Shamshiry

I’ve been here a couple of times.
The first time I tried the fish kabob and it was delicious.
The lamb kabob is also fantastic. I really recommended it.

I ordered for pickup. Their portion is not a joke. I ordered koubideh with baked rice/​salad. It ended up my lunch and dinner out of one dish. Very good quality food as well. My friend enjoyed her Tandoori Chicken too. If you are very hungry, this place won’t disappoint you.

It’s always a good sign when you see a lot of Persian customers at a Persian restaurant.
We ordered the tart currant rice (Zereshk Polo) and the ground meat kabob (chelo kubideh). The ground meat was tender and seasoned well and it was served with a huge mound of fluffy rice. We also shared an order of the baklava as dessert. There’s four small diamond shaped pieces to an order. It was not the traditional baklava I was used to since it was more gingery and dense than flaky.

This place, by far is the best Persian restaurant in the region. Since last August that I moved to here, I used to go to them every other week. They try to maintain their high quality food. That is why there is always a line. The rice portion is a lot and I suggest to substitute it with half rice half salad with one dollar extra charge. Definitely try Chenge Soltani…

My husband and I were in town for a wedding and we found this place on Unilocal.The food is fresh and it came out quick. The staff were friendly and willing to help you with questions about the menu and anything else that you need. The food was delicious. I tried the dough drink and it was refreshing and tasty. I think I’ve found a new love of Persian food.

I’d give them a 5 on food, but a 3 on service = net 4
The food was by far the best middle eastern food I’ve ever had. I got their basic kabob and the meat flavor and seasonings were the most savory blend I’ve ever had. The rice even had a slight twinge of subtle flavor that was better than most places possibly due to an oil used in cooking the rice.
Their green cilantro jalapeño sauce was a medium spice and full of flavor and not overwhelmed by spice.
The oil they choose is mild and fresh tasting although it doesn’t have the spicy bite that fresh olive oil typically carries.
The manager was nice and pleasant, but had a look of annoyance when he saw is come in 30 minutes before closing. We were ready to make our order pretty quickly, but no one came to take it for fifteen minutes. They did bring pita and the amazing green sauce within a minute, however.
I ordered an appetizer, entrée and a dessert for $ 40 after tax and tip, which was overpriced for the experience, however it fed two of us with leftovers.

the most authentic Persian restaurant in the country. I got koobide and it was amazing. After 5 years of living in US, this is my first and best koobide. I have tried so many different persian restaurants, but this one was different.
but never try their «faloode shirazi» which is aweful. I am from Shiraz and in scale of 1 to 10, the faloode is 1.

One of my favorite Persian food places in DC, MD, VA area. The food is always so delicious and the quality is consistently getting better. I love the kubbeida kabob with rice & the green spicy sauce. But everything on the menu is delicious and you won’t be disappointed.
Last time I went they were out of the crispy rice (burnt once, I love the texture of it), which was disappointing since I love that. However, everything else made up for it.
I recommend making reservations before going there since it’s always really packed and busy regardless of the time.

Best grilled salmon. Too bad the salad was average because the marination, freshness and flavor of the salmon here is legit.
The bread was fresh, the salad shirazi was light and made with lemon rather than vinegar which is a plus. Grilled tomatoes were on point.
Everyone enjoyed their meals. I’d say this is the best persian food in NoVa.

the best kabob! i have been eating here since my high school days and the food is always consistent.
the portions are insanely generous. you will get a heaping mound of the fluffiest rice you have ever seen. i like to add a packet of butter to it. i have tried all of the meats and my favorites are the chicken, filet, and lamb.
i recently tried all of their starters: hummus, taziki, tomato/​cucumber salad. i highly recommend these although you will be so full!
go with a group so you can order family style. it’s a great way to try a bunch of stuff.

