In my field, Iran carries a different meaning. In my food preferences, I love middle eastern food the most. This was close to Paddington, where you find good Iran and Iraqi restaurants. I can't believe how good everything here is. You must get the bread and lamb combo. I was very impressed with their aubergine dishes which is eggplant based for Americans. We don't really know what Aubergine is but my Brits friends made that known to me years ago Good portion. My favorite was however the bread which was freshly made and only £2.50. Great ambience to boot. Lots of single diners and family diners. I would definitely come back next time! Really the best Iranian food! read more

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Excellent customer service, beautiful ambiance and pleasant traditional Persian music playing. Came In on a casual cold Sunday evening for a late night dinner after a busy day of traveling from Amsterdam. So happy To be smelling the aromas and spices , Ordered the Fesenjun Stew which is a Sunday special here. This is one of my favorite stews and a real treat. My partner had the lamb and chicken kabob and the plate was just fresh and gorgeous read more

Alounak - Beautiful Persian tea pots and tea set :) - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

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Delicious and authentic - what else is there to say. Check out the daily specials and if you want one, you better get there early as they are likely to sell out read more

Food is great , service is nice. And the atmosphere is refreshing. My fist distention for Iranian food when in London

What a delicious Persian restaurant nearby! We enjoyed their combination appetizer plate that included 2 types of eggplant dips, a hummus, and a chicken dip. The best part was the tafton bread made right on premises and arrives hot to the table. For our main course, one occasion we ordered the bone-in marinated baby chicken on rice and on another, the Sunday special, cod cooked in a delicious cilantro sauce. Each of the dishes were flavored just right. Alounak was open on Christmas Day and we were grateful for the cheerful waitstaff who were working on this National Holiday. read more

Alounak - Combination appetizer with bread - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

Wonderful food with freshly baked bread. Service helpful in selecting dishes. The mixed appetizers is a must.

I love Alounak! When you walk in this restaurant they make you feel very welcome and like you are part of their family. If you are looking for good Persian/Iranian food in London this is a great place to try. When you walk in the door of this restaurant you see Traditional 'tanour' which they make the bread in. The 'Tanour' is super hot and they put the dough on the side and within minutes it is cooked and read to go. We got 2 of the breads for the table and tried a couple dips for it as well. We tried the shirazi and the some other sauces! The hummos was awesome! They were all really great. For my main dish I had Kabab Koobideh! This was amazing! I would recommend getting koobideh if you are new to Persian cooking because it is meat Kabab. This dish came with lamb koobideh and it was super tasty! It came with safron rice, and a chared tomato! We also had the Loobia Polo and it was amazing. It was the neck of lamb with lots of vegetables! It was really tasty! For drinks we had a pitcher of doogh. (Spelled wrong) which is a yogurt drink. It was interesting and you have to like sour, bitter drinks to drink this. It is good when served with mint. Overall this is a great restaurant. They treat the customers really well and the food is delicious! I would highly recommend trying this place out! read more

Here's to adventurous taste buds and to Yelp! When the place I really wanted to dine was closed, I turned to my trusty iPhone to tell me about the interesting looking place across the street. And so instead of having barbecued American food, I had Middle Eastern. Wha-huh? It's a good thing my stomach just let my brain decide because it was the right choice! A table for one was a long bench along the wall that gave me the opportunity to watch the door and the street, but I also got to see how the taftoon bread is made and prepared. The baker is an artist and he made it look surprisingly simple. It's a naan-like flat bread that is cooked when it's stuck to the inside wall of a clay oven. Very clever! Since I don't know much about Persian food, I just went with a cucumber salad to start and the "Saturday special" for main. I was not disappointed. While my order was prepared, I tore pieces of the bread and put a bit of butter on it. When it arrived, the fresh bowl of finely diced cucumber, tomato and onion was fresh and crisp, setting me up for the star of the meal - a big pile of yummy rice and a lamb shank. The phrase "fell off the bone" is overused, but in this case it was true. A light push with my fork and the meat just... fell. No knife needed. Moist and yummy, I spooned some of the juices from the bowl on to it just because it was there, even though it really wasn't needed. Before I knew it, the plate was clean, the tummy was full and I was very well satisfied. No need for dessert. Really good food, good service, an excellent value. You won't spend a lot of money here because it's proper Arabic and therefore you will save a ton that you'd otherwise be spending on wine and beer. Nothing wrong with that at all! read more

