Friends introduced me to this place for the first time tonight and I genuinely loved it. I had seen some negative reviews, which honestly surprised me. A lot of people I trust have raved about it, and I'm glad I gave it a shot. Our server, Leyla, was great. She took orders for 6 people entirely from memory without a single mistake, all while staying kind, attentive, and composed during a busy service. The food was excellent. The tahdig was crispy, and the stews were rich and homemade, easily some of the best I've had. The koobideh kabob was flavorful and cooked very well, and the chicken barg was equally good. For dessert, the faloodeh had a good balance of rose water, and the Persian ice cream was just as good. I really enjoyed everything about this place and will absolutely be back. read more

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This is my second time coming to this restaurant. The first time, the service and quality of the Persian food were not impressive, but their outdoor seating is nice, so we decided to give it another shot. Unfortunately, it was a mistake. Despite a sign saying 'Wait to be seated,' there was no hostess present. After 5 minutes of waiting, a busboy who didn't speak English attempted to seat us without welcoming us. He barely communicated that no seats were available outside, and when I asked what the wait time was, he could not answer. I found the manager, a Persian lady in her 50s, and asked if she could tell me when an outside table would be available. In a surprisingly snarky tone, she snapped in Farsi, 'You're asking me for the impossible, how do I know how long it's going to take for them to be done? Do *you* know how long it's going to take for them to be done?' I was shocked. Obviously, the answer to a question like this is a standard 15 to 25 minutes of wait time, but unfortunately, she chose a much harder and completely unnecessary response pattern. I told her that this is no way to speak with a customer and started to walk away, choosing to take our business to Caspian Restaurant instead. Unbelievably, she then yelled after me, 'Excuse me, I asked you a question, why are you walking away?' to which, of course, I did not respond. I feel everybody should know about this because a restaurant in such an expensive location needs customer service as its foundation to get repeat clients. It's very unfortunate that this happens to restaurants where the owners are silent and hire the wrong managers--managers who can't handle stress well, or who feel their outdated customer support still holds up in 2026. Unless they change their management style and make a visible change, I would strongly discourage anyone from needing to experience the same. read more

2 words... DRY & COLD! Honestly, this place has gone down. So sad. Out of the 10 things we had on the table, we agreed that the bread and yogurt were the best thing. Everything - everything was cold. Meat dry. $110 later - We both agreed that we most definitely wouldn't return. They should be taken off Resy as the quality is so bad now. Highly recommend the restaurant checking their own reviews and addressing concerns. read more

I used to go out of my way to eat at Irvine Grill because the quality of their meat was excellent. It was one of the main reasons I kept coming back. Unfortunately, my most recent visit was a huge disappointment. The meat tasted completely different than it did just a few months ago. It was noticeably lower quality and honestly reminded me of the meat you'd get at Panini Grill rather than the premium meat Irvine Grill used to serve. I'm not sure if they changed vendors or switched suppliers, but something has definitely changed. I really hope this was just a one-time issue because this place used to be one of my favorites. If the quality returns to what it used to be, I'd happily come back, but based on this visit, I was very disappointed. Food was also burned... read more

Very odd dining experience! You completely felt like you were not a priority to the wait staff. The service was actually horrible - the cherry on top of the cake was that the food was cold and they got our order wrong. We ordered 3 koobideh combo's and one of the combos came out with two beef koobidehs. Instead of being apologetic and just bringing out an additional chicken koobideh and leaving the meal they brought out at the table, they took it back to the kitchen, then brought it out with one beef koobideh and later brought out a chicken koobideh. I also ordered the tadig and it never came out and they tried to charge me for it. The server also never checked in on us. It was overall not the best experience although maybe the food could be good if it was actually warm. read more

Irvine Grill - Koobideh Combo - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Really good beef barg. Portion size is very filling and has lots of flavor. Service is great and the ambiance is nice. read more

