I've always heard about Caspian in Irvine - famous for the belly dancers but never went to that establishment. Sadly, that one is gone but in its place is this restaurant now in Lake Forest/Foothill Ranch. On Wednesdays to Friday, they have a lunch buffet. At $23.99 a person, it may seem steep, but man it's worth it! I will say that we make the mistake of lining up in the front just to realize people were queueing to pay instead of just going towards the actual restaurant part to be seated... That was stupid of us lol so if that happens, ignore the line for paying! Anyways, onwards to the food! There's bread (I didn't think it was that great), salad with a tasty house dressing sauce, yogurt sauce, hummus, rice, fries and various types of kebobs. There was a chicken one, a chicken tender type, ground beef, and the shrimps. Everything was fresh and kept coming out so the buffet was never empty. The restaurant was clean and decorated well. The lunch buffet is honestly such a good deal and left me very satisfied. My favorites were the shrimp kabobs as they were grilled to perfection and seasoned well. But I don't think you could go wrong with anything here! read more

Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Soleil was absolutely amazing. She made our experience an incredible one. The food was delicious and the entertainment was excellent. I highly recommend Caspian!!! read more

This review is long overdue, but I couldn't let this experience settle in the dust. I fondly remember Caspian as an authentic Persian restaurant, and that's precisely what made it stick out in Irvine. Sure, it was outdated, but it was authentic and served a variety of Persian foods. Exploring this new restaurant with my dad, we couldn't help but notice the odd take on Mediterranean flavors. The hummus kale soup? What in the grotesque is that??? A perplexing blend of chickpeas and leafy greens in a soup? Yeah, no thanks. Let's just say that the menu was a culinary rollercoaster. As I perused the menu, I felt like I stumbled into a gastronomic United Nations meeting. There was a global summit featuring Greek, Turkish, Lebanese, and who knows what else. Why stop there? Let's throw some Chinese in for diversity! Seriously, I thought I was coming to eat ethnic food, but the reality is that every dish on the menu was a mess that was trying too hard. My dad opted for koobedeh, and wasn't pleased with the choices in accompaniments. Traditionally, Persian koobedeh is presented with rice, bread, and grilled vegetables (mainly tomato). However, this particular restaurant made an unconventional choice by adding zereshk on top of the rice, which, in our opinion, was a bold and horrible pairing. My dad continuously complained about how awful the two were together and I couldn't blame him. Now, onto the Salad Shirazi. It was not good. There was no flavor and looked like it had been thrown together. Not to mention, the cucumbers looked like they were past their expiration date. Now, the music. For a weeknight, the music was ridiculously loud. My dad even had to tell the waiter to have the singer turn down the speakers because we couldn't hear each other speak. And the singer (bless her heart) had a very interesting musical spirit.... ....I digress. As for the positives - the decor and setup were pretty and modern, a striking departure from the ancient times of the old Caspian. For the food, the Maast-O-Moser was very good and flavorful. Despite the culinary surprises, our waiter was exceptionally nice, navigating us through peculiar menu choices. He worked very hard and had a great attitude. Will I come back here? No. This restaurant was trying to be too different with their Mediterranean choices, and it didn't work for us. read more

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We've been to Caspian many times over the years. This was my first time at the new location for lunch and the food was quite disappointing. The menu has changed to include burgers and pasta. While cut out some traditional Persian dishes. The split pea with eggplant was supposed to have meat but unfortunately had no meat at all. The flavour was bland, as if the split pea had just been cooked in a tomato sauce and nothing else. The loobia polo also contained no meat and the flavouring was from a combination of spices. The barg was ok, but as a Persian restaurant for the price at lunch the portion was quite small. Caspian has always been a favourite. Sadly we will not return after this experience. Very poor quality food while very over priced. Would give zero stars but unfortunately that is not an option. read more

Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen - Split pea with eggplant. Lamb barg with loobia polo substituted for regular basmati rice - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

Thank you, Arshad H. for recommending Caspian's lunch buffet! I finally made it in during Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen's lunch buffet time (Wednesday-Friday only). The lunch buffet was $24 per person, it looks like the prices have gone up quite a bit since they started offering their lunch buffet. For the price, I would normally knock down one star... but here is why I give them five stars. The quality of the food is very good. I mean, there is a person freshly cranking out the chicken and shrimp kabobs. The worker is literally cooking them in the center of the buffet area and putting them out constantly. The rest of the food is promptly refilled. ALL of their food was fresh and tasted so good. However, my ultimate favorite was the shrimp kabobs. They were delicious and I just kept going back for more. If anything, I think I could make my money worth it just going to town on the shrimp kabobs! The service was also great. This whole place was so beautiful, clean, and classy. I felt like I was at some fancy hotel restaurant. They have holiday buffets that costs a lot more during the holiday season (i.e. Thanksgiving and Christmas) where they serve more food. I haven't been to it personally, but I can only imagine that it would be a lovely experience. read more

