We ate as a party of 11. The restaurant was very nice to accomodate. The decor is very fun and the general restaurant is made to accomodate part of 2 and 4s. Having eleven guest we found the table seating very cramped still to the point that guest were elbowing each other, it would have been nice if the restuarant had another table allocated for us just for more space. I ordered the Dizi (Abgoosht). It came with a soup that was a bit greasy, yogurt, pickled sides and a stewed lamb. It was well cooked but I wish the food was seasoned a bit less. Some of the kabob ordered by another guest made of ground beef was an oversalted hamburger meat in shape of kabob...it was not impressive. With our large party I thought it would be interesting to comment the restaurant automatically applied 15% tip. I would give this another try but perhaps not as a big party. It's also interesting to note none of the servers were not Persian. Salamati! read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Dizi (Abgoosht) - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Love the cozy and eclectic space & decor. The food was very authentic & good quality (according to my Persian friends). The service was quite friendly too. Tip#1: Add a bit (or a lot!) of Sumac seasoning (dark red powder in the shaker bottle) onto your kebob meat. It has an almost sour fruity taste which really balances out and adds an unique edge to the meaty kabobs. Tip#2: You'll get small packets of butter that you're supposed to mix & melt into your rice. //APPETIZERS// We tried their Maast-e Saadeh (yogurt dip) with Persian flatbread, Zeitoon Parvardeh (olives), and the Kal Kabob (eggplant with ground walnut & pomergranate) which was my favourite and quite sour. //ENTREES// I tried the Kubideh and Jujeh (Chicken Breast) Kabob, which were both delicious and juicy. The Kabob-e-Torsh veal sirloin meat was too tough, while the the pomegranate walnut molasses was interesting to try, know that it's quite sour too! I also substituted the rice for the salad which was too overdressed with vinaigrette. //DESSERT// My ABSOLUTE favourite thing we had was the Saffron Rosewater Ice Cream. It's beautifully plated and has the perfect balance of creamy, floral, and sweet flavours with crunchy pistachio & pomergranate seeds. I would come back to Sheherzade literally just to have that amazing Saffron Rosewater Ice Cream again & again! read more

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Delicious. I have dreams about their olives and rosewater/pistachio icecream. All their appetizers come with their fluffy and crusty flatbread, and when I return next time, will be all that I eat. Their entree portions are also enormous. There is unfortunately, only one vegetarian main option, but I am more than happy just ordering multiple appetizers for my main. Environment is intimate and staff are friendly and quietly attentive. I absolutely love this place and only wish it was located closer to my home. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Flatbread, zeitoon (olives) and poloor (feta and walnuts) - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Thanks for Bijan V for organizing his 2nd Persian UYE so I got to try out Sheherzade Persian Grill and Dizi. As my experience with Persian food is quite limited (just a handful) and I am not really a meat meat person so dare I say Sheherzade with its speciality with grilled meat will not be one of my fave place. It is hard not to compare Sheherzade to it's Sister Pomegranate next door. I prefer Pomegranate more because it is more nicely decorated and I like the food selections a lot better... Bijan ordered the appetizers which eaten with bread.. they are quite tasty. (I was too busy talking and it is kind of dark in the restaurant... I sometimes not sure what I am eating) I shared the Chicken and Beef Tenderloin and Minced Beef Kabob to shared with 2 other yelpers. Gee there is so much meat and rice and everything .. we barely able to finish them. Out of the 3 meat I prefer in order Minced Beef, Chicken and Beef Tenderloin. The Minced Beef is nicely seasoned and have a nice kick to it. Chicken quite tender but a little blend.. Beef Tenderloin is a little overcooked and chewy... Dizi I do want to try the Dizi but I am not really into lamb.. the little scoop that Bijon so nice to let me try was tender, full of flavour and really lampy :P I will really recommend to people that are into lamb.. since not too many places serves Dizi. Nice and friendly atmosphere... and quiet on a Tuesday night. It was such an enjoyable dinner with my fellow yelpers!! read more

