LA Persian Food Picks with Nicole Dayani

Where to get homemade Persian food in LA with none of the prep.

Words by Rebecca Roland 31 Oct 2019

Nicole’s Kitchen started in 2013 as an afterschool escape while self-taught chef Nicole Dayani was studying at UCLA, dead set on a career in real estate. “I felt like Persian food was slowly dying out, and wanted to recreate Iranian food that would be an everyday kind of thing that you'd be able to have, with a bit of Persian influence.”

She knew that traditional Persian cooking“takes time—the stews, chopping herbs, washing and all that kind of stuff” and, wanted to develop recipes that were more approachable for those of us with busy schedules. Once she began sharing her creations on Instagram, the requests for cooking classes came pouring in. After a year of rejecting offers, she eventually gave in to the call for kabobs. Today, she’s offering classes and dining experiences out of a kitchen she built in the basement of her LA home.

Persian food might just be the best way to experience Iranian culture. “The Persian community in LA is very communal, tight-knit, loud (they really appreciate music), and food is really what keeps them together,” says the chef. Just in time for Nowruz, (Iranian New Year) Nicole shared with us a few of her favorite Persian restaurants in LA.

 
 

Attari Sandwich Shop

Nicole Dayani: It's a sandwich and soup place in Westwood. The owner is like a grandmother. She makes a large pot of soup every day and if they run out, they run out. They have these delicious baguette sandwiches with traditional Persian stuffings. They have a herb frittata, Persian chicken salad. Persians love hot dogs, so they have this sandwich—which is my favorite—called Sosis Bandari. Sosi means hotdogs and basically, it's a fried hotdog with caramelized onions, spicy potatoes, peppers, Persian pickles, mayonnaise, dijon mustard and it's great for lunch. They also have a cow tongue sandwich, which is delicious. On Friday's they have a special, which I love! It's called Agoosht. Agoosht means beef juice, so it's basically a soup that has beans, potatoes, and beef. You get this with a side of homemade bread and pickles, and you kind of eat with your hands.

Taste of Tehran Restaurant

ND: This is a more kabob style place that I highly recommend. It's more informal and their kabobs are one of the most delicious. It's very easy for chicken or beef to have some kind of smell if you don't know how to take care of it. They marinate it for a long time and it's full of flavor because they use a lot of saffron and saffron is expensive. I really like their food too because it's always consistent and very high quality.

Raffi's Place

ND: If I was gonna go to Glendale, I would go to Raffi's. It's probably one of the most famous Persian restaurants in California. They're very consistent as well. What I like about them is that they put a lot of butter on their kabobs, which is delicious and makes it super rich.

Flame International Kabob House

ND: Flame Kabobs is also good. They're really famous for their delicious grilled lamb chop.
 
 

Attari Sandwich Shop courtesy of @nicoleskitchenla

Taste of Tehran Restaurant courtesy of @thestaceysun

Raffi's Place courtesy of @alis_foodnetwork

Flame International Kabob House courtesy of @nomchecklist

Header image courtesy of @nicoleskitchenla

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