Baran Restaurant

New owners, great food!
I can’t wait to eat there again. we have plans for a large group to go Saturday. We haven;t set a time yet, but i called them for their hours and they are open 11:30am — 11:30pm.
Restaurant is now called Farsi Café and has a new phone number of (310) 475‑4500
Unilocal has a new page for it also:

Changing owners & name in a few days :*(. RIP Baran.

They have the best Tah-​Dig and Gheimeh Stew. The food is absolutely mouth watering and I give that a 5-​star. Service is about a 3 and a half star. They have entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. Basically it is a solo music and singing. The ambiance still have room for improvement, but not distasteful either. Overall, I really like this place.

Food is still delicious, the manager was great at pointing out a nice variety for us. We didn’t care for the appetizers (eggplant and a yogurt thing), but that’s more a style/​cuisine difference than anything else.
Service is great, lamb shank is tasty as always…
Unfortunately they jacked up the tip (beyond the already generous amount we gave them) the last time we went– checked my credit card statement and found that the amount they charged was several dollars higher than what I had written on the receipt.
Given how good the food is, how generous we already were with the time, AND the fact that they jacked up the tip? I’m very sad to say I will not be coming back. They have plenty of competition that I would rather give my business to after this most recent experience.

I could say I’ve had better Persian food then Baran. The food here was pretty bland and needed more side dishes in entrees for the price they charge.
The Pulao was a beef rice dish mingle with saffron rice. It had lots of cinnamon… enough to overpower the whole dish. It came with a side of one minced chicken kabob, which was very flavorful. I just wished the pulao was equally flavorful.
The chicken kabob plate was good. But I think they could have added more to the plate other than chicken kabob and basmati rice. Maybe tebouleh or garlic sauce? It needed more side dishes and condiments.
The greek salad was out-​of-​this world! Very fresh! I really enjoyed the feta cheese, the kalamata olives, tomatoes, and the red onions. The balsamic vinegar went perfect with this salad.
I was disappointed with the lavash bread. It was served cold and hard, like it was a day old. I was given raw onions and fresh mint to accompany the lavash bread. They could have made a tebouleh or something spread-​like to to go with it.
Overall, the waiters were very polite. Place was clean and all the tables were organized neatly for service. I thought this place was a bit pricey. $ 18 for some grilled meat and white rice? I might as well have bought all the ingredients and made it at home and I still would have spent under $ 15. Unfortunately, I may never come back here again.

Good — but the koobideh at raffis is way better.

I am no expert in Persian cuisine. Yet, long ago, I had an Iranian roommate, and I remember having some wonderful food.
Baran’s food was bland and uninteresting; not bad, but not good enough to want to go back.
People are friendly; service is efficient.

In general food is ok not top of the line
but service was ok I had chicken kebab
it was ok not juicy though. I think they do not
use safaran to marinate the chicken. The rice is
Not the best basmati but overall experience is
ok. I do not review very bad unless it is Terrible
so this was not bad at all.

I really wanted to like this place!
The people are friendly, the service is excellent, the restaurant is designed really well.
But, my food was not good! And I really usually like everything. I’m vegan but I’m not picky, even if I don’t like something very much, I’ll just take it home, so as not to let food go to waste, but I couldn’t even take this home.
I ordered some kind of onion dip to start which sounds good but it needed something salty and acidic to brighten it up. I think it would have been good if it had some lemon in it, but it just tasted to me like an unfinished dish.
Then, I was recommended a stew, which I could hardly stomach. Sorry! It was basically just oil, oil with pureed parsley.
The best part of this meal was the nice fluffy rice and the complimentary tea at the end of the meal. But I can make my own rice and my own tea. I won’t be back here, and I’m bummed about my first foray into Persian cuisine!

The s. o and I went to this restaurant to celebrate our anniversary. We decided on a late dinner (close to home) after a day full of activities. After reading reviews on Unilocal we settled on this place as we had not really tried Iranian/​Persian Cuisine before.
We arrived at around 9pm and being a Sunday night there way only a table of 3 people who were just leaving. The owner and a group of his friends were sitted in the corner talking and having some tea/​sodas. We were welcomed warmly and immediately sitted to the table we picked. They took our drink orders. They had a riesling for house wine so I had a glass and their beer selection was either Heineken or Corona.
We chose the eggplant appetizer. It was pretty good and very filling. They provided a basket of bread with butter. The bread was barely lukewarm yet still enjoyable. I ordered an item that wasn’t on the menu a lamb kabob that came with Basmati rice for $ 23.95. The s.o. ordered a beef lentil stew for around $ 14. My lamb was very tender and flavorful. The s. o’s was a little tangy and zesty not my style but he seemed to enjoy it. They gave us huge portions most of which we took home after eating to our fill.
For dessert we wanted Baklava but unfortunately they were out. The manager suggested a different dessert that he informed us belonged to the Baklava family. It was a-​okay but not Baklava. It was served with an optional hot cup of tea. I think we enjoyed it a little more with the tea. At the end of our dinner the owner stopped by our table to check on how everything went (very special touch I thought) and invited us to come back some other time.
The ambiance is romantic with a touch of class. We liked the wooden interior.
Definitely give it a try!!!

