Samad Cafe

I thought I would never go in, but I read the reviews and tried it anyway. The little old man is the chef and the owner. He is an amazing chef and soo eager to please. The food is so fresh and the meat falls off the bone. I loved it and we are going back today!

Great food, don’t let the look of the place scare you off. The owner is a really nice man. Menu is limited but it’s a nice change up.

When you think of the definition of a hole in the wall restaurant, you might as well just picture Samad because that’s what you’re going to get. In business for over 20+ years, this Persian man knows what he is cooking. Cash only with limited hours and closed Sundays. those are signs of success in the food industry!
Persian food for me always equals the Koobideh, a traditional beef kabob that’s always tender and flavorful, with hints of fresh smoke from the grill. This place does it right, and had the BEST tahdig (crisp rice). I also tried the chicken kabob, but definitely was not a fan of it. In fact, I would highly suggest to steer clear of it. Make sure to get a side of yogurt to eat along with your rice!
The true test for great Persian will be if the ghormeh sabzi is any good! More to come on that oen!

I’ve been in Dallas for 1 year and for my Persian food fix I have been traveling to the Dallas burbs when I don’t feel like slaving away in kitchen for hours trying to recreate the meals my Persian grandmother makes. Thanks to Unilocal,I recently discovered this lovely hideaway (within walking distance of my apartment)!! I grabbed a coworker and we headed over.
My female colleague and I pull up and the (very) small parking lot is full at 12:15PM. We park in the lot next door (with permission from said owner), and slowly walk over. Upon entering, the smell of «Iran» takes over and I am brought back to my roots. The two of us were the only women in the restaurant, but we quickly got over that, and got ready to savor some delicious food.
Tuesday’s special was ghormasabze… One of my favorite dishes. There was so much food that the owner offered not only a to-​go container, but added extra rice for our next meal! A very sweet man!
Sadly I am moving away from Dallas, but plan to visit in my remaining time here as much as possible. Don’t let the parking lot keep you from a having a delicious meal!

I had just flown into Dallas for some meetings (near Love Field) and my coworkers suggested going to some random (chain) restaurant for a quick lunch.
Given the fact I was driving the rental car, I had veto power, and chose to exercise said rights. I pulled over and said, «We are picking the closest restaurant with at least 4-​star and 10+ reviews.» Needless to say, Samad Café came up.
After guessing which junk-​yard lot to pull into (the signs on the rusty chain link fence were a bit misleading) we found somewhere to park (next to a wrecked jeep) in front of a small brick building labeled, «M&S Auto Sales /​Restaurant.»
This place is literally a hole in the wall (but I mean that in a good way). Upon entering the café we were warmly greeted by an older man that I am guessing is Samad. He suggested a few items and we settled on a mix of chicken and beef kababs.
After a few minutes, our food came out. My first impression was not great. The rice looked dry (tasted it too) and the chicken didn’t look any better. It appeared to have been cooked on a something other than an open flame (by [my] definition, kebabs are supposed to be cooked over a flame — even if that flame is vertically oriented and fueled by propane). Both the beef and chicken tasted as if they were cooked on a griddle or were previously cooked and reheated in an oven.
It wasn’t inedible… but it wasn’t great either. But I’ve literally had better kebabs on an airplane (on both Delta Air Lines [good] and Turkish Airlines [fantastic]).
I got a good laugh when Samad came out with some pita bread, some (awesomely spicy) onion, and jar of «flavorful spice» for us. I quickly said to one of my (confused) coworkers that he was looking at jar of sumac, to which Samad exclaimed, «Wow, you know what sumac is, you are so smart!» I could only laugh.
Samad was so impressed with my sumac-​awareness that he went into the kitchen and brought out a small bowl of «something special» for us to try — which I was able to identify as ghormeh sabzi. Needless to say, Samad was beyond impressed with my knowledge of other his food and told me, «The net time you come back I’ll find something you know not about.»
Oddly enough, the sabzi was the opposite of the kebabs. It look fresh, smelled good, and was quite delicious (and I’m not normally a fan of spinach).
In the end, Samad Café gets just 3-​stars because the kebabs and rice were simply unacceptable. I might have even gone down to 2-​stars, but Samad gets an extra star for the «cool kitschy-​ness» of the establishment and the fact that he seems like friendly, yet hard working guy.

Absolute junk. They microwave food and serve it for around $ 8-​$ 10. To sum it up I had microwaved chicken, really old hard rice and tortillas (random) and it all tasted horrible. You walk in this hole in the wall thinking you might be about to find something special that your friends don’t know about and then you walk away thinking why da faak did I do that to my self. Save yourself.

