The focus is not on ambiance, that would get 4 stars for being a bit sparse, but everything else makes up for it. The food is really good, and plentiful. Lots of leftovers to take home. Everyone is leaving with a complete meal for the following day. The service is excellent. It seems to be a team approach, rather than having to deal just with one waitress. People were walking by constantly, checking if we had everything we needed. I especially liked the service of Aisa and Anahita. Very good value for the price we paid. read more

There were five of us eating here. Three of us shared our dishes, which were baghali polo, lamb neck, and ghimeh nesar, and all three of us got food poisoning. The kids, who had koobideh, were completely fine. After we complained to the management, they were not at all helpful or professional and refused to take any responsibility for what happened. read more

Love Chelo! Brought to you by the same folks who own Persia Foods, Chelo is a welcome addition to the Persian food scene in north van. Until recently, I've only ever had takeout from here, but dined in a few weeks ago for a party and it was fantastic. The portion sizes and price point are great and the koobideh is always on point. We haven't had any bad experiences with the koobideh being undercooked like others have. The barg is also quite tasty and I could slather mast o moosir on just about anything. Service is good and speedy and the restaurant has a nice casual vibe. Will continue to eat Persian food here if they stay consistent. read more

Chelo - Koobideh - Middle Eastern Near Me - North Vancouver, British Columbia

Excellent customer service, knowledgeable about gluten free, pleasant personality, delicious food, especially the olives.

Came here for lunch with a friend on her recommendation. It's fully air-conditioned, spacious and has a free parking lot. I had the chicken thigh platter and it was nicely presented - chicken kabab was juicy and tender. Lots of rice, too much in fact that I couldn't finish it! read more

Food 2/5 - dry meat in Sultani and Lamb Ambiance- 3/5 - ok Service - cold edging towards rude But the biggest negative was food read more

Chelo is located along Marine Drive. I came here with my friends: C and H. I noticed that if you come after 1 pm, the place gets really busy. There isn't much service. If you are trying to ask for refill on water or even to get the bill, it can be a it challenging. I ordered the turmeric eggplant dip to share. That was quite tasty. I got the lamb shank. The lamb shank was pretty tender. The food was tasty. They were very generous on the rice. There are free parking at the back and in the plaza. It is located in the same plaza as Mark's and Persia Foods. Overall, its not bad and I will definitely come back. read more

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Located along Marine Drive, in the same plaza as Mark's and Persia Foods, this place is huge. It has its standalone building with parking spots around it. The lot in front was full when we got there and parked at the area next to it. Parking could be confusing but we finally figured out customers could park anywhere as it was the same plaza and monitored by some parking company. 2 hours free parking for customers. There were 2 sections and it was not full when we got there around 1pm. It filled up by 2pm, with a line waiting. There were lots of big groups so go early if you have many people. The place is spacious and airy and bright. A comfortable place for dining in. The menu is filled with favorites including the lamb shank, loghmeh, vaziri and stews. The dessert is lacking with just baklava and cookies. No pistachio or rose ice cream. I had the eggplant stew and it was very tasty. My friends had the lamb shank and herb stew. The lamb shank was huge! We also shared the smoked eggplant dip which was delicious. Most diners could not finish the food and packed the leftovers. Service was good when it was not busy, but spotty when it was full house. Some servers did not seem to understand us but be patient. It would definitely help if someone in your group could speak Persian/Farsi. This is definitely a good addition to the other Iranian restaurants here. read more

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Great food! Great taste! Great service! Fun Ambiance! Fantastic server Anahita! Thank you read more

This is my first time eating at Chelo. We had a nice ladies lunch here. I love Persian food and Chelo didn't disappoint ! This place has a nice ambience, service very good and our food were all so yummy. the jujeh and Kubideh were succulent and has very nice flavors. I don't usually like olives but today I was converted - theirs were juicy and tasty. The eggplant dip was different the other places we've been to. I thoroughly enjoyed every bite. I will definitely bring my family and friends to Chelo ! read more

Chelo - Middle Eastern Near Me - North Vancouver, British Columbia

New Persian Restaurant North Vancouver @chelo They have replaced the huge Boston Pizza that was located by Marine Drive in North Vancouver. The space is huge and they have plenty of seating. They are in their soft opening stage so they are testing out their prices and menu items. We ordered takeout and our food was ready within 20 minutes! Prices are reasonable and the portions are generous. We ordered: Saffron Chicken Kebab $9.99 Ground Beef Kebab $9.99 Lamb Shank $11.99 Shallot Yogurt $4.99 All the dishes were delicious and I will definitely be back for more. My only note for them would be to add some decorations, because right now the interior is very simple. read more

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What a fantastic restaurant! Good food, good service, clean.... I had the Caspian kabab and my husband had chicken breast kabab. For appetizers, we ordered shallot yogurt and smoked eggplant dip. YUMMMMMYYYYYY read more

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The food is okay. Service and food need improvements. Ambience is good but not authentic Persian.

