"This store is Deravian’s “go-to market for groceries.” She enjoys strolling through it and buying seasonal produce like fresh sour cherries, fresh mulberries, and ghooreh—unripe green grapes. They also sell pre-marinated kababs, the yogurt drink dough, breads, flower waters, and the coveted saffron, which can be found stored behind the counter. “When I go to Tehran Market, I text all our friends, mostly non-Iranian friends, and I say, ‘I’m at Tehran Market, do you need anything?’ And then I get this whole list.” Besides having all the supplies she needs, Tehran Market grills kababs in their parking lot on Saturday and Sunday. “It’s just the best,” she says. “You can smell the scent of the kababs grilling on the charcoal from blocks away. Get there early. Park on the street. You’re most likely not going to find space in the lot itself, because it gets busy. They grill everything from the classics like koobideh and joojeh kabab—the chicken kabab—to fish, and lots of veggies. It’s to go, but they have a couple of chairs and tables that you could sit at and eat. You’ll get covered in smoke, which I don’t mind. They don’t serve the kababs with rice. They serve it with lavash bread, with a lot of great pickled sides [torshi].” She remarks that Iranians typically go out to eat for kababs but make stews at home. “That’s something you leave up to the pros, to the grillmasters,” she says." - garin pirnia
