Armin Meat & Deli

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 8521 Foothill Blvd., Sunland, Verdugos
🅿️ Small parking lot in front
🥤 No Alcohol

It has been just over a year since Sunland's new Persian meat market cut the red ribbon at their opening celebration in late January 2022. But a look up at the sign which says "Since 1973" gives a hint that this is not the beginning of the story. The owner also has had a catering operation for some time, and obviously more than one generation has went into the history and recipes.

You can come in and get fully prepared for grilling kebabs and other meats at home, but lovers of sandwiches will be especially pleased with the daily offerings, almost all of which can be stuffed between bread and loaded with parsley, onions, and sauce. If you walk in to order, preparations take about 30 minutes, so you will find most people familiar with the place phone in their lists and come to pick up when everything is ready.

Beef louleh kebabs are laid out in the refrigerated case ready to cook at home for $6 each, and the familiar Persian ground meat favorite is indeed hard to resist. All boneless meats can be purchased as easy to eat sandwiches as well, like this beef louleh sandwich ($13.99, above). The kebab is joined by freshly chopped parsley and onion, or you can choose a more US-style version with lettuce and tomato.

Some choices are better with tomato, like the beef tongue sandwich ($16.99, below), which also has a nice layer of pickles and a zippy sauce that transfers from the tongue into each side of the French roll. The Persian tongue sandwich is usually a good entry point for those that may be squeamish with alternative cuts of meat, and the delicious version here is no exception.

The orange marinades of prepared skewers laid out in the case were tempting enough for a chicken thigh sandwich ($13.99, above) to be ordered. Somehow the flavors of this were even more than their appearance hinted, the tender dark meat pieces bursting with juices and spice with each bite.

The market also sells cups of sosis banderi, chopped up beef sausages swimming in a spicy sauce that will remind you immediately of any time you may have spent in Iran, especially the southern regions close to the Persian Gulf. The word bandari refers to this southern region, although now sandwiches with this spicy treat can be found just about anywhere that street food can be purchased.

Armin Meat & Deli also make their own sausages stuffed with cheese, which can be purchased by the link or also on another roll. The cheese dog ($13.99, above), or sosis paniri is a fun choice, as melted cheese runs out of the fried sausages after biting them. This is served with tomatoes and the house sauce, and while maybe not quite at the level as the other sandwiches, was a lot of fun to try.

Since there were no plans to get back home to a grill, the lamb chops ($5 each, below) provided a good way to sample at least one of the non-sandwich offerings of Armin. Easy to pick up with your hands for those that are eating on their car hoods or at a dark dive bar nearby like all this food was, the chops are simple and beautiful.

Like the chicken thighs, the marinades they are using are are eye-opening. Or maybe eye-closing, as you savor that first bite and each afterwards, flavorful but still allowing the quality of the meat to shine through. With one of these in each of the four mouths that enjoyed this meal, a string of Mmmmms rang around the table at the bar.

You can also grab pork ribs or hot wings at the meat market, or get more sandwiches with beloved Persian mortadella made with pistachio or one of their four house-made bologna. Eating sandwiches might seem like an ingrained part of the culture of the United States, but Iran should always be taken just as seriously when it comes to stuffing meats into bread. A Persian sandwich spot in the United States is just simply next level.

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Haida Sandwich & Juice

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 1243 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, Verdugos
🅿️ Street Parking
🥤 No Alcohol

Most people love sandwiches and pizza. It could even be safely said that those that do not are probably worth avoiding. While 10-year old Haida serves many of each, they also serve nostalgia for Iranians living in Los Angeles as the chain's first location in North America. The bold red and yellow colors will be familiar to anyone who lived in Tehran as these shops dot the map of Iran's capital like In-N-Out's dot that of Southern California.

Since opening this location in Glendale, they have expanded to Mission Viejo in 2017, one location in Vancouver, and a few in and around Toronto to serve the Persian communities of these places. The intense color scheme continues inside the small café, with red vinyl booths hosting groups of snacking customers surrounded by red and yellow walls.

Since going out for alcoholic drinks is not a thing, you will see friends sharing pizzas with Cokes, tea, or juice in their hands instead. Fresh juice is big business in Iran, but unfortunately despite being in the name here it seems to have slipped from their main offerings. On a recent visit only some oranges were ready to be squeezed, although the menu lists about a dozen interesting options that will hopefully one day return.