Irvine Grill - Beef Barg - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Nice ambiance with many families dining together one a Sunday - I enjoyed that. Some food was a hit and others not so much. The beef shish-kabob I recommend. Service took a hit. Inconsistent with multiple waiters approaching for the same orders then long blocks of time of no one dropping by within the vicinity when I needed something. One waitress struggled to understand or communicate well. Another waiter, male, was short, dry and aggressive-like. Drink selection is below mid-range as well. 3 stars is not bad, but there are far too many better options out there that encompass better food service value. Therefore, I will not be returning. If you're close by, this will do. But don't go out of your way to try this. read more

To start the food was very good. I would definitely go back here for the food. But the service is not the best they forgot our order of yogurt dip and by the time we got it, we pretty much finished our meal. The ambience was good except that a glass dropped and shattered, and they didn't clean all of it up. But overall, the food was excellent and I would definitely order something there again. read more

Irvine Grill - Chicken kebab with rice and salad - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

Great value Persian restaurant with big portions and delicious meat. Came for a group lunch and got the platter and an extra skewer, and it was more than enough for 4 people. All of the different meat options were juicy and tender, and packed with flavor. Very friendly and helpful staff in a big ope environment. read more

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Working staff is super friendly as is the supporting staff. Either the owner or management can probably use some etiquette training. When my wife tried to order catering, she was rushed and felt as is she was annoying then by giving them business. As I said staff who works the lunch and dinner shift are great Their food portions are generous. Food is tasty and good selection to choose from. Tried their soup and it was very tasty. Ambience is nothing to write home about. Little bare but I don't think the owners are aiming for atmosphere. They just serve good food w large portions. I would visit again read more

A friend suggested that we meet at Irvine Grill for a late lunch to cheer someone in our friend group on as he prepared for a big examination tomorrow. Parking was easy in the large lot. The restaurant itself is large with both indoor and outdoor seating, and is gorgeous. Service was attentive and friendly throughout the meal with several employees checking on us. Since we had a party of 6, an 18% gratuity was automatically added to our bill. The menu was extensive and I personally love Persian food. While prices were on the slightly higher side, the portions are massive so it's actually quite a good value. The plates themselves are pretty too. My husband and I ordered fesenjan (pomegranate stew with chicken) with sour cherry rice, as well as lamb shank which came with dill fava bean rice. Both dishes were excellent, and even though I am usually not a big fan of lamb the Persian version of lamb shank is never too gamey for me. Our table also ordered the Irvine Grill Platter as appetizer to share, which consisted of two types of eggplant plus yogurt. We ended with tea, coffee, and baklava, and enjoyed some pleasant conversation. Overall, Irvine Grill was a great dining experience and an excellent option for tasty Persian food. read more

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We ordered a combo plate with filet mignon, koobideh chicken and beef with the lobia rice and shirazi salad. All of the proteins were great but the star is the filet mignon- which was very tender, the chicken was juicy and soft and beef was what you'd expect. I was pleasantly surprised by the lobia rice which is made with tomatoes also elevates the flavors of the dish. The shirazi salad was also enjoyable if you like citrus and texture and a bite. The restaurant was cozy and the servers were great. read more

Irvine Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

This is a nice hidden restaurant tucked in the corner of Quail Hill shopping center. They offer more authentic dishes than most Persian and Mediterranean restaurants. I decided to be adventurous and try Fensenjan for the first time. It was sweet and savory as I expected, but it wasn't satisfying. The chicken inside was not sliced and it was dry. It was hard to eat in front of coworkers. I would eat this as a side dish but would not have it as my main dish. I should have stuck to my usual "safe" favorites like chicken kabob. read more

