Persian House Restaurant

Monday Jan, 4, 2016 on 6:18 pm they are close and they waste about 1 hour of our time because here they told their business hour is from 5:30 pm

We have been to this place for lunch today and it was just OK. But not satisfies the expectations of a Persian restaurant. Food was tasty and the person in charge was polite. The food portion was small. I haven’t ever seen in any other Persian restaurants that Chelo-​Kabab comes with one skewer of ground beef. If you want two skewers you need to pay 5 $ more. There is no spoon in the table while Persian people use spoon for eating rice. The tables are also very small. Besides, the color of ground chicken and ground beef skewers are almost the same! I couldn’t distinguish which one is which and I really don’t know how it is possible. :)) Overall, I guess there would be better choices for Persian cuisine.

I was honored with an invitation to a private party here the other night and happily finished my leftovers tonight. I’m just going to say that not just Italian food is better a day later. The beef kabob and jasmine rice (with some Sriracha sauce) was even more flavorful tonight that the night of the party!
Interestingly, a Jordanian friend of mine overheard me say I’d be eating here for my first time and she lit up, saying that she used to eat here all the time, back when she was in college, some 15 years ago. She was also thrilled that they were still in business because it had such fond memories for her. Not only did she love the food, but she would visit with the family who owned it.
I saw an array of items being ordered, including fish, but I was completely happy with my choice. I wish I had taken a photo, because my 2 beef kabobs were huge and served with the stick removed, which made it easier to eat, I was also surprised by how tender they were. For $ 12.99, it was a lovely dinner at a very good price.
Also very good was the hummus, which had a hunt of garlic. I’m not a big fan of plain hummus but this was very good and kept my stomach from grumbling while I waited for my order, which the menu noted would take a little longer to cook.
The restaurant is located downtown, which I prefer, because parking is easier to find than in the Pearl or NW. The décor is also lovely and is somewhere you could bring a date, even if they do have a young, hip crowd coming in for lunch.
According to the website, the food is a mix of Mediterranean and middle eastern, so the only thing I could think to add would be gyros; my all time favorite sandwich! Hint hint.

We’d give five stars except for an unfortunate experience. The coat rack is near the door, and last night another large party had a table near ours. They left first, and $ 20 in dollar coins disappeared from a zipped coat pocket on the rack. Someone must have felt them and helped themselves. Don’t use the rack! These could be repeat offenders. Not really the owners’ fault, but perhaps they could have coat hooks by each table instead or post a sign above the rack about valuables risk.
We always order baba ghannooj, nazkhatun, salmon fessenjan and lemon chicken with cherries. The wine list is small, but has good choices and is strong on Oregon pinot noir. Desserts are also excellent, especially the homemade ice cream, chocolate mousse cake, and cream puffs. The staff is very friendly and personable, and happy to share details of their interesting lives.

Persian House Restaurant. Very good food and service. The owner was very sweet, checking up on us every so often with refills. Overall experience was great! Will be coming back again.

Delicious genuine Persian food. The owner said the meet is Halal. It’s a cozy place to dine.

Five Big Stars on the $ 8.99 lunch buffet. This was a very nice lunch for vegan dining but here were several meat dishes available. We only had the lunch buffet but I would love to come back for dinner too.
Venue: Right in the middle of downtown Portland. Beautiful dining room (see the pictures) with authentic Persian art and ambience. Easy proximity to public transportation and the light rail. Close to public paid parking too. Clean, comfortable and pleasing to the senses.
Persian Food: I’m not an expert on Persian food but I have Mediterranean food of various types enough to know what is good. I have had Persian and Mediterranean in the US and various countries in Europe. The décor, service, flavor, quality and price points all add up to a Five Star experience. Lentil soup was full of flavor and textures. Hot Persian tea, aromatic with jasmine, rose and saffron was excellent. Salad bar had lots of options and was a great addition to the meal. Hot entrees were heavy on vegetable dishes but included 4 meat dishes. Being vegan that was the balance that met my needs. I tried every single veggie dish and loved each one. I left full and satisfied that I had a very unique and rare 5 Star low cost buffet experience.
Buffet: 12 courses for $ 8.99. There is a restriction of one trip only for the soup and salad bar portion of the buffet. So first and foremost this is a Persian restaurant. This place offers a very low cost buffet. This is Not an American Style AYCE buffet. And that my Unilocal friends is exactly why I loved this place.
Service: Pleasant, attentive and helpful. 5 Star service.
Mixed Reviews: If you are using Unilocal to try to determine if Persian House is worth trying, I want to reassure you that this place is a unique experience and excellent value. I recommend it. Our group of four all loved the experience and have been talking about it ever since.
I’m coming back the next time that I’m in town.

The lunch buffet was great. For the price it can’t be beat! The service was polite and helpful. Plenty of options for vegetarians.

Get ready to wait 55 minutes for the guy to walk around the front and kill the cow/​sheep to prepare your food on a non busy day. There were literally one couple there when we walked in. Saw the menu it said might take 45 minutes asked the waitress she said no it will be a lot faster since no one here. It took over an hour. And food was not all that. Tasted plain.

Ate here last week. The server got my order wrong and try to make up for it by offering pistachio ice cream. When I got the bill she charged me for it but gave a blacklava to go instead. We joked about it and she apologized profusely.

