Havas Persian Cuisine

It’s the strangest thing how there aren’t many Persian restaurants in dtla. Or at least I haven’t discovered them yet…
On my quest to find my new go to place in downtown, I found this spot and my friends and I decided to check it out.
The good:
Place is new so everything is clean, modern looking and there’s a parking lot right next to the place which was really convenient and great. Also the service and staff were really friendly which is always a plus in my eyes
The bad: the food was okay, will explain below, I wish there was some background music or something to liven up the atmosphere, and the door wouldn’t close all the way so there was a fly buzzing around inside which didn’t help the dining experience
The food:
the kashgeh bademjoon and tahdig were both a huge disappointment. The kashg was very runny in the bademjoon and was screaming for some salt and pepper. The tahdig was paper thin and not made to hold the stew that goes on top.
The shish kabab and ground beef kabab were decent. But what really shined was their boneless chicken kabab. It was surprisingly tender and full of flavor. My favorite item I tried there.
Also they grill jalapeño peppers and bring with your food which is really good.
Not a bad spot but it won’t be my new go to spot. Still on the quest for a great Persian spot in downtown

I honestly don’t want to give businesses less than 3 stars, but this one was just very disappointing I had to write about it.
We came in at around 11 am for lunch about a week ago, and the place was empty. The only staff in the restaurant was the nervous woman who kept pacing back and forth and forgot our utensils and water, and the man who I assume is the chef of the restaurant.
I really like Persian cuisine, and have tried it from several places. That’s why I was super excited to try Havas to support new businesses. We ordered chicken kabob, and when the food came, it was disappointing. The roasted tomato was not even roasted, and the chicken was dry. The woman did not even serve us water until the food arrived, so I feel like that was poor coordination. I noticed she was very nervous, so I didn’t bother asking her for more water instead.
I’m a bit worried about this establishment — it has great potential, because of the neighboring businesses and the décor that they have. Plus the food can always be improved. But the parking situation outside sucks, and also the service.
I’ll still go back, just to see if things have changed. But for now, 2 stars :(

We walked in for a late lunch (1:30pm) after not being able to find another Persian restaurant that my boss wanted to try. They had one waitress way in the back behind a long counter that we had to get her attention first before sitting down. The plates were kind of dirty, coworker had to swap it with another plate and still wipe it off.
Boss had the chicken barg, I had the chicken soltani, and coworker had the cornish game hen. I guess my rice didn’t come with saffron cuz it was just plain but theirs did. Everything tasted fine but it wasn’t anything that good so no real complaint about the food.
The service was extremely lacking. The restaurant was only 20% full being it’s no longer typical lunch time. Waitress came back one time cuz my coworker asked for more water but she took the glass and never came back! She never checked on us or like I said, never came back with his water or any refills. After waiting for what seems like forever and she still ignored us, I finally went to the counter in the back and got a box for my leftover and the check for the boss to pay.
Overall, this place was a big disappointment.

Okay I will give them an extra star because the owner wrote back and apologized for the raw kabobs. You can read my previous review below.

Amazing! I went to Havas for the first time last week with friends and came back yesterday for more. I ordered with a large group, so tried a little of everything. I loved it all, but the koobideh (both the beef and the chicken) is the best I’ve ever had. It was incredibly juicy and full of flavor. My mouth waters just thinking about it. The prices were incredibly reasonable for the quality and the service was prompt. I am definitely coming back!

Had the koobideh and chicken… And it
Was cooked perfectly ! Had a good
experience with service, friendly staff and amazing food! Would definitely come back !!

Definitely addicted to the koobideh here I could have it everyday. The meat is quality and flavored nicely. This place is a must!

Very good Persian food in downtown. Great service too. Will be back for sure. Love the Rice… Ty

I work in downtown LA and I looked up Unilocal for Persian Restaurant. I have been to Shekarchi Restaurant a few times. Havas is super authentic. There koobieh is amazing, so is the crispy rice and gheymeh. I was reading some of their last reviews which had some bad ratings and completely disagree. My food was super tasty and fully cooked. Now this place is the only persian restaurant that I will go to in downtown LA. :)

Its been a long time that we been looking for a good Persian Kosher restaurant in DownTown and till now there was none! Havas has quality food and amazing service.

First time coming here, we walked in just past 6:30 and were told that they were closed. Why list a 7 PM closing time when you’re no longer serving customers who come in half an hour before then? Are there that many people who eat dinner at 5 PM? This is just my opinion, but it seems like it would make business sense for a restaurant to stay open long enough to serve the full range of dinner hours or just close at, like, 3 in the afternoon.
– End opinionated rant about hours, begin review about food –
When I finally ate here for lunch, I was surprised to be so underwhelmed after having read such positive reviews on Unilocal.I ordered a chicken koobideh sandwich and found it mediocre at best. It seemed like there was as much parsley as there was meat, which means entirely way too much parsley and not nearly enough chicken. I’m not the world’s number one fan of the herb, so I do tend to avoid parsley-​heavy foods like tabbouleh. However, I don’t mind it sprinkled in to a sandwich or as a garnish. Unfortunately, this was pretty much all I could taste in my sandwich.
Won’t be ordering that again, but I might give this place another shot since it’s 2 blocks away from my place, and the rest of the reviews here seems to suggest my experience was an unusual one.

We ordered the chicken kabob sandwich. The chicken was completely raw and undercooked in both sandwiches. Also the dressing they give you with their house salad is store bought wish bone style dressing. Unacceptable.

Kosher options in downtown are limited but that is not why i am a regular here. If i want to bring some customers over for lunch i can bring them here to make the right impression. This place is clean and classy. The meat quality, ingredients, and prep are a 10.
The portions will fill you up.
DEFINITELY TRY THE SHISH KABOB i am addicted, its cooked to the perfect mouth watering medium rare for sure try it.

Ordered delivery yesterday for the first time. Delicious, authentic, and like mama used to make. Their stews were right on, much better than I have had anywhere in downtown or Orange County. Nice job Havas I’m coming back for seconds soon.

Nice place, good food, good service. I had the Soltani with salad. Perfect spot for lunch and dinner. I’ll be back soon…

Great food. I usually don’t even like salad but the one here was amazing. The head chef is a grest guy and came to day Hello once we were done. Try the turkish coffee after your meal.

I love the traditional Iranian paintings I got the kabob wrap it was delicious. No wait nice and air conditioned with soft music. recommend

Amazing Persian food in the middle of downtown. Quality of food is superb! I am Persian and super picky with food, this is my favorite place now.

Yum! Persian Food! Havas is the newest most friendly kitchen in DTLA… Snuck right around the SE corner from 7^th and Hill Streets… The Chicken Soltani is mouthwatering in the just the right juices… Koobideh sandwich is a great «lunch» creation for $ 7…Ghormeh Sabzi is an excellent stew over basmati rice! Here they pay a lot of attention to detail, smiling faces, and want you to come back time and again.

Awesome new place. Glatt kosher too. We are lacking good kosher restaurants in downtown Los angeles so I figured I would give this place a try. I was impressed with the meat quality, portions were OK. The décor is nice, but I feel like their AC was busted. Hot as balls in here, so prepare to sweat on a hot day.
Overall, I would order from here again.