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MUST TRY: Dizi (Abgoosht). - The lamb stew listed first on the menu. ^It is a unique experience. First you have a lamb broth, with which you are meant to drink and dip bread into. Then you have what is essentially a mortar and pestle. You use this to bash tender pieces of lamb, white beans, chickpeas, potato, tomato, etc into a paste and eat it with bread. It is DELICIOUS and fun. The Dizi itself gets this to 4 stars. You must love lamb. Otherwise this is 3 stars. I love Pomegranate and will go there from now on. OK: Kabob-e Torsh - Chunks of veal with walnut and pomegranate sauce. The veal was overcooked. Sauce is very sour to point of being overwhelming. It was alright, but my expectations were higher after eating such great food at Pomegranate. RESERVATIONS are crucial here. Even if it's the same night, make sure you call ahead. HOT. On a hot summer evening, we were seated close to the kitchen and it was very hot. I was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt, and I was still sweating a lot. Portions are huge. Service was friendly, but our food took an incredibly long time to arrive. I realize that Sheherzade prepares food the right way, and this takes time. However, 30 minutes is a reasonably long time to wait. 50 minutes is not!! read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Dizi (lamb). Fun with food. This is the highlight. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We enjoyed our dinner here. The food was a delight, I love trying new authentically diverse foods, and this was our first time at a Persian restaurant. The interior design was nice very down to earth and romantic. The prices were more than reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. We shared two appetizers, one large main dish, with an extra Kabab and a dessert, the total bill was $55 with tax and tip! We left really full and couldn't finish the dessert. The severs were a bit awkward, but attentive. I recommend having a reservation as when the server sat us at 6:15 (ish) she said we can have this table till 8pm. The restaurant filled up fast. The tables are a little close, if your sitting at the both style tables, you will be able to enjoy the conversation next to you... or not. I would come back again! The kebabs were wonderful read more

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Sheherzade is the sister restaurant of Pomegranate, both located east of Little Italy. Access is very convenient by TTC, with a streetcar stop almost in front of the restaurant; parking is usually not difficult to find on College Street. The decor is charming, with beautiful light fixtures, and Persian tiles and artwork on the walls. Service is friendly. For appetizer, we ordered Zeitoon Parvardeh, prepared Rudbar style: whole green pitted olives, ground walnuts, crushed garlic, pomegranate molasses, sprinkled with mint. It was very tasty, similar in flavor to the one served at Pomegranate, but the whole green olives gave this version a distinctive experience. For main course, our table ordered Dizi, Kabob Barg and Adasi Bushehri. Dizi or 'Abgoosht' is described as one of the most popular dishes in Iran, prepared and served in clay or stone pots called 'Dizi'. It is a stew of lamb shank, lamb rib, chickpeas, white beans, potato, onion, tomato and spices, cooked for over 4 hours. Abgoosht forms a complete 2 course meal: first, the broth is carefully drained from the pot into a soup bowl; the broth is sipped as a soup and often soaked with torn pieces of barbary flatbread in a style called 'tareed'. The meat and the beans are then pounded into a coarse puree, to be scooped up with flatbread, and enjoyed with creamy yogurt and torshi. This dish was delicious; both the broth and the stew were rich and flavorful, making it a delightful hearty meal. Adasi Bushehri is a vegetarian soup-style stew of red lentils, onions, garlic, cumin and tomatoes, drizzled with tamarind or pomegranate molasses; it is served with zereshk polo, spinach borani and salad. It can be made vegan upon request. It is also suitable for people with dietary restrictions that require soft food. This is another lovely flavorful dish, where the drizzled molasses provides a nice contrast to the stew. The only disappointment was the Kabob Barg, which was tender, but dry and flavorless. Highly recommend the Dizi! read more

