Middle East Market

You would never guess how good their good is or if they even serve warm food if you just pass by. I gave this place a 5 star for their koobideh. Although Middle East Market isa grocery store, they also serve warm food. As I said, their koobideh is better than any «fine dining» Persian restaurant. Amir and Hussain are great and provide the best customer service. I am sure all the other food is good too but I can’t help but order the koobideh each time since it’s so damn good :)

This is the best middle eastern market in town! The Persian food feels like home and the friendly staff/​family are so welcoming;) I love the Ghormeh sabzi and all the kabobs… also the tea is addicting!

The New Owners are welcoming and the food is amazing, place is CLEAN and prices are very low for a high grade Persian Dish, ignore the old reviews as the new place rocks under the new ownership.

What a turn around! This place has excellent food and everyone there is sooooo friendly! If you haven’t tried MEM out for awhile, you need to go back and treat yourself to some koobldeh, it’s amazing. Nice job folks.

This place is great! Amir and fist father really know how to treat their customers as well as provide excellent food and customer service. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for great food and an atmosphere. Since they have opened I have gone multiple times and have taken neighbors as well as friends. — Shahin

Best Chengeh (Steak Kabob) in the Bayeast!
The New Family Owner knows business very well and they have great customer service!

The quality of kabobs is impressive, as well as the volume of typical Middle Eastern desserts and groceries.

This place caught us by surprise! We were gonna go to the Venezuelan place next door, and when we got there, we realized they are closed. So we figured we Check out Middle east Market. I bought a few things and we also had a Koobideh dish and a Chicken breast Kabab. Both were excellent, especially the Koobideh! This is a family run place and the owners are super friendly, probably the friendliest Persian Grocery store I’ve ever been to :)!
For those of you who’ve been to the Rose market, the food here is just as good, but the service is MUCH better!
Looking forward to going here next time I’m in East Bay!

Fantastic place and super friendly since new ownership. And the food is amazing,

Quality is great! Super delicious. Very friendly environment. The owner is super nice and welcome customers with open arms. I was having a great kabab with rice and the chef came to ask of everything was great! I truly love the new management and strongly suggest Berkeley people to support this awesome authentic shop/​restaurant!

I have since tried their kabab and it is indeed delicious!

This place is AMAZING. New ownership since September, now they serve food. It’s SO GOOD! Chef from Iran. The baklava (rolls) are the BEST I have ever eaten. Seriously.
The owner and his son are very friendly and welcoming. This is a local business that NEEDS to stay open. Everyone who likes Middle Eastern food HAS to check this place out!

The grocery part of the store is well stocked, and the owners are very helpful if you need to locate something special. The prepared foods were amazing – we had the gormeh sabzi and a roasted lamb dish. Both were delicious and filling as the food also came with plenty of rice, onions and a roasted tomato. Also, do try the tea!
I will be back to enjoy the wonderful food and good vibes in here often.

I have been twice now and have only great things to say. Please ignore the older comments as the place is under new owners, the Razavi family have changed it for the better. I am not in Berkeley often but will be sure to make this a stop every time.
I had the lamb shank, rice with yogurt for lunch and it was amazing. The chef Nadir is incredible and everything I had a taste of rocked my world! Madeline, Hossein and Amir are the wonderful new owners who make you feel at home the second you walk in. There is a café in front with a market behind it that carries a large variety of middle eastern items. Well stocked and nicely displayed. If you have any questions, don’t be afraid to ask and all are willing to help.
They have only owned it two months now and I can only see it getting even better as time goes on! Go and enjoy.
Peace

This gem has been taken over by new owners — a wonderful, friendly, gracious family. It re-​opened only three weeks ago, therefore ignore any posts you see from earlier than that! The old owner was definitely grumpy, and the food was sometimes OK, never great. The new management has turned things around. They greet you with a smile when you enter, offer you tea, remember your face. They’ve still got a wide selection of imported dry goods, but I also noticed much fresher looking produce than under previous ownership — a huge plus. MORE importantly, the new owners are creating DELICIOUS food. The food is fresh, prepared with care, and the meats are juicy, tender, and spiced to perfection. Well done, new owners. WELCOME to the neighborhood… we are so glad you are here!

The new ownership has made this place unforgettably amazing. The customer service is probably the best I’ve ever received. Amir, the owners son, showed such great hospitality and was extremely welcoming. We ordered the Koobideh and Chicken thighs. I’ve had Persian food many times before and I must say this was one of the best Persian meals I’ve had. The koobideh was so tender and delicious. The chicken thigh was extremely juicy and tasty. He suggested we try their homemade mast-​o-​moosir (thick yogurt with shallots) which was so yummy I had to buy a small container of it to take home.
100% amazing food, customer service, quality of products
Highly recommend everyone to go here, you won’t regret it.

love this place
legit mom and pop (and son) with authentic Iranian foods :))))
try the faloudeh and the koobideh

Used to be great a few years ago but has gone downhill since new management changed. :(
Rude manager and inferior products than before.

Most reviewers are right about this place. You come here for the dried goods. Don’t get the pre-​made food here. It’s not fresh and they use a $hit ton of sodium and lemon to preserve it (ahem, tabouli). As for the made to order stuff, go elsewhere as well.
P.s: Yes, the man at the counter is Mr. Grumpy grumps, with the driest personality. I might be biased (since I just moved from bean town, but I kindda dig it.

I roped my son into coming here with me this morning in search of exotic spices. We were contentedly wandering the aisles, checking out the spices and dry goods, slowly making our way towards the back of the shop.
Suddenly, I catch of whiff of something. Something bad. I give my son a look and say (sotto vocce) «did you just pass gas?». He assured me that he did not, but I was a little suspicious.
Until we moved a few steps further down the aisle, closer to the back of the shop where someone was working in an area behind a set of small swinging doors. Then it hit both of us: either someone had just had a vicious bowel movement and forgot to turn the fan on in the bathroom, or there’s an open sewer line back there.
I can’t believe anyone could eat anything from a place that smells so awful. Truly, it has to be a code violation. We hightailed it out of there before we caught something serious off the fumes.
I noticed that other reviewers have had a similar experience — what on earth is going on in there?!?