This place is truly a gem. Best Persian food in the area. And that's saying a lot since there are…read moremany excellent Persian restaurants in the Baltimore area. Everything on the menu is fantastic! Get the hummus app. Get kabobs... any kind. Also try the Khoresh!

So happy we decided to stop here for dinner. My family and I were headed to Towson for a franchised…read moreexperience when we saw the highly rated but physically nondescript Villagio Cafe. Villagio is of the cadre of restaurants bringing other worlds to homes in America. Mr girls had never had Persian food but the basmati rice and flavorful tender kebabs were familiar. We loved the hummus and mast-o-khyar, the Anneslie family tour entree and the saffron pistachio ice cream. We even took an extra order home. Will absolutely be back, and highly recommend. Or server was attentive, kind and helpful. The ambiance was intimate, clean and cozy!

I've passed this restaurant hundreds of times. I read the menu, decided it sounded bougie with over…read morepriced food so never went in. I attended a wedding celebration there on Thursday and am happy to report I was wrong. The staff was professional and welcoming. It was pretty chaotic with people randomly showing up. They took it all in stride. We were offered water and drinks immediately as we waited for the bride and groom. While we had a "set" menu, every option sounded delicious. Finally the happy couple joined us and we could order for real! I doubled down ordering both hot crab dip and crab cakes. Hot rolls. Yes and they were fantastic. The dip was good. Our servers brought out to go containers almost immediately. It wasn't possible to eat all the food available. I ordered a blue margarita. Strong and yummy. Tasted the crab cake which was good as well. The broccoli seemed an afterthought. Cooked well but NO SEASONING! Who does that? All in all it was a wonderful celebration with family and friends. I'll be back to finish exploring the menus!

** 10 Year Review Update **…read more It had been many moons since I've visited this place until a few weeks ago. I visited a few weeks ago, and again this past weekend. Inexpensive street parking as well as convenient garage parking near. Upon entry SUPER CROWDED. College students and young adults everywhere. Despite the heavy crowds, there manages to always be a seat for my party, the employees are fantastic, and the food continues to be delicious. On 3'13'2026, I visited w GodSis, and was assisted by Kyle. Kyle had a big personality and was very pleasant. Collectively, we ordered the following. HH-House Wine (White) - Amazing as usual. HH-House Wine (Red/ White) - Refreshing Broccoli - Came out cold, sent back for hot broccoli. HH-Steamed Shrimp - Plentiful and yum. HH-Grilled Lamb Chops - Tender, well plated, savory. HH-Thai Chili Wings - Amazing flavor, great texture and temp. Fries - Ok. Room temp. HH- Spinach and Artichoke Dip - Very good. Plentiful. Yup, I'll surely return to hang out w the future if tomorrow.

I find the food wonderful and plentiful. The atmosphere is very laid back and the servers don't…read morerush you. Plus I love that it is BYOB!!

Pleasantly pleased with my first Persian experience…read more Just off Joppa Road no the eastern edge of Towson is a massive complex built just for shops. In the sea of massage parlors, tanning salons, and laundromats is a Orchard Market & Cafe, serving up authentic Persian cuisine for 35+ years and counting. Had the fam visiting sis in nearby Pikesville. When we come down she always picks somewhere off the beaten path, something unique. This visit was no exception. Having never tried Persian food, I was excited to try something completely new. In this case, it was new yet also familiar. It's kind of like a mix between Indian and Mediterranean. You've got your assortment of stews and grilled meats infused with saffron, cardamom, and turmeric served of course with a side of basmati rice. The Mediterranean influence can be seen in their homemade hummus and use of fresh fruit and vegetables. There is perhaps no better example than the Mango Pear Salad with cucumbers, tomatoes, mango, pear, Bulgarian feta and pomegranate vinaigrette. If you're feeling up for some true Persian fusion, you can't go wrong with Spicy Kermani Beef, which features succulent filet mignon sauteed with mushrooms and pepperoncinis in a zesty tomato garlic curry sauce. Everything in that brief description is right up my alley, and usurpingly the meal did not disappoint. Service was on point from start to finish, the finish being a tall glass of Persian saffron ice cream. Now this was truly a first for me, as I've never had anything like this in my life. The taste can be described as earthy, slightly floral and very aromatic. Rosewater adds the floral notes, while the saffron gives it the signature golden-yellow color and luxurious scent. Definitely a one-of-a-kind flavor that I highly suggest trying. The dining room is cozy with some neat pieces of art resembling ancient Middle Eastern artifacts adorning the walls. All in all I'm glad we got to try cuisine that doesn't have much representation in this neck of the woods.

