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Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi
Category: Restaurants Persian/Iranian Persian/Iranian [Edit]
422 College St WToronto, ON M5T
(416) 929-9222
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- No
15 reviews for Sheherzade Persian Grill And Dizi
15 reviews in English
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Review from Azin J.
2/27/2012
All I have to say is, wow! Coming from Chicago it is really a treat to try all these Iranian restaurants but this one has topped them all. We had heard about the dizzi here so we were curious to try it.
We started out with the zeytoon parvardeh-It was delicious. You could tell that it was freshly made and they had fresh pomegranate seeds in there which added a bit of sweetness to it.
For dinner we had the dizzi and the koobideh. We kept swapping our plates back and fourth because we couldn't decide which one was better. We decided that the koobideh was the best in Toronto, that we have had so far, & the dizzi was the best dizzi we have had by far. We weren't expecting to get such authentic dizzi, but it really was as authentic and traditional as you can get.
The only complaints I have are the hours of service and the doogh. Dizzi is a heavy meal and it is perfect for 2 or 3 in the afternoon but they are only open from 5-9 or sometimes 10. But that really won't stop me from coming back whenever I am in town. The other thing was the doogh. We basically had to remake the doogh ourselves once we tried it. It was warm, it didn't have any salt and just tasted like watery maast. But once we added some ice, half a jar of salt and pepper it was good. But again, the doogh will not stop me from coming back again next time.
I don't write many reviews, only because the places I have been to are nothing to rave about, but this place really deserved a review. Everyone needs to try this place! -
Review from Pouyan D.
Toronto, ON
5/4/2012
Great food, lovely staff and great atmosphere. The only thing I can hold against them is that they're closed on weekends for lunch. That would spare me a trip up to North York when I feel like having Kebabs.
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Review from Behrouz M.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 2/22/2012
I've got to upgrade this one to 5 stars. I've been to Sheherzade two more times since my last visit and wow! This place is consistently awesome when it comes to food. The Dizi is fantastic but the highlight has always been the kabobs for me. They have THE best Koobideh in Toronto. These ground lamb kabobs are always perfectly seasoned and are cooked to a juicy medium/medium-well. Solid 5 stars!
Listed in: 5 Stars!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/16/2012
Sheherzade is the sister restaurant of Pomegranate in the College and Bathurst area. Just like… Read more »
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Review from Maddy K.
Toronto, ON
11/16/2011
Firstly its Halal! and its downtown - what surprisingly seems to be a rare combo in TO!
They have a large menu with many meat dishes.
We started the meal with:
- spinach and yogurt plate: it was good. I am a big fan of yogurt - i really liked this
- Eggplant with walnuts dish - i love eggplants but somehow this dish really didnt do much for me.
** all with warm fresh bread - it was fantastic!
The entrees - generous giant portions all come with side veggies and rice. Lots of kebab style dishes to choose from and they were all hits across the table. I tried the Dizi which was a fantastic choice - the most different pick on the menu but so great! It comes in two steps:
1. the broth- which you dip great fresh bread into and have as a soup
2. the lamb and the veggies in a pot on the side that you mash. A little hard work but well worth it with some yogurt and pickled relish-style veggies on top with the fresh bread.
I also had the yogurt drink - yes i overdid it with the yogurt - it was really great as well!
great persian food experience! -
Review from Trinni F.
Toronto, ON
1/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
Great service for truly different and delicious cuisine. All the dishes are tasty but must try is their signature dish, Dizi. Any fan of lamb will find this truly delightful.
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Review from WaYnE c.
Maple, ON
12/10/2010
Baghali Kubideh($5.95) which I originally thought of it as Hummus, maybe that is how non-Persians would compare to as it has the same consistency and color. This item uses Fava Bean rather than Chickpeas.
Kal Kabob($7.50) has typical flavours of Pomegranate and Walnut that is used in stews however those ingredients were used with a charred Eggplant application here. Roasty flavour is good especially when adding the side of Raw Chopped Garlic with it.
Kabob Bakhtiari($14.95) is skewer of Beef Tenderloin and Chicken Breast with Saffron Rice, Grilled Tomato Half and Salad. It's definitely worth it's weight in PORTION size and the flavours are kept simple as noted.
I find that because Persian food are mostly of Home-cooking culture, one restaurant's dish wouldn't be too different from the next. most importantly is that Kabob is ALWAYS best when cooked by your Persian MOM or your friend's Persian Mom in my case.
This meal was A-OK for the value since the setting is set to romantic Persian mood and the service was friendly. I still prefer the Persian Stews that it's sister restaurant next door provides due to personal preference.
