Friendly and fast service, food was delicious, the chicken and beef kebab was tender and full of flavor. I will be back to try the lamb the next go around! read more

Caspian - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

Very bad service, would not even let us through the door. Came with a large group and asked if they could accommodate us, they kept just saying no. We asked if we could wait, they said no, we asked if we could split up into several smaller groups, they said no. They gave us no alternative options, just no. I don't mind someone telling our group I'm sorry we cannot accommodate you at this time. But show some professionalism and class and possibly an explanation for why not other than just no read more

I loved this restaurant, Friendly staff, we ordered rice with Koobideh and ghormeh stanzi. Both were delicious another good point for them was a welcome green salad then they brought for us at first. read more

Caspian - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

The lady who works there is so rude and it is so hard for her to have an smile when she is serving customers! The Kabob is so spicy and doesn't even taste like a Persian Kabob, its more Indian style than Persian. The seller faces no competition, as he is the sole seller of goods with no close substitute. He enjoys the power of setting the price for his goods. All about Monopoly not giving a good service or best food! read more

Delicious. I left the restaurant full--of lamb kabobs, saffron rice, baklava--flavors melded together that left my mind wondering what greatness had just happened. We ate with a group of 14 and the service was quick and efficient. The restaurant is impeccably clean and being that it's not a large space, would feel rather cozy and perfect for a date night out. I'd recommended in a heartbeat. read more

Caspian - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

I love trying new cuisines and Caspian did not disappoint. I live in Arizona and travel to the Bellevue/Seattle area a few times a year. Cutting to the chase... I'm looking forward to my next visit, and I hope it can include another trip to Caspian to try different awesome dishes. I really enjoyed the whole experience, the food, the atmosphere, the service... all great. One of my work teammates was our ambassador to the cuisine. Several other coworkers joined us as well. We all seemed to have a similarly top-notch time. I had the Lamb Shish Kabob. It was delicious. Definitely heading back. read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Bellevue. The ambiance is great, the food is delicious, and the price is not bad at all. You get a basket of thin bread, some butter, and a salad to munch on something while you wait for your food. I have tried their chicken stew and the kabob (ground beef and chicken). Both dishes were delicious and had generous servings. They also have some very interesting desserts. Their Persian ice cream is very yummy, however, the pistachio Baghlava wins the prize here. It was the best baklava I have ever tasted! read more

The food was very good. A friend told us that this was the best Persian food in Seattle and we concur. The host was very courteous and actually comped is some tea and dessert. Two thumbs up. Will will come back for sure. read more

Caspian - Menu - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

Very bad service, did not even make it in the door. Came with a large group and asked if they could accommodate us. They kept just saying no. We asked if we could wait, they said no, we asked if we could split up into several smaller groups, they said no. They gave us no alternative options, just no. I don't mind someone telling our group I'm sorry we cannot accommodate you at this time. But show some professionalism and class. read more

Wonderful food by wonderful people. Terribly unfortunate the light rail project is affecting access to their restaurant. Took 10 minutes to find a way to get to the restaurant. The stews and kabobs are well seasoned and highly recommended. Definitely try the baklava, the texture is perfect. The cardamom was an interesting twist for me. read more

Caspian - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

Authentic Persian food. Best lamb I've ever had in my life. Great service. We both had the lamb and the rice was just delicious. read more

I have been here a couple times and each time I have enjoyed the food. Kind of a hidden gem, but once you find it, you will probably become a loyal customer. They have Persian food, 100% authentic and amazing! We have ordered Kabob here (the ground beef kabob, the chicken kabob, etc), as well as lamb shank and some other dishes. They have all been consistently good. If you are not familiar with Persian food, I guess you just have to look at the photos and pick something that looks good or just try based on the ingredients till you find your favorites. The standard would be Kabob. But as a general rule, I have noticed all the Persian flavors, herbs and spices is very well accepted by Americans. So, it is really hard to go wrong with the dishes here. Portions are really generous and you will leave feeling like you are about to explode. Keep in mind that if you are ordering kabob, it is served with rice and they are supposed to be taken together (with a spoon!) The only downside, is the service. Some of the staff are super courteous and friendly, but some act like they are working there against their wish. Can be awkward at times. on Saturday nights, they have belly dance and it is quite fun! read more

My friend and I walked in at 7:30 PM on Sunday to have a meal. (Google listed their open hours until 8:30 PM) Upon being greeted by no one and receiving rude looks by the staff, the owner walked up to us and the first question he asked was "What do you guys do for a living?" in a condescending manner. After we replied, he rudely told us to leave because they weren't open. We showed him the business hours on Google and he got mad, looked at the phone and said it's incorrect. The food here is good but the management and service is embarrassing, rude and way below industry standards. I'll consider changing my review if they reply with a sincere apology. read more

