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    Cafe Ferdosi

    4.9 (33 reviews)
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    Gathering space next to restaurant
    John E.

    We happened to be in North Durham on an errand and decided to give this spot a try. It's tucked at the back of an office park, inside a shared meeting center, and we arrived right as they were opening for lunch on a Saturday. Parking was easy. The space itself is small but welcoming and nicely decorated. We ordered: 1 salted yogurt drink 1 Persian teapot 1 Borani dip 1 Joojeh (double) 1 Vaziri Total was $62 plus tax and tip. The Borani dip was the standout of the meal, roasted, smoked eggplant with garlic and yogurt. If you know baba ghanooj, it's in that family but with its own flavor profile. I had the double Joojeh, grilled boneless chicken breast in a lovely marinade, served with Persian rice. It was delicious. The Vaziri included a single Joojeh along with a single beef-and-lamb Koobideh, also with Persian rice. That was delicious as well. Everything is made in house including the delicious desserts. This is a family-run place with the parents cooking and their sons handling service. The boys were sweet, the service was warm and personable, and overall the experience was excellent.

    Koobideh with saffron rice
    Robin K.

    The super delicious and tucked away Cafe Ferdosi. Gorgeous Persian food and a very informative server, Omid (Hope in Farsi). We had the borani with pita chips (smoky eggplant dip with yogurt and sumac), followed by Koobideh (lamb kebab and saffron rice) and Joojeh (chicken breast and lamb kebab with barberry rice), washed down with Persian fizz, lemonade with a touch of rose water. I wish we could have stayed for the saffron and pistachio ice cream!

    Ghormeh sabzi
    Kira R.

    Drove 2.5 hours to try this place and it was well worth that drive! I know that sounds crazy but my husband and his family are from Iran and this place had amazing reviews so we had to check it out. I can honestly say that this is the BEST and most authentic Persian food I have had so far. It's family owned and they are incredibly kind and friendly. You can tell they put a lot of love into this place. It's super clean and a very beautiful building. The food is seasoned to perfection. The desserts were all made from scratch and the best one was the baklava cake but you can't go wrong with whatever you decide on. I can't say enough nice things about Cafe Ferdosi. If I could, I'd eat it every day lol

    Collin P.

    Excellent food and service - it felt like being welcomed into someone's home for a meal. The restaurant is a little hard to find since it's tucked away in a shared building. Inside, the space has a fairly simple cafe feel, but the art and music add warmth and a personal touch.

    Menú
    Hanaa K.

    Excellent food and service. It was nice to see more traffic coming because the place is really special. I got my usual joojeh and the tomato rice. amazing! I also had their cardamom tea and a baklava as well as bastani. Delicious!

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    2 months ago

    This place is amazing and a wonderful spot to dine with friends. Will come again every time I'm in Durham!

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    Omid A.

    Thank you for your kind review, Titilope! We hope to see you again!

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    2 months ago

    Most delicious Persian food! We are so lucky to have cafe Ferdosi in the neighborhood!

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    Omid A.

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    1 month ago

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    Omid A.

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    7 months ago

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    Photo of Robin K.
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    2 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    25 days ago

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    Omid A.

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    4 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    4 months ago

    Delicious food with friendly service. I highly recommend the baklava cake. Let's support the local Persian community!

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    Omid A.

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    7 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    Photo of Asal A.
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    6 months ago

    Amazing customer service and great foood. Their saffron ice cream was homemade and tasted very good.

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    Omid A.

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    10 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    4 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    5 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    7 months ago

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    4 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    5 months ago

    A nice menu, wonderful staff and such a warm vibe. Cafe Ferdosi is a hidden gem! Check it out!

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    Photo of Feri Y.
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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

    Thank you! We do our best to serve our customers.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

    Thanks, Deirdre! Hope to see you again!

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    9 months ago

    Great food and excellent service! Such a gem and will definitely be back. A cute family owned place

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    Omid A.

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    7 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

    Thanks! We look forward to serving you again!

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    10 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

    Thanks! Can’t wait to serve you again!

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    1 year ago

    Great food, wonderful service & authentic Persian dishes. Both indoor and outdoors seating. Family run business. We'll definitely be back !

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

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    Omid A.

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    11 months ago

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

    What a gem! Hard to find but very much worth the search. The food, the atmosphere, the service were all outstanding!

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    Omid A.

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    1 year ago

    A real hidden gem, with great food, very friendly service! Can't wait to go back and try the ice cream!

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    Omid A.

