Invited to an Iraqi feast, I could not refuse, even though the region's cuisine is not my first choice. Dry chicken, fatty kebabs, soggy baklava later, it is still not my first choice. And, as it seems with many English restaurants, staff wasn't interested in service, leaving much busing of the table, including folding the paper tablecloth, to the diners. read more

Behesht - Appetizers - Persian/Iranian Near Me - London, XGL

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Amazing quality Iranian food, great service , great value for money. And nice ambiance

Behesht is another world! More specifically, Ali Baba's cave:) When you walk in from the sketchy looking area dotted with variations on Chicken Cottage, you certainly aren't expecting a place that looks like the Cave of Wonders. The decor is very bright, with every surface covered in Persian decor- definitely no minimalism here! Each room seems to lead to two more rooms and the restaurant which at first seems small, keeps opening and opening into more rooms, which is where the cavern resemblance hits. There are actual parrots and birds (quite vocal ones that sing while you eat at times) around, waterfalls, Persian rugs, fish swimming in the entrance and lots of Farsi calligraphy and art around. The oddest thing I noticed was that the ceiling is covered in cow hide, there is definitely a lot to look at! I love Persian food and I am a bit of a snob about it. I am happy to say that Behesht lives up to my standards and I have finally found a good place in London for when I crave it! The portions are huge and the prices are cheap. My favorite is the minced lamb (kubideh) kabob, and the one served here is succulent, juicy, and incredibly yummy. I wasn't the only one in our group who thought it was the best thing amidst other yummy things on the table. The saffron rice was also good, and I love how the kabobs are so moist that they flavor the rice to make it even more delicious. The lamb aubergine stew was also delicious, with the lamb practically falling off the bone and melting in your mouth. We also had the mixed kabob platter, which is no joke. It was so huge it took up half the table and 3 people could comfortably share it for dinner (which we didn't. but I do love Persian leftovers!). The waiter warned us it would be big but we didn't listen! The mixed platter has lamb barg, chicken, chicken with bone, kubideh (minced lamb), and of course some tasty roast tomatoes. Everything on it was decent quality, but I think the kubideh stands out by a mile, followed by the chicken which was also good. In terms of starters, I wasn't a big fan. The mirza ghasemi (aubergine and tomato) dip was not great or the baba ghanoush. The dolmeh (grape leaves with rice inside) was pretty good though and the bread! The bread was amazing and soft and thin, and was so big you just want to wrap your head in it (it's so big you probably could). Even if there isn't any alcohol on the menu, the fresh apple juice is really good and they have other types as well. A pot of black tea in a kitschy teapot with good conversation was the perfect way to end this meal, and I would recommend this place to anyone. It's a family-oriented restaurant, so it's a good place to go if you have kids, there were lots of families there when I went. The waiter was really helpful and friendly and gave us good advice on how much to order. We stayed quite late and they didn't make us feel rushed; they let us just sip our second pot of tea and continue talking until there were hardly any customers left. I think my only real con would be that one of the new extensions in the back is not as nice a place to sit as the rest of it because it smells a bit fishy, but you can always ask to sit somewhere else. It's not in a great area but it's worth going to. It's a great place for friends or family and I will definitely be going again! read more

Behesht - They even have a prayer room! - Persian/Iranian Near Me - London, XGL

This place is great! It's miles away from anything and a bit of a trek to get there from Central London but well worth it. As described by Mashael Z it feels like Ali Baba's cave, and has this weird water fountain near the window! Anyway, onto the food. Good quality, MASSIVE portions you'll struggle to finish, at a price that belongs in poundland. Brilliant :) read more

So anyone who drives down Harrow Road to find Behesht will know this is one dodgy area. Its in the middle of nowhere and painful to get to- but boy is it worth it. You go in and there are birds humming, bells chiming, water trickling, 5 out of 5 for atmosphere. The food, is epic, the portions massive. The koobideh is always a safe option, but you can try the mixed starters too and I can't remember the farsi for it, but the walnut with mashed aubergine and herbs is delish! In any case for a knockout meal - worth every penny, and its cheap. Minus one star for no tap water. You need to serve tap water!!! read more

