This is my go to for shish near my house the Ann Elise is amazing! Always fresh food packed with flavor! They are very timely usually and the food is not a long wait! read more

Was shopping in the area and always looking for good food and this one came highly recommended. We now see why. BF wanted to try the app platter and it was outstanding. There was nothing on it that he nor I said we were not completely happy with. It also came with pita bread which we were grateful for because believe me, not every appetizer platter comes with bread even though the platter consists mostly of dips. Everything is made with love and care. Also had the chicken koobideh with rice and Oh. My. Stars. I had to stop myself from eating it was so good. Took it to work for lunch and everyone stopped by my desk to see what I was eating. Reheated well. Very glad we stopped there. Excellent food! read more

This is truly a hidden Jem! We have had multiple kabobs, lamb shank, baba ganoush and salads. The food is always prepared well, fresh, flavorful and great portions! The service is also fanfastic! Nice job!! read more

Villagio Cafe - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

The staff is very accommodating. I got the lamb soltani as recommended which was very tasty but not juicy enough. I also wasn't aware that the kabob isn't by default served with regular white rice so instead I got sweet white rice. The tahdig with both stews was amazing especially for the gheymeh and was also a very large serving size. read more

Places like this reminds you the advantages of having the pleasure of being at the other competitors. And luckily I had a friend who is of Iranian decent introduced me to as he mentioned as close to authentic as possible. This place has the atmosphere, the warm hospitality of their servers, clean and most of all the food is out of this world!! The pics on Yelp doesn't do justice. The food is phenomenal. I had the hummus, tah dig, and the Lamb Soltani w/Adas for the entree. There's definitely more to try here, including my next order of their variety of stews. I'm a happy man. read more

Sometimes you go to a place or you do a pick up order from a spot and you totally forget that oh boy i have been here before. I did a pick up order months ago from here, the fact that i couldnt remember either means that it was ok since it didnt stick in my head thus didnt make any serious impression. I recall it being packed when i picked up my order. read more

Good food and a great value. Wish this was closer to me as I'd be a regular for sure.

We were in the area used furnituhopping and this came up on a google search. We had a cold appetizer platter and kebabs. All was outstanding. Warm, home style foods. The kebabo, a combo of different ground meats, was juicy and tasty. The salads brightly flavored. The pot her of dough was tangy, minty and bracing. The pits was amazing. It is a long hike to get here but we will be back. read more

It's been a while since we had mediterranean food and we missed it a lot. The drive was pretty far from us but we can say that it was worth it. The food was really good and it was a generous serving as well. We think that it was priced right too for the amount you get. We ordered baba ganoush and idlewylde which was satisfying. We recommend the place and we'll definitely go again. read more

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This is the BEST Persian food I have ever had! The kubadeh kebab is absolutely mouthwatering. With a nice, buttery, chargrilled flavor and texture, these tender kebabs will beat any Persian kebab you have ever had. The rice is nice and buttery, soft, and flavorful. Something for dessert I would recommend have is the khulfi Persian ice cream. It is absolutely amazing. I would say that this is definitely the best Persian food I have in the United States! read more

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Always love Villagio Cafe. Great neighborhood joint with delicious Persian food - it's always great!

Excellent food and great service. I was in Baltimore for work and being persian love persian food. There are regional differences around the country. Los Angeles is my favorite and Salt Lake City is my least favorite. The food at Villagio Cafe is definately authentic. The tenderloin in the beef soltani is one of the most tender kabobs I have ever had. A little heavy on the onion marinade but delicious nonetheless. The beef koobideh was also heavy on the onion but I liked it. Very soft and melted in my mouth. The chicken barg did not have the saffron flavor and aroma I wanted but did have an interesting mint flavor. The sabzi polo was like my moms meaning it was perfect. The zeresk polo was ok but just ok. The tadig itself was old. It was kinda chewy not crisp. The ghormeh sabzi was very good. The ghemeh was very different than what I've had before. It was tasty just different. It had a yellow color presumably from turmeric and didn't have the tomato flavor. If your craving persian food it's defiantly worth a try. Prices are very reasonable. I did forget one thing. Everything is very salty. Saltier than most Persian places. Remember to take your blood pressure medicine before eating!!! read more

Villagio Cafe - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Great food! Love the baba ghanoush and platters. They are also really great with allergies.

