I've been a loyal customer of Alborz for over 32 years, dating back to their original Fremont location, and I've been visiting the Walnut Creek restaurant since it first opened. There was a period when both the food and service had declined, but I believe in giving credit where it's due. Over my last several visits during the past two months, Alborz has been absolutely outstanding. The koobideh kabobs are some of the best I've had in a long while; truly mouthwatering. The flavors were explosively mouthwatering and unforgettable. In my opinion, great koobideh needs three essential qualities: it should be flavorful, juicy, and chunky in texture. Alborz's koobideh delivers on all three. The accompanying rice is perfectly cooked; fresh, fluffy, glossy, and delicious. Their bread also deserves special recognition. It's baked fresh daily in their tandoor, and you can absolutely taste the difference. The restaurant's interior has been beautifully updated and feels fresh and inviting, and the service has improved tremendously. The staff is warm, attentive, and genuinely makes you feel welcome. After these recent experiences, Alborz has earned its way back to the top of my list for Persian kabobs. It's wonderful to see a longtime favorite return to the high standards that made it so special in the first place. Keep up the fantastic work, Team Alborz! read more

Alborz Restaurant - Three Skewers of Koobideh. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Absolutely over the top frustrated. we were so excited to order this excellent Persian food for Mother's Day gathering. ordered a reasonable amount of food for six people received a notice that it could take a little little bit longer, which was 90 minutes to delivery that was fine. two hours and 15 minutes later I called the restaurant to find out what's going on. There was no answer on the phone. I called the Uber eats Driver who so kindly been waiting there for almost an hour and when he walked up to talk to them to see what was going on, they just told him that they were canceling the order. They're no longer gonna make our order for a Mother's Day dinner with kids we were trying to feed and then just a crass cancellation. I liked this restaurant in the past, but I will never go again. read more

You're literally paying for the "ambiance." But ambiance means little if the food is mid and the service is unorganized. 1. Food wasn't bad but the taste was comparable to any other place. 2. The waitress told me there was no regular coffee, only Turkish coffee. Then I saw her offering and pouring regular coffee to the table right next to us. 3. It was raining and the roof was leaking into buckets. 4. I asked for a small dab of the dip and the waitress brings back a big plastic container of it. Look at the bill and they charged me $12.99. read more

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It breaks my heart to write this because it is one of the few Persian restaurants in the area. I'll give them kudos that the ambiance is great, and the place is beautifully decorated. That being said the food is incredibly overpriced and as someone who is Persian themselves it lacks a lot of seasoning for the kabob koobideh and they seem to fully rely on butter or oil for flavoring, and more often than not are undercooking the meat. It's not a good look to have food coming out soaked with butter. On multiple occasions when I ordered the zereshk polo there was maybe only a few in the rice. This is just blatantly unprofessional; if your franchise is running out of an essential ingredient you need to inform customers that that menu item is not available, instead of ripping your customers off and up charging for a "specialty rice" that's just the normal. The biggest deal breaker for my family and I is the owner of this restaurant. Many other reviewers have also complained about rude service by a particular waitress, which I am assuming they mistook for the actual owner. The waiters and waitresses here are phenomenal it is literally just the owner who is always in a bad mood and not receptive to feedback. Once ordered a pick up order and asked for a receipt to better understand the pricing and not only did she not provide me with the receipt but made me stand there for entire 15 minutes to "teach" me about their pricing. All this to say that I think the owner could learn from her own staff on how to treat customers, because the amount of anger she has is unacceptable. read more

We've been going here since I was a kid. The food is always good. Today we went for my dad and brother's birthday and our waitress Nasim surprised them with a birthday plate of baklava. It was so sweet and unexpected. We love the decor as well. It feels very homey. read more

Amazing experience! The food was fresh and delicious, and the service was excellent. Nasim was especially wonderful very friendly, attentive, and made sure we had everything we needed. Great atmosphere and hospitality. We'll definitely be back! read more

The food was good, but I ordered to much. Will be back. Cute until great spot to meet up with friends. read more

