[mattesq]

Second - Javan is the best Persian on the Westside by far.

[SauceSupreme]

Jonathan Gold just recently wrote an article on Flame.

http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/cou...

[katkoupai]

There's a place called Azeen's in Old Pas that has Afghani food. I have never been there, but I've heard that it's good.

My favorite Persian restaurant on the Westside is Shamshiri Grill. I also recently tried Shahrzade. They make fresh bread, and it's very good.

My family's favorite in Glendale is Raffi's Place.

For good take-out in the San Fernando Valley, check out It's All Good House of Kabob.

Enjoy. :)

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Shamshiri Grill
1712 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Raffi's Place Restaurant
211 E Broadway, Glendale, CA 91205

It's All Good House of Kabob - duplicate
Reseda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 91356

[suvro]

I was not that impressed by Azeen's. See some discussion on this restaurant at http://www.chowhound.com/topics/422849

Raffi's is good. Shamshiri grill was OK - the kebabs were too plain and had not much flavor.

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Azeen's Afghani Restaurant
110 E Union St, Pasadena, CA 91103

[katkoupai]

Hi, Suvro,
Can you suggest another Afghani place instead of Azeen's?

I like Shamshiri Grill a lot. My family's top two choices are Raffi's (for sit down dining) and It's All Good (for take-out).

[boogiebaby]

I keep hearing the name It's All Good. Is it a takeout only place? What are their specialties and what would CHers recommend ordering? We like Persian food but are a little tired of Shamshiri (our usual). Raffi's is too far for a last minute meal (we have 2 small kids).

[katkoupai]

It's All Good is a small hole-in-the-wall in Reseda (in the San Fernando Valley). I recommend the chief kabob plate. It comes with three or four kinds of kabob and a choice of rice or bread, I believe. If you live in the Valley, it's worth checking out, but if you live closer to West LA, stick with the restaurants on Westwood Blvd. The space inside of It's All Good is quite small, and parking is very tight due to the location. You can dine in or take out.

[DiveFan]

Since this is your first post, welcome to Chowhound!
It would be Very helpful if we knew what area of town that you are interested in - this board covers a huge territory.
Westwood is the epicenter of Persian restaurants but you can find something in most neighborhoods. Using Search on title:persian came up with a few of my favorite recent topics:
http://www.chow.com/topics/400287 - westside
http://www.chow.com/topics/431026 - downtown
http://www.chow.com/topics/420327 - south bay

Afghani restaurants are pretty scarce, hopefully a good reco will pop up.

Now, it's katkoupai's turn.......:-)