Villagio Cafe has a warm environment that feels like home. This gem came highly recommended from a coworker (thanks Ben!). Since it is a BYOB, we brought some wine to go along with our meals. To start we ordered the hummus, which was freshly made and very good. The bread that came with it was also delicious! For entrees we ordered the Chicken Shish Kabob and the Shrimp and Salmon dish. The flavors were amazing! If in doubt, order either one of this dishes and you definitely will not leave hungry. This place was a win in my book! Wonderful service, affordable, BYOB and great food! read more

Went to visit the Hampton estate and wanted a quasi healthy lunch nearby, saw this joint on Yelp and gave it a go. What a great choice! It's easy to overlook because it just looks like another run of the mill local middle eastern / kebab joint, but this is definitely one of the better ones. We had the fessenjan, appetizer plate, and chicken kebab skewer and they were all fantastic. The weakest selection was the hummus, but it was still pretty good. The chicken skewer was hot and juicy and I could not get enough of the Persian potato salad selection on the app plate. Also, the app plate at 13 or so dollars, is a HUGE platter served with a basket of pita (we had two dropped off on our table) so don't think two people can tackle this in addition to entrees; it's big enough to feed two people alone. The Fessenjan was incredible! Sweet, a bit tangy, and very fragrant. The rice and salad was huge as well and came on its own separate platter.The hot tea was very delicious as well and served with sugar cubes. We had a friendly new server who was very attentive and helpful with questions. I wish I didn't live all the way out in Silver Spring because I would love to eat here again! read more

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For the past 8 years I have been fortunate to have an Iranian friend who loves to cook Persian food for us on a regular basis so when he offered to take us here for dinner we couldn't turn him down and wanted to check it out. The food was pretty good. I ordered the chicken soltani, my fiancé ordered the lamb kabob and my Iranian friend ordered the lamb shank. The meat was well seasoned. The chicken was delicious and the side salad was a nice touch. I definitely recommend getting a combo dinner so you can try a few things. If I was going into this as a first timer eating Persian food I would probably give it 4 stars but my friend makes the same dishes and his dishes beat this place out of the park which is why I gave it 3 stars. read more

Villagio Cafe - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Four of us enjoyed our dinner at this great restaurant. We were all new to it, and the waitress, Gabrielle, did an excellent job of guiding us through the menu and making good recommendations. We started with the appetizer platter, which had an interesting array of appetizers for us to Feast on. Then we went with two Seafood dinners, one with scallop and shrimp and the other with salmon and shrimp. The meal was cooked to perfection, and we all commented on how good the long grain rice was. We will definitely be back and I'm glad at this restaurant is now on our radar screen. read more

Adding my voice to the choir. I've been there twice and have had the appetizer platter and the Chicken Fillet Soltani (Combination of chicken fillet & beef koobideh kebab) and everything has been delicious. Every item in the appetizer platter was fresh, full of flavor, and went perfectly with the warm, fluffy bread that our server was happy to refill often. My entree was delicious as well -- well seasoned, juicy, tender meat with flavorful rice. Villagio rivals the best Persian restaurants in New York and is one of my top 3 places for Persian/Afghan kababs in Baltimore. Service is excellent as well, attentive and friendly without being hurried (I've stayed till well past closing both times I've been and never felt rushed out.) Updated to add: everything except the filet mignon is halal. Total win! Funny story: my first time here, my friend and I came for dinner earlier this week. The food was great and we had a great night. Two days later, I suggested this place for a dinner with another group of friends and after we got to the restaurant, lo and behold, there was my friend from the other night! She was also there again two days later with another friend because she loved the food as much as I did. You've got a new loyal customer...or several! Well deserved! Can't wait to come back. read more