Rest assured you can find tea and soft drinks at anytime though, and since that pizza oven is calling from behind the counter, you will not be thinking about that juice for long. Persian-style pizzas are of course not new to town, they can be found in various areas with Persian residents, but may remain under the radar because they are still a niche food that is really only around to please one community.

Pizza and sandwich boxes for takeout.

A pizza in Iran does not start with dough covered in a base of tomato sauce, in fact this is omitted altogether in favor of a base of cheese. Any meats are usually laid down next, with another layer of cheese on top of those. Diced vegetables will usually be last with some dried herbs sprinkled over the whole cheesy creation.

The 10" Persian pizza ($16.99, below) arrives looking like a veggie lovers pie, but rest assured that those meats are stacked generously under the top layer of cheese. Mortadella is combined with Persian sausages, the outlines of which can be seen here and there under the cheese. As per custom, the edges are always slightly charred and crispy, making the soft crust enjoyable right up to the last bite.

Pizza is popular enough that there is even a pizza sandwich made here, with all those ingredients stuffed between bread, but more interesting options include those that resemble Italian American subs and anything else that lets the house sauce shine through. Persians generally love ranch dressing on their pizzas, but at Haida they have a ranch-like creation that has a bit of kick in it. It comes with the pizza for dipping and slathered on their sandwiches, and you will probably see other customers asking for extra portions when they pick up orders.

On of the most popular sandwiches is the beef tongue ($16.99, below), with cuts of meat sliced very thin. Diners who normally shy away from any meat that is not muscle should give this a shot as it is pretty entry level. The cuts are smooth and lean, and the slight kick from the sauce gives a well-rounded bite.

The bread is nothing special, but it does not detract from the sandwich either. When ordering they will ask you if you want greens and onions, and these are worth the 75 cent upgrade to add to the tastes. The herbal garden that results is a quick and filling lunch, the sandwiches are quite large and can split up easily if you are also sharing a pizza.

If you are eating in, do not forget to check out all the candy and other items from back home that they have on display at the counter. Unfortunately none of this is for sale, but is enjoyable even for people who are not overwhelmed with nostalgia from everything in the case.

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Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Persepolis Pizza & Subs

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 6900 Reseda Blvd., Reseda, San Fernando Valley
🅿️ Small plaza with parking
🥤 No Alcohol

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (10 January 2025) is available as part of the Historical section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/persepolis-pizza-and-subs-persian-los-angeles

If you have ever spent much time in Iran, you come home with a very clear feeling about how important both food and hospitality are to Iranians. Make friends and suddenly you are the guest of honor in their home, course after elaborate course set in front of you. But the other feeling you will take away is that just like Los Angeles and most other cities, Tehran and Iran's other urban areas love their pizza and sandwiches.

Los Angeles has a large and established enough Iranian diaspora to cater to both of these types of meals as well. Persian sandwiches, led by the beef tongue at Attari Sandwich Shop in Westwood, are seen at quite a few spots in neighborhoods with many Iranians, while Persian-style pizza joints are a little more rare.

Since 2002 Persians in the Valley have been able to enjoy their pizzas from a tiny spot in Reseda named after the former ceremonial capital of the First Persian Empire. Stepping inside you start to feel that it is actually named after one of Tehran's biggest football clubs and perennial Asian Champions League contender Persepolis F.C., which has an entire wall devoted to its history.

There is also a good chance you will walk in to see a football match from Iran or Europe on the television and a group of men watching it at the tables. There may be a pizza in front of them, but there is an even better chance that each has their own "sub" in one hand. Reseda Blvd. seems to be the secret location to find interesting foods at places with "subs" in the title, as just up the street in Northridge the word hides some tasty Sri Lankan food behind it.

The Persian beef tongue sandwich may have been made famous or put into the lexicon of non-Persians in Los Angeles by rave reviews of Attari, but it is made in other places along with a range of other Persian sandwiches. A large pot sits on the stove in the back of Persepolis which may appear to be some stew or soup being cooked, but it is actually the home to the beef tongue, by far the most popular sandwich made.