I rate it 5/5 as a takeout place because the food is so good and I find it sad they only have a 4/5…read moreaverage. But it's true that this place is 4/5 or possibly worse for sitting down, so they kinda deserve it for that. Got takeout from here today and have dined in thrice before--excellent, never had anything slightly bad here. (Those who complain of bland rice must have never had the displeasure of eating over-salted polo--here, it does range from slightly under salted to perfect, but is never too salty.) When I've sat down, the service was good and servers were very polite (and kind about my attempts to speak Persian), but man I cannot get over the weird ambiance--it seems like others can't either; takeout orders predominated by at least 5:1 every time. Walking in you're nervous the place will be dirty with bad food, but it's actually neither, just dim, dated and not well maintained--please at least trash the dead roses so I also prefer the takeout experience. In descending order of absolute best to just good things I've had here: Gheymeh (!!), lamb shank (!!), kashk-e bademjoon (theirs is my favorite!), all kabobs, ghormeh sabzi (not the best I've ever had but pretty good), fesenjoon, salmon (wasn't very Persian, but good) Mast-based appetizers are a bit eh to me but they're the same here as everywhere else. I always get ice cream, it's a really nice treat. I love Persian food and I love introducing people to Persian food, so I wish this was a nicer sit down place to bring people to. I would be up here all the time if it were--there's other middle eastern restaurants northwest of and in Baltimore that I LOVE taking people to because they're both beautiful inside and delicious. But I do so love the food here.

the new buffet is top notch. each day there are specialty items. I was very lucky today as they not…read moreonly had all their regular buffet items ( kabobs, stews etc) as well as mirza ghasemi. now I must say I am a stickler for mg. as I've had it multiple places all over the north of IR. I was blown away today. theirs was the best I've ever had! someone knows what they are doing......this is a very difficult dish to get perfect, and theirs was.

My to go place for past 10 years for cheesesteaks. Never ever was disappointed and amount if food…read morethey give out is very generous

Friendly service, great food and late hours! The atmosphere is nice and it's close to work, and…read moreschool!!

As a lover of Greek food, I was so excited to try their menu for Baltimore Winter Restaurant week…read more They were offering unlimited mezzedes (small plates) for $45. My experience was very underwhelming. The positives: I liked that there is a parking lot across the street specifically for the restaurant because street parking is very limited. We were greeted and seated right away. Our server was nice and tried her best to be attentive even though the kitchen was so backed up and moving at a snails pace. The pita bread was delicious. The desserts were great. My favorites were the baklava and loukoumades. Really the only dessert I didn't care for was the chocolate rum and roses cake because I'm not a big rose fan because it has the tendency of overpowering the other flavors in certain treats. The negatives: The kitchen was very slow at getting things out, even though the restaurant wasn't packed. Aside from the desserts, I didn't care for the food. The biggest issue was everything was lukewarm by the time we received it at our table. The hummus was just ok. The bread was great alone. The Greek village salad had way more feta than anything else and needed more oil and vinegar. The spanakopita was ok but some batches came out burnt but they were never hot. The Cyprus meatballs were so burnt that we couldn't even eat them. The lamb and beef dip was too salty. The stuffed grapes leaves were just ok. The macaronia tou fournou had the potential to be really good but it was not warm enough. I want to believe it was just a bad night and maybe their food is better outside of restaurant week but I'm afraid to try again and be disappointed. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be returning.

Cypriana was quite a treat. We had a reservation and were immediately seated. There are two…read moredifferent seating areas. One is more of an expected dining room, and the other is a table space near the bar. We were seated in the latter section. I will say this was my only minor complaint. It seems like they want to be an upscale dining experience, but the presence of TVs playing sports is killing the vibe. However, the service and food by far compensated for that. Carolyn (I believe was her name) was our server, and she was just fantastic. She was pleasant and attentive. My daughter and I split four of the mezzedes, and I ordered the mushroom soup and she ordered a side of lemon potatoes. My favorite dish was the wood-fired olives. Simple, but so very good. She loved the halloumi so much, we got a second order (it is a super small serving). The spanikopita, on the other hand, was quite large and meant for sharing. We're vegetarian and found the options both bountiful and delectable. While it is a bit on the pricey end of the spectrum, I'd say it's worth it.

Very disappointing food. The samosas were dry and tasteless. The Tikka Marsala was tasted like…read moretomato sauce. The portions are extremely small. The Tandoori chicken was dry . This was my third visit here. This was not my favorite Indian restaurant but , at least the other times the food was better. I almost threw the food away . It was that bad.