Villagio Cafe - Chicken filet soltani: comes with both kubideh and boneless chicken kabab - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I LOVED EVERYTHING ABOUT THE VILLAGIO CAFE! The staff was so friendly, especially our waiter! They had such good halal foo! I got the chicken fillet kebab and an eggplant dish which tasted delicious. Little pricey but great for anniversary dinners read more

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I've been wanting to try this place for about a year because we like middle eastern/Mediterranean type foods We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and was warmly greeted by our server. We ordered the dolmeh appetizer, lamb shish kebab and lamb koobideh. The dolmeh arrived on a little platter with pickle, lemon and lettuce. We both remarked at how mushy they were-as if they had been frozen and warmed up in a microwave. I remarked they were rather bland as well. I've had canned grape leaves way better. Her lamb kebab came with a generous amount of saffron rice, but with only 5 or 6 what could best be described as lamb medallions-not chunks of grilled lamb one normally gets with shish kebab. At $15.95 we thought it was a tad steep for the amount of food. My lamb koobideh was very generous-two foot-long skewers and mounds of rice-excellent! I had enough to bring home for leftovers. I'd go back for the koobedeh and try some of their other menu items. read more

This was a spur of the moment lunch for hubs and I. I figured since we are in the area why not find the best spot...wallah---Villagio Cafe popped up via yelp. The name does not match the food it serves but it's a small offense. The food was great and our waiter was so nice. On this particular day it was raining and we had our toddler. She offered us a bench that was warm and would accommodate the rattling a of a toddler . We were served Naan bread and drinks immediately. My husband and I decided to go with the family platter. It consisted of lamb, chicken, veggies and rice! It was delicious ! I am actually on a high protein diet at the moment and this was very suffice. Oh - he also gave us a second portion of Naan since my LO loves it. For dessert I decided to try the Baklava...it was great and wasn't bad. It had way too many layers of Phyllo dough ... and less nuts. In fact the nuts were sprinkled on top. Other than that we will def be back! Next time toddler free and able to enjoy the beautiful area. read more

Pretty good Persian place with some other non-Persian, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean food (dolmas, hummus, baba ganoush, etc). Only street parking, but luckily we easily found free parking on a side street close by (parking directly in front metered). Tried the appetizer sampler, and that was pretty good. It included: hummus (fair), baba ganoush (good), yogurt with cucumbers and mint (good), potato salad (good), cucumber/tomato/mint pickled salad (good), dolmas (good). They also served a basket of plain pita wedges (standard pocketless commercial pita bread). We also tried their homemade yogurt drink which was pretty good (plain yogurt with mint--slightly sour). Chicken fillet kabob was good (tender and flavorful). Lamb kabob pretty good too. Veggie stew with Persian eggplant add-on was pretty good too and came with a plate of rice with some tadig. Service good. read more

Wanted a quiet and kabob-y lunch. Absolutely perfect and amazing. Ordered cream of mushroom soup, lentil soup and grape leaves to start. Was slightly confused on the cream of mushroom bc it didn't look creamy. But it didn't matter because it was seriously amazing. Flavor on point. Everything was super hot and perfectly seasoned. I'm salt heavy and it was perfect amount. The bf got the vegetable kabob and added a chicken and lamb koobideh. We also added a cucumber yogurt sauce later for the dishes. Everything was great. Sarah, the manager even came over to check on us. So sweet. Apparently they are crazy nuts for dinner reservations so get here before 5 if you want a quieter time. All in all- just go. You won't regret it. read more

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Love this place. Food is always good and its great that we can walk. BYOB is also fun for a change.

