We were in Kirkland overnight on Easter for an early surgical appointment on Monday. After walking…read morearound to stretch our legs from the drive we ducked into Zeitoon Grill House for some Persian cuisine. Based on decor I wondered if it had been a pub or steakhouse once in its life: lots of paneled and coffered wood, chandeliers, and wooden booths with coat hangers. We started with the baba ghanouj and ordered the fesenjan and a beef kobideh for meals. The meals came with a salad to share rather than small individual salads on the plate which was a nice touch. The staff was able to provide some veggies with the baba ghanouj since my partner in crime can't have bread. The baba ghanouj was great - exactly the smoky eggplant flavor I was craving when I saw the sign for Persian cuisine. The kobideh was nice and tender - you could taste the onion. The fesenjan was also extremely good. One question: Who eats this much rice in one dish? The rice was very good - but it is a lot of rice. I haven't had Persian like this since we had Persian neighbors who invited us over.

Zeitoon opened in downtown Kirkland many years ago, replacing the Central 21 Steakhouse. Much of…read morethe interior still has the original dark room steakhouse décor. The center area hosted a huge group with multiple tables pushed together. I have avoided Zeitoon all these years because they are higher cost, not necessarily justifiable since there are lower cost Persian foods or similar Mediterranean restaurants in the area. I finally decided to try them. Our server answered my questions, including his favorites. Two questionable/sketchy things happened: 1. Our server recommended the Mirza Ghasemi, which he said is great with the optional soft-boiled egg. Sounds good. We ordered it. The optional egg is $2, which is not identified on the menu. (See photo) 2. When he recommended the Mirza Ghasemi, we asked him to remove the Mast O Khiar which we initially chose. I said we only want one appetizer. He nodded and said OK. When the Mirza Ghasemi arrived, so did the Mast O Khiar. They put both on the table and immediately left. I flagged the original server to remind him we said to remove it, but a different person showed up instead. He: "You want to cancel this? No problem." and took the yogurt away. I did not order this; it is not me canceling. Minus 0.5 stars from overall rating. The Food: Mirza Ghasemi + egg, $14 +$2 - 2.5 Stars This eggplant dish is the one recommended by our server. We do enjoy eggplant dips, especially warm versions. The optional "soft boiled egg" is not an American version but tiny threads of yellow egg bits mixed within the eggplant mixture. Honestly, we cannot taste the egg. It is borderline a scam. This dish would be 3.5 stars if it was $14 at the menu price, which is already on the high side. A $16 eggplant dish is delusional. Lamb Shishlik Kebab, $36 - 3.5 Stars Menu: Lamb rack marinated and chargrilled (see menu photo) I knew I would not see a rack of lamb on my plate. I got four lamb chops. Meat quality wise, this is excellent. It comes with a ton of basmati rice and a salad with a refreshing light dressing. This is a bit spendy for the quantity of meat, but taste is good. Soltani Shishlik, $42 - 3.5 Stars This is the exact same dish as above except add a skewer of grounded beef kebab. This kebab, and I quote my hubby, is "not that good". Same comment for the rest of the dish. A basket of lavash bread arrived at the table. I believe it came with the Mirza Ghasemi. We have eaten many lavash breads, commonly used as wrap so it is grilled and/or heat-pressed with oil on the surface. These lavash breads are simply warmed. I learned they taste terrible that way. The surface has a sandpaper texture and still taste like sandpaper when eating it. If I paid for this separately, I would be upset.

Today I visited Mediterranean Cuisine at Bibi in Kirkland, and it was absolutely worth the trip…read morefrom California. My friend kept talking about how amazing their food was, and now I completely understand why. I would honestly rate it 100 out of 10. I ordered the lamb loin kebab, and the meat was perfectly cooked - tender, juicy, flavorful, and incredibly delicious. You can really taste the quality and care in every bite. I also ordered Persian tea, which was rich and aromatic, and they kindly served it with rice cookies that paired perfectly with the tea. The atmosphere and hospitality made the experience even better. I truly enjoyed my visit and will definitely come back the next time I'm in Washington.