I have never been to a Persian restaurant or did't think I've had Persian food before either. But the waitress was very kind and patient in helping us decide from the menu and teach us how the food is enjoyed. For starters we had the eggplant garlic with flatbread. The bread was very well made and the dip very refreshing. The vinegar-esque flavour elevated our appetites and the walnuts gave it great textures. We shared some skewers and Dizi. The lamb skewers were tender but it didn't beat the flavours of the Dizi. Great spot for something light, refreshing and healthy. But you might want to call ahead on weekends to make sure you get a spot and can take your time to enjoy it! read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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We came here due to the great Yelp postings here. My boyfriend is Iranian and his mother is a decent cook so we wanted to try out this restaurant in Toronto :) The dishes were but and tasted okay, yet not as outstanding as the comments were. So we were a little disappointed... Service was nice and the atmosphere quite original for "outside Iran" but it was a little too pricy for our taste. In our 2 week stay in Toronto we have seen two other restaurants with a better price value. This is just our opinion, but anybody interested in Persian food will find a great restaurant here :) see the pictures for the dishes we selected... read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Food: 8.5/10 Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Service: 8/10 Overall experience: 8.5/10 My experience with Persian food was very limited when I walked into Sheherzade. It's a great place to get started and see if this is a type of cuisine that you will like. The friends I went with, one of whom is Persian, let me know that the sister restaurant (The Pomegranate) is more "traditional" Persian with stews, etc. The four of us in our party started with four different dips, all of which we ate with this bread that had sesame seeds on it. The dips were: - polour (feta cheese, scallions, walnuts) - spinach borani (yogurt based with garlic and spinach) - maast-o museer (yogurt based with garlic/shallots) - Kal kabob (eggplant based) The feta cheese dip was great (if you like feta cheese) but was hard to get on the bread. I ended up mixing it with a more liquid dip, like the shallot one, which is very strong. All of the dips were great in their own way, but you definitely have to like this kind of texture and flavour. They are not mild by any means. For our entrees, each of us had one of the kabob/rice/veggie combos. I had the chicken (Jujeh Kabob). Each orders comes with lemon-saffron rice, a grilled tomato, and a vinegar-dressed salad. The rice was great! (but I am a sucker for carbs). I liked the chicken, but tried some of my boyfriend's beef kabob (Kabob-e Torsh) which I liked a bit better. The service was good. The waitress (surprisingly a hipster rather than what I expected to be a very authentic Persian person) ran us through the menu and answered all our questions with a smile. The bottom line: you absolutely need to be into this type of food and texture, but if you are, you will not be disappointed. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Chicken kabob combo - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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Remembering that there was lamb on the menu, I took my non-Torontonian parents back here for dinner (my dad is a meat & potatoes guy, loves lamb). I don't like it quite as much as Pomegranate next door, but the food here is still awesome and the place is way about average. I'd give it a 4.5 star (but Sheherzade gets 5!!) As mentioned, they specialize in grilled meats, which come served with rice and salad on the side. Portions are HUGE for the most part. The daily special was Kabob Koobideh, which was 2 giant skewers (4-5oz each) of grilled minced beef mixed with herbs. Tasted similar to a nice homemade sirloin hamburger. Yum. My mom could only finish half, which means leftovers for me. My dad tried the lamb chops, which came with 5 small pieces. He cleaned the plate and seemed very impressed. I tried the DIZI ! This is one of those "must-try" dishes simply because it is so unique, I've never seen/tasted anything like it. It's a stew served in a clay pot. The stew had a few large bits of very tender, fatty lamb, alongside chickpeas and various spices. I think the broth was yogurt-based but I'm not quite sure. You strain the liquid-y part of the stew into a bowl, which gives you an oily delicious broth to dip your bread in. The remainder of the stew is meant to be pounded/mixed up with this strange metal mallet looking device and then also eaten with bread. The dizi is served alongside some raw cucumbers and red onion for dipping, and a small dish of walnuts. Service here is excellent. Decor is nice (but not as cool as Pomegranate next door!) read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This is the sister restaurant to pomegranate (right next door). Their specialty is grilled meat, whereas pomegranate does more traditional oven types of dishes from what I understand. I went in with pretty high expectations because the previous time I had tried to come (after failing to get a table at pomegranate next door), they told me it was a 2 hour wait for a table, and it was a wednesday. They told me to not even bother coming without a reservation. wow. Anyway, first the appetizers. The eggplant salad was a tad smoky to my taste (I would have preferred just a hint of smokyness) but the green fava bean puree was excellent, although it had virtually no salt in it, so a few dashes were necessary. I ordered the beef kabob with the pomegranate sauce. I forget the name. You get one long skewer, but you can also order an additional skewer of one seasoned ground beef (similar to kofta) for another $5, so I went for that too. The regular beef skewer was alright, but nothing mind-blowing. The ground beef mixture one was actually quite a bit better and both went good with the pomegranate sauce. The sauce itself was actually blended with walnuts. It was good, but I have had better pomegranate sauces on meat in my life. In any case, a really nice atmosphere and all around pretty good food. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

I never had proper Iranian food until I got the opportunity to come to Sheherzade and was absolutely thrilled! They mostly have BBQ meat dishes compared to their sister restaurant, Pomegranate, and they're fresh and deliciously tender. I always get the Kebob e torsh, which comes with pomegranate walnut sauce and the combination with the meat is divine. For appetizers we always order the kal Kebob with their bread and I highly recommend it to start off your meal, which you could end off with some refreshing mint tea. One of my favourite spots in the city read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Kebob e Torsh (bottom) - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place serves authentic Persian food that any Persian will attest to. Their prices are somewhat on the higher end in comparison to Persian restaurants in Richmond Hill, but then again, rent is more expensive on College St, so I get it. I was disappointed to find out that because this place only serves Halal meat according to Islamic tradition, they can't cook any meat that's medium rare. It can only be medium at best or well done, so as to avoid blood. Why? Because consumption of blood is prohibited in Islam. It's frustrating when religious beliefs dictate one's behaviour and restaurant policies to the detriment of customer preferences. I should point out that this interpretation from the Qur'an is misconstrued according to my research. The consumption of blood specifically on its own is forbidden, but the residue of blood on meats that are consumed is not forbidden. As long as the meat is Halal the chef should be able to serve medium rare meat upon request of a customer. I believe the management of the restaurant should revise their policy in relation to cooking meat medium rare or even rare as there is no basis in their own religious text for their insistence on cooking meat well done or medium. Suffice it to say, I moderaetly enjoyed the lamb chops I ordered, because parts of them were well done and there's nothing more unenjoyable than eating meat that's well done. It's wasn't as juicy and tender as I'm used to. Would I be back? Maybe, but I'm not sure. I prefer to go to places that can cook my meat medium rare, resulting in juicy and tender pieces. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - $17.95 - Shishlik - Lamb loin chops - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