Alborz Restaurant - Lamb kabob with rice - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Thank you to the incredible staff at Alborz! We hosted a company luncheon here for a group of 8 and EVERYONE couldn't stop talking about how delicious the food is. We started with the appetizer combo plate. Wow! Huge portions and every single bite was amazing. We ordered family style. 1. Salad Shirazi. 2. Fresh made pita bread with onions, butter, mint and cilantro. (Yummy) 3. Fesenjoon-vegetarian and non vegetarian. 4. Alborz plate for 2 X 3. Vegetable Kabobs, bath, joojeh, salmon and koobideh. Incredible!!!! Huge portions of Basmati rice saffron and grilled tomatoes. The restaurant is enchanting and is great for groups, family or an intimate meal. 4 read more

Alborz Restaurant in Walnut Creek offers a charming and spacious setting with a cozy, inviting design that creates a warm and relaxed dining atmosphere. The ambiance is definitely one of the highlights with the white cloth covered tables and comfy chairs. The menu, however, has its ups and downs. The appetizer Kashke Bademjan was, as always, a delicious standout - rich, well-balanced, and full of flavor Mediterranean eggplant spread. It's an all time must-try! Hummus was just a hummus and partially pull up behind. Unfortunately, the Barg Kebab didn't quite make it being a bit chewy, had little to no saffron flavor, and came with an enormous side of rice that felt disproportionate to the main dish. The drink and cocktail selection was very limited and surprisingly plain (particularly old-fashioned), not aligning with the restaurant's stylish decor. The dishes and silverware also felt a bit basic, even mismatched, compared to the overall aesthetic. Service was friendly but clearly overwhelmed having only one person covering the entire dining area on a Monday evening, despite good number of tables being occupied. All in all, place has a lot of charm and some strong points (especially interior design), but it could benefit from more attention to consistency, staffing, and detail. read more

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We had a lovely time here. We stopped in with our dog and were able to sit in their indoor/outdoor space which was cozy. We split a soup and a main, both delicious! Love having fresh herbs, bread and sumac on the side. Service was great. They preemptively brought plates for us to share, food came out fast, and everyone was friendly. I like the feature to pay online, too. read more

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Had lunch here this afternoon. My favorites were the Mast-O-Khiar (yogurt with cucumber) appetizer and the chicken and beef koobideh plate, served with Persian rice and bread. The Persian Tea and baklava were a nice way to end the meal. The space is large and one can reserve space for parties. Service was friendly. There is limited parking in front, but plenty of street parking. Be sure to feed the meter; parking is enforced even on Sundays. I paid $1 per hour and set an alarm to step out and replenish the meter. Those who didn't received a $45 ticket. Will be back to try other items on the menu. read more

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The food was amazing! We had a large group so we ordered different kebabs and tried them all pretty much. My favorite was the Cornish game hen and the prawns kebabs. The lamb was wonderful too as was the dolme and the appetizer combo plate. The ambience was nice although as it got later, it was pretty noisy, but we could still hear each other if we talked loudly. The service was very good though they were hopping to please everybody. I will definitely go back as soon as I can. read more

Alborz Restaurant - Cornish game hen kabob with the rice that had fava beans. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

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Unfortunately, our experience at Alborz Restaurant was very disappointing. The staff were extremely rude and unprofessional. The prices are unreasonably high compared to the quality of the food, and we expected much better for what we paid. The shishlik we ordered was terrible and far below expectations. Also, we brought our own birthday cake and were charged an extra $20 for it, while many restaurants offer complimentary birthday services or special treatment for celebrations. Considering the poor food quality, unfriendly service, and unnecessary extra charges, I do not recommend this restaurant. read more

Dependable and solid food! Always start with their hummus and homage yogurt with cucumbers! Crowd favorite is the chicken barg! The lamb shank and some of their other specials are also very tasty and perfect for a colder day. read more

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I had a to go order, food was cold crusty and terrible, I did call to let them know and they said they'll get back to me. I'm still waiting.

