Alborz

If I could give a zero rating I would, but Unilocal does not have zero rating.
This is the worst restaurant we ever been in. The first time we went to Alborz restaurant in Berkeley was on Sunday, March 2016. We had the worst service ever. We were a party of 10, and the tip was 17% guaranteed for the waitress. That was the reason we did not get any service at all. The food was cold and lousy. Kabob was raw too.
Second time, we tried again and we were party of 6, June 12 for dinner. The restaurant was dead and few tables were finishing their dinner and we are the only one in the restaurant as a new customer. We were basically chasing the waitress to come out to the table to take our order. Waitress was very rude. We ordered Chelo Kabob, Soltani, and Barg well done. When the food arrived, inside the well done Kabob was red. When I asked her why this is red, her response was that this was the «Well Done Kabob for Persians». Then, I asked her what about if I order my Kabob rare, therefore, you are going to serve raw meat instead of cooking?
The Koobideh Kabob was red inside which should be Well Down all the time as she explained.
It appear that the dishwasher was cooking at that night.
Because the tip was 17% guaranteed, she was too busy with chatting with other employee instead of give us the service.
The TOMATO KABOB WAS SOLID COLD. It looked like they already cooked and put it in the refrigerator and when the customer order it then, the cook heated it up and put it on the plate. The worst part when I cut the tomato in half, the inside of the tomato was rotten. When I ask the waitress, her response «we can not check inside of the tomato».
At the same time, the waitress did not seem apologetic at all for giving us the rotten food, and not providing our food the way we asked. In fact, she seemed really upset that we were asking her to replace the rotten tomato and to cook our food to the degree we asked for originally. And we were only able to tell her these things after flagging down the cook to get her attention, as she kept chatting around and joking with the other employees and wasn’t paying attention to us at all. Again — we were the only people in the entire restaurant.
I never recommend this restaurant! Worst food and service. Save your money and go elsewhere.

I only write a review if the place is REALLY good or REALLY bad, in this case, everything was awful. I walked in and was seated without being given a menu. After five minutes I went to find one and the host said he’d get it, but someone else ended up giving me one from another table. I ordered tahdig with fresenjoon and dolmas. Fast forward 40 minutes to when my microwaved appetizers arrived. The food was scalding hot. The tahdig was burnt, like Black-​burnt. So gross. They tried to cover it up with the purple fresenjoon, nice try but no thanks. The dolmas which were also fresh from the microwave were so dry the grape leaves were more like chips! It was gross, it was disgusting and the icing on the cake was I think I got food poisoning! I stared getting sick about 1.5 hours after I left. Granted I was at the movies beforehand and ate popcorn so I’m not 100% sure the food poisoning was from Alborz but I felt fine in the hours between the movie and Alborz so it probably was the nasty microwaved food I received at this poor excuse of a Persian resturant!

My mother was part Persian and my nana used to make the best Persian food. I so happened to be walking down the street when I saw this restaurant. The smells floating out the doors made instantly remember my child hood. So, I asked my partner if we could eat there and she said YES! We were both so glad that we did.
The minute we walked in we were greeted and seated by the owner of the restaurant. Though the place was decorated pretty nicely, we were welcomed with our hoodies and t-​shirts. The menu was filled with authentic persian dishes and some dishes I’d never had before. We ordered an appatizer sampler and gormeh sabzi. Within 5 minutes we had our sampler… and good lord am I ever happy that we got it. I felt like I was being instantly transported back to my childhood when nana used to put a plate of feta, hummus, olives, nuts and other goodies in front of us. We grabbed our bread and went to town.
Before we could finish our first course, the second course of gormeh sabzi was placed in front of us. The owner asked me if I was persian since apparently only middle eastern people tend to order it. I told her about my family and we had a nice chat about how happy I was to share the memory of family with her and her food. She told me it made her very happy. The sabzi made me incredibly happy. Though I still think I make it better, this was pretty darn good! :)
Now, my partner is a sucker for baklava. She’s not even remotely middle eastern or greek but she lives for this stuff. She doesn’t even like sweets very much so she really is discerning about her baklava. The one at this restaurant was by far one of her favorites she ever had. It was the pistachio kind, again more authentic.
It’s not cheap but it’s also not too expensive. Nice and moderately priced. For the quality it’s well worth it. It’s also a nice break from the cheaper (though still often delicious) places near campus. It would also be a nice place to take someone out on a date while spending a little more than usual but not breaking the bank.

This was the worst dinning experience that I can recall in the Bay Area and I’ve been eating out here for over 60 years. The soup was good, but we should have stopped there. The veggie kabobs were grilled veggies without any sauce or flavoring so they were bland and uninspiring. They onions were charred but still raw. The saffron rice was good, but it didn’t help the bland veggies. The salad came AFTER the main course and was so bitter being drenched in vinegar or lemon that both of our faces puckered with each bite. Should I mention that had only two beer choices and my wine came came late? To top it off the waiter was gruff and never stopped by our table to ask how the meal was. We left feeling that we needed desert some where, but certainly not there, so we went down to the Berkeley Shattuck Hotel for coffee and desert.

