A must try! Great for groups, date night, or a "something special" dinner. I had never tried Persian food, and this restaurant set the bar really high. Our server was very friendly and knowledgeable, and was more than willing to explain the menu and make recommendations. They provide a free appetizer of fresh herbs, bread, cheese, and radish that you combine on your own. It was delicious! Must try - the eggplant appetizer and the lamb stew. Everything we ate was delicious! read more

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Amazing food and ambience. I've never been to a Persian restaurant this elevated and with such great presentation for food and drinks. Highly recommend. read more

This was a great dinner experience. We sat outside but I did take a couple of pictures of the interior which was very nice. The waiter was super nice, helpful, and chatty (in a good way). The food was amazing and a lot. I had the shrimp kebab and my wife had the sea bass kebab. Each comes with rice, but each rice is unique. I had one with fruits which was a little sweet and my wife had one with beans (don't remember the type of bean). Both were really good and they have four more flavors to try out. We had some hummus on the side which was very smooth. We could not finish it all and took some home for later, but we did try the flourless chocolate cake which was also great. Really no negatives here. Persian food is great, but often the restaurants are not. In this case everything was fantastic. We will be coming back for more. read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This is the second time I've been here. This is the BEST Persian restaurant in the entire metropolitan area. One of the best on the East Coast. The Gheymeh entree is PHENOMENAL. So good that our entire table googled how to make it so various people could try to replicate it at home. The hummus , eggplant, and the cauliflower appetizers were DELICIOUS. This is a highly recommended restaurant. read more

Really like this place and will be back! The food is stunning and a great mix of traditional Persian with some slight tweaks for the American pallet. Clientele includes real Persians from the DMV which is always a good sign. Our server, Becca, was an Angel and really made sure we had everything we needed. Ali, the owner, came up and helped me practice my Farsi. Cocktails were divine. we had to wait a while to get a table with a reservation, which was okay for us, but if you are on a tight schedule this isn't the place for you since they get busy and are a very popular spot. Will be back. read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Great atmosphere for a date or dinner with friends! Super cute and spacious interior with friendly staff. Once you are seated, you have a choice of either still or complimentary sparkling water + complimentary Persian-breakfast-like plate (I call it this only cause this is how it was first introduced to me, but may be a classic in a Mediterranean cuisine! - a plate of bread, nuts, feta cheese, and an array of herbs) which was so delicious! The food was very plentiful - I shared the Hen (Joojeh) Kabob with a friend and they were nice enough to just serve us each half of the portions on separate plates. Also got a couple of apps - Roasted Cauliflower and Shallot Torshi and Mirza Ghasmi, which I'd highly recommend. So flavorful and filling! Best of all- price was so reasonable. read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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As a Persia, I am quite picky when it comes down to Persian foods. Rumi is a real good one. Tried a bunch of their food and they all were fine. Specially Sultani Kabob. read more

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Delicious Persian cuisine ~Reservations on OpenTable ~Open for lunch and dinner ~Street parking, garage parking next door This is what we ate: *Dolmeh grape leaves stuffed withminced beef, rice, mild herbs with a pomegranate sauce. A sweet rendition of grapes leaves. *Watermelon Feta Salad with jalapeño feta sauce, crushed cucumber & charred shallot, lemon tarragon dressing. So light, sweet, refreshing with a hint of spicy. *Chilean Sea bass with saffron basmati rice Excellent cooked. Tender flaky sea bass so tasty. *Lamb Kabob a lamb sirloin kabob with mint, yogurt marination, lentil & raisin basmati rice. Well marinated and tender. Delicious flavor. A definite return to try out the menu. read more

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This is a gorgeous restaurant with amazing food! The staff are attentive and knowledgeable. I'll definitely come back soon, make reservations in advance! read more

One of my favorite restaurants in DC. So flavorful and authentic. The koobideh is a showstopper. The variety of rice is great as well; quality service and attentive staff. Large dining room, which is always packed. read more

