Hazel P.

Food 4/5 Service 5/5 Ambiance 4/5 We came here as we were in the area & very hungry. I found this place on yelp. We decided to try it since the ratings were good. Food: We had the hummus with bread as an appetizer. I ordered the beef fillet (comes with rice, potato & tomato) & hubby had the Tava kebab. To drink we had the black tea with honey & ginger. For dessert we had the Persian baklava. The hummus appetizer was okay. Hummus tasted good but the bread was a bit dry & not tasty. I think a better bread would've elevated this appetizer. I enjoyed the beef fillet a lot. The meat was nicely seasoned & not dry though I asked for it to be well done. There was a lot of saffron rice (so yummy), some slices of potato & a bbq tomato. I added the hummus to my plate too. It was a very satisfying meal. My tummy was happy. So happy I felt like I was going into a food coma. LOL. Hubby enjoyed his Tava kebab. The meat (beef & lamb) was moist & also seasoned well. He really liked the chopped tomato. But he didn't like the oil sitting on the bottom of his pan that the dish came in. He loved the potato that also came with his dish. He said it was crispy on the outside & soft on the inside. A whole plate of rice came with the Tava kebab. The Persian baklava was more like a pound cake than Greek baklava. It was dry for our taste but at least it was warm & had good flavour. Perhaps a bit of honey on top would have made it more moist? The black tea with honey & ginger was so delicious! The honey & ginger flakes came in a small dish. You pour the black tea in your cup then take a spoonful of the honey ginger & mix it in. I've never had tea in that style before but I liked it. The lady serving us said it was a homemade recipe. Service: There was only one server today. A lovely woman. She was nice & courteous as well. When we walked in around 12.30pm the restaurant was empty. After about 30 minutes more people started coming in. The lady served everyone very efficiently. The meal was well paced. We got the appetizer first & then our main dishes came out soon after. We had time to enjoy our food thoroughly. I didn't feel rushed at all, like some places. We got to sit for a bit & digest as well as drink tea while other people were served. We then ordered dessert afterwards. Ambiance: There is some interesting art work on one side of the wall in the restaurant. On the other wall are shelves with some framed art as well as decor pieces like fake plants. It's a bit cluttered looking for my taste but it's tastefully done. We sat in a booth beside the wall with the framed art & shelves. The decor is yellow upholstered wooden chairs with dark wood tones. The booths match the tables. Washrooms are in the basement down a flight of stairs. There is no handicap washroom on the main level. The lights were not on in the hallway to the women's washroom so that was a little irritating. I couldn't find the hallway light switch. Inside the women's washroom the light was also not on. Luckily the switch was beside the door so I found it quickly. You would think that one of the first things they would do when opening the restaurant for the day would be to make sure all the lights are on. It was a minor irritation. On my way out of the ladies I found the light switch in the hall & turned it on as another lady was coming my way. She said thank you. LOL. Hubby says the men's washroom was clean but it had an unpleasant smell. I suspect the smell was from another patron. I saw a man go downstairs to use the washroom before hubby did. LOL. Overall: Herby is a cozy little restaurant & the food is great! I can see why it has such a good rating. I think a little attention to the washroom area would've been nice. It was kind of irritating to be walking down a dark hallway trying to find where the women's washroom was. The men's washroom was at the bottom of the (lighted) steps & easy to find. I thought the prices were reasonable for the food portions & the quality. Our total bill came to 92.10. The experience at the restaurant I think was worth it. I would come back to this restaurant to eat if I'm in the area.

Anna H.

I was in Toronto for business and someone recommended this restaurant so I decided to give it a try. It was everything I needed and then more! Service was great (thank you Sorcha!), portions were VERY generous and fairly priced, ambiance was very relaxing. The food quality was amazing and this was one of the best Persian meals I had in a while. Highly recommended.

Cin C.

Delicious Persian food in a beautiful space with great service. To start, we had the Kashke Bademjan, BBQ eggplant searved with delicious bread. It was a lovely way to start the meal as the walnuts and fried onions gave the dish some interesting texture. For mains, we had the Tava Kebab, which is beef and lamb pan fried on the bottom of a pan. Almost like a thin meatloaf but with an absolute bomb of flavors. It paired so well with the saffron rice as it would have been too much on it's own. Looking forward to trying the other dishes!

Idan R.