We were a group of 13 people who came to this restaurant for lunch. Since we were coming from a conference some of us arrived a little late and it took longer for them to decide about their dish. The server was so rude and took our orders with scowl. To be honest the quality of food was good but I wish they had a better attitude as well. While she wanted to serve our food, she literally threw our plates in front of us. Finally, we asked for separate checks and she got really mad at us and said we should've told her from the beginning. Idk what she would've said if we said it at first? We are not going to come back to this place ever. It should be interesting to know that I'm so angry at them that I'm leaving this review right at the table in this restaurant. read more

Well considering there aren't very many Persian restaurants around Caspian is our go to. Believe me we get way better Persian food at home because my parents are THE BEST cooks but some times you just want to go out, eat your favorite dishes and enjoy some belly dancing. If you haven't tried Persian food then you are missing out. The burst of flavor in every bite makes you feel like your mouth is dancing like MJ! Caspian's food quality is mostly good, though sometimes they miss the mark, for example the steak flank kebabs were a bit tough this time we were there. Having said that I think the low rating for this restaurant is because of their service. They do have a extensive group of servers and your table usually will get more than one person checking on you from time to time. That gets a bit confusing at times but at least you are not being ignored! The part that I find most reviewers talk about is the lack of smile on servers faces. They don't seem to be enjoying their job. Now I know it's a high stress job but it won't hurt to crack a smile every now and then! Also, if you enjoy watching or even participate in belly dancing or haven't seen anything like that live and want to have that experience then you should go there on Saturday nights. Keep in mind that it's better to make a reservation ahead of time as it's a popular place on Saturday night. read more

Caspian - My go to dish, soltani! I like to cut the charred tomato and mix it with my rice - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

A couple of friends and I came here for an after work dinner. It is a nice establishment, great for a group or solo dinner. The service seemed very stern and impatient with us. I'm not sure if this is cultural or they were actually annoyed with our group (though I don't see a reason why they would be). Bread was provided for the table; we ordered hummus to accompany it. The hummus was good and the dolmas had a unique sweetness to them which must be a Persian thing. I came to find out they had some sort of ground meat, so I gave the rest of mine to my eating partner. Overall the apps were tasty. A side salad was also provided to the table to complement our dinners. I ordered the lentils and rice. It didn't have any particular flavor, but the rice and lentils were cooked perfectly. A couple of people in our group ordered some meat options and seemed to enjoy them. Be prepared to take some rice home. I'm guessing the meat dishes are the main attraction for this place, so that could be why I left unimpressed Maybe 2.5 stars but overall the food and service was ok. It was pricey for what we ordered. If you're a carnivore, go here and try it out. If not, maybe go to another Middle Eastern or Mediterranean restaurant. read more

Best Persian food I had in the greater Seattle are this far. Food is delicious and authentic, portions are huge, prices reasonable, and service is great. If you are looking to try Persian food for the first time or want food that tastes like back home, and are looking for something hat is a bit more upscale then look no further. read more

I really loved Caspian. Came here for dinner, it was a good ambiance. Service was amazing and the food was delicious. I especially loved their kashk bademjan. Would definitely come back. read more

My review of Caspian is relative to the other Persian restaurants I've visited which are all in Southern California, Orange County to be specific. Compared to the So Cal Persian restaurants, the chicken (I ordered Chicken breast kabob) was dry (too well done) and rice and grilled tomato were only OK at best. The chicken (juiciness, tenderness) makes or breaks a kabob dish and in this case, it broke it. I had to try the restaurant while visiting WA but unfortunately will not be coming back. For those that want to try Caspian, I hope that your experience and food quality is better than mine. read more

I ordered the Lamb Shish Kebab for pickup. It was dry, hard and bland to say the least. Shish Kebabs are always extremely soft and juicy and have never tasted one as bad as this. It's a surprisingly "popular" dish, but my experience was terrible. I'm not going back to try anything else after that. read more

