I've been there twice and both time I've had the same issue; it took them forever to take my order, and it takes even more to bring my check. and I'm one of those guys, who always need couple of more minutes to review the menu. Other than the terrible service, the food is not that good to worth the headache. I had a sultani, the barg was cooked very good but it was tasteless, the kobideh was better, however, it wasn't that good to bring me back to their restaurant for the third time. And you get a huge portion of not very good rice, which is just a waste. dough was OK. read more

Second time @ this place, i love the food here It has so much taste and flavor to it. The decoration, setting and service is similar to that of other middle eastern places but the taste us superb. Very good Persian spot, shame manhattan does not have a similar spot. read more

Shamshiry - Sweet sweet sweet and tea :) - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

I'm not Persian but I would say this is the best food ever!! So delicious! So filling and so much to go around! I highly recommend the kubideh (spell check)- it's so tender ! read more

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Food is decent and came out fast. Don't expect your table to be pre-bussed. Your plate will sit on the table until you leave. Also had to ask for check after fiddling my thumbs for a while at the table. The wait staff was very nice. read more

Had been ordering from Shamshiry for years. But after the Kubideh takeout last Friday, everyone in the family had terrible diarrhea and stomach pain for two days. I could tolerate if the food taste is not top notch. But unsafe food that might have salmonella was just too much. Last Friday was the last ever Shamshiry for us. read more

Never expected to find this place while getting my car serviced. Amazingly seasoned and tender beef and lamb. Mountain of rice (far too much to eat) and tasty grilled vegetables. Will book future car services around lunch hour to enjoy again. read more

An amazing place. On a whim I wanted to get some good Mediterranean food but decided on Persian cuisine. I was not disappointed. When I realized that most of the patrons were of Mediterranean and Persian decent when I heard the various conversations taking place, I knew I was in the right place. The food was some of the most authentic I have had. Coming from Tampa, there is a large population of people from Southwest Asia and the Middle East, so the bar was high. I honestly do not think that there is anything bad on the menu. I spent a considerable amount of time looking at what others were eating. I had 2 appetizers (salad and garlic yogurt) with the Chicken Kabob. The pita came with an awesome pepper sauce that was a bit spicy. Really enjoyed this place and hope that I have the opportunity to visit once again before I depart. read more

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My favorite Persian restaurant in northern Virginia. Best kubbideh in town. Great service and high quality of food.

Fantastic food and service. The manager here is great. I loved the pita with the jalapeño sauce for dipping. For my entree, I had the jujeh kebab. Portions here are large so come hungry. For desert, we had homemade ice cream and tea to wash everything down. Come to Shamshiry! read more

I have been coming here since 2003, but haven't stopped coming here probably since late 2011. I moved, and never had the chance to visit NOVA. Anyway, long story short, I am very disappointed, due to manu reasons. Parking - limited! Food - Terrible!! Seriously what happened!!! The rice portion is alot, but tasteless. What about the actual kabob? Did they cut down on the spices!! Price - They charged me extra for 'zirishk', plus it was over sweet! I am very sad, that this place went downhill. It used to be my number 1 place for kabob, worldwide! Unfortunately, it is not even an average kabob place. It's either they get their act together, or they'll just lose their customers. read more

Good kabob and good food. But..Tadiq was soft and cold the first time we ordered. Second time we ordered we made sure to tell them to make it hot! They obviously rushed this order because it came out even softer and way under cooked. Their excuse was because it's close to closing time. This is supposed to be crispy rice... Asked for ice cream at the end of dinner 5 minutes before closing and they denied my request. Could even get a scoop to go!!! Never experienced this at a restaurant. The usual protocol of business is that you close the kitchen 30min-1hr before closing. Not let us order until 5 min before we have to be out of the door and try to rush all your tables out 5 minutes before you close. Not the best customer service. read more

I odered food for pickup and as I pulled up to shamshiri I noticed that NONE of the kitchen grilling station staff were wearing a mask ! I asked to speak to the manager and explained my concern and why I am cancelling my order. He said their grill cooks do not wear mask due to temperature of the grill! I told him it is not safe plus they could cough and sneeze over the food but he insisted that's safe practice. In the meantime I noticed a couple of customers leaving the restaurant without wearing a mask. It is not safe to dine or carry out at shamshiri. Disgusted with their ignorance and unsafe handling of food ! read more