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tasty taste! We lucked out and got the last table which is key since they do not take reservations and there was a line. When you walk in you, are greeted by the bread oven and you immediately know you have to eat some bread like right this second. We tried the chicken kebap and koobideh and both were healthy portions and yummmmay. This place is super efficientprobably because there was a constant line of people waiting for tablesso once you order your food comes out pretty quickly. You have the option to have your food with either rice or bread. Can't go wrong with either but as I said..the bread oven is calling out to you. read more

Alounak - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

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Visiting from California. We liked Alounak so much we ate there twice during our 6 day stay. The homemade bread is amazing. Watch out for the hot bread oven as you walk in. The guy is literally making it as you walk in. Lamb fillet and chicken kebabs were amazing. In addition to bread, there are rice and salad options I didn't love the minced lamb, but that's just my opinion. Fresh, homemade juices (we tried pomegranate and pineapple) were good. The place was always packed, but service was always great. read more

I'd never been to a Middle Eastern restaurant before coming to Alounak. The food was absoloutely superb, full of flavour, there was some veggie options available, for some reason I thought Middle Eastern food was all met but I was wrong. My boyfriend and I ate really well for under £20 which is great in this area of town. I must say the staff were a little "brisk" and I felt like we were being rushed a bit, which I didn't appreciate. This was a good experience but for me, the vibe was as good and although I enjoyed the food I'm not in a hurry to go back, read more

Alounak - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

I would love to know what Alounak means. My only available translation from a Google search was Small Persian. Maybe it's correct as the restaurant is very small and there can be long queues to get in on cold winter nights. Winter however is the best time to visit Alounak which is busy, warm and served well with the special earthenware oven. The latter is used to make the delicious flat breads similar to the Indian roti and delicious with the mezze and meat. I have been coming to Alounak once or twice a year and eash time the food has been very tasty. The portions have got smaller but this appears to be the case everywhere. My favourite is the mixed platter which is for two people. It come with lamb shish, chicken cutlets and beef strips. Each has excellent flavour and texture. The beef is extremely good and I appreciate its flavour even after eating it. I do not remember eating any desserts at Alounak as I fill myself up on the starter and main. Alcoholic drinks can be brought in and there is a Sainsbury or Waitrose nearby with a decent wine selection. Service is excellent as the many beautiful waitresses are quick to serve and very polite. The toilet is clean although located on the third floor. The murals are everywhere in Alonak which is quite pleasant. I have eaten Turkish, Greek and Persian and of all the meats the Persian is my favourite. If you need a good place to eat in Bayswater and not a vegan then I would definitely recommend Alounak. read more

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When in London, eat ethnic food! There are a plethora of choices to choose from but Alounak is a sure fire winner! We walked in and noticed it was quite busy for a weekday- always a good sign. It is not a large place but it is definitely homey. There is a large, clay pot when you walk in in which they make the bread to order. It was nice to be able to see how it was done while we ate. And whatever amount of bread you order- double it because that's really what you'll eat! It is served immediately after making and is warm and soft and absolutely addicting! We just kept ordering more. As to the food we started with the mixed appetizer platter which comes with a variety of dips to try- all of them were amazing! Even their version of a potato salad is unlike anything I've tried. My favorite dip was the one made with eggplant. For the entrees we all ordered number 26 and it was big enough for two! It gives you a little taste of everything. It comes with chicken, lamb skewer, and minced lamb kebab. The chicken- which I normally never order anywhere- was probably my favorite because it was so moist and flavorful. The minced lamb kebab was also great because of the flavors. The lamb skewer was my least favorite because it was overcooked and a little dry. Overall however the food was delicious and different from the Lebanese cuisine I'm so familiar with. The service was wonderful as well. All the girls were very helpful and attentive. It was one of the meals I most enjoyed while in London- and it's friendly on the wallet! read more