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The food was great, service is a bit slow but none the less friendly people. The ambiance was amazing, they had live music as well and dancing. read more

The grilled chicken thighs were amazing. Loved the way the rice was prepared too Staff was all very friendly Appreciated the lamps that were set on the tables once the sun set. (The only suggestion I have ... please replace the lamps that don't have an amber hue ... 80% of the lamps had amber hue but there were a couple lamps that had this harsh white light that kinda threw off the vibe) Otherwise, love. Will be back again! read more

Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen - Chicken thighs - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

We had a lovely time last night. It was packed!! There was live music and dancing. Very enjoyable. read more

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Amazing food. The koobideh was fantastic. Place is beautifully decorated. Staff is very attentive. The owner was very hospitable. We are going back Friday evening for live music and dancing. They also have weekend brunch. Great for after church service at Saddleback Church. read more

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Amazing good, amazing service, amazing outdoor AND indoor seating. Also... it's really clean. Makes me enjoy eating there even more. The food was very good and amazing portion, will be back!! read more

Love the restaurant very delicious and warm invarment. I recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Great Mediterranean food! Came for lunch opted out of buffet and ordered straight from menu. Beautifully decorated place and great service ..hummus app is large enough for a meal and had three different flavors ..highly recommend ordering this ..finished off with a great salad topped with salmon ..salmon perfectly cooked and not dry ..this place looks like can be livelier if come for dinner ..will be back ! read more

Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

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Our favorite Persian restaurant! great food, ambiance and service but its on the pricey side! We would eat here on special occasions only, most of the time we order food togo. read more

Fun Persian restaurant with an upbeat vibe later at night. We enjoyed the crispy rice with the eggplant split pea stew. Also not pictured were the kabobs which were seasoned well. There is live music and a large banquet hall they often use for parties. This seems to be the spot in South OC for late night Persian hang outs. read more

Caspian Mediterranean Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Foothill Ranch, California

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Great food , and excellent service. Thank you Moses and Jesus. Live music by Nadia is really fun too. read more

Great ambiance and the food was amazing!!! They have live entertainment on the weekends and special holidays. Worth the drive a great experience! read more

Our waitress was very nice and attentive to my family. The interior of the business is clean, fresh appearance as if new but extremely comfortable and surprisingly nice. The food was very good and plentiful. All items were very tasty and did I say plentiful, bring your appetite. We will definitely return and I highly recommend. read more

Great food great service great atmosphere. They were incredibly organized. Dorin she greeted us with such a warm smile and made us feel instantly welcome. A true professional! With excellent communication skills. read more

Food Ambiance Service Our server : Mose We had barley polo, and we had kubi.De food quality was four out of five and service was very good, very attentive.And ambiance and music was very delightful and place was very clean read more

Clean & tasty food with a nice atmosphere. Large indoor & outdoor seating areas and live music some nights. Lunch buffet few days a week too. Check their hours of business-not same everyday. read more

I had a wonderful dinner party at Caspian last night. We were a large group of 20 people, yet the service was excellent. Doryaneh and Maddy do a wonderful job managing the restaurant and meeting all of the guests' needs. Our table also received outstanding service from Brenda. This restaurant truly makes everyone feel at home with its warm hospitality, delicious food, and international music and entertainment. It has the best ambiance for family parties, work events, and special gatherings. Two thumbs up to the wonderful owner for creating such a welcoming atmosphere! read more

The food was good and they had a variety to choose from. The live band whom started around 7:30pm was good but made it a little loud to hold a conversation. The belly dancer was good but I envisioned more than one girl. The belly dancer does a little show than goes to each table or area and belly dances for tips. They have an outside patio that was beautifully decorated for big parties, heaters and TV included. read more

We ordered Lucbia Polo and were disappointed with quality as it was very watery and moist Also is the first Persian restaurant in all my life which did not offer Ghormeh Sabzi Stew on their Menu which is one the most famous and common stew in our cuisine.' read more

I usually take my good to go. Tonight we were here for an engagement party. The place looks beautiful. The bar is great and the atmosphere is amazing. They had a two man band that sang great tunes. We sat outside the weather was just right. The service was great. Continuously they brought out kabobs. Delicious kabobs. Nice dark hot tea with zoolibia topped it off. It was a great night. read more

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great place, service and friendly. Recommend to anyone for having fun and great service and delicious food

This place was fun with the music and atmosphere. It was really good though I think the atmosphere beats the quality of food

We had an excellent evening at Caspian, enjoying the best food, atmosphere, and professional staff. We will definitely return.