This place was full of good memory because I celebrated my birthday here. My friends and I came there at one Wednesday night. It was not crowded and the nice staff served us very well. The decoration of this restaurant was really special, full of persian/iranian style. The house was a little dark with quiet atmosphere but it was difficulty to take photos of their delicious dishes. We four people ordered three kinds of meat,chicken,beef and lamb,one dizi, one kai kabob. All meats served with rice and salad. As we have to share, the staff kindly provided meat, rice and salad separately in large plates. It was so nice. The grilled beef and lamb tasted better than chicken. AND all of us were impressed with their house famous dish--Dizi. It was a lamb stew served with naan bread and sour cream. SOOOO delicious!!! The flavour of lamb was amazing. The kai kabob was eggplant and walnut mixed with balsamic vinegar or some other vinegar. It was a little sour. I believe all the girls would love it but boys may not accepted such sour taste. It was really a nice memory for me. My friends and I also had one birthday cake after meals. The waitress was very friendly to help us to light the candle even though the cake was brought out from their place. read more

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I had this place Bookmarked for a while and wanted to try it whenever I was in the area. So when a debate on where one should eat came up this was decent compromise. The Setup is minimal from outside and we almost went downstairs to a seedy looking place initially. Walking in, the interior is rustic and is actually very dimly lit. There was only one server in the dinning area and I can imagine being overwhelmed on a busy day. The menu is mainly your mainstream items with a few exceptions. One item kinda caught my eye was Dizi. Slow cooked for 4 hours. I have penchant for slow cooked stuff so couldn't resist. Here is what we ordered Polor: appetizer of Feta cheese, walnut and parsley with a side of bread. Decent but not ground breaking in anyway. On to the mains Jujeh Kabob a staple chicken kebab dish. They even asked whether we wanted dark or white meat (+1 for that). Very well done even though my friend ordered white meat it was not overcooked. A very nice sauce on top as well for dipping. You will enjoy this dish if you like chicken kebabs. full marks here. Kobideh was done as an add on for one of the mains. Just beautiful hit it out of the park .One of the better iteration of this kebab I have had. Dizi I was looking forward to this dish as I haven't had the Persian take on it in a proper restaurant. I was asked whether I had tried this before as it does require instructions. The broth was spiced well and the bread soaked it up nicely. The main course needed a muddler of sorts to combine the meat and the beans to be scooped up by the bread later. Initial impression was hmm I have had this combination of flavors before as they reminded me of tastes found in sub continent. There were some pickled vegetables and yogurt on the side to be used as condiments. The meat was moist and falling apart but something was amiss. Perhaps a bigger chunk of meat would have fared better. An average dish but I could be a bit biased as I am used to meat being slow cooked for 24-36 hours in some cases. An excellent place to try for this cuisine and probably the top place for Kebabs in the city. read more

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As an honorary Persian (being married to a Persian man), this restaurant produces fantastic, authentic Persian food! We were visiting Toronto for the week and decided to try Sheherzade. The variety of kebabs are super tasty, juicy and great portion. Their appetizers are tasty as well. The service was good but they were definitely trying to get people out as soon as possible to serve more people, which I understand. The only downside is the restaurant is super small (fits maybe 25 people) and is often full. Recommend making a reservation before you come. read more