RAW CHICKEN. absolutely unacceptable. Myself and two other members in my party were served undercooked chicken and the staff did not even apologize. Horrible. They provided a new meal but 3 servings of RAW chicken is absolutely unacceptable and hazardous. read more

Alborz Restaurant - Raw chicken. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

We brought a large party here for Mother's Day -- a day that was supposed to be special -- and left deeply disappointed. Every single plate came out cold as if it was pre-made. This wasn't one dish that slipped through; it was the entire table. Despite this, we were charged full price for every meal plus an automatic gratuity, with no adjustment or acknowledgment that anything was wrong. Service was equally frustrating. We had to ask for water six times before finally getting up, walking to the service area, and pouring it ourselves. It was obvious they were very short staffed for a busy day like Mother's day. When we asked to speak with a manager about the experience, we were told he was "in the kitchen cooking and can't be bothered." At a bare minimum, a restaurant should serve food at the proper temperature, keep water on the table, and have management available when something goes wrong. This place failed on all three counts and still expected full payment and a tip for the privilege. Very disappointed because I actually like the taste of food here. read more

I really liked food and beef kabob. The place is normally pretty empty which sucks cause itsa beautiful restaurant. Its worth a try especially if you love persian food. read more

I have visited Alborz on a few occasions tried a few other dishes. The kabobs are excellent. The stews are also great and taste authentic. Best gheimeh in the area. The restaurant is furnished and decorated very tastefully and amongst the best looking Persian restaurants in the country. Food is consistent and service is great. Highly recommend the place. Just get your barg on the rare side if you want it to taste authentic. read more

rarely leave reviews, but my experience at ALBORZ restaurant in Walnut Creek was absolutely unacceptable. The food was disgusting and completely tasteless. The chicken was rubbery, almost like eating some kind of inedible material, and the rice was soggy, watery, and seemed as if it had already been chewed before being plated. Every bite was unpleasant. I paid around $80 for this meal, which is far from acceptable for the quality. I addressed my concerns professionally with the staff, hoping for some resolution, but the response was minimal -- they only removed a small soup bowl and offered an insignificant discount. On top of that, I still paid a tip despite feeling utterly nauseated. I am extremely disappointed and cannot recommend this restaurant. Zero stars. read more

This is the second time I have been to this restaurant. Last time I ordered the Sultani and loved it, but this is an Iraní restaurant, I should expect their kobideh and barg to be outstanding if not, I would have reviewed them right then and there so this time I went for the salmon to see how well they made it and I was not disappointed. The platter, as pictured, included the same rice and barbecued tomato as their other dishes with a half lemon on the side. The service was good even if it took a bit longer to receive our dinner this time, they were busy. This is an upscale restaurant designed as dining area in a palace in Iran; the curtains on the windows, the pillars holding the Persian style ceiling was well done. This place is worth a visit and is on the mid to high range, price-side. read more

Alborz Restaurant - Salmon Kabob - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Walnut Creek, California

Always love picking up food from alborz. Good food and always end up having some left overs cause the portions are solid. The rice and the saffron are great together and I always look forward the roasted tomato's! Good price for the amount of food you get. Always end up having the left overs for lunch the next day and it's always just as good! read more

Great food service a little slow but portions large nice waiter. We shared the kabobs shrimp and salmon with 3 people

This is my go to restaurant when we are in Walnut Creek and I am craving good Persian Food. I know they use first rate quality and the owner stands behind the quality. Service is mostly good with a warm and inviting ambiance. Their fresh bread made their oven is excellent with some feta cheese and herbs. read more

The food was beyond excellent. Could have been served with a little larger amount of rice, but it was still very good. The one big problem ,,and this is unfortunate, is the service. We waited a really long time for our food, even though the restaurant was virtually empty. The waitress checked with us when we were almost done with the food and asked how it was and if we needed water. And then we sat and waited and waited and waited for the waitress to come and take our dishes away and bring us a check. and that was after I finally I had to go up to the front counter and ask if we could get our check so we could leave. So FOOD is great, service disappointing-oh, and hopefully they can do something to contain the fruit flies and gnats on the outside eating area. We were hounded the whole time with little gnats around our food, and it was kind of unpleasant. read more

I feel robbed. Terrible food, terrible service, and dishonest advertising. I've been here a few times over the years and I've decided to never come back. read more

