Maman Zari

"Chicago’s only Persian tasting menu restaurant is a warm and friendly and has a vegetarian option. The smoky eggplant dish is a highlight, as is the lamb chop, which evokes the feeling of sinking your teeth into a lamb kebob at neighborhood staple Reza’s. There are enough surprises on this affordable tasting menu to keep coming back." - Ashok Selvam, Naomi Waxman

"Albany Park: Nowruz, a joyous celebration of the Persian New Year that marks the beginning of spring, will commence this year on Tuesday, March 19 with festivities in Iran lasting 13 days." - Naomi Waxman

"Jeffy Mai, editor Time Out Chicago: A year after we got an Indian fine dining restaurant (editor’s note: Indienne recently scored a Michelin star), an even unlikelier concept emerged: Persian fine dining (Maman Zari)." - Ashok Selvam

"Albany Park is no stranger to Persian restaurants—there are four within walking distance of the Kedzie Brown Line alone. But Maman Zari is the first Persian tasting menu spot—not just in the neighborhood, but in Chicago. It's nine courses for $85, and the small restaurant is busy, full of chatty diners enjoying wine pairings and servers introducing courses and routinely scraping crumbs off of the white tablecloths. The formality and neatly plated dishes are what you expect from a fine dining spot—but the food ranges from boring to imbalanced. While the first few dishes (like smoked eggplant or a potato and egg patty) aren’t bad, they lack flavor. Later courses have well-cooked proteins, but trip up at the finish line because of their overseasoned components. A flaky piece of branzino with rich beurre blanc is served with rice so herby it could qualify as a salad. Though the quail in the fesenjan is juicy, it's topped with sludgy pomegranate molasses that's too sour. And after back-to-back just-fine dishes, the almost three-hour meal feels more like an $85 obligation than a fun time (though at least the hefty servings mean you won’t leave hungry. It’s worth noting that they do have a purely vegetarian option, but otherwise, book a reservation for Noon O Kabab’s fine dining area instead. photo credit: Stuart Block" - John Ringor

"Semiramis is a low-key BYOB Lebanese restaurant just off of the Kedzie Brown Line stop in Albany Park. It’s a great spot for a casual weeknight dinner or an easy weekend date night. Order the vegetarian plate to share - it comes with warm pita, hummus, baba ghannouj, tabbouleh, falafel, and dolmas. The lamb kabob here is also fantastic." - Josh Barnett