If you like Persian food and are looking for authentic, delicious local options, this is the place to go in the DMV. I am no Persian food expert, but, coincidentally, my best friend IS actually Persian AND a Persian food expert… and while visiting me a few months back, proclaimed that Shamshiry was some of the best/​most authentic she’d had in a long time outside of her parent’s cooking! Sooo yeah. The meats are so tender and flavorful while still being simply prepared. And everything is served in gigantic portions, on an absurdly large mound of buttered rice. I have never left without enough left-​overs for a full second meal!
The salad shirazi (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions mixed with olive oil, lemon juice, and seasoning) is always fresh and crisp. Great to order and eat with your meat/​entrée to give it some crunch and tang. Mast-​o musir app is also great to order to put on your entrée meat (it’s a yogurt sauce with some shallots/​garlic). The Chelo Kabob Kubideh (ground beef thats kind of like a long sausage patty) and Chelo Kabob Barg (grilled filet mignon) are both delicious. The last time i went i got the «Chelo Kabob Shamshiry,» which is a combo of the two for $ 18.99 — def the way to go! If you have to choose one though, I’d go with the barg/​filet mignon… so tender and juicy. I enjoyed these more than the chicken.
There are a few downsides to Shamshiry:
— The ambiance/​décor is pretty damn abysmal — sooo plain with some crappy prints of still-​life paintings on the wall… type of boring ass art you’d find in a motel. Absolutely zero thought went into the decorations.
— Service is kinda slow and not always the friendliest around. Also most of the servers are Hispanic, so don’t expect most of them to speak Farsi.

The food is great!!! It comes out quickly and there is almost always line to get in. However, they really try to get the line moving quickly. The restaurant itself isn’t big inside so sometimes the wait can be long.
Lately, servers have been little unpleasant and the people that brings out the food is unfriendly. They almost just throw your food on the table and walk away. Our server today just took our order and didn’t even come back to check up on us to see if we needed anything after the food was served. So I don’t know if I want to continue coming here or explore different authentic kabob options in the area.

If you want to taste real Persian kabobs, here is THE place! Awesome food, high quality, huge portions, and a bargain for the amount of meat that you get! Their barg kabob is one of the bests in both US and Iran. Their tahdig (crispy rice) with stew is delicious. Especially, I recommend fesenjoon stew which is a combination of meatballs, walnuts, and pomegranate paste. They are always packed but they are super fast and you’ll be seated and fed in a blink of an eye. There is a garage parking nearby and you can park on the top level.
BUT, I deduce one star here because 1) the place realllyyyy needs a face lift. It looks like old diners but even the wall paints are chipped in some places. 2) they don’t have any accessible parking space for disabled people, and 3) the restrooms were usually clean. But this time it was very dirty.

Came here after work to pickup dinner. Ordered the chicken sultani. While I waited for my takeout, waiter (I think he was the owner) offered me a cup of tea, which I thought was super sweet.
The portion of food is generous. A lot of rice though, but the meat was really good –chicken and beef.
Definitely will be going back to try other things on the menu– might request less rice next time though

2* because of lamb was fine!
Let me start again. Me and my Indian friends want some good Indian cuisine and you can imagine that they’re experts about it! So the interior just terrible, the hygiene was hilarious! I don’t know about my friends but my glass was obviously dirty. The servers mean and absolutely not politely without manners.
What can I say never again!

I don’t have Persian food very often, though the few times I’ve had I’ve really enjoyed it. This time was no different.
Service:
I walked into Shamshiry at about 7:30pm on a Saturday and the dine-​in line was literally out the door. I had to go somewhere at 8pm so takeout was my only option. Even still, considering how packed it was I didn’t really expect my order of two appetizers, an entrée, and a dessert to be done in time. I asked the host, Hamon, for an estimate and he told me it would only take twenty minutes, which given the circumstances I thought might have been an exaggeration. I was dead wrong — the food came out in only eighteen! During the short time I was there, I was impressed by how well Hamon communicated with servers, updated waiting customers, handled phone deliveries, and answered questions about the menu.
Food:
I ordered two panir sabzis, a chelo kabob shamshiry, and a Persian ice cream.
Panir sabzi — This is basically a wheel of goat cheese topped with vegetable leaves. I like my goat cheese warm and melted though I didn’t really mind that this one was a bit cooler and harder than I prefer. The raw leaves were a bit too strong for me though, so I probably wouldn’t order this again.
Chelo kabob shamshiry — I thought this was really, really good. It had chunks of ground lamb meat and cooked beef, both of which were juicy and delicious. It also came with also a mountain of flavorful white and saffron rice and a shredded hash brown. Overall, it was really enjoyable and filling enough to serve two people.
Persian ice cream — I highly recommend trying this. The description on the menu sums it up perfectly. The ice cream was incredibly fragrant and had a beautiful, creamy consistency. It also has such a unique flavor that I don’t think I’ve ever had before in an ice cream.
The take-​out service and food were exceptional and if I’m in the area again I’m looking forward to dining in next time!

This is one of the best Persian restaurants that I have been to. The food is of superb quality.
I ordered the shamshiry kebob which is ground beef and steak Kebobs with green fava beans Rice.
I dipped some butter in the rice ans shuffled; result is something you’ll get addicted to.
Place is not a five star hotel, it has the typical middle eastern feel to it.
Staff is nice and food is excellent, all one could ask for.

