Delara Restaurant — Restaurant in Vancouver

Booked a birthday dinner here at Delara for 6 people. We had good reasons to book here as it was recommend by the Michelin guide (no stars, just a rec) and it had notable Chef Bardia Ilbeiggi. We were expected a "homage to his roots in Iran" and "a humble, seasonal menu reflecting the key elements of Persian cuisine" however we were ALL GREATLY DISAPPOINTED in that night's service AND food.

Food: We were NOT asked even ONCE "how was your food / first bites/etc." which is a huge red flag. Almost as if the staff knew they would get complaints if they asked and would then have to address it. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT in the food. As written by someone else in another review "even someone who has never tasted rice before, would know that the rice here was bad". Persian crispy saffron rice "tahdeeg" is one of the best Iranian rices, but AT DELARA IT IS Tasteless - Stale - Hard - Dry. We were all left perplexed on how this tahdeeg would be served. And it was part of many entrees.

Here is what we ordered with price and our honest thoughts on the items (trust me, we were NOT being hard on them) We have had Persian food at home and at restaurants in the lower mainland.

Appetizers:

1. Koofteh $18 very ordinary soft and savoury meatballs which lack the flavours mentioned in the menu the bread was so ordinary with no layering of flavours compare this with meatballs from other restaurant we thought the lack of flavour, portion, AND/OR, depth put it below standards

2. Winter Salad $13 Ordinary, good salad wasn't very Persian except for barberry

3. Roasted Cauliflower and Yogurt $15 Good

Mains/Entrees: 4) Saffron and Mushroom Stew $29 did NOT taste good

5. Chicken and Barberries $29 BLAND and under-seasoned couldn't even finish 30% of it left the crispy saffron rice untouched as it was horrible

6. Lamb Shank $42 BLAND and under-seasoned Herbed rice was the ONLY rice that night that was edible

7. Grilled Beef Ghalieh $34 Tahdeeg was horrifying Beef was ok, the tamarind and herb stew was the best part

8. Fesenjoon (limited) 35/38 Duck skin and fat was not rendered enough, tough! overpowering and one dimensional thick sauce

9. A bunch of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks Was overall ok, feels like the drink menu was there just to complete the requirements of having drinks with dinner - nothing special and almost only used 2 types of glassware (not unique).

Presentation: no garnishes, or plating flare, no artistic vision, overall bad and substandard. Did NOT feel that Iran or Persian cuisine was highlighted throughout the meals or presentations: What happened?!?!

Service: to sum up in one word: Sub-standard: extremely slow service, didn't refill water unless asked, didn't pour water, didn't come to check in on us or our food, didn't observe us at all during our dining even though we were supposably a "large group of 6 that would incur 18% grat." again there was NO attention at all given. The alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks that we ordered were shoved onto our tables without even a mutter of what it was. The later empty glasses were left on the table all night without service asking "would you like a fresh one?" or "could I get you another drink?". Additionally, the empty glasses added to the crowded situation of the dining table and was just annoying. No mention of Delara or their menu. Clearly the lack of service is in 'their branding' they really don't care about customers -1 stars.

Decor: Delara took over a previous restaurant called Burgoo. While I applaud the transition from themes of dark and woody to light and floral, customers should be mindful that the floor isn't complete and left bare concrete with cracks and makes it unsightly. However, we liked the Persian artwork.

Parking: paid metered street parking

Overall we spent more than 70/pp, declined dessert feeling like it would be one last birthday disappointment we didn't need. We left Delara wondering "what happened to the chef, how come no one came to check in on us throughout our dining, and how could you...

It's Dine Out Vancouver season so a friend and I decided to try the Dine Out Vancouver lunch menu at Delara Restaurant in Kitsilano. On the table we had:

Grilled Sourdough Flatbread and Seasonal Dips Mina's Chicken and Barley Soup Kookoo Sibzamini Smoked Rice and Lentil Bowl Turmeric and Orange Cake Saffron Ice Cream

There were two dips which came with the grilled sourdough flatbread. One was carrot borani (slow cooked carrots mixed with strained yogurt and a bit of garlic, topped with pistachios and herb oil). The other dip was sprouted lentil and walnut topped with toasted pumpkin seeds and Persian dried lime. I especially loved the sprouted lentil dip and was told that once Dine Out Vancouver is over, that dip will be available for purchase in the pantry section of the online ordering link in their website.

Kookoo Sibzamini was a stack of 3 crispy potato pancakes with a poached egg on top and a side of green salad. Where has this dish been my whole life? Why is it not on every menu of every Persian restaurant that I've ever been to? It was sooooo good! I loved how crispy the pancakes were. Full transparency: I'm an eggplant lover; for many years, I would go to Persian restaurants and just order Gheymeh Bademjan. There's no Gheymeh Bademjan at Delara Restaurant but if we'd gone for the Dine Out Dinner menu, I would have ordered the Roasted Mushroom Gheymeh. So glad we came for lunch instead. It forced me to try new foods and now I'm absolutely "Cuckoo" for Kookoo Sibzamini!

There's a great misconception that people who don't eat meat must eat a lot of salad. I'm Pescatarian but salad is something I'm usually not too crazy about. I really enjoy having warm food and most salads just don't excite me. The salad at Delara however, turned out to be one of those exceptions to the rule. I really enjoyed the dill that they put in their salad. It's a simple ingredient and yet it really elevated the salad. I'm inspired now to try using dill in homemade salad!

Turmeric is something I usually associate with savory dishes. I've cooked with it myself quite a number of times. It's not something I would expect to find in a dessert, but the Turmeric Orange Cake at Delara Restaurant is an absolute "must try."

The yolks in the eggs that came with our Kookoo Sibzamini and the Smoked Rice & Lentil Bowl could have been softer. Otherwise, it was a phenomenal experience. This meal exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to come back here again!

Service: Good Parking: Free parking available on some of the side streets. We parked about one block away on W.5th Ave. Location: 2272 W.4th, between Vine St. and Yew St....

PLEASE DO NOT VISIT THIS RESTAURANT IF YOU HAVE ALLERGIES.

On August 12th, around 7:00 PM, my friend and I dined at Delara restaurant on West 4th Avenue. I ordered a cauliflower salad and clearly informed the server multiple times that I am severely allergic and anaphylactic to sesame seeds. I emphasized that this is life-threatening, not just a mild allergy. The server assured me they would note this for the kitchen and confirmed it would not be an issue.

When the appetizer was served, I took one spoonful. Within seconds, my mouth started tingling. My friend noticed my discomfort, and I drank some water, but soon my throat began to itch, and I felt a rash forming around my lips and mouth. I rushed to the server and asked if the cauliflower dish contained tahini in the yogurt. She said she would check with the kitchen.

I started feeling really sick , I quickly took several Reactine tablets from my bag. A different server then came over and admitted the yogurt contained sesame paste, Tahini. They apologized and said we would not be charged. This was not about the bill — I could have died at that table.

No manager approached. No one offered assistance. There was no visible emergency protocol, despite the fact that I was in distress and silently struggling to breathe. We left the restaurant, and once in my car, I had to take additional medication as my breathing worsened.

Delara’s complete disregard for food safety protocols and customer wellbeing is unacceptable and dangerous.

This was not a simple mistake — it was a direct breach of the most basic food safety standards. A customer’s clear disclosure of a life-threatening allergy must be treated with the utmost seriousness. The negligence I experienced put my life at risk, and I am deeply concerned that this could happen to someone else with a severe allergy. Not knowing what’s the ingredient that you are serving is absolutely ridiculous!

I submitted a formal complaint with Vancouver...