Shiraz Bistro & Market — Restaurant in Kendall

New favorite restaurant. Clean, great atmosphere, great service, wonderful quiet soft music often featuring guitars (blend of Turkish and also some bossa nova), and AMAZING FOOD. A selection of Turkish and Persian items on the menu. Good prices too, amazingly! They served us thin warm pita bread and one small bowl of tzatziki each as a complimentary appetizer. We ordered the stew #32, which was one of several stews on the menu, and it comes with a side of basmati rice; a lamb kebab with side of Greek salad (sooooo amazing); and the Manti dumplings ("Turkish ravioli"). I'm telling you, everything was expertly crafted. Not to mention soo many new flavors. The stew (#32 on the menu) was as described - sweet, like eating a hot fruit jam, but there was so much depth of flavor too. The lamb kebab was so tender and juicy. The Greek salad was so fresh, tasty, and just the right amount of acid. I love that style of light dressing. The Manti (raviolis) were out of this world. I think they were stuffed with meat and tooped with a yogurt sauce and then a tomato sauce. The food was also arranged so nicely on the plates. Our waitress, Isabella, was so sweet and attentive. The restaurant overall was not super busy on a Friday evening. They had a steady flow but not all tables were full; maybe 50%. I loved the calm ease of everything. The service was so attentive, yet we didn't feel rushed out of the door like at a lot of restaurants; we actually needed to ask for the check. I think they, like my experience with Central, Southern, and Eastern European restaurants, believe in letting you take your time, enjoy your meal and your conversation. One time in Hungary, for example, I stopped at a deli for a quick snack, and I happened to ask for the check before my charcuterie plate was finished, and the waiter/owner actually refused, and said, no no, enjoy your meal, I'll be back in a little bit. This service was certainly more polite than that, haha, but I felt that the same consideration for the guest was taken here. I love that. The atmosphere was very nice - I loved all the dark natural wood on the walls, the tables, the shelves for the small market area. Speaking of the market, it looks very well stocked - Turkish coffee, Turkish delights (a sort of fruity jelly candy coated in powdered sugar), Persian (?) herb blends, Tahini up the wazoo, jarred grape leaves, and lots of other dry goods. Definitely take a look. It appears they also do a lot of takeout business as well, but obviously we dined in. Oh!! And how coukd I forget the KUNEFE!? This amazing baked cheese and pistachio delight drizzled with rose syrup is OUT OF THIS WORLD. It's my favorite dessert, above chocolate cake and ice cream and everything else. And back in my hometown I had some really good kunefe but this one was even better! There was a depth of flavor there that really surprised me. Oh man, I can't wait to go back! Thank you for...

GREAT CHOICE FOR MIDDLE EASTERN FOOD!!

Food - 4.5 Service - 5 Ambiance - 4.5 Price quality ratio - 4.5

As a lover a middle eastern flavors, I try as many places as I can. I have been trying to try Shiraz for a while but it’s a bit out of the way from where I live.

This last Sunday I was running some errands in that area and didn’t hesitate to finally stop by. It was between lunch and dinner time, so the place was a bit empty which worked on my favor, as I got my meal almost right away and got on my way back home quickly.

I had three dishes. First their complementary dip yogurt and pita. It was ok 4/5, I wished the yogurt was creamier, I usually like this dish when it is made with a creamy yogurt. Then I had the eggplant dip, things were getting better here, it was 4/5. It was deliciously nutty but I didn’t see the mint come forward, at least for me. Lastly, I had the kabob soltani, and to my surprise, it was outstanding(5+). The meat, both the Koobideh and the barg, was cooked to perfection, juicy, tasty, not tasting fatty, it was just perfect.

They have a small market at the entrance for you to stock up on your favorite middle eastern pantry items. It goes from pistachios to rose water to tahini. It’s pretty convenient.

I 100% recommend their kabobs. Can’t wait to be back,...

I was so excited to try this restaurant after seeing so many good reviews. Sadly, I left extremely disappointed. They really missed the mark and frankly don’t think they really cared. My friend and I ordered the eggplant dip to share and the waitress, Marisol, said she would be back with some pita chips. It took her atleast 15-20 min. Once we got the chips we ordered our main dishes. After 30 min of waiting and seeing other people who ordered after us receive their food, we had to track down someone to ask about our food. Turns out the waitress,Marisol, never put in the order... but told us “it’s ok you’re not in a rush right?”.... WHAT?! After 15 more min we finally get our main dishes. My beef Kebob was inedible. The meat was so fatty ,lacked flavor and had a texture that was unenjoyable. My friend had the Lamb kabobs which actually were good. Marisol , the waitress came by to check in on our table and only asks my friend how her food was, completely ignoring me. It was so rude, I was ready to just leave. I don’t know what prompted that interaction but I definitely know I will never return and definitely wouldn’t recommend this place. We had to ask for more water and were given the wrong check. Overall, poor service and a big...