We came for the New Year's Eve event based on the advertised flyer: an 8:00 pm start time with a DJ, buffet-style appetizers, followed by dinner. Unfortunately, the night was extremely disorganized and misleading. After being seated, we waited over 30 minutes with no service at all. Only a few servers were present, and no one offered water, drinks, or any explanation. One of the servers told us that appetizers would start at 8:00 pm, so we continued waiting. After seeing no signs of a buffet or appetizers, we asked the manager for clarification. He then told us that both appetizers and dinner would not start until 10:00 pm, which completely contradicted what we were told and what was advertised. By that point, we had been sitting for 45 minutes with zero service, were hungry, and felt misled. For a New Year's Eve event, this level of disorganization and lack of communication was unacceptable. I will never go back. read more

This is possibly my first time trying Peruvian Iranian food and it was good!! @alborz.us has lots of kabobs meat options. The unlimited pita bread is a must have. Dishes we tried are: Dolme Zabon (lamb tongue) - super tender Khoreshte Bademjoon (lamb shank) - high recommended Lots of parking outside. This place is huge it's good for big parties. Indoor and outdoor option. read more

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I came here one night on my birthday with the family! I loved this place the food was amazing! I would highly recommend my friends and family to come and try the food out here! The weekends they tend to have LIVE DJS the Service here is amazing! The ambiance is definitely great! read more

Always a family favorite at Alborz. We get a variety of kababs (Koobideh, Barg, and Joojeh). Taste and portions are always good. Service is also great with the servers (and owner?) checking up on us to see if we need anything throughout our meal. read more

My Persian gf and I FINALLY found a wonderful Persian restaurant up here in NoCal. #1 -- delicious food #2 -- It's a lovely place. Needs a little TLC, but large and elegant. #3 -- Very pleasant service #4 -- great menu selections, including, lots of stews #5 -- really fair prices We had the mast-o-musir ($10.50, 4.0 stars) with freshly made Taftoon bread (4.0 stars, $free). I had the beef barg ($28.95, 4.5 stars) -- totally delicious. The gf got the Joogeh Chicken ($20.95, 4.0 stars) -- she loved it. In both cases, the rice was a fair portion, and very good quality. The best ever? No. But really, really good. We're from SoCal, and there's so many great Persian places from Woodland Hills to Tarzana to Thousand Oaks. We've tried a half-dozen places here, and have been disappointed to just "good" experiences. We're both so glad we tried Alborz, and will surely come back again (and again). read more

Went here last week for my girlfriend's holiday work dinner. We had an assortment of food. For our appetizers, we had the Combo Plate, Hummus and Maygoo (grilled tiger prawns brushed with saffron). The Combo Plate had Dolma (grape leaves stuffed with herbs, beef, and lentils), Kashk Bodemjan (roasted eggplant spread), mint, feta cheese, olives, Koo Koo Sabzi (herbs mixed with egg, walnut, baked in olive oil), cucumbers, and tomatoes. The grape leaves had a nice acidity. Not too overpowering. They were pretty tender and loved the stuffing. The roasted eggplant spread was pretty good. It had a nice zesty and savory flavor, pairing very well with the flat bread. I loved the olives. They were pretty tasty and nicely brined. The mint, cucumbers, and tomatoes were refreshing to have with the meal. The Hummus was excellent. It was mushy with a nice creamy texture and zesty flavor. It paired well with the flatbread and the eggplant spread. The grilled tiger prawns were good. They were cooked perfectly and had a really nice flavor from the saffron. It paired well with the grilled vegetables. For our entrees, we had a lot of delicious dishes: Khoresht Bodemjan House Special (lamb shank with roasted eggplant), Koobideh (ground beef kabobs), Barg Kabob (filet mignon kabobs), Shishlik (rack of lamb), and Mahi Kabob (salmon kabobs). The lamb shank with roasted eggplant was excellent. Loved how the eggplant and lamb paired well with this dish. The lamb was very juicy and tender. It fell off the bone. The eggplant, tomato, and saffron broth was very good. Loved this dish. The saffron Basmati rice soaked up the broth very well. An excellent dish. The ground beef kabobs were good. Perfectly seasoned and the meat was cooked well. Loved the texture. The seasoning was nice, not too salty. The onions were essential to this dish. Very good to have with the rice. The filet mignon kabobs were also very good. They were extremely tender. The meat absolutely melted in our mouths. They were wonderfully seasoned. It was very essential to have with the rice. Loved this dish. The rack of lamb was very good. The lamb was cooked to a medium rare. The meat was very flavorful and tender. Loved the yogurt flavor from the marinade. It was a very enjoyable dish. The salmon kabobs were very good. The fish was cooked perfectly. The saffron flavor along with the green bell peppers and onions enhanced the flavor of the salmon. Wonderful to have with our meal full of beef and lamb. For our drinks and desserts we had Persian tea, pomegranate juice, and Baklava with pistachio ice cream. The Persian tea was very good. It was fragrant. They served it with sugar cubes, if you want it sweet. The flavor was not too bitter, which I appreciated. The pomegranate juice was good. It was not too sweet. It had a nice bittersweet flavor and slight sweetness. The juice was quite refreshing. The Baklava with pistachio ice cream was nice. The Baklava was very sweet and flaky. By itself was nice, but paired with the pistachio ice cream, it was good. The ice cream was not overwhelmingly sweet. Great dessert to have to end our night. Service was excellent. The staff made sure to accommodate our party very well. Our server was very efficient and sweet. She made sure that everything was okay with our dining experience. Our food came in on time without any delay. Excellent dining experience for the evening. Thank you to Alborz for a wonderful time for my girlfriend's holiday dinner. read more

