Alborz Restaurant — Restaurant in Walnut Creek

In a Nutshell: Brilliant food, but the service? A complete nightmare!

I recently tried the Alborz Restaurant, enticed yet cautious due to its polarizing reviews. Joined by a couple of my friends, we started off our night with Ash and Tahdig with stew. Let me tell you, the blend of crispy rice and Gheymeh was nothing short of spectacular!

For the main dish, we had Ghormeh Sabzi, a Lamb Shank, and I opted for a custom mixed platter – Barg and Cornish Hens. As the photos clearly show, these dishes weren’t just good-looking; they were bloody delicious. Wrapping up with Persian Tea, I was nearly transported back to home – a genuine, heartfelt touch.

But then, disaster struck at the finish line – the bill. I had requested a swap in my mixed platter, which the waiter confirmed without a whisper about extra charges. Imagine my shock when the bill showed charges for two separate dishes! I politely pointed this out to one of the hosts, expecting a quick fix. Instead, what I got was rudeness personified! Not only did she refuse to correct their blunder, but she also had the gall to verify my story with the waiter. I eventually could convince her to fix the bill but it was appalling! I believe her name was Naseem as it was mentioned in the bill! This fiasco left a bitter taste in our mouths.

Also, it’s a real shame – the team works their socks off, and one individual’s lack of professionalism can ruin it all. It’s crystal clear why this gem was deserted at prime dinner time.

To the management: Wake up! You're hemorrhaging money and risking your brilliant team for someone who clearly hasn't got the first clue about the essence of hospitality. And if she is part of the management team, for the sake of her business and success of her team, she should remove herself from that position!

My advice to potential diners? Steer clear of this establishment unless you’re certain that this particular host is nowhere in sight – better yet, make sure she’s on vacation,...

I brought a date here during summer and the service was so bad I was embarrassed I suggested it. The waiter was sort of rude, only speaking to me in farsi and ignoring my date who was not persian. I had to keep translating for him what she was saying to me.

The place has really changed over the years, the food is still okay but very disappointing management nowadays. The restaurant was pretty dead on a Saturday afternoon. Btw my friend never had persian food and was excited to try certain things. So as a host, I wished him to have a good impression. We ordered the kookoo sabzi and tahdig from the appetizers. The waiter went to kitchen and came back to tell us they were not serving either. Okay, no big deal. She did not offer us sabzi khordan or bread instead like they used to. Thats okay, in this economy a lot of places charge extra for that.

We ordered a different appetizer and the main entrees. Later the waiter brought the dessert menu. My date ordered the “stuffed dates” because he thought it was cute since we were on a date. She looked at me and in farsi laughs and says “what is that? we dont have any such thing here”. Im like, its literally on the menu, i wouldnt make it up as I have never seen that at other restaurants actually. She goes let me see the menu! Then she got frustrated and said they must have changed the menu. So I asked her for zulubia/bamieh instead and she goes, tsk tsk we dont have that either. Lol, can you imagine how silly this would be in front of someone who you were trying to show a good persian food too. Anyway, save your dollars and go...

After giving this restaurant five tries, we've been consistently let down by both the mediocre food and the frankly horrendous service. Each time, they've told us their tandoor oven isn't working, leading to us getting unappetizing bread. Despite our large group's hunger and a long wait for our meals, they barely provided enough bread, even though we asked repeatedly.

Upon arrival, we were ignored for the first 15 minutes. Trying to order, we were suggested to either order at the front or wait for everyone to arrive, which felt unwelcoming. Moreover, it took 40 minutes before we were served any water.

When we requested more bread, we were informed they had run out, which seemed implausible during a slow period. The dessert, meant to be a treat, tasted old and as if it had been sitting out too long. It appeared they were relying on frozen desserts and overcharging for them.

The mediocre quality of the food is further marred by the service. The servers exhibit a lot of attitude, rolling their eyes and never smiling. Requests for water or tea were met with grunts of annoyance, as if it were a burden to serve us. Despite a 20% service charge for large groups, our server was scarcely seen, and we found ourselves having to get up and ask for everything.

After so many chances, we've decided not to return. We're willing to travel further for a place where both the service and food meet our expectations, and where the staff treats customers with the respect and courtesy...