I finally tried Sheherzade tonight (Saturday) with my boyfriend after being turned away without a reservation two times before! So be warned - if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night and you don't want to be disappointed - make reservations! We came here on recommendations from a few of our friends, especially on the Dizi - there is a description of this in the first review, so that's what we both ordered. We started with the zeitoon parvardeh as the appetizer. The highlight of the evening was being commended by the waiter on the pronounciation - he gave me 9/10 on the pronounciation! :) It was pretty good, even for me, though I am not normally a fan of olives. They are whole green pitted olives, ground walnuts, crushed garlic, pomegranate paste, sprinkled with mint, and is served with barbary flatbread, which I love. It's warm flatbread sprinkled seeds. Then we got the Dizi. When they bring it to you, they separate the liquid from the meat in the stew. You use your flatbread to dip into the soup to eat. With the meat, you get a heavy pestle that you use to ground the meat into a paste,which is then eaten with barbary flatbread, topped by yogurt and some green paste called torshi. The meat is lamb that has been stewed for 4 hours. I didn't find the flavours of the lamb very strong. Most of what I tasted was the yogurt and torshi, which was sort of like a relish. I enjoyed it, as did my boyfriend, but I have to admit I probably would've preferred the kebabs and rice, but I'm glad I got to try this. It was definitely a different eating experience. We ended the meal with dessert - I can't remember what it was called but it was rice noodles that have been frozen with sherbert and served with rosewater and lemon. I really liked this. It tasted like sherbert with little strands of rice noodles through it, soaked in honey water and with some pomegranate seeds on top. The dessert was my favourite part of the meal, and I'm glad I saved some room for it. The portions here are very generous and I wasn't able to finish it and ended up packing it to take home, so this place is good for people with big appetites! The servers were very friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy explaining the menu items to you, which was great. However, it was a bit on the slow side as it seemed like there was one 2 servers for the whole restaurant, albeit the whole restaurant was only about 10 tables. Overall, I would return to this restaurant again because of the value, friendly service and generous portions. I think next time I will try the saffron rice and kebabs. I have dined at their sister restaurant next door, Pomegranate, and their saffron rice is so good, but you'll have to read my review of Pomegranate for details on that! read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Their traditional dish - Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

Third time here and never disappointed. This place has such flavorful food. One of the best Persian restaurant of TO. Hope they keep up the quality and good service. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Kabob Kubideh, very flavorful - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

My Persian coworker introduced me to Persian food for the first time ever by bringing me here. And I have to say that I was immediately hooked! We ordered 2 appetizers to start, which was the spinach borani (a yogurt dip with spinach and garlic) and my absolute favorite dish of the evening; zeitoon parvardeh (olives in a pomegranate molasses) THE BEST THING EVER! Also I have to mention that the bread that comes with the yogurt dip, is so well baked and delicious (And yes you can ask for more bread) We also ordered 3 different mains, which were all kabobs. The Kabob-e Torsh - DELICIOUS, especially because you get this pomegranate and walnut sauce on the meat. The Kabob Bahktiari, which had veal and chicken, and they were moist and well seasoned. And the last dish was the classic Kabob Kubideh, made of a blend of ground beef. All 3 dishes were different, and they were all equally delicious. The main dishes are generous. It comes with a heaping portion of rice, and a side of salad. Trust me when I say that you will have to unbutton your pants! The restaurant is small but very cosy. I most definitely enjoyed my first Persian meal, and will be coming back to try more of their menu, or just to eat the zeitoon parvardeh! read more

Everything so authentic and good. The quality of the food was awesome. I ordered Dizi, it was absolutely amazing. My friend ordered koobideh, that was delicious too. The doogh is highly recommended. The staff, who looked like the owner's daughter could speak Farsi and English fluently. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Dizi with Barbari. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

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I ate at this place last night, Sunday, and I felt something was wrong with the food right away. It just didn't sit right with me. I ordered the Shishlik, the meat smelled funny when it came out but I figured it is lamb so I ate it anyway. The next morning, today, it still didn't feel right in my stomach and I finally barfed it all up, more than 16 hrs after I ate there. Two thumbs down. read more

