Desi Darbar — Restaurant in Mashhad

I honestly don’t understand some of the negative reviews — they feel a bit too judgmental. Everyone has different expectations, sure, but you’ve got to see the ground reality too.

For me, this was such a special experience, and I’ll genuinely always remember this place — especially Asad, the guy who owns the restaurant. He really touched our hearts and went out of his way to make us feel welcome.

This young guy Asad is doing everything he can to run this place just a few minutes from the Haram — literally a 3-minute walk — and still keeps the food affordable, fresh, and desi. That’s not easy at all! And on top of that, he’s kind, generous, and super respectful.

He made us feel completely at home.

He helped us with currency exchange when we were stuck and had no cash (our trip got extended last minute).

He personally served us food late at night even when the restaurant was technically closed and staff had left.

And on our last day, he didn’t even charge us for tea — said if we weren’t leaving, he would’ve happily accepted payment.

He’s really trying to build something meaningful, little by little — improving quality, managing costs, and serving amazing local food so close to the Haram.

Honestly, he deserves our support. If you’re in the area, visit his restaurant and trust him — he’ll make you proud. People like him who are doing it for the love of Momineen and community, not just business, should be uplifted.

Asad bhai, we’ll always remember your kindness. May Imam Reza bless you with endless barakah and success....

DONT EVER THINK TO COME HERE until you have all the time in the world without anything to do I ordered 1/2 chicken karahi price 300 thousand toman chicken Tikka and Malai boti each of 130 thousand toman Taste was not good at all If you want to waste your hard earned money 💰 please visit here The time taken was about 1 1/2 hours I took it parcel and when reached home my mother had to add some spices to make it EDIBLE otherwise it was a tomato soup 🍲 For the first hour everytime you ask how much time left the answer will always be 5 minutes and for the next half hour it will change to 1 min HOWEVER I WAS LUCKY TO GET IT IN 1.5 HOURS OTHER CUSTOMERS HAD TO WAIT MUCH LONGER OTHER CUSTOMERS COMPLAINED THAT IT WAS A "SALAN" RATHER THAN A "KARAHI" EVEN ONE CUSTOMER LEFT DISAPPOINTED AND HAD BEEN WAITING FOR 1.5 HOURS and when the food cam he had to leave without eating it was 11:30 pm at that time

Moreover the staff was so rude that they refused to improve their dish and told other people that there is no food for them

The owner son had Every type of answer to give out when asked

A customer came and said I have been here for 1.5 hours how long will it take and he got the reply that he should not lie,only 1 hour had passed and he should wait more

I DONT HAVE PLENTY OF TIME BUT I WROTE THIS MUCH TO STOP YOU FROM GOING THERE OR EVEN ORDERING FOOD

DON'T WASTE YOUR HARD...

The restaurant is hidden near Hotel Kosar, with a small sign that can be easily missed. After asking around, we found it tucked away in the basement. Unfortunately, when we visited, more than half of the menu items were unavailable. We ended up ordering chicken biryani, zinger burger, malai boti, and French fries.

The biryani was a disappointment. Instead of the flavorful dish we were expecting based on rave reviews, we received a dish that was essentially just rice with tomatoes and red chili. The zinger burger was decent, but it lacked seasoning, with a bit more salt needed to enhance the flavors. The fries were disappointing as well, lacking any salt.

On a positive note, the malai boti was a standout dish. The chicken was juicy and tender. However, the naan that accompanied it was a major letdown. Clearly stale and hard, it seemed to be leftover from days ago.

While the prices were reasonable, the overall experience was underwhelming. Despite missing authentic Pakistani food, we wouldn't choose to...