Zafron Restaurant

I was interested in going to dinner with a friend to Rumi’s kitchen, however, said friend, talked me into trying out Zafron instead. Not being a ‘Persian Food connoisseur’, I complied. Zafron was less crowded, not as loud, and not as busy as Rumi’s, and had a nice ambience to it. The meal was good, not outstanding, but good. We ordered hummus for an appy, and it was delicious, and we both ordered the filet kabob for our meal. My steak was a little dry, and a little tough, but had a good flavor. Waitstaff was attentive and friendly. I will be returning, and will likely try the chicken or shrimp on my next visit!

Good place to get some Mediterranean food. Had their veggie plate for the entire and the Mirza gashmi for the appetizer and a huge piece of baklava for desert. The outer layer of the baklava was a little soggy apart from that was rich and yummy! But, all in all a good place to try.

A large party of which I was a part visited, most of us for the first time. The décor is attractive and upscale — this is definitely an adult restaurant (i.e., no kids, even at lunchtime). We received flatbread with herbs, radish, walnuts, cheese & tomato on the house. In our party, we had fish, lamb, and veggie dishes. All of the food was tasty and nicely plated. However, one member of our party’s order was wrong, and instead of apologizing and bringing the correct order, the staff argued at length. Also, the staff ran a credit card through improperly, and called later to re-​run the card. They didn’t offer apologies, a dessert, a discount for a future visit (normal things one would expect when the staff messes up). So, even though the food is quite good, due to the ridiculous staff/​management behavior, and the multitudes of competing Persian restaurants in the area, I will not be back.

Love this restaurant. Much quieter and less expensive than Rumis.

Came here for dinner. Had the Zaffron trio (3 dips of ur choice) and fire roasted salmon. All delicious. Great service. Asked for some extra bread to take home w my leftovers and server was very gracious. Would like to check out lunch here the next time. I tend to always go to Rumi’s down the rd, but this would be good to change it up sometimes when I’m in the mood for Persian food.

I love this place! The food is wonderful! The staff is very friendly and engaging. Although my first time here, I feel so much at home and want to come back again! Great place!

I can’t say enough about how wonderful and flavorful my lamb was. My table mates had Chilean Sea Bass (fantastic) and Sultan’s Feast (incredible). But I can’t say enough about the lamb. Parvis (the manager) and Arti (our server) made sure that we had the food we wanted, the wine that we wanted and were treated like royalty.
Thanks so much, Zafron’s for the wonderful dining experience! Highly, highly recommended!

I just love it! I am just new to GA, and have been to Persian food a lot in Bay Area CA. I was actually planing today to another popular Persian restaurant which is just half miles away. It turned out being over crowed and noise as noted from my coworker. then I found Zafron and I loved here! People are nice and food is awesome! I just got another place for my Friday night…

The owner/​manager/​host at the reception wouldn’t even give table to sit even though there were plenty of tables available. Clearly exhibits preference on basis of you know what ! If you make us sit at the bar, at least have a goddamn bar stool that you can sit on comfortably. I’d stay away completely from this joke of a place. So much for Persian hospitality. Only reason I’m here still is for my hungry girlfriend!

I wasn’t that impressed with this place. While everyone is sitting here comparing it to Rumi’s, I just didn’t like it that much. We ordered the eggplant appetizer that comes with chick peas. It tasted like typical Indian chick pea dish, Chana or choleh. We ordered the Kashk bademjoon because we know we like that one. Although the service was attentive, it dropped at the end of our meal. My husbands dish was taken away when he was literally still chewing his food. Then we waited and waited for the check, even when all out dishes were taken away. To to off the entire experience, we witnessed some other guests talking to their waiter about Rumi’s and the waiter (who said he used to work there) didn’t have anything nice to say about the owner at all…

Pros:
–Great customer service from managers/​owners
–Beautiful décor and romantic ambiance
–Meat was soft and tender
–The pita was dusted with some herbs
–The hummus is pretty basic; similar to hummus I’ve tasted at other Mediterranean restaurants. Not bad, but not amazing.
Cons:
–Rice was just plain white rice with some saffron. I would’ve liked a more flavorful rice
–Meat portions were huge for the koobideh. It was about 1lb of meat. They can cut down on the portion of meat and slash the price accordingly.

This is my favorite Persian spot in Atlanta and I’ve tried a bunch of them. The service is always great and the food surpasses the service. This needs to be on your list of places to eat in Atlanta!