If you don't need to schmooze your guest, then Persian take-out is the way to go with excellent value but I doubt you'll have the same beautifully decorated Persian atmosphere at home.Listed in: Middle East Scoops, Fire'd, I-ran for Persian Cuisine
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Review from Dixie Q.
Toronto, ON
6/4/2011
I am not a kebob fan and I prefer sister restaurant Pomegranate, but their dishes are well worth the price. I ordered the cornish hen kebob and out came this plateful of succulent delicacies.
It`s definitely not the cornerstone kebob place. It is much better. -
Review from Leeor J.
This is the sister restaurant to pomegranate (right next door). Their specialty is grilled meat, whereas pomegranate does more traditional oven types of dishes from what I understand. I went in with pretty high expectations because the previous time I had tried to come (after failing to get a table at pomegranate next door), they told me it was a 2 hour wait for a table, and it was a wednesday. They told me to not even bother coming without a reservation. wow.
Anyway, first the appetizers. The eggplant salad was a tad smoky to my taste (I would have preferred just a hint of smokyness) but the green fava bean puree was excellent, although it had virtually no salt in it, so a few dashes were necessary.
I ordered the beef kabob with the pomegranate sauce. I forget the name. You get one long skewer, but you can also order an additional skewer of one seasoned ground beef (similar to kofta) for another $5, so I went for that too. The regular beef skewer was alright, but nothing mind-blowing. The ground beef mixture one was actually quite a bit better and both went good with the pomegranate sauce. The sauce itself was actually blended with walnuts. It was good, but I have had better pomegranate sauces on meat in my life.
In any case, a really nice atmosphere and all around pretty good food. -
Review from Jennifer K.
Markham, ON
12/11/2010 7 photos
Thanks for Bijan V for organizing his 2nd Persian UYE so I got to try out Sheherzade Persian Grill and Dizi.
As my experience with Persian food is quite limited (just a handful) and I am not really a meat meat person so dare I say Sheherzade with its speciality with grilled meat will not be one of my fave place.
It is hard not to compare Sheherzade to it's Sister Pomegranate next door. I prefer Pomegranate more because it is more nicely decorated and I like the food selections a lot better...
Bijan ordered the appetizers which eaten with bread.. they are quite tasty. (I was too busy talking and it is kind of dark in the restaurant... I sometimes not sure what I am eating)
I shared the Chicken and Beef Tenderloin and Minced Beef Kabob to shared with 2 other yelpers. Gee there is so much meat and rice and everything .. we barely able to finish them. Out of the 3 meat I prefer in order Minced Beef, Chicken and Beef Tenderloin. The Minced Beef is nicely seasoned and have a nice kick to it. Chicken quite tender but a little blend.. Beef Tenderloin is a little overcooked and chewy...
Dizi I do want to try the Dizi but I am not really into lamb.. the little scoop that Bijon so nice to let me try was tender, full of flavour and really lampy :P I will really recommend to people that are into lamb.. since not too many places serves Dizi.
Nice and friendly atmosphere... and quiet on a Tuesday night. It was such an enjoyable dinner with my fellow yelpers!! -
Review from Lauren M.
Remembering that there was lamb on the menu, I took my non-Torontonian parents back here for dinner (my dad is a meat & potatoes guy, loves lamb).
I don't like it quite as much as Pomegranate next door, but the food here is still awesome and the place is way about average. I'd give it a 4.5 star (but Sheherzade gets 5!!)
As mentioned, they specialize in grilled meats, which come served with rice and salad on the side. Portions are HUGE for the most part.
The daily special was Kabob Koobideh, which was 2 giant skewers (4-5oz each) of grilled minced beef mixed with herbs. Tasted similar to a nice homemade sirloin hamburger. Yum. My mom could only finish half, which means leftovers for me.
My dad tried the lamb chops, which came with 5 small pieces. He cleaned the plate and seemed very impressed.
I tried the DIZI ! This is one of those "must-try" dishes simply because it is so unique, I've never seen/tasted anything like it. It's a stew served in a clay pot. The stew had a few large bits of very tender, fatty lamb, alongside chickpeas and various spices. I think the broth was yogurt-based but I'm not quite sure. You strain the liquid-y part of the stew into a bowl, which gives you an oily delicious broth to dip your bread in. The remainder of the stew is meant to be pounded/mixed up with this strange metal mallet looking device and then also eaten with bread. The dizi is served alongside some raw cucumbers and red onion for dipping, and a small dish of walnuts.
Service here is excellent. Decor is nice (but not as cool as Pomegranate next door!) -
Review from Bijan V.
