The restaurant is conveniently located near Little Italy in San Diego downtown. Place is nice and with enough room to fit large groups without any issue. Service is fast and very friendly. Staff is looking for you to have a nice time at restaurant. Prices are also very reasonable. Food Portions and taste is very good. Highly recommended. Definitely a place to visit if you like this kind of food. read more

I had the chicken Kano plate. It came with your choice of a salad, hummus, or 2 other options. The chicken was moist. The rice was delicious - almost buttery-like. The service was alright. It was more like order up front and they bring your dish. It's a large restaurant but kinda dead inside. read more

See all

Darband Restaurant is a slice of community in downtown San Diego where the staff and the frequent customers greet one another like family. Head over for a good plate of Persian food and steaming cups of tea. I walked in on an evening where several groups of people had come together to socialize over heaping plates of food and many cups of tea. The restaurant was polished and refined, the people were amicable, and I felt like I was taking a seat in someone's home. The staff was great in helping me figure out what I was in the mood for, and I ordered a koobideh kabob. While I waited for my food to arrive, I watched other patrons get up and help themselves to cups to tea at the tea station. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, they say. I got myself a cup of tea while I waited. It felt like hospitality! My koobideh kabob arrived, served with a generous helping of basmati rice. The koobideh kabob was delicious. The ground beef skewers were seasoned, well-done, and juicy. The charbroiled tomato and pepper were delicious and tender. I enjoyed the fluffy basmati rice which was accented by the delicate, floral notes of the saffron spice. On the side, I dipped the bread in the maust o khiar, the cool cucumber mint yogurt. And the tea was strong and bold. This dinner was very filling, and I was happy to stay awhile and enjoy my meal. I'll certainly stop by Darband when I'm in town again. read more

See all

Super generous portions. Everything is well seasoned and authentically Persian. Beautifully appointed restaurant. Attentive staff. Broad and inspired menu. Extended hours of operation. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Darband Restaurant - 30. Chicken And Shish Kabob Platter - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

I give them 1star because of the following: I ordered chenge and rice Baghali polo and chicken The rice was definitely leftover from yesterday, the limes and salad tasted old We asked them to turn on the AC while today's temp was 85 degree, they told me owner doesn't allow us to do it. read more

Stumbled upon this Persian restaurant in San Diego . Service and food were quite good. Chicken and beef were especially tender and great flavor . Highly recommend read more

See all

Very modern and easy to drive by, as it's not a corner restaurant, but more so in the middle of a busy city block. As for the food, order online or by phone. Once you place your order, the food is served pretty quickly. Placing my to go order in person took much longer than the food. The meats and veggies are very flavorful, moist and tender. Try the house-made hot sauce, very delicious. read more

Since starting work in downtown Columbia last month, I've made a habit of taking lunchtime walks. During one of those walks, I stumbled upon this Persian eatery and mentally bookmarked it for the day a craving hit. Well, today was that day. It's a casual, pay-at-the-counter spot with more of a cafeteria feel--definitely not the Persian-style ambiance you might expect. I originally planned to try their Thursday special, Khoresh Bademjan, an eggplant dish, but was told they had no eggplant or veggie dishes left... at 12:30, right in the middle of lunch rush. So, I went with the Koobideh Kabob instead. It was okay--nothing mind-blowing, but decent. read more

I came in for a take-out lunch while walking to the train station. I was the only customer in the restaurant as it was 11:00. I ordered ground beef kabob that comes with rice and a salad. I was also given an option of a side of yogurt with garlic or cucumber, or hummus, and I requested hummus. The order was repeated back to me. It came prepped in a take-out container tied in a plastic bag. I assumed all was good, and I left. When I opened the box, it was chicken, no salad, no hummus but yogurt with cucumber, and LOTS of rice! I was offered hot tea while waiting about 10 minutes, which was a nice gesture. The taste of everything was average, I dislike cucumber, and the chicken portion was one kabob. For $19.40 I am not impressed. There was a clean bathroom and the restaurant was nicely decorated. The photo shows the container after I ate the chicken and half the rice, as I was hungry on the train. I gave a one star for the ambiance and quick service. Too bad I didn't receive what I ordered! read more

Darband Restaurant - Lots of rice after eating half. - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

Scouted out this spot from yelp, it's an absolute gem. Not only was the service beyond hospitable, but the food was amazing. The ghormeh sabzi pizza was a must-try as well as the chenjeh kabob plate, all the food was very fresh and flavorful. Overall very tasty dinner and new staple for when I visit San Diego!! read more