Irvine Grill - Fesenjan - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

One of my friends suggested this place so we decided to give try...The ambiance was cozy with persian calligraphy images on the wall..We ordered lamb soltani (koobideh-barg) each $40with dough (yogurt drink) each $5and mast moosir $10. The food was ok...I'll be honest it didnt taste persian for me. My koobideh was raw and even in the picture that It's visible. The tomatoes were raw in both kabab and salad. It didnt taste ok! The meat quality wasnt there...Barg is made of slice tender of beef or lamb and should be tender which it wasnt. It wasnt juicy and flavorful...The out side if Persian kabab should be golden brown and while staying tender inside...Persian cuisine is all about taste and flavor and i didnt get there...I didnt even smell the Saffron from my chelo (persian saffron rice)...Persian food should smell persian but it didnt smell like it...There werent no fresh herbs or onions (the most important thing next to chelo kabab). The customer service was ok eventhough they didnt open the yogurt drink when they brought and just imagine opening a persian yogurt....Normally its very fermented and carbonation built inside the bottle so whenever we ordered before most of the time they opened and brought to the table so we didnt struggle to open it... The parking was packed and it took us 20 min to be able find a parking spot. Overall, it was ok but not real persian chelo kabab for me. Maybe the koobideh wasnt raw and the tomatoes werent like this i had better experience... read more

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All right, buckle up! we're heading to Irvine Grill! Just a minute off the 405 freeway, this place is tucked into a bustling shopping center, so prepare yourself for a little parking treasure hunt. On a weekday afternoon, it was like the place was hosting a local celebrity event. It was super busy, but clearly a neighborhood fave. This was my first time visiting, and I could tell it's a hot spot. They've got a weekly special they post every week. I mean, they say it's special, but the price stayed the same, so maybe it's a secret special? Who knows! They do serve branzino fish (fancy!) and different variety of Persian soup called Aush. I was feeling cultured, even if I wasn't sure what was so "special" about it. I dove into the beef soltani: a combo of shish kebab and koobideh (ground beef), and I threw in a chicken kebab with no bones, just all the goodness with rice and salad. And let me tell you, it was tasty! Not the best Persian food I've ever had, but it definitely hit the spot. It was solid enough to come back for round two. I also got a side of Borani which is made of yogurt with eggplant but oof, it was a bit of a letdown. Instead of the rich, savory borani I was dreaming of, it was just eggplant with a sweet yogurt. Not what I signed up for, so I'll skip that next time. The staff here are super friendly. They always smiling, always ready to help you decode the menu (or just answer your random food curiosities). And despite the crowd, our server kept swinging by, making sure we were all set. Prices were reasonable, the restaurant is clean (despite the crowd), and bonus, they do catering! So if you need Persian vibes for your next party, they've got you covered. For dessert, we tried some zolbia (crispy sweet treats) and baklava. Good, but not the best I've ever had. It was fresh though, and a nice way to end the meal. And don't skip the tea afterward perfect little finale. I'm giving Irvine Grill a solid 4 stars, not the Persian food holy grail, but definitely a good reason to come back for another round! read more

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After working up an appetite enjoying the pumpkin patch at Tanaka Farms, we were hungry! Ended up at Irvine Grill to get our grub on for Mediterranean food. The restaurant was easy to find however parking was full. Probably because it was after 6pm on a Friday. The restaurant was busy and it took a while for a server to finally come up to us but we were seated within 10 mins. The atmosphere was bright, loved the blue velvety chairs. Bathrooms were clean. Our waiter was chill, gave us some great pointers and was patient with us. Food was exceptionally delicious! Everything we ordered was prepared perfectly and we had no complaints. We will definitely come back. read more

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Awesome experience here at Irvine grill! We came for a late dinner so no wait (we also had a Resy reservation). Plenty of parking. The staff were very friendly and attentive. Clean restaurant. Food was excellent. We ordered the beef and chicken koobideh combo and the branzino. Not gonna lie the fish was an interesting menu choice but it was definitely the highlight of the meal! With that plum sauce? Exquisite! If you can, upgrade the rice! We got the albaloo and adas and both were legit. The complimentary bread was also good, especially because it was warm and butter smooth. Would definitely come back! read more

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Food tastes great! And for the portion vs price it's pretty reasonable!! I personally love the beef soltani! The service is great with friendly staff that lighten the mood! Both indoor and patio seating is great, location is perfect. read more

