Well, I think I have a new favorite Persian kabob restaurant! It's pretty far from home, but I…read morecould easily work it into the flight path so to speak, between the Tustin REI and 17th Street in Costa Mesa. Located in a small but busy plaza, HOK is a small, potentially packed restaurant with a few tables outside. About half full mid afternoon on a Saturday, i got a table and quickly made a decision to try the combination plate with a chicken and kubideh kabob, with rice. Next time I'll branch out, but this first sample provided much pleasure and evidence that they can't do anything wrong (except be closed when I'm craving more ;) A few minutes after placing my order the warm flatbread came out with butter. Comparatively, many other Persian restaurants use Lavash sections, so I enjoyed the contrast. The neighboring table of four received their plates one at a time, so I figured the kitchen and grill were probably also fairly constricted like the lobby. Nonetheless, it didn't take long and the generous, colorful portions were a sight to behold! The first thing I noticed was how moist and tender both kabobs were. Not burnt or dry anywhere on either type. That's attributable to the elevated method of grilling, but here the chef has it down to a science. The second observation came later when I didn't feel excessively thirsty, or bloated, ir dehydrated. Some restaurants really brine the meat while marinating, but here it's another level of perfection. Good service and a reasonable price, although the menu prices might be behind current food costs. Still, it was totally worth it. I didn't have a way to keep leftovers in a safe temperature range, so I ate everything. Full, but not stuffed.

Super friendly staff and clean inside. Food: got the…read morechicken kabob, eggplant appetizer and side salad. Was amazing, fresh and authentic. So happy I found this place so I can support local family owned business.

Ordered takeout through DoorDash and was very impressed with the food. The Cornish hen was really…read morejuicy with loads of flavor. Upgraded the rice to adas polo and it was as good as any other, thought I thought the price to upgrade ($5.99) was steep. Kashk O'bademjan has become one of my favorite Persian dishes to order and theirs did not disappoint. Takeout was well packaged. Recommended!

I can confidently say that Darbari Persian Grill is my all-time favorite spot for Persian cuisine…read more Every single time I come here, it's consistently amazing. My go-to order is the chicken Cornish, and I always substitute the rice for zereshk polo. The rice is perfectly fluffy every time, and the barberries add the most delicious tang that just brings the whole dish together. It's seriously so good. They're also incredibly generous with their lavash bread, which I love because it pairs perfectly with everything. But what really makes this place special is the service. Everyone here is genuinely so kind and attentive, and I mean everyone. You're always greeted when you walk in and again when you leave, which just makes the whole experience feel so warm and welcoming. There's also an older gentleman who is always there with the biggest smile, checking in to make sure everything is perfect, and it never goes unnoticed. I also love that it's pet-friendly. The outdoor seating area with the turf is such a nice touch, and my dog absolutely loves it. Overall, this place is a 10/10 with 1000/10 service. Anytime I'm in the area, I have to stop here without fail.

The food is ALWAYS EXCELLENT HERE. We have been coming here…read morefor years! Celebrated many occasions as well as just because times when we are craving GREAT Persian/Mediterranean food! We bring friends and family visiting from out of state as well and they have all enjoyed it! The staff is friendly and always right on top of things. Highly recommend this place. The ambiance inside and out is very nice a d comfortable.

This place was recommended to me by not one but two people and i thought obviously i cant go wrong…read more I will preface by saying that i door dashed so i wasnt expecting it to be piping hot and thats not the reason for the 2 stars. I am actually giving them to stars because I called the restaurant and asked for them to substitute one secure of my dinner and give me a small gormeh sabzi instead which they agreed to. I have Persian food at least once or twice a month and I'm from up north, which is why I had asked people for their recommendations while I was in town. I ordered a Koobideh a maust musier and the gormeh sabzi. The dollar.maust and gormeh were ok not the best but ok. The koobideh on the other hand was HORRIBLE. Never in my life have i had a koobideh crumble when i cut into it. I really dont know if it was old or just not mixed well, but it had no flavor at all. Im so disappointed not returning.

