Yalda — Restaurant in Atlanta

Overview Yalda serves a variety of Iranian/Persian dishes in Atlanta. For more information about the restaurant's origins and its founder, chef Ash Famili, visit their website.

Reservation Experience Online reservation system is straightforward Notify me system for openings within a date and time range Helpful SMS confirmation and communication

Parking and Validation Restaurant is located in the Osprey apartment complex with public parking in the Osprey garage Validation is provided at the host stand, but instructions could be clearer Recommend not paying for parking upon arrival and noting your license plate number for validation at the stand Clearer signage or a map on their website highlighting garage entrances would be helpful

Dining Experience Busy Saturday evening, no preference asked for seating Server was friendly and went out of her way ensure an enjoyable experience despite parking issues Parking overcharge caused stress and distraction at the start of the meal, with a message indicating a $40 charge for 2 hours of parking

Food Complimentary bread was either not freshly made or dense, unlike the freshly made bread I have had many times at other Iranian restaurants Lamb koobideh was good (a nice addition to beef and chicken choices), with the option to substitute basmati rice for ZERESHK polo (barberry rice) for an extra charge. Tomato served with the koobideh was undercooked or not very ripe ZHOUG (red & green peppers, parsley, garlic) side sauce tasted freshly made and was good, with a spicy flavor reminiscent of chutney Baklava was well-presented and tasty, served with a scoop of yummy Persian ice cream

Overall Despite some challenges with parking validation and the initial stress caused by a potential $40 overcharge, Yalda offers a taste of authentic Persian cuisine in Atlanta. The staff is friendly and accommodating, and the food, particularly the lamb koobideh, ZHOUG sauce, and baklava, is enjoyable. As a new restaurant, there is room for improvement in terms of parking instructions, consistency in food preparation, and the quality of the...

☀️Picture This:☀️

You finally had dinner at @yalda

My Recommendation:

Come Hungry!

@yalda.atl serves up comforting Persian cuisine with bold Middle Eastern flare!

There’s something for everyone here. The entrees are big enough to share, I’m telling you…the portions are generous. It’s nostalgic of family style eating, and brings all of the warm fuzzy feelings.

I love the open kitchen concept creates an environment of familiarity. What we had ☀️The Shareables: ☀️

The Spread Tasting (Your choice of 3 spreads w/ Naan Kasha Bademjoon Mirza Ghasemi Hummus

I enjoyed the Saffron Shrimp, the flavor was impeccable but the shrimp was just slightly overcooked.

☀️The Specialty Entrees☀️

My friend enjoyed the Veggie Stew which came with Saffron Rice. The stew is like a long awaited hug from your grandma. The veggies are tender and the tomato broth is hearty!

The saffron rice is a wonder added bonus, the raisins just set the rice to the next level of flavor town!

My Salmon Kabobs came with Dill Rice, and the chefs cooked my salmon to the perfect medium rare! I highly recommend eating this dish with the Tzatziki and Zhoug sauce, they both offer a brightness and a little spice to the kabobs!

Our cocktails…omg our cocktails! I LOVED my Espresso Martini, If this is one of your favorite cocktails, you’ll love it. If you’re a rum girlie, they also offer a Yalda Espresso Martini !

The Tipsy Sabzi, is for you Mezcal lovers. This cocktail is smokey and citrusy.

I wish I wasn’t too full for dessert, but that gives me a reason to come back!

Especially for lunch (which is now offered on Fridays at 11:30), and most definitely for brunch on Saturdays/Sundays ( I’ve heard the menu is completely different, and I’m intrigued 😎)

Atlanta loves a good happy hour and Yalda offers menu specials Tuesday-Friday from 4-6!

📌Parking is easily accessible in the Osprey parking garage, and Yalda validates it for 2 hours.

Loved every bit of our service and dinner here, and our server Ivy was very knowledgeable about the menu and very sweet. Make this a mandatory...

Visited Yalda for the first time this past weekend!

Food/Drinks: For my drink, I ordered the Greek Coffee (sweet). I wish that they had prefaced how small it was, but other than that it was really good! I was expecting it to be very strong and bitter, but I think since I got the sweet one it did not taste as strong. It is served in a very cute tiny mug with a little plate underneath.

For our appetizer, since I was in a group of 5, we wanted to get something shareable, so we settled on the Istanbul Board. I comes with fruits, nuts, cheese, and a lot of different dips/spreads to taste with their bread (their bread is super good also, very soft and tasty!). The board has Kasseri Cheese, Kashkaval Cheese, Feta Cheese, Cherry Tomato, Dates, Preserved Fruit, Sarshir, Honey Comb, Walnuts, and Seasonal Fruit. My favorites were the sweet fig, and the candied pistachio.

For my entrée, I got the Lahmacun, which is a Turkish-style flatbread with beef, tomato, and peppers. I wasn't a huge fan of the presentation of the dish, but the taste was awesome! I was really impressed with the flavor. The portion size was good for me, especially after having an appetizer. I was only able to eat about half of my dish before I was full.

Service: Our server was really nice and knowledgeable on the menu. We had some trouble paying through the app but he was super helpful with this. I really appreciated his kindness and patience!

Atmosphere: Beautiful interior! They also have a real tree inside that we were so mesmerized by LOL. "Yalda" translates to "rebirth" so I feel like the live tree adds a lot to the atmosphere and theme of the restaurant. It felt very cozy and comfortable and I also really appreciated that no tables were too close together so we felt like we had our own space. The amount of table space we had was also awesome! It always bothers me when there isn't enough table space, but Yalda provides plenty.

Overall, great place to grab a bite! I really enjoyed my time there and the food. I would love...