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Ummmm, I really wanted to love this place but unfortunately, I didn't. It fell short. The highlight is the fresh bread; staff are also very friendly. However, the food was not as good as I expected. I'm sad to say I've had better Persian seafood elsewhere :(. read more

I consistently get the best meal in London here at this restaurant. It's probably one of my favorites. However, it's rather hit-or-miss with the service. There are numerous times when I've asked for something and never receive it. And there are times when I don't ask for something and I do get it. The one thing that is consistent is their food. It's always good and always yummy. The atmosphere in this restaurant is very warm and inviting. It's what lured me to this restaurant in the first place. I highly recommend this place but just prepare for the service to be bad. read more

This was the first time I ever had Iranian cuisine. And I am in love with it. I realize that the Persians, now known as Iranians, have had a great influence on North Indian cuisine. The bread they have is what has evolved into Roti/Naan etc in India. The clay pot oven they use to make it is what evolved into what we call the tandoor. I don't know much of the history but the Persians definitely came to India a long time ago and did some good and bad things. I wish to say the food was probably the best thing they gave us. Now getting to the food one of my friends and I had, chicken special. It was marinated cubes of chicken grilled in their oven. Not sure if it is the clay pot oven or the normal grill. But the rice was special. They had plain basmati kind of white rice, with some special yellow coloured basmati type rice on top of it. As we all know saffron is an expensive spice, that obviously meant, the saffron spiced rice was just a topping. They served us two of their local breads, it has a very different name from the Indian bread so I don't really remember what they called it. And we ordered one of the aubergine based vegetarian starter dish which we had with the Iranian bread. It was bloody brilliant. The marinated Chicken cubes also tasted amazing. But the only main course vegetarian item on the menu was served with the same sort of rice combination with a slightly less impressive vegetarian gravy based dish. The gravy didn't taste as rich but the rice was just as good as the others. After the meal to top it all up, we ordered their traditional sweet, Zolbiah and balmieh. Indians know Zolbiah as Zalebi or Jalebi depending on which part of India you belong to. Over all, I loved the food, the music, the tea and what not! I would definitely recommend this place to my friends, especially those that love lamb. I would love to go there again to try out many of their other dishes too. read more

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I really like Middle-Eastern food because its not so hot or spicy and my most favourite Persian restaurant in town is the Alounak conveniently located in Westbourne Grove. Great meat (all of it is great, chicken or lamb, diced, sliced or minced!). Lovely saffron rice. Again great Naan bread - a must for a Persian restaurant in my view! The best of all is the Mast-o-khiar (like Tzaziki) cucumbers, thick yoghurt, garlic and mint,and the Torshi (pickles). The starters are unusual and delicious, as Persian food tends to focus more on the main course. Also try the herb salad with feta cheese and walnuts (Paneer Sabzi). I am not a great salad fan but the freshness of this was really delightful-nothing like some of the stale unappetising salads you can get in some restaurants. A meal will cost you about 20 and its worth paying but its worth much more . Food never disappointed me, service is great, location is much more accessible and there's plenty to do after dinner in the area. Downside? Always busy and restaurant doesn't accept reservations. Difficult to accommodate big groups but great for a date or a small group 2-6. Sometimes you have to wait outside until a table is free. Also no alcohol served. Also if anyone is interested there's a great book shop nearby next to the Kufa Gallery called Al Saqi which has a variety of Arabic and English books centered around Middle Eastern culture read more

Alounak - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

I was staying in London for a few days and found this place as I was walking around. Being a Persian, I can't pass the opportunity for having good Persian food. The koobideh kabab is made with very tender lamb (you can smell the lamb if you're super sensitive to smells) and tastes like a true lamb koobideh. They make their own bread in house, which adds to the freshness and quality of their food. Overall I enjoyed the food and recommend this place if you're looking for good quality Persian food with reasonable prices in London. read more

The food was very good and their chill sauce is REALLY HOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!! The meat were so tender and really give you the taste of Persian :) The made to order naan bread was sooooooo good! So aromatic and so fresh! Great place for family and friends! read more