OMG. We were holding out for a proper visit, but we couldn't wait any longer and decided to finally…read moreorder to-go. From what I understand, Aria is the recent addition to the growing Persian Empire of the Super Irvine dynasty. The parents run the grocery store, the daughters run the excellent Irvine Grill restaurant, and Aria Kitchen is their latest experiment. While we didn't order any Mexican fusion food, there were some of those same flavors that really came through. The bone marrow comes with a delicious garlicky olive oil to drizzle on top. The oil has a bit of a kick to it--- chili, maybe? that evokes more of a Mexican flavor profile than an Iranian flavor profile. Some of their fresh Pita dipped in it? Life changing. We liked the kabob--- it's pretty good. However, we're spoiled by their sister restaurant, Irvine Grill. Irvine Grill still takes the crown for our favorite kabob. Aria is still a strong contender, though! The Asheh Reshteh is probably my favorite dish here (if we're talking appetizers, their bone marrow is by far one of the best apps I've had ever). It's hard to find good Asheh Reshteh, because it has to hit that balance of well-stewed but not mushy. This one was excellent. They gave us plenty of Kashk to put on top too! Where Aria shines is in its variety and consistent quality. The food is all fresh and delicious, and the flavor combo (while surprisingly not wholly uncommon----NorCal has a handful of similar Mexican-Iranian fusion spots) is so well-paired. There's a damn good reason that Samin Nosrat opted for Mexico for her show when for geopolitical reasons she was unable to film with Netflix in Iran. Both cuisines love their citrus. I can't wait to visit Aria Kitchen and dine in-restaurant!

I have grace for people making mistakes but when the server and his manager shrug shoulders and put…read morethe blame back on the customers, I have little patience. Their menu supposedly marks items that contain gluten. One would assume the other items don't. But they have a soup with noodles - which is definitely made of wheat. They have samosas and quesadillas not marked as containing gluten, but are both made of flour. When we asked our server, he said only items with bread are marked as gluten because wheat is something some people consider gluten and others don't. This is 100% wrong. When we asked him to check with the kitchen, he walked up to the manger who simply shrugged his shoulders and sent him back with no new information. The server then just began walking away when we asked if an item was actually gluten-free (due to my allergy) and vegetarian (due to religious beliefs). He could not be bothered one bit. When we later asked the manager directly if he understands the concept of food allergies, he just shrugged his shoulders again and said: it's the responsibility of the customer not the restaurant. Well, I guess you're waiting to send a customer to the ER with false comfort and inaccurate information and only then will you understand your responsibility. Why bother then marking some items as containing gluten at all? I have not met such a jerk of a server in quite some time or such an aloof nonchalant manager. While the food was actually decent, this overall experience (after spending $120 on 3 entrees) is absolutely unacceptable. We left really disappointed at this attitude. Overall, service was horrible. The busboy kept trying to take our dishes away while we were still eating. My vegan friend got vegan cheese but my vegetarian friend who requested regular cheese was also given vegan cheese. No water refills even after requesting it. I can't believe any restaurant can survive with such horrible service. And clearly, our experience was not even an anomaly - so many others are complaining in their reviews about the bad service.

I hadn't been here in ages, and honestly, I'm not sure why!…read more I recently came for a friend's birthday, and everything was fantastic. The food was fresh, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. The portions were generous--we even had plenty left over for lunch the next day. The service was exceptional. Our tea, water, drinks, and bread were always refilled without us ever having to ask. The staff was attentive and efficient throughout the entire meal. The ambiance was beautiful--elegant and classy without feeling over the top. Overall, a wonderful experience. I'll definitely be back soon and highly recommend it!

Horrible service. The lady on the phone was arguing with me. I ordered over $200 on Uber Eats and…read morethey failed to pack my order correctly and had the audacity to blame Uber. Then I had to walk the lady on the phone through basic math skills. She still blamed Uber. Uber should cancel ther contract due to incompetence. To blame inflated uber price plus delivery and wait time. Absurd. You did not investigate the correct order. My receipt showed I added Shirazi salad and was charged for it. Your kitchen did not pack it. It's that simple. It's ok to admit an error or oversight but to lie and blame uber is poor business practice.

I had an absolutely amazing experience at Cafe Naderi, and a huge part of that was thanks to Sara…read more From the moment we walked in, she made us feel genuinely welcomed with her warm smile, positive energy and incredibly respectful. Always anticipating what we needed before we even had to ask. If you're going to Cafe Naderi, ask for Sara, you'll understand exactly what excellent service looks like.