Oh my gosh. I LOVE THIS PLACE. This place is a must! First the owners and all of the staff are lovely! It's a warm cozy environment and they've still been wonderful throughout the pandemic. Always make safety priority, as well as giving you a break from the stress with there magical flavors that just melt in your mouth. You can't go wrong here for a family dinner, a night of takeout with a friend, or for a lunch. It introduced me to a world of flavors I hadn't ever given a chance and now are my favorite. In my opinion best Hummus in all of Towson/Baltimore area! And my favorite chicken of all time with there Chicken Filet Kabobs. 10/10 read more

Don't let the hummus fool you, because it's not very good, but the Stoneleigh plate is delectable. In order of preference, I would say the chicken fillet is the best tasting and good consistency. The filet mignon was delicious on first taste but the consistency was a bit grainy. The beef was good, too, but the chicken blew it away. My go-to recently has been the chicken fillet soltani. There are about 8 pieces of delicious chicken fillet and probably two skewers worth of the beef koobideh. They must use butter (or crack) on the beef because it is so delicious I can never stop eating it! The adasi (lentil soup) is really flavorful and a good consistency, it has whole lentils (not blended) and is not too soupy. We split one before a meal and it was fantastic. We tried the Ghormeh Sabzi and were not too impressed. But I am not a fan of kidney beans so I could be biased. The Gheymeh is really good though. Don't bother with the Tah Dig. It sounds good but when you're already having meat and rice for dinner and the crispy rice is more stale than crispy, you could really just skip it and get the stew itself. Definitely shake some sumac over the rice and your dish, it adds to the deliciousness. I really want to try the stews next time, and there will be a next time. My only complaint is that there aren't many vegetables to choose from on the menu. It would be a nice addition to have some veg instead of the salad (which, oddly, there is an upcharge for). read more

We came here for the first time a month ago and the food was so good that we decided to visit again when nearby

Always excellent service and delicious food! We have gone a number of times to eat in or carry out and it's always good. Love this neighborhood spot! read more

this is one of the best Irani places I have been to in awhile! What I love: great quality food, great customer service, and the price is unbeatable. Other restaurants I've been to will charge way too much for chello kabob. You get great portions for only $10! I really love villagio cafe and it's a staple for me and my family :) read more

Ordered for carryout, but the decor of the restaurant was very warm. Not a large space, but could accomodate a larger family or group if planned in advance. We were very satisfied with the food we ordered: - The Stoneleigh - a combination of three of their popular meat options: chicken fillet, beef shishkabob, and lamb koobideh. Each item was grilled just right to retain moisture of the meats - no dry hardened meats. Each had a distinctive delicate flavor. - The Soltani - beef filet mignon and beef koobideh combo. This was for my father and he enjoyed it. The portions are generous. They don't skimp on the rice or the meat portions. They have some salad options, but we had our own separate plans for salad and vegetables @ Whole Foods. It worked out great - the combination of Whole Foods and the food from here! We were so hungry by the time we got everything home that no pictures this time - sorry. Thanks to fellow Yelpers for the great pictures. Hope this place sticks around for years to come! read more

I love this little cafe that sits along York Rd in Towson. Found it by accident the last time but was sure I wanted to come back today. Sitting outside waiting for my order. The server was very friendly and prompt. Definitely recommend this to my friends if they're in the are. read more

Villagio Cafe - This was the appetizer sampler that I ate for lunch. Yummy. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

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Fabulous Mediterranean food at great prices. Very friendly wait staff. Highly recommended.

Living north of 695 is at times painful if you're craving authentic ethnic food. Found Villagio on here and wanted to check it out. I'm a fan of maiwand kabob and I think VC does an equally good job. Yes, I know it's not the same type of food... but to me they are similar. The restaurant is clean, and the service is attentive and friendly. The charred eggplant dish was different and was a jazzed up version of baba ganoush. The mixed platter of lamb kabob and koobideh were flavorful and the rice with lentils/fig/raisins was great. I think it's family run and their preparation shows they care. I'd definitely come back. read more

We really enjoy Villago every time we come. We've had all the family platters and highly recommend them. They are named for the surrounding neighborhoods and you'll find the locals just as often dining in as carrying-out. We usually take our out of town guests here since it's right around the corner and that way we can dine family style. We order one or two of the family tours/combination platters, appetizer sampler, and then try something different. The appetizers are some of our favorites. The Olovieh (Persian chicken salad), shirazi, and hummus are the big crowd pleasers for us. We recently tried the Tah Dig, a choice of one of they're wonderful stews on crunchy rice, and it was fantastic. It's a small and inviting place. Definitely worth a trip when you're in the Towson area. read more

We love Villagio. We used to eat at the location, but since the pandemic we order food for curbside pickup. We love Kebab Soltani.