Moses is the best!! Super friendly and took great care of us at Caspian!! Appreciate him

Chris was great host from the moment we stepped in the restaurant. Nice music, beautiful ambiance read more

Wow, what a great night! From the moment we entered and after 3 1/2 hours of drinks, food and entertainment it was non-stop first-rate service. We've been wanting to come since they opened about 11 months ago and finally did it. Only regret is that we didn't make it sooner. The restaurant is huge and reminds you more of a hotel ballroom than a restaurant. I made reservations for our regular group of six to celebrate a friend's milestone birthday and a couple milestone anniversaries. The hostess/owner greeted us with open arms and gave us the pick of the reserved tables up front by the stage. We came in to see the singers and belly dancer so we had first-row seats to the fun. Our waiter, Aldi, came by quickly to check on us and find out the names of those celebrating a special occasion. This was a great touch and we felt special the whole night with great service all the way around. We began with some yummy cocktails and appetizers as we waited for the entertainment to start. And once Ya Olivia started the show we all couldn't help but sing along with all of the classic songs they performed. While I thought it would be Persian singing, I wasn't disappointed because they were so fun and entertaining. They also made us feel special by announcing our names and what we were celebrating. There was some Persian flare as we got a nice 30 minute belly dancing show while we were drinking our cocktails and enjoying our Mezze Platter and Hummus Trio. We ordered most of the classic dishes that Aldi recommended like Chicken Kabobs, Soltani, Salmon Kabobs and Tiger Shrimp. Everything was perfectly cooked and delicious and the portions were huge. 4 of us took stuff home. We closed out the night with some desserts and nightcap drinks and some dancing and more singing along with the band. The time flew by as we helped close the restaurant down for the night. Good news is we will definitely be back and even expect to become regulars now that we know how great this place is. read more

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The food is overpriced but the quality does not worth the price. We had a party of four , all the food came cold on the table. Heaven on the fork resturant is the best in S Cali as the service, food quality and the presentation is excellent. Nice ambiance though. read more

Service, ambiance, food, and live music! Staff is attentive and courteous. The menue offers entrees to satisfy the most discriminating diner. read more

Location and decorations were perfect but food was bad. I has Soltani, the barg was horrible, poor quality and very bad taste. Price was much higher than comparing persian restaurants in OC. Do not recommend at all. read more

What a night!!!! We just wanted some Mediterranean food and thought we'd give this place a try. The food was amazing; very clean and surprising combinations that made us clean our generous plates. It's a Friday night and they had live ambient music that was loud enough to enjoy yet low enough that allowed great conversation. Then the gorgeous belly dancer came out. Timing was everything. We thought we were done for the night after dinner and dancer, but then a new band came out and dancing started so....we decided to stay for more drinks and dessert. Even the staff were attentive, friendly and felt like family. We even got to meet the owner Esi ("J")! What a treat to come out to what we thought would be a simple dinner, and get to experience EVERYTHING a very festive night should be!!! We felt like we were on vacation far away!!! read more

The worst service ever, I waited 25 minutes for taking my order. I went half an hour to have my check.

10/10 or 5/5! Great service, perfect quality of food, servers treated us very nicely and constantly checked on us, the vibe and music were amazing and we really enjoyed it. Two things that I really enjoyed: 1- they have a photographer that comes over to take a high quality photos of you which I loved the idea and purchasing your photos are optional but we loved how they came out so we bought them all! 2- the way that they serve water on each table was very nice and neat! Every table gets one big glass bottle ! read more

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Jesus made our dinner experience fabulous! Great times at Caspian restaurant Service was great, food was delicious read more

Beautiful setting. Wonderful service. Great food. Enjoyed the visit. Maddi was a delight to converse with. Very friendly and warm. Highly recommended. Have nightly live entertainment on the weekends read more

Service was a little slow. But the ambiance and food was great. Will come back again. read more

Best Mediterranean food within 100 miles of- maybe in the world? Just my tastebuds humble opinion! Very nice ambiance and extra friendly staff. read more