See all

Food was not fresh or tasty. Had the filet mignon kabob and it was very dry and bland. My friend has the chicken barg and it was dry and bland. Tahdig was rubbery. Go to Sadaf. read more

Late dinner date was perfect having some Persian food, everything was delicious starting with the lentil soup and bread and yoghurt After we tried the tenderloin and chicken with rice and roasted tomatoes portions are generous so be prepared to take some home. Service was good everybody was very friendly and attentive The location is great right in the little Italy neighborhood beautiful decor and ambiance read more

Visited Darband with a group of 5 friends. It wasn't crowded, so getting a table was pretty smooth. We ordered a few appetizers which were very yummy. I ordered the boneless chicken kebab and it was pretty good. Not dry and seasoned well. They do give you alot of rice with each dish. They do not sell alcohol but have options of canned/bottled soda and carbonated waters. The only complaint I have was it did take time to track down our server, even though it wasn't crowded. It took a while to have someone check on us and take away dirty dishes which was kinda annoying. read more

See all

The beef wasn't fresh at all maybe for a week ago And they didn't want to change it even read more

Food is 10/10 Tea is 7/10 The restaurant food is very god but surprisingly it's very empty. The ambience is not so lively and they can add some more music and make it warmer. Overall, because their food is good I recommend it. It's good for meetings with groups and friends. read more

See all

I love going to this restaurant to get my Persian food fix. I always get the Darband Special. It includes chicken, steak, koobideh, saffron rice, and grilled veggies. This dish hits the spot everytime. I always get good service there. They recently moved from a smaller location in downtown San Diego to a much larger location. read more

Darband Restaurant - Darband Special - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

The worst food ever. The chicken barg kabob was not saffron it was food coloring. Koobideh was awful as well. Not fresh at all. Not recommended!!! read more

Disrespectful restaurant blasting music disrespecting their neighbors. Also terribly dry food with bland dry rice. read more

This place has clearly changed ownership from the last location. The food has zero flavor now and the yogurt dip I ordered is not yogurt. I don't know what it is cuz it's oily and light brown. Pretty gross. I honestly have never had Persian food this tastelesss before. Sucks read more

Darband Restaurant - No taste - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

Chicken wraps were excellent, the interior was very cozy and the service was friendly and wonderful! Will absolutely come back here next time I'm in town! read more

We randomly found this restaurant after a long trip and decided to go there for dinner--and we really enjoyed it! We ordered a few types of kebabs, some gheymeh stew, Shirazi salad, mast-o-musir, and lentil soup. Everything was amazing and super delicious, and the staff were so friendly. It's a really clean and cozy place. Definitely give it a try--you won't regret it! read more

See all

We came here for lunch. They used to be in Gaslamp area. They were able to get a better location. Service was good. It's still a low key spot for lunch or casual meal. It's got a small market within it too. We ordered the ta'dig with stew as appetizer. Definitely delicious and tasty! For the main, we got the lunch special with beef kebab or chicken kebab. Overall, great food and decent service. read more

Really good food! We got a wrap and a plate. I'm surprised this place is not more well known. The ambiance is a little cold inside and they dont seem to serve alcoholic drinks, but that's my only critique. read more

Darband Restaurant - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice modern restaurant in downtown. Plenty of seating. Open late. I ordered a combo of the beef and chicken with rice. Everything was delicious and they give huge portions which is nice. read more

Food was absolutely delicious! Service was great too. We were in San Diego and needed a halal place to eat. Highly recommend a visit.

I recently had a koobideh plate here and I thought it was great, especially for the price. I'm usually picky about my koobideh. The rice was perfectly made, too. Will probably start visiting regularly - the value is pretty great, as Persian food is getting pretty expensive here in SD. read more

Walking in, this place didn't seem like anything special. They have a huge dining area (2 floors) with minimal decor. But, what they may lack in vibe, they make up for with the food. The food here is superb and there's a reason this restaurant has so many great reviews! We started with hummus that is served with their lavash bread. They do not serve pita bread. The hummus was excellent. A very large portion that was so smooth and tasty. During lunch, they have lunch special options. I ordered the Salmon plate. It came with a large salad as well as rice and tender, juicy pieces of salmon. Everything was cooked so well! The spices were perfection and the portions were enormous! Food comes out very quickly! We were pressed for time, but were so impressed by how quickly our food came. Great restaurant! read more

If you love Persian food or just appreciate fine dining with heart and soul, this is a must-visit. Highly recommended! read more

Darband Restaurant - Decor - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