This place is totally fine and I’d eat here again. It’s really a 2.5. A lot of folks say it’s Rumi’s little sister which is fairly true. The food looks nearly identical (menu list and plate presentation) aside from the prices. They even use the same wooden bowls for the appetizers and table spices. This place, however, is less expensive and far less fancy than Rumi’s. The atmosphere isn’t as good, though it is a nice enough place.
The food, however, was cooked just right. The proteins were cooked to temperature. The rice was perfect. If you put a plate of this stuff next to a plate of Rumi’s not many folks could tell the difference… until they tasted it.
Don’t get me wrong. The food at Zafron is fine. The food at Rumi’s is much better. The recipes are not as flavorful here as they are at Rumi’s. I’d guess that the quality of the ingredients (spices and proteins) are not as high. Rumi’s has delicious intensely spiced and flavored food. The food here was not the same. I even noticed the feta was not as good on the plate of appetizer they drop with the bread (and neither was the bread).
If I wasn’t comparing this to Rumi’s my review might be a solid 3. But it must be compared to Rumi’s as it’s clearly modeled after Rumi’s so it’s a 2.5 for me.

I have to go 5 stars! Food was very delicious! Met 2 friends there & We had fire roasted salmon, tried 3 kinds of rice, the filet mignon shish kebab & everything was superb! For starters we shared smirked wild salmon & a roasted eggplant dish… Excellent !
The interior is warm & cozy, quiet & relaxing. Our server Melissa was knowledgeable, friendly & helpful! We all decided to bring the guys & dine there again soon!
If you are in Dandy Sorings, do not miss Zafron’s!

This area has several Mediterranean restaurants, and Zafron was one we hadn’t been to yet. We were immediately struck by the nice style and atmosphere of the restaurant. It has a very nice ambiance. I had the chicken kabobs and my husband had the chicken barg. Both dishes were incredible. I had intended to only eat half the meal, and take the rest home, but the food was so good — and I had little to eat that day — I wound up with no left overs!
Definitely check this place out if you like the other Mediterranean restaurants in Sandy Springs. We found this place to be towards the top of our list.

Take away the valet parking. Take away the open kitchen. Take away the «buzz». Zafron is Rumi’s on a sedative. It’s Rumi’s at 80, comfortably ensconced in a retirement village. «Buzzy, dahling! Is that you in the next booth?» But if you like the very same Persian food, and I mean exactly the same food right down to that lonely-​looking tomato on the plate, this is your place and you might even save a few dollars.
We most recently visited on a Tuesday night; not the highest traffic night in the restaurant business. The place was about half full with the majority of the crowd being from that previously mentioned demographic. The waitstaff quickly greeted us and we ordered drinks. They have a modest wine and beer list but no other alcohol.
We wanted to sample several appetizers so we ordered the Zafron sampler and chose the hummus, the mirza ghasemi and the kashk bademjoon. We had previously enjoyed all of these dishes at that «place down the street» and Zafron’s versions did not disappoint. Both eggplant dishes were spot on. We also ordered a shirazi salad which was large enough to share and included cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and chickpeas. It was also very good. If there was one minor disappointment, it might be the bread. It was not as fresh, hot and crisp as we had had in the past.
Like its more lively competition, Zafron is all about some form of skewered protein served with a choice of aromatic rice. We tried the barg (filet), the koobideh (ground sirloin), the lamb, the chicken and the sea bass and all were excellent, expertly prepared and accompanied by mounds of fluffy rice. If anything, the food portions are so large and the plates so big that it’s a jigsaw puzzle in the works just to keep everything on the table.
With to-​go boxes vying for table space and our stomachs full, we only sampled one dessert, a pistachio baklava which was just ok and not worth the $ 7.
So if you’re looking for excellent Persian food but want to enjoy it in a quieter atmosphere perhaps with members of your Bridge club at the next table, Zafron is your place.

One of my new favorite spots… everything was right! The dim lighting, ambiance, wine, the owner’s hospitality, the waiter’s attention… But most importantly– the food!!!
These people know exactly what they’re doing. Would love to come back sometime.

Take it from a Persian with a lot of experience and knowledge about the Atlanta Persian cuisine scene, this place has what you’re looking for.
3 of us went for dinner around 7pm on a Thursday evening. The host was excellent and polite, our waitress was phenomenal, and the food was outstanding. Be prepared for a mountain of fresh sabzi — very refreshing when many places are scant or some don’t even provide it! The atmosphere is very classy and the décor is suiting.
We ordered some apps, the soltani, and the chenjeh. I would recommend the Zafron special — it is reminiscent of a mango chutney with the chilies and I recommend if you like spice.
The soltani was great — enormous portions! Every element was good: rice was warm and fluffy and buttery, tomato was good size and charred nicely, koobideh delicious. The barg was not to my liking but it had a nice flavor
My chenjeh was outstanding. I still believe Rumi’s has the best chenjeh in Atlanta but this was easily a close contender. The flavor was sublime, the maast moosir very good, and even came with some extra basil and tomato. Heaven!
The attention to detail was also much appreciated. Having chilled water at the table so we could serve ourselves is a huge plus, a very nice sumac container was provided, the plating was thoughtful. You couldn’t ask for more!
I am glad we came to this establishment and u look forward to coming back and spreading the Persian love for Zafron!

