"Westwood is home to the cultural heart of Southern California's massive Iranian population. If you only have time for one meal here, make it Shamshiri. Open since 1981, this Westwood landmark is one of the oldest restaurants in the neighborhood and a place you can walk into any night of the week to find first dates, family meals, and friend get-togethers all happening at the same time. We’d rank their tahchin, a baked basmati rice cake layered with yogurt, saffron, and barberries, as an essential dish of the neighborhood, and their curry stew isn’t far behind. You can get it as its an entree, but we prefer to order it as part of the tahdig appetizer, which comes with crusty rice and another stew of your choice." - nikko duren, brant cox