Category: Persian, casual elegant. If you have never tried Persian food, you have to do yourself a favour and try it. You'll thank me later. And this restaurant would be a perfect introduction. Herby serves seriously delicious food. In addition, the ambiance is really nice. Here's my overall rating: Food: 5/5 Service: 5/5 Ambiance: 5/5 Value: 4/5 We got the sampling platter for 2. It came with: 1. Two appetizer choices 2. Two choices of stew 3. One skewer of chicken. One skewer of beef kebab. 4. Teapot 5. Choice of desert. It was quite a feast for under $40 per person. The portions were not large, but it was definitely filling. Here's what we got: Herby salad - delicious salad with lots of ingredients. My only complaint is that the nuts were a little stale. Kashk e Bademjan - rich eggplant dip was delicious. Served with lavash bread, of course Khoresht Karafs - celery stew with tender morsels of beef. Very interesting spice. This was a delicious dish. Gheymeh was another delicious stew we got. The chicken kebob and the koobideh kebob were both delicious, but were too dry, even when we asked them to be lightly done. Finally, the desert cake was delicious and was served with a pot of tea. Overall, a fantastic dining experience. P.S. You can choose to eat at the table by the open front patio. It is a good place for people watching on busy Danforth, and you get to sit on cushions and take your shoes off. It looks like a cozy dining experience.

David Y.

Nuanced flavours, beautiful colours. Herby serves up a visual and tasty celebration of Persian cuisine. Came here for lunch and got a bunch of stuff. Highlights were: - Signature koobideh with cheese: Meat was tender and expertly flavoured, with juices dripping with every bite. The rice was properly dry and popping. I would have wanted more cheese though. - Gheymeh Bademjan: Hearty stew that's perfect on a cold day. - Jam Platter: Really good "dessert". The jams were alternatively tart and sweet. Overall thought it was pricey for the portion sizes, but the quality of ingredients and the tastiness of the dishes makes it worth a try. Service was pleasant and efficient. The head chef even stipped by for a quick chat after the meal. Will come back if I'm craving for Persian cuisine.

Daisy W.

This is my first time trying Persian food! The atmosphere of the restaurant was very nice and comfortable, the waitstaff was extremely friendly, attentive and patient with our party. It was a cooler day the day we went and decided to order the gheymeh with beef, which is a tomato based stew which came with a side of salad and rice. This was exactly what I needed that day! I sat there silent and just slowly finished the entire dish all on my own! It was a thick stew with lots of vegetables, it's the perfect dish for a cool day! The experience and atmosphere was great and the food was amazing! I definitely recommend this restaurant!!

Sel Z.

If there was an award for "Best Iranian Restaurant in Toronto / GTA", or "The Most Vegetarian-Friendly Iranian Restaurant in the GTA", I'd nominate Herby to win the #1 award. The menu has a lot of variety, especially the stews and appetizers / sides. The owner & head chef came out to greet us, explained some menu items, and came out a few times to chat to see how the food was, etc. Very friendly, hospitable, and accommodating. They made some special dishes and added a few extras (such as the mixed vegetarian kebabs with grilled tofu, eggplant, mushrooms, and onion) for us. The waiter was also excellent and provided great hospitable service. The location is easy to get to - right on Danforth Avenue (steps away from Chester subway station, which also has Green P parking right across the street). If that parking lot is full, there are lots of street parking in the small streets along Danforth. The food was probably the best out of all the Iranian restaurants I've tried in Toronto. Every stew could be customized to be vegetarian (with tofu or mushrooms instead of meat). Each stew / main dish also came with lots of choices. You can get each stew with all rice, half rice & half salad, or upgrade the rice to Gazmakh (rice with crispy fried potato from the bottom of a pan). AND it also comes with another choice of side (choose from appetizer selection such as salad or one of the yogurt options). Our orders: - Mast o Khiar (yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, herbs, and garlic, garnished with rose petals): Our favourite out of all the yogurts. The herbs and garlic really stood out, and the cucumber added a nice chunkiness to the overall texture. The rose petals on top made it even more aromatic. - Spinach Borani (yogurt mixed with steamed baby spinach and garlic): Yummy with side order of bread. - Shirazi Salad (chopped cucumber, tomato, and red onion, seasoned with Persian spices and lemon): Nice and refreshing, good seasoning with Persian spices. - Tofu & Grilled Vegetables Skewers: These are included in the Vegetarian Sampler, or you can order them separately. They were grilled really well. - Gheymeh Bademjan (tomato-based stew with fried eggplant and yellow lentils, topped with baby grapes and potato chips): Very hearty and tasty! Our favourite stew of the night. - Khoresht Karafs (Persian celery stew with parsley, mint, and Persian spices): A bit watery but tasted light, refreshing, and healthy. - Gazmakh (rice with crispy fried potato from the bottom of a pan): This dish contained the same long-grain rice as the one that comes with the main dish, but with a thin crispy layer on top and a thin layer of crispy potato slices. - Sides of: zereshk (barberries), grilled tomato, grilled onion, bread (loved the bread.. crunchy exterior, soft inside, with sesame seeds on top - perfect accompaniment for the yogurt dips) Everything tasted delicious, healthy, and filling. We'll be sure to come back again and try the other stews.