A spacious restaurant serving tasty Persian food - a cuisine we are not so familiar with. We were impressed with the generous portions and had a great time trying the various rice dishes - each with so much flavor. We thought the eggplant stew was also fantastic. Chelo has a great homemade yogurt drink that we shared. Easy parking although slow service and patronage on a weekend Sunday for lunch. read more

We went there tonight after volleyball game with boys ... food was awesome also Specially our server SAHAR Very friendly & excellent service read more

Best valued place for our family!! Good food, good service and good price! Love this place!!! Our favorite menus, Lamb meck, lamb shank, logmeh, ajukah jujeh(?) well, actually none of the food disappointed us. All very good!!! read more

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The food is exponentially better than the service. To be fair they are in a "soft opening" so I will be a bit easier on them (but I hope the management does see my review for constructive feedback) The food was definitely the highlight of the restaurant which, of course, should be the main star. The presentation and flavours were outstanding! The meats were juicy and well seasoned and the rice was cooked perfectly. The space could use a bit more appropriate decor. The pictures on the walls seem a bit dated for a space that has been recently updated and painted. I would also recommend small changes like getting rid of the dollar store salt and pepper shakers (yes very minor but it ruins the ambiance a little). The service and general front of house needs work. There is a clear lack of organizational structure and the servers seems a bit overwhelmed. This is a training issue as they definitely were friendly and seemed competent enough. They never checked back on our table for even the basic of things like more water, asking how our food was and I even had to wave them down to get our bill and take out boxes after waiting 10 full minutes after we were done our meal. They also ran out of pita bread and didn't even tell us after ordering items that would be traditionally served with pita bread. After watching several tables with pita I had to once again wave someone down to ask for it. 15min later after we were almost done our meal they told us they ran out. Overall the food was really good and that was their saving grace. The front of house needs a lot of fine tuning. I would, however, go back again and give them another chance. Let's hope they improve read more

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This is my new favorite Persian place - though I admit I've only gotten takeout so far. The short of it is that the stews are amazing! - Fesenjoon - WOW!!! The green veggie flavour is amazing that goes with the chicken! - eggplant stew - rich red stew brimming with sweet flavour. Another wow entree. - lamb shank - comes with delicious green rice. Flavourful and moist. - vaziri - got this (beef and chicken kebab) without rice. Great flavour in the beef especially. My son who tried it out instantly said we need to come back. And that's not usual in my family. :) read more

We tried their herb stew and lamb shank, both were tasty and good. reasonable price and the portions are generous for now. I want to taste their kebabs. Today I check their menu and the lamb shank price changed from $11.99 to 13.99 which is still reasonable. read more

Wonderful ambiance and fresh delicious food! We dropped by for an early valentines meal and we're delighted with our find. We went safe and ordered two kebab meals - lamb and beef, and chicken and ground beef, along with their cucumber mint appetizer dip. The platters were huge, I had leftovers for at least another meal! Since it was a Friday there was live music and the packed dining room enjoyed many of the entertainers classics and contemporary music. I can imagine Chelo doing well with catering to events, and wish them lots of success. I certainly want to come back to try their pomegranate chicken and some of their dishes flavoured with barberry! read more

We've been longtime visitors to Akbar Joojeh in Vancouver, especially on weekends when our family comes up from Seattle. We have three young children with special needs, so dining out requires a bit of planning and care. We usually look for a quieter table where the kids can feel comfortable and not be disruptive to others. Today, I called ahead and kindly explained our situation, asking if it would be possible to reserve a table. Unfortunately, I was told they don't take reservations -- no exceptions. I was disappointed by the lack of consideration, especially after explaining that our children can be a bit loud and that we simply needed a suitable space to make the experience smoother for everyone. Because of this, we had to change our plans last-minute and went to Cholo Chicken instead, where they not only accepted our reservation but were extremely warm and welcoming. We've always gone to Akbar Joojeh for the food -- which is excellent -- but good food should come with good service. As restaurants grow in popularity, I hope they don't lose sight of the hospitality and human touch that build lasting relationships with customers. Sometimes, just a little flexibility can make a big difference for families like ours. read more

I visited here my last night in Vancouver with my cousins early January. Although we arrived an hour before closing, it was still busy. The ambiance was casual. They did have a music area and they did play some great classic Persian hits! Coming from Houston, our Persian restaurants are superior. However, we have one thing missing Chelo had and that was sour kabobs. Having parents from the north of Iran is a perk and sour kabobs are my favorite! The food tasted amazing and I'll definitely tell my cousins to take me back when I'm in North Van next time! read more

Chelo - Sour kabob - Middle Eastern Near Me - North Vancouver, British Columbia

Salaam. My family of 6 dined here last night. Delicious food, super friendly staff, and good for the pocket. Highly recommended. Hedayat

The food and staff are not worthy of your time. When considering entertaining yourself with low class arrogance, even this place is beneath you. The food carried a near rancid smell, was partially undercooked, and took over an hour to receive after ordering. The staff were only attentive to their regular customers--if you were a new face, good luck. Having to ask for water 30 minutes after being seated is so classless that a trip to a McDrive-thru would provide you something infinitely more dignified. In other words, this place is great if you want to be treated like they look (trash), and be served undercooked food with questionable smells after waiting an irrational amount of time. read more

