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Grill House Cafe

4.5 (631 reviews)
Updated over 3 months ago

Order Grill House Cafe Takeout or Delivery

Grill House Cafe Photos

Business Info

GRILL HOUSE CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Classy
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Grill House Cafe

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Reviews With Photos

Front register with goods for sale.
Paula J.

We had a family event in the area and were looking for a place to eat and Grill House Cafe came up in my Google search. It looked good so we went and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is spacious and uniquely decorated and they have a really nice side patio area. They were so friendly and the customer service was excellent. We ordered Persian Tea that was delicious! Hummus (with delicious bread), pickled veggies (honestly, I would not order it again, it was a tiny serving for the price) and the beef & chicken combo plate. It was soooo good! Sooooo fresh! If you're in the area I definitely recommend you stop in and have a meal. FYI-if you pay with a credit card they add a 3.9% "customer service fee", if you pay cash you are not charged the fee. I wasn't happy about it because that's a lot when you add the tip...but the policy is clearly posted which I respected.

Kabob with bread
Ashley S.

Best Persian restaurant in San Diego hands down. The service is always friendly and quick. They have plenty of seating inside and there typically isn't a wait to be seated. The shallot dip (must-o-musir) is creamy and delicious. The gormeh sabzi is also really good. They had the best olivieh salad but unfortunately no longer offer it on the menu. The star of the show is definitely the beef kabob. The flavors and spices are perfect and it's juicy and cooked to perfection every time. Definitely the best Persian kabob you can get in San Diego. I also appreciate that they have NOT bought into the new tacky trend Persian restaurants seem to be doing lately where you have no choice but to get bottled water and then are charged several dollars for it without being informed. The prices are reasonable and they are always consistent. Their house blend tea is incredible. I always buy a jar of it to make at home.

Dizi Beef Koobideh
Anna S.

I got Dizi from this place and had very little expectation (because I haven't found too many exceptionally well done Persian food restaurants.) However, I REALLY liked the dizi from this place. The koubideh was also great. The salad and the torshi (pickles) were amazing too. Highly recommend this place.

Ordered a chicken kabob sandwich.  This is what I got

Ordered delivery. Arrived cold. Rice was a generous portion but lacked flavor. Ordered a chicken kabob and was given a few junks of chicken. Gyro sandwiches were soggy. Gyro meat and the chicken had good flavor even though they were cold. Unlikely to order again.

Hanafi M.

I have been here thrice and each time found my dining experience enjoyable. Really love the rice too. Very clean and the staff is friendly and always helpful.

Nowell D.

I feel like I'm at a hidden oasis eating here. Came in for the first time on a Sunday afternoon for lunch. Restaurant has nice open spaces tables, beautiful art walls, tvs, mini store and waiter was welcoming. Love the large selection of menus already on the table for easy view it was so hard for me to choose. Lamb plate was so delicious with great portion size. Definitely my top Persian cuisine

Hookah

I've been here twice and I'll definitely be back. The environment is so relaxing, customer service is A-1, and the food is delicious. They are expanding to add hookah and the experience is so good. I've never had a Persian hookah experience but it's one I want again. Everything is good.

Barg
Jacob S.

Overall, the food was great and most dishes are a good value. Only taking one star off for the service. Most likely just understaffed, but it took a while for anyone to bring us a menu, then it took so long for the food to come out that we had to go ask, and we never got drink refills. I got the Barg which decent. Not as good a value as at Greek Corner Cafe in Carmel Mountain, and it wasn't the best steak I've ever had, but it was properly cooked and perfectly acceptable. Looking around at what other customer's ordered, it seems like the chicken/beef kabob plates are a much better value. We also ordered the Dizi which was pretty good and far more unique. Someone was kind enough to show us how to enjoy it "properly" which was a nice touch. The building is nice with plenty of seating. Parking can be a little rough though, as it's a very busy shopping center ever time we've been in the area. Didn't try any deserts this time, though it was very tempting. Might be back to try other dishes but it will be a while. Hopefully they can staff up soon!

Minelie A.

The best Persian food in SD. Quality food and great service. The owner was a gem and the waiter was super friendly. We ordered Soltani, kashle bademjun, tah dog and yummy mast moosir. Try this place and you are not going to regret it!

Crispy rice, Tahdig  with Two Stews
M A.

It was our first time trying this restaurant, and it exceeded our expectations! The servers were incredibly friendly, attending to each table with a smile. The food was not only delicious but also bursting with flavor.

Combo. (Chicken and Beef skewer)
Amin B.