We had heard this was fantastic Persian food from several people and were disappointed in food but…read moreshocked at the owner's combative behavior. She was furious when I said my beet salad with pomegranate molasses" had no pomegranate molasses at all and only balsamic vinegar. She said pomegranates are out of season and I replied that pom molasses is a product in a bottle (bottles of which she was actually selling at the cash register). Then she yelled at me about the price of food and rent. I explained I wasn't complaining about the price only that if the menu said beets in pom molasses dressing it should be just that. Also the babaganoush was bland and the chicken mediocre which I kept to myself. Lastly, the menu was rumpled paper with food stains on it and our table was sticky. Not surprising that we were the only people in the place.

The last time we ordered from Bella Balducci in 2021, we gave up deciphering the Persian/Iranian…read moredish names and ordered a gyro to-go instead. Five years later, we finally returned and dined in. The menu now has descriptions, and we are happy to choose Persian dishes instead. The restaurant is simple and homey. Two staff members handled the front of house. Service was ok. She didn't understand we were ordering two of the same meal, and only one meal showed up. Luckily, the restaurant wasn't busy, and the second dish arrived quickly. The Food: Bakhtiari, $30 - 5 Stars This dish has one flank steak skewer (called barg), and one chicken tenderloin skewer. The flank steak is very, very tender. Perfection! The chicken is a bit drier but pretty good, too. The portion size is excellent with the two skewers of meat. Hubby finished his entire platter except half the rice. My dish was divided into three portions that I ate over three dinners. We are both happy with this dish. We were given a plate with a stack of lavash bread, half an onion, some mint leaves (I think), and pads of butter. I asked what the recommended way to eat. She said to butter the lavash bread, cut in some onions, add mint, and put in a piece of meat. After I added the missing second entrée, I asked if I get a second plate of this, too. She said no but did replenish the lavash bread and butter.

Wow! My sister in law was NOT joking about this place. It's small, but right when we walked in,…read morethey were bustin' out orders like nobody's business. We were seated right away and shared The King's Platter. Portions were HUGE and delicious, I regret eating it all in one sitting because I was still craving it the next day. I loved that we casually came in, but it was still an immersive experience - it was my first time having the sheets, mint, and butter as fixings. Not a scrap of food left between my fiancé and I. On top of that, the cook was super speedy and also was showing off his vocals. It was a vibe.

Noon Café is a family-owned Persian/Iranian eatery in a plaza called Totem Square with plenty of…read moreparking. Noon Café is a casual family diner offering traditional grilled kababs (aka kebab), appetizers, sandwiches, and pizzas - all Persian/Iranian style. The interior is basic, decorated with photos of Iranian landmarks (I assume). Currently, they have a memorial due to the ongoing war. (Peace to all...) Service is warm and friendly. Be sure to ask questions if the dish names are unfamiliar. The Food: Soltani, $32.99 - 4 Stars Soltani includes one skewer of Koobideh (ground beef) and one skew of Barg (flank steak). Both are well-seasoned with excellent flavor. We ordered the flank steak medium rare, but it was medium with no pink inside. The steak was tolerable, not as tender as it could have be. This dish was served with rice per the menu. After I saw another table has their kabab served with a bread, I asked the server. She said other than rice, there is a choice of Persian bread (flat bread with sesame) and salad. Curious that wasn't in the menu nor did she say it. Not a dealbreaker. Her reply did raise my eyebrow. Zaboon, $16.99 - 3 Stars Menu: Veal tongue, simmered and fried, tomato, pickles, parsley Based on the description, the texture completely threw me off. The meat is mushy to the point of spreadable. The flavor is light with minimum seasoning. I applied hot sauce liberally to the sandwich. Portion size is large. I ate only half. Fries, $6.99 - 3 Stars Menu: Golden and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside Some pieces aren't crispy enough. Some pieces are too thick such that the inside has the potato gritty texture. The sauce is a house-created flavor. We like the sauce more than we like the fries. The food is closer to 3.5 Stars. I like the family vibe and am rounding up to 4 Stars for the overall rating.

Food :5/5 Ambiance : 5/5…read moreService :5/5 We actually came across Noon Cafe by accident while looking for another nearby restaurant where we were supposed to meet someone. When we realized we were at the wrong place, we informed the staff. They were incredibly polite and friendly and didn't show any irritation at all. They kindly said it was no problem and were very understanding. While we were there, we took a look at the menu and decided we should come back and try the food another time. A couple of months later, we returned to give it a try. We ordered the non-mixed grill, and it was absolutely delicious. The beef was cooked perfectly--juicy, tender, and full of flavor. The chicken was also excellent. The rice was perfectly cooked, and when we added the butter, it tasted amazing. They also had a special Persian spice that elevated the flavor to another level. The service was warm and welcoming. Our server took the time to explain how Persian food is traditionally enjoyed and described the purpose of each ingredient. We followed his suggestions, and the experience was even more enjoyable. The ambiance was simple and modern, and the place was very clean and well maintained. Definitely a must-try.