I was really looking forward to this place based on the pictures and reviews but I was disappointed. The bread they serve at the beginning of the meal is like a hard thin naan not like the soft fluffy naan. Which tasted okay but it wasn't warm and a bit dry. I think the food was underwhelming. We got the combo with the barg, kubedih, and chicken to share between two people. It came with a lot of rice, maybe too much rice. The meats were fresh but the flavors weren't all there. Also, I was hoping they serve the spicy green and yogurt sauce with the meal but they didn't (I always like dipping the meats with the sauces). When I ask for the yogurt sauce the lady gave us this thick salad dressing white sauce. They also charge us like 3 dollars for the sauce (who charge for sauces?!) I wouldn't come back, there are better kabob options out there. read more

Shamshiry - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

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I have been in this restaurant a lot of times but tonight as of March-first theit food was very bad. The chicken kabob was dry and tasteless. It seemed they picked it up from a grocery discount store and pan fried it. The koobideh was tasted like it had a strange taste like baking soda and was stretching like a rubber band everything was horrible except the rice. But I do not go there for rice . I prefer Moby Dick because medium good , at least their food is consistent . read more

SAT Analogy Time: Other Kabobs : Shamshiry Kabobs :: (A) full of additives/chemicals : all natural (B) thin and dry : plump and juicy (C) Kate Moss : Oprah (D) All of the above. Answer: D Farzan K : loves the Salad Olvioy :: (A) Britney Spears : loves her baby boy (B) Baby boy: loves a brand new toy (C) Kevin Federline : loves his Laz E Boy (D) All of the above. Answer: D Orgasmic experience for Shamshiry patron : three skewer kabob platter (Jujeh, Kubideh, Barg) :: (A) Orgasmic experience for Tiger Woods : three mistresses (B) Orgasmic experience for Colin Farrell : three stewardesses (C) Orgasmic experience for Farzan K : three-sided mirror (D) All of the above. Answer: D read more

It's been over half a year since I've come here and I still talk about their rice. I don't know what it is about their rice but I could probably eat a plate of just that! Came here with a large party and everyone had a pretty good experience. To echo everyone else, the portions are huge and service can be a bit hit or miss. I haven't eaten in a lot of Persian restaurants so I don't have much to compare it to but I thought the lamb was great. read more

Here tonight for a quick solo dinner. I am not in the habit of writing negative reviews so let me just focus on what was excellent; the food was tasty, filling, and prepared as I recall from much time spent abroad in the Middle East. And that is all I will say about this place. I may give them another chance the next time I am in town, as the lack of service was not really the fault of the owner. read more

Shamshiry - Combination chicken and beef kabob, salad, and rice with saffron. Been sometime since I have been back to this restaurant. - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

I love rice. Short grain rice, medium grain rice, long grain rice, white rice, brown rice, red rice, black rice, sushi rice, GABA rice...Best post-Thanksgiving snack - bowl of rice topped with turkey gravy. Only have two bites of leftover Chinese food? No problem - I'll eat it with a big bowl of rice. Picnic lunch? Japanese style rice balls with various filling. Sometimes I'll just eat some rice by itself to enjoy the flavor of good quality rice. Rice rice rice. So what does this have to do with Shamshiry? If you take a look at any of the photos, you'll notice that the plate is covered in a huge mound of rice. It is phenomenal! I need to learn the art of making fluffy, perfectly steamed long grain rice that isn't mushy and comes out steaming but it isn't clumpy all. It is ridiculously fluffy and pretty tasty - even better with a few shakes of sumac. And they give you an absurd amount of it - maybe 3 or 4 normal helpings worth. The jujeh kabob was juicy and delicious. The salmon kabob chunks were big and quite good, although cooked more than I normally like. The accompanying dill rice was also very nice. The bread was aight - nothing offensive and nothing that special. I suppose the amount of meat may be a bit skimpy, but I only ate three pieces since I was too busy eating the rice and the bread. In general, the items here don't seem to be strongly seasoned as what you'd get from other kabob places. Whether that is a Persian thing or just Shamshiry, I think they do a good job with the flavorings they do use. So if your love of rice is greater than or equal to your love of kabobs, this place is great. Otherwise it might be more like a 3.5 or 3.75. read more