Having never strayed from that choice at Attari, it was time to sample some other favorite sandwich ingredients from back home in Iran. Under the "special subs" list, the olovieh and mortadella ($11.99, above) stood out on the initial visit, a combination of two things you can also find commonly on their own. Persian mortadella is actually kalbas, a halal deli meat made from beef or veal rather than pork like in Italy, and filled with pistachios rather than peppercorns. It has a nice strong garlic note and really bumps up the tastiness when paired with the relatively subtle potato salad olovieh (commonly spelled elsewhere as olivieh).

While they list both a lentil and barley soup available daily, it is more likely that you will find the latter, known as ash e jo ($10.99, above and below). This version is paired down from what you may be used to served in a fancier restaurant, but it acts the part of pizza shop stew, still filled with good comforting flavors.

Pick up a spoon and you will also find plenty of lentils mixed with the barley in this vegetarian stew, as well as some chickpeas and leeks. The top is covered with a mound of freshly chopped parsley, which should be mixed in well for more flavor.

If you happen to dine in the small restaurant and stay long enough to enjoy your soup and sandwiches, you will start to crave those pizzas as you see many of them being picked up. Hardly a word of anything in the shop besides Farsi makes it apparent that these will be of the style you will find in Iran, incredibly cheesy and without a hint of sauce.

There are many pizza styles around the world that a pizza snob would turn their nose up to, but all sorts of these are the ones people knew from back home and nowadays make them have those feelings again. When food makes someone feel home, this is arguably much more successful than another type that earns a "prestigious" award.

In Los Angeles, this tiny pizzeria in Reseda may be the closest two Iranian-born parents can come to bringing their family out for pizza night and feeling what it is like back home. Persian pizza is not super different than other pizzas in the States, but would satisfy that small percentage of overlap in a Venn Diagram of folks who love pizza and also do not like marinara sauce.

In its place, another layer of cheese finds its way to the pie, covering the top and many of the toppings. On a Persepolis ($13.99 for a 12", above and below), the namesake pizza has sossis (sausage/hot dog), more mortadella/kalbas, mushrooms, and green peppers above and below the cheesy layers. The whole thing is baked at a high temperature, which allows the cheese and the toppings peeking out to be nicely browned and crisp.

Like any good Persian pizza purveyor, they offer you ketchup and ranch dressing whether you are eating in or carrying out. Before COVID, you would find squeeze bottles of each on the table when a pizza was ordered. This may seem odd to people having their first, but watch everyone else and you will soon see that both of these are important and heavily used.

The whole pie is dashed with a healthy portion of oregano, making for a pizza with many tastes coming together. For the customer who is willing to transport themself to another land rather than compare with what they might think is a top-quality pizza, Persepolis is guaranteed to hit the right spot. It sure does for its many longtime regular customers.

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Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Saffron Food Mart

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 3801 Pacific Coast Highway, Torrance, South Bay
🅿️ Parking lot behind store
🥤 No Alcohol

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (28 October 2024) is available as part of the Historical section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/saffron-food-mart-persian-food-torrance

For many years this building has been home to a Persian market, first named Shayan back in 2008 and briefly changing hands and name in 2015 to Seaside Market. Since opening in the spring of 2018, and again having a new owner, this "food mart" now has just as strong a pull for their restaurant as for the market it lives in.

If you tried the prepared foods from one of those earlier markets and just thought it was so-so, come back to give the new place a try. The kitchen is talented and is really hitting its stride. Casual Persian food is not the easiest thing to find in the South Bay, so a place this good is an absolute gem.

If you are in the mood for a meal and head to the back of the well-stocked market, you will find a menu that reads the length of that of a restaurant. A peek over the counters reveals a large grill cooking kabobs of all sorts, big pots full of unknown wonders, and constant cooking even if the store is not full of customers.

This is because, as you will notice while waiting for your food, a good portion of the business is very large catering orders that will be bundled and then picked up by customers who phoned in. Seeing so much getting piled into trunks of their vehicles almost is enough to ask for an invite to whatever party they are throwing.

Leaving without at least one kabob (or the family special for $88!) would be a mistake here, as the meats are prepared and grilled just right. The beef koobideh ($15.99, above) is done with skill, ground meat mixed with onions and plenty of spices.