Aw yeah! A good Persian restaurant on the Eastside. I love Persian food. In fact, if Korean food and Japanese food were to disappear altogether, Persian food would be my go-to choice. A lot of meat with a lot of rice -- what's not to like? Caspian is tucked away in an office park, so it's hard to find. But once you're there, you'll be in good hands, with the knowledgeable and attentive staff. When I told the waitress that I loved Persian food, and that I planned on over-ordering because the only thing better than Persian food is A LOT OF Persian food, you could see the pride in her eyes. I ordered the braised lamb shank, which came with a side of rice -- I highly recommend their dill rice with any lamb dish, as the herbiness of the dill goes well with the light gaminess of the lamb. It was a large amount of food, but delicious. The lamb was simmered until it was tender and falling off the bone, and the dill rice, with lima beans, was warm and comforting. My one critique was that a lighter hand with the salt would have significantly improved what was already a very good dish. My wife ordered the Soltani chicken, which comprises a skewer of grilled, marinated white meat chicken and a skewer of their koobideh (ground beef kabob), served with a side of saffron rice and a large grilled tomato. The chicken was juicy and tender, and the koobideh was well-spiced and delicious! I confess that my fork kept wandering over to my wife's dish, as I absolutely love koobideh. Each dish came with a salad and flatbread, along with a plate of red onion and basil. I used the onion and basil to supplement the already flavorful lamb, and a sprinkle of sumac from the shaker at the table lent an additional layer of tangy flavor. Generally, the food is very good, but if there is one area of improvement, it is to go lighter on the salt. Dinner can be somewhat pricey, while weekday lunch is much more affordable. Nevertheless, it is difficult to find Persian restaurants, let alone a good one like Caspian. I will be coming back again and again. read more

Place came highly recommend but was a big disappointment. Terrible service and very overpriced. Our ghormesabzi only had three small pieces of meat in it. When we pointed this out to the manager, thinking he'll surely fix the situation, he said "what, we put three peices in there, you didn't get your three peices?" What Persian is satisfied with three little pieces of meat in their ghormesabzi? Also the meats where on the dry side and portions where small comparing to better Iranian restaurants. Server forgot our doogh and they charged us for a fish dish we didn't order. When we questioned the overcharge they said you ordered the fish. This mistake was cleared but make sure to triple check your bill. Good thing I live in the bay area and we have Negeen restaurant nearby in Campbell. read more

Food is noting to brag about. Service : terrible Servers: the tall skinny woman is the rudest person I've ever met, impolite and always looks annoyed and dose not want to do her job. Something tells me something must be going on with her and the owner of the place, if you know what I mean. The only Possible way this woman could stay employed anywhere. The owner : rude, nasty with zero personality who dose not have the slightest clue how to be a graceful host. Don't eat here. read more

Have you ever craved really good food? Have you ever craved really good food at a nice restaurant? Were you going to take a beautiful woman to said restaurant? Is the beautiful woman not your wife, but you actually have a wife at home who is unaware of the aforementioned beautiful woman; and because of this, you need to find a restaurant in an obscure part of town? Were you picking up this woman in your Ferrari and need service to your car? If all of the above are true, then Caspian is the place for you! [End Intro] Kidding aside, I love Caspian. I've loved it since it was called "Caspian Grill" and was located just north of the main strip of "The Ave" near UW. The food is excellent. Their meats have excellent flavor and texture. Simply put, I think it's perfectly cooked meat. There are 0 Persian/Mediterranean style restaurants that I prefer above Caspian in strict terms of the taste of their food. Bullet points! - Can't go wrong with the kebabs. - Entree soups/stews are excellent, but in more of a comfort food way. Not in a fine dining way. - Service is great - The restaurant is located next to a Ferarri service center in an often overlooked part of town. It's easy to miss their parking lot even with driving directions in hand. - The pita is dry and almost tortilla-like, as some on Yelp have mentioned. - The rice is a bit dryer than other places. (I actually prefer it this way.) - A bit pricey, but at least the portions are large. No drinks, appetizers, or dessert and you can still easily walk away at $20+ per person (incl. tax and tip). I'm faithful to this place, so I still give them high praise overall. Give it a try if you're in the area... or if your needs fit the scenario described in my intro. read more

I really shouldn't give this place even one star (Its just that I have to give an star rating for the review). I have been to this place once, and that's one too many! The food is way, way, crazy overpriced and the quality of food is not that great to justify the price! We had the kebabs and couple of different stews - and I know my Persian kebabs and stews --- this was no where near what one would expect from a GOOD Persian restaurant! And also, the ambiance is cold and unfriendly! We felt like we were being watched the whole time! Any way, the problem is that they don't have any competition in the area and so they can charge and do whatever they want! If this restaurant were in Vancouver BC (only couple of hours north of Seattle) they would be out of business in no time because up there they have so many better Persian restaurants that these guys are no match for! read more