It's an utter shame that I've been eating middle eastern food for this long without having tried Shamshiry. Never again will I eat a kabob anywhere else. If you're going to get one thing here, get the Chelo Kabob Shamshiry. The kubideh and barg are hands down the best I've ever had. Same with their chicken kabob. read more

I finally had the chance to try Shamshiry with one of my main gal pals, and it was an experience that epitomizes something that I've grown to love about the DMW area, and it's the abundance of "authentic" non-"American" dining and cultural experiences in an environment that allows me to enjoy the cuisine and not feel like an outsider, but at the same time, allows me to kind of be the fly on the wall and get a real flavor - so cool! Speaking of flavor, you'll find the food kind in a good abundance here, but you have to decipher the parking situation first. It's not immediately clear where you're allowed to park in the pseudo office building complex where Shamshiry is located, but once you find a spot, you'll be swept away into an atmosphere replete with white tablecloths and mirrored walls, and tables full of Persian families enjoying a good time. Even though our waiter was brand new, the owner/manager did come by a few times to check on us, which we appreciated. Overall, we were very happy with the service, and it allowed my pal and me to catch-up without feeling hurried or hungry. For starters, we did a Persian tea, which was nice and warm, but was missing some of the deep herbal flavors I've come to expect from some other similar restaurants. For also did the Sabzi salad and the cucumber tomato salad, and aside from the whole pita-in-a-ZipLoc-thing, the salads were really fresh and amply-sized to share among two hungry women. As for entrees, I opted for the tandoori chicken with extra green spicy sauce, and chose 1/2 salad, 1/2 rice, as the normal serving of rice is enough to feed a family of 4 - I am NOT kidding. I enjoyed the juiciness of the chicken and the rich, spicy flavors of the green sauce, and the rice was of course perfect. My friend chose the salmon filet with full rice, and while she polished that salmon right off, she only ate a few bites of the rice - it seriously was an overwhelming amount, but that's better than not enough! I will definitely return to Shamshiry - don't let its office-like location deceive you, this is Tyson's Corner, after all, and some of the best restaurants are hidden in office-like complexes! read more

So glad we were told about this place, such a little hidden gem! It's definitely not unknown but Togo food is an easy process & our first time the host sat down with us to help with the menu. Hosts are always really nice & food is always ready when ordered. read more

Chicken kebob is a GO. Chicken kubeidah is a GO. Tandoori chicken is a GO. Zereskh rice (with Burberry) is a GO. Baklava is a GO. Persian ice cream is a GO. Persian tea is a GO. Prices are a GO. Setting and ambience is a GO. Service is a GO. Skip this place AT YOUR OWN PERIL. read more