My friends recently introduced me to Iranian cuisine and I was eager to take my girlfriend to a Persian restaurant. Fortunately, Sheherzade was open on a Sunday night and certainly accommodating when taking our last moment reservation. Important: Make a reservation. We were seated near the entrance and saw two couples being turned away. I felt bad for them but now that I think about it, it's not my problem. Food to Consider: I am not from Iran but based on my recent Persian adventures, I can say with confidence that these guys know what they are doing. I recommend the maast-o-musir and the Koobideh Kebab. I don't have the confidence to take chances or risks and try other things on the menu just yet but I look forward to experimenting in the future. Don't consider: We had a dessert platter which was far from fresh. I can not recall the name but I am certain there was only one. I personally think alcohol doesn't pair well with Iranian (grill specific) cuisine. I think a juice or sparkling water is the best way to go. I feel the same way about Indian Food. Personal opinion. Price: We both had one non-alcoholic beverage, an appetizer, two entrees and a dessert for a total of $75 including an 18% tip. Decor: Just right. Admire the effort. Loved the attention to detail. So why not 5 Stars: - I would have liked to have butter placed in the rice rather than having to remove it from a plastic cup and mix it around like a baby. I think those tiny butter cups are ok for diners. Not restaurants. - The plate could have been presented better. - The hot sauce selection could have been better. There was no hot peppers provided and when requested, we received three red Thai chilli's that were not cut. A better spice option would have been appreciated. - The knives were dull. For the entree I had selected, I would have preferred something such as a steak knife. - I feel the servers could have been more familiar and/or confident with the menu. When should you go here: - When you have a date - Close friends - When you want to go to a cozy place - If you have an hour to spare When should you avoid going here: - Business dinner - With your in-laws (I wouldn't recommend this place for a serious conversation. It was kind of loud.) - With your ex-girlfriend. Too cozy for a previous partner who is just a friend. One thing can lead to another. read more

I love everything about this place. From the owner to their delicious food and their super amazing service. Mike, you are the coolest of all. Please try their, dizi , its just a perfect combination of texture and spice. Their portions are perfect. Just make sure u make reservation as this place gets booked pretty fast. Still my number one persian restaurant in toronto in so many levels...... read more

I've never had anything I didn't live here. The good is great, service is great and I'm very impressed by the Farsi spoken by the non Persian staff. Make sure to make reservations they're always packed. And the DIZI is LIFE! read more

The food here was excellent and some of the best I've ever had. The kabobs were grilled perfectly and marinated wonderfully. The dizi stew was so elegant and flavorful. The saffron rose water ice cream was outstanding also. And the service was amazing. The waiter was so kind and so patient with her explanations. Without a doubt one of the best restaurant experiences I've had. read more

Both Sheherzade and Pomegranate, two doors down, are owned by the same owners. They are both Persian restaurants but serve different styles of food. This location offers you grills and other types of "street" foods that you would typically find in a bazaar over in Iran. The food is truly great here and you can instantly understand that the family owners of these two restaurants have a true passion for the food from their home country. read more

Sheherzade has only just opened 6 weeks ago as the little sister to The Pomegranate (http://www.yelp.ca/biz/pomegranate-restaurant-toronto-2) and from what I witnessed today, they're doing an amazing job! Sheherzade's next door neighbor, The Pomegranate has been around for a long time however they only specialized in the home-style stew type dishes of Iranian food and not the kebabs and meat dishes. Instead of expanding their menu and effectively changing the restaurant to include all of these dishes, the owners took the great step of opening up Sheherzade Persian Grill and Dizi right next door! Sheherzade specializes in more of the meaty Persian dishes and they do it well! One thing however you won't find at Sheherzade is Kabob Koobideh which is the most common and simplest of Persian kabobs. I can kind of see why since Koobideh is "kind of" seen as a fast food Iranian food and I think the owners wanted to keep this place more traditional and classy which is understandable. You'll find kabobs of boneless saffron chicken, beef tenderloin, lamb, etc and most importantly you'll find Dizi!! So what is Dizi? I'm not even gonna try and explain but I'll tell you that it's definitely an eating experience worth trying! It's basically a two course meal thats spent 4 HOURS in the making and consists of a nice lamb and chickpea stew served in a special Dizi pot. You then separate the broth and mash up the meat yourself and have it with some Persian Flatbread! It's absolutely amazing and very hearty and homey. The staff are very knowledgeable and very excited to showcase traditional Persian food to everyone who steps into their "home". They'll make you feel welcome and explain everything very carefully and make great suggestions to make sure you enjoy every bit of your meal. Make sure you try their Zeitoon Parvadeh (olives stuffed with walnut, pomegranate paste, garlic, etc) and finish off your meal with their sweets tray (Zoolbeeya Bameeyeh) and some Persian tea. I will GUARANTEE you will have a night you will enjoy and look forward to coming back again! Edit: Here's an explanation of Dizi from their menu: "This is one of the most popular dishes in Iran, prepared and served in clay or stone pots; It consists of lamb (shoulder or shanks), chickpeas, white beans, potato, onion, tomato and spices cooked for over 4 hours. Abgoosht forms a complete 2-course meal: first the broth is carefully strained from the pot into a soup bowl. The meat and the beans are pounded into a coarse puree to be scooped up with flatbread and eaten with fresh onion, herbs and torshi. The broth is sipped as a soup and often soaked with torn pieces of barbary flatbread in a style called tareed' (the slang version is tileet) " read more

