Shalezeh

I have been at Persian restaurants before and this place was a two stars.
I had lamb barg and my wife had ground sirloin kubideh. Lamb barg was OK, slightly over cooked on the sides. Kubideh was very very undercooked, pink in the middle. I know kubideh shouldn’t be like that. I asked the waiter to take it back to the kitchen and recook, instead of complaining about that. Waiter took it and brought it back. This time it was burnt. The first problem was that the cook clearly did not know what he/​she was doing or he/​she did not even try to do it well. The second problem was that other than an apology, the waiter did not offer to replacing it with another food or making the same food again. The waiter never came back to check how we were doing after he brought the food second time. For the food that we had, it was overpriced.
Besides, its restaurant inspection result (letter grade) which is an indication of their hygiene rate was a B, while most of the restaurants at that street was A. The letter grade was not visible from the entrance. We saw it accidentally.
By the way I am assuming their menu at their website was not updated. The prices were higher than their online menu. For instance, the kubideh is $ 12 on their website, while it is $ 19 at the restaurant.
Two stars was for the rice. It was really good.
While I am usually a good tipper, I did not tip well and wrote an explanation to the receipt. Hope this was a one time bad experience but will not go back there again.

I came here for dinner with my husband and father-​in-​law. It was easy to have a conversation here. The tabuleh was really delicious. I love it when it’s made with extra lemon and when the bulgar wheat holds it’s firmer texture. The bread served was nice and firm on the outside with some give on the inside. This is perfect for if you get eggplant or yogurt appetizers, where these breads can maintain its form while you dip. However, I found the Baba to be at best OK.
I ordered the Lamb Barg for dinner and it was pounded to death and over-​cooked. The flavor was nice, and I enjoyed the spicy cilantro-​based dipping sauce, but the texture was lacking. Good lamb does NOT need to be pounded flat. The saffron, lentil, and raisin rice was really tasty.
Overall, I would consider coming here again to either have more of the tabuleh or to try something else. But I’m not in a hurry. The service was good and prompt, but not all of the food was enticing for a return.

I was walking in manhattan and saw this restaurant so I stopped in for lunch.
I had the Humus and the fesenjoon. My friend had the Yog Cue and the lemon chicken.
All was great.
They have really nice outdoor seating. The waitstaff is nice.

We started with the Mediterranean salad which was good, but nothing spectacular. The cheese on the salad was pretty delicious and the olives were good quality. For $ 10, I thought the serving was really stingy.
They served warm bread on the side, but it was really missing something. Dry crispy wheat pitas and dry flat bread. I suppose they wanted us to buy dip with it or something? But it seemed strange to serve bread this way.
I tried the chicken sultani and my lunch date had the cornish hen. The chicken was well made. Moist and hot when it came out. I tried the #4 cherry rice which had a little too much cherry flavor to it for my liking and I thought it was a little too sweet.
I found myself wishing that there was some sort of yogurt sauce to go on top.
We had the ice cream for dessert (three scoops including cherry, rose and pomegranate). The rose definitely tasted like roses which meh I didn’t like but it grew on my fiancé as he ate it. The cherry was delicious and the pomegranate was too tart.
The place was a decent meal and I if you haven’t had it, I would encourage you to give it a try. I’m not sure that we’ll be back just because there are so many other places to try throughout the city and the prices are a little steep for what it is. ($ 71 including tip for the meal above, no drinks)
The ambiance is very pleasant and service was not a problem.

Best lamb stew ever, I love their cherry rice and their yogurt and cucumber appetizer I do really recommend this place if you want to eat a excellent and traditional Persian food you should come to this place
Excellent costumer service and very cozy place

I had the most splendidly creamy and well-​balanced hummus that went well with their life-​changing toasty, roasty pita bread. The vegetable stew was chocked full of good flavor that went very well with their mildly flavored rice that was cooked with broad beans. Their falefel was sainty and crisp, with a not-​too-​sour yogurt dip. Great place for a great meal without breaking the bank! Service staff were friendly and the ambience was relaxing. Check out the pre fixe menu (ends at 6 so perfect for pre-​theater folks) for giant savings.