Ok. It was BOMB. Ordered the combo (chicken +beef) and it was perfect in size and flavor. Juicy. Add some sumac and boom. Loved the salad and its amazing dressing too.

Chicken and beef combo

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3 years ago

Would have never found this if it wasn't for Google but glad I did. The food was great and service was good for our large group!

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1 year ago

Food is great ,highly recommending it if you are after authenticity,we ordered Dizi and kebob which was great :) Thank you

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Grill House Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Grill House Cafe

Is any of your food halal?

Yes it's listed on the website.

I know they don't serve alcohol, but can you bring your own wine in?

The other location serve alcohol

Do they serve wine/beer?

No, they do not serve alcohol

Is there outdoor seating?

Yes, there is a small yard

Is this place vegetarian-friendly?

Yes. They do have meat, but also a lot of vegetarian options.

View All 6 Questions

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Shiraz Persian Cuisine

Shiraz Persian Cuisine

4.2(254 reviews)
7.4 mi
$$
Discounts available
Free parking

Shiraz Persian Cuisine has been one of my long-time go-to spots in Rancho Bernardo, mostly for…read moretakeout, and it's overdue for a review. The owners are genuinely friendly and the food has been consistently solid for years. A highlight for me is the rice -- fragrant basmati with saffron and a golden, crispy tahdig-style layer that adds a really satisfying texture alongside the fluffy rice underneath. I've only dined in a couple of times, but it's worth it if you can. The restaurant feels warm and inviting, with lots of table seating and a cozy, traditional feel, made even better by the welcoming service. We started with Zeyton Parvardeh and Mirza Ghasemi, and both were tangy and packed with flavor. My usual entree favorites are Ghormeh Sabzi and Fesenjoon, and both have that comforting, well-made "slow-cooked" feel. The kabob combo with chicken and koobideh is also a reliable order: flavorful, well-seasoned, and a great match with the rice. All presented as sharable. If you're looking for dependable Persian comfort food in the area, Shiraz is absolutely worth a visit (or a takeout run).

Only tried the koobideh kebab which was good. Cook and flavour was great. Just one skewer by itself…read morewas $10. A skewer of chicken kebab just by itself was $17!! North Park Produce Grill gives the same for 7! And it's delicious! Overall this place is quite expensive. And it has always been. Maybe it might be worth it for a nice dine in dinner but it is cost prohibitive for take out or a casual dinner.

Photos
Shiraz Persian Cuisine - Chicken Kabab & Special rice

Chicken Kabab & Special rice

Shiraz Persian Cuisine - Lam Shang &zereshk polo

Lam Shang &zereshk polo

Shiraz Persian Cuisine - Halim

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Halim

Sadaf - Persian babaghanoush

Sadaf

4.0(616 reviews)
12.7 miGaslamp
$$

The food was wonderfully delicious. We went at an 'off' time, 3pm, for a late lunch, so we were the…read moreonly customers. The service was great -- and by the owner! Our only concern/warning is that when the check came the prices didn't match what was on the menu. (Only a couple dollars more, but transparency matters.) When we inquired about the discrepancy the owner said it was due to an additional credit card charge. We then asked why it wasn't disclosed on the menu, and she claimed it was not legally required of her. NOT TRUE! Per Google: "In California, recent legislation mandates that any mandatory fees, including credit card surcharges, must be clearly displayed at checkout. This means that if a restaurant charges an extra fee for credit card payments, it must inform customers upfront." We would certainly go back for the food, I would just check the menu for the disclosure first.

I ordered from DoorDash and was very disappointed. I had been craving Persian food, and…read moreunfortunately, this did not satisfy that craving at all. I ordered the beef soltani with zereshk polo for $38.36, tahdig with gheymeh for $15.60, and a small side of shallot dip for $2.08. The DoorDash menu is misleading. They should really indicate the portion sizes in ounces. The "small" was more like a sample size, about the size of a condiment container and maybe two bites at most. The flavor was not even good, so I am glad I did not order a larger portion. Overall, the food was very average. Nothing really stood out to me. Since I did order on DoorDash, I will say it was packaged nicely, however they did not provide utensils or sumac.