Baghali Kubideh($5.95) which I originally thought of it as Hummus, maybe that is how non-Persians would compare to as it has the same consistency and color. This item uses Fava Bean rather than Chickpeas. Kal Kabob($7.50) has typical flavours of Pomegranate and Walnut that is used in stews however those ingredients were used with a charred Eggplant application here. Roasty flavour is good especially when adding the side of Raw Chopped Garlic with it. Kabob Bakhtiari($14.95) is skewer of Beef Tenderloin and Chicken Breast with Saffron Rice, Grilled Tomato Half and Salad. It's definitely worth it's weight in PORTION size and the flavours are kept simple as noted. I find that because Persian food are mostly of Home-cooking culture, one restaurant's dish wouldn't be too different from the next. most importantly is that Kabob is ALWAYS best when cooked by your Persian MOM or your friend's Persian Mom in my case. This meal was A-OK for the value since the setting is set to romantic Persian mood and the service was friendly. I still prefer the Persian Stews that it's sister restaurant next door provides due to personal preference. If you don't need to schmooze your guest, then Persian take-out is the way to go with excellent value but I doubt you'll have the same beautifully decorated Persian atmosphere at home. read more

Firstly its Halal! and its downtown - what surprisingly seems to be a rare combo in TO! They have a large menu with many meat dishes. We started the meal with: - spinach and yogurt plate: it was good. I am a big fan of yogurt - i really liked this - Eggplant with walnuts dish - i love eggplants but somehow this dish really didnt do much for me. ** all with warm fresh bread - it was fantastic! The entrees - generous giant portions all come with side veggies and rice. Lots of kebab style dishes to choose from and they were all hits across the table. I tried the Dizi which was a fantastic choice - the most different pick on the menu but so great! It comes in two steps: 1. the broth- which you dip great fresh bread into and have as a soup 2. the lamb and the veggies in a pot on the side that you mash. A little hard work but well worth it with some yogurt and pickled relish-style veggies on top with the fresh bread. I also had the yogurt drink - yes i overdid it with the yogurt - it was really great as well! great persian food experience! read more

The kabab here is mediocre and the rice is just OK to my opinion. The grains are a bit sticky and moist, which is the opposite of authentic Persian rice. However, the interior and the whole atmosphere are great! The staff, like any other branches of this restaurant, are friendly, nice, and accommodating. If you like Persian food, I absolutely recommend Pomegranate. read more

My friend and I went here for dinner last week and we had Kabob barg. It was really good. I haven't tried many Persian restaurants in Canada but it was definitely better than many of the Persian restaurants in United States. Btw, if you don't eat too much, the portion of the Kabob barg with rice is enough for 2 people. And we had Persian ice cream for dessert and it was really delicious. Highly recommended! Their place is nice and cozy but it's a little small so I suggest that you make reservations beforehand. read more

Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Toronto, Ontario

DAIRY-EATING VEGETARIANS/"VEGANS": This restaurant can (and will) rock your world. All the apps are 100% veg and 90+% delish. But (BUT! BUT! BUT!) the thing that knocks this restaurant up into the stratospheric realm of 5-star eats is the Kalleh Joosh.[1] SO SO DELICIOUS! Two different stews (one into which you are told to place torn pieces of flatbread, one into which you are told to crush walnuts), both equally scrumptious. My expectations were met and exceeded. Loved. [1] PER THE MENU: "A vegetarian version of 'abgoosht' A broth of Persian whey, mint, caramelized onion and garlic cooked with white beans, chickpeas, potato and eggplant. Served next to beets, red onion, cucumber, walnuts and flatbread." read more

Okay so I'm from out of town but came to this place on a Wednesday night in Toronto. It was the usual summer crowd. There were 3 open tables and I was eating alone that night. The head waiter and operations manager, Mike, mentioned that he was doing me a favor by letting me eat at the restaurant because I was by myself?? He actually ended up refusing 2 customers (parties of 2 and 3) because he couldn't keep up with his own reservation chart. Now to the food. I ordered the lamb kabob and filet steak kabob. The lamb was a bit dry but the steak was good. Presentation was also lacking and so was service but the food was overall a bit over decent. I'm persian too so I know how much service, respect, and quality of kabobs need to me. This place failed in 2 of the 3 categories. I wouldn't come back... This place gets rave reviews but something is still lacking here: being courteous read more

My favourite Persian restaurant in the city! I've tried several of their entrees and appetisers and have never been disappointed. The food is extra yummy and the service is great (unlike other persian restaurants in the city, like Banu, where the service and attitude is horrendous). The decor is warm, cozy and and feels very authentic ; ) read more

