We were looking for a middle eastern style place to eat and settled in Persian/Iranian at Darya. We were seared quickly and our server, who was very friendly, approached and offered drinks and appetizers. We ordered an order of dolmeh to start. For main course we ordered Darya salad, and koobideh kabob plates. The dolmeh were warm and delicious, the salad was big enough for three of us to share and was very good. I especially liked the chunks of sliced dates in the salad. The koobideh meat came out hot, was well seasoned and also very tasty! The plate came with two kabobs and a side of basmati rice! The portion was so large I could only eat one of the kabobs. Had the second one the next day for lunch!! Score!!! The only thing I wish was that they had something spicy to add to the dish, but no luck on that! Sorry no pics!! read more

I don't usually leave reviews, but Darya was too good not to. From the moment we walked in, everyone was so welcoming and friendly. The restaurant has a really nice atmosphere elegant without feeling stuffy. The food was incredible. Everything came out fresh, hot, and full of flavor. The kebabs were perfectly cooked, the rice was fluffy, and the tahdig was hands down one of my favorite parts of the meal. You can tell they take pride in the quality of their food. The service really made the experience even better. Our server was attentive, checked in on us at the right times, and made us feel well taken care of without hovering. This was easily one of the best Persian meals I've had in Orange County. I'll definitely be coming back and recommending Darya to my friends and family. read more

This place was recommended to me by not one but two people and i thought obviously i cant go wrong. I will preface by saying that i door dashed so i wasnt expecting it to be piping hot and thats not the reason for the 2 stars. I am actually giving them to stars because I called the restaurant and asked for them to substitute one secure of my dinner and give me a small gormeh sabzi instead which they agreed to. I have Persian food at least once or twice a month and I'm from up north, which is why I had asked people for their recommendations while I was in town. I ordered a Koobideh a maust musier and the gormeh sabzi. The dollar.maust and gormeh were ok not the best but ok. The koobideh on the other hand was HORRIBLE. Never in my life have i had a koobideh crumble when i cut into it. I really dont know if it was old or just not mixed well, but it had no flavor at all. Im so disappointed not returning. read more

I know this whole block is going to be raised over the next couple of years, which is why I want to frequent my favorite local spots before they're gone. I've never had a negative experience here (in fact always good for and service), but this evening at 6 when I say down at the bar for their wonderful dolmeh happy hour special, there was no one to greet/serve me for at least 5 minutes, so I had to leave. I will miss my walks over to chat with the bartender and get a delicious reasonably priced dinner...so sad to be my last impression. (3 star is the lowest I could rate based on my years of frequenting with a 5 star experience.) read more

Darya never usually disappoints. Unfortunately, this past visit made my family and I have a discussion in the car about the meal. The decor is nice and aesthetically pleasing. The parking is plentiful. The service is really well. The food during this meal was not good. The koobieh was not cooked well, under cooked and the chicken kabab was the same. Also not cooked well. The salad Shirazi was presentable, and edible. Im not sure what was going on in the kitchen, but for all the decades we have been visiting here. Its a first for us. Really disappointed. read more

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I put a one star not because of bad food or service. In fact the food and service are very good. Reason I put one star is due to the ownership's recent illegal surcharge for credit card paying customers in violation of California civil code sec. 1748.1. If this is not corrected immediately it be reported to authorities read more

Drove 40 minutes on Saturday just to find out that they are closed for a private event. Online hours not updated on Yelp or Google. No indication of a private event. Also, the lady at the front was very rude and not welcoming whatsoever. Yes, I understand theres a private event but no need to scold a potential customer. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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A few months ago, I went to lunch here with colleagues for our team outing. The ambiance is nice and the staff are friendly, but I wasn't thrilled with how long we had to wait, both to place our order and to get the check. The kebab was tasty, though slightly chewy. I really enjoyed the rice and loved adding the delicious brown dressing on top. I'd return, but there's no hurry. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

First time here and I must say the ambience in this restaurant is divine. Service right upon entry was very nice and welcoming. I ordered the Beef Barg with basmati rice. Meat was very tender and flavorful and overall had a great experience. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

We go about once every other year and the quality remains steady. Get the fessenjon, Koobideh, and geymeh bademjan. Upscale, i usually am the underdressed Seattle-ite here. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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We had a late lunch Sunday at 3pm. I ordered Chicken koobideh. Oh boy I was very shocked, for a kabob at $28.00 per dish, they could at least serve you a fresh one, It had no taste, rubbery, old and felt it was reheated and served again. Terrible food. Don't bother going here. This is not persian food, you should try Sadaf or shirin in the valley or LA, Then you really taste persian cuisine on highest level. OR, Go elsewhere near by. Service was good. The place is very old and needs remodeling. read more