Delicious and reasonably priced. It was pretty empty on a Thursday night at 8pm. To be fair, there had been a thunderstorm. I think it’s a great option for a quiet affordable dinner on the upper east side. Service was good. I had the lamb stew, which was delicious. You have to have the basmati with sour cherries.

From the tips
Don’t order the Fesejoon here. while there was a good portion of meat, the sauce tasted nothing of pomegranates/​walnuts and it was oddly brown. rice had a good lemony flavor/​texture. Salad oliveh was ok. good portions, nice waiters, tasteless entrée. i guess i ordered the wrong dish???

I went to for lunch on a Saturday when they just opened up. There was literally no one at the restaurant which actually worked out for us. We got seated right away by the window and it was open to the street on 3^rd Ave with a good view. It’s definitely not a big place but the décor and ambiance is attractive.
Prix Fixe specials were offered on the menu with one choice of salad /​appetizer and entrée. We opted for the Tabuleh Salad (excellent) and Shirazi Salad (another great choice). It was served with pita/​flat bread.
For the entrée, we picked Chicken Stew and Lamb Stew both were served with basmati rice; chicken was a bit too sweet for my taste but tasty and served in a small pot; lamb stew was excellent with good mixture of spinach and vegetables.
It was all reasonably priced at $ 17 per person and you cannot beat that in NYC restaurants.
I cannot wait to try their dinner menu and see what awaits me.

So I’m Persian and have obviously had Persian food my entire life, both home cooked and from restaurants. I’ve always only eaten out at Ravagh and Colbeh, and both are wonderful and top-​notch. My friends and I thought to try Shalezeh while in the neighborhood, and I was excited to compare, because I know Persian food quite well.
We were 5 people, and the waiter was accommodating in seating us quickly and at a table we wanted. He offered to push 3 square tables together but we chose a large round table in the back. No problem for them.
Right off the bat, I asked for taadig (hard rice) and khoresh (stew) to start; at other Persian restaurants this appetizer is always on the house, along with pickles, torshi, and hummus. However, I was disappointed to see that they charged us for it. So Persians beware of the not on-​the-​house taadig. They did bring a basket of white bread and pita bread, and two complimentary dishes of mast-​moosir (yogurt and garlic SO GOOD). It was delicious. I could just eat the mast-​moosir the entire time and be satisfied. Yummmm.
My friends and I got bargs, kabobs, and lamb stew. Fyi, the lamb stew is just ghormeh sabzi and rice! Bargs and kabobs were delicious and fresh.
I also got sambusehs, which are 4 small dumplings filled with chickpeas. They were pretty good but the green sauce they came with was so watery.
We all got doughs, which is a traditional Persian drink, made of yogurt, seltzer, and mint. I guess it sounds gross but it’s delicious, and you simply can’t have kabob without dough.
For dessert we all got either teas or cappuccinos, and akbarmashti ice cream. Their ice cream was delicious! You have the option of different flavors, and we tried the rose, pomegranate, and cherry, but we all thought the rose was the only good one. The rose akbarmashti ice cream is also the traditional one. It’s the perfect end to a tasty meal.
The service was solid and one could say this was because the restaurant was basically empty but I doubt their service waivers when it is crowded. We did go at an awkward time for lunch– 4pm. The décor is quite mediocre. They could stand to put up a piece of art or two!
Overall I recommend :)