First time being here... As a Persian, rarely I can find a good proper, authentic Persian food out of my kitchen,, but oh boy... This place ROCKS. Dizi and kebabs are phenomenal and delicious. Just reminds me of Ratatouille cartoon in the part when the food critic tried the dish and reminded him of his childhood memories ... Highly recommended Professional staff great service awesome Persian food... read more

I love Sheherazade Persian Grill and Dizi. Let me tell you why.... I am a big believer that to test someone's true ability as a cook/chef is to test them on "simple" dishes. I mean, when you tell someone, I am grilling some meat, and eating it with rice and a salad you think, "oh I can do THAT!" Which I guess is true. Most of us can make rice, cook meat and chop up lettuce. But how many of us can make intricate and beautiful looking dishes that you may have to purchase a tweezer for; so that you can place tiny decorations around? Many think, "now THAT's how you test talent."That said, when you over-cook the meat, under-cook the rice, and overdress your salad, you begin to rummage through your cupboards and fridge for condiments and sauces to hide the mistakes. And that is the thing, the simpler the dish, the easier it is to spot a mistake. So personally, I am more impressed by simple dishes cooked perfectly, than fancy dishes with too many ingredients that looks like art on a plate. And that is why I love Sheherazade; 3 simple items, made perfectly. The meat is tender, juicy, flavorful and it is not masked by sauces or spices. The rice is not hard nor soggy; it's just the right texture with each grain separated from the other. The salad has a simple dressing that lets you still taste the freshness and natural texture but does not make you feel like you are chewing on leaves like a rabbit. I guess I also love this restaurant because the perfect meal to me would be the meal made by a loved one and it would normally consist of a meat, rice and a salad. I guess some can consider that to be a cultural thing. To me, eating here makes me feel warm and at home. read more

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very small cozy place, good food, not very luxirious ambience. Good for dinner with family/friends. I would guess the owner is from northern Iran because they serve a variety of tasty northern Iranian dishes like Polour, kal kabab (eggplant, pomegranate paste, walnuts), zeitoon parvarde (olives, walnuts, pomegranate paste), baghali kubide(fava beans mashed with fresh herbs, garlic and olive oil, kabab torsh(beef kabab chunks marinated in pomegranate paste and walnuts) etc.... I tried the kabab chenjeh (beef tenderloin kabab) with a side of pomegranate walnut sauce and i was happy with my meal. all entrees come with half salad half rice portions so you dont stuff yourself with too much rice like most Persian(Iranian) restaurants. I didnt try the "Dizi" which is what they are known for because i wasnt in the mood for it, but i heard its very good. p.s the mirza ghasemi (bbq eggplant, garlic, tomato and eggs) is very good as well. read more

All I have to say is, wow! Coming from Chicago it is really a treat to try all these Iranian restaurants but this one has topped them all. We had heard about the dizzi here so we were curious to try it. We started out with the zeytoon parvardeh-It was delicious. You could tell that it was freshly made and they had fresh pomegranate seeds in there which added a bit of sweetness to it. For dinner we had the dizzi and the koobideh. We kept swapping our plates back and fourth because we couldn't decide which one was better. We decided that the koobideh was the best in Toronto, that we have had so far, & the dizzi was the best dizzi we have had by far. We weren't expecting to get such authentic dizzi, but it really was as authentic and traditional as you can get. The only complaints I have are the hours of service and the doogh. Dizzi is a heavy meal and it is perfect for 2 or 3 in the afternoon but they are only open from 5-9 or sometimes 10. But that really won't stop me from coming back whenever I am in town. The other thing was the doogh. We basically had to remake the doogh ourselves once we tried it. It was warm, it didn't have any salt and just tasted like watery maast. But once we added some ice, half a jar of salt and pepper it was good. But again, the doogh will not stop me from coming back again next time. I don't write many reviews, only because the places I have been to are nothing to rave about, but this place really deserved a review. Everyone needs to try this place! read more

I'm somewhere between 4 and 5 stars on this place, but it gets 5 because I got engaged here! I love the decor and the food is very good. Our server was friendly and the final bill was reasonable. Do me a favour though, if you don't like lamb do not get the Abgoosht - it's so deliciously lamb-y and also very fun to eat. My guy got the Jujeh Kabob ba Ostekhon & Zereshk Polo - it was too chickeny for me but he loved it and devoured it. I appreciate the fact that though the restaurant caters to Muslim people, they also carry alcohol. In the future though I wouldn't get any of the appetizers but the ones that looked most exciting were the ones with walnuts and eggplant, but alas I am mildly allergic to both of those ingredients. read more