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Good Middle Eastern food, "overly ambience, but the food was nothing out of the ordinary. The presentation of the chicken breast kebab was a bit unusual but fell short in terms of flavor. Ok but not great. I've had much tastier versions of the same dishes in more modest venues. read more

We had an amazing food experience here. Everything we had was delicious! Definitely make a reservation otherwise you will be waiting for a long time . The ambiance is very nice and some of the best Persian food I have had so far. read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Hello Yelpers!!!!! I never drive to DC to hangout but I'm glad I did. This is a very nice restaurant. I think it's ok to say this restaurant serves Mediterranean dishes. The Salmon and Shrimp dishes were delicious! Waited was very friendly and helpful. The drinks were delicious and the ambiance was great as well! I highly recommend!!!! read more

Delicious Persian food! Could have made a meal just with the dips and pita bread- we ordered the hummus, lebna, and eggplant. We also got a salad, grape leaves, lamb and salmon kabobs. They had several different kinds of rice and paired them with different kabobs which was really interesting and tasty. I would recommend ordering several dishes and sharing. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because I found the dolmas to be inedible- the pomegranate sauce completely over powered anything else in them. I would skip these but happily order everything else again! read more

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I heard by word of mouth some great reviews about this gem of a restaurant so I was keen to try it out. And it was that good that I went twice in a week! Although it was very busy, and we had to wait for our table inside, on both evenings, the service was charming and extremely pleasing. Our servers were knowledgeable and helpful. The outside tables are popular even with the rain and much less noisy. They have adequate heaters and each table is lit perfectly with a stylish, delicate, and narrow Pina Pro Rechargeable LED table lamp, which shines brightly enough on to each table surface for you to appreciate the food, without shining anywhere in your eyes. I liked the attention to detail. The food arrived promptly, with freshly baked taftoun and appetisers, some of the best tasting I have ever had in a Persian restaurant anywhere. All the portions were generous. The mirza was OUTSTANDING, and I should know! The maasto o moosir was just right, the half ghormeh sanzi - half ghaimeh starters on tahdeeg were both very tasty. The sabzi plate, was small in portion size but came with fresh ingredients ( walnuts, radishes, feta cheese), except for the limp looking herbs. The main dishes were just as pleasing as the starters. The chicken kabaab pieces were moist, and delicious, served with a large, grilled tomato and some saffron rice. But my all time favourite was the meaty, tasty ghaimeh served with saffron rice. DELICIOUS! And there's more...for desert, it was a delight to taste the huge bowl of faloodeh topped with albaloo ( cherries). It was very popular , as was the ice cream wafer sandwich. On the following night there were no tables outside. We were happy to be seated inside, where there was a lovely buzz and atmosphere , and our table #13 for 6 was perfectly positioned for conversation. The ghaimeh did not disappoint again, and I devoured it to the very end. The salmon, served with a herb rice, also caught my attention. The pomegranate drizzled fessenjoon stew looked very appetising and I loved that it was served with the traditional duck. Bravo! CONGRATULATIONS to you, Mr Ali Mesghali, you have really done us proud, with the high quality and authenticity of all your Persian dishes. I can't wait to come back. THANK YOU. read more

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Food was excellent as the other times we've been there. We had a table outside on a beautiful evening. The problem was with the waiter who was out of it. He delivered wrong drinks TWICE, didn't even realize they were wrong beers until it was pointed out to him and was not bothered about anything he did wrong. Never said sorry, seemed he was feeling quite relaxed. He filled our waters while splashing some water over the table and other plates and was still unbothered and didn't even acknowledge! We have always had a good experience at Rum's but this wasn't pleasant. read more