Wow! We love Mediterranean food, have been to some very good restaurants specializing in this cuisine, but were not prepared for the food we experienced at Villagio. We knew nothing about this restaurant going in, except for the 4 1/2 star rating on Yelp. And the highest raves were from people with many reviews, something I always look for when selecting a restaurant. Our friends had suggested another dinning spot, but after looking at the menu on line, we were lest than enthused. I found Villagio on Yelp, shared the reviews and the menu with the group, and we all decided to give it a try. It was a cold, snowy night, and we didn't know the parking was only street parking. We found a spot 2 blocks away, and made our way inside. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table. The menu wasn't that different from other Mediterranean restaurants. What blew me away and earned them the 5 stars was the preparation and the flavors of the food. 3 of us started with the appetizer platter. Though you've seen this before with a sample of the dips, each one had a distinct flavor profile. They enjoyed them with warm pita bread, while I tried the chicken soup. Really more of a stew, the hot broth was rich with herbs and the shredded chicken was tender and flavorful. Beware of ordering too many appetisers if you are ordering platters - they are HUGE! I ordered the chicken shish kebob. Instead of just cutting up chicken and sprinkling the herbs on top, they cut the chicken in half, and stuffed the onion, pepper, and seasoning inside. It resulted in very tender, flavor infused chicken that exploded with flavor on each bite. two other diners ordered the salmon/shrimp combo. They enjoyed it but could not finish it. Our vegetarian ordered a house special soup and a vegetarian rice. She enjoyed it and like the rest of us, had leftovers to take home. The meal was so good and our server attentive, I asked to speak to the owner to thank him for one of the best Mediterranean restaurant meals we have experienced read more

Not sure how they get that rice so fluffy and delicious, even for take out, but this is worth it for that alone! The beef kebabs are my favorite but everything I've had here is tasty and the employees are nice. read more

One of our Iranian friend recommended this place. The place was very clean. The ambiance was good. And most importantly the staff was friendly. Our waitress greeted us with a broad smile. We ordered Baba Ganoush and shared a chicken platter. The quantity was more than enough for two people. The food was freshly made and I really loved their bread. They had only two desserts on their menu. I would have liked to see a few more options. Overall a good place. ..! read more

Villagio Cafe - Rogers Forge chicken platter - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

What happened? Before Covid i had had several pleasant meals at Villagios. My carryout order came out tepid. The veggie stew was tolerable: whole pods of okra with lentils and onions in a tomato base, but it lacked the delicate flavors of all those ingredients freshly combined with herbs. Fessenjen was a blob of overcooked chicken in a brown watery sauce that was insipid and vaguely sweet, not the sharp flavor of pomegranate. Two large STYROFOAM (if not illegal the worst ozone killing thing around) containers held basmati rice that had a nice crunchy scab on top and, although a bit dry was pleasant enough and made up for the fact that my containers of veggie stew and Fessenjen were hardly enough to satisfy a child let alone a small woman. Several slices of pita bread were pleasantly chewy. At $26 this meal convinced me to enjoy my own good cooking. Please set up a better phone system. There must be a tech savvy person around who can set a a phone to take orders without the customer having to call several times only to get a message saying the voicemail is full. The person who took the order sounded overwhelmed but polite and accurate. The person who brought the order to the car was polite. read more

Love going to Villagio Cafe. . Very nice Persian dishes. Easy take out during COVID . My daughter always asked to get take out from them. Basically you can't go wrong with the food. Good size portions as well, we always had left overs. read more