Akbarjoojeh — Restaurant in North Vancouver

EDIT: As soon as I posted this low review, the restaurant is suddenly has *43 glowing reviews that happen to be posted on the same day.

The food here is great - I went for the first time with a group of friends, a mix of locals and tourists. We were 6 and were told (on ARRIVAL!) that we would get an automatic gratuity (20%) because we were a group. However, when we paid, we were prompted to pay an additional tip (on top of the automatic 20% gratuity). I feel they thought we were tourists and would get confused - and one of us did. She might've paid 15-20% tip in addition to the automatic 20% tip. Very sneaky. On top of this, our server was not great, not friendly. My friends already returned to their home countries and wouldn't have wanted to create a scene with the awful waitress.

Atmosphere was nice, but VERY loud and cramped. I could hardly get out of my seat. I can't imagine if you are larger or have bags, need to use a wheelchair, walker.. etc etc. Not super accessible.

Will not return. Checking other low reviews, this is NOT the first time that servers at this restaurant applied an automatic gratuity WITHOUT warning. Also noticed some patrons were even pressured to give 5-star reviews.. all of this is allegedly, of course.

Unfortunately I will not bother to come back here or rectify situation since my friends have already gone home and I do not live near this restaurant. I'm disappointed with the flood of great reviews as soon as I wrote something negative. Good luck...

Previously I gave this restaurant a 5 as the service was exceptional on top of the quality of food. We have been a returning customer for this business since they opened and I had always recommended this place to friends but after today I change my review. The food is still good, but I noticed a significant price increase and a decline in their service. What really disappointed me was the service. No one asked what we needed, very bare minimum service to get food and collect bill. They calculated 20% mandatory service fee. We finished our food quickly, but while we were still enjoying our conversation, a staff member who was not our server but someone who greated customers, came over and asked if we wanted to order anything else. When we said no, she told we want the table! even though there were plenty of empty tables around. This is extremely rude and unprofessional and she stayed until we left! We had only been there for about 30 minutes, and after being asked to leave, we went for a walk. An hour later, we noticed the same people still sitting inside undisturbed. Customers should be able to leave at their own pace, especially when paying this much for the service and they have not overstayed their welcome and there is no line up!!! It’s a shame to see the customer service drop so much. Safe to say We will not recommend this restaurant to anyone.

First Visit: Exceptional customer service. True Persian atmosphere. Delicious food. Loved...

I came from out of province to visit friends and was excited to dine at what appeared to be a beautifully decorated, upscale Persian restaurant. Unfortunately, the experience was deeply disappointing and not one I’d want to associate with my own culture.

From the start, our server had a rude, dismissive attitude and never once checked in during the meal. We had to flag down other staff for basic service, and when we finally got our server's attention to request the bill, she told us to “wait” from across the room. Meanwhile, during our dinner service our server was sitting idly on the ledge of the service area rather than attending to guests. The food, though nicely plated, was bland. The beef and chicken dishes lacked a lot flavour, and was not worth the price tag at all.

To make matters worse, they charge an automatic gratuity for tables of six or more, which clearly seemed to give staff an excuse to provide little to no service. There was no manager on site to address the situation, and it’s disappointing to see such poor representation of Persian hospitality in a space meant to elevate our cuisine and culture. It’s especially concerning for non-Persian guests, who will walk away with a negative impression of our people.

Given the global political challenges Iran is facing, businesses like this should be going above and beyond to uphold the dignity of our culture, not tarnish it through careless service and lack of...