Behesht is a great Persian restaurant with gigantic portions! It is super busy during dinner time so I waited around 15 minutes just for myself to be seated. I ordered the original kebab plate and stuffed grape leaves. The stuffed grape leaves were a great appetizer with notes of lemon. The main dish came and it was an enormous platter of food! The two kebabs were over a foot long and served over a large bed of rice. The flavor of the kebabs was magnificent and was great with the buttery rice. The service was pretty good and they made sure that everything went well. The food portions are a great size and taste delicious. I would recommend sharing a kebab plate if you aren't too hungry. Overall, it is a solid Persian food place with many options for a great price! read more

Behesht - Stuffed Grape Leaves - Persian/Iranian Near Me - London, XGL

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We waited for 3hours for food and it never came wtf non of the worker's were busy they all were sitting down even tho it was packet never again read more

If you eat at Behesht, be forewarned. You should probably starve yourself for a good week and a half first to be able to accommodate the level of food they serve in your stomach. Another initial word of advice - book ahead and by phone - their pretense at online booking is a freely admitted sham and the place swarms with hungry people, especially on the weekends. Why? Because the place is hilariously decorated (think fountains, statues, trickling waterfalls, and enough Persian rugs on the floors, seats, and ceilings to open a carpet bazaar. Because, as previously mentioned, the portions are GINORMOUS and delicious and mains are totally affordable at about £7-8. My boyfriend and I ordered a starter platter for about £11 along with our mains. When it arrived, I started laughing. Instead of the usual one plate with 5 different things on it, it was FIVE plates of different dips and sauces. After trying to tackle that, I had about 2 bite of my really good lamb khoresh (meaty stew) accompanied by about a football's worth of saffron rice before throwing in the towel. Because they have awesome flatbreads made in a crazy oven that are the size of manhole covers. A few last words of advice - they don't serve alcohol, you have to order a minimum of about £6-7 each, and the yoghurt herb drink is really really weird. But it's worth it anyway - it would be great for groups if you're not planning to drink (I just laughed at myself for typing that, but hey, it happens sometimes) and really massive portions of food for a really reasonable price. read more

In order to enjoy any busy authentic middle eastern establishment you have to accept that their customer service abilities mostly (now how do I best describe it..) well... stink! They'll ignore the fact that you have a table booked, you'll be made to wait outside or at the door, you'll be made to wait for your food, and don't get upset if they rush you to get the next customer in. Behesht isn't any different, and unfortunatley one of the worst (booking for nine people then trying to sit on a table for six is challanging to say the least). Now on to the food: Portions are massive here and cheap, their dishes are seriously tasty and the decor's as Persian as you can get. If it's your first time, as with all Persian restaurants try to stick to the popular dishes - Makhsoos, Momtaz, etc. before venturing out to pick other stuff from the menu! Useful bits: - This is one of the very few Persian restaurants in London that won't allow you to take your own alcohol, and they don't serve it either. - To park, you'l lusually find spaces if you drive past Behesht on your left then turn first right. - There is a Persian bakery a few doors down (again with Behesh on your right). It's definately worth a visit. Enjoy! read more

They have changed hands so new owners. Awful service and poor food Gormeh sabzi is not authentic anymore. Will never go back after going to this restaurant for the last 6 years.... read more