Zafron tends to get lost among the many Persian restaurants on this stretch of Roswell Rd in Sandy Springs, but I think it’s a good contender for many reasons:
— It’s a lot less low-​brow than Rumi’s Kitchen, so it feels more relaxing and casual. Maybe a little more family-​oriented.
— Private lot! No need to succumb to valet parking! Because valet parking in Sandy Springs is just… unneccesary. This isn’t Buckhead. (Yea, I’m totally thinking of that other restaurant and Double Zero).
It’s hard not to compare this place to Rumi’s Kitchen, but it does feel like a smaller, casual «little sister» to Rumi’s. Here’s what I ate:
Lamb Kebob: This is the one thing I seem to crave at Persian restaurants. I asked for medium-​rare and it was a tad bit overcooked. It’s still palateable. The rice seemed more savory and well, usually, I’m used to huge portions at Rumi, but if i remember correctly, the price/​value seemed fair according to portions.
Zafron special: Kind of like a spicy mango salsa. Out of our apps, I think I liked this the most. It’s got some interesting spices and tastes really good with their bread. I think this was more noteable than the other dips we sampled: hummus, and the smoked eggplant.
Stuffed cabbage leaves: These were ok, not bad. You could definitely get full from ordering a bunch of apps which is something I would consider doing if you don’t want a big full entrée. This is a good app to order.
Service was just ok, it’s on par. I feel like the only reasons I would come back is if I couldn’t get a reservation at Rumi’s or didn’t want to wait. However, if I really want some big juicy lamb chunks, you’ll find me down the street.

Bottom line: Go. It’s fresh, simple, Middle Eastern food prepared in a way that extracts maximum flavor.
I get that it’s easy to slip into a «dining rut» and just keep going back for the same thing, over and over, because it requires little thought. How many of us look at our significant other at the end of the day, say, «What do you want to do for dinner?», and then shrug at each other like the Fab Four Vultures in The Jungle book? Stop the insanity. Life is too short for a continuous diet of Applebee’s or the usual steak joint, where livening things up might be ordering sauteed mushrooms with that filet… ooooohhh…
There are so many good quality restaurants out there with people that genuinely like food and enjoy preparing it for their customers. I’m traveling this weekend with my wife, and we almost slipped into that rut, 800 miles from home. We almost pulled the trigger on McCormick & Schmick’s here in Atlanta — not that there’s anything wrong with that, but just what were we expecting? Was some Atlanta fairy going to wave a magic wand over our food and make the Seared Sea Scallops taste a world away from how they taste in any other city we’ve had them? We were being lazy after a day of traveling, didn’t want to think, just wanted to go through the motions of consuming food and calling it a day. Finally we came to our senses, browsed a bit further down on OpenTable, and chose a local shop named Zafron, and are we glad we did.
The restaurant is casual, and when you walk in you wouldn’t know you were going to be handed a menu of Middle Eastern food. The owner greeted and sat us immediately despite being a half hour early for our reservation. We arrived between the waves of diners, and by the time we wrapped our dinner the restaurant was full and noisy with what sounded like good conversations — the kind of conversations brought on by good food and wine.
Lauran, our server, was genuinely enthusiastic about the food, greeting us warmly and proving that she understood how people in the Gulf States (the ones in the Middle East, not the U.S. South) eat. The wine selection was a little wanting, but it was serviceable, and along with our selection she brought the complimentary heur d’oeuvres of the evening — a basket of tasty pita with a plate of toppings of fresh goodies from Mother Nature, namely mint, tarragon, radishes, walnuts, cucumbers, olives, some very good feta. Stack-​to-​taste the ingredients and savor. And, we’ve never put fresh mint together with those other ingredients, but it worked beautifully.
Next we had a yogurt trio, one with cucumber and mint, one with spinach, and one that was a simple, plain yogurt. The first two were spectacular, the last paled compared to the other two. We didn’t quite finish all the yogurt, and Lauran smartly left the remnants on the table, and we found out why a few minutes later.
Our entrees were simple, but incredibly flavorful. Kathy had tandori chicken with rice mixed with almonds, orange zest, pistachios, barberry. The chicken was moist, tender, and just the right spice, and the rice blew us away — amazing flavor explosion. I had the Soltan’s Feast, which was tenderloin, prime ground beef, and simple basmati rice with a baked tomato on the side. It may all sound boring, but it’s an exercise in extracting the most flavor one can out of basic fresh ingredients, and they nailed it. And as a plus, the left over yogurt made a great dipping sauce for the meat.
Desert was an apricot mousse atop a sponge cake with an apricot sauce. Simple and tasty.
If you ever find yourself in the northern burbs of Atlanta, do yourself a favor and have a meal at Zafron. I know the urge to go to your favorite, predictable haunts, but give this place a try for something different. You won’t be disappointed.

I had lunch here with a dozen family members and family of family. The name says Mediterranean cuisine. The menu is Persian.
The service was lovely and the food was very good.
Here’s the amazing thing: all those special family members (we all have them in our families) with allergies and dietary restrictions were very happy with their meals. Even the pickiest, whiniest rellie was delighted.