Irvine Grill - Beef Soltani - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Came here for date night and honestly... elite choice. We started with the mashed eggplant and they brought it out with fresh out of the oven pita. Warm, fluffy, slightly crisp on the outside. You can literally feel the steam when you tear into it. The eggplant with olive oil was rich, creamy, and so comforting. For mains, we ordered the chicken kebabs with rice and the lamb shank with rice. The portions are generous generous. Like you're not leaving hungry. The rice was fragrant with saffron and perfectly fluffy. The meats were tender, juicy, and full of flavor. No dryness. No shortcuts. Just real authentic Persian food done right. And the saffron ice cream for dessert? I think about it daily. The saffron flavor was so beautifully incorporated. Not overpowering, just smooth and aromatic. It tasted luxurious but still nostalgic at the same time. Perfect spot for a cozy date night. Definitely coming back. read more

Irvine Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

This Persian restaurant is highly rated by my friends, and though I think the food is good & the service & servers are top notch, I, personally, can't differentiate this place from the multitude of other Persian food purveyors in the surrounding community. The menu is comprehensive but not different from elsewhere. I would rate them as a 3 1/2 overall but that's what I would rate the others as well. The community seems to like them since they are always busy. It is comfortable to be there with a seemingly happy clientele but I have no reason to choose them over closer establishments. read more

We all know Southern California is Persian cuisine heaven, and of course I had to try this spot in Irvine! I think the Mast O Khiar was one of the best I've ever had. Not too watery and not too thick, it was just right. I ended up ordering the koobideh and chicken kabob combo plate with rice and salad. It was humongous! Definitely two or three portions of food. The service was great and server was very knowledgeable of the menu. The weather was beautiful so I sat outside. I overheard people say it was cold and me living in Chicago I laughed at them haha. They even had heat lamps. Overall I'd definitely go back and try more of their dishes! read more

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One of the best beef and chicken Koobedei in town! Want to know, you got to try, and once you try, you're gonna like! read more

Irvine Grill - Koobedei combo (beef and chicken) excellent @IrvineGrill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

I don't understand the negative reviews. We were a group of 7. The service was very responsive and polite. Our waitress was not over attentive and not absent; her attention was just right. The food was bountiful , colorful, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. I had the chicken kabob dinner. The chicken was tender and juicy. Not dry at all. The hummus is particularly delicious, don't pass on this. Bread was warm and fluffy. We left very happy and satisfied. I would certainly come back. read more

So naturally as my friends and I were enjoying our morning matches we started talking about the best food around towns. This place became a hot topic so we couldn't resist. As the rumor stated, the food was good. It was the four of us and three of us ended up ordering the New Zealand Lamb Shank and Baghali Polo which was delicious. Essentially it is a slowly cooked lamb shank with a plate of baghali polo, the latter which is a rice dish with fava beans, dill and saffron. Super pretty and delicious. It's also served with a side of broth that they used to cook the lamb shank which you pour over the meat and rice before serving. Very good. One of other friends had the beef kebab which the rest of us had little interest in but apparently delicious. Definitely coming back for some more. Second visit here with a foodie friend. Tried a couple more of their dishes and they were even better than the lamb shank I had before. 1. Boneless Chicken Combo: perfectly cooked grilled boneless chicken skewer and grilled beef koobideh with a generous amount of Greek salad (usually comes with house salad but chose the Greek salad) and rice. Of course had to sprinkle loads of SUMAC to give it the kick. 2. Sample platter of 3 Stews: Fesenjan-my absolute favorite. Thick chicken stew with pomegranate sauce (gives it the perfect sweetness; didn't think I would love it but it just works) and ground walnuts. Chef's kiss. Gheymeh- coming in second. Made with slow cooked beef shank in saffron tomato sauce, yellow split pea, and topped with crispy fried onions. Very very good. Ghorme Sabzi-Slwo cooked beef shank with kidney beans, parsley, cilantro and chive. Was good but lot my favorite. Again really good food. Lots of variety. Great service. And close to home read more

