Cafe Caspian

Family dinner last Friday. Celebrated my roommate buying a house! Yay! Service was good. Good was AWESOME! Beef barg was amazing as was the tahdig (crispy rice) best Persian restaurant in Houston.

I have cheated my taste buds one Kasra. This place has great customer service. Their food was good too, but as I was eating I kept thinking about Kasra. Lots of parking spot available to park, the outside is very cute and smells wonderful from all the fragrant flowers and inside is somewhat a romantic atmosphere.
What we ordered was the hummus, which was garlicky and thick and their bread was sub par just because it was fluffy but it was warm and flat, burnt /​hard in the middle.
I ordered the Cornish hen and it was very dry and I didn’t even finish my dish. The mister ordered the chicken and beef kabob and the beef kabobs a must try, it was really flavorful and kept me wanting more of it. Our friends ordered the chicken barg and it was dry as well.
I knew better than to order any chicken dishes when u read the reviews but I ordered it anyways to see if it was true and yes don’t order chicken unless u like dry stringy chicken.

I’ve been coming here for years now, that the owners know us.
Pros:
— Great atmosphere.
— Good food.
— Good prices.
Don’t miss out on the hummus.
Cons:
— Entrance from Westimer is terrible.
— The restrooms.
— Soda comes in bottle.
— Tables are too close to each other’s.
Overall a nice place for a date night.

Wonderful show of Iranian food. Fine ambiance and from the get go the feel is that of a traditional restaurant as persian families surrounded us at all times.
Service is very good and willing to explain the dishes well. A naïve palate like my own expected this to look a lot more «middle eastern/​east mediterranean» but i was surprised. The flavor profile and techniques are completely different and amusing. They are not shy on flavor or portions and make for a great experience. Worth coming back

One of my favorite restaurants!
I always order beef koobideh, which I always recommend to my friends.
They make their own bread, you can even see the oven and how they make it in the back of the restaurant.
Before you get your meal, they always bring you warm bread and some
vegetables and cheese to go with it!
They also have a nice selection of wine

This is my second visit in one week!
What keeps me coming back for more.
The MEAT! The salmon kabob, lamb chenjeh, and fesenjan are where it’s at.
+ saffron ice cream
+ bread with feta
+ any of the special rices
Not as impressed with the wine selection or the kashk-​e bademjan but nothing was inedible.
Good vibes, too

Great cuisine with good vegetarian options (they can make the vegetarian version of few non vegetarian dishes). Try their Doogh for beverages — its one of those delicious yogurt drinks with spices that leaves your tastebuds pleasantly surprised. We tried the appetizers — Kash-​e-​bademjan which is an eggplant dip and hummus along with the sesame bread and they were great. The server told us they could make vegetarian version of few of the stews listed. So we ordered the Veggie Ghemeh which was made of lentils, veggie esfenaj o aloo which is a spinach stew and Khoresh e bademjan which is an eggplant stew with grapes added that give it bit of extra sourness (if you like sour taste). All the stews are served with rice and salad and was very delicious. We ended our meal with the famous saffron ice cream. Good service and great food!

Price: This place is more expensive then Kasra which wouldn’t be a problem if the quality of the food was better than Kasra but it’s not.
Some of the reviews say it’s more upper class than Kasra but unless they’re talking about the decorations I don’t understand what they mean. My bill here was $ 42 for the same food at Kasra the bill would prolly be $ 10 cheaper.
Taste: I ordered Hummus, Sultani Combo with Jewel rice and Saffron ice cream.
The hummus taste average it’s not bad but no where close to the hummus from Kasra. The Sultani combo taste somewhat similar to sultani combo from Kasra but Kasra still taste better. As for the saffron ice cream it’s similar to certain flavors of Kulfi (indian ice cream) you can get at a indian store so it’s not that big of a deal.
I am just gonna stick to Kasra, it taste better and is reasonably priced. This place in my opinion is overrated and overpriced.