Kabobs come with a heaping portion of basmati, that is thankfully (especially because of the name of the place!) topped with saffron and no food coloring. A side of yogurt with cucumber and herbs called maast-o khiar comes with these orders as well, and the combination of everything in one bite is just about perfect.

Persian soups and stews come in many flavors and looks, many of which are available here on any given day, making well-rounded meals easy to put together. Ash e reshte, a thick lentil and vegetable stew with noodles is usually there, as is the less popular ash e jo ($5.99 small, above), a barley stew with other similar herbs and ingredients.

A thick white clump of kashk is sitting on top of any of these, and this is meant to be stirred in along with the spices. Some type of bread will come with most orders as well, and thick Persian stews are great for scooping up.

A final test of the kitchen with fesenjon ($16.99, above) is enough to awards all the gold stars. This complex dish of chicken, ground walnuts, and pomegranate paste is both sweet and sour at the same time, not overly so in either direction like many. Again an oversized portion of rice comes with it, and a stack of thin lavash.

The hints of cardamom and turmeric come through a bit, citrus peels and cinnamon maybe a bit deeper. It will only make you want to return as soon as possible for all the other stews you can find on the menu. After a couple visits, you start to understand why so many catering orders are filling the trunks of South Bay customers.

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I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Shamshiri Restaurant

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 19249 Roscoe Blvd., Northridge, San Fernando Valley
🅿️ Large plaza with parking
🥤 No Alcohol

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (16 February 2024) is available as part of the Free Friday Favorites section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/shamshiri-restaurant

If you try to search into the history of Shamshiri Restaurant, at least on the internet, you will come across two conflicting dates. The website's date of origin for the restaurant is 1981, but the Westwood location that most people know opened in 1984. Eventually this will lead to the fact that the Northridge branch was actually where it all started three years earlier, but it will also lead to people telling you that all three Shamshiris (there is also one in Glendale) no longer have relationships, and the owners are different.

Shirazi salad.

 

This is the kind of business drama that plays well for television but is of absolutely no interest on these pages, but just know that the opinions stated here are for Northridge only. What they do have in common is almost universal praise. The Westwood location is known for being slightly more blue collar than other restaurants on the street, and the original Northridge shop is even less concerned with appearances and ambiance.

But who needs stuffiness? You certainly do not or you would probably be reading someone else's appraisal. Shamshiri Northridge is approachable and super friendly, the focus of their intentions is on positive guest experiences and delicious food.

To balance the meats and oils that are certain to come soon, grab a refreshing shirazi salad ($4.95) that comes with its own dressing to use as desired. Also recommended as a starter is the eggplant borani ($5.95, above), a mash of eggplants and sauteed onions, garlic, and yogurt that will win over even the detractors of this vegetable.

Every meal will be served with another fresh salad, half a raw onion, and a good portion of warmed pita bread, perfect for picking up the borani and any other appetizers or stews you order.

The other thing you will not be lacking at the table is the fragrant saffron-tinged basmati rice that comes with virtually everything. It is hard to leave a Persian meal without piles of it still left here and there, but at Shamshiri this seems to go to the next level. If you are lucky, they will bring out the tahdig, or "bottom of the pot" that is crisped and caramelized and desired by everyone at the table.

Our server warned to spread stews like the fesenjon ($16.95, above) on the crispy bits to soften them up enough so that no teeth were broken. This seems like humor, but heed this warning! The stew itself is surprisingly one of the tastiest you will ever sample, not much for initial impressions but so deeply full of flavors. A slightly sour hint from pomegranate paste plays with the sweetness and nuttiness of ground walnuts, along with a full range of spices that combine to make for a dark and thick winner.

If there is only room for one kabob order on the table, you cannot go wrong with the shishlick ($22.95, above), five wonderfully marinated lamb chops. Despite being the most expensive single kabob selection on the menu, the chops are big and good value. Get them done medium-rare and note the approval of your server.