A wonderful family-owned restaurant that truly cooks with quality and love…read more The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, with beautiful music playing softly in the background. My favorite dish is the mixed Persian chicken kabobs served on top of a fresh Greek salad--a delicious combination of perfectly seasoned, tender chicken and crisp vegetables. The Persian and Mediterranean flavors are authentic and full of taste. Fresh ingredients, excellent service, and genuine hospitality make this one of my favorite restaurants in Kirkland. Highly recommended!

Koftah wrap and they included some hummus. I believe the hummus has zatar blended in. The wrap has…read morea nice amount of lettuce, tomato, and cukes. On another visit, I had a gyro which I personally prefer more. The Koftah seasoning doesn't hit all the notes I'm looking for but that's me. It's still very tasty.

Food was truly good even though it's a bit further out to get to Caspian. The new addition I noted…read morethis time was the oven baked chicken which has a flavor similar to the sauce in the lamb shank. My favorite item to order at Canada based Iranian restaurants. Caspian here also serves the best jeweled rice - nuts, preserved candied carrots, over saffron rice. Heavenly!

The food is amazing and authentic, the staff is professional and friendly, and atmosphere is great,…read morehighly recommend

About four months ago we had a decent, but not earth shattering experience. A month later we…read morerevisited and things were the same. I dismissed the place and didn't take photos or save any notes. Along came Yelp telling me to write something. Here's my best attempt at a memoir: Both of our visits featured a lovely hostess and her sidekick, Robbie the Robot. A sincere Ma & Pa feel to this strip-mall-esque eatery. They've made pretty good use of the limited space with tables and chairs, but no real oomph! The food is just good. A bit bland. Maybe Americanized for the people. I did have a tasty bite of Cornish hen with Basmati rice, but it was also pretty greasy. Trade off, I suppose. A positive is their plating. Many of their presentations are very appealing. We didn't wait for our order to arrive on either occasion. I remember the bistro being very solemn and clean. Parking a snap in the mall's huge lot.

We came here for dinner on a Friday night. There weren't any in house diners here but plenty of…read moretake out orders, so we were able to get a table immediately. The hostess was very friendly and explained the menu to us offering us her recommendations on popular dishes. We opted for the combination kebab plates which came with the three different kebabs, side of rice and salad, served to us by a robot! The chicken kebab was my favorite out of those three. I was hoping for baklava for dessert but they had run out of full orders, informing us they hand only one piece left so I tried it! I would come back for the chicken kebab. Happy eating!

This is one fantastic restaurant! The space is large, clean, and the staff are very friendly…read more The food is absolutely amazing and delicious bite after bite. Started with Dolmeh which I have never had warm. It was Fantastic! Opted in for the Kings Feast with salad instead of rice. It was plenty to share and the flank steak was juicy and tender, the chicken was flavorful and not dry, and the kubadwa was well seasoned. The baklava was a perfect dessert to wrap up the meal. Will be back again to try more meals.

Amazing food and great service. I really recommend to try Tadig . Kebab also was so juicy and…read moretender.

This location is permanently closed…read more Other locations remain open: Mamnoon Mamnoon Street MBar

Hanoon is pretty good. Located in totem lake, food and ambience is pretty good. I went for lunch…read moreand their menu had good options for vegetarians. I ordered fried cauliflower, hummus, falafel. Service is also good. It wasn't crowded at all during lunch hours Quantity is good and quality of food is also good. Pricing is similar to what you have at other places in Seattle.

We are absolutely delighted to have discovered ARIS FOOD & BAKERY! The owner is delightfully…read morewelcoming and friendly. He is most pleased to share the information about anything you wish to purchase. The BAKERY items are fabulous and fresh! The Feta cheese and house made yoghurt will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF! Prices are quite affordable and the inclusion of the house bread for their yogurt is a delight! Please take a moment to drop in and explore the ARIA FOOD & BAKERY your palate will thank you! HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Fabulous food! The yoghurt dip, the feta, and the breads are stellar! And the owner is so kind,…read moregiving such service it felt like good family. Our go-to for picnics!