FALAFEL WARNING WOOT!!! WOOT!!!!…read more We stopped in here Memorial Day only after finding that Kathmandu Kitchen was closed for the holiday. Now, I had no great expectations of a fantastic food experience, knowing that in the past the food has been mediocre at best, and the service only good if you look Middle Eastern. The three of us ordered the falafel lunch special-major mistake. From here on out it will be referred to as the big falafel fail. It started out with ordering. The manager rang us up and I could tell that he overcharged me, so I asked for a receipt. He then did some spin doctoring, by screwing up his face, playing with my money and asking ME how much the falafel was. I looked over my shoulder and asked him if he was talking to ME. (No, this isn't that scene from Taxi Driver) He muttered something I couldn't understand, re-rang me and it was 3 dollars cheaper. Before eating I used the bathroom-no toilet paper, no hand towels, no hot water--Three bad hygiene strikes and you're out! The Big Falafel Fail: Our sandwiches were ready. We all had a couple bites, and then we looked at each other, because we knew there was something wrong. It basically tasted like deep fried parsley and other gunk-it was a mushy, disgusting, bitter mess over wilted lettuce. If there was a grain of chick pea meal in it, a microscope would have been needed to detect it. Now, the menu says that the falafel sandwich is supposed to come with tahini (sesame paste). It came with runny tzatziki. The bread was good, though-there, one star. It will be a long day in suburban hell before I ever eat at this hut again.

Sandwiches are always fresh and satisfying. The Schawarma is made to order, and 1 or 2 fresh…read moreskewers per day. Great salads and pickled salads. It is kosher, so it's closed on Saturdays.

Extremely Disappointed -- Loyal Customer Treated Poorly:…read more I've been a loyal customer at Yesh for years, even held my Sheva Brachos here and used to come weekly. But after today's experience, I won't be returning unless the situation is made right. The person preparing my shawarma was clearly new and overfilled the salad, leaving no room for the full portion of meat I paid for. I politely asked her to remove some salad so she could add the rest of the meat, and before she could even respond, the mashgiach abruptly stepped in and refused in a rude, dismissive way. His tone was completely uncalled for, especially when I was calmly trying to explain that I just wanted what I paid for. Not only was I shorted on the meat, but I was treated with total disrespect. That kind of behavior drives away loyal customers. The mashgiach was out of line and should not be interacting with paying customers, frankly, he should be replaced if Yesh wants to keep its good name and stay in business. At the very least, I expect Yesh to make this right with a proper shawarma meal, meat-filled as it should have been, along with the fries and drink I ordered, on the house. That's the bare minimum for how this situation should be handled. Disappointed doesn't even begin to cover it.

I've been to Moby Dick just a few times over the years I've lived in Hampden (most recently a few…read moreweeks ago), but I'm not sure why I don't go more often! As far as fast casual concepts go, the food is really interesting and very delicious. Moby Dick is a Persian restaurant, and it has some great and healthy options. Their menu is very large, too, and has lots of dishes I love: dolmeh, falafel, Shirazi salad, kabobs, Kashk-o-Badmejan (a popular Persian eggplant dip with garlic, onions, turmeric, dried mint, and yogurt whey - it's tangy and savory and I love it), and more. On my last visit a few weeks ago, I ordered ahead online and stopped by to pick it up: Shirazi salad, kubideh wrap, and Kashk-o-Badmejan. It was a great little lunch (and some leftover for a snack later). If you're doing a fast casual meal and want to mix it up with a different cuisine, it's a good option! (If you're eating in, the inside of the restaurant is really clean and comfortable and large! And the customer service is friendly!)

I got the gyro carry out so that I could sit outside by Starbucks and work. It was just okay! It…read morereally needed the packaged sauce that comes with it to give it a taste.

This is a decent spot if you're looking for a decent Mediterranean meal on the cheap…read more Very clean space, friendly staff and fairly quick service. I got the falafel platter with fries, and how were the fries the standout of the whole meal? The falafel was flavorful enough, but fried a little too hard for my liking. I'm still on a quest for the ultimate falafel experience, so I'm always looking for suggestions.

Slid through late and was rather impressed. Food was fresh and staff had good customer service. We…read moreordered the following: Otoman Signature platter: 10/10 very very good. I made a mistake and added peppers and onions thinking they would be cooked, have to specify next time Lamb quesadilla: 10/10 very flavorful and packed for $9 Recommend this place highly.