The first thing I said when I walked into this place: «OMG it smells just like home!»
The scent of fresh Basmati rice percolating inside a pot covered with paper towels; the sweet aroma of sprinkles of saffron on just about anything and everything; the grills heating up skewered meat tenderized with onions and garlic and turmeric and every other amazing spice ever known to man.
Good God, I need to find my way back to this place ASAP.
And if there’s a must-​do thing anytime my parents visit me in the city, it’s finding a new Persian restaurant to eat at. My dad was born/​raised in Iran and can’t get enough of his homeland’s food (and neither can I). My mom, although Polish, is one of the best chefs of Persian cuisine out there, but alas, my dad still likes the idea of being in a restaurant in America while eating koobideh and gormeh sabzi… *sigh* *foreigners*
The menu is typical Persian fare, nicely priced. About $ 16 for an entrée. I saw little Israeli twists throughout the menu (seems to me there are more Persian Jews than Muslims in NYC), especially with the felafel, which is not typically Persian. Skip this, by the way, it was about $ 6 and only had about 4 small felafel balls which were super hard and dry and not very flavorful. Try the eggplant halim. My dad had it and I’m pretty sure he didn’t leave a crumb of it on his place.
The wine list was nice and there were a few inexpensive bottle choices. They didn’t have the one we chose but brought us out something similar in the $ 30 range, a pinot noir, which went amazingly with our meal.
I had the koobideh, which was just about the best damn koobideh I’ve ever had on this side of the world (except my mother’s, of course!). It didn’t come out on a skewer making for a better presentation. And oh, what’s that? They have Basmati rice with sour cherries? YES, yes and YES!!! The night kept getting better. But wait! Something was missing! My dad always makes his own crushed dried lemon flakes to put on top of the meat. I was so afraid I wasn’t going to enjoy my food the best way I know how — but lo and behold, my dad called over the waiter and asked for some «amani» and within seconds, the last piece to the golden meal was delivered! Sprinkles that a bit on top of the meat and I was ready to dig in…
And my, oh my oh my oh my… I’m trying to stay as halal with my language as I can right now (although I’ve already revealed that I drink wine, so screw it) but holyyyyyy shit! The flavors just exploded — the fluffiness of the Basmati, the tartness of the cherries, the charred, succulent, juicy meat topped with hints of dried lemon… I honestly don’t know how I made it out alive.
And just as a testament to how amazing that dish was: My father, who ate his entire dish of the sirloin barg, actually ordered another kubideh plate after tasting mine and ate all of that as well. When I say it was amazing, that’s probably an understatement.
My mom’s saffron chicken was bomb, too.
If not for shamelessly promoting my culture and our food, just go give this place a shot — I PROMISE you will more than love it. Take a bunch of friends and make a night of it, try some new things and experiment a bit. If you’re a little shy, order what I did… But if you think it’s just your typical beef and rice dish, you are severely mistaken but will only be THRILLED when you find out for yourself what I’m talking about.
And yes, I know that most people in Iran are related or connected to each other somehow whether by marriage, blood, or some crazy religious sect, but I, unfortunately, in no way, shape or form am affiliated with this restaurant or its awesomeness. All I can do is point non-​believers in this direction!

After licking my rose ice cream eating spoon for the umpteenth time, I sat back, relaxed and felt like a regular Prince of Persia after my Shalezeh experience. All that was missing was a plan to attack the Greek mainland and a collection of concubines.
Only hours later did I come to know the story of Shalezeh and the Michelin star, which sounds like a mythological tale. The restaurant’s history is complicated, like ruling a multinational empire, involving a former captain from Café Boulud, a name change, a cuisine change, a restoration to Persian cuisine, a Michelin star removal in 2012 and in my opinion, a very bright future.
The interior is spacious, with plenty of room for larger tables, parties and the ubiquitous self absorbed aspiring actress who projects her voice so far that I could hear every intimate detail of her upcoming web series. This is the UES after all, I suppose.
Service was attentive, quick and slightly humorous: I was considering a glass of wine when someone swoops in and asks, «What’re ya drinkin’?» a question that could surely bring about universal peace if more people were asked.
My wife flagged the attention of a waiter for a coke and before you know it, two people swarm and present the soda, like a SWAT team busting down a meth lab makers door.
So you shouldn’t want for anything here.
But what will you want to eat? Well, you’ll start with a complimentary bread basket, a mixture of whole wheat and not-​whole wheat flat breads along with a honey flavored tahini. Up next we started with an appetizer of baba, a baked eggplant purée, with homemade yogurt, walnut, and onion.
Having had babganoush at a different restaurant the night before, this was the better baba as it featured a more pronounced flavor.
Appetizer number two was a serving of sambusa, essentially four mini empanadas filled with chick peas accompanied by a green mint sauce. I popped these in my mouth, making sure to dip in the mint sauce and was ready for more.
When browsing the list of entrees, I was torn between ordering anything with the name «barg» in it (because it sounds like it’d be a word in Klingon) and the fesenjoon.
My stomach chose the fesenjoon, a traditional Persian chicken stew made with pomegranate and walnuts. I do like pomegranate juice so experiencing that flavor in stew format was exciting.
And an altogether delicious dish that had just the right amount of tartness to it. The shredded chicken was thick, perfect for spreading over the bed of basmati, lentil, saffron and raisin rice.
Finding white raisins in my rice seemed like it’d be a tradition where the raisin represents coins, money and prosperity, like the southern US’s Hopping John. What I do know is that the rice matched the pomegranate flavored chicken perfectly and this was a new flavor sensation I could easily have again.
Dessert features baklava but why have that when you can try rose flavored ice cream? With Valentine’s Day coming up, why bother with the rose flower when instead you can taste the flavor instead in ice cream form?
My dessert was specifically a roasted pineapple base with watermelon and mint sauce and a scoop of rose ice cream. The pineapple was firm enough to require a knife to cut but when mixing with the sauce and ice cream created a sweet sensation in my mouth.
The final surprise of the evening: the check, which came in to $ 55 for two appetizers, two entrees, dessert and a soda. Between 12 – 6 there’s a prix-​fixe as well that would lower the cost per person but still, the value and quality is definitely there.
The meal was surely worthy of a god like Ahura Mazda!