This is my fourth time coming to this restaurant and I must say the ambiance is elegant, make sure to wear something fancy. The staff is very attentive and waiters and hostess very respectful and alert. The food is delicious and filling. Perfect my traditionally made, how your Persian mother would have cooked but better. read more

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SERVICE If you've been following my sizzling reviews here on Yelp, you know how loyal I am to places I absolutely adore...yep, this is one of them. Why? Well, who doesn't cherish excellent service? A++ is an understatement my friends. You'd be treated like a Princess and a King here - I couldn't state it any better. If you feel special and you feel seen, that's enough. You'd go back, no questions asked. FOOD Oh gosh, check out my past reviews over the last 10, no it must have been almost 12 years of patronizing this gorgeous place. And yes, after more than a decade of coming here, it still feels like I'm on my first date with Darya. Get me? It's like being married to the same person for more than 10 years and you still feel so much attraction that it feels Ike the first time. (Sigh) AMBIANCE I'd absolutely highly recommend Darya for your next date. It has a fancy vibe to it that you'd be proud to take your date here so romantic. Now if you like some entertainment, bring your date to the Darya in Orange. Not my cup of tea cuz the Orange branch's got that Chuckee Cheese vibe to it, plus the belly dancer music is way too noisy and distracting. read more

Darya Restaurant - DARYA RESTAURANT near South Coast Plaza: Their Lamb Kabob is to die for - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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One of the best if not, the best PERSIAN restaurant in the OC, great service and the food was absolutely delicious. I traveled from New York and the food does not disappoint. I recommend taking your friends family even a date or someone who's not even familiar with PERSIAN cuisine to try Everything on the menu. Can't wait to come back. read more

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Another good hangout with family. Good food and company. The chicken and beef kabobs and some eggplant. read more

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Had a celebratory dinner for friends' birthdays. Our server was nice and attentive to us (I wasn't able to get his name though). The rest of the servers were also quick to bring us water, put away our plates, and others. It was a bit of a wait for our entrees but it's still good. We mostly ordered chicken and beef plates and for me, they are just okay. My beef kebab personally isn't that soft. The butter was also cold, so it wasn't easy to spread across the pita bread. 4/5 because of the cleanliness and orderliness of the place, the restroom included. But I don't see the food being that good. read more

The best Darya location. I always receive the best service, best food and experience. The restaurant is beautifully decorated and the woman at the front is always so welcoming and happy. My favorite dish is the Soltani plate. read more

The food is ALWAYS EXCELLENT HERE. We have been coming here for years! Celebrated many occasions as well as just because times when we are craving GREAT Persian/Mediterranean food! We bring friends and family visiting from out of state as well and they have all enjoyed it! The staff is friendly and always right on top of things. Highly recommend this place. The ambiance inside and out is very nice a d comfortable. read more

Was craving some good kebabs and this place came highly recommended by a friend. Close to home so hey why not try it out. This place is a really cute and spacious dining hall right across the street from south coast plaza. Can't believe after so many years I didn't realize there was a whole line of dining options. Tried a few new dishes I haven't had before and now has become one of my favorite dishes. Definitely going back for more. 1. Borani: delicious eggplant mash flavored with onions, yogurt, and herbs. Love the flavor. Sort of like hummus but made with eggplants. I can snack on this all day. 2. SHIRAZI: love this salad, very refreshing. Diced fresh cucumber, tomato's, onions, and parsley dressed in lemon juice and olive oil. Can't go wrong with this refreshing appetizer. 3. CHELO Kebab SOLTANI: ground beef and filet Mignon perfectly cooked medium served with grilled tomato's and what I believe is basmati rice. The meet was absolutely fabulous but the rice just took over the night. Didn't realize seasoning the rice with butter and a citrusy spice (believe it was sumac but not for sure) could taste soooo good. Best rice I have ever tried. Will confirm with my friend what this seasoning was again. 4. Saffron ice cream: yum love it and was the perfect end of dinner read more

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Services and staff are good, only problem I noticed with the tea glasses was dirty Ambiance Awesome Price is okay read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Just came from Darya (near South Coast Plaza), having lunched there with my mother-in-law. The food was good but something happened that soured the experience. By way of background, I have had food at Darya since 1998. It is an established business. Here's what happened: Our bill was $88 and yet there was another receipt for $92. I asked about discrepancy. No discrepancy, they replied. Then why the difference, I asked. They said, since we were using a card--we were using a debit card--they had charged us for the difference!!! Next, I noticed that there were a couple of errors in the bill. Net, net, it took them three tries to correct the bill and yet we were forced to pay extra for having had the temerity to use a debit card. In India, Dubai and other non-American places as well as ethnic restaurants in Chicago and other big cities, they pass the card payment processing fee to the customer. But this normally occurs when one uses Amex only. In our case, they charged us extra even though we were using a debit card! I understand that Amex charges merchants a processing fee that is greater than those charged by Visa or Master Card but merchants do NOT pass this charge to the customers, especially in the United States and at established restaurants (not some cash-flow poor mom and pop dining establishment). I asked Darya's host about this overcharge and he replied that they had enacted this poor policy a couple of months ago. Well, shame on Darya and any other establishment that passes the card processing fee to the customers. American businesses are loath to engage in such nefarious acts; nearly all in the US use cards, debit or card, to pay for their restaurant expenses. Using cash is becoming obsolete. Yet, Darya's management in its ill-chosen policy has irked its customer of decades. Shame on Darya and its management. Inflation is one thing but price discrimination is another. read more

