Shiraz Kitchen & Wine Bar
Mediterranean restaurant · Chelsea ·
Mediterranean sharing plates, robust wine list, saffron ice cream
Mediterranean sharing plates, robust wine list, saffron ice cream
"This Chelsea wine bar smells like an especially appetizing candle store, with the scent of wine, saffron, and rose mingling in the air. There are around 100 bottles here to go with the big flavors in their Persian food, whether that’s the tart yogurt on top of the mast bademjoon, the puckery pomegranate molasses covering the meatballs, or the orange zest in the rice pilaf. (There’s also a sumac shaker on every table for some extra zhuzh.) photo credit: Alex Staniloff Shiraz is a good spot for some small plates and wine, but you can also eat a full dinner here. Just keep in mind that it isn’t as much of a family-style spot, so each person should order a plate for themselves. The lamb chops, for example, are no more than two-or-three bites each, but you get five and they come with a side to round out the meal. And every table gets a free plate of pita and olives to start. Add to that the quiet calm of Shiraz’s warm, homey dining room, friendly service, and jazzy covers of Justin Bieber songs, and you’ve got the perfect oasis to escape to after work downtown. Food Rundown Mast Bademjoon Can’t decide between the yogurt and eggplant dips? This one has both. Shiraz decorates their eggplant with heavy dollops of yogurt, until it's completely covered. It’s a nice, chunky starter when you mix it all together and eat it with the complimentary pita. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Lamb Chops Every kebab and lamb chop plate comes with your choice of saffron rice, salad, or french fries. These chops are pretty well-seasoned, but they’re even better with a couple shakes of sumac and their house hot sauce, for an extra vinegary element. photo credit: Alex Staniloff Wine They’ve got around 100 options on the wine list. Ask what goes best with lamb." - Neha Talreja
"Named after the grape Shiraz, the Chelsea restaurant-and-wine-bar opened by Reza Parhizkaran (who first launched the concept next to his Elmsford, New York, Iranian restaurant in 2019) combines wine and Persian small plates in a restrained, austere white interior: two rows of white-linen tables trail deep into the space down a couple of steps from street level, with restrained color photos and a well-ventilated white shed by the curb where we sat. The 120-bottle wine list is impressive and thoughtfully curated — we found Napa producers associated with Iranian exiles (Darioush and Mithra), a strong showing of California Syrahs with one Australian Shiraz, and French and Italian bottles including Brunello, Barolo, Burgundy, and Rhone wines; reds dominate, whites and sparklings are abundant, and only two Provençal rosés appear. Twelve wines are available by the glass ($12–$16) and bottles run from about $45 to $490, with modest markups and a daily bargain selection of three off-list bottles; we chose a Domaine Carneros Brut Rosé for $50. Small plates, which make up roughly two-thirds of the menu in the spirit of the Persian snack-with-wine tradition, were highlights: warm dolmeh (five to an order, $9) of pickled grape leaves stuffed with long-grain rice and dill; jumbo dates stuffed with feta and a walnut (one friend found them too sweet, though I liked the salty–sweet contrast); a finely diced Shirazi salad dressed with lemon, mint, and olive oil; and mast-o-bademjan ($9), fried eggplant slices topped with herb yogurt that looked like a savory birthday cake — eggplant figures in four dishes here. Many apps come with pocket pitas that I found cardboard-y and in need of better flatbreads, but the rice is consistently excellent: entrees come with saffron basmati and for $4–$6 you can upgrade to composed rice (my favorite was dotted with orange peel, pistachios, and almonds; others feature fava or lima beans, sour cherries, or barberries). Our entrees — blackened-yet-moist grilled chicken and lamb chops, beef meatballs in a mellow pomegranate fesenjoon sauce, and a magnificent lamb shank ($25) heaped with sautéed red peppers and onions whose thin gravy begged to be poured over the rice — were flavorful and satisfying. For dessert, the halvah and ice cream ($10) was standout: crumbly pistachio halvah scattered around the plate with upright saffron-ice-cream obelisks, meant to be eaten by coating spoonfuls of ice cream with halvah — a perfect finish with the last sips of a bottle." - Robert Sietsema
"I was surprised by a saffron ice cream ($8) that’s vanilla-based and studded with tiny dried roses, so deeply infused with saffron that it stopped me mid-sentence; served in a firm chocolate cup, it’s simultaneously tart, a touch sweet, and faintly floral — unlike any ice cream I’ve had before." - Eater Staff
"Saeed Pourkay became famous for his Persian food, first at a holiday market in Union Square, later at his own concession in a Flatiron pizzeria. Now he is working on his own Chlesea restaurant, but until then is offering Saturday deliveries, in Manhattan (no charge), Brooklyn and Queens ($15 fee). Here’s how it works: Check the menu on his Instagram page on Monday, then call him at 917-592-3467 for delivery the following Saturday." - Eater Staff
"I’ve long considered this counter-service Persian spot—Taste of Persia, which grew out of a cult following at the Union Square holiday market and later set up shop inside a pizzeria at 12 W. 18th Street—to be one of the city’s most beloved Persian restaurants; it will serve its last bowl of ash reshteh on January 31. Owner and chef Saeed Pourkay confirmed the closure after new owners took over the pizzeria, ending his lease, and although he hopes to find a new location he offered few details. Pourkay, who ran a print shop across from Pizza Paradise for two decades, first put the ash reshteh on the map at the 2012 holiday market and opened the counter-service spot in March 2013; it quickly earned a reputation as one of the city’s best Middle Eastern spots. Beyond the signature ash reshteh, I’ve found the menu notable for gheimeh bademjan (a beef stew made with yellow split lentils and eggplant) and ghormeh sabzi (a mix of dark greens, kidney beans, and pieces of beef). The place has also been an important community fixture—after a 2017 fire in the pizzeria it briefly shuttered and loyal fans raised thousands through a GoFundMe campaign to help it reopen—and longtime patrons praise it for serving the Iranian‑American community and bringing people together." - Tanay Warerkar
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