Esther's Persian Cafe — Restaurant in Bridgeton

First time at Esther’s though I’ve been meaning to try it for years. We started with the hummus and Turkish coffee. The hummus was one of the best we’ve had and we loved the extra oil drizzle. They provided a lot pita and it would be great to get a bigger serving of the hummus but we enjoyed the rest of the pita and olive oil. The pita was cooked perfectly- a little crispy and soft inside. The Turkish coffee was on the sweet side but robust. We asked about the cucumber yogurt dip. It features mint and one of our friends didn’t eat mint and the owner who waited on us and cooked the food to order offered to make it without mint. It was very refreshing and also served with pita bread. For our entrees we ordered the lamb shank, chicken kabobs, beef koobideh and chicken kabob combo and eggplant beef stew. We all really enjoyed our dishes and they were nice size portions for the money. The chicken was juicy with lots of sumac spices and the stew was very flavorful. The koobideh was a bit dry but had lots of flavor. The lamb was fall off the bone tender. All entrees were served with the fluffiest basmati rice and a grilled tomato. There wasn’t a side vegetable that would have been nice to add. This place was very quaint but no frills. We...

As soon as you walk-in you're greeted by a smiling face, however I'd wish that me and my family had walked out with the same smile on our way back home.

We called for the mixed kabob platter, Fesenjan, and Baklava. The mixed kabob platter's filet was odd tasting perhaps it wasn't cooked very well, the chicken kabob was definitely better and tasted flavorful. The Fesenjan had hints of pomegranate, but wasn't as appetizing as the description claimed. The Baklava tasted a lot like honey and loads of cinnamon. We usually get our Baklavas from Sedara and they are fantastic when you get a fresh batch. This one was warm enough, but was lacklustre.

The owner is what makes the place, but unfortunately he is the sole person taking care of orders over the phone and table, he is cooking, and he is cleaning. I'm sure if he had help at hand the place would certainly pick up and the food would be worth the hype we...

Reza the owner/ chief is the sweetest human alive, i drove four hours for his food (no I’m not lying) and it did not disappoint. I’ve always loved Persian food and being a first generation American I always miss my mothers cooking. His food tastes EXACTLY how Persian food is supposed to be but better. I really wanted to drink some doogh and when I told him he said his refrigerator was not working but he would be more than glad to make me some (literally did not have to do that) he spent about five minutes making it for me and oh boy did it taste amazing! I had also tried the beef kebab yogurt with cucumber and beryan and Jesus Christ I could eat here all freaking day. This is a restaurant that I will always ALWAYS be coming back to💚🤍♥️ Thank you for bringing our culture into the lives of Americans and home sick Iranians that just want a taste of iran I will never forget...