the best persian restaurants in london, ranked properly
persian food in london is not hard to find.
good persian food in london is a different story.
a lot of places can put rice on a plate, throw two tomatoes next to a kebab, add half a raw onion and call it a day. that is not enough.
for me a persian restaurant has to pass the basics first. the rice has to be fluffy, not wet and sad. the koobideh has to be juicy, not a dry mince stick. the joojeh has to taste of saffron, lemon and a proper marinade, not yellow food colouring.
the bread should arrive hot if they are serious. the stews need depth. ghormeh sabzi should taste like someone actually respected the herbs. fesenjoon should not taste like dessert sauce poured over chicken.
so this is not a list for people who only care about the wallpaper. it is food first.
some of these are old-school. some are more polished. some are better value. some are very good but too busy. you forgive a few of them for the service because the grill is doing the work.
here are the ten best, right now.
1. hafez, notting hill
hafez gets number one because it understands the assignment.
it is not the newest or loudest persian restaurant in london. good. persian food is not supposed to be judged on how many neon signs are on the wall.
it has been in notting hill for decades and still feels like a proper neighbourhood place. you go for the food, not because someone put dry ice on the rice.
the kebabs are the first test. boneless chicken should be charred outside and soft inside. lamb should taste of lamb, not just smoke and salt. the chenjeh is what i order when i want to test the grill properly.
the rice matters too. persian rice is half the meal, and bad rice ruins good meat. here it has the right lightness and the portions are not mean.
don't sit down and go straight to mains like a beginner. get kashk-e bademjan, get mast-o moosir, get bread, then decide what kind of person you are.
good for a family dinner, a casual date, or taking non-persian friends somewhere reliable. just know it is not trying to be trendy. that is the point.
2. kish, kilburn
kish is at number two because price still matters.
not every persian meal needs to become a financial event. sometimes you want a proper plate, a busy room and food that comes out generously. kish gets that.
you can tell people are actually eating here, not posing. it is busy for a reason. the portions are strong and the prices are fair for london.
this is mixed-grill territory. koobideh, joojeh, lamb, saffron rice, grilled tomatoes, bread, dips, doogh. nothing that needs a speech.
the koobideh is the dish to judge. it should have fat, moisture, seasoning and a bit of smoke. it should not taste like a supermarket burger stretched onto a skewer. kish gets the basics right.
it is not the most refined place on the list. if you want soft lighting and a plate arranged with tweezers, go elsewhere. if you want a lively room and proper portions, book it, or be patient.
3. mohsen, kensington
mohsen is the kind of place people keep going back to for years, and that counts.
persians are not loyal out of politeness when the food is bad. they complain, then complain again, then somehow still go back if the kebab is good. mohsen has earned that.
it sits just off kensington high street on warwick road. plain decor, busy service, no design awards. fine. i am not eating the curtains.
the reason to go is the grill. chelo kebab is the test: rice hot, butter melting, tomato charred, meat juicy, portion respectable. mohsen has a long reputation for getting that right.
it is also a good place for tea after, which matters more than people think. a proper persian meal should not end with a sad espresso.
don't overcomplicate the order. dips, bread, kebab, tea. go because you want a proper persian plate and you are in kensington.
4. apadana, high street kensington
apadana is the high street kensington option people know, and it has history behind it.
it is one of london's older persian restaurants, with the kind of menu you do not need to explain to anyone who grew up around this food.
the first good sign is bread. if there is fresh bread done properly, i relax a little. persian starters without good bread are like tea without colour.
it is strong on the full spread: dips, bread, grilled meat, rice, tea, dessert. the baby chicken kebab is a sensible order, moist and properly marinated.
its weakness is atmosphere. it can feel a bit bright and polished in a way that doesn't quite match the warmth of the food. but this is a restaurant ranking, not a lighting consultancy.