I am a huge fan of Persian food, and used to eat it multiple times/week when I lived in Los Angeles. Caspian came highly recommended, so we were eager to try it out. Our first experience is bad, but we decided to try it again in case it was just an off day. Two more disappointments and now we will never go back. The restaurant itself is in what feels like an industrial part of town. It is the sort of place where you look around and think to yourself "why would you put a restaurant HERE?" There is however ample parking. It has never once had more than three tables full of people when I've been there (at various times of the day.) So I find it hard to believe that reservations would actually be required. The last time we went was a Sunday night, and as we were going with a group of six made a 7pm reservation. There were two tables there when we walked in, and rather than being greeted warmly, we were told immediately and repeatedly that the restaurant closes at 8pm, right after we were seated. Wow. Way to value your customers! If having diners come an hour before you close is an issue, why would you take reservations for that time? Especially for a group that was prepared to spend a lot of $ in that mere hour that you had left to be open? The restaurant was also out of multiple items that are really standard fare for this type of restaurant - chicken breasts, baba ganoush, etc. Sorry, but that's just ridiculous. As for the food, its at best average. I've had better quality beats, more flavorful sauces, better service and certainly a better atmosphere in any number of places, so their food is not worth putting up with their hostile, unfriendly service. The "ambiance" just feels like a cheaply dressed up industrial space and is nothing to write home about. I wish I could recommend it, but I really can't. read more

I'm Persian and cook Persian food very well and have eaten it all over the country (LA, San Jose, DC, Philly, NYC, Long Island, SF...) and in the homes of many many Persians. We make kabob the traditional way. This unfortunately is not good Persian food. The meat was dry, as was the rice. The meat should be juicy and tender and out of this world delicious. The rice should be fluffy and long grain and perfectly cooked and seasoned. They even messed up our order and did not make the stew! I was very disappointed... They need to up their game. You don't need to be Persian to observe this. read more

Must try Persian food! You have to get the tea and the lentil soup! Hands down a great go-to for Saturday lunch; you won't be disappointed! read more

Caspian - Tea - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

Beef and chicken kabob combo is amazing! Appetizers weren't my thing, but my co-workers enjoyed it. Baklava is superrrrrrr goooodddd. Do come hungry and finish everything, leftovers are "fragrant". read more

See all

Had takeout/delivery. Beef kabob was very good, rice fluffy but dry, salad meh, hummus meh (costco is better). Flatbread looked and tasted like a mexican tortilla. Probably a better experience in the restaurant. read more

I don't have much experience with Persian food, but am a fan of good food anywhere. Caspian for me was a 3.5 star place, almost 4 but for the somewhat slow service. The food was excellent. We sat down perusing the menu and were served with a house salad and flat bread even before ordering! This was a nice surprise. After doing research on previous Yelp reviews, we decided on the smoked eggplant appetizer, the braised lamb shank with dill rice, and the vegetable chicken curry. Yelpers were spot on with recommending the eggplant (with egg) and lamb shank. My beau really enjoyed the eggplant and we gobbled it up with the flat bread. The lamb shank did fall off the bone; no need for a knife here; and was super flavorful, bordering on too salty but was perfect paired with the dill rice. Reviewers were right that the dill in the rice really paired well with the lamb. The chicken curry was ok but nothing to write home about. It was towards the end of our meal that the service seemed to greatly slow down. It took awhile for them to box our leftovers (we had a lot as the portions were generous), to give us the bill, and to pick up our payment. They were able to entice us to order the rose water ice cream as dessert. I've not seen rose water ice cream ever offered before and don't know if this is common to Persian cuisine, but I absolutely loved it!! I'll come back just for this, which portion also was generous and oh so creamy. Interestingly, I couldn't smell the rose through my nose, but it ever so fragrant when eating it. Nom!! Even though towards the end, they seemed to have forgotten us, service throughout was friendly and courteous. I'd come back (especially for that ice cream). read more

Went here with family this weekend because we were craving good, homestyle Persian food. The service was good and the food definitely satisfied. The gheimeh bademjan was perhaps the best that I have had and I thoroughly enjoyed my chicken barg. I tasted my husbands koobideh and it was also very good, although a bit more onion flavor than I am used to. I subbed my white basmati for dilled with lima beans and it was perfect. We will return many times, I'm sure. Also really enjoy the modern decor. read more