As a life long Londoner with a Persian mother too, I must say when it comes to Kabob (the Persian kind rather than 'kebab'), Alounak had been on the money for years. Its all about the kabob here. Like another reviewer said, the Koresht is hit and miss but the Koobideh (mince lamb) and Barg (lamb shank) is Spot on everytime! If there's one word that I phrase use to describe their kabobs. It's 'consistently good.' since I've been going there since the mid 90s and never had a bad kabob once. Don't come for the decor. It's very cosy but it's no Shahs Palace. Personally though, the decor is good enough for me, i'm not into opulent bling which typically adorns the walls of Persian restaurants. Do expect to wait in line to get seated in the evening, for about ten to fifteen minutes. It's very popular. For all you Persian/kabob novices, I recommend you ask for Makhsous, since you get the best of both worlds; one Koobideh and one Barg, to try both. the starters are all great, especially the 'Mirza Ghassemi' (egg plant/aubergine, tomato and garlic). Definitely try their freshly oven baked on site 'taftoon' naan with some feta cheese and mint starter. the chicken/joojeh kabob is equally as good, but since i rarely order it and have less places to compare it to, i'll focus on its lamb brethren. A tip for those watching the calories or simply trying to reduce carb intake is to ask for rice (all kabob is served with a large amount of delicious Persian long grain rice) to be 'half rice and half salad shirazi.' you will then be given half the usual amount of rice replaced with a tangy lemon and olive oil drizzled refreshing salad of cucumber, tomato and spring onions. Alounak also does one of the best Doogs (think a salty Indian lassi, yoghurt drink). Very fresh in a jug, not bottled. Last but not least, for visiting American persians, especially those from Los Angeles where there is also a plethora of Persian restaurants, you must try Alounak since in U.K., Persian kebob uses lamb, which I believe is more authentic rather than the Beef which is used in the majority of Persian restaurants across the Atlantic. read more

TAAAAAAAAASTY! We've been meaning to eat here for ages after walking by many time and seeing the lines out the door. We came at a quiet time and was seated immediately. Drinks ordered, we ordered the mixed starter which came with 4 different dips and ordered bread. The starters were super yummy and the bread was made fresh in the little clay oven that you see when entering the restaurant. Although the starter was yummy, I wish I had skipped them and saved room for the mains. For mains we got the Wednesday Special and the Alounak special. The Wednesday special was aubergines and lamb in a special tomato sauce with rice. It reminded me of my grandma's home cooking, it was delicious. The lamb was super tender and just fell apart as you ate it. The Alnounak special came with a lamb shish kebab, chicken shish kebab, and chicken kebab with salad and rice. The meats were nicely seasoned and cooked so they stayed moist. The staff was attentive and the ambiance was really relaxed. Will be back for sure! read more

My favourite restaurant in London. I've never really eaten Persian cuisine until I was introduced to this restaurant by my Iranian friend. If you like lamb this is the place to go. Make sure to bring your own wine from a nearby supermarket. I highly recommend the Saturday special and the mixed starters with their signature bread. If you order a started and a main meal, you can expect to pay about £12-16 per person. If you can, arrive before 7:30 pm. It gets really busy after that, especially on Friday and Saturday. read more

I'm so glad I came here. Such tasty food! The restaurant isn't much to look at but the food makes up for it -so yummy! And the giant pitta and dip starter is fresh too. Would recommend here for anyone around Baywater. read more

Alounak is my new fave place for take away. It is one of the few places that has healthy food to go. Of course they have unhealthy things too. The kebabs are indeed yummy, and they also have favorites like salad olivier (sp?), and a fresh salad with mint, goat cheese, walnuts, tarragon, etc. I do recommend take away if you live in the area, as the restaurant is a bit dark. read more

Came here in a group of four. Had a positive experience. This restaurant is quite popular and usually has a short wait to get a table. On a Friday night we waited about 15 minutes at 7:20pm. The wait staff is attentive. The ambience is nice, with a cook preparing the bread in right in the major dining room. The menu is concise but does offer something for everyone (within the range of standard Persian cuisine). The prices are decent, not dirt cheap but for the area very reasonable. The food was good; nothing outrageous or extravagant but tasty and well-made. We had the mixed starter, which was good. I had chicken and lamb. Each were very basic but prepared nicely. Overall this is a good restaurant. The food is enjoyable and the prices are fair; the ambience is tasteful and authentic; the servers are pleasant and enhance the experience. And perhaps my favorite thing about this place is that they are BYO, so we brought our own beer and wine. Certainly worth a visit. read more