5. berenjak, soho and borough
berenjak gets the most attention from people outside the persian community. that can be dangerous.
when a place becomes fashionable the food sometimes starts working for the camera instead of the mouth. berenjak mostly avoids that.
it is a tehran-style kababi with a modern london feel. the grill is good, the bread matters, and the small plates let you build a proper table instead of everyone ordering one main and sitting in silence.
it has a michelin bib gourmand, which basically means good cooking at decent value for the level. cheaper than old-school west london places? no. of course not. but for central london, with this atmosphere, it makes sense.
some say it is not fully traditional. i agree. berenjak is not trying to be your auntie's kitchen, it is a london restaurant built on persian memory. that is fine. just know what you are booking.
6. naroon, fitzrovia and marylebone
naroon is one of the better modern persian places in central london because it has not forgotten the food.
some places modernise persian food by making it smaller, weaker and more expensive. naroon keeps enough substance on the plate to be taken seriously.
the menu has the right balance. familiar starters like kashk-e bademjan, but also proper dishes like tahchin and kuku sabzi. it shows the kitchen is not only leaning on kebab.
the shishlik is a strong order. lamb chops are another test of whether a kitchen respects meat. get them right and people stop talking about the price.
not the cheapest, but one of the best central options when you want persian food that feels current without becoming silly.
7. patogh, marylebone
patogh is not for everyone, and that is exactly why it is here.
it is small, direct and built around the grill. some people walk in and think it is too cramped. fine. more room for people who came to eat.
keep the order simple. koobideh and joojeh are the point. if the bread is hot and the meat is coming off the fire properly, you are doing well.
the reviews are mixed and i won't pretend otherwise. older write-ups love the cosy feel. some recent ones complain about prices and portions. value is part of food.
go when you want a casual kebab and you are not in a delicate mood.
8. sinuhe, st john's wood
sinuhe is one of those places serious persian food people mention when the subject is meat quality.
it is smaller and calmer than the big family restaurants, but the cooking has a good reputation.
the grill is the reason to go. good mixed grill is not just quantity, it is timing. chicken, minced lamb and lamb fillet do not all forgive overcooking the same way. get the whole plate right and you have my respect.
the room is cosy, which cuts both ways. if there are big tables it gets noisy, so book if you care where you sit.
if the meat is good i would rather pay a bit more here than slightly less somewhere serving dry kebab and depressed rice.
9. tandis, finchley road
tandis is not central in the strictest sense, but it is too good to ignore. and finchley road is hardly the end of the earth.
the reason it makes the list is meat. the barg gets a lot of praise, and barg is hard to fake. thin lamb fillet goes from tender to dry very quickly. if a place does barg well, the kitchen usually knows the grill.
it also has a deeper menu than a lot of kebab-only spots. zereshk polo, baghali polo, lamb shank, tahchin. that matters, because persian food is not only skewers.
the only reason it is not higher is convenience for a london-wide list. if you live nearby it might be top five for you.
10. diba, marylebone
diba gives you another proper central option, and that is useful on the london persian map.
marylebone is easy, the room is more polished, and the menu covers the expected classics.
the mixed grill is the sensible test. if the rice is fragrant, the meat is cooked well and the portions feel fair for the area, the kitchen is doing its job.
the open question with places like diba is long-term consistency. london is full of restaurants that open strong, look good, then settle into average. diba needs time to prove it can stay good. but on current form it earns the number ten spot.
the ranking
- hafez, notting hill
- kish, kilburn
- mohsen, kensington
- apadana, high street kensington
- berenjak, soho and borough
- naroon, fitzrovia and marylebone
- patogh, marylebone
- sinuhe, st john's wood
- tandis, finchley road
- diba, marylebone
the verdict
if you want the best all-round persian restaurant in london, go to hafez. it has the history, the food and the feeling.
if you want value and big portions, go to kish. just accept it will be busy.
around kensington high street, mohsen and apadana are both worth knowing. for something central and more polished, berenjak and naroon are the picks.
the rule is simple. judge the rice, judge the grill, judge the stew. everything else is decoration.