If I had written this review a month ago after my first visit I would have given it a 5 star rating. Everything was exemplary from the food to the wait staff. However, I decided to let my husband experience this yumminess and Rumi's Kitchen completely miss the mark this time. I hope this is not one of those hit and miss restaurant. The wait staff was wonderful however, the food that we ordered, which was exactly the same as I ordered a month ago, was just an oil pot. We ordered the Chilean Bass and the lamb kabobs along with spicy wings as an appetizer. Oh, we substituted the rice that came with the dishes for grill vegetables. The bass was slightly undercooked and swimming in oil with very little seasoning. The lamb was not tender and had little seasoning as well. The wings had rubbery skin and little favor. The grill vegetables were not grill enough for me they were bland and I do not like large chucks of raw onion. It was a very disappointing experience to share, seeing as my last experience the food was great. Maybe they rotate chefs. Not sure but what a big difference. So I'm on the fence about recommending this restaurant. I'm giving it a 3 star averaging my two visits. As this is not a cheap restaurant, we paid $130 not including tip or drinks, therefore, a little hesitant about a repeat visit. So, if you're a risk taker, you have a 50/50 chance that it'll be a hit for you. read more

Everything was delicious. The salmon, the drinks the shrimp, the portion sizes the different flavors of rice. I literally can't wait to go back. read more

Amazing food, which is why they are always super busy so make sure you make a reservation. Def try their shrimp and chicken kabob. You can choose to have half rice and half salad, they have plenty of rice and salad options to choose from along with green chutney for that extra kick of spice. Really nice selection of cocktails as well. My personal favorite is Glimpse of Paradise ( love the hint of cardamom) read more

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The food is so flavorful and mouthwatering. My favorite are the hummus and chicken wings for appetizers and the main course get the chicken barg with the chutney, hot sauce and with the Shirin rice! The meal is enough for two people. The baklava for dessert is Devine! read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Chicken Barg with shirin rice! - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

19 July 2023 had lunch. All I can say is WOW! Not cheap but worth every penny. I had the lamb Kabob. Definitely not the typical bland overcooked kabob that I was expecting. 5 very large pieces of the most flavorful and tender lamb that I have ever eaten. Combined with delicious basmati rice and an herb salad. I weigh 235lbs and could not finish the meal. It will be my DC go to, it was that good. Special compliments to Mark the bartender and the manager on duty. Marks personality and advice on the meal choice really made the experience. read more

I finally tried Rumi's Kitchen after eyeing their menu for a long time. I ordered the Koobideh Kabob with Shirazi Salad and Grilled Vegetables. The vegetables were a nice side with the kabob and were extremely tender. The kabobs were flavorful and well spiced. The accompanying fresh vegetables (tomatoes and cucumbers) and Shirazi Salad were some of the freshest vegetables I've had in DC recently. Make sure to try this restaurant when you need and are craving a nice Persian meal! read more

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Great food, friendly staff, amazing drinks and in a festive dinning setting with good music. My dad has been coming to this restaurant since the 90s and it hasn't disappointed to this day. Drinks have their own spin to Persian cuisine, and the food is of great quality and flavors. Many thanks for making the experience wonderful. read more

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The time that we get here to until we left the restaurant our experience was a five stars. This restaurant is beautifully decorated, our service Tim was very efficient. They provide a small appetizer on the house. We tried few different kinds of kabobs and all of them were excellent, hummus was one of the best I ever had. The rice comes with some raisins on it, so delicious, if you don't like raisins make sure to ask without them, try the lamb and ask for the especial sauces. read more

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If I could rate this place 4.5 stars, I would. To start, we really enjoyed the food and thought it was delicious. We got two appetizers, a glass of wine, one feast, and a side of rice. That was the perfect amount of food for two people, and it was just over $100 with tip. For a nice meal out, we deemed it good value. The interior ambiance was very cool, but this impressive interior was lost in the fact that the place was packed. Like- packed packed. Fortunately, we got a nice half booth that was only a tad uncomfortably close to our neighbors on both sides. I will say though, having made these reservations just under a month in advance, there are some tables in there that I would have been very displeased about being placed at if I had put quite some time and thought into planning a meal. I understand more people is more money, but being placed at those unbearable tables can cost the restaurant good ratings and recommendations. It also does emphasize a lack of class, having people so tightly packed, which is a mark down in my books. This leads into my next portion- the service. It is not very dignified, seeing the service staff tightly squeezing between tables and struggling to navigate the restaurant. The level of packed added an uncomfortable level of chaos, above the average restaurant. Our server was fine, but just fine. Overall, I would recommend this restaurant. At the end of the day, it's always about the food. But those driving factors that make a place next level, were indeed lacking. read more