Café Caspian serves your Persian cuisine expertise and is more upscale than kasra, Bijaan and darband.
The ambiance is nicely decorated and workers r very attentive. Usually the owners son is present almost everyday. Café Caspian is closed on Mondays, so Plan accordingly.
In my opinion they have the best hummus in the city. It is delicious And freshly made and served with grilled pita bread salad and feta Some prefer kasra, others Bijaan, or darband, but I like café Caspian because of the service and quality of food.
I usually order kubideh kabobs which are 2 skewers served with rice and grilled tomatoes. Try the soltani or Barg kabob which is steak meat. Meat is tender and grilled to perfection. U can also customize your order of rice to a more upscale or speciality rice. They also serve delicious baba ganoush and their chicken kabobs are excellent too.
A must go for all Persian food lovers. THis place is good for groups also.

It was good but I find that everything I ordered tasted the same. The rice was delicious! The hummus with the sesame bread was so good!
Love it!

Only giving a four star because I have yet to try more but I will definitely be back. Food I had was phenomenal. The bread is super yummy here, baked on the interior walls of a high heat pit (forgot what method of cooking bread is called) but it was super tasty along with the basil leaves and feta cheese. I had the lamb shank which was mind blowing. Quick tip, put some butter in your rice for more flavor. My friends had the first two entrée dishes, forgot what they were called but it was lamb and beef, which was pretty good but not as good as my shank.
Had the ice cream and it was a different and unique flavor. Friend didn’t like it as much as I did, but I would say you have to get a few scoops to get used to the flavor
EDIT: I said this was Mediterranean food but it isn’t. I stand corrected. It’s Persian food, but nonetheless best Persian food I’ve had in Houston!

This the first time me and my family enjoyed all different types of food it is as delicious
For sure its not the last time

Amazing ambience with great food!
Little expensive but worth the money
The order comes in time and you dont have to wait for long hours! The service is amazing too!

My first exposure to Persian food is at Kasra, which could arguably be the best Persian restaurant in Houston. And then I had Avesta, a newcomer but one that raised the bar pretty high. I then decided to give Café Caspian a fighting change to see if it could make it into the Persian food rotation. I don’t think it will make it, however.
The hummus is pretty good. It’s not as good as the one at Kasra (hands down the best) or even at Avesta, but it’s pretty good. Maybe it’s just not as garlicky as the other ones I’d had from the other restaurants. The pita bread that are served came fresh and warm, but for whatever reason, it cooled down quick. Like quick-​quick! Not sure why because I can see in the background that all the breads were prepared fresh.
The service, although good, was not exceptional. Not after the kind of service that I’d experienced at Kasra and Avesta. Our waiter was pretty attentive when he was around, but he wasn’t always around. From what I saw, there were only two or three waiters for the whole restaurant? But hey, don’t take that as bad service because that’s not the case.
Now when it comes down to the food, I ordered the same thing I always get at Kasra and or Avesta — the beef soltani kebab. I get one barg (filet) and one koobideh (ground beef) kebabs. They were good, but not as flavorful. The koobideh was definitely superior to the barg, It had more flavor compared to the barg, which I thought was almost bland. My sister ordered the chicken soltani, and she enjoyed the chicken barg more than she did the chiken koobideh.
The price point is here is pretty much on par with Kasra. My meal cost me $ 21 and my sister’s cost $ 18. The same meal at Avesta is a few bucks cheaper and this is the main reason why I don’t think Café Caspian will make it to the Persian food rotation. Avesta offers better value for the price and a better service. On top of that, you get complimentary Persian tea which you don’t get at Café Caspian.
If my friend is doing dinner here, I wouldn’t mind coming back here again. But if I were just craving some Persian food in general, then I would go to either Kasra or Avesta.

My bestie introduced me to Persian/​Iranian food almost 10 years ago. I love this place. It was kind of far and a lot of traffic to deal with, but I work down the street now. Yay! I love the complimentary pita style bread and the cheese! It reminds me of feta. The hummus is tasty. My bestie loves the eggplant dip. My favorite dish is the beef kobideh. It’s always so juicy and tender, this place serves up the best basmati rice you’ll ever have. I’ve never had a problem with the food or service.