Photos
Sadaf - Inside the restaurant

Inside the restaurant

Sadaf - Rice that comes with Eggplant Stew Ghiemeh Bademjan with Meat

Rice that comes with Eggplant Stew Ghiemeh Bademjan with Meat

Sadaf

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Bandar Restaurant

Bandar Restaurant

3.7(1.1k reviews)
12.7 miGaslamp
$$$
Vegetarian friendly
Gluten-free friendly

Amazing!!! With a 30 minute notice, we were able to easily make a reservation for two - on a busy…read moreSaturday evening! The wonderful service continued with every moment of our time here. Aaron, our server was absolutely charming throughout. He offered us samples of the yogurt drink we were curious about. And, we're so glad he did because he was right, it was not the sweet yogurt drink we're accustomed to. Yep, the Arnold Palmer and regular ice tea were much better choices for our palates for sure. The entree portions here are really plentiful, so we split their world famous, delicious chicken dish (Adas Pollo). The large portion of rice with dates, raisins, and lentils was so delicious. When we asked Aaron about the dessert selections, he almost convinced us to try the baklava, but then he described the pistachio ice cream and we were sold. This was a wonderful dining experience, made all the more enjoyable because of the wonderful service, the inviting decor, the really nice background music and the delicious meal and dessert.

Sit back and enjoy this story…read more.. I made a reservation for Mother's Day for a party of 10, and everything seemed normal. Today, I mentioned to my sister-in-law that we were planning to go to this restaurant, and she suggested that I follow up to confirm the reservation since I had made it a few weeks before Mother's Day. I called to confirm, and lo and behold -- they didn't have our reservation on file. Instead of apologizing or trying to help, they were incredibly disrespectful over the phone and kept trying to blame us for their mistake. I have no idea why they couldn't just take responsibility. They even tried to gaslight me into believing I hadn't made the reservation correctly. All I did was call, give them my information, and they told me I was all set. I honestly don't know how that could be misunderstood any other way. Needless to say, we won't be spending Mother's Day there -- and after the way they handled the situation, we probably won't be returning at all.

Photos
Bandar Restaurant
Bandar Restaurant
Bandar Restaurant

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Khyber Pass Zarparan - Cover photo

Khyber Pass Zarparan

4.4(967 reviews)
10.4 miHillcrest
$$

Incredible restaurant in the heart of Hillcrest! So hearty and flavorful - absolutely adored…read moreeverything we ordered: - mantu: topped with ground meat, these were so savory and delicious - aushak: bright flavor profile from the leeks made it a perfect pairing for the yogurt dill sauce - aush: comfort food soup with noodles! - the chicken and beef were spiced + charbroiled to perfection. too good with the upgraded raisin carrot rice. accompanied with heart and a spicy pepper. the service was amazing. absolutely above and beyond. the dining room featured high ceilings and unique art. can't wait to return.

I was planning a lunch date with a dear friend today, and she mentioned she'd never tried Afghan…read morefood. Since we were going to be in Hillcrest, we chose Khyber Pass - and wow, what an incredible decision. This was easily some of the best food I've had in a very long time. We started with the Bolani. Absolute perfection. It had a beautiful crunch, perfectly seasoned filling, and none of that sogginess I often run into with Bolani elsewhere. We could've ordered another plate and been thrilled. Next came the Aushak with ground beef: one of my all-time favorite Afghan dishes. Think of it like delicate leek-filled ravioli topped with savory meat and tangy yogurt. It hit all the right notes. We also shared the Kofta Kabob, served with grilled vegetables and fluffy basmati rice. The seasoning was spot on, and the meat was juicy and tender, similar to Persian koobideh, but truly memorable in its own way. Our server recommended the Afghan Yaghoot Chalao (Cherry Curry) with chicken. Yes, cherries! Sweet, sour, rich, bright. I had to resist the urge to literally lick my plate clean. And then: the Qabuli Palao with lamb. I do not like lamb. My friend loves it, so I agreed...and I'm so glad I did. I genuinely loved this dish. The saffron-coriander rice with carrots and raisins was aromatic and comforting, and the lamb was tender and flavorful. If you're hesitant about lamb, trust me, this dish might convert you. Portions were generous, we came hungry, and still left with leftovers. I also ordered the house-made Doogh, a mint yogurt drink. It's not for everyone, but it's pure comfort to me. We finished with hot tea infused with cardamom, black for me, green for my friend, and it was the perfect close to a perfect meal. I told our server that this food was even more delicious than what my mother makes. I'm Afghan born and raised in San Diego. That is not a compliment I give lightly. I believe the restaurant is under newer management since around 2020/2021. I last ate here in 2015, and even back when it was on Convoy in the late '90s, and this is the best it has ever been. I highly, highly recommend Khyber Pass to anyone: adventurous eaters, first-timers, comfort-food seekers, well everyone. I'll definitely be back, and next time I'm saving room for dessert.

Photos
Khyber Pass Zarparan
Khyber Pass Zarparan
Khyber Pass Zarparan

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Grill House Cafe - persian - Updated May 2026

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