Tiny hole in the wall place. Décor and ambiance is basic but the food is great. The owner is wonderful and very friendly. He recommended a variety of dishes to share for our group and it was all great. Recommend you try this place

I had the lamb shank. It was great! The meat fell right off the bone and was very tender and flavorful. I will be back.

Since we do not have any Persian Restaurants in Fort Worth, grabbing some Persian food during our next trip to Dallas has been on the to-​do list for some time. By spending New Year’s in Dallas, we were afforded such an opportunity. After a nice visit to the Dallas World Aquarium, we settled on Samad Café. There were a handful of other Persian restaurants in the area, such as in Richardson and beyond, but none really in Dallas.
After reading the reviews we definitely had the expectation going in that this place is a greasy-​spoon/​hole-​in-​the-​wall type. Wow, I really cannot emphasize that enough. It is really easy to miss as the descriptions are quite apt, just a house-​like structure in a small parking lot next to an auto sales sign.
But don’t be fooled, the food Samad serves is great! We both rolled with the daily specials, the kabobs. I went with the ground beef (kubideh) and The Girlfriend had the chicken. Both were covered in a hefty serving of rice with a nice glob of butter for you to mix in as you dig in. The rice was flavorful and moist and the kabobs were delicious. Kabobs dry out quite easily during the cooking process and that was not the problem here. Great portions, great flavor and all for a cheap price! After a few drinks our total order was about $ 20.00 (cash only).
The owner adds to the experience as well. A nice, amiable fellow who has been at this location serving home-​cooked Persian food for 23 years. If you love Persian food or if you are just feeling a bit adventurous in Dallas, definitely hit up Samad. It will be my go-​to Persian place in Dallas from here on out.

This place is great and the owner is really friendly! Stopped with my real estate agent to have lunch after looking at a property (bought the property by the way!). Anyway, walked in to a smiling Samad who graciously greeted us as we sat down. I had the lamb shank which was tender, meat falling off the bone.
Upon leaving my agent offered to pay but had no cash or cards with him. Samad without hesitation said, «don’t worry, just come back next time.» Wow, how nice of him to offer. Though I had the money and gladly paid for a delicious meal made by a gregarious guy.
I will be returning over and over again.

Me and Arman K went here based on previous Unilocal reviews. I didn’t get the lamb shank like everyone else, instead I went with the beef kabob. Arman K went with the chicken. I assume we missed out by not having the lamb shank. The price was good, but we both walked out feeling like we missed out.
If you are looking to bring a date or have a romantic dinner, then don’t come here. This is literally a hole in the wall! Cash only!

High quality Persian food for a very cheep price. You pay 7 $ for chelo-​kabob which comes with 2 skewers of koobideh along with a big portion of basmati rice and 1.5 grilled tomato and big big slice of butter. You will absolutely get for what you pay. The owner (Samad) is a generous gentleman from south of Iran and treats you very well in the restaurant.

Samad Café is a little hole in the wall. We always come on Fridays for the lamb shank with rice, which is a real treat.
Its just a nice homey place with great food.

This is hard to find: in a house with an auto sales sign up. Dumpy and Divey, but the host is friendly and the food is delicious. I had the lamb shank with green rice: fall off the bone cooked perfectly. See picture posted. $ 8.00 plus tip. Cash only.

Tuesday’s spinachy special is tasty! The beef is pleasingly tender, and Samad’s seasonings are lively and fresh. In addition, the mood is calm, Samad is kind and friendly, and one gets to watch news from a slightly different perspective. Dining at Samad’s is a refreshing experience in every way.

I’ve been meaning to come here for a few weeks, but my friends have been blocking me due to the outward appearance of this place. Anyway, I was in the area and I was alone so I decided what the hell, why not. As far as i know this is the only Persian place south of 635. It’s a small hole in the wall café. The menu is very small and changes daily. Everything is fresh and homemade. Apparently, the owner has been there for 23 years. I had the chelo kabob. It came with basmati rice and baghali pulow. It was cheap, hot and delicious. While I was there, everyone who came in ordered the special, which was braised lamb shank. I should have ordered that. It looked and smelled spectacular. Be prepared for some hot sports opinions, because they had Al Jazeera on in the background and the clientele all seemed like talkers. It was a whirlwind of Farsi and English complaining about world politics. Actually it was a lot of fun just to sit back and listen to the roar. Great place if you can get past the exterior.