Berenjak Borough — Restaurant in London

With my recent trip back to London, UK, I’m excited to share my visit to Berenjak, an Iranian restaurant that's been generating a lot of hype. After countless recommendations from the Persian community and seeing its impressive 4.8 rating with over 2,000 reviews on Google Maps, I decided to check out their Iranian food at their London Bridge location— since the Soho branch had a daunting two-month reservation wait. With my curiosity piqued and expectations high for their Kebab koobideh, I headed to Berenjak to see if it lived up to the hype.

Location To reach Berenjak, simply get off at London Bridge station and head towards Borough Market, just across the road. The restaurant is conveniently located right opposite the market, making it an easy walk from the station. It’s near The Shard, the tallest building in Europe, adding to the appeal of the area.

However, London Bridge is in the eastern part of the city, which can be less convenient for those coming from West or North London, as I did. If you're in East London, it's more accessible. The Soho branch, located in central London, offers a more central, convenient option.

Half star

Service The service at Berenjak is a bit of a mixed experience. Securing a reservation is challenging, requiring one to two months of advance booking, though walk-ins can dine at the bar it is quite frustrating lack of space to dine sitting on a stool. Once inside, the restaurant’s charming interior—a blend of a traditional Iranian house and a museum—impresses.

The staff, while not Iranian, were polite and helpful, with our server in particular offering excellent, honest guidance on the menu. However, the absence of complimentary starters or tea / desert, which I typically associate with top-notch service, was noted.

Half star

Price This is an expensive place. You’re paying £18 for a single skewer of Koobideh, and that doesn’t include rice. To get the rice, you’re looking at around £27 for the meal. Add the starters and bread, neither of which are not complementary, we ended up paying nearly £100 for two people. Nice place to splurge or date. But don’t come here if you’re on a budget.

No star

Portion The Koobideh skewer, was quite large but only one skewer. The rice was just enough for two people, and the bread and hummus at the start was average to small sizes but just about enough to fill us both. Despite the hefty price, the portion was decent enough to fill us up.

Half star

Quality The food quality at Berenjak (London) was outstanding. The hummus was among the best I've ever tasted—oily, flavorful, and with a perfect texture—paired with fresh, fluffy naan was heaven. The Koobideh was equally impressive, perfectly barbecued, bursting with flavor with every chew. The exceptional taste of the dishes truly sets this place apart, and I’d gladly return just for the food. What this restaurant compromises in quantity and high prices, it makes up for in the quality of the ingredients they use, the cooking and the end result being some of the most tasty Iranian food I have ever had in London. This one really deserves full star.

Full star

Summary My final rating for Berenjak at London Bridge is two and a half stars out of five, which is a good, average rating. The food quality is excellent, and I would recommend any Iranian or Persian food lover to reserve and visit to try the flavors offered here. But the less convenient location, average to small portions and high prices hold it back. Of course, this is just my personal experience— I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've been there.

Total: 2.5 stars out of 5

You can watch my full review and experience on my youtube channel at Love Kabab Koobideh or youtu. be...