I was really impressed with Behesht. It's the new high score in Persian restaurants for me worldwide!*** On the outside, the restaurant sign was in what I presume was Farsi (couldn't imagine all them squiggles to be Hebrew in this day and age), no English sign to say what the place was... A good sign? As I entered, I had one of those gut feelings that the place was gonna be very good. I sat and ordered the Makhsous (Sultani), a salad Shirazi, some fresh bread and a Mast-O-Mouseer Because I was sat on the table next to oven area, when the bread was ready, instead of calling the server to deliver the bread to my table, Mr. 'Bread-Maker' improvised with great initiative and plonked it on my table without notifying me of the incoming projectile through a hole in the wall almost knocking me in the head... Cool, he didn't even walk round the 4-5 extra steps it would have took him to deliver to the front of my table, very efficient. *Thought of the day: I know our government and other agencies encourage us to try be more efficient and to save energy... but this is taking the piss.* Moments later, without warning again, he grabbed a couple of cubes of sugar from my table via the hole in the wall, stuffed them in his mouth and proceeded to drink his tea 'a la Persian' style. There was a lightly amusing and warm feel to his behaviour(s), at least I knew the guy was fresh off the boat and therefore I was likely to have an authentic experience. Kinda interesting to think... because it was a Persian restaurant, I didn't really care too much about Mr. Bread-Makers service skills, the same would apply if it were a Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese restaurant or anything Eastern. Had this been a European, American or Western restaurant, I would likely have kicked up a fuss and/or made a complaint. Does this constitute to me being a racist?... Or a cuisine racist.... Or am I a geographical-cist? Can someone explain! When the main course arrived... Heaven! The Barg was exceptional. Juicy, cooked perfectly, the right thickness and was from a very good cut, barely had to chew it. I could go as far as saying it was perfect but I'll give it a 9.7/10 coz I like to play hard to get. The Kobideh was fat, juicy and tasty, usually my fave part of a Makhsous but the Barg won was on form this session and won hands down. Yoghurt was too strained for my liking, it was decent quality but I prefer one not so strained and more sour. It also lacked shallots so tasted a little plain. Hope y'all enjoyed reading my review, until next time ...its been emotional *** 'worldwide' is exaggerated from the following countries: USA, Canada, UK, Dubai and a pathetic attempt at the above dish in Hong Kong. read more

Verdict: One Thousand Yes! Pros: - One Thousand and One Nights Ambiance/décor! - The special mixed kebab plate- it will feed a family of 4 or 5 just so you know! - Fall of the bone tender kebabs. - The Faloodeh, thin vermicelli noodles rose water ice cream. Probably the best outside Iran! - Price. Cons: - Perhaps not the easiest area to access by foot or public transportation. A bit out of the way so to say and perhaps not the most pleasant. - Service can be grumpy or opinionated at times. However they do not discriminate so one is out of luck even if one speaks the language! - This is where you come to eat kebabs, the rest and the more daily Persian cuisine such as the stews are not bad but nowhere near the kebabs. read more

The food was amazing. I ordered the Kabob Koobideh along with some eggplant appetizers and I loved it. They give you huge portions for what you pay and their customer service was very good. My family and I sat in the back near the leather designed ceiling and it was really cold. I can't complain about anything else but that the air conditioning was a bit too high. The interior design is beautiful as well. I am visiting from the United States and it had been a while since I really enjoyed a good Persian dish but this place was the perfect place to go to. Thanks for the service. read more

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I absolutely adore this place and wonder why more people aren't going! Yes, it's a bit of a trek and yes, they don't serve alcohol but the food...oh the food! The portions are ginormous and the prices are but a song! It's the kind of place where you want to go with a big group and order everything and share family style. The decor is a bit over the top and you feel instantly transported to a different world. Fave dishes are the Dolmeh, just cause I'm obsessed with these, Mirza Ghasemi (eggplant tomato sauce) and the Fesenjan (amazing sweet and tart combination of pomegranate molasses and walnuts with stewed chicken). Also if you go on a Friday night, the Abgoosht is great! Make reservations if you don't want to wait because it gets busy. read more

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If you are looking for an authentic Persian restaurant, look no further! Behesht is truly a hidden gem in the heart of NW London. And if you don't believe me, then believe the checklist (the checklist is aaaaalways right) - Lovely environment: - Good service: - Top-notch food quality: - Super-massive portions: - Affordable prices: Plus, the restaurant is located right in front of the 18/N18 bus stop! You cannot do better than that.. read more

£5 for a koobideh amazing! Despite my initial reservations about being sat at the back near the kitchen with only 2 other tables near by (both empty), it actually worked out great as there was one waiter serving those 3 tables or us, technically. portions are big, taste is second to none in most dishes, decor is authentic and the staff offer typically persian (or afghan) service that being the logic that you cant sit at your table until your whole party arrives at the restaurant, so the table lies empty and guests fill up the main entrance. It's also a bit of a way out in Kensal Green, but I guess it all depends where you're travelling from. Other than that, it's good value for money, though I've yet to try the stews. Well worth another visit and has the potential to place on my top 5 Persian restaurants in London. read more

