The 10 Best Restaurants In Mashhad Iran

Iran’s spiritual capital is awash with hungry pilgrims looking to sample the array of culinary delights Mashhad has to offer. Whilst traditional Iranian fare dominates the restaurant scene, international options are available to those in-the-know, as well as a smattering of fast food outlets. Here we review 10 of the best places to eat when visiting the Shia heart of Iran.

Hezardestan Traditional Teahouse

Hezardestan Traditional Teahouse is one of Mashhad’s most picturesque dining settings, located centrally in the Jannat Mall. Offering a modest menu of traditional Iranian food (their aubergine stew comes particularly recommended), Hezardestan is tastefully decorated with tiled floors, Persian carpets and cultural trinkets. Its walls are adorned with calligraphy and murals depicting scenes from the Persian Shahnameh, or Book of Kings. Live music is also performed most nights.
Address: Jannat Street, Mashhad, Iran, +98 511 222 2943

Pesaran-e Karim

Pesaran-e Karim is a bustling yet classy restaurant with two branches in the center of Mashhad. Pesaran is almost always full to the brim and noisy, a testament to its popularity with the locals for its authentic Iranian grub. A great venue for meat-lovers in particular, the mahicheh (lamb shank with saffron) is their signature dish, best enjoyed alongside a delicious baghali polo (herbed rice with broad beans).
Address: 22nd Farhad St., Sajjad Blvd. (Khayyam Blvd.), and Alton Tower (Daneshgah Blvd.), Mashhad, Iran, +98 051 853 0014

Tashrifat Restaurant

Restaurant, Israeli

Tashrifat Restaurant is located in a complex about 30 minutes drive from the center of Mashhad, and offers an altogether unique dining experience. The grounds boast enchanting outdoor dining facilities, the highlight of which are a range of small pavilions than can be booked out privately. The menu is extensive if a little pricier than normal, but worth it for the cozy, lush surroundings. Shisha and tea are also available.

Grill House Pizzeria

Located in west Mashhad, a few blocks north of Kuh Sangi Park, is Grill House Pizzeria, home to some of the best pizzas in Mashhad. With its plastic tablecloths and in-and-out philosophy, Grill House doesn’t make for the most aesthetically engaging restaurant experience, but its pizzas and friendly staff will have you coming back for more. Classic Iranian-style pizzas (crispy bases and heavy on the sauce) are the order of the day, every day. A very affordable alternative to the starchy staples of Mashhad’s gastronomic scene.
Address: Abouzar Ghaffari Boulevard, Mashhad, Iran

Baba Qudrat Restaurant

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

One of downtown Mashhad’s finest dining establishments is Baba Qudrat, a traditional restaurant built into the charismatic remains of a Silk Road caravanserai. Dine upon carpeted platforms in the privacy of your own arched enclave, whilst you feast your eyes on the historic setting and indulge in a juicy kebab.

Naseem Lebanon

Restaurant, Middle Eastern

A ten-minute walk from the Imam Reza shine is Naseem Lebanon, an unpretentious restaurant serving an array of tasty Levantine food. Popular with the many Arab pilgrims who flock to the city all year round, Naseem Lebanon’s menu boasts various vegetarian and non-vegetarian mezze, complimented by the restaurant’s freshly cooked bread and yogurts. The salads come particularly recommended.

Moein Darbari Restaurant

The glitzy interior of Moein Darbari Restaurant, vaguely reminiscent of the mirrored tile work of the nearby shrine, doesn’t seem to hurt its popularity with a clientele who come for the hearty food with a home-cooked feel. The kebabs are crowd-favorites, particularly the shishlik, and the staff are amiable and speedy.
Address: Nofel Lowshatow 16, Mashhad, Iran, +98 51 3878 3777

Café Nabat

With its redbrick interior and tasteful mood lighting, Café Nabat has a decidedly European feel to it, offering a counterpoint to the city’s predominantly traditional orientation. Nabat serves a more than adequate range of teas, coffees, and cakes, but the highlight has to be its continental breakfast, complete with croissants, fried eggs, and chips. Popular with students and young Iranians, Café Nabat is a great venue to witness another face of Mashhad.
Address: Salman-e Farsi, Mashhad, Iran

Ace Burger

Not far from Ferdowsi Square, Ace Burger is one of the top fast food joints in town. Clean, professional, and actually speedy (which is not always a given with Iranian fast food), Ace Burger offers its customers a number of delightfully greasy options. Despite its name, the fried chicken is the most popular piece on the menu, although the cheeseburgers aren’t too shabby either.

Jahan Hotel Restaurant

Boutique Hotel Restaurant, Restaurant, Middle Eastern

The Jahan Hotel Restaurant is worth a visit for one reason alone – the amazing views of the shrine which lies just to its side. Situated on the top floor of the Jahan Hotel, the restaurant doesn’t distinguish itself vastly from other restaurants food-wise, but nowhere else around will allow you to gaze out over the immense mosque complex whilst you wolf down your kebab.

About the author

Shaahin Pishbin

Shaahin was born in southeast England, and has mixed British and Iranian heritage. Spending many childhood summers in Tehran visiting family, he developed the outlook (and neuroses) of cultural comparatist from a young age - traits that have informed the trajectory of his adult life. Reading European and Middle Eastern Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford, and subsequently completing a Masters in modern Persian literature and Arabic, he has nurtured these interests which he hopes to advance with further graduate study. He has also taught English in Spain, travelled around much of South America, and studied in Tehran for a year, where he hopes to return in the coming months.