Shamshiry, the name means...Shamshiry. Actually I have no idea what the name means, but I wouldn't be surprised if it translates to "Place that serves deliciously tasty kabobs in a busy crowded restaurant".Hmmm ...probably no chance that would be the actual translation, then again I'm not Iranian...errr...Persian. :-) The first thing that hits you as you walk into Shamshiry is not just the line and always crowded restaurant (call ahead if you can), but the delicious smell of the meats being grilled in the kitchen. Whatever Shamshiry means or whomever the place was named after, it's a bustling gem in the heart of the Tysons Corner industrial district. The food is always delicious, the service may leave a little bit to be desired but you'll always leave with a full stomach and happy images of oversized plates of with welcoming mountains of rice and large pieces of chicken, beef or ground beef kabobs. The food never disappoints and you'll find yourself breaking all promises of being carb healthy by devouring the mammoth mound of rice set before you. For me, Shamshiry is not only an international experience because of the Iranian cuisine, but because of the simple fact that every time I've come to dine at this remarkable establishment it's been with a variable United Nations of friends: Filipinos, Americans, Iranians (a.k.a. Persians as they'll remind you), Chinese, Moroccan or Lebanese. All of us sharing the common bond of being friends, but mainly all being people who love delicious food. I was won over during my first visit as I ordered the Jujeh Kabob; chunks of Cornish hen grilled over the charcoal fires of the Shamshiry kitchen. The flavors of the grilled Cornish hen wowed me and I was truly won over by the Shamshiry chefs after I tried cuts of my friend's Kubideh (ground beef kabob) and delicate cuts of the Chelo (fillet Mignon) kabob. The Persian chefs are obvious masters of marinating, spicing and most importantly grilling all cuts of meat to perfection. Quick note to all beer and wine connoisseurs; enjoy your tasty beverages at home as Shamshiry does not serve Alcohol. The only drinks available are yogurt drinks, hot/cold tea and soft drinks. My advice is to enjoy the hot tea with your meal and grab a drink with friends/loved ones after your visit to Shamshiry. Plus, with all the rice you'll be eating, it's probably a good thing Shamshiry doesn't serve alcohol; you won't overload on carbs....Dr. Atkins would be proud! To me, Shamshiry would easily be a 5-star establishment if it didn't suffer from shabby service. Reservations or call ahead seatings do not always guarantee you a table, and there may be nights when they have been known to all together abandon the whole notion of reservations. Depending on your waiter, you may be treated like a king of Kings with every need being met. Other nights just grabbing the waiter's attention can be a feat in itself. The only thing that makes up for such inconsistent service is the food. You'll never go hungry and you'll never leave disappointed. If you have the patience to wait for a table and the conviction to find Shamshiry camouflaged among unremarkable office buildings, you will definitely enjoy your visit and will already be mentally planning your next return before being halfway done with your mountain of rice. *** Check out my Yelp profile and visit my blog to read the FULL review *** read more

We've been here a number of times with friends and coworkers. I've always enjoyed it and the food has always been really great. One of my favorite in this area. read more

Shamshiry - Shamshiri Special - Middle Eastern Near Me - Vienna, Virginia

I've worked in the area for quite some time and this restaurant has been a staple on my lunch rotation. My co-worker noticed a funny smell coming through the vents that smelled like urine or sour pickles lol. I usually do take-out and can't say that I have ever noticed it. Their yogurt and cucumber sauce is always thick and tasty. I love their chopped veggie salad mixed in with my rice! Very flavorful and healthy. The chicken is always in huge pieces as well as the lamb....admittedly some of the most flavorful lamb I have had. My new favorite is the salmon that I finally woman upped and tried a few months ago lol. The pieces are huge and so worth it. Each time you go, expect to be served enough for at least two meals...possibly three Great eats.....great prices read more

Why, Shamshiry, why? This restaurant has been a McLean staple for years, and yet my experience made me wonder what people see in this place that makes it "the best." Honestly, there are so many other (much better) options for kabobs in northern VA that this place barely makes a mark in my book. Everyone raves about this place, and I've been wanting to go forever, so I gave it a try for lunch recently. There were 7 of us, and the place was half full at 12pm. I was surprised because everyone I know tells me "never walk in without a reservation!" Well, maybe some people have moved on. And rightly so. We were seated at a table, and it was ultra-cramped. My knees kept hitting other people's under the table, so the tables aren't wide enough for plates. Our table wasn't properly set up with silverware or cups, and it was so hard to flag someone down. Our waiter was disinterested and absent. We grabbed things from another table. Then, other tables, two tables of pairs, ordered their food after us but got theirs first. I understand that if all 7 of us were to get ours at the same time but that didn't happen. Such bad timing! Three of us got entrees, then 2 more, then the final two. By the time the final two came out, those pairs were pretty much done with their meals. I got the chicken tandoori - it was tasty, but I basically got 2 pounds of rice and 6 measly chicken pieces. MEASLY, I TELL YOU. What a waste for $15! Then their "spicy" sauce with the bread was not spicy at all. Tasty, but not spicy. The bread was super thin and seemed old. You can get half salad/half rice but with a $2 upcharge. Seems like the place is just trying to keep up with the rent if they have to charge that... We were never checked up on, and then it took forever to get the bill. Not sure why that was so hard. Also, I am not a fan of the décor - it reminds me of early 1990s/late 1980s design where the tables are overly and unnecessarily formal. I'm not sure who they are trying to cater to. It's outdated and sad. They desperately need an update. Would like to see them on one of those restaurant overhaul shows. Bottom line: this is not it, people. Move along to bigger and better things - they do exist in Tysons, Falls Church, Vienna, Fairfax... read more

