Iran Restaurant

"In a part of Mayfair that’s a maze of narrow streets and ye olde pubs, you’ll find Iran Restaurant. It’s hard to miss the crushed red velvet theme going on in both the heated outdoor area and inside the pokey restaurant. The mezze is our favourite thing about this place. The halim bademjon is a smoky aubergine dip that’s an absolute necessity of an order, and although the naan isn’t anything special, warm bread is warm bread—so get plenty of it. Just swerve the joojeh—it’s citrussy and tender, but not ‘£50+ for one skewer’ good. It’s a helpful spot to know about if you’re in the area and need somewhere to linger for a while with couple of dips, but when it comes to a full meal, go to any of these spots. photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Food Rundown photo credit: Aleksandra Boruch Halim Bademjon The star of the show, this dip has melted pulpy bites of smoked aubergine, mixed in with tangy whey to make for an excellent starter. Sultani Kebab The joojeh, glistening with butter, is citrussy and charred, while the koobideh barely requires chewing. While it’s decent, it’s not the best we’ve had, but it’s certainly the most expensive at over £50." - Rianne Shlebak

"Shepherd Market feels a little like an 18th century maze because around every corner, down every passage, there’s another restaurant. One of which is Iran Restaurant, an old school Persian place making the kind of mezze we could easily eat everyday. Ideally you want to come here with a few friends as the menu is hefty, and the best way to spend twenty-odd quid here is by sharing some warm flatbread, a couple of mezze plates and something off the grill, like zereshk polo ba morgh - which is a big and tasty plate of saffron chicken and barberry rice." - heidi lauth beasley, jake missing

"For: An Affordable Mayfair Spot Shepherd Market feels a little like an 18th-century maze because around every corner, down every passage, there’s another restaurant. One of which is Iran Restaurant, an old school Persian place making the kind of mezze we could easily eat everyday. Ideally you want to come here with a few friends as the menu is hefty, and the best way to spend twenty-odd quid here is by sharing some warm flatbread, a couple of mezze plates and something off the grill, like zereshk polo ba morgh—which is a big and tasty plate of saffron chicken and barberry rice." - Rianne Shlebak