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My wife and I arrived at 7:45 PM and were seated promptly. Our server took our drink order and informed us that food would take approximately 30-40 minutes to prepare. We understood and were fine with the wait. My wife ordered the Barg Plate, and I ordered the chicken with bone. After taking our order, our server disappeared and never brought the bread and butter that normally comes to the table. At 8:30 PM, after we had already been waiting 45 minutes, the server finally returned only to tell me that my chicken dish would take another 20 minutes. After waiting that long, we expected better communication and customer service. There was no apology or sincere effort to make the situation right. We decided to leave without eating. Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. The service was poorly managed, and the restaurant's management needs to address these issues to improve the customer experience. read more

Food is good service is ok, overall if you're not familiar with Persian food it's very good but if you are familiar with Persian food there are better places out there. read more

Restaurant is beautiful with plenty of seating. Waiter was very nice. Tried the ghorme sabzi been wanting to try it. Wow it was delicious definitely want to come back try more food from here! read more

Irvine Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Never got as far as being seated. Should be called the Iran Grill with their flag on the wall at the entrance. Would be ok if there was an American flag next to it. Who knows what side they're on. Some attitude (maybe a coincidence?) when our group walked in so we left immediately and ate at a different restaurant. read more

My Birthday lunch at Irvine Grill. This place is truly a gem. The food is fresh, hot and tasty. Ali was our amazing server. We started with the Kashke Bademjan appetizer with flatbread. I had ice tea with lemon and my wife had the hot Persian tea. The ambiance is very upbeat and joyful as the place is quite popular. We ordered the koobideh combos. My wife had the rice and half salad and I had no rice and just salad. Trying to minimize carb intake. The food, service and people are fantastic. Highly recommended read more

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Really delicious Persian cuisine. My team and I enjoyed the variety of flavors with some really unique stuff. We loved the crispy rice, the olives (with a sweet sauce), the dips and bread. The whole branzino was huge and really yummy. The restaurant has a nice outdoor patio area which was perfect on a summer evening. The staff kept our water cups full and kept bringing over more food. read more

One of the best Persian restaurants in OC! Love the location too! Service is always excellent and love all the kind Persian employees here. The outside patio is perfect for a relaxing and casual dinner and I prefer it over sitting inside. Can't go wrong with the food, especially the koobidehs! read more

Irvine Grill - Tahdig and Stews, Mast O' Mousir, and Salad Shirazi - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

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Been craving for a good and flavorful "koobideh" ground beef kabob. We ordered "soltani" that contains a skewer of flat beef and a skewer of ground beef $37.00. We also ordered boneless chicken kabob. My husband loves barbecued onions and yogurt with musir,special shallots. We also ordered their yogurt drink and tea. Their ground beef was not seasoned with fresh onions and was brought to us almost when we were done eating and one roasted onion with oh maybe half of a bell pepper ($8.00) were roasted on the edges but totally raw and not cooked. I told the waiter I will not pay for grilled onions. A very aggressive lady (maybe the owner) rushed to our table and confronted us very aggressively asking "why didn't you tell us before you eat it, we would have replaced it for you, you ate it right?!" I answered calmly "no ma'am I couldn't chew on it since it was raw and firm"! I mean we paid at least $100. You would think she would have had a bit of class and grace not to embarrass herself in front of other customers around us! But no such thing. I've tried at least three places for ground beef kabob "koobideh" and it seems they don't season with fresh onions anymore and the taste is very unflavorful. This place was the same as others! Didn't like our waitress, we had to flag others to come to our table. The ambiance was just very ordinary. Not going back. read more

We got the beef barg, beef soltani, and the Irvine grill plater. Along with tahdig and the stews. The food was delicious. It was very fresh and served very hot. I love the food, I usually order Togo but this time we sat in their outdoor area. They play nice music and they have heaters for when it gets cold. Only downside is the service could be better...I had to order my drink twice before I got it, we asked for full rice but got half rice and half salad. It wasn't anything crazy but it could be better. Love the food tho! read more