Time: 8 pm Agenda: meat and rice plz Overall: Butterface Shamshiry looks like your typical middle-eastern restaurant. Wall-length mirrors and random ethnic knickknacks all over the place. What did stand out was when you first walk in there is a window showcasing their grill. A palatable bait, I must say. Unlike other family-feeling restaurants of this variety, the service here was cold and slow. I don't think my waiter smiled once and certainly didn't entertain my questions about "what's good?". Also, when they served my water they just left the pitcher on the table. Which I suppose was convenient to me, but how lazy are you? Now, about the food, i'm going to benchmark this place against the only other Persian place I've been,Rose Kabob. Raw onions and roasted tomatoes aside, the plates had the same basic elements: meat, rice, and flatbread. At Rose Kabob I had lamb, which was great. At Shamshiry I had Chicken Tandoori, which was alright. The presentation was mouthwatering. The chicken had developed an great char and looked succulent. When I had my first piece, it was juicy and tender, but there was a strange lack of flavor. After a few pieces, all I could taste was the hot paste that covered the chicken. Mostly because that was all there was. Otherwise, the texture and doneness on my chicken was great. The rice at Shamshiry comes in great amounts. Now, for most people, this is a welcomed sight. More rice is better than less rice, right? The mass of rice, I would guess close to being at 1 1/2 cups, was so large that the steam it was generating seemed to become trapped within its own layers. As I pierced the heart of this mound, I discovered a new, albeit very subtle, aftertaste... probably impurities from the water itself. I mixed in some of the butter but gave up on the rice 1/3rd of the way through. The flatbread at Shamshiry is a disgrace. It is served in a plastic ziplock bag within a woven basket. They could at least fool me and take the bread out of the bag so I just thought it was cold. But no, it was moist and cold. (Served with no yoghurt either, just hot paste and butter) I feel bad for comparing Rose Kabob's bread with Shamshiry's. Like Japanese Giant Hornets on European honeybees. The prices for red meat entrees was $15+ and chicken/other were $12+. They had rice sides for $6 and some desserts etc. I had decent expectations when I saw the flames and the swords around this place... but they don't take their flatbread seriously. read more

I was on my way back from DC after taking the train from Jersey. I was gonna hold out and eat at home, but then I got lazy and wanted some good, hot food now! By the time I realized how hungry I was, I was in Tysons and it was about 11:30 on a Saturday night. For some reason the only thing that came to my mind was Shamshiry. I've been here dozens of times, never am I disappointed. They are consistent with quality and definitely quantity. I ordered the Kubideh on rice with a side of the shirazi salad (cucumbers, tomatoes and onions in a lemon vinaigrette). I LOVE the huge mound of buttery rice they give you. In my book, you can never have too much rice, especially if it's buttered :) The kubideh was also huge. The salad was crisp, fresh and citrusy. My meal hit the spot. I am definitely a fan of Shamshiry. read more

Step 1: Get tired of "the usual" and find something new to try. Step 2: Order mast-o khiar and chicken soltani. Step 3: Enjoy and wish you had found this earlier. read more

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There are few places that can hold a candle to Kabob Palace but Shamshiry is now at the top of my list. I had a stellar lunch here today in the company of Kevin L. and Xi W. I love that the flatbread is pre-sliced into perfect rectangles, stacked until the size of a small brick, inserted into a ziplock bag and brought to the table. The food took some time to come out so we noshed on the bread. Xi ordered yogurt which she was nice enough to share. It was sweet, refreshing and thick. I've never tasted yogurt this good and it went well with everything I put it on. For my entree, I went for the Jujeh Kabob, or cornish hen. It came with a mountain of saffron rice. It was fluffy and flavorful - I didn't know rice could taste this good. They also layer a piece of "toasted rice" over it but it wasn't as crispy as it looked. As a child, I loved scraping the bottom of the rice cooker for toasted or burnt rice so this was totally reminiscent for me. The chunks of cornish hen are served on the bone, have crispy skin, juicy meat and marinated in spices. I couldn't find fault in any part of my meal and I'll be sure to come back often. read more

