I didn't know I liked Persian food! The other one nearby didn't have many vegetarian or pescetarian options so we tried this. I'm so glad we did! First, we got the combo appetizer plate. The kashk bodemjan was delicious but the koo koo sabsi blew me away. I had never tasted anything like it; herby and a little caramelized, I had to order another full dish of it. The walnuts were also unlike any walnuts I had ever had before. I wonder why I spent my whole life disliking walnuts that turned out to be totally subpar. We went with the shrimp kebab and it was flavorful and the right texture (sometimes shrimp can be awful grilled but this wasn't). We also got the fesenjoon without meat and it was great. Service was kind, patient, and prompt, but not stifling. I am looking forward to having my leftovers! read more

I was craving some Barg Kabob and called them to place an order. The owners were super responsive, asked me about the cook level (I asked for well done, which surprised him haha), and gave me an estimate wait time to pick up. The kabob was really delicious and the tomatoes and rice were fresh. Would definitely recommend this place! According to the owner, the meat is halal/zabiha. Not sure about delivery but they are open for takeout. read more

Alborz - Barg Kabob - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Berkeley, California

I had the Fesenjoon and it was outstanding. I would highly recommend this place. My girlfriend had the Zereshk Polo with chicken and hers was wonderful as well. I would highly recommend this place. read more

This is the absolute worst persian restaurant I've ever been to! Service is awful and server's are the most rude people. I never ever step a foot in this horrible place. read more

I can't remember the last time I got service this good. My first time eating Persian food. She was gracious and helpful suggesting various combination dishes for us. Checked on us frequently. Got a combination appetizers plate that was delicious. Very interesting food, served with basil and mint greens and thin square bread, stuffed grape leaves and eggplant, etc. Excellent. I'm super picky about how chicken is cooked and I felt the chicken was just a little dry. The combination of flavors was very satisfying. read more

Very delicious dishes and wonderful service! I was impressed! Definitely get a kabob there!

These guys are ignorant clowns. I ordered takeout thru Yelp app. 2 dishes and 20% tip $80. Ok fine. Went to pick it up and and was rudely asked my name. I told them anthony. She said I go check. She kept saying a word that I could not understand. I realized later she was saying grubhub. She Pointed to a bag across the room and said there" and pointed to it. Super rude. I realized later when my receipt came from my credit card that the order was pickup thru Yelp app. This somehow showed up as grubhub. I am a local dentist around the corner. I will never order from them again. They thought I was a food delivery service and treated me as such. F- you guys read more

Top notch food, koobideh mmm with homemade bread. The restaurant itself is very nice or you can take it to go and eat it on the lawn across the street on the uc Berkeley campus. Whatever you do, don't forget the sumac. read more

Excellent Persian Food I loved the tadig Homade bread Koobedeh Doogh Gormeh sabsi Kashke batemjan Panir sabsi Cornish hen kabab Everything I ordered was to perfection Dessert was Faloodeh I give ALBORZ 10 ********** MADE TO PERFECTION Ordered all this so we could try their variety on the menu! read more

Quick take out. My delicious koobideh (ground beef kabob) was ready within 20 minutes. read more

Alborz - They're open! Call for take out. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

If I could give it 0 stars for customer service I truly would. The server that worked there was very apologetic but the older lady, who seemed to be the owner or manager, was just rude and down right nasty. We were visiting in Berkley and seen this Persian restaurant while walking by, so we decided that we will give it a try. Prior to walking in we've seen that they had a $12.95 lunch special (baked chicken with rice). We ordered 2 specials. When my friend ordered a Greek salad she asked for some chicken as an add on. The same older lady rudely said "we don't do that, you can order an entire chicken" which we thought was odd but we continued on and were not going to have her attitude ruin our lunch, so my friend said "No worries, I'll just have the Greek salad". When we finished and were ready to pay. We noticed on our receipt that we were charged the regular price for the two specials. I pointed to the outside chalkboard to the server who has just started her shift. Once she has seen it, she apologized, saying: "I'm sorry, we have charged you the menu price." and she took the receipt back to correct it. Once the server explained this to the older lady, she grabbed the checkbook from her and went outside. She erased the chalkboard sign and changed it to $17.95. This is all happening right in front of our eyes while we are watching her through the window. She comes back to our table with the same check and says no this is a correct price and she is not going to change it. We were like "Ma'am, we've just seen you walk outside and correct it from $12.95 to $17.95." Her response was: "No, it was the entire time. Some kids must have came by and messed it up." I don't know how many teenagers nowadays walk around with chalk My husband started getting very upset because she was gaslighting us, where we had to really question our reality. At this point it really didn't matter what the price was but it was her unbelievably disrespectful behavior. It was awful. To calm the situation down, I said just forget it and we paid the bill. Even though the food was decent it truly left a nasty taste in our mouths. This was one of the worse experiences and we would never return to this place and I hope that before visiting this place you think twice before going as well. read more