I went here with a friend since both of us hadn’t tried Persian cuisine yet. It was a disappointment for me!!! The service was really slow although about only five tables were occupied. My friend ordered some tender lamb that I can’t remember the name now. He told the waitress (middle age, well dressed compared to other waitresses) he’d like to order this tender lamb dish and pointed the name of it on the menu to her. She responded, «all of our lam dishes are tender. This is a… blah blah» Maybe, I’m too sensitive because her tone was uncalled for to me. Well, he said his food was good.
I ordered a veggie kabob which was kinda lacking in taste. The only good thing about this dish was two little flavorful mushrooms and rice. Oh wow them mushrooms!!! I did not know grilled seasoning mushrooms can give out such fresh flavor and taste. It’s definitely on my list to make for a bbq picnic.
Oh yeah, he ordered the drink. I think it’s called dooug or something. Weirdest drink ever! You can even turn this drink into dare game is how weird it is for me.

Service was very slow and amounted to grunting. When we came in they did not seat us but pointed to a table and said «go sit there». The rice was not good at all. Very disappointing.

Have come back a few times but it seems like the food quality, portion size (for price) and service is declining. I come from a Middle Eastern background and know good Persian Cuisine and Kabobs in particular are my favorite. From my last experience a couple weeks ago I won’t be returning unfortunately. Between the poor customer service, uncooked chicken kabob, bland rice I’d rather drive into SF for delicious kabobs for better service all around. I do recommend the Persian tea, dessert, and garlic yogurt here, they were tasty.

Pretty good Persian restaurant, came here for a weekday lunch and thought that the experience was pleasant. The server was pleasant and I didn’t encounter the moody weird server that is mentioned several times in the other reviewer.
Even though some reviewers noted that the place looks fancy, the price is quite reasonable, around $ 11 – 14 per lunch plate. I had the Joojeh plate (grilled chicken breast, rice, and grilled tomato) which was pretty good, I’ve had better chicken elsewhere but I really enjoyed the fragrant rice. Overall, for the price and fast service I’d come back here for lunch.
I like how they gave us complimentary bread and butter and the food came out fast.

Delicious, high quality restaurant in the heart of downtown Berkeley. Great indoor seating and very nice outdoor seating when the weather cooperates. I usually opt for kubideh but this time I decided to step outside my comfort zone and try a walnut/​pomegranate stew with chicken in it. Oh my god did I make a great choice! The crushed walnuts made the texture of the stew grainy and delicious while the pomegranate added the perfect tang. Threw that stew on the saffron rice that comes with it, sprinkled on some sumac, and I was in heaven.

Bad bad bad terrible service — very very rude. Specially there is a middle aged woman who has a strange attitude and is extremely impolite. I live and work in Berkeley and always wanted to have an option in the area to take my friends to, and gave Alborz a few chances, but each time I ended up apologizing my friends and feeling really bad for taking them to such a low-​quality service restaurant. Waitresses seem to be very ANGRY that you are eating there!!! The food is OK (not anything remarkable) but the customer service is one of the worse I have ever seen in the US! I am so sorry that this place is representing Persian food! Hey everyone Iranians are nice, and the food is very delicious! These people are not our representatives!

Rude service. The female Iranian hostess is an absolute biatch! There’s no reason for anyone to be this rude. If it wasn’t for the location this place would go bankrupt:

THE RUDEST SERVICE EVER!!! We were so shocked by the rude service that we had to leave before our orders arrived. Here’s what happened:
Went there with 3 other friends. Sat down, our waiter came with menus after 15 – 20 mins and told us that one of the chefs didn’t show up without giving any notice and apologized for slow service. We placed orders.
15 – 20 mins later a female waiter with colored blonde hair, whose name was Naz comes to us and just announces that the dish that 2 of us ordered is not available. Since one of us is vegetarian, we ask for menus to order something else (not many vegetarian options at Persian places).
In the meantime, I smiled and said «we heard one of the chefs didn’t show up today», she rudely responded «no, he had notified us». Again smiling, I said: «Oh the other waiter said he didn’t give any notice. Anyways, I was joking.» She looks at me with the same rude expression and says «DO I LOOK LIKE IM IN THE MOOD FOR A JOKE?» Wow! I said «you don’t have to be so rude.» And she said «this is how I talk. Are you ordering anything or should I just cancel your order?» By this time my friends are shocked by this conversation, ask for a manager. And she said she is the manager and we should address any complaints with her.
We said we want to talk to the other waiter. The older lady waiter comes and says they are busy in the kitchen bla bla without letting us say a word. Anyways, we just got up and left. Went to an amazing Nepalese place instead, which is a story of another review.
But this place just shocked us with their horrible and rude service. What are the owners thinking by hiring such rude people?!!