Best Persian food around! Love the pulao, koobideh, and saffron ice cream. I also asked for kashk e badamjan (the eggplant appetizer) which wasn't on the menu and they made it! It was great. It gets very chaotic and they're not the best at their customer service when dealing with reservations/ big groups so plan accordingly. read more

4.5 stars Huge portions, great prices, pretty authentic. I came here on a sunday night at 7pm and there was quite a wait for seating. I've always thought you can get a judge of a place's authenticity if you notice that the people of that cuisine are there eating. I actually was one of the few non persian people eating here and I could see persian families getting huge orders of carryout for sunday dinner. Since it was my first time here I was curious to try many different things. For my main entree I went with the "Chelo Kabob Shamshiry". (it's gotta be good if it has the places name in it right??) This consisted of kabob kubideh and kabob barg. The steak was extremely tasty and soft and the kubideh was equally juicy. I thoroughly enjoyed the generous portion of fluffy rice provided with the meal as well. This was easily two meals worth of food. Since I was on a roll of trying things I ordered 'doogh' to drink. It's a yogurt like drink but I unfortunately found out I actually really didnt like it. Basically, if you like tzatziki sauce you will LOVE doogh, if you dont really care for it that much like me.. you'll be sorry you ordered such a tall glass of it haha. As much as I hate to throw away things, I couldnt bring myself to down it all. I did see a lot of other patrons seemingly enjoy it greatly though. For dessert we shared a bowl of saffron ice cream. It was really delicious and it was also a generous portion. It is made with egg and had a nice chewiness to it and a wonderful taste. I definitely recommend getting it if you visit. One thing that was great about the restaurant is the menu is extremely descriptive so even if you are completely unfamiliar with the stuff you can get a good idea about what you are ordering :-) read more

2.5 stars Only got two salads and a beef and rice dish. Both were fair. Bread was excellent. Server placed a large salad in the middle of both of us, implying it is something we share, in the middle of Covid. I gave it to my friend, and then in a couple of minutes the other one came out, that my friend should have received. Server also forgot to bring an appetizer and then when I reminded him, he went to the kitchen, came back, and said, "sorry, we don't have that" read more

Don't hate the player; hate the game! I'm torn between 2.5 and 3 stars, but because I want to have some faith, I'll go with 3. I was shocked that the restaurant didn't offer lamb kabobs. Lamb is usually my measure of goodness; some places over cook it, some under cook it. Either way, it's usually the only type of kabob I will order. Since Shamshiry didn't offer it, I decided to order the beef kubideh. The flatbread came with the traditional butter and something green and very hot, but no onions. I'm used to seeing the butter and onions brought out at the same time. My order arrived and the first thing I thought when I saw the plates coming towards us was, "Holy shit, there's no way I can finish all that food". Well lemme tell ya...all "that food" really equates to "all that rice". I haven't seen that much rice on a plate since I went to a buffet and saw it in a chafing dish. As for the meat, it was hidden under the rice. It was my first time ordering kubideh, and it wasn't too bad. It had a nice taste to it, but I missed ordering lamb. The dessert I ordered was good, but I couldn't quite put my finger on whether or not I liked it for a few bites or more. The rosewater with thin noodles and ice was only ok, but more importantly, I couldn't make out the flavor of my dining companion's ice cream. I know it was colored with saffron, but it didn't have a flavor that reminded me of anything. I'd have to say that I'd simply stick to Kabob Palace or the Afghan Restaurant in the future. Even though they are both so much further away from my house, I'd rather spend the little extra it costs for the gas getting down there and have a good meal, than go somewhere close and have a bad meal. Hope I can give it another shot sometime. read more