Alborz - I'm a real customer and this is not how you treat your customers. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Berkeley, California

See all

I'm very happy Alborz decided to reopen in Berkeley. Food is authentic and well made. The staff are also attentive and friendly.

service here is really great! the server was very kind, and he was very welcoming to let me come into the restaurant for awhile when i was being followed in downtown berkeley. read more

Just ate lunch at Alborz with another couple . The food was excellent and seemed very authentically Persian. We had the beef and chicken koobedeh (sp?) Kabob plates. Loved the flatbread with herbs and the Persian ice cream. We were served by the owner who seems to be running the show almost on her own with help from a chef. This Alborz is in an easy to park location near the Berkeley campus and has a quiet, sophisticated atmosphere. We will be going back soon. This restaurant deserves supporting; they are keeping their standards high in a time when many others have gone out of business read more

I absolutely love this place. Wonderful Persian cuisine. The Joogeh Kabob is my favorite. Great food and fantastic service.

authentic, flavorful, fast service, delicious wine, our server Ayden is impeccable. highly recommend!

I tried this place for the first time a couple weeks ago. We had a business lunch here with a new client. My client had been here but it was my first time. While i work in Berkeley, i don't spend anytime in the actual city on my own time so it was nice getting out to explore. The restaurant was actually empty when we arrived for lunch, it was the first day after the COVID stay at home orders had been lifted. We were a group of about 8 so the waiter, maybe also business owner?, suggested we do a family style lunch, which i was completely in agreement with. I wanted to try it all! I don't remember what any of the dishes were called but they were all great! The garlic yogurt dip was sooooo good! The kabobs were perfectly cooked, juicy and flavorful. My favorite part was the rice, Of all things. This rice was so flavorful. It was orange/yellow in color and had so many flavors. It was sweet and savory and had hints of orange. I think it even had raisins or maybe cranberries in it. I would highly recommend this dish. The service was good. I just wish they had brought out a dessert or anything to celebrate my boss's birthday as we requested. We would have paid for it. But maybe they don't have dessert. Anyhow, highly recommend. read more

I love Iranian food, but theirs is ALL oil. I had to toss it all out. Waste of my money.

I don't know where to start from start to end the service was horrible. We sat ourselves down and after 15 mins called I called the waitress to take our order. We were the only party there it was empty with 3 people working. The waitress was rude and didn't feel like working. Anyways I ordered appetizer eggplant with eggs (Mirza qasemi) it was warm NOT hot I asked for more bread it took 20 mins by the time they brought the bread the food got super cold. Customer service was horrible I asked for manager or owner I was told they are never here No wonder employees don't care. Food came 35 minutes later and was not so good Monday kabob not hot and the chicken was nasty didn't have any taste. I can't believe they charged me 20% service fee for the service they didn't provide. The waitress came one time if we needed anything with an attitude because I had already complained about her attitude and the food. This will be my last time going there so if you want good food with good service this is not a place to go especially taking your guests. I felt bad for taking my guest from Canada to this nasty restaurant. read more

Nice ambience; lots of space and good food. Paloma was managing the whole place on her own and took care of all guests so well. Food is authentic and tasty. read more

great food , small portions for price though (I did take out), otherwise was a fine experience

Loved the food here! Very fresh, bright, clean flavors. The service was also wonderful. Would definitely go again and again!

Nice service, delicious yogurt dips and kabobs, generous portions of homemade pita. We'll be returning!