I was recently in Costa Mesa and visited Darya. The food was amazing. Service is also excellent.

Last time I was here was over 20 years ago for a wedding reception. I figured it was time to revisit and I'm really glad I did! Definitely won't be waiting another 20 years to visit again, I'll try to put this on my regular rotation. I park the car and open the door and this wonderful aroma enters my nostrils. There's other restaurants around so I was hopeful but not sure if it was coming from Darya. We open the door and the aroma is definitely coming from here. Grilled meats and spices entice you you enter. From the first person we encounter at the reception desk to the last when we leave is outstanding service. Every single employee was friendly and the service matched the atmosphere. This is one gorgeous restaurant and it's kept spotless. It looks just as good now as it did 20 years ago. I love Persian food but since my wife can't have carbs it's not really something we can eat. Luckily you can substitute your rice for salad here making it low carb. Unfortunately when my wife and I saw the 4 course special our willpower went out the window and we went carb crazy instead. $59 gets you a choice of appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert. I assumed they'd be smaller versions but they were full sized portions. We shared a variety of things. Borani: deep fried eggplant, yogurt, caramelized onions, garlic, and herbs. This is one of the best dip style appetizers I've ever had. The caramelized onions and herbs made this a flavor explosion that I could not stop eating with the stack of lavash bread. Dolemeh: grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, rice, tarragon, split peas, green onions, basil, parsley, and herbs. I really enjoyed this more than Greek dolmades. They were served warm and the leaves much softer than I'm used to. I loved all the filling instead of most places that just use rice. This would be a great meal with a side salad or soup. Persian Salad (Shirazi). Chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, and parsley, topped with house dressing of olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and black pepper. Sounds boring yet it's exciting to the taste buds thanks to the acidity. Huge portion and since we got two of them with the combo we took half home to use with dinner the next day. For my main entrée I went with the lamb kebab. When it came out I was skeptical. Then I took a bite. The lamb was filet mignon tender and whatever their "Darya Sauce" is they marinade the lamb in was a match made in heaven. Truly some of the best lamb I've had in a long time. It came with half a plate of buttery saffron rice. Again, came here to avoid carbs yet gorged myself with them. My wife had the filet mignon shish kabob. I took a bite and it was as tender and flavorful as any high end steakhouse. She's usually not a fan of Persian cuisine but she declared at the end "we need to come back here again soon!". For dessert we both had Zoolbia and I ordered a cup of tea with it. Zoolbia is like a mini funnel cake shaped donut saturated in honey and rose water. It was insanely sweet but paired fantastic with the hot tea. Absolutely loved my visit here and cannot wait to return. Parking is easy since it's tucked away on the far end of the plaza with Morton's across the street from South Coast Plaza. It's the last Restaurant in the plaza. You've got Morton's, Corner Bakery, Royal Khyber, Antonello's and then Darya. read more

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Poor quality food and presentation. Uninspired service. The platters came out cold. Appetizers not well displayed and hot/cold appetizers all cold. read more

I was in Costa Mesa for a work trip and always love searching for local favorites when I travel. A local coworker and a Persian friend both recommended this restaurant to me. As soon as I walked in I felt like I had been transported to a world of luxury. The service was great. The food wonderful. Our server was a great guide through the menu. The decor is refined and includes white tablecloths and sharply dressed servers. Chandeliers, crystal and flowers on the tables. I ordered a glass of Shiraz, the Lamb Kebobs with rice and salad. The food was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. I am a slow drinker, so the server came over to ask me if I was enjoying the wine and if not, he'd happily exchange it for me. That really impressed me! read more