A very friendly persian restaurant. People didn’t show up until after 8pm for dinner. The owner was very friendly. The waiter messed up with order, but i think partly b/​c my friend has a bad pronunciation of the name of the dish. And when we found the dish coming was not the one he ordered, the owner just kindly sent that one back and brought the right one. And he encouraged us to try the rice, just gave us as free.
Meals are delicious. Should not have ordered salad, not a smart one in a persian restaurant. But the kabob and lamb shank were all good. Rice was delicious.

It’s not a full 4, but more of a 3.75.
SERVICE: 2.75
We walked in on a Thursday at 5:20pm, only ones (as we had expected for that time). I asked for the Tahchin Chicken Plate, and that wasn’t available. I asked for a something similar, and the server said there’s nothing close to it (which is hard to believe). At this point the server went from unaccommodating to too accommodating.
FOOD: 4
At any rate, I was hungry so the bf ordered his first koobideh (so proud, he’s super white British, so he’s a virgin to Persian food) and I ordered the kabob, and we had some of the cucumber yogurt dip our bread and excess rice. The food was so damn good, so damn juicy, I wish I had enough in me to finish it all. The only weird thing about the food was the free barbari bread given in the beginning was paired with butter? For me, this just does not compute.
PRICE: 3.75
Growing up in Irvine, I usually just went to Wholesome Choice grocery store, got a to-​go plate for $ 6 – 8. Here it’s about $ 15+ for the same thing on fancy plates. I understand the premium for the restaurant dining experience, however, I still think it was a bit much. And the side of cucumber yogurt dip was about $ 6.50? Dip? Really?
PLACE: 4.5
I am not sure on the parking situation as I live around the corner, but the décor inside Baran is definitely classy. Love the dark wood décor and the red accent pieces.

Another delicious stop on the tour of westside kabob houses.
The meat in the Soltani was pretty good, maybe could’ve been a little jucier
The Ghormeh Sabzi was a little underseasoned, but with a sprinkle of salt it tasted close to grandmas. They also serve a «fair» portion of meat in it, some places leave you searching for meat cubes in the green stew
The service was excellent, even after their official closing time. Overall, a solid choice.

My country-​bumpkin past had never lead me to try Persian cuisine. Until I started working in Tehrangeles (Westwood) and my boss eats at Baran every other day. Sometimes we even have it brought in catered for the whole office. I’ve had the menu a few times over so I’ll just hit the highlights — forgive my phonetic spelling of the Farsi words.
Boneless Chicken — just like it sounds, delicious chicken cooked in oil until tender.
White fish — broiled — don’t get the fried — it’s moist and tender like the chicken. I think both are cooked in oil or butter so although fish is normally a healthy option, I’d curb your caloric expectations.
Nadurri — this is a flattened piece of filet mignon. Very delicious. It’s pricey though.
Gormeh Sabza — this is a green stew that you serve over rice. Very good and a change of pace from the traditional meat and rice.
Zeresk Pollo — I like the sweet red berries in the rice.
Shirazi Salad — this is a cucumber salad with tomatoes and onions. I like to squeeze half a lime in mine before eating it.
You start each meal with a basket of flat bread with butter. My boss likes to finish the meal with a cup of dark brown tea. I’m not a tea drinker but he swears Persian tea is the best in the world.

This is my favorite of Persian restaurants in the SM Blvd/​Westwood Blvd area. When I come here, it’s usually with the whole family… at least 6 of us, and usually more! I don’t think I have ever had to wait for a table here, and the food is always great!
The last time we went was just a week ago and our table ordered a whole range of foods (White fish, Salmon, Koobideh, Soltani, Bonless chicken kabobs, Tadig with Ghormehsabzi)… Everyone was very happy with their food.
Also, the service here is great. The servers are very attentive, but not overbearing, which they have been at other competitor restaurants in the area (i’m not gonna name names here!). During our most recent visit, my 2 year old nephew was with us, who was slightly cranky and pretty noisy, and the server even played with him a bit and was very sweet to him!
I will definitely be returning to Baran many more times in the coming months and I think you should too!

