Top five Persian restaurants in London

Publish date: 2024-10-04

If you are tired of the usual kebabs and want to try an authentic Persian dish in London, visit one of the places chosen by the Guardian’s Saeed Kamali Dehghan

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London probably has more Persian restaurants than any other western city apart from Los Angeles, or Tehrangeles as it is called by expat Iranians. If you are fed up with the usual Persian kebabs, kubideh (minced meat), barg (fillets) or jujeh (grilled chicken chunks) and want to try an authentic Persian dish, I have compiled the list of my favourite dishes in my top five Persian restaurants in London.

If you still want to eat kebab, you can in all of the restaurants mentioned, and if for some strange reason you are curious to know how a “special hamburger” tastes in Iran, visit Caspian Sandwich bar on Ealing Broadway for a real Iranian fast food experience. If you want to taste the traditional kaleh pacheh, boiled cow or sheep’s feet and head, visit Azerbaijan Restaurant in Hammersmith at the weekend. You will either hate this last recommendation or love it, and if you are too sensitive to see a sheep’s head on your plate, complete with boiled eyes and tongues (I am), skip this suggestion right away.

The other traditional dish one should try is abgoosht (or dizi) – mutton soup thickened with chickpeas. Try it at Mohsen restaurant in Kensington. You can find pretty much all Persian dishes in London but I’m afraid we are yet to have a Persian pizza place (a whole concept of its own) here. And lastly, if you want to try something at home and cook yourself, or want to explore vegetarian options, check out Maryam Sinaiee’s wonderful recipes in her blog The Persian Fusion (especially her veggie tahchin).

Eat ghormeh sabzi at Hafez restaurant

It is the most favourite of Persian stews, and if it’s cooked in an apartment building, all neighbours would easily know you are having ghormeh sabzi for lunch. The smell is alluring and the taste is unique. It is a mixture of sautéed herbs, kidney beans and lamb or beef. The setting at Hafez is great – you are surrounded by antique cutlery and calligraphy paintings on the wall. If you order ghormeh sabzi, also ask for a bit of tahdig, the crispy rice crust. Try the saffron beer, even though it doesn’t live up to its name. Order some starters, too, if you have space: mirza ghasemi and kashk-e-bademjan (both variations of aubergine).

Address: 5 Hereford Rd, London W2 (020 7221 3167).

Eat lubia polo at Tandis restaurant

The moms’ version of this dish is always the best as different chefs have various approaches to making it. It is usually a plate of rice, green beans and tomato sauce. Some add meat (which I like), some don’t. The difference is often down to the spices used, whether it has cinnamon or other spices. But trust me, try it at least once. Some Iranian households cook a lubia polo at least once a week, that’s how popular it is. The best lubia polo you can find in a London restaurant is at Tandis.

Address: 73 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 (020 7586 8079).

Eat koofteh tabrizi at Azerbaijan restaurant

This is really special, and mostly a favourite of Iranian Azeris, but nevertheless it has become a national dish and people in Tehran enjoy it as much as people in Tabriz, north-west of Iran, where it comes from. It is a giant meatball stuffed with all sorts of herbs and spices, including peas, leeks, mint, parsley and onion. There is always a surprise hidden in the core of the koofteh (spoiler: it can be walnuts, dried apricot or dried plums). Azerbaijan specialises in Azeri food but also has great kebabs, so if you feel koofteh was not enough as a main course, try a skewer of kebab too.

Address: 291-293 King St, London W6 (020 8563 8553).

Eat kabab torsh at Kateh restaurant

This is a top-notch place and prices are higher than usual. Go there if you want somewhere fancy, but expect to spend more money. The upside is the quality is good. Torsh means sour or acidic. Iranians love anything torsh ّ(people call me insane, but I used to drink a glass of abghoreh or verjuice – unripe grape juice – every day in Iran). Kabab torsh is chargrilled marinated breast end of lamb in pomegranate juice, crushed walnuts, young grapes and fresh mint served with saffron rice.

Address: 5 Warwick Pl, London W9 (020 7289 3393).

Eat ghalieh mahi at Galleria restaurant

I have to confess, I’ve eaten more ghalieh mahi in London than I’ve eaten during my entire life in Iran. This is a fish stew from south Iran and is served with saffron rice. If you like fish – tilapia, in this case – and also want to try a spicy Persian stew, go for this meal. Galleria is in the heart of London and has a very nice atmosphere. The restaurant is called Galleria because it’s a mixture of a restaurant and gallery with nice paintings for sale on the wall.

Address: 17 New Cavendish St, London W1G (020 7224 1692).