Very good food, but very noisy. Good for dinner but not for a romantic date. But oh, the food. Go for the tender lamb with skewer. The bread is apparently delicious, but being a low carb girl I had the salad side. Best lamb dish you will have in a while, I promise. Use the butter they serve on the meat and squeeze some lemon on it. So. Good. If you're a fan of Middle-Eastern food this is a must. Expect a line, but you might be lucky. The service is OK for a busy place. read more

Popped in last weekend for some grub and left a happy camper, forgetting the service was a bit icy. Like I think our server was literally frozen because she didn't listen to a word we said. Example: Her: How many pieces of bread do you want? Us: How big are they? Her: So, one basket then? Us: OK? As it turns out, one basket of bread is enough for two people with a plate of hummus. The portion size of our mains were gigantic. We could have easily skated by with one main + hummus + one basket of bread and this would have been the perfect meal size. We ordered different mains - our favorite were the minced lamb skewers (or something of that nature). Yum! Avoid the tables near the door as the oven gives off a lot of heat! Oh, and if you take your leftovers to go, note that they will smell like poop and if you bring those leftover on the Tube, then note that you will make the entire carriage smell like poop. I don't know why the leftovers smell like poop but you are just going to have to take my word for it. (Note: They don't taste like poop, though I've never tasted poop, so I guess I can't be 100% on this statement.) Will definitely return to Alounak, however, order the right amount of food so I do not have to take poop-smelling leftovers on the Tube. read more

Honestly don't know if I am able to be that helpful on this since it was my first time trying Persian food, but I guess don't be afraid to go in and try something random because it will probably turn out pretty well. Nice, fitting decor and packed with Persian people, who unlike me, seemed to know what they were doing. Service was good since it's such a small restaurant. I had the saffron marinated chicken dish which came in some tasty kebab-like chunks with salad and (since I had chosen the bread option) all wrapped up inside this giant flatbread. I'm glad I tried the bread since it was baked fresh in a stone oven by the door, but it was a huge and unwieldy and a bit plain with just the chicken. It probably does better with some hummus or toppings. Might return one day to try a lamb dish or one of their intriguing day-of-the-week specials. read more

We got ourselves two times the special, the rice was nice, the different meat were very tender and nicely seasoned. The bread freshly made in front of you in the traditional oven that is prominently situated in this restaurant is just all you would expect of fresh bread. Amazing experience all the way. The service was top-notch, the food was outstanding and the ambiance was very pleasant. I've been to various iranian restaurants, but the overall experience in this little place by far exceeds all others. read more

The restaurant is A-Ok serving up fairly standard Persian fare. We were quickly seated within a very casual environment - good for a big group because you can be loud and fun without any worry. There is a lovely oven at the front where they make fresh bread which creates an inviting aroma. The menu has 1 vegetarian meal on it so it made my choice easy! The food came out quickly and in big portions. I wasn't too impressed by the food and felt it was drowned in garlic. Perhaps their meat options are better? I don't see myself going back but I was happy with the service and experience! read more

The food here is fantastic.. I had the chicken/saffron/garlic kebab which I would go back for. The bread is yummy too! The line was out the door when I was there for a late lunch...a busy, cozy little spot. Check it out read more

Love, love, love Alounak restaurant! I only recently moved to London from the US and have yet to try any of the other numerous Persian restaurants around. I went with Alounak for my first Persian experience because it was rated well on yelp, and I was definitely not disappointed. Neither was my husband. The service was good and everything we ordered for delicious - bread, doug (yogurt drink), kashke bademjoon, koobideh, kebab barg, rice, and mint tea - all scrumptious. I can't wait to go back! We went on a Friday evening - got there at 7:30, which is fairly early by London standards - and the restaurant was already completely full, so we had to wait a bit. By the time we were getting ready to leave, there was a line out the door, so I suggest arriving early, as they don't take reservations. read more