The food is decent but the owner is a misogynistic you-know-what. The restaurant was dark and empty and the owner was sitting hanging out with his two friends. It felt strange like I was intruding, and a customer shouldn't have to feel that way. Duh! He also has a really rude demeanor. He acts like he's doing you a favor, and not the other way around. Very arrogant and ridiculous. If I'm a paying customer, I also don't want to have to put up with a restaurant owner making comments about my derrière to his friends when I turn my back. It made me feel self conscious and uncomfortable. Just unacceptable on every level. I'm not going back to support this restaurant. Ever. And you shouldn't either. The owner is rude and has no respect for women. He doesn't deserve your support. read more

I never leave any comments but this place is actually amazing and I love it! Ayden is lovely and was super nice to all my friends and I. So excited to come again in the near future! read more

If there were more stars available I would give them. I ordered take out today for a small gathering. I have never had chicken kebabs that were so moist. The kebab barg melted in your mouth. I also ordered a combo platter which included mouth watering Kashk bademjoon and kuku sabzi. The rice was cooked very well and included Tahdig which is unusual. The gentleman who took my order was professional, informative and helpful. I highly recommend Alborz Restaurant. read more

Welcome back, Alborz! Very large portions, well-priced, and delicious. Salad Shirazi, stews (four of the most popular - eggplant, pomegranate, spinach, and lamb shank), kebabs (kofteh, soltani, etc.), and bastani-faloodeh are all wonderful. And to top it off, the tea is strong, each meal comes with sabzi (herbs, butter, and warm bread), and the saffron rice is fresh and plentiful. The staff are friendly, responsive, and accommodating to parties of every size. The space is also conducive to business, dates, or quick solo meals. Highly recommended! read more

This review is just about the food, as we have recently ordered takeout for large family gatherings on several occasions. The food is, in two words, excellent and authentic. The family includes a number of people who make Persian cuisine themselves, and Alborz gets very high marks from them for the quality of ingredients and skillful preparation. Two of the kebabs - koobedeh (ground beef skewers) and joojeh (grilled chicken skewers) are classics - wish I knew the secret of keeping them so succulent and tasty. A great option for hosting a large gathering when you aren't up for doing the food prep yourself is to order takeout "family style," which will get you trays of kebeb, rice, any of their stews, and side dishes, to serve at home buffet style for as many people as you are entertaining. read more

I've eaten Persian food all over the country and Iran and this is the best Persian cuisine I've ever had. Not only is there a wide selection but everything I tried was superb. Highly recommend! read more

I saw that there was a new place on the corner and was intrigued as I haven't had Persian in a long time. The place is really cute and new and has a good amount of seating. The waiters are friendly and authentic. I was suggested the chicken filet special with saffron rice and was not one bit disappointed. The food is fresh and the portions are big so plenty of food for the price. This place is great for a friend catch up or a date. Definitely would come back again! read more

Alborz - Chicken filet with saffron rice dinner special - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Berkeley, California

The place was clean and the server was friendly and that is probably the best part of my experience. The rice was old and had been warmed up. The size of barg kabob was pitiful and koobeedeh kabob was dry. The salmon was good but again the portion was ridiculously small. Even the onion that was served ahead of the meal was left over old. It was an experience I am not willing to repeat! read more

They had cockroaches and I seen a rat outside the restaurant and the manager was rude when I told her about the rat and I asked her for her name and she told me to leave read more

If your looking for good authentic Persian food then Alborz is the place to go. Our waiter was Eiden. Very good guy and accommodating. Although the restaurant was busy they did get the food to us at a decent time and the taste was perfect. The kobedah, and barg kebab were on point. Highly recommend read more

Ordered the lunch combo with a side of saffron rice. A refreshing, authentic Persian taste. Highly recommend the Baklava a la Mode! My partner and I will definitely be back for another plate! read more

Great food!! Try their Koobideh with rice. This place never disappoints me. Thank you!

Part of this review has to do with slow chaotic service giving latitude for it being 7:00 pm on a Saturday night. First there was the water glass that was dirty that took much longer than it should have to get it replaced. At least 10 minutes and only after I asked someone else. Next there was clearly a finger print on my knife where food would touch. I will say the food was tasty but I had one of the house specials that was described as tender beef with lentils in tomato sauce with eggplant on top. My complaint is that there was less than a tablespoon of beef in the whole dish that I could find. I counted no less than 6 times during the course of almost 2 hours to complete our meal where food was brought to other tables but the food delivers were lost and had no clue what table the food was for. Before we ordered desert I warned my wife to be prepared to wait for it. I will say the Persian ice cream was good but once again after 10-15 minutes I had to ask another waiter to check on our desert. I would be willing to give this place a second chance but only at a non-busy time and only because the food was tasty. I would definitely order something different. Oh yea, my glass of wine was listed at $9 but I was charged $10. At this time I just wanted to leave and took the $1 off the tip. It could have taken 10 more minutes to get it corrected. Two stars only because the food was tasty. read more

Delicious food , great customer service , open air, highly suggest their Soltani from menu, the beefs are tender and delicious!