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    Ask the Community - Cafe Ferdosi

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    Pomegranate Kitchen

    Pomegranate Kitchen

    4.6
    (64 reviews)
    7.3 mi
    $$

    Persian flavors and Mally are the reasons to visit this out-of-way kitchen. My wife and I stopped…read morein for lunch while looking at another nearby shop. We were greeted warmly by David, the assistant, and he explained each of the available dishes on the trays stacked on the shelving unit. We chose pirashkis, flaky dough filled with meats or veggies, and plenty of yummy spices. Our two favorites were the tomato and the chicken and sausages. Mally, the owner and top chef, engaged us in conversation that felt like we were welcome guests in her home, specifically the kitchen. Mally gave us a plate of fresh greens from her garden complete with edible Nasturtium flowers. Very limited seating was available inside and the breezeway outside had a number of tables where we enjoyed our food and a cool breeze. After our lunch, we walked back to the kitchen to tell Mally how delicious everything tasted and I picked up a baklava to go. Tasty walnut and honey in layered philo dough was a great finish lunch. This woman-owned small business is worth supporting, IMO, for all the reasons above. Additional Note: Rice and stew options are available as noted by other Yelpers.

    The food is very tasty and vegan and gluten free by default. You can also add meat if you want to…read more The service is great and the owner is very nice and welcoming. Definitely suggest this place to anyone who is in the area around lunch time.

    Photos
    Mally, owner and head chef
    Mally, owner and head chef
    Baklava - walnut. Yum!
    Baklava - walnut. Yum!
    Pomegranate Kitchen

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    Aladdin's Eatery

    Aladdin's Eatery

    4.3
    (582 reviews)
    10.9 mi
    $$

    Good food, great service, but one thing stood out: I was recommended a wine over the one I chose…read more It was offered as "more authentic to match the food, same price." It wasn't good - I didn't appreciate being pushed old inventory that had started moving toward the "vinegar" stage. This doesn't deter me from going back - the food is great! - but I will be more careful.

    We tried Aladdin's Eatery on a beautiful Tuesday night before seeing a movie at the nearby Regal…read moreTheater. We were seated right away and Montana was our server, he was awesome! We love Shawarma, so she ordered the chicken shawarma wrap and I ordered beef shawarma plate. It took longer than we expected to get our food, so we asked Montana to have it packaged to go. There weren't many patrons in the restaurant at the time, and most had already had their meals when we arrived. We were able to get our food within a few minutes after asking for it to go and letting them know we had a movie to go to. We did get a chance to eat some of our food before rushing over to the theater. The beef was seasoned well and tender. The lemon garlic sauce was so good. The rice and vegetables were plentiful, plenty of chickpeas. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but I did enjoy it. My daughter gave the Chicken wrap a 7 out of 10. There were some patrons dining in and several pick up orders during the hour we were there. I'd definitely go back and try some of the other menu options.

    Photos
    Dessert Case
    Dessert Case
    Oreo cheesecake
    Oreo cheesecake
    Falafel wrap

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    Falafel wrap
    Ajja

    Ajja

    4.4
    (132 reviews)
    21.9 mi

    I don't rave about restaurants often. I cannot wait to go back to Ajja. The best whole fish I've…read moreever had. Everything was delicious. Our server (hey, Sarah!) was clearly very seasoned and well trained. Highly recommend.

    Food: 5/5 Drinks: 5/5…read moreAmbiance: 4/5 Service: 4.5/5 Value: 4/5 We started with the Ajja platter, which came with whipped feta, za'atar oil, eggplant dip, lemon hummus, and three pieces of bread. The whipped feta was my favorite, topped with strawberry jam and absolutely delicious. We ended up ordering an extra basket of bread ($7.50) because we ran out quickly. The bulgur salad was hands down the best thing I ate all night. I'll return for that alone and will probably order a second one to-go for lunch the next day. It had some kind of crunchy element that made the texture incredible. For our main, we had the short rib. The flavors were excellent and I can see why it's so highly reviewed. That said, at $48, I'm not sure the portion size justified the price. We each had two relatively small pieces and some vegetables. Drink-wise, I ordered the espresso martini ($18). It was a fantastic espresso martini, one of the better ones I've had, but again, the size made the price feel a little steep. My spouse ordered the Old Fashioned, which was also excellent and came with a nice orange twist. The restaurant itself is very cute inside with great décor and interesting seating areas. The back patio is beautiful, and according to owner Paul (who was incredibly friendly), they're opening a boat bar and outdoor kitchen, which sounds like it will make the space even better! The only reason I didn't rate the ambiance higher was that it felt a little warm inside during our visit. However, it sounded like they were dealing with a power-related issue, and with the unusually hot weather we've been having, I suspect the older building was having a hard time keeping up. It wouldn't keep me from returning, but I'd probably wait until the fall just in case. I worry as it gets hotter this summer it may always be a little warm. Our total for two people, an appetizer, salad, entrée, and two alcoholic drinks, was about $140 including tax, plus a 3% credit card surcharge (before tip). I'll definitely be back for the bulgur salad and to check out the outdoor space this fall! A boat bar sounds so cool! Parking: Street parking, a small side lot, or neighboring business lots after 5 PM!

    Photos
    Ajja's patio lit up at night, in Raleigh's Five Points
    Ajja's patio lit up at night, in Raleigh's Five Points
    Fried sardines
    Fried sardines
    Enclosed patio

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    Enclosed patio

    Cafe Ferdosi - persian - Updated June 2026

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