I have been here for 6 or 7 business lunches (usually a party of 4), a few business dinners (3 or 4 persons) and three group dinners (10-16 people). Food has always been very good, service is excellent, good wine, and plenty of parking. We usually get a selection of different kabobs and I enjoy them all. The Koobideh is always flavorful, the chicken is tender, as is the filet. Soups and salads are good too - I personally like the Barley Soup. We usually try to get the Tadig (crispy rice) but it is rarely available for lunch since it is basically the crispy rice from the bottom of the pot and the bottom isn't crispy enough yet at lunch time. I have found a few other places in the OC with Middle Eastern /Persian food as good as Darya at better prices or slightly better food, but I would not hesitate to come back to Darya. read more

I am a Scottish citizen and my husband told me that he was going to take me to a different restaurant that I have never been to, So we him and I with my 16 year old son we all went to a restaurant called Darya , I have never and I never thought that there was a fantastic Persian menu with so many choices , I can only say I loved the food , unbelievable service but most of all the attention we got when they found out that I was Scottish and this was my first time in a Persian restaurant, it was an experience I will never forget . read more

Food : 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 I recommend it to you, family and friends, group Good romantic place Prices: sss read more

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Very fancy looking when your first walk in! And there's a step and repeat in the front of the restaurant. Really feels like you're somewhere fancy haha. There was some live music playing. It was gentle and not super noticeable. Just a guy with his guitar! The waitress was super sweet. The food was great. Tried the borani appetizer which was eggplant but it didn't even taste like it, which was great. I don't like eggplant haha. The main plates are pretty big. I shared the naderi with a friend and it was more than enough for the both of us. Taste was great. I do wish there was a tiny bit more rice and tomato but the flavor is great regardless. A little pricy if you're not splitting the food though. But I enjoyed the experience overall! read more

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Food and atmosphere are amazing there my family and I love eating at Darya! If you're celebrating a special occasion or just want some tasty food, head in and try it out! read more

Probably the most elegant Persian restaurant in U.S. Love the ambiance, decor, the servers attire, the chairs the carpet, the bar, the entire place is like entering to a palace. The service was awesome. They serve brewed Persian style tea which was delicious with great aroma and they refill with no extra charge. The food was good but not the best. They do not serve most popular Persian dishes other than beef and chicken Kabobs with plain rice. They offer all kinds sides & appetizers but for a very high price. Too bad they do not offer other Persian dishes like stews, rice varieties or fish Kabobs. If you are in Orange County it's worth a visit to this place. read more

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I took my wife out for a treat without any reservation on a busy Saturday night, they were so nice and got a table ready really quick. Awesome staff and quality food. Definitely recommended it. read more

Wonderful Birthday Treat at my Favorite Persian Restaurant The Best ! Thank you ! Also Special Thanks to our server who did a great service for us and super friendly. The food was tasty! I always enjoyed my visit . I've celebrated many of my birthdays here . read more

Darya Restaurant - Thank you for this delicious cake - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I have had kabob for 40+ years at 100s of different locations in my life and hands down this was the worst kabob I've ever eaten at my life and at some crazy exorbitant price!! I literally gave half of my plate to my dog at home because it was not edible. Almost $50 plate of soltani kabob that tasted like literally NOTHING! The barg was so tough i had to spit it out after a minute of chewing! The koobideh must be half filled with flour because it's super hard, thick and nasty! I don't know how you can screw up kabob this bad unless it's horse or dog meat! To boot, the rice is not long grain basmati and the salad was stale. The cucumbers were old. They must have recycled them. And to think this was during a Saturday long weekend! I can't imagine what they feed people during the week on a slow day. Waste of $$$$$ read more

Yummy yummy, yummy. Great service and great food. Nice environment, too. Totally recommend.

Delicious Food and amazing service. Taste very authentic and definitely one of my favorite spots. If you don't want the kebabs I recommend the braised lamb it was so flavorful and you can not go wrong with a side a persian salad! read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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I haven't been here in more than 30 years. First time I ever had Persian food back when "I don't know what year". It's as good now as it was then. Thankfully, I can get good Persian nearby, but we really need more diverse cuisine in Colorado! read more

Upscale Persian food with a great menu and amazing staff. Live music Friday nights. Definitely worth every bit. The desert menu is nice.