What a great place.. Very close to my house and I have been here multiple times. It's a no nonsense place that serves awesome food.. The rice, bread and meat all one better than the other... Will be sure keep going here .. I also like the fact that it is a small place which is warm and nice.. It is always busy so you might end up waiting .. But it is great .. read more

Alounak - Divine Saturday special - Middle Eastern Near Me - London, XGL

So on the grand scale of zero to delicious, Alounak rates a delicious, for sure. You just can't go wrong with the kabobs. I had the "Chicken Special" which was one skewer of the grilled chicken breast pieces, and one skewer of the lamb koubideh. The rice was absolutely perfect, and I subbed half the rice for salad Shirazi (tomato, cucumber and red onion) for £1 more. My only gripes are that a) the kashk-e-bademjoon (oh my god, my Iranian family would be aghast at my attempts to spell this stuff) is less than stellar which is a HUGE issue for me, b) there was a line out the door... on a Wednesday... the whole time we were there, so I felt a little bit rushed by the wait staff, and c) why should bread be an extra charge when you've ordered various dips as apps? Overall, good value for money, and be warned that you may have to stand in line to get in. But it's worth it! read more

To get Iranian food THIS good you have to go all the way to Darband, Tehran. If you're an Iranian, you know what I'm talking about. So imagine my absolute joy the first time I stepped in here! I have tasted everything on the menu maybe twice and I kid you not: it's all out of this world delicious. I even brought my mom to this joint, and she gave it two thumbs up - you don't get better recommendation than that. If it's your first time, go for sultani for main course you'll get a taste of everything. If you're not that much into grilled meat go on a Friday and try the ghorme sabzi - it's an absolutely amazing herb and meat stew. For starters, try the mixed starter to get a taste of everything. Personally, I always go for mirza ghasemi (aubergine) and sabzi khordan (fresh herbs). Don't forget to leave room for the noodle/lemon dessert falludeh with saffron ice cream. Expect to wait in line. read more

3 stars for food, 1 star for a great value. A lively place and not too fussy. A sit-down restaurant that's easy to afford. My favorite dishes: eggplant with fried onions as a starter. It's smooth, crunchy, and onion-y. When it's cold and rainy outside, what you really want is warm comfort food. And their grilled meats are exactly that. There's even a fire-pit oven near the door where a guy stands making bread non-stop. The place is BYOB so feel free to bring your own bottle of wine. Gluten-free notes: Most dishes are naturally gluten-free. Sorry, no house-made bread for you. read more

YES to this place. It's cheap - cheap!!! - yummy, and gives ginormous portions of succulent meats, fresh-out-of-the-oven bread and outstanding eggplant dishes. And who doesn't love some serious eggplants. Having said all this, this place is almost like a fast-food type of restaurant, in the sense that it only offers kebabs and koftas - no stews, fish or other typical Persian-middle eastern food. But what we DID have... yup, delish. read more

Wonderful, service was terrible!!!!! t , food was cheap, and very tasty Very quick, place is convenient read more

Persian Food served in a hurry. Value for money - yes. Service with a smile - not exactly. Authentic Taste - no. Would I eat here again - not in a hurry. We were greeted with a full house and were asked to go to the waiting room - aka the juice shop next door. A dull boring sad looking place where bad Persian artefacts go to die. Back to the restaurant on hand. The aroma of Middle Eastern food sifted through the air from the kitchen as the busy plates were rushed out to the groups seated table close to table. We opted for the choice of starters and an Alanouk special. I might add my eating companion was Persian so I knew I had someone who had the palate for our feast to come .... And a feast it was ! Large portions and big plates = value for money in some peoples world but not mine. The food was hot but lacking pure authenticity. The lamb was dry and the salad looked like it had a life better than the one it was living on my plate. I would recommend this to friends purely based on the portion size but not much else. read more

This restaurant was amazing! The food was delicious and the prices reasonable! The only problem is that they don't offer many choices in drinks (that's why 4 stars) The bread is so tasty and made and cooked right in frond of you! read more