Had lunch with co-​workers there. They have a lovely pre-​fixed lunch menu that includes an appetizer and entrée ($ 20). And they even threw in a glass of red wine with the meal.
–VERY good lamb stew. Very tender that it melts in your mouth.
– I especially liked the complimentary flat bread with honey, lemon yogurt sauce.
– Staff cleans your table and gives you new silverware after each course
– Elegant space with beautiful linen
– And the best for last their ROSE ICE CREAM. oh my gwwwwwwwwad so good

I’ve always loved Persian food and dinning at Shalezeh was a definite treat as their dishes were really tasty and it certainly satisfied my taste bud needs.
After visiting the Metropolitan Museum, a few of us came here on a Sunday for a late afternoon lunch and it was such a lovely treat. The restaurant was decorated with a modern touch as if it was meant for business dining. The space was airy and it felt very clean and classy.
To really experience their cuisine, we decided to share a slew of dishes and all of them were outstanding. I especially took a liking to their Trio Eggplant Appetizers ($ 14) which was served to us warm rather then room temperature like most baba ganoush. Their assortment of breads were also served warm, which was a sweet surprise since none of us were expecting that.
As far as their entrée, we tried a few of them but what stood out most was their rice. It was nutty and flavored with such wonderful aromas and came in three different flavors – dill, raisin and sour cherries. Luckily we got to try all three.
To make it more special we also pre-​ordered Tadik ($ 6) which are crispy burnt rice. This is a specialty of Persian cuisine and it is something I highly recommend to ask for. Not only did it taste absolutely sinful, but it was perfect on it’s own or when dipped in sauce.
All in all, my experience here was wonderful. Our waiter was friendly, knowledgeable and attentive without being pushy. If I’m around this neighborhood, I would definitely go here again!
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Btw, I highly recommend to try their assorted ice cream dessert ($ 6): rose water, saffron, and sour cherry flavor. Not only was it good but the flavors were exquisite, exotic and it’s definitely a must try!

I would give this place 3.5 stars. Did take-​out one evening and I ordered the Saffron chicken. The portions are pretty decent I suppose for $ 15 and even with takeout they include free pita bread. We had 2 entrée orders total and they gave us 3 slices of pita bread. What was missing though was the hummus and since my meal didn’t really come with any broths or dipping sauces, some hummus in a to go container would have been nice.
The food itself was pretty good. The chicken was fairly moist and the rice was good! I chose the basmati rice with lentils, saffron and raisins. I personally wouldn’t have minded if they included more lentils/​raisins in the rice, but maybe that’s just me.
My friend ordered the Koofteh Tabrizi, although the guy taking my order warned me that it wasn’t the same as it used to be but was fairly similar. It basically was 2 giant meatballs and comes with a side of rice, and I think she liked it ok.

