Epsom, Persian Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: “I started eating at Alounak when it was in a container in a car park round the corner” over twenty-five years ago, and this Iranian café over the tracks from Olympia remains a “favourite BYO” to this day, with its “consistently good Persian comfort food”: in particular “superb kebabs”. (A Bayswater ‘Alounak’ is still in operation, but seems now to operate independently of W14.)

2021 Review: “Don’t let the shabby interior put you off” – this “wonderful, simple Iranian café” off Edgware Road serves “excellent and authentic Persian dishes” including “superb lamb”. “I love this place” – “small, squashed and full of character”, it all but defines “cheap ’n’ cheerful” (“and BYOB”).

2021 Review: Cute Little Venice bistro, where “consistently excellent Persian food” is matched with a “fine southern European wine list”. “When it’s packed with elegant Iranians, you know you’re in the right place”.

2023 Review: Mohammad and Marwa Paknejad’s “sophisticated Iranian” in Theatreland serves a “short menu of very pretty, subtly flavoured dishes”, from a modern open kitchen that uses fresh British ingredients along with Iranian spices. “The lightness of the cooking makes it perfect for a meal pre- or post-theatre”.

Kian Samyani delivers “a flavour tsunami” – “huge portions” of “delicious and unusual” dishes inspired by the hole-in-the-wall kebab shops of Tehran – at his six-year-old Soho flagship, now backed by JKS Restaurants and with branches in Borough Market, Oxfordshire’s Soho Farmhouse, Dubai and Sharjah. “They hardly miss a beat” on the food front – “perhaps the starters edge the mains” – while “attentive service” and “great atmosphere” also win praise.

2024 Review: “What a find! Chef Yuma (Hashemi) produces the most amazing plates of delicious food which reflect his heritage and upbringing” at this quirky Clerkenwell operation, whose decor is akin to a retro Tehran living room. The menu plays out in ‘four acts’, with shifts of gear in the background music to enhance the experience. All this plus “great staff and a fabulous vibe”.

2024 Review: “Big portions of tasty Persian food” make this “friendly” duo in Chelsea and Wimbledon “great value for money”. Top Menu Tip – “you must have the bread fresh out of the clay oven”.

2024 Review: “Big portions of tasty Persian food” make this “friendly” duo in Chelsea and Wimbledon “great value for money”. Top Menu Tip – “you must have the bread fresh out of the clay oven”.

“Not a lot has changed for years, fortunately” at this Ealing institution – the “authentic dishes” are served in “generous portions so large the plates overflow” – no wonder it’s “always busy, and sometimes very noisy”.

Kian Samyani delivers “a flavour tsunami” – “huge portions” of “delicious and unusual” dishes inspired by the hole-in-the-wall kebab shops of Tehran – at his six-year-old Soho flagship, now backed by JKS Restaurants and with branches in Borough Market, Oxfordshire’s Soho Farmhouse, Dubai and Sharjah. “They hardly miss a beat” on the food front – “perhaps the starters edge the mains” – while “attentive service” and “great atmosphere” also win praise.