I am very picky with my Persian food and this place was amazing. Everything we had was delicious. The service was also on point. We are definitely going back next time we are in town. read more

As a persian myself, I'm super picky but the Ghormeh isn't half that bad. Neither is the Barg. If you're feeling for persian food this is your to go to! read more

We visited darya on our way back to San Diego, the food was great but what made our visit more special was our server Kambiz. He was amazing, very personable and attentive. He made the whole experience much better:)) read more

I've been going to Darya's for over a decade and I've never been disappointed. Most recently, we had our department's end of year lunch there with a group of 17. We ordered hummus and borani appetizers, and a wide variety of entrees including Filet mignon shish kabob, chicken shish kabob, beef koobideh, lubia polo, combination plates, all with delicious steamed white rice and Darya's salad. Absolutely everything was very tasty, served hot, and our server Nazi was very attentive despite our large group. read more

Darya is a Persian restaurant near South Coast Plaza that has an elegant ambiance. I wouldn't call it fine dining, as the portions are generous and the prices are fair, especially if split among a group. But, you get the feel of fine dining because of the attentive service and nice atmosphere. Parking is easily found in the front of the restaurant and there was no wait for lunch. To start, you complimentary lavash bread and butter. Our family ordered the boneless chicken kebab and chicken koobideh. The waiter offered to combine our orders into one plate to make it shareable family-style. Out of the two, I recommend the boneless chicken kabob, which was juicy and flavorful. The chicken koobideh is good as well and is composed of ground chicken. The rice and tomatoes always pair well with chicken. read more

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La comida deliciosa y el servicio espectacular!! El postre de pistache es una delicia!! Lo mejor que he comido read more

We came here to celebrate my mother's birthday - let the waiter know who the birthday girl was upfront. Used to go to the Orange location but that was pre-covid, so decided to check this location out. Has a much fancier interior. Checked the online menu and saw the place was pricey but hoped for high quality and nice size portions in return for the $$$. Got neither. The food was disappointing and the meats were smaller than I hoped for. The boneless lamb and steak kabobs were tough and dry. Hard to cut them and really needed some liquid to wash them down. The rack of lamb was excellent. But overall was disappointed. Definitely not worth the price. There are other kabob restaurants out there that are more affordable and taste better. While the birthday girl was visiting the facilities the waiter showed us the dessert menu and asked us to pick one out for her. Typical where the restaurant provides a comp dessert for special occasions. That was the impression we got. When we got the check, we were billed for the dessert?? Asked the waiter if there was a mistake and he said no but would ask the manager to comp it. She came over and said that they do not comp these - just like most other restaurants. I thought to myself WTF. Have been to many restaurants and they almost ALL comp this. That was definitely the impression we got from the waiter when we ordered. We spent close to $300 and they couldn't throw in a $12 dessert for a birthday? Oh well, I just deducted the cost of the desert from my tip. Need to treat your customers a bit better. A minor issue. They based the suggested tip on the after tax cost. Guess they were expecting a tip on the state tax I paid also. Seems like a little money grab, but then again I paid for a typically comped dessert. Might go back to another Darya but definitely not this one. read more

A beautiful Persian restaurant that now has multiple locations around the OC. This in my opinion is the nicest one with a very classy feel to it with both indoor and outdoor seatings. Make reservations on weekend or busy holiday weekends as this place fills up pretty quick. I've been here many times in the past for occasions and meetings and never really rated the place. First of all 5 stars for the manager in the evening. He was excellent and really hospitable in making sure a good table was arranged. There was a medley of food ordered for the table but the ones I tried were the koobideh with albalo polo (sour cherry rice) and the lamb kabob and beef barg combination. It's very hard to impress with Persian food for me as being half Persian I will know the taste. The quality is good here but the Persian food over the years has been just okay to me. I get it, Persian food is hard to make and flavors sometimes are difficult to imitate but food wise it's always been the industry average to maybe slightly above on food taste. Great management team once again. read more

