This Persian place, tucked in the back of a shopping plaza, has made a deft transition from small cafe to full-fledged restaurant. Though most customers take out rather than eat in, traditional folk tunes and soulful cooking make for a homey scene. In the kitchen, headscarved cooks roll out Iranian flatbreads. Similar to lavash, it is used for sandwiches and ideal for swiping in the wonderful eggplant dip known as kashk bademjan.
Kebabs are juicy and flavorful—the nuggets of lamb are the standouts, though both chicken and kubbideh (spiced ground meat) are moist and savory, too. Gheymeh, a stew of onions, beef, lentils, and potato sticks in a tomatoey brew, provides warmth and comfort.
Dessert—baklava or rose-water/saffron ice cream—is made in-house. Sometimes it’s available, sometimes not. But that’s one of the quirky charms of this laid-back family-run operation.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