Irvine Grill - Beef Barg - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California

This place has been around for a while. Honestly, first impressions the inside was a little rundown. The flooring is coming apart. There was a weird smell by the bar area. It really felt like a rundown mom and Pop shop. Came for the happy hour food. Got the Koobideh plate. Now I know whether they're still around. Huge portions delicious juicy meat. Flavorful rice. Comes with a salad. I could eat this every day! Wine selection was a little iffy. Decent beer selection, but only in bottle. Overall decent happy hour. Not too comfortable with the staff coming out and folding napkins at the bar while I'm eating and talking to each other. I would recommend the management cut that out. My server was very friendly and so was the lady at the bar. But I have to take points away for decor, smell and strange multi use bar space. read more

Same owners of Aria Kitchen. Right off the bat, the service here is pretty terrible. When we walked in the waitress asked "how many?" To which I responded, two. She then grabs menus and just starts walking away? Once we got our food, the waitress never checked on us the entire meal and waited about 5 mins to ask for a box and check. Food is decent and at a good price but that is pretty much the only good thing about this place. I'd recommend any other Mediterranean place in the area. Likely will never come back. read more

Go to Caspian instead. Large group on a Sat evening, first time for all of us. Everything was dirty: menus, chairs, napkins, silverware, floor, bathrooms. Stuff was in a state of disrepair - broken blinds they couldn't close, tables scraping paint off of the wall, chipped plates. Food was just mediocre. Salmon was fishy. Salad was wet. Chicken kinda dry. Beef dishes were alright. Some of us were missing salad dressing. Server was curt. Brought us the wrong dishes and seemed agitated until they realized it wasn't for us. Still got our dishes mixed up once our food was ready. Sever said they were out of most cocktails. Our server was also apparently the one that had to make the drinks at the bar? The drinks we finally got were gross. read more

Service: Really disappointing. I wanted to like this place. It took them over an hour to finally get the food out, which was room temperature upon eating. My guess is that instead of bringing it out one by one they waited until it was all ready... so in turn the food wasn't even hot anymore! What kind of restaurant even does that (other than this one)? I ordered lamb koobideh. After waiting for over an hour a waitress came out to tell us they ran out of lamb...? Very weird, but instead they brought out beef koobideh as a substitute. After finishing the food maybe 45 minutes later we found out that they were actually not out of lamb, the kitchen just didn't want to make it... huh?? So I ended up getting the lamb in addition to the beef but by that time I was already full from the rest of the food. Food: The food itself was meh, not very seasoned and way too expensive for the quality and portion size received. There are faster and more authentic Persian restaurants around this area for sure. Ambiance & environment: pretty loud. The chairs were dirty with deep stains and they weren't very comfortable either. The restaurant felt kind of cramped too. Overall, don't waste your money on this place. read more

We visited the restaurant for lunch on Mother's day 2026. There were plenty of seats available but we were left unattended for 15 minutes or so, just stood there with our little baby and the hostess and other staff ignored us. After we were finally seated they forgot to bring us any utensils even after the appetizer arrived. We ordered 2 sultani and one had 2 long pieces of hair intertwined within the koobide kabab which was disgusting. We showed the hostess and she just nodded her head. She made no apologies nor any offers to change the plate or make things right and at the end we were charged the entire amount. This was such a disappointing dining experience on mother's day. The restaurant staff and hosts/hostesses definitely need training on basic customer service. The food is delicious but the service and attitude need huge improvement. read more

We went for lunch and this was our third time eating here. But have to say what really made it special this time was the service. Our waitress Maryam was amazing. She really made the experience a five star. read more

Great food and good prices for the lunch specials. We were surprised at how filling the portions were. Our server was friendly and the food came out fast. Definitely recommend the chicken koobideh. read more

Irvine Grill - Chicken Koobideh (2 skewers) - Mediterranean Near Me - Irvine, California