A really nice, warm-feel restaurant with really generous portions and affordable prices. I went here on a Friday and got their Friday special stew, which was delicious. The bread is huge so be careful ordering it as an appetiser- it's definitely better to share. They don't serve tap water which was a shame. Well worth a visit. read more

SERVICE CHARGE listed on the bill is not shared with staff. Shame on the management for this. I'm not a fan of this practice at restaurants as it is not fair on the waiters providing the service and deceiving of customers. Additional money has to be paid on top of their 10% service charge if you wish to leave a tip for good service. The menu is generally good value and food is tasty, during the most recent visit for a birthday party of more than 20 the staff have been very accommodating, though originally the seating arrangements were too cramped, they corrected this when it was pointed out and provided additional tables during a busy Saturday evening period. They were friendly and helpful. I really think this is a great venue for group meals, but the issue with not giving service charge to the staff instead using it as a hidden charge to customers leaves a bad impression as the hard working staff are not getting their dues. Most of the time the customer is none the wiser so is happy to pay this hidden charge thinking its for the staff. This shameful practice should be stopped! And customers should ask and complain to management if wherever they do this. Fix that and you get 2 stars added! read more

lovely restaurant, nice ambience - traditional decor, feels like u could be in persia :) the best thing is the AUTHENTIC IRANIAN FOOD! I would commute all the way from surrey to kensal rise to have the mixed grill and delicious rice :) Warning: The Finchley branch is not as good as the kensal rise branch (food not exactly the same tast - its all about the chef!) So if you were disappointed at the Finchley branch, go to the Kensal Rise branch and its a different story! Dishes to recommend: ive been there a few times and have shared the Special Mixed Kebab with my fellow diners as it includes lamb fillet, chicken fillet, minced lanb kebab, chicken on the bone and yummy fried tomatoes. ALL DELICIOUS. the rice at Behesht is amazing too! On other occasions when people prefered to order individual dishes Ive had "Special Chicken" cos that way i get a skewer of chicken AND a skewer of minced lamb, fried tomato & rice. That was a perfect dish for me :) We had an Okra dish as a side and that was great too read more

I'm definitely giving this place 5 stars as it's a very genuine restaurant. The food is amazing and cheap. It gets very busy and messy at times but the wait is always worth it. read more

Nice place, weird decor, food is ok priced, bit bland and sweet for my liking, a bit of spice wouldn't go amiss. But I would return, massive portions so be prepared to go on an empty stomach. read more

We had to come to this restaurant! It was a bit out of the way, but it was well worth it. We took the underground to Notting Hill and cabbed it to this location as it's a bit out of the city. We got in right away and were entertained by the decor of this restaurant. The reviews were right - rugs everywhere and leather on the ceiling, pots hung on the walls, etc. The food was traditional persian. The bread was a huge circle like a big pizza dough and you just rip it off. It was tasty. My husband ordered the ghormeh sabzi and I ordered the chicken barg (chicken breast kabob) and it was delicious - huge portions and a lot of rice, which we love! Good service. read more

Well I don't think I have been to a restaurant with as big portions anywhere. Even comparable to American dishes. The food was pretty tasty as well. A nice bowl of tabouleh and olives with a rather large plate of rice and kebab. I will be back read more

This restaurant can be a bit daunting as you enter, but it is an interesting place to eat. They make huge breads by hand, and the portions are great with a lot of authentic dishes to choose from. read more

Behesht is possibly the best place to dine out cheaply in London. I was first introduced to this peculiar Persian restaurant a few years ago, by an Iranian friend who swore he was taking me to the best restaurant he knew. We pulled up outside, I looked in horror- first at the area, second the outside of the building is covered in pink and green neon. It looks like a cheap club in blackpool. My fear soon subsided- the queue out of the door at 8pm on a freezing Sunday evening told me it was worth waiting, the smell coming from the bread oven in the corner made the 30 minute wait worthwhile. The portions are insane, however they are always happy to provide take-away boxes for what is usually half the meal left over... Particularly good is the Paneer Sabzi (a herby salad of Tarragon, Mint, Radish, Walnut and the saltiest creamy cheese); also Tahdig (crispy rice) comes with any selection of the stews.. my one complaint here is all but one stew are lamb based, and i'm allergic to it, so always have to have chicken fesenjan, which is a little too sweet. Friends swear by the Gormeh Sabzeh- a swampy green stew, made with lamb, leeks, methi and herbs- i just wish i could try it! Once you learn not to over-order here, dinner usually works out circa £10-£12 a head including drinks. read more