Wow what a feast! We started off with some shirazi salad. Very fresh and tasty. Lemon and olive oil with some middle eastern herbs in the dressing. Great on the lavash with a touch of butter. My friend ordered the grilled boneless chicken shisk kebab (some grilled veggies) and an extra skewer of koobideh ($10), which came with rice, greek salad and a grilled tomato. It was a huge generous platter! I ordered the veggie skewer plate, which comes with your choice of 2 kinds of rice (the zeresk polo is barberries, and the other kind was crispy onions, dates and lentils). The rice was outstanding! I also got an extra skewer of koobideh. My combo plate also came with borani. Think of a more elevated babaganoosh (egg plant dip with crispy onions, herbs, etc.). The veggie skewer had a satisfying amount of grilled onions, bell peppers, plum tomatoes too. Their iced tea is a different kind, has depth of flavor. Their hot tea is good too. We didn't want too much caffeine so our waitress watered it down for us. Service was pretty good for the most part. We also ordered Soltani combo platter to go too (for my friends kids). It has filet mignon and grilled chicken too. It runs about $38. This place was so elegant, warm and friendly. I am still thinking about our meal, plotting another return visit!!! read more

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I met up with my friend from high school and we ended up here at Darya's at South Coast Plaza. Great spot with a cute outdoor patio with waterfall. Ordered up a bottle of J Pinot Noir from Monterey County. I ordered the Lamb Rice plate (medium rare). The meal was excellent. The meat was super succulent and juicy. The presentation was great. The service here is top notch and an enjoyable experience. Our party also had the Persian Dessert combo of baklava and a few other items I can't remember. read more

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Beautiful restaurant, the ambiance is wonderful. Love the food & great service. Went for lunch.

First time here. Lovely ambience. Amazed at the spacious seating. We came here for an early dinner. Service was very good and waitress was very knowledgeable of the dishes. Food was delicious. Nice portion sizes. Generous complimentary portion of lavash. We weren't a fan of the Borani compared to the Darya in Santa Ana. Despite that we would definitely come back! read more

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We came here for a post-wedding, dinner celebration. The courses were already chosen and everything went smoothly from appetizers to dinner then cake. The servers were attentive and made sure we had frequent refills of champagne. We loved the food and enjoyed the beautiful ambiance the restaurant had to offer. Great experience! read more

Believe me ... life is shorter than you don't try Tahchin at Darya restaurant . Still smell saffron! read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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The ambiance at Darya is elegant gold with white table cloths and lovely chairs in a bright environment. The food was good, albeit a bit salty and overpriced for my taste. A bright tart tomato/cucumber/onion/parsley side salad was terrific, as was the baklava. The rest of the food was not memorable. Also, unfortunately, the waitress made an error with one guest's order which caused confusion upon serving and later had to be summoned for the check although it was not busy at the time. Lastly,it might have been an off day, but for a $59 Special plate, everything should have been special! read more

Darya has authentic Persian food near SCP. The restaurant has an elegant ambiance and the waiters are extremely attentive. + there was live music. Parking was also easy. Our group of 9 ordered family style Order: Appetizers: Dolmeh Hummus Maust khiar Tabouleh Entrees: Darya #2 Filet mignon Shish Kabob, Chicken Shish Kabob and one skewer of Beef Koobideh Darya #3 Filet mignon Barg Boneless Chicken, and Lamb Chops Seafood platter (shrimp, scallops and white fish) Adas polo (rice w dates) read more

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Amazing Persian food , it's so hard to impress my mom with Persian food and she approves of Thai place ! And the staffs are really nice !

Your lamb was delicious. The ambience was beautiful along with the music. The service was excellent. Yes it's expensive but it's worth eat there. read more

Darya Restaurant - Middle Eastern Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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One of the best Persian restaurants in OC!! As far as location, service and hospitality. They have a professional crew. Friday nights they have live music and they have been known for their reservation for different occasions as well. We got koobide, lamb kabob for main dish and Tahdig(crispy rice) and stew, eggplant dish and shallot yogurt for appetizers. For desert we got hot black tea and baklava which was perfect. If you like lamb, I would suggest that over beef for sure. read more

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Outstanding. Food, menu options, service, speed, convenient parking. Looks like they have multiple locations near one other. read more

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This place is extremely overpriced for the food they serve. Typical. Nothing especiall, yet the price is 30% more then most places. Would not go again. Service was slow on a Wednesday. The taste is similar to any to go Mediterranean place that you can randomly find read more

Darya Restaurant is an exceptional Persian dining restaurant with warm hospitality and nice atmosphere. Their kebab plates are tender and seasoned to perfection. It Comes with fluffy rice with saffron and their fresh salad. They have different tasty dishes cooked with authentic flavor. Service is friendly, atmosphere is elegant and cozy. Overall Darya is a wonderful place to enjoy the persian cuisine. read more

Service with a smile--these folks really know how to take care of you!" The staff made me feel like family--fast, friendly, and Great vibes, even better service--can't wait to come back!" Our server nailed it: friendly, quick, and super helpful." The food is delicious highly recommend it read more