I am very picky about Persian food, but this place is amazing! It’s odd that it’s not rated a total 5 star but I guess there will always be haters. The décor is beautiful. The restaurant is very clean. The food and service are always amazing. My favorites: koobideh, zeresht polo, sabzi polo and salmon, ghormeh sabzi. It’s my favorite Persian place! A must!

I love you Baran!!! I get delivery from Baran at LEAST once a week… Unilocal says I have 12 check-in’s but that only include my visits that I actually check in which isn’t often I often times forget to check in so I would add another 15 from deliveries and another 8 for forgetting to check in… :)
I’ll add more asap ;)
P. s. I am the duchess ;)

Baran is great! First heard about it from my cousin when her Persian boyfriend took her here. With that, I trusted that this place was quality and authentic.
And it is!
Very good quality food here. I’ve tried various dishes here, but personally, I love the beef koobideh! And I always order barberry rice in place of the regular rice. Trust me, it’s an awesome combo of sweet and savory!
It is kinda pricey here, but again, the food is quality, the portions are huge (definitely enough to share) and the restaurant is very classy looking with dark walls and somewhat dim lights. A good choice for a special dinner date! ;) Service is good too!
Definitely recommend this place if you’re willing to spend a lil. But trust, it’s worth it!

The debate on the Westside to identify the most superior Persian restaurant has been steady but it has also triggered me to believe that these debates are no more than an issue of popularity, service, and personal preferences. There are obvious hierarchies that have developed over time, but the unintended consequence is also the erratic distributions of poor ratings across the board. To me, those situated at the bottom tier would still be considered outstanding if they were to operate at another Metropolitan center. This said, no one is truly a prophet in their own land, and this is the self-​fulfilling prophecy for the many Persian restaurants that are competing amongst themselves in Westwood/​West LA.
Located on the border between Westwood and West LA, I’ve wanted to try Baran for a long time and finally had the chance to bring a friend visiting from Milwaukee for dinner. The dark wooden décor was clean, spacious, with white table cloths and red napkins to add a hint of simple elegance. There was continuous live music in the background that was not obstructive to conversations, and we were the only non-​Persian table amongst those who were also fluent in French. My friend has an ambitious eating agenda for his visit so we ordered an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert to share.
Hummus: Served with three olives, two tomato slices and a splash of olive oil, the hummus was smooth with a hint of sweetness without a pronounced tangy tahini flavor when compared to Sunnin and other Persian restaurants nearby. I actually enjoyed this subtle difference in taste, but thought the quality of lavosh could be better.
White Fish Kebob: My friend’s entrée came with generous pieces of white fish nicely grilled to crisp on the outside while very moist and flavorful at the core. It was served with Baghali Polo (basmati rice mixed with fresh dills and lima beans) and portions were more generous than the one I had at Javan.
Boneless Chicken Kebob: Huge, bulky pieces of boneless chicken arrived ultra tender, juicy, and grilled to perfection. The texture was not as moist as the one at Darya, but it was still outstanding and flavorful. I asked for the dish to come with Adas Polo (basmati rice mixed with lentil, raisins, and dates), and the surprise addition of fried onions delightfully extended its taste and texture. I only wished I could have more dates in the rice.
Homemade Saffron Ice Cream: The ice cream was a bit weak in saffron and hard to break through with the spoon, but the rich fillings of pistachios made it very pleasant. This dessert was served on top of a thin piece of chewy wafer which made it less desirable than the version I’ve experienced at Flame. They were very kind to add two pieces of complimentary fried dough nicely glazed with honey for us to try.
Service was outstanding with a sincere smile. The owner of the restaurant stopped by twice and told us how much he would like us to return. Our glass of water was never empty and overall it was a very pleasant experience. I really like this place and would love to return to try their lamb shank, among other excitable dishes.

I read a lot of good things about this place and was looking for something other than Javan. Luckily my companion arrived earlier than me and was recommended the lamb. I followed suit and got a solid homemade dish — the lamb shank special was tender, but could’ve benefited from an extra 45 mins in the pot. The fresh rice was multi-​colored and came with fresh dill and herbs. The best rice I ever had from a Persian place. There was real love put into that dish.
Lunch for $ 13 was amazing value considering the quality of the food. The only thing that was a little off was the service. It must be the Persian ego, but our waiter seemed a little aloof. But forget about that and come try the food.