This is one of the worst restaurants I have ever visited! I took my husband for a birthday meal. We had booked but were kept waiting ages for the table and then two different waiters were rude to us! The food was not nice (very greasy) and while the décor is good, nothing else about this place is. Avoid it at all costs! read more

I found this place a bit of an attack on the senses at first, cos the whole restaurant is covered all over in Persian artifacts, beautiful carpets, wall hangings, fish tanks, and even a squawking parrot in a big cage. But this works well for it, cos you've got plenty to be noticing while getting through the huge portions of some of the best Iranian cuisine I have tasted outside of Iran. They have all the traditional dishes, and a really good range of starters, side dishes and drinks. It's usually pretty busy and buzzing, but also a nice atmosphere for chilling, or for parties. So maybe book ahead if you're going as a big group... read more

lol,how can i contact the waiter,please nice guy about 20 years old,a bit short.i guess he was persian read more

Behesht is an ornate restaurant 5 minutes walk from Kensal Green tube station, packed to the gills with Persian artifacts, tweeting songbirds and grumpy waiters. We knew we were onto a loser when we ordered hummus and were told we'd have to order bread separately. I've never been to a restaurant in the world where you get just a plate of hummus with nothing to eat it with. To be fair, the greasy naan bread that we were forced to order was passable, if thin and brittle. The main menu is, of course, meat heavy and consists of variations on minced lamb, diced lamb and chicken, all large portions with a good dollop of rice. However, the lamb chunks were chewy and everything was very dry. At £10 a portion it's not particularly cheap, or particularly appetising, and you can get far, far better cooked, better presented meals for significantly less anywhere along Green Lanes in Haringey. While the food was acceptable, the service was the reason I would never go back to this restaurant. Surly and unhelpful from the moment we walked in (we sat for nearly 20mins before anyone bothered to take our order, despitre the fact that only 3 tables were full), it took a turn for the surreal when I got the bill and the waiter leaned over and whispered in my ear "You will leave some extra money, yes?" I pointed out that the bill already had a 12.5% service charge added to it, and he said that that only goes to the people in the kitchen, and I needed to give more for the waiters. All very bizarre, a bit intimidating, and just plain bad service. I would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

A classy place with style and great decoration. Found by accident, since I was literally starving and was looking for place to grab a bite, so I stopped here. Frankly it was a great experience, food was really well cooked, with fresh vegies, high quality meat, great variety of dishes offered in the menu as well as drinks. Staff are really polite and welcoming, service could be a bit faster thought. To sum up: reasonable prices, good food and a nice staff and great atmosphere. I recommend this place. read more

Nice restaurant with lots of menu options but the service can take some criticism. The waiting staff seems a little bored and grumpy and works without any enthusiasm. I hope that changes in the future because the place has a nice potential. read more

The food is amazing, but the service can be slow sometimes. Apart from that its lovely.

Very interesting decor, but for my taste buds all the cuisine is quite sweet or subtly spiced. I prefer a little heat in my cuisine. For the mission of getting to kensal rise I won't be going back. Service was seriously lacking even though they had more than enough staff. read more

This place has seriously deteriorated. It used to be excellent. Now everything is bad. The food and the service. They even poured the curry one clothes and yet they had the guts to ask for a higher tip. Out of my list definitely. read more

Behesht is an authentic persian restaurant with wonderful hearty portions which everyone can enjoy. Absolutely brilliant atmosphere, completely buzzing. Not to mention the extremely friendly service you get given by the waiters. I would not take some of these extremely negative reviews seriously as they are somewhat politically driven, which is not really what anyone cares about when they go to a restaurant! Very lively, even if it does get somewhat over crowded at times (which can only reflect on its popularity). Overall, i would recommend it very highly as it is truly a unique experience which cannot be enjoyed anywhere else. read more

amazing food and set up. love the rice, best rice in england