Gilaneh GrillHouse Restaurant - North Vancouver — Restaurant in District of North Vancouver

My recent experience at Gilaneh's "all you can eat" was nothing short of appalling. What was advertised as a limitless culinary adventure quickly devolved into a lesson in blatant disrespect and cultural insensitivity. The core issue stemmed from the restaurant's apparent refusal to adhere to the fundamental concept of an all-you-can-eat buffet. When we inquired about the lack of readily available food and appetizers, particularly given the advertised service until 10 pm, the response we received was utterly shocking. A server, instead of offering a reasonable explanation or attempting to rectify the situation, stated that "Iranians don't have the culture of all you can eat and waste the food." This statement was not only deeply offensive but also a gross generalization that disrespected every patron who had opted for the all-you-can-eat option. It implied that we, as customers, were incapable of enjoying a buffet responsibly. Furthermore, the server's assertion directly contradicted the restaurant's pricing structure. We were charged twice the regular menu price, a clear indication that the restaurant expected us to consume a significant amount of food. This practice, common in buffets, compensates for the potential for higher consumption. The idea that this higher price was due to a supposed tendency for "waste" that is tied to a specific culture, is simply unacceptable. It is evident that the management of Guilanee lacks a fundamental understanding of the all-you-can-eat concept. They seem to equate it with reckless overconsumption, rather than providing a service where customers can enjoy a variety of dishes at their own pace. I strongly believe that the owner needs a serious education in the basic principles of running an all-you-can-eat establishment. They also need to train their staff in basic customer service and to avoid making generalizing and offensive statements about any culture. In conclusion, my experience at Guilanee was a complete and utter failure. I would strongly advise anyone considering their "all you can eat" option to look elsewhere. The combination of poor service, cultural insensitivity, and a complete misunderstanding of the buffet concept makes this a dining...

I think I'm comfortable declaring that this place has the best Persian food currently in Vancouver. Not necessarily the service or environment, but the food here I believe takes #1.

They start off with serving you in-house baked bread with cucumber yogurt dip and it was delicious.

The beef kabob "koobideh" dish I could not find any fault in. The meat was cooked exactly the way "koobideh" is supposed to be cooked. Don't make me explain ...it's too complicated ....just go try it and you'll know what Persian koobideh is supposed to taste like. Also, the rice was a 10/10. Every single check mark that exists with cooking the right Persian rice was ticked with this rice. No aftertaste, the length of the grain was fully extended which means they know the boiling time and draining time and of course the in-pot steaming time was calculated very carefully. The side bbq'd tomatoes were freshly bbq'd. How can I tell? well.....freshly bbq'd tomatoes have a sweet aftertaste, whereas a stale tomato bbq'd has no taste at all after being heated.

The chicken kabob "joojeh" was also cooked to perfection! Juicy on the inside while some parts on the outside were slightly bbq's crispy and well seasoned. It was amazing....the way that bird was cooked you could have the chunks of the chicken with a garlicky caesar salad and it would've been.....yummm. That's how good the chicken was. The rice served with the chicken....well.....(see above).

A 4/5 because I think the service could be better. Maybe a little friendlier...a smile here and there....a "how is everything?" now and then....a "can I get you anything else?"....

If you're making food this good you have every reason...

I would give this restaurant negative 100 if I could. We went with my family there for lunch 2 days ago. I explicitly told the waitress that my 6 year old daughter was anaphylactic to nuts and sesame. I ordered lamb shank for her and asked her again to make sure there was no nuts. She’s extremely allergic to pistachios. The waitress assured me that there would be none. My daughter’s food came and I realized that there was 2 large pieces of hard black plastic in her food. As we all received our foods, I realized that there was pistachio on all the rices. Being that my daughters rice was green, I panicked and found 2 pistachio pieces. By that point she had eaten a few spoons already. I also In found more smaller plastic pieces. I had to act quickly and save my child. I didn’t want to give her the Epi pen right away so I drove her to the nearest pharmacy to get Benadryl. I didn’t have any on me because we have never ever been to a restaurant as careless and neglectful than here. But the worse part of the entire experience was when the waitress belittled the severity of an allergy and could not even comprehend what it was and what it can do. My daughter tongue did swell up which meant there was pistachios in her food. I will be reporting this location to BC board of health and safety for severe negligence and life endangerment. To the owner/s- I highly suggest you educate yourself and your staff on food allergy, food safety, and anaphylactic reactions. This is not OK. On top of all that, she still charged us for the lamb shank which she replaced but of course we dumped...