Tough review to write because I really like the food here. However, I worry that there may be MSG in the seasonings and spice rubs they use for the meats. I am very sensitive to MSG and could feel the sensations after my meal — thirsty, headaches, malaise, heartburn, etc. To be fair, I’m not sure but my body ain’t lying either.
I will say their cold dish appetizers are great and I’ve had no problems there. Good place for families as they can turn multiple orders into family style platters. Hopefully the owners can be extra careful with what seasonings are going onto the meats.

I been coming here for years. Since before my oldest daughter was born. I truly love this place. It’s romantic also tucked away. The food here as not lost its flavored n kick all these year she I recommend this place to everyone.
I love the eggplant as my appetizer.
But practically every dish is delicious.
Good for a cozy get together.
I have came here many times on a rainy day and sit by the window. Is just so beautiful.

As my in-​laws are Persian I consider myself in the know! This place has the best Persian food in the Houston area. The staff are well informed, hospitable & are always willing to offer great suggestions. Should you wish to practice your Farsi skills most of the employee are happy to oblige! It’s clean & the décor is filled with Persain rugs but the main attraction is the taftoon oven station. It’s a clay oven that they use to cook the bread, it’s very similar to a tandoori oven.
They start you off with freshly baked taftoon bread, feta cheese, fresh basil, radishes & raw onions for free when you order an entrée. If you are a group of 4 or more people I strongly suggest you try a few of the appetizers. The kashk-​e-​bademjan (eggplant dip), hummus & the mast-​o khiyar (my favorite) are absolutely delicious.
The gheymeh, koresh-​e bademjan & the ghormeh sabzi are staples in Persian cooking however I find my mother in-law’s stews much better so I’ll take a pass.
The koobideh (ground beef), the barg (filet) & the soltani (a combo of koobideh & barg) are originally beef and/​or lamb & that’s how they should be eaten. If you’re going to get the chicken then just get something else. The other major hit with my family is the mahiceh (lamb shank), they substitute the sbazi polow (herb basmati rice with fava beans, it’s really good) for the albalu polow (cherry rice). If you want something light the tilapia is flavorful as well.
My favorite dessert is the saffron ice cream with pistachios, the taste is undescribable & makes your taste buds pleasantly surprised. We usually finish off with some hot tea to help with digestion! They do offer wine if you are interested in ordering any.
This is the place we go to meet with family when we don’t want to have to clean up afterwards!!!

Great restaurant! My family and I have been coming to this restaurant for quite some time now. My two favorite dishes must have to be the Mahicheh (Lamb Shank) and the Tu Por (Stuffed Kabob). The Tu Por has especially captured my attention. It consists of either beef or chicken, thinly sliced, and wrapped around jalapeños, cheese, and basil, and grilled to perfection! Simply delicious!
Very polite servers and large portions. Comfortable atmosphere and easy parking. All in all great restaurant!

I frequented this place a couple of years ago and had their chicken soltani that came with white basmati rice and grilled tomatoes. I thought it was okay compared to the oh-​so-​awesome chicken shawarma from Phoenicia’s Deli that was located directly across the street. The dish was very meaty, meaning that the veggies to chicken ratio wasn’t very proportional, and the chicken was dry. I told myself that I’d never go back for that again. Phoenicia’s Deli all the way!
Just recently, my team wanted to try this place out for lunch since they’ve never been. Since I didn’t want to be a Debbie Downer, I agreed to go. This time, I ordered the eggplant stew with chicken. My thought was that if the chicken was dry again, at least the tomato sauce would mask it. The dish came with a plate of white basmati rice, and it was pretty tasty. The portion size was pretty big since the plate of rice was huge; whereas, the bowl of stew was decently sized. Overall, I thought it was pretty good, and it made me have second thoughts about this restaurant. I guess everyone does deserve a second chance. However, I wouldn’t recommend the grilled meat dishes, but I do recommend the stew. If you want to upgrade your basmati rice by getting the toppings, I highly recommend it as well. Just make sure it doesn’t clash with your stew (or whatever entrée you choose to get).
There is plenty of parking since this restaurant is located in a shopping center. There has never been a wait during the times I’ve dined here. If you’re planning to try Persian food for the very first time, I recommend this place.