Yes, they do make one of the best kabobs and their crusty/burnt rice that you can get is awesome. I've stopped going there though because of bad service one time where they kept bringing food to a bunch of persian people at a different table first (who ordered after us..and same food). I complained about it but they acted as if they couldn't care less and didn't even blink an eye when we walked out. So good food but bad service in my eye. read more

Brendan J is right - they do load your plate with a boat ton of rice. But at least the rice is well-cooked, light and fluffy to soak up the flavors of the tender and flavorful kabobs. I thought it was interesting that some of the rice was fried up with egg - better than mixing the raw egg into the rice myself like they advertised on the menu. The kubideh was very moist and tender well-balanced in flavor (not going to think about how fatty the ground meat is). My husband's steak kabob was well-cooked and tender and not so chewy; my chicken kabob was tender and well balanced of flavor. Service was attentive; the sit-down restaurant was not too pretentious. Overall this is a great place for Persia kabobs. Authentic flavors, large portions with the ambiance to go with it. read more

In my opinion this is the best Persian food in the entire country. Everything is excellent, but a few things deserve special mention. The Barg is always juicy and tender in a way that's hard to find anywhere else. The chicken has more saffron flavor than most places, and is always juicy. The roast tomatoes are a great addition to all the dishes. But what sets them apart is the rice. Oh, the rice. Not only is it always cooked perfectly and piping hot, but it comes with a small section of "crispy rice" which has been caramelized to the pan. I have never seen it anywhere else, and it's great! They give you enough rice for 4 servings, and you'll find yourself wanting to force down every last bit it's so good. The only down side is very minor, the restaurant is modest sized and is easily filled at peak times so their can be a short wait. They really hustle to turn the tables though. read more

7:00 PM Saturday- 3 people 1. Ambiance: It's a nice and casual restaurant with a tiny foyer that has access to viewing the preparation of the meats. If the window that shows the huge fire cooking kabobs isn't a promulgation that you are in a kabob paradise then I don't know what is. 2. Food: Unfortunately, the food is not very promising. I ordered the Chicken Soltani with eggs on top of my rice. My goodness, there was a lot of rice. I had enough to feed the needy. The meats were dry and limited. Again, I could not take my eyes off the huge pile of rice. It was moist, but could I get a nice proportion of meat to go with it? I was lost for words. 3. Service: It was very busy and our waiter was not much of an assistance in deciphering the menu for us. The avid waiter was ready to quickly record our orders to tend to many other starving patrons. I felt rushed dining in, I must say. 4. Costs: Absolutely overpriced for a limited amount of kabob and an overbearing amount of rice. The rations were unjustifiable. 5. Overall Experience: I would not return to this restaurant again until they provide more mouth watering meat and less rice. Side Notes: n/a read more

If you're going on a date, and you know he/she enjoys Moby Dick, then treat them to all the delights Shamshiry has to offer. That's how my man won my heart - we locked eyes over kubideh! And when he burped onion on me hours later, I knew it was love. Just kidding, not really. But we do enjoy eating here. Shamshiri has the BEST Persian food I've EVER had! Now I know I'm not Persian, so my words may not mean much; but all the Persians I know agree that this is THE place to be. That's probably why there's such a long wait on weekends. The atmosphere is nice enough that I wouldn't want to take my food to go. Their entrees, beyond the kabobs, are definitely worth trying here. If you go with a big group, I'd suggest having each person get their own entree and having the table split an order or two of kabobs. *Tip 1: Beyond the regular yogurt sauce, they also offer Mast-o-Moosir, which is a shallot-yogurt dip. It's considered to be a special treat, but it's certainly not a breath mint! *Tip 2: TADEE (not sure if I'm spelling that right) is not on the menu, but they might give it to you if you ask for it. It's basically the crispy layer of basmati rice on the outer edge of the cooker. (The Korean version is called noo-rung-ji.) It's a bit of an acquired taste, but it can be quite the yummy snack. read more

Crispy rice topped on juicy meat served with a heaping platter of rice. Delicious yogurt sauce and pliable bread served in an artsy wire cone. Is it expensive? It's not cheap. But we're talking about Nova and *top* quality meat. What do you expect? My friend and I came here a few months ago. We still talk about the food. It was that good. read more