When choosing a restaurant to have a pre-​birthday brunch with my favorite people on the planet, I realized this would be no small feat as our group of five included two people with celiac disease, one pescatarian and one person who dislikes most fish. Since Shalezeh just reopened after a brief stint as an Indian restaurant, I decided this would be the place! Not only does it have a Michelin star while being quite reasonably priced, it offers a gluten-​free menu and a wide variety of Persian options for just about anybody.
I had a chicken kebab flavored with saffron and rice cooked with lentils and raisins. It also came with some salad. It was incredible. I tried a munch of the chicken fesenjoon (a stew with walnuts and pomegranates) which was terrific as well.
I was surprised to see the restaurant as empty as it was but I guess the demand for Middle Eastern food for brunch is low on the UES. Shalezeh seems to attract a larger crowd at night. I definitely plan on returning after a great all-​around experience.

I’m a fan of Middle Eastern food, and Shalezeh certainly satisfies when you want something more complex than a street meat shawarma platter (not that I am knocking street meat platters!).
started off with some bread and a little bit of yogurt to dip it in. fresh and warm, just as it should be.
the chicken fesenjoon sounded really intriguing: a chicken stew with pomegranate and walnuts. I opted for that and a side of rice with lentils and raisins. it may sound like a bit of an odd mashup of flavors, but it works. tender chicken in a delicious and flavorful sauce that I just had to drizzle on top of the rice!
good portion size, affordable prices, and they even have a special menu for the gluten-​free community.
it’s a huge restaurant, very simply decorated. lots of seating inside, a private room to reserve for parties, and outdoor seating. it was empty when we went on Sunday at 1. as a history buff, I really liked the huge antiquity-​style map of the Middle East hanging on the wall.
I understand they’d been closed for a while, then served Indian food, and now are back to Persian food. definitely check it out. I’m interested in trying out more of their menu on future visits.

Ok, so I’ve never dinned in. So I can’t even describe what the place looks like inside. However, I am exceptionally satisfied with their take out service. I’ve always ordered their lamb kebob, it’s so good. I’m a little obsessed with lamb, so a good lamb kebob always puts a smile on my face. You get the choice of what type of basmati rice you would like, and I always prefer basmati with lentils, saffron, and raisins. I’ve tried a couple of their eggplant appetizers — no complaints. The delivery always makes it in less than 30 minutes, and the food still is fresh and warm. The lamb is never dry, and I can go to sleep rest assured that I don’t have to do the dishes. All of which are extremely important in my book.
Oh! and apparently they have a Michelin star…

Lovely if nondescript ambiance, and friendly service. I walked in around 3:30 on a Thursday afternoon for a midday meal — restaurant was empty but for two other small parties.
After ordering, I was presented with a warm, quartered pita and a small bowl of the blandest hummus I’ve ever tasted. It was the color of butter, and the consistency of mealy cream = not a good combination. I set that aside and simply ate the bread.
I chose the Sultani lamb with lentil and raisin rice ($ 25). The dish came with half a chopped onion, some red cabbage, a lamb kubideh kabob and barg (which is basically filet). The meat was excellently cooked — not dry at all, and extremely tender. I didn’t even really need my knife because the barg was well sectioned. The rice was also delicious, if a little too buttery for my taste.
Rounded out my meal with the Persian cookies, and understood why they recommend them with tea. They’re the sort of crumbly pistachio-​filled cookies that would melt in your mouth accompanied with a beverage, but… don’t if you eat them dry. I instantly reached over for my glass of water.
3.5 stars. I agree with other reviewers that the Michelin star is a head-​scratcher, but the food is decent and the environment is pleasant.

4 stars just feels like the right kind of ranking for Shalezeh. If it wasn’t a Michelin restaurant I’d give it 4 stars, because the food is really good but it wasn’t like the MOST AMAZING MEAL that I want to tell the world about.
As a Michelin restaurant, I’d also give it 4 stars. It’s probably the best persian food I’ve ever had, but compared to A Voce, Veritas, Wallse, etc. it’s not «as good of an experience», but also the food is great and there isn’t a single foodie complaint I can lodge.
Our meal included the Salad Trio, Eggplant Mirza, Filet Mignon Barg, Vermont Lamb Shank, and a selection of different rice options. The saffron rice and rice cooked with sour cherries are awesome.
In short, the Shalezeh has solid, great food but is lacking that Je né sais quoi.