Worse service ever. Food was horrible. The owner was very rude. Don’t waste your money and time in here.

There is mostly good here, some bad. The lemon chicken was small, hard, dry, overcooked and lacking in flavor even with the cherries. The salmon was great. The lentil soup is killer, wonderful. Cucumber/​mint/​yogurt appetizer good, though yogurt could have been a bit thinner. The tea is incredible, sure wish she sold it loose leaf. The 19.00 five course meal deal is a great choice given it let’s you choose 3 of the courses from anywhere on the menu. Be aware they serve kabobs and paella that can take 45 mins to prepare. There are other choices quicker than that.

Was expecting a lot more from this place, but, in the end, it was a get-​what-​you-​pay-​for.
Veggies were very watery and the flavor diluted – not drained after cooking.
Chicken was over-​cooked, but the skin left on allowed the moisture to be retained at least.
Soup was good, though patrons were not allowed to go back for seconds. Not sure what the punishment would be for trying…
Salad bar was light on veggies: beets and baby corn was about all that appealed.
Cannot recommend.

Persian House is my favorite restaurant for sure. If you like sea food ask for their fish and the pomegranate sauce. Wow wow wow.
If you like meat and «kabob», they use the best and the freshest meat. The chef prepares your food with lots of care so you need to be a little patient. But the reward is worht it.

3 of us went to this restaurant for dinner and it was the worst food and service we have ever experienced. To start with, the waitress did not care at all and she kept informing us that they are out of several menu items we were going to order. We picked other entrees from the menu and she told us that it will take 25 to 45 minutes to prepare. The food arrived very late and was cold and no taste. We brought that to her attention, she simply said «That is the way it is». We do not recommend this restaurant to anyone!

We wanted a little late night snack before heading back to our hotel and found this place. We were seated and then waited 10 min before anyone would come over to take our order, they seemed to be more interested in getting ready to close than take our food order. When we did have some one come over and told them what we wanted they informed us that there was a $ 9.99 per person min. So we left without eating and do not plan on going back!

The worst service. 50 min to take the order. 50 more min to bring the food to the table. Poor food quality.

What a disappointing, stingy restaurant! I’m shocked it even currently has 3.5 stars.
For the lunch buffet, there is this sad little salad bar (the kind where iceburg lettuce and cherry tomatoes are about the extent of the variety and quality) that expressly states in writing that you can only make one trip. Not only that, but the plates are small — the size you would expect a dessert plate to be — and if you want a «large» plate (aka an actual freaking salad plate) you are charged an extra fee.
The lunch buffet itself was pretty disappointing — when I go to new buffets I always get a tiny portion of everything to try it out, and I could not distinguish any of the flavors from one dish to another, they were all equally bland. I am so mad I wasted money and took a chance on this place instead of going to the consistently good Indian buffet next door. Boo!

How I heard of this place: While on a business trip in Portland, I spent a little time sightseeing in the neighborhood and came across this establishment. After work, we returned for a glorious meal.
Type of cuisine: «A world of eclectic Mediterranean fare drawing from traditional Spanish, Italian, French, Greek, and Middle Eastern recipes.»
Ambiance: Dark, on this wet Northwest evening, the dim, red lighting of Persian House lured us in. Hardwood floors, and ambiance-​laden ivy disguising white ceiling pipes give a natural, homey feel to the matching glass-​topped, linen-​lined tables and chairs throughout the cozy space. We admire Persian artwork adorning the walls, as we are directed to seats at the windowed restaurant-​front, overlooking the rain-​soaked brick sidewalk.
What I ordered: To start, doogh and a complimentary basket of warm pita,
Salad Shirazy ($ 3.50) for me, with fresh chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, onion, and Persian dressing (olive oil, limejuice, and black pepper).
For my husband, a Mixed Green Salad ($ 7.99), with chopped olives, hazelnuts, cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and vinaigrette dressing.
Our main entrees included the Kabob-​E Koubideh ($ 8.99): two skewers of juicy seasoned ground beef served with raw, sliced onion, grilled tomato and Persian white rice, and Chicken-​Soltani ($ 12.99): one skewer of kabob-​e koubideh and one skewer of chicken kabob served with a slice of lemon, raw, sliced onion, grilled tomato and Persian white rice.
What I loved: The juicy chicken and flavorful kabob tasted fresh and delicious, the tomato grilled to perfection, smoky and soft. I especially loved the chocolate truffles, served alongside the bill.
Why I loved it: Simple setting, simple food, easier portions to swallow and friendly service.
Cost: Low ($ 7.99 — $ 12.99 per dinner entrée)

First off I love the location for this restaurant. Located in the heart of downtown portland
. I was craving some middle eastern food, I wanted some good lamb and I scored. The staff was extremely helpful. Everything in their menu sounds fantastic so while trying to decide we had some really good local wine. I cant remember the name of my plate but it was Lamb on some really fantastic rice. The presentation was beautiful. It wasnt fast which im ok with when I really want some good food, it was worth the wait. The ambiance is a little romantic and dark in the evening. Its a great place to sit near the window and people watch and enjoy wine while waiting for your dish. I ate the whole thing and I cant wait to go back here. The portions were large!