Shekarchi Express

My only other point of reference for Persian food is Silk Road near St. laurent mall. Shekarchi was a lunchtime expedition for my coworker and I. We arrived for a late lunch and got seated immediately by the lovely hostess. Everyone was super friendly and the vibe was positive so already I enjoyed being here. We took a while with our orders but eventually ended up both ordering the koobideh (I’m certain I’m misspelling this) kabab plates. Basically minced beef, tenderizer and skewered and grilled till perfection over fire. Our food came out fairly quickly and while at first glance the plate seemed small, we soon realized how much food we got. A lot.
Couple this with the fact that as appetizer (complimentary) we received pita pieces and onions with soft butter, when it came time for the meal we overestimated our abilities.
The meat was soft, tender, and super juicy in a way that it melts into oblivion in your mouth and makes you realize that maybe your ate not meat but instead butter! The rice was flavourful, absorbing the butter and meat juices, while the vegetables on the side did a good job of balancing the meal and helped you keep your senses intact.
Overall, we enjoyed it very much (granted we overstuffed ourselves and had to take the long way back to work), and will return.

A real hole-​in-​the-​wall, you would be forgiven for bypassing this establishment and that would be a real mistake. Serving some of Ottawa’s most authentic Persian food I was introduced to this place by my Iranian friend who comes here a lot. If you are expecting highly spiced then this is not the place for you. Persian cuisine is at its best when it is freshly prepared and the meat is hot from the grill, this place does it very well.
Being seated quickly in this very small restaurant, maybe only about eight or ten tables, I ordered a doogh, the savoury yoghurt drink combined comprised of carbonated spring, water, salt, spices and of course yoghurt. I was a little disappointed when I was brought a plastic-​bottled mixture and not something fresh. The similar lassi yoghurt drink from any good Indian restaurant is always made fresh and beats this hands-​down. It was pleasant enough though. I ordered the Koobideh Kabob, two skewers of the ground beef kebabs shaped into a long compressed sausage which came with nicely steamed basmati with some saffron laced rice sprinkled on top. The beef was quite flavorful and not spiced which may be a problem for some as they could consider it bland but this allows the flavor of the grilled meat to come through. The rice was cooked well, nice separate fluffy grains. Complete with a whole roasted tomato this was a good combination of fresh flavours. We had a couple of side dishes of Mast’o khiar, A freshly made tomato, cucumber, onion and mint flake salad drizzled with olive oil, and Mast’o mousir (the Persian equivalent of raita), sour cream, cucumber and shallots. Both sides were again not spiced allowing the true flavours of the mixture to shine together. On the table was a jar of sumac to use liberally as you wished to spice things up.
All in all, a nice place for good fresh fast Persian cuisine. None of it is premade, it is all prepared right in front of your eyes. All except the doogh, that is. This place really could do is a good clean as there is a grubbiness everywhere. The owners should close for a few days and just paint the place to liven it up. I’m not too worried about things like that as I have had some of the best food in grungy little diners like this but I know some people would never eat here. It was a little on the pricey side as it was $ 25 before tip. That and the griminess make me give this a three star even though the food is pretty good.

A great place to try Persian food. A little expensive now but the food is really good.
My favourite dish is Joojeh kabob. Also liked the yogurt drink.

Another great spot with good value and quality food. I had the Soltani Kebab plate which was tasty, and tender. The plate filled me up well, and I loved the tea.

The place looks bad with terrible washroom. But the food tastes great and the cook and his wife are very friendly. A nice small family business.