Another over-priced for what you get food place. So many places are way over charging and reducing the quality/quantity.

Very rude...entire restaurant was emtpy but they said no room for two....seriously..dude!!!!

We got greeted by a smiling waiter, who quickly seated us and serve this water however, we had to wait a while for the actual waitress to take our order. The decor has not changed inyears. Only a few curtains have been replaced, This restaurant has been here for a long time. Last year when I visited, I received fresh hot baked naan. Unfortunately today the Naan we got was reheated. we ordered kashk e bademjan for appetizer and the Alborz special dinner for two . This was a watery bademjan with little Kashk. Definitely not a traditional recipe. The Kobideh and the roasted tomatoes were excellent the chicken and the barg kabobs were average, lacking flavor. My least favorite was the rice which appeared steamed. read more

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Went there years ago but the food and service were subpar. One of my friends recommended to give them a try again. The food was bland and the service was even worse. Waitress was rude. She never came for refills of any drinks or to check on us. Brought us the food and later bill. Wish the food was better. read more

Fantastic food, very nice service and wonderful atmosphere. Always a go to especially when family it friends are visiting!

Came on a Tuesday night with my family of 5. Place was empty. Only on other person eating at the Bar area. Place was eerily quite with no ambiance at all. My wife even asked if I was sure they were open. The food was solid but not great. I came here once with an old coworker and it was good but tonight's chicken was very bland and not much flavor. The Filet mignon kabob was the same and could use some salt and pepper. The Koobieh was solid and that was the most enjoyable thing I ate. Only get getting 2 stars because we never had our waters refilled nor were my kids asked if they wanted refills on their sodas. Not sure what the employees were doing since there was only one other customer. Wanted to look at their desert but it took so long for them to come and check on us that we decided to just pay and go. Sorry won't be returning. read more

Is the food any good? Maybe, I don't know... been at our table for an hour and nobody's taken our order yet. To their credit: they did take drink orders & those all came promptly... except mine and nobody's walked by for me to remind them that they missed a Diet Coke. read more

No ideas how this isn't five stars here. It's not cheap but it's absolutely delicious and the place is nice and clean. I could t believe when I looked up and saw the rafters and how spotless they were. Wish every place was as clean. The food is excellent. We had koobideh, zereshk polo, joojeh, it was all perfect. Could definitely get more rice though, not used to having to ration my rice. Lol. Service could have been great but sadly it was not. We barely received any service at all. She seemed busy with others and we were fine with it but it no doubt was lacking. We absolutely will be back. Delicious and yes could be more rice but would order it all ten times over. Skip the desserts. We had two of them and nothing more to really say about it. Ok I see why not five stars by most else now, but still at least four stars easy! read more