Let me start by saying that I am a big fan of Rumi's in Atlanta, so I expected the same here. The ambience was nice, but I prefer the one in Atlanta. They didn't have Tariq (which I understand), and they were out of doogh! Our table was wobbly, and we couldn't find our waiter! The service at Rumi's is always amazing, but this place was mediocre. The barg had too much tenderizer and wasn't good. The baghali polo was dry, and the ghormeh sabzi was bland. However, the gheymeh, mirza ghasemi, and marzipan ice cream were good. Overall, I expected more from Rumi's. read more

We were so excited when Rumi's opened in DC! We went there as soon as it opened. It is so good over here. The meat is so perfectly flavored and grilled. I just don't know how they make it so perfect every time. I love the Shirin rice and the rice with the sour cherries! We also loved our appetizers. The lebneh is rich and thick. The hummus is tasty and we always get it with the lamb. I love the chicken barg, the lamb is excellent too. Of course you can never go wrong with the koobideh. So many tasty dishes!! The service is outstanding. Very prompt and professional. We do not have to wait too long for anything. We also like the atmosphere of the place. It is almost always crowded in here but it is a great atmosphere. The price for all this great food is really great. We have paid a lot more for kabobs in other places that are not even close to as good or big as the dishes over here. We have come here many times! It is like one of our go to places for a special dinner or occasion!! read more

First off start with the parking, I parked at the garage that was right next to the restaurant as I couldn't find one on the street. My friend and I were greeted warmly by our Amazing, knowledgeable and kind server Olivia after we were promptly seated by the host. We did make reservation to be on the safe side since it is a long weekend. Olivia made our lives very easy by suggesting us some of their best dishes. We ordered their eggplant appetizer, beef soltani and chicken soltani. We then was given house salad and some bread. Bread was very fresh and tasted great with feta cheese and our eggplant appetizer. Kashk Badenjoon: Fried Eggplant appetizer: was very flavorful, tangy and have some smoky flavor to it. To be honest I have never eaten such a yummy appetizer in any persian restaurant before. Beef Soltani: my friend loved her beef kobeideh and beef barg kabob alot Chicken Soltani: beef kobiedeh was very moist and flavorful and so did the chicken barg kabob. I love the moistness in it and those spices on it were on point. We ordered saffron Icecream sandwich for our dessert and I personally dont really find wafer to be flavorful but icecream itself was very good. Overall ambiance, food and service was excellent and I highly recommend this place to anyone looking for good persian food in whole DMV. read more

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We decided to stop by Rumi's after the Car Show and it didn't disappoint. We were promptly seated once we checked in and greeted by our waiter. He asked if it was our first time and we stated yes and he offered up some recommendations for drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert. We took pretty much all his recommendations and everything was amazing. For our drinks we had the Persian Sunset, which was a nice balance. Not too sweet and not too strong. We started with Kashk Badenjoon (Eggplant) and the Hummus with Lamb Merguez Sausage for appetizer. Both were great and came out promptly. We then moved to the Soltani Kabob and Barg Kabob for our entrees. Our server bought out extra spice, though I forget the name of it, but we could add it to our rice and meat. It honestly wasn't needed because everything was full of so much flavor. As for dessert we had White Chocolate Cardamom Cake, which was light and fluffy and a perfect end to our meal. Highly recommend this place, you will get great service, food, and drinks. read more

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Have been excited to finally try this place out and boy did it not disappoint! Service was absolutely wonderful and please try the falafel! It was so crispy on the outside but fell apart beautifully. The saffron ice cream was really unique and I love pistachios too! The cocktails were priced well for DC and tasted wonderful. read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Saffron ice cream - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Came all the way from Hawai'i and this was my second time coming here. Good atmosphere and great food! Thank you Richard for being such a pleasant server. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Happy that's this place is open during the pandemic. Social distancing at Rumi's is creatively done with mannequins occupying empty tables. The Persian food here is absolutely delicious on par with a few of my favorite Persian restaurants in SoCal. read more