I'm a Persian who spent my first 24 years in Iran, trying some of the best kabobs across different cities. And, living in Orange County for over 20 years and trying their Persian restaurants, I can honestly say I've never had boneless chicken kabob and chenjeh this tasty and juicy anywhere else. The koobideh was a little overcooked, but overall, everything was excellent and truly made our night. Funny enough, I'm actually glad Sadaf restaurant turned us away even though they still had 40 minutes before closing, because that's how we ended up here, enjoying these delicious kabobs. The music was lovely too and not too loud. Thanks. read more

I live in Little Italy and the experience at Darband has been disappointing. The food is mediocre and overpriced, but more concerning is the lack of respect for the neighborhood. On most weekends, pedicabs line up outside with drivers vaping and blasting loud music, creating an ongoing disturbance. Tonight, they're hosting a wedding and the music is excessively loud, with no regard for nearby residents. We've called to express our concerns, but the manager dismissively responded that it's a wedding--as if that excuses the disruption. The issue isn't the event itself, but rather the business's failure to manage noise levels and respect the community. Hosting celebrations shouldn't come at the expense of the neighborhood's peace, especially on a regular basis. Darband needs to take more responsibility for maintaining a balance between hospitality and being a good neighbor. read more

Wonderful shish kabob/rice plate and the best honey-saffron ice cream! Worth a try! read more

BEST PERSIAN FOOD IN SD! wow i can't believe i forgot to take photos, sorry friends. i guess you just had to be there! and if you want decent/good/great quality of persian food, i'd say you should DEF go. last night, the fam made it just in time for a full dinner. we had most, chengeh, ghormeh sabzi, torshi, khorest ghemeh, and koobideh kabob. i ordered chengeh, but tried the khoresht ghemeh and wow, it actually had flavor! unlike other places where is tastes too tomatoey as if seasoning is an afterthought. im not a ghemeh person, but i just might try it next time. TIP: eat the food while its hot! (i recommend covering your plate with bread pieces to keep it warm... which is probably why i forgot to take a pic lol). TIP: chengeh is great for left over chengeh tacos/quesadillas). before moving to little italy, Darband was a cozy, quaint, restaurant grill that served all walks of life. located on 5 ave, you'd be welcomed by taxi drivers battling over a game of backgamon while sipping their 10th cup of tea. i must say i miss that part. now Darband is a huge, upscale spot and I am happy for the business to explore new business adventures. Parking may be a drawback but go and SUPPORT THIS BUSINESS! it's not impossible, but you might have to drive around for a while and squeeze in somewhere. there is public parking structure by the Ariel apartments entrance (Beech St.) that might be an option (not sure about fee). but i know corepower yoga has an agreement with the parking structure so perhaps Darband and also do validated parking in the future? just a thought. read more

The most terrible dining experience I've ever had.I have visit this resturn last year . We had ordered kebob, tahdig, and salad and it all tasted like it was from the previous day, reheated and served again. Nothing was fresh at all. Soggy tahdig was served, the flavorless and dry kebob was served next to it, and a salad that looked like it had been in the fridge since days ago. I've never encountered such a mess in a restaurant. Such a disappointment. read more

Always so good and the service is always great! We get the Darband Special my husband and I. read more

Darband Restaurant - Menu - Persian/Iranian Near Me - San Diego, California

See all

Bad quality, not fresh food (mostly frozen before being cooked/microwaved). Worst Persian food I ever had. Tadig was very watery and soggy since the stews were frozen. Koobideh was dry but edible, rice was good. Do not recommend. read more

Good overall. We had a few dishes to share - the portions are generous and the food is good. It felt a little self service for a restaurant that requests tips, but the staff are helpful when flagged. We had the chicken kabob, lamb shank, and tah-deeg with stew. A pro tip is to be prepared to have tea... a tea station is self service and available for patrons. read more

See all

Food comes out cold, service is zero. Food is zero. Management is zero. People just want to have a fresh and warm meal and this place serves cold food. I wouldnt even feed a homeless person cold food. if you want this business to be successful, fix the employees aNd the food quality. read more

Food, service, cleanliness. So much food and a nice platter. Very fresh. The place was verry spacious and had a pantry you can buy items to take home. read more

The meat was good. Unfortunately, the rice is tasteless, very bland & very bad, the service non-existant, the bread served cold to our table and without butter. The telephone message is the wrong address, no one answered the telephone. They have the one waiter who cares more about his telephone than the one single customer (at high noon no less) and still, he can not bring me a salad. Incredible. He did give me a free Appetizer ($8.00) instead of the (50 cent) salad. Parking is as bad as the service. LOL read more

See all

A little too pricey but otherwise good! Unfortunately there is not much competition in San Diego for Persian food! Biggest issue is that it seems every time they charge a different price and never actually give an actual recipient read more