I'm so glad we tried this place today. The food is very good. The staff (I think they were the…read moreowners) were warm and welcoming. They made sure we had everything we needed, and patiently explained the food to us. We ordered our food with half salad and half rice for no additional charge. My mom had the lamb kebabs, which were fork-tender, popping with flavor. They were the best lamb kebabs I've ever had. I had the gheymeh stew. The flavor was less exciting (still good), but the eggplant and beef melted in my mouth. Our rice was topped with a pinkish crispy cracker that tasted like rice. Maybe it was a variation of tahdig. The salad was fresh and came with a nice dressing. We also had some of the house-made yogurt, which was hearty and refreshing. The space was well-lit and the open door kept it well ventilated. Videos of rural Persian cooking played on the TV. The walls were tastefully decorated with maps and photographs giving visitors a taste of Persian culture and history. If we didn't arrive at a lull in foot traffic, the noise might have been overwhelming for my mother, who is sensitive. Overall, we had a great experience and I will definitely be back!

Found Soltani while driving around Santa Ana. I went around 12p(noon), there was plenty of parking…read moreas well as available tables in the dining area. I was greeted with a smile by the gentleman cooking behind the counter and I was able to self seat at the table of my choosing. The person that took my order was very kind and instructed me to grab a beverage from the fridge if I'd like. I ordered a simply chicken and rice plate with a side of their salad. I can't recall the name but it was very tasty, fresh, and delicious. The food came out quickly and tasted amazing, the chicken was cooked to perfection and the rice was flavorful. I enjoy the roasted tomatoes as well as the jalapeno on the side. It brought even more flavor and texture to the meal. Soltani is worth checking out if you are looking for a Mediterranean spot in Santa Ana

Long bookmarked on Yelp, but I didn't find myself anywhere near the area until recently to actually…read moretry the food. Located on 1st in Santa Ana near Tustin, there's a wrought iron fence around the private lot, and the restaurant is open until 9pm most nights. I was surprised nobody was dining in, and except for a woman waiting for her takeout order to be made, I was the only person for most of the visit. I quickly realized the phone rings often, so most business is ordered ahead, with the option to eat there, in the car, or take home. Clearly, for presentation and likely quantity, I recommend eating there. The host is a nice older gentleman who literally does it all, and is so good it hardly seems like he's working. My Shish kabob plate came out faster than expected, and I was almost as impressed with the salad as the saffron rice and actual kabob, which is tender and amazing by the way. Basically, you pick a drink from the refrigerator, and I let him talk me into trying hummus, and appetizer, which ultimately comes with cut flatbread. His take is less creamy than other restaurants, but the flavors are fresh, without garlic. Don't worry, the salad dressing is a fantastic creamy Italian style. All-in-all, I was enjoying every bite and pretty much ate everything, although I preserved some hummus to eat at home. The price was commiserate with the quality, and I suppose I'll try more when I'm around the area.

We had a wonderful experience hosting a large family gathering at this Persian restaurant. The food…read morewas exceptional, beautifully prepared, and full of authentic flavor. The live music and evening belly dance performances created an elegant and vibrant atmosphere that made the night especially memorable. A special thank you to Esmeralda for her attentive and gracious service, and to Maddi for coordinating our large party so seamlessly and making everyone feel genuinely welcomed. The hospitality, ambiance, and overall experience were truly outstanding. We look forward to returning soon.

Food was not on par with most Persian restaurants I'm used to…read more Seems they are trying to mix Persian with Mediterranean. The vegetables were so thinly sliced on the chicken kabab that they were almost non-existent. (We had one diabetic with us who could not eat the rice so we hoped the vegetables would be a good alternative.) The grilled tomatoes I love with kabab and rice were missing and the bread is thick pita. Kababs were a bit dry although the koobideh was pretty good. Tadig rice was super thick and they only offered two stews with it...the fesenjoon being good while the gehmeh pretty bad. No gourmet sabsi which is the most popular Persian stew. Kashke bademjoon was terrible. Overall very mediocre food. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated and modern. We went for the belly dancing and she was great. Singers were good too. Service was also attentive. Disappointed in the food but all else was great!