Andrei A.

Delicious Persian food cooked to perfection. Beef koobideh was juicy and flavourful. Even chicken breast, which is often overcooked at other restaurants, was reasonably juicy and soft. The homemade hummus was impeccable. Dessert-wise, I recommend Persian baklava cake or saffron & pistachio ice cream. I will be back here in the future when I'm craving Persian food. Service: Fantastic! No complaints whatsoever. Our server was attentive and courteous. Ambiance: Aside from one wall shelf that's about to fall on one of the tables, the interior is nicely done. They might want to consider getting nicer furniture for the patio. Inside, it's pretty comfy though.

Annie H.

I love Persian food, and herby was such a amazing find in Toronto and definitely hit the spot! We got takeout and the place was quite cute with outdoor seating available. Wouldn't mind stopping by to relax and sit next time! Here's a rundown on what we got: - Kashk e Bademjan - not gluten free for me so I missed out, but our friends loved the complex flavors - dolma - simple, delicious, and a great deal at the price - marinated olives - wow, such a powerful punch of umami! Definitely not your typical olive dish and over the top with flavor - Ghorme Sabzi - I thought the ones I made were pretty good till I tried Herby's. Now I have to come back to learn their recipe lol - Fesenjan - perfect combo of flavor and tart - Koobideh skewers - very juicy and moist. Better than most I've come across, and perfect with some sumac on top. - Zereshk Polo - always love the barberry rice and such a delight to see it on the menu! - Gazmakh - flavorful but a bit too charred and blackened Such wonderful dishes and a delight to find this place in Toronto. I look forward to coming back for sure!

Tyga M.

My meal here continues my love for Persian food. It wasn't busy when I visited, but it was a weeknight and parking around the area seems to be sparse, so understandable. The cocktail that I got had Persian vodka and lime syrup in it, which was very strong and sweet, but according to the server, was their least sweet cocktail. My entree, the prince platter, was near perfection. I was a tad sad that I couldn't sub out their salad for another, but I'm glad I couldn't because the salad was just as good as the other sides in the meal. The meats were indeed "juicy" (as that's a cooking preference that you can ask for), and the tomato, onion and rice complemented them favorably. I don't have any good Persian spots back home, so I'm glad this will be my last Persian meal until my next spot at an unknown time and place, haha.

Joy H.

Cute restaurant! It wasn't too busy when we went on a Saturday night, they were able to accommodate our large party of people. The server was lovely and talkative, giving us each recommendations based on our tastes. The owner and chef is very friendly! He's very willing to take feedback and tries to accommodate our tastes, where applicable. He's adorable and checked in with us to make sure our meals were to our liking. The owner also provided us a complementary porridge for an appetizer! The food is pretty good overall--definitely something I haven't eaten much of before. The flavour profile definitely isn't something I'm accustomed to, so I can't say for sure if it's something I'd come back to eat again. The price point is also quite high. The food does take a while to make and is made on the spot--the staff do let you know ahead of time to expect quite a wait.

Susanna W.

This place is so nicely decorated and has a great causal atmosphere. We went on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and got the 2 person sample tray for 3 people. The portions were large so this was more than enough for 3 people. Skewers were super juicy and tender and all the appetizers and stews were delicious. You get a free ice cream if you post a google review or Instagram post - bonus!!

Jessica Y.

First day patio is open and they have very limited seating. But my love for ice cream overpowers my need for a real meal at this time today. Hence I decided to try their homemade saffron and pistachio sandwich ice cream. Its big, flavourful and filling. The saffron flavour really is prevalent and the bites of pistachio just gives you some texture. Thin wafer crusts that has that crunch. Lovely for summertime. This Persian restaurant has even the dessert made right.