Best Iranian/Persian Food in L.A.??

[MarkG]

I have heard that LA has the largest Iranian population in the USA and am wondering if that leads to exceptional Iranian cuisine.

[tenxtone76]

Raffis in Glendale is Persian Armenian. So is Shiraz... make sure to try the soup AND the crispy rice w/ stew/spread including fruit. AMAZING.

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Raffi's
3887 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

[Servorg]

Did your link come up with the right Raffi's? I think perhaps you meant this one?

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

[reality check]

Anybody know if the two Raffi's are owned by the same person?

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Raffi's
3887 E Sierra Madre Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91107

[Peripatetic]

You know! Or at least you did six months ago:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7589...

[Servorg]

lol

[tenxtone76]

thanks

[cellar_door77]

Reyhan in Culver City definitely has potential! The lamb with baghali (dill and lima bean rice) polo was excellent. The filet mignon was good as well as the all-around standard kubideh (ground beef kebab). Hummus was fresh and tasted home-made. Skip the Must-O-Mousir (yogurt with garlic and shallots) ... tasted like they had just put the garlic in a bowl of watery low-fat yoghurt .. a far cry from the real thing. Aside from the starter malfunction, everything else was great ... and keep in mind, this review is posted by an authentic persian foodie!

[redrover]

This love fe(a)st raises the question in my cynical; mind--apart from service issues, are there really any bad Persian restaurants that should be avoided, or is the general standard just really high?

[Philber]

If you are driving north on Highway 14, PARS in Palmdale offers excellent Persian food. We live in Las Vegas, but have a Persian friend in Palmdale. She took us to PARS for lunch and it was excellent! Link to our post:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/726117

[Ciao Bob]

Darya is a favorite of mine, but I haven't been to all, so it is had to say it is BEST. Darn good tho'

[Rosiepigs]

If I had one meal left in LA, it would be the abs goosht at Attari on Fridays. Seriously, amazing. the lamb is tasty. the broth is fantastic. the salad alongside is plentiful. even the lavash is good. you have to brave the crowds one friday lunch and try it.

[bulavinaka]

Go as early as possible. I've been shut out even at 7PM.

[westsidegal]

all of the soups/stews served at Attari are terrific.
also, imho, their shirazi salad is the best in town.

[bulavinaka]

I'm not sure if it's a salad or if it's to accompany one of their dishes, but they always include a bowl of what tastes like lemon basil and sliced raw onions with a lemon-based dressing. Do you know what that is called? It goes so well with their food in general, and I always forget to ask what it is/for.

[westsidegal]

sorry, dunno the name.. . .

[bulavinaka]

Thanks anyway - will try to remember to ask the next time I go.

[fkingford]

You may be talking about mast-o-moosir which is a yogurt -shallots and Jerusalem artichokes mix and is a pretty amazing spread on any kind of bread.

[bulavinaka]

This was more like a salad. The greens tasted of lemon basil, the sliced raw onions were sweet, and the dressing was light and lemony.

[fkingford]

Am stumped! Persian tarragon has a lemony-basil taste and there's shahi, an arugula-sharp herb - most Persian stores carry it - which is wonderful in salads and sandwiches. But what you're describing doesn't sound like either.

[bulavinaka]

It may have been the Persian tarragon that you describe. My first compulsion was to eat it like a salad, but then I thought the combination would have been great with their chicken. The chicken by itself has always been sort of flat to me relative to the other dishes, but combining the two lifts it to another level. Again, I will ask the next time I'm in there. Thanks for the insight...

[fkingford]

their chicken seems to be universally disliked, me included.

[bulavinaka]

Despite this, I get it regularly - my parents often eat over and my dad's first choice for kebab is always chicken doesn't matter if it's good, bad, flavorful, bland, moist, dry, etc. :(

[tablefor1]

I've given up on everything in West LA and Westwood (unless it's at a Persian woman's home). Caspian in OC has my vote.

[foodiemahoodie]

My Persian foodie friend insists on Javan. The boneless lamb kabobs come highly recommended.

[carter]

For a fast food take on Persian food, try The Sidewalk Grill in Los Feliz on Vermont, just north of Prospect/Hollywood Blvd. Kebabs are the focus and are delicious. Operated by a young member of the Shekarchi family which operates two places in downtown LA, and has for around 20 years. The filet mignon, chicken and salmon versions are exemplary. Good salads and sides.
No booze, yet comfortable patio and dining room.