For all those wondering, Shekarchi Express/​Restaurant is also known as Hunter’s Famous Kabob (the logo says «Shekarchi», but the sign itself reads in larger font as «Hunter’s Famous Kabob»).
I would always walk past this small restaurant and would smell the delicious grill. I stopped in for some take-​out and ordered #6 Soltani Kabob, with two skewers of beef filet and ground beef, which comes with rice, pita bread, and vegetables, same as their other grill dishes. I also splurged for the mast’o khiar side dish. I was a bit uncertain how to pronounce the dish names correctly, so I asked the lady who took my order and she was very patient with me as I tried to sound out the words. I must say, though, that I was a bit disappointed that mirza ghasemi was not on the menu — I understand that it’s a small place so options are limited, but it’s my favorite Persian dish and I am still on the hunt for a good place to find it around the Ottawa area (message me if you know of anywhere I can find it!).
There are a few tables for those who want to sit and eat, though space is limited. The tables were filled with a large group, so I sat down at the bench in front of the grill/​cash. I waited about 20 minutes for my order, but I had nowhere to be. It seems to be a family-​owned business and the chef kept my mind of the waiting by striking up some small talk. The lady who took my order also rang me up and offered me tea and water as I waited. There seemed to be only one or two people running it at the time, both of whom were very accommodating.
When my order was finally ready, the chef asked if I would like butter on my rice, which I typically don’t, but I like to eat dishes the way they are meant to be served, so I said yes and watched as they stuck some butter right in the middle of the hot rice. I found this to be a little strange, but after I went home and tasted it, I was pleasantly surprised — it was delicious! It was a big heaping pile of long grain white rice, with a bit of what I am assuming was subtly saffron-​flavored rice, as it was yellow in color.
The meat was seasoned well, but I would have preferred it to be on the rarer side. I typically have my steak rare to medium rare, but this was cooked to about medium well. Nonetheless, it was very tasty, and the mast’o khiar, made of yogurt, cucumbers, and herbs, helped put a little moisture back in the meal when eaten together with the rice and meat. The vegetables weren’t so much vegetables as they were a very charred half tomato and a huge half of a raw onion, so don’t expect a salad or steamed veggies. All in all, I was happy with my meal, and although it wasn’t the most cost-​friendly, I did have leftovers.
I went back a second time for take-​out again, but had to wait another 20 minutes and I was not impressed with the food, particularly the rice, which I was really looking forward to from the last time. I suppose it depends on who the cook/​chef is, so don’t expect a spectacular meal, but it’s satisfying enough.

Very nice and friendly staff… the food was excellent. overall is a very good place to have Persian food and the price is very reasonable for the quantity of food we had.

We only gave it a 2 because while the food was good (not great), the service was awful. When we walked in the place was sweltering (rare day in Ottawa when temps were really hot) so we decided to get our order to go. We placed our order and watched order after order being sent out ahead of ours… take out and dine in. We hate to think it, but we were the only non-​regulars in there. The chef said, sorry, sorry, the chicken takes longer. 40 minutes for chicken on a stick? We weren’t buying it. Very disappointing experience.

Extremely wonderful and friendly staff, who gave extra onion and butter. Loved the koobideh & chicken kebab and the rice was especially good. Their doorg was also very refreshing. Totally unexpected from its outside appearance but indeed one of the best persian meals I’ve had on this side of the continent.

Don’t let the looks of this place scare you off. The food here is fresh and tasty and the staff are sweet. It’s also dirt cheap considering the pile of food you get. I am a pretty hearty eater, but I still have no trouble stretching one order into two meals.
The kebabs are juicy and flavourful and grilled to order, and the saffron rice is always cooked perfectly. I usually order half salad/​half rice, but even if you don’t you still get a grilled tomato with your order.

Standard hole in the wall type of restaurant. There are tablecloths, but the furniture looks like it was lifted from a public school cafeteria, so don’t bring a fussy date over there or anyone who thinks ambience is indispensable to a sit-​down meal.
That said, the food is great, with all the usual varieties of Iranian kabab (koobideh, barg, soltani, etc.) set next to beautifully arid saffron basmati rice. The meat is mild and perfectly grilled, with the right level of moistness. I really recommend the koobideh, which you can freely up the sumac levels on. Skip the side salad, which is just shredded iceberg topped with Kraft Italian, and enjoy the roasted tomato instead. The ayran yogurt drink is not the best idea either, as the variety they serve is made with sparkling water, which kind of negates the smoothness of the yogurt. Say yes when they ask if you want tea to end the meal. It’s strong and pungent and good.
Most importantly, go to the place with a bunch of Persian friends if you can. You’ll get extra-​smiley treatment and weird off-​the-​menu apps.