Thought we'd try something different from our usual go-to Persian Restaurant, Yaaz. Unfortunately, we were highly disappointed with Chelo. Had to wait over an hour for the food, came to us undercooked and wrong orders. The waitstaff were amazing however; the only saving grace. Will give it thumbs up for nice atmosphere. read more

Food: 3.5/5. Food was good enough. Given the large Persian community in Vancouver my expectations were high and the food didn't meet those expectations. I've had much better Persian food in Washington DC (USA). We ordered the Fesenjoon and Loghmen kabob. Service: 2/5 After 12 minutes of waiting to place our order, we had to flag a server to place our order. It was dinner time and we had a young child. And, we noticed diners who arrived after us were placing their orders before us. Ambiance: 3.5/4 bright and welcoming. Ample space between tables. It seemed like there were a lot of regulars. If you are visiting and are looking to eat some Persian food, consider another place. read more

The price for the portion sizing of the food is good and the restaurant itself is really nice. The service needs a great amount of improvement though. Don't come here if you have celiac or are gluten intolerant and are not fluent in Farsi, they will completely mess up your order and give you what you didn't ask for. I cannot eat gluten and guess what they did? They put bread when I absolutely said no bread I don't want it under the meat on the plate that I ordered. There was definitely a language barrier and the server that served me was absolutely not fluent in English then she called another server who unfortunately was also absolutely not fluent in English so none of them understood anything I said when I asked about the menu. They should definitely hire a few people at this restaurant who are fluent in English so that the service improves and they don't keep making this mistake. Don't get me wrong I am friends with some Iranians and they're lovely people but there's much to be improved with this restaurant because if you have severe allergies ect, this restaurant could be liable for it. So anyways I couldn't eat my meal and all I got was "Sorry." They need to take this a lot more seriously and need to strive to give much better service and not just be complacent with the way things are if they want more customers. read more

Went for lunch on a Saturday - it's a big restaurant but not very busy, which made me a little nervous, but we were seated swiftly. All the handwritten signs were in English and Farsi, which made me feel like perhaps this place is more authentic (FYI I've never had Persian food before so I have no idea if this is actually authentic). Got the Caspian Steak kebab plate for lunch, because the marinade was described as pomegranate molasses walnut and I've never had the combo before, sounded interesting. Food came swiftly and was very good, but at least half the plate was just rice, which was way more than I needed. Could've done with a small side salad - even just some lettuce and a tomato- instead of all that rice. Steak was flavorful. Service was very good. Looks popular with the locals as it started filling up as we left read more

Chelo - Caspian steak kebab plate - Middle Eastern Near Me - North Vancouver, British Columbia

We ordered three different kinds of kebab, and the kubideh and barg were extremely over salted. The chicken kebab was well seasoned though a bit overly crispy on the edges. The servers were extremely inattentive, perhaps there aren't enough of them. Though I thought they were probably the least friendly of any servers I've encountered in a Persian restaurant. I could tell their English was limited, but a smile goes a long way and they had none to offer. read more

Good food. Good price and good quality. Respectful staff. Definitely recommended to anyone who likes Persian food

Absolutely stunning ambiance. Tasteful and open design decor. Friendly and helpful staff. Food was excellent although was my first Persian cuisine experience so I have no metric for comparison. Looks like they have live music in the evenings so will definitely check out then. read more

Chelo - Jejuh chicken kebab and saffron rice - Middle Eastern Near Me - North Vancouver, British Columbia

Great food, tasty, perfect portion, reasonably priced, excellent service. Lots of parking, good for large gatherings. Highly recommended read more

food was amazing! the koobideh was the best! Service was very slow and not good at all. i asked for butter for my rice and she brought oil to me. I asked for kids juice and they had nothing. Please hire people that want to work and are more friendlier. read more

Great food, great price and great service Loved it!!!! The best Persian restaurant in greater Vancouver! read more

We just discovered this restaurant recently and it is going to be one our favourites. The food was delicious, larger portions and affordable. The staff was friendly and the restaurant airy and spacious. We loved the middle Eastern Music. It was just an enjoyable experience all the way around. read more

We typically get take out from this place. Their lamb shanks are absolutely delicious and taste fresh. The restaurant is huge so great for big parties. Their service was good too when we decided to dine in with a big group. Definitely recommend this Persian restaurant. read more

Amazing price and amazing food, also love the decorations of the restaurant. The place is new and clean , the waitress is very nice, she also recommended me to try the yogurt soda(my first time drink this) Very worth. Will come again for sure. read more

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Good food reasonable price. Good location. Clean restaurant, Good Ambiance. P.S. good service as well! G. Sh. read more

Chelo has amazing service and the food tasted amazing. I am gluten free and they had Manu options for me. I highly recommend this place.

Unprofessional server, rushing our order and not providing the expected level of service. Criticizing our choice of table instead!! The food (Koobideh) was fatty and tasteless. They need more and better servers to handle the demand. read more