Bad service ruined great food
We enjoyed the food we ordered but the slow and negligent service ruined the experience. I recommend this restaurant with the warning not to have plans afterwards. The menu offerings were interesting and we’d like to try more items in the future..

Excellent Food, great Barg Kabob. Aldo you can try Kashk e bademjan on Tadeeg. I like their plate for two, that comes for rice for two and 3 different skewers (: yummy!

Great food. Service was kind of weird
The food here is amazing. Especially the saffron rice with chicken kebob – the saffron smelled of heaven, and the taste was awesome as well. The lamb shack dish was also fantastic – the lamb shack is HUGE, and has been cooking for so long it literally slides off the bone. The sauces were awesome as well.
It’s also pretty neat that the appetizer is bread with onions. Never tried that before – but once we tried it we could see how this is a great idea.
The place looks fancy on the outside, and even more fancy on the inside once you go in. The wait staff in general are pretty nice. Unfortunately for some reason the female waitress was kind of weird – she seems very dissatisfied to work there, to the point we felt a little bad and tried to cheer her up. We felt too guilty to complain when she ignored us several times.
In any case, the food is good, so if you’re looking for great Persian cuisine, this is the place!

My experience was very below par. I realize restaurant work can be grueling so I always come in with a smile. I asked if the restaurant was still serving and she pointed at a table and said «sit there».
I motioned to grab the menu and she dropped it on the table, right in front of me. When I asked about a dish, she simply wrote it down, took my menu, and walked away. The food was mediocre. Rather than showing us the dessert menu, she dropped the check on the table and said «only one card», which unjustifiably presumed both that we were finished and that we intended to split the bill.

Rip off, Rip Off, Rip off, Trust me I am persian and been to many restaurants all my life from Meykadeh in SF to Raffi’s place in LA. But the lousy service and the way Alborz charge you up in any ways they can I.e. for adding family style, subsituting your rice with ½ salad or Soltani with Chicken Skewer subsitute for $ 38.95??? Its just too much…
I have been going to Alborz for last 10 years, walnut creek and Berkeley but last few times really pushed me to the point to write this… No more Alborz and I make sure I Tell al lmy friends and family to stop going… Bye Bye Alborz

— The hummus was excellent. Perfect tang with a little bite
— The Persian rice is excellent
— The lamb shank is ok. A touch too sweet and needed a little salt
— The chicken kabob was nicely flavored, but pretty dry
— The prices and portions were pretty tiny
— Solid service

I frequented Alborz a few years ago when I lived nearby. At the time, I was never very impressed with the quality, taste and cost of their food, but it was convenient for me given their central Berkeley location.
Fast forward to this week when I visited again. Sadly, not much has changed. The food tastes bland, the service is mediocre (rude and unaccommodating waitresses) and the cost of the food is high given the lack of service and lack of quality. We had a large group ordering a variety of dishes and except for the Chicken, they were all tasteless and bland.
To top it off, on my way to the restroom, which, by the way, is past due for a remodeling job, I found a couple of new onion bags laying on the ground right in front of the restroom doors. To think that raw food which is later served is laying on the ground is disgusting and if I would have seen this prior to eating I would have likely left.

It is with a heavy heart, a disappointed palate, and a displeased stomach that I type these lines. I had trekked over the bay and forded a couple of streams (rain was falling like a dance seen in a Bollywood production) to eat here. It had come recommended by a few folks initiated into the mysteries of Persian cuisine.
I had heard that the kabob (beef or chicken) would be good. So let’s start with that.
The kubidé (ground beef) kabob was dry, lacked sufficient salt and was overloaded with the pungent taste of white onion. Way too much of a good ingredient.
Things went downhill from there. The jujé (boneless chicken) kabob was something out of my kitchen when I was dabbling with cooking back in college (a very frightful thing even in hindsight). It was almost rubbery and felt undercooked (although the center was not pink). They had used entirely too much seasoning (easy on the citric acid additive). It was sour in a bad way. It made me angry in a mad way. I did not finish it. This rarely happens to me. «Would you like a to go box?» asked the waiter. «Ah, no thank you I’m done.» I hate being nice whence I should not. The waiter was okay although he spent most of the time talking to another employee who was complaining about her paycheck.
The two stars are because of: the parking lot across the street, the fluffy well-​cooked rice (the jewel of Persian cookery) and the tasty dugh (a drink made from yogurt, fizzy water, salt and mint). That at least went down easy.
Back to Kabobbq and Maykadeh next time. Lesson learned.