Sheherzade has only just opened 6 weeks ago as the little sister to The Pomegranate (http://www.yelp.ca/biz...) and from what I witnessed today, they're doing an amazing job! Sheherzade's next door neighbor, The Pomegranate has been around for a long time however they only specialized in the home-style stew type dishes of Iranian food and not the kebabs and meat dishes. Instead of expanding their menu and effectively changing the restaurant to include all of these dishes, the owners took the great step of opening up Sheherzade Persian Grill and Dizi right next door! Sheherzade specializes in more of the meaty Persian dishes and they do it well!
One thing however you won't find at Sheherzade is Kabob Koobideh which is the most common and simplest of Persian kabobs. I can kind of see why since Koobideh is "kind of" seen as a fast food Iranian food and I think the owners wanted to keep this place more traditional and classy which is understandable. You'll find kabobs of boneless saffron chicken, beef tenderloin, lamb, etc and most importantly you'll find Dizi!!
So what is Dizi? I'm not even gonna try and explain but I'll tell you that it's definitely an eating experience worth trying! It's basically a two course meal thats spent 4 HOURS in the making and consists of a nice lamb and chickpea stew served in a special Dizi pot. You then separate the broth and mash up the meat yourself and have it with some Persian Flatbread! It's absolutely amazing and very hearty and homey.
The staff are very knowledgeable and very excited to showcase traditional Persian food to everyone who steps into their "home". They'll make you feel welcome and explain everything very carefully and make great suggestions to make sure you enjoy every bit of your meal.
Make sure you try their Zeitoon Parvadeh (olives stuffed with walnut, pomegranate paste, garlic, etc) and finish off your meal with their sweets tray (Zoolbeeya Bameeyeh) and some Persian tea. I will GUARANTEE you will have a night you will enjoy and look forward to coming back again!
Edit: Here's an explanation of Dizi from their menu:
"This is one of the most popular dishes in Iran, prepared and served in clay or stone pots; It consists of lamb (shoulder or shanks), chickpeas, white beans, potato, onion, tomato and spices cooked for over 4 hours. Abgoosht forms a complete 2-course meal: first the broth is carefully strained from the pot into a soup bowl. The meat and the beans are pounded into a coarse puree to be scooped up with flatbread and eaten with fresh onion, herbs and torshi. The broth is sipped as a soup and often soaked with torn pieces of barbary flatbread in a style called tareed' (the slang version is tileet) " -
Review from Catherine L.
Toronto, ON
11/21/2009 1 photo
I finally tried Sheherzade tonight (Saturday) with my boyfriend after being turned away without a reservation two times before! So be warned - if you want to go on a Friday or Saturday night and you don't want to be disappointed - make reservations!
We came here on recommendations from a few of our friends, especially on the Dizi - there is a description of this in the first review, so that's what we both ordered. We started with the zeitoon parvardeh as the appetizer. The highlight of the evening was being commended by the waiter on the pronounciation - he gave me 9/10 on the pronounciation! :) It was pretty good, even for me, though I am not normally a fan of olives. They are whole green pitted olives, ground walnuts, crushed garlic, pomegranate paste, sprinkled with mint, and is served with barbary flatbread, which I love. It's warm flatbread sprinkled seeds.
Then we got the Dizi. When they bring it to you, they separate the liquid from the meat in the stew. You use your flatbread to dip into the soup to eat. With the meat, you get a heavy pestle that you use to ground the meat into a paste,which is then eaten with barbary flatbread, topped by yogurt and some green paste called torshi. The meat is lamb that has been stewed for 4 hours. I didn't find the flavours of the lamb very strong. Most of what I tasted was the yogurt and torshi, which was sort of like a relish. I enjoyed it, as did my boyfriend, but I have to admit I probably would've preferred the kebabs and rice, but I'm glad I got to try this. It was definitely a different eating experience.
We ended the meal with dessert - I can't remember what it was called but it was rice noodles that have been frozen with sherbert and served with rosewater and lemon. I really liked this. It tasted like sherbert with little strands of rice noodles through it, soaked in honey water and with some pomegranate seeds on top. The dessert was my favourite part of the meal, and I'm glad I saved some room for it.
The portions here are very generous and I wasn't able to finish it and ended up packing it to take home, so this place is good for people with big appetites!
The servers were very friendly and seemed to genuinely enjoy explaining the menu items to you, which was great. However, it was a bit on the slow side as it seemed like there was one 2 servers for the whole restaurant, albeit the whole restaurant was only about 10 tables.
Overall, I would return to this restaurant again because of the value, friendly service and generous portions. I think next time I will try the saffron rice and kebabs. I have dined at their sister restaurant next door, Pomegranