Naab Cafe

This place is just great! I’ve almost tried all of their dishes as I’ve been here a good number of times. My favorite is the steak sandwich. Sandwiches are relatively small but they come with a side order of fries or salad which make it sufficient. Armin the owner is awesome and very helpful, likes to take care of all his customers. I don’t smoke hookah but a lot of people do come here because of that, seems like they provide decent service for hookah smokers as well.

New favorite lunch spot! A quick casual place to dine or get take out in the Westwood area. The Khobideh kabobs are fresh and juicy. Crisp salads with delicious creamy dressing and fluffy basmati rice. We have tried beef, chicken and lamb. All delicious. There is a cozy back patio with soft music and comfy cushion bench seating all shaded. Also, you can order ahead and the food is ready when you walk in. The staff is friendly and attentive.

This place has great food! Their soups are amazing and their sandwiches are to die for. This place is definitely a hole in the wall but this place is popular and can be really busy during certain hours. My friends really enjoyed their hookah and they allow you to play cards and backgammon unlike some other hookah lounges that don’t allow you to do so. Try this place out at late night if you are every hungry!

Excellent service. The waiter was very accommodating to us and our toddler. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Beef koobideh, chicken koobideh, falafel, hummus, shish kebab… all delicious. Would definitely come back.

I was so excited to try Naab Café and it definitely did not disappoint. Customer service was on point from start to finish; the waiter came out in a timely manner, answered all my questions, and checked up on us at various intervals during our meal.
Food was DELICIOUS. My mouth started watering the moment the plate hit the table and I got a whiff of my Beef and Chicken Koobideh over a bed of saffron basmati rice. I loved both chicken and beef koobideh; I also tried my friend’s lamb koobideh and thought that one was a bit questionable. Then again, I’m not a lamb meat person anyway.
Rice was a bit plain; it was fluffy and cooked perfectly, I just wished it was a bit more seasoned. Standard salad came with cucumber, tomatoes, and a side of ranch.
Overall, I’m a fan. Fair prices, clean restaurant, friendly service. Would definitely come back!

I’ve been here about 4 times now and mainly takeout for lunch but I’ve sat inside as well. It’s a small, casual and very basic café. Definitely nothing fancy. The inside is clean and doesn’t smell like food which is something I like.
The food is traditional Persian with a hint that is more modern and appeals to a broader group of people than those who simply like very traditional Persian food. For example, they have shirazi salad which is traditional Persian style, but they also have other more contemporary American-​suited salads as well.
If you like lamb shank like I do, you will like it here because they boil it twice which takes away the extra fat that you normally find on lamb shanks elsewhere. It comes in a spicy tomato broth with jalapeño which is fantastic but you can also request it not to be made in a spicy broth. They do only have white basmati rice which is the traditional Persian rice but it would of been better had they offered the other types of rice dishes our Persian cuisine.
You can get rice or rice/​salad as your sides. The best part is the prices are exceptionally competitive. For less than $ 15.00 or so you can get a quality, complete meal here. They have appetizers and sides that are very good as well. I look forward to trying the tabouli with filet mignon next time!
For those who expect white glove service — this is a CAFE. Hence the name. You can get more personalized service at Flame restaurant a couple blocks down and the price will match the service as well. Although the one time I did dine in at Naab, my service was fine. They bring to your table and you pay later.

I love kebabs and I think this is the best kebab place I’ve been to so far. The meat was good and soft, the taste of the dish was really good. This place serves big portions too and I can’t eat them all so I had to bring some more home!

A great place to spend a Saturday night with your friends. I love this place for their hookahs! Trust me they will never fail you. Perfect service.
Their sandwiches have a reasonable price and they are fresh.

I’ve never actually stepped foot in Naab Café, but I have ordered delivery several times. There is no delivery fee and the food always arrives on time. I order my usual go-​to items (i.e., the chicken kebab or salmon plate and kashk bedemjan) and the food is always consistent. Is it the best Persian food I have had? No. However, it’s good and the service is reliable, which keeps me coming back.

Came here after a doctors appointment. When you first walk in you get the impression of a small neighborhood café. We were greeted by our waiter who was very nice. Nice Mexican waiter, I’m sorry I forgot his name. That’s my fault because we were in a rush but nice guy.
We sat down and we received water almost immediately. We ordered the hummus because everyone said it was the best. We also ordered a combo of chicken and fillet.
First came out the hummus and pita. The hummus I’m sorry to say was no where near the best. I don’t know what people have had but not the best by far. I’ve been around the world to have hummus.
Then the combo came out with beef and chicken along with rice and salad. The waiter also brought us a lemon juice and mint salad dressing compared to the sweet dill they gave to start out with. Everything was good. No complaints about the main course. Very solid food.
We waited a very long time to see our other waiter. For some reason he didn’t check on us for dessert our check for over 35 minutes? I don’t know if that is a custom of Iranian restaurants?
We ordered the rose Marie ice cream and 1 baklava. Very delicious to both desserts. I would probably come back but wouldn’t go out of my way.

I am so disappointed with Naab café. The one star awarded is for the hummus and pita (very good and warm pita). The service was TERRIBLE. I was blatantly ignored by the woman working at the front; both when I arrived and left. Naabs Unilocal account says they serve hookah, but when I asked about it, the woman behind the counter asked if the server if he could «make one» (As if they didn’t have enough time for their customers). I was shocked. She seemed more preoccupied with take-​out orders and her iPad than customer service. The waiter was very preoccupied with one table in the back. They were busy, but not packed. The only nice person to me was the guy just making hookah. I didn’t even get a napkin! Needless to say it was a very bad experience; I hope they make some changes so no one has to experience what I did.

I always come for the Koobideh. Not an expert in Iranian food but I have to say I absolutely love how they prepare the meats! Lamb Koobideh is my personal favourite but Beef and Chicken are superb too. Someone will have to tell me if the Koobideh here is authentic or not. Also the rice is great, salad is fresh with very delicious sauce.
For the other dishes, the kebab is good too, although I prefer the koobideh. I tried Lamb Shank once. Very spicy (in fact if it is even a little bit more spicy then I wouldn’t have been able to finish it) but I liked it.
Time to go again tonight. Craving koobideh again
Hint: the koobideh entrees are large. Not sure if they allow people to do this but I would say ordering one entrée with 2 skewers is enough food for 2 non-​hungry people.

I really love this place. their food is tasty, prices reasonable, their hookah HITS, and they have backgammon sets… All around great.
I usually order their organic quinoa salad with a slice of hot salmon and their yogurt dill sauce. It is heavenly.
I just recently started going their at night time for dinner and hookah, so I recommend their aash reshte and their khashk-​e-​bademjoon. Nomz.

2/​10, would not order again.
Tried to order via eat24 — «your address is not within the delivery radius.» This place is 1.04 miles away. Ya suuuuure?
Called them to order instead. After saying the word ‘delivery,’ I was handed over to someone else, who sounded like they REALLY didn’t know what they were doing. Didn’t understand he’d need my address, or notes to get in to the apartment, or anything. When determining how to pay, he handed me off to someone ELSE to do payment. A bit odd.
I decided to pay with card. I NEVER pay with card over the phone, but I didn’t have enough cash on me for the order. Why do I never pay with card on the phone? Read on, gentle reader, and listen to my tale of woe.
I thankfully selected a card with a high degree of fraud protection and, for the VERY FIRST TIME, gave out the three-​digit security code on the back of this particular card. I was wary. Oh, yes, my friends, very wary… for you see, that three-​digit code is SUPPOSED to be proof that one is physically holding the card — giving it away defeats the purpose of having it! However, this is LA, where people set up restaurants without really knowing what they’re doing, and henceforth ask for your security code all the time. On this single occasion, I was not strong enough to say ‘you know what? never mind’ and find an alternative to order from online. How silly was I, to think that these people were simply foolish businessmen, and not enterprising credit card thieves!
The food, when received, was handed over by a very pleasant gentleman. Nothing to say about him other than the pleasantry. Good man, pleasant gentleman. Good man.
The food ITSELF left a LOT to be desired. The salad was nice and fresh, but the lamb was so overseasoned that it was more like tofu that someone really didn’t want to taste. The rice was fair. Falafel? I was not impressed by the falafel.
But alas, I was sated. And at the end of the day, that’s all one could ask for, right? Worth maybe three stars for average food?
No sir. The next day, I find a $ 3500 charge on my credit card that was not authorized. EDIT: the charge was not from Naab café, obviously, in case that wasn’t clear. It is likely, however, that whatever HUMAN took the card information kept it and did unspeakable things with it.
I’d stay away from Naab café. Also, don’t be like me — don’t give that 3 digit security code out (in fact, maybe insist that waiters run the card in front of you so you can watch whether or not they write the 3 digits down)…

For one reason or another, I had never tried out this place despite the very good reviews. Just last week, when I noted for the third time in a week that someone for my building was ordering from this place, I decided to give it a shot. And I’m glad that I did.
Feeling like kebab, I decided to order some beef and chicken options, which ended up both being great. Beyond great. However, it is the beef koobideh that was really outstanding. If you try this place, the beef koobideh is definitely not to be missed. Make sure you tell the server that you wanted it medium, assuming you don’t like well done. A lot of Persian places just assume medium-​well by default.
I’m excited to try some other options given that the menu has lots of varieties. It doesn’t only have Persian food. Or typical Persian food.
The ambiance is pretty decent. Casual café style. It seems the most people also head to the back where there is a hookah lounge.
There is no parking so you have to look for street parking on Westwood which is always problematic.

This place is close to my work so I decided to give it a try and I’m happy I did! I ordered the beef koobideh to go. It came with rice, tomato, salad, and a skewer of beef koobideh.
The salad was nothing special but still good. The meat was sooo tasty and juicy. The proportions were a little off as I had a lot of rice left over. But I loved the rice so I ate it all by itself!
I’ll be back to try the rest one of these days!

I came here twice in the same week. Its located early on Westwood Avenue while going South from Wilshire Blvd on the right side. They have a patio in the back which is where the young crowd goes to.
They have a pretty basic menu which you would find any your standard Persian restaurant. You can either get 1 skewer of meat and or for $ 5 more, you can get 2 skewers on most dishes. They have a pretty good Chicken Kebab, Beef Kobideh, and Lamb Shank. The rice is amazing and I think better than Shamshiri. The ash-​e-​rishay (soup) is probably the best in Westwood, one could possibly get full off of this as well. They can also provide a whole cut up watermelon on some nights.
The service is great and they are open late.

Absolutely and undeniably delicious. I had the chicken and beef koobedah combo and both were great. Also nothing beats that white sauce that they put on the side, epic!
Great super casual option, place is nice and clean and everybody is real pleasant.

This café covers many bases well: hookah, food, tea, and a study area. It’s in Westwood, near Persian Square.
I come here at various days and times. Sometimes I post here on weekends to study during the day, and head out to party with friends those evenings. Their salmon plate keeps my studying going, and so does their chai. Their wraps are pretty good, too, and I recommend their falafel sandwich. The best study area is the front indoor seating area. Toward the back, there is a semi-​covered patio. They have couches, chairs, and tables to smoke hookah and chat with friends.
I see mostly Persian locals and UCLA students who come here. As I frequent many businesses in West LA, many people here know me on a first name basis. They are friendly and helpful.

Walking in Westwood today, I was tempted by the exotic and delicious smells wafting from this little Persian café. Upon entry I found the staff polite and friendly. There is a counter business here as well with walk-​ins ordering to go meals, but to my surprise the waiter offered me to sit and told me to pay later. After taking my order he conversed with me about the Farsi Rap music that was very similar to a cross between Linkn Park and Eminem; only in Farsi. Pretty awesome music all in all. We talked about the underground music scene in Tehran which fascinated me and gave me a business idea, but will look into that later.
My food came promptly. I had ordered my Persian staple, Koobideh Chicken. I found the food excellent and especially enjoyed it with a Mexican Coca Cola with real sugar; nice touch. The kitchen, which is visible from the counter, was clean and well stocked. The tables and floors were also clean. Parking is a challenge here if you are driving as it is meter only out in front on Westwood Blvd. Will be back for sure. For the meal and soda, after tax and tip, I paid $ 15 even. Decent price, nice service, and clean = a do again for sure. Thank you Naab Café.