By far the best kabob place I’ve ever been to. The rice is a bit buttery but it’s still very good… Especially the hardened rice (from the cooker). The service is good and take out is easy. Seems authentic, plus the guests are mostly foreigners!

I read the reviews, I should’ve asked for half rice half salad. I ordered the Chelo Kabob Shamshiry (it’s a combo of their Chelo Kabob Kubideh and Chelo Kabob Barg). Kubideh is the ground meat and the Barg is the steak. Both were tender, juicy, and delicious. The rice is very flavorful too. The only downside was there was SO much rice! Dinner was just meat and rice. I’m a girl that likes sides and variety so I was a bit disappointed. I definitely had enough for leftovers, two more meals I would say.
If you’re looking for good quality, simple kabobs, this is the place (Rating: 4). If you’re looking for lots of options, variety, and flavors, I would say this place is a 3.
This place was very busy at 8pm on a Tuesday. You could tell by the clientele that it was an authentic restaurant.

Yay for another Unilocal find! Friends and I were going to a concert at the Barns of Wolf Trap, and this was the ideal place to meet for an inexpensive yet good dinner beforehand. It was close to 6pm on a Saturday when we arrived, and the joint was hopping! We were told there would be a 10 – 15 min wait for a table, which given our time constraints was a bit much. We were ready to head out the door to try another neighborhood spot when suddenly we were told we could be seated almost immediately.
Three of us had the salmon kabob, and I chose the chicken tandoori. Dear mother of god, the plates that were brought out were like platters and the rice could have fed a small village! I lloved my chicken, the others praised the salmon. Bread apparently was only okay. Service was friendly.
Overall, great spot for a meal in the Tysons area!

Good quality Persian food. I ordered the Barg kabob and it was very tasty and tender. The food comes with rice, so be prepared to have a big proportion of food.
There is a considerable waiting time if you go during the pick time like weekends, but hopefully you will be seated with no problem. I was a little annoyed by the way the manager calls people from the «list», because it seems that he calls just randomly or base on who «he» thinks has priority.

I had selected Shamshiry based on the vivid descriptions on their menu and positive reviews online. I chose wisely: our meal was very filling and delicious! The portions are generous and you will have leftovers. I took a page from their menu and had my rice for breakfast with a fried egg mixed in the following day. I ordered the lamb and my boyfriend the kubideh. Both are incredibly tender. There is a lot of rice, but we noticed the couple next to us requested half-​order of rice/​salad with their kabobs. We are definitely adding the restaurant to our dining rotation.
Parking seems to be tricky, but we parked in the garage. We dined in the evening. Your mileage may vary during daytime hours.

My friend and I went here after her Persian teammate recommended it to her, so I suspected from the get-​go this place was going to be legit. And indeed, it was! We were the only non-​Persians in the entire place, which was a good sign in my opinion!
The food is absolutely AMAZING with generous portions for great prices! Complimentary pita bread with a tasty spicy green spread (parsley?, olive oil, and hot peppers) is served to you immediately upon being seated. We got the salad shirazi (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions dressed with olive oil, lemon juice) as an appetizer. It was so crisp, light and refreshing! I got the chicken kabob and she got the chelo kabob barg (beef). Both were served HUGE portions of Basmati rice, grilled tomatoes, and onions. We both commented that the meat was perfectly cooked, tender, and seasoned. Both dishes are simply delicious and filling. What more could you ask for?
This place’s only weakness was it’s desserts (and I think it’s mainly because it is not the type of desserts we are accustomed to). We tried the Persian ice cream (saffron and rose water flavored ice cream). It was described as chewy and creamy in the menu, which we did not understand what that meant until we tried it. It truly is chewy and creamy. We both agreed that we weren’t the biggest fans of this dessert. We decided to try the baklava as well. It was not the typical Greek one we were expecting with layer on layer of phyllo dough stuffed with honey and nuts but it wasn’t too shabby either.
The place was packed but the servers were quick, attentive, and friendly. They were truly working their tails off. The décor is nondescript and very casual. Everything is served on multi-​colored plastic dishes, which was an interesting choices for a sit-​down restaurant. Given the number of families with young children that were eating there, this is probably a wise move.
Side note: The description on the menu of the various foods is literally a narrative paragraph that reads like a book. I’ve never seen a menu that essentially tells a tale. Unexpected but interesting.
Would I go back here or recommend it someone else? In a heartbeat!