I honestly never leave reviews, as I believe food is deeply personal , what works for one may not work for another. But after our experience yesterday, I felt compelled to share, if only to help manage expectations for others. It was my husband’s birthday, and since we work nearby, I thought this would be the perfect spot for a quick celebration dinner after a long day. I booked well in advance, having seen the daily queues outside and recalling a lovely experience I had here some time ago with work colleagues. Unfortunately, things seem to have changed and not for the better. We were seated upstairs at a charming little corner table and opted for the feast menu to try a bit of everything. The starters arrived promptly, and I was initially impressed: a great selection, full of flavour, especially the Mirza Ghasemi. The bread, however, was inconsistent , one piece HALF soft and fresh the other HALF dry and hard, still edible, but not quite what I remembered. Then things started to go downhill. Not even halfway through our starters, the mains were brought out. If this is the restaurant's usual pace, that's fine , but it should be clearly communicated on the menu or at the time of taking the order. I’m well aware of the typical time limits in London restaurants and fully expected to vacate the table within the allotted time. What I didn’t expect was to feel rushed and crowded while trying to enjoy a celebratory meal.The table was far too small to accommodate everything at once, and we had to constantly shift plates and glasses around just to find space. My starter plate and cutlery hadn’t been cleared or replaced when the mains arrived. Again not a problem in itself, but it becomes one when there’s no communication or acknowledgment.What really stood out, though, was the lack of consistency. The table next to us a group of white english lads were allowed to finish their starters in peace before their mains came out. Meanwhile, our dishes were being stacked and rushed without a word. It didn’t go unnoticed, and frankly, it left a sour taste.The breadbasket was also constantly bumped and moved by staff serving nearby tables. Again, not a major issue but a simple "sorry" would’ve made a big difference. Unfortunately, the hospitality basics just weren’t there. We were in and out in probably 50 minutes and by the end, we didn’t even bother asking for dessert or another round , it was clear they wanted to turn the table quickly. Yet, a 15% service charge was added. For what service? Also, got the wrong bill. At least got a apology this time. There seemed to be 2–3 waiters trying to handle 6 tables, with no coordination. One would check in, then another would appear a few minutes later asking the same questions. It felt chaotic and rushed. On a positive note, I do think the food itself is very nice, and I would actually disagree with some of the comments I’ve seen regarding pricing. Considering the amount of food you receive, it’s very reasonably priced. I fully understand the pressures of running a busy restaurant in London and I respect the need to operate efficiently. But a little care, communication, and courtesy go a long way. Sadly, this experience felt transactional and stressful, rather than enjoyable and...

It’s pretty difficult to get a reservation, so you do have to book a table well in advance.

When I visited the restaurant, I could see why. There are not many tables at all with not much spacing in between. It’s all pretty cramped and not particularly comfortable or pleasant.

One can immediately see that this restaurant can’t cater for everyone. Wheelchair users/physically impaired guests won’t be able to come here. Families with children wouldn’t be able to navigate the tight spaces.

The decor is grand and impressively designed.

We were promptly seated in a cramped area, next to the till at a tiny table.

After a some deliberation, we decided to go for a the set menu, ‘Persepolis’, which is £40PP.

We got some mixed items to share out. For starters, we got the panir sabzi and kashk e badamjoon. We had this with some breads, sangak and barbari. The feta was really tasty, which surprisingly came as a block. The accompanied nuts, herbs and radish was, although fine, kind of just felt like being asked to construct my own salad. As if they had just been picked out and put on the tray and that’s about it. The cooked aubergine combined with the nuts and onions was really tasty and moreish. Enjoyed the flavours of this dish. I thought the breads were really disappointing. They very tough and not that tasty. Made the experience of breaking a bit of bread a challenge somewhat.

For mains, we got the kobideh kabab and jujeh kabab. This is served with zafran polow and salad shirazi. The minced lamb has an odd texture, which I didn’t really enjoy. It was cooked well, but not many flavours coming out. The texture didn’t really suit me well, but that’s just a personal preference. The chicken was tender, moist, and really flavourful. Flavours were well balanced too. The meats actually came on a bed of flatbreads, which tasted a lot better than the ones that came with the starters. The rice tasted fine, without being spectacular. The salad was something I could prepare at home, to be frank.

We couldn’t finish all the food, so asked to pack the remaining chicken from the mains and aubergine from the starters. Turns out the staff forgot to pack the aubergine, which was a shame.

It should be noted that the service, whilst although prompt and efficient, was quite cold and didn’t really feel warm and welcoming. While this may not be an issue in general, but for those seeking to come here for a special occasion this may put you off. But, at the same time, a high-class restaurant should be providing best-in-class in every area.

Overall, this was a mixed experience. The cramped seating and space makes the restaurant experience uncomfortable. The various dishes ranged from not good to great. The aubergine, feta and chicken were great. The breads were almost inedible. The service was not of an expected high level - cold and forgetting to pack requested items. With all that into consideration, it’s difficult to justify the pricing of the menu where one would expect such a place to be providing a best-in-class experience but is just not value-for-money.

I struggle to recommend this place as a result, but I hope others have had a more positive experience here. The cramped spacing has decided for me that I unfortunately don’t...