Restaurant Review Rome: Taberna Persiana

I’d never eaten Persian food before a couple of weeks ago. I don’t think there are many Persian restaurants in my area, or maybe I’m just under informed. If that’s the case, I definitely have to inform myself so that when I’m home in August I can eat some Persian food even there.

The walls were a deep orange and gold with turquoise and red paintings. Gorgeous

Our table setting with pitcher of white wine. 

A couple of weeks ago Endira and I were trying to decide where to eat out. It was a Friday night and we hadn’t thought to make a reservation and we kind of wanted to try something new (rather than going to Novecento  or one of the other 2 restaurants that we normally wind up at). We decided to try Taberna Persiana. It’s been intriguing to me since I first spotted it back in November but I hadn't gotten around to trying it.  It’s really close to the station and therefore also only a twenty minute walk from my apartment, which was nice because we wound up sitting and chatting till around midnight (a sure sign of a good restaurant).

We walked in and were greeted by beautiful, rich colors that were at once charming and comforting. There were opulent oranges, golds, and turquoises with accents of warm and earthy browns all over the room.  The lighting was mellow and really picked up richness of all the color. Our server sat us down in a cove-like window and was quite nice.  I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and then the amazing flavors and presentation of the food.

Hummus and flatbread.

We started off with hummus (written homus on the menu). It was delicious but quite different from the hummus I’ve generally seen in the states. It was just as light and creamy but made with sesame and mint in addition to chickpeas.  The mint was incredibly refreshing and delicious with the chickpeas and it really complimented the sesame as well. The hummus was served with very thin, warm slices of flat bread.  I actually would have loved to get a container to go so I could eat it with warm schiacciata or on sandwiches with prosciutto.

My amazing and beautiful chicken dish.

For my main meal I got a chicken dish called Zareshk Polò. I’m still not entirely sure how to pronounce it, but it was absolutely delicious.  It was served with white and yellow rice covered with crushed pistachios and barberries which are sweet but slightly sour red berries. I’ve never seen them in the states but they’re lovely. They added a beautiful richness and contrast to the savory aspects of the dish.  The chicken was dark and light meat served in a lovely sauce made with saffron, almonds, and pistachios. I’m not sure how the sauce was made but it was utterly delicious.  It was beautifully

seasoned and I really enjoyed the flavor, especially when paired with the barberries.  The chicken was tender and juicy and just the right sized portion. It was utterly delicious and I would definitely get it again because for as filling as it was it was still light.

Endira got a meat dish that was kind of like gyro and it was also quite delicious. She got the Qashqal which was two skewers, one of Kubideh (lamb and ground beef) and one of Juheh (chicken).  It also came with a very large plate of white and yellow rice.  Endira’s was quite good but I personally liked my dish better because I really enjoy that combination of savory with a hint of sweetness.

We were really full so we didn’t get any dessert or coffee but we wound up sitting around chatting and finishing our jug of wine in tranquility. We weren’t rushed out which was lovely.  I also enjoyed that at around 11pm a very large group came in for dinner, including children. I believe they were Persian but they were having a wonderful time.  It was a lot of fun watching the wait staff balance and perfectly manage the large table even with the frenetic behavior of all the kids.