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I first tried Rumi's Kitchen in Atlanta, and was so pleased by how delicious it was (and how good the service was) that I was happily surprised to see a location here in DC. Let me tell you - it is just as good, if not better, at the DC locale. The ambiance is more intimate due to the building and covered patio. The service was perfectly accommodating - multiple servers checked on my friend and I, someone came by and left a little lamp to create ambient lighting, the waters stayed filled (and sparkling water at that). We shared several dishes but the stand out for me was the sea bass. The fish was firm yet supple, and amazingly juicy. It paired perfectly with the shirin rice (my favorite!), which has orange peel, slivered almonds and cranberries to create a sweet/salty side. I finished my leftovers today and the quality has stood up to these standards, which is pretty amazing since fish can change texturally after being reheated and yet, the quality was still just as good as that night. If you have not gone to Rumi's, please do yourself a favor and try it. You won't regret it. read more

Rumi's Kitchen was fabulous. My friends and I came for a late Sunday lunch. The entire establishment follows COVID protocols very well. Waiters are masked and gloved at all times, dishes and utensils are refreshed after every meal, and occupied tables are social distanced. They even put dressed up mannequins at half of the tables to block them off for use. The mannequins were low key a little freaky (wish I took a picture), but it was a unique way to ensure social distancing. The food was absolutely amazing. There wasn't one dish I didn't like. One of my friends who is Persian (and dines at Rumi's often) ordered everything for us. I'll be honest, I don't the names of really anything we ate, but trust me, you will probably be happy with anything you order. We started with a feta, radish, walnut, mint "salad", the yogurt labne, and a caramelized onion/eggplant dip. We ate everything with the flatbread. I would have been satisfied with the appetizers alone. The components of the salad had a little bit of every texture and taste, every bit was perfect. The eggplant dip was so deep and flavorful. The labne was also rich and creamy but still light. For our entree, we ordered a variety of kabobs and a crispy rice with two different types of stews on top. Every meat was so juicy, tender, and cooked perfectly. Even the chicken breast! We were given little plastic containers of ground berry powder to mix into the rice. Although a small piece to the meal, I thought it was such a cute and beautiful addition to the experience. It colored the rice so vibrantly. Lastly for dessert, we had the Persian ice cream with tea. I loved the pistachio, saffron, rose water mix of flavors. I usually don't like rose/floral flavors in food, but it was just the right amount without being overpowering. It went perfectly with the delicious black tea. I would highly recommend taking a stop at Rumi's Kitchen. I know I'll definitely be back to try all the other dishes we didn't get a chance to dig our forks into. read more

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P.S. the feesnjon gave me food poisoning! Great Persian food! The ambience is beautiful, everything well thought and the food is great! The drinks and desserts are must try as well! read more

Rumi’s Kitchen - Persian/Iranian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Everything was tasty and wonderful. The lady who served us, Frances was excellent and knowledgeable about every item in the menu. The atmosphere and music is excellent. Above all, I am so happy that they mentioned they are open another restaurant in CA. I will give the 6 stars. read more

Bad service. Hostess was not accommodating because we were 20 minutes late in a half empty restaurant. Manager instead of containing the situation was full of attitude, confrontational, and refused to serve us. Before today, Rumi was my favorite Persian restaurant in DC. After today, they are at the bottom of my list. read more

Service, ambience and food were all amazing!! Get the Sultani, Falafel, and Ghoremi Shabazi.

Amazing service and food. Two of us recently went for lunch, and ate at the bar. The bartender was very friendly, and knowledgeable about every item on the menu. We ordered his suggestions as this was our first time, and had an absolutely amazing meal. The kabobs and rice were fresh, delicious, and the portions were large. I will definitely be back the next time I'm in DC. read more

Great Ambience especially for a date night. Very good food excellent service I took my wife out for our anniversary and it went really well There is only one point for improvement: No Valet service - there is a parking garage downstairs for about 15$ read more