OK - I'm just going to say it. Persians hate vegetarians. Yeah, you heard me. Don't deny it. As a member of the hated class, I make a meal here out of a couple sides. If you are a vegetarian, I'd recommend the lentil and raisin rice along with the Mirza Ghasemi. The latter is a bit acidic though, so brace yourself. Meat eaters have said nothing but nice things about the meatier dishes here. I can't comment on that. Caspian in Bellevue used to be Caspian Grill in the U District. Honestly, I preferred Caspian Grill. The location was so so so so so so so much better. This new location is truly in the middle of nowhere. It's in between a number of industrial buildings, and is not easy to find if you don't know what you're looking for. The decoration is just a bit... generic. The old place had much more personality and felt more homey. Service has always been decent but seldom amazing. The food has been pretty reliable. Prices are not bad considering for ~$20 I get enough leftovers for another meal. Also, I'd recommend avoiding it on Saturday nights unless belly dancing is your thing. read more

This was the first place I visited when I reached Seattle and I was definitely not disappointed! I usually don't go to places like these because I'm already so familiar with the food, but I really really enjoyed this restaurant. I ordered the mixed koobideh platter with rice for lunch and I was shocked to see how large the portions were. I was having a hard time getting through just half of it. It was also a nice change to not have to chow down on dry meat. The beef and the chicken were both very tender and easy to take down. I almost wanted to eat it by itself, it was so good. My favorite part was the ice cream they had. It was a special kind of Persian ice cream (I think) with pistachios drizzled on top. SO GOOD. I was already so full but I definitely made room for an entire bowl of that stuff. Happiest and most satisfying part of that meal! We finished off with Iranian tea which was a first for me. I really enjoyed the entire experience. Good food, good atmosphere, and good company. If I ever find myself in Seattle again, I'll make sure to make a trip back here. read more

The worst restaurant experience ever! Went there on my wife's birthday with our 6mo old daighter, who was sleeping in her car seat when we entered the restaurant. Just before taking our order, the owner comes and asks if I was going to use a coupon. Why would he ask that? That was weird to say the least. Then he comes again saying we had to order right away because the kitchen was closing - it was 7:45pm! 5 mins after ordering the food down suddenly LOUD (read dance floor loud!) music starts playing and a belly dancer comes in. How did none of the staff cared to tell us about this looking at our baby fast asleep? When we said we have to leave (the baby was awake and frightened) and requested to cancel our order. The owner wanted us to wait 15 mins and take the food to go because they had started preparing it. Absolutely unbelievable how rude and arrogant he was ! We just had to walk out. Never going there again. read more

We are so glad to find this place. The food is authentic and delicious. Staff are friendly. Ambience is casual chic and great for groups. read more

Caspian - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

The food was spectacular, each flavor was very authentic and you can tell they value having the good old family style recipes. The lamb kabob was very tender and had great flavor (don't be afraid to try it) the koobideh and the joojeh kabob were both off the table in the blink of an eye. Huge portions and amazing tea. The tomatoes were still hard and not squishy enough for my liking. Seems like they put them on the drill for a minute only. Service is eh. Don't go for the service. Look over the menu and be prepared to make your own experience! read more

Caspian - Koobideh and Barg - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Bellevue, Washington

See all

This restaurant is a hidden gem. The quality of food is fantastic both in terms of American standards and ethnic flavors. I've been going to this place for a long time and found the owners and the staff to be super attentive, considerate, and kind. This restaurant is more of a fine-dining place for dinner events. Prices are much more reasonable than comparable fine-dining places in Bellevue or Kirkland. Highly recommended. read more

I have been here several times and find the food to be consistently very good. I've tried all Persian restaurants in the PNW (not many) and this is by far the best and most authentic. I hosted a big family dinner there with about 22 people and then last weekend they catered a 60+ person block party and even at scale, which is quite impressive, the food was very good. Most restaurants can't keep up the quality with larger orders in my experience. I'm not sure what reference people have when commenting on price - it's quite on the affordable side. A huge plate of good quality meats for $18-25? I'm not sure where you would find cheaper, I have lived in this area for 6 years and I don't know of a better deal, especially with lamb. The service at family owned businesses will always vary but you're also getting a taste of culture and a view of real people who have the stresses of running a low margin business so keep that in mind. I know it's Bellevue but maybe leave the snobby at the door and focus on the food. read more

I can't say enough good things about this place, they treat you like family! We visited back the weekend before Christmas on a Saturday evening with some friends who are regulars there. We had dinner and then the belly dancer came out. Our 5 year old daughter had a ball! We had the steak kabob and chicken kabob dishes with all the usual sides of salad, etc. I really want more of the pomegranate sauce rice. OMG. I dream of that stuff, it's so good! Next time I'm going to try the prawn dish that my friend always gets, it looked delicious. Do not forget to get their ice cream with rose water, cardamom, etc. it's delicious! read more