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Shekarchi
914 S Hill St, Los Angeles, CA 90015

The Sidewalk Grill
1727 N VERMONT AVE #102, Los Angeles, CA 90027

[highforpie]

I agree...just tried this place and chicken kebab and basmati rice was excellent. Didn't love their sides but maybe I tried the wrong things. Service was excellent.

[Searching4Dunny]

Raffi's Place Restaurant in Glendale has some of the best kebab. I believe the owners are Persian Armenian.

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

[calabasaschow]

Shirin Restaurant in Woodland Hills is very good & a good value as well. It can get very busy during lunchtime.

21826 Ventura Boulevard CA 91364-1837
[phone]

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Shirin Restaurant
21826 Ventura Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364

[westsidegal]

imho, there is enough excellent persian cuisine to be found in LA that there is no "one" best persian restaurtant.
you'd have to determine "best" by going dish by dish.
one restaurant may have the 'best' ghormeh sabzi, while another may have the best adas polo, etc.

we are blessed here

[sushigirlie]

Agreed. Persian cuisine is great and LA has the best in the U.S.

[bulavinaka]

The Persian businesses tend to cluster around the Westside (Westwood/West LA/Beverly Hills), the western part of the San Fernando Valley, and the general Glendale/Burbank areas.

A Persian acquaintance who lives in the SF Valley says he likes the food around his area because not only is it very much like home, it tends to be less expensive than the Westside and Glendale areas. He really likes Shamshiri in Northridge. I've only been to the one in Westwood - I don't know if the prices are the same or not - but find the Westwood location to always be spotless, the service great, the food to be very good and the portions generous.

We have a few Persian friends who really enjoy Javan on Santa Monica Blvd in West LA. We also really like Attari on Westwood Blvd (enter on Wilkins) for takeout. Their aash (ash, asht), chelo kababs (except the chicken - meh), sandwiches and ghormeh sabzi are always very good.

[nothingswrong]

+1 on Shamshiri. They are consistently good (admittedly, I always order the same thing). I've never been able to finish the food on my plate but will crave it all night and for several days after I leave. Always a good feeling!

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Shamshiri Restaurant
19249 Roscoe Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324

[maiweezy]

What is the thing you order that is always the same? I went today and had the lunch special stew (veal and yellow beans); it was great and i want to try other things on the menu, but not sure where to start.

[nothingswrong]

nothing too exciting--i always got the chicken barg. i've tried most things on the menu (off of other peoples' plates) but the barg was the first thing i ever ordered there over 10 years ago, and it's never let me down. there's something to be said about consistently great taste and quality, isn't there? ordering the same thing for that many years and it's always been as delicious as it ever was.

hadn't noticed their extensive vegan menu items. i don't think they were there all those years ago, but some of them look great. happy eating!

[sushigirlie]

I agree. I've ordered takeout from Shamshiri over 10 times and I've always been happy.

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Shamshiri Restaurant
19249 Roscoe Blvd, Northridge, CA 91324

[fkingford]

But oh, the service that always tempts you to leave before you're finally , belatedly and indifferently served. Every time I go I promise never to do so again but let myself be talked into it every six months or so hoping that things might've changed. But they somehow never seem to. The last time was this past Sunday - Persian New Year or norooz - and the place was half-empty due to the torrential rains we were having; food was great, the service even worse than their usual standard.

[bulavinaka]

Wow - sorry to hear about the service issue you seem to experience there. We have found the service to be not great - but pretty good and attentive. The one key might be that we sometimes go with the lady who used to take care of our kids - she is a sweet little Persian lady and maybe our association with her (she is very endearing) has put us in a good view with them?

[fkingford]

Ah, so that's how to do it! There are a couple of very endearing Persian ladies in my building that more than fit the bill. In fact, some of the best Persian meals I've had have been their handiwork, some very regional fare one never finds in local restaurants. For instance, who knew that the rice served in the Caspian area is not the fluffy basmati but more like the Japanese sticky rice, and the fish head so prevalent in our own SGV Chinese joints is also a major staple there, sans the peppercorns, of course.