Desiring to limit the meat that came to the table, a conversation started while ordering about the dishes listed in the vegetarian section of the menu. Most of these are meatless versions of their polo dishes, the Persian version of pilaf or plov. It was stated that since the table had no vegetarians, those were not as tasty as the meat versions and instead the humbly-named vegetarian dish ($9.95, below) should be chosen and upgraded with albalou polo ($2.50) instead of plain basmati rice.

In the background of the above photo, the albalou polo is rice cooked with sour cherries and a sweet and sour sauce. It should not be missed. The simple vegetarian dish itself is cauliflower, celery, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini sauteed with plenty of tasty spices. It works well with spoonfuls of rice, with the pita, or on its own.

It would be remiss not to mention how well the folks at Shamshiri take care of you. Service levels across the restaurant spectrum can go from you being a bother just existing to a server taking a true interest in showing off the food available, and Shamshiri definitely is the latter. Your meals here can benefit from questions and conversation while ordering.

Solo diners should take note that the restaurant has weekday lunch specials in the $9.95-$12.50 range.

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I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Attari Sandwich Shop

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 1388 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, Westside
🅿️ Street Parking
🥤 No Alcohol

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (06 December 2023) is available as part of the Historical section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/attari-sandwich-shop

 

On a pleasant day, the small courtyard here at Attari is usually filled with area Persians chatting over tea and food underneath the ample shade. Inside the conversations seem to get even more spirited and important, but this may only be your brain working a little too hard to find intrigue. Either way, the feeling of being a central cultural hub is alive and well.

The first thing you notice when walking inside is the refrigerated case full of salads and meze and single portion takeaway containers of rice pudding. The menu goes much further though than these simple things, and the place is quite surprising in the depth of their kitchen offerings despite having "sandwich shop" in their title. Very popular also are the kebobs, seen on at least one table every visit.

Start your meals here with the lovely ash-e reshteh (above), a stew of so many ingredients just called "osh" here on the menu. This is 100% vegetarian, but hearty with chickpeas, kidney beans, and small noodles. In fact the word "ash" in Farsi is a word to distinguish thick stews like this from thinner soups. The green color is a combination of mint, parsley, spinach, and dill, and there may have been lentils in here as well. A white drizzle of fermented dairy kashk and a black slick of mint oil create a work of art at the top and are covered with caramelized onions.

Unseen on the table are the small thin pieces of fresh bread and the plate of herbs that are automatically brought with an order. Both complement everything you can order here.

Don't forget about those sandwiches all served on a nice crisp roll, especially the ones with Persian ingredients. The owner here has been selling sandwiches in some form since the end of the 80's, and they really are a treat. Many, like the tongue sandwich (above) are full of very tart pickles which could not make a better juxtaposition with the richness of the meats.

 

Make sure to come back on Fridays when they serve abgoosht, another stew of lamb, and the place is even more full of conversations and intrigue.

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I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

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Saffron & Rose Persian Ice Cream

🇮🇷 IRAN
📍 1387 Westwood Blvd., Westwood, Westside
🅿️ Street Parking

EDITOR'S NOTE: An updated version of this article (30 November 2023) is available as part of the Historical section of our Substack page. Check that out here:

https://eattheworldla.substack.com/p/saffron-and-rose-persian-ice-cream

Bastani sonnati is the traditional ice cream of Iran, what here in the states is usually just called "Persian ice cream." What is most impressive is the array of new flavors not at other ice cream shops.

But those ingredients in the name of this place?

Saffron and rose water are actually key components of traditional Persian ice cream, along with milk, eggs, and sugar like anywhere. You will also find parts of vanilla and pistachio as a base for any flavor.

So even if you order vanilla or chocolate, there will be a flavor profile that is less familiar and much more deep.

The selections above were made on a blistering October day in 2015 and did include both rose water and saffron, and a few I forget. My strongest memory was a need to return.

 

Another visit...

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I COULD USE YOUR HELP

Eat the World Los Angeles is and always has been free. It is a hobby born of passion and never solicits money or free food from restaurants. No advertisements block the content or pop over what you read. If this website has helped you explore your city and its wonderful cultures a little better please tell your friends about us and if you have the means to contribute, please consider doing so. Eat the World Los Angeles is a labor of love, but also takes a lot of money and time everyday to keep running.

Thank you!

VENMO: @JAREDCOHEE

CASH APP: $JaredCohee

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