Darya Restaurant - Lamb Kabob and Beef Barg Combination - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Been coming for years. Always consistent and good. Koobideh is my favorite and trading to start with

This is a great restaurant to hold large parties. I've held a party of 110 guests last year and a party of 50 today. In addition to having great food, the service was outstanding, from the time that our guests started to arrive, they were greeted with hot teas, the servers were attentive through out the stay. Everyone in our party had a great time. Thank you miss Masi and the team for the great experience. read more

Delectable Persian food! The Chelo Kebab (koobideh) was juicy, tender, and flavorful served with Basmati rice and charbroiled tomato. The Fesenjan was delicious too! Service was pleasant and friendly. The restaurant was spacious but we would have liked to be at the patio if we knew ahead. read more

Darya Restaurant - Chelo Kebab (Koobideh) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Spacious and lavishly designed, this restaurant is a wonderful option for large parties offering Persian fare. I booked a table here through Open Table for lunch. I have to say, service was exemplary with the attention given to us and how fast they dished out our orders. We started off with a few appetizers shared family-style such as tabauli, hummus, borani, and yogurt with cucumbers & mint. I found the tabauli unfresh and too sour for my liking. The borani, an eggplant dish had a bitter after taste - not sure if it's supposed to be that way? Everything else was well enjoyed by everyone. For my main, I ordered from the dinner menu and got the Lamb Soltani with chunks of lamb tenderloin that was cooked so beautifully and tender. It also came with a strip of seasoned ground beef that was so flavorful with basmati rice and roasted tomatoes, Want to elevate this plate to another level? Season it with sumac and dip the meat in some of that yogurt. Dessert options were tempting and some of us caved in. I for one didn't but perhaps next time as I know this won't be my last visit. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Terrible Customer Service and Zero Accommodation for Families with Babies I had one of the worst experiences at this place recently. We stopped by with 3 people and a 4-month-old baby in a stroller, hoping for a nice meal, but were met with unbelievable rudeness. They were trying to prepare two seats table next to parking lot for us with adding a chair to it for sure there was not enough room for 3 people and for sure there was not a suffice place for stroller! I politely asked if we could be moved to a nearby round table that had more space, but she bluntly refused, saying that table was for five and they could "get more orders with that." It was clear they had zero interest in accommodating us, even with a baby, which made the situation even more frustrating. When I expressed my dissatisfaction with their lack of care, the hostess had the audacity to say, "This is what it is, and you can leave"--incredibly rude and unprofessional. We will NEVER return to this place and will be telling all of our friends and family to avoid it at all costs. This place doesn't value customer service and basic respect, steer clear of this establishment. read more

I had the food to-go but my koobideh was still pretty good. What sucks is you have to eat it quickly, because the meat gets exponentially worse the colder it gets. Service was fast and the staff were ready for me since I called ahead. The ambiance was good, an old ish feel that feels homey and family like. read more

Darya Restaurant - 1 Skewer Chelo Kebab Lunch - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

First time trying this Daryas. The hostess tried to seat us waaay in the back corner. She was very accommodating when asked to be seated elsewhere. The restaurant is very clean and it seems like they do a lot of events. Servers were very polite. I did think that the items were over priced for a single skewered item tho. Ordered the Daryas salad and it was delicious. My husband and I shared the combo meal and it was very filling. The meat was nicely seasoned and cooked well. It wasn't dry. Next time I'm in the area and craving Mediterranean, I'll go here. read more

The restaurant was recently remodeled. It's a huge place with plenty of seats for big size families get together or when you're on a date. Service is always good and usually parking out front. When you first walk in you think you're walking into a hotel. There's beautiful marbles everywhere and they have a side bar, big dining area with a live band on most weekends and an upstairs private room you can rent out as well. The place is impressive. The combo plate is usually what I get and the portion is huge so we usually share. This time we got filet, lamb and chicken. I love their chicken- it's always moist and delicious. Most combo plate generally comes with a cucumber side and it's amazing! I usually mix everything up before taking a bite. The combination of everything pair extremely well together! As far as parking is concern, you can generally find parking right in front. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Kambiz is beyond kind, caring and gave the best service ever! Thank you so much Kambiz for making our dinner extra special and for making us feel like we were the only people in the restaurant! The food is 10/10, everything we ordered including the dessert was beyond delicious! The ambience is truly amazing, one of the most beautiful restaurants I've ever been to. Thank you so much again Kambiz for making our dinner and time at this amazing restaurant so special! Kambiz deserves the highest recognition for his outstanding service! read more

Food great Service excellenr Price slightly pricy Overall expeeiemce 5/5 Close to south coast plaza Clean elegant persian halal store read more

Excellent food! Good service. It was very crowded when we were there for dinner last Friday so the wait was a bit long, but not horrible. The food was worth it! read more

the portions when ordering takeout are huge! ordered the salad and #7 plate to go, and they put the dressing for the salad on the side :) amazing service! read more

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Went here the other day and was very satisfied. The service is very professional and friendly, the atmosphere was elegant but relaxed, and the food was very delicious. The basmati rice was cooked perfectly and was fluffy which I enjoyed. I would definitely recommend coming here again. read more

Had dinner at Darya's in Irvine last night. To say it was disappointing would be an understatement!!! Ordered Tahdig, it tastes as though it was days old, to hard to chew & tasteless. The Chirasy salad was even worse, it had no salt, no pepper, the 4 of us couldn't eat it as well. The Kebob was dry & the kubideh was salty & sour. The Salmon was too salty as well. Nothing we ordered in this place was good, the server asked if we needed boxes to go & we immediately stated, no thank you. Unfortunately, we were there to celebrate my husbands birthday, & the entire meal was tasteless & a big disappointment. Do yourself a favor & don't waste your money eating at this place. I can honestly say, it was the worst i have ever been to, never again.Im being generous by given them 1 star!!!!!!!!! read more

This restaurant is such a beautiful restaurant with amazing costumer service. The waiters are always there to serve you with a positive attitude. The menu food selections are such great selections. The quality plus servings are amazing: read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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Found this place 2 years ago and we are regular customers ever since. Food is always great. Service is good whether it's for dine in or take out. Lovely ambience :) read more

Always live going to Darya. Food is consistently good as well as the service. Ambiance is very classy but you can be casual dressed.

Mr. Nader, the manager, was very gracious and helped make our first experience at this restaurant unforgettable. Truly appreciate this team going above and beyond. read more

The menu is very comprehensive and has a little bit of everything you want in Persian food. At first we were a little confused because I wanted to order the 4 course menu for $59 pp incl. from the back page. But the waiter kept trying to talk us into selecting items from the regular dinner menu. Then finally I told him that we were there for my daughter's birthday dinner and that we might want to share some items from the menu. He didn't like that but agreed after we ordered two appetizers to split for the 4 of us. Well, the Darya salad is terrific and the yogurt dip is amazing too. The eggplant salad is also great too. Then my husband ordered the lamb chops and the waiter said they don't have them. I said that you have rack of lamb in the menu and that's from the same cut. He said that it might be so, but not cooked the same. Anyway, the first order of meat that came out was breaded and so tough that we couldn't eat it. So we called the manager and he took the dish back to the kitchen. After a few minutes he brought out a dish called Filet of lamb which was so far superior that there was absolutely no comparison. The second lamb dish was tender and juicy and flavorful and I don't understand why they didn't offer that to begin with. The manager also brought out a much better salad which was superb. So things really turned around after that and instead of wanting to rate the food a 3, it's now a 10. What a difference!!!! The ambiance is terrific, especially with the 3 piece combo that played the birthday song for our dessert. Nice touch. !!! We plan on returning but need more explanation for the menu next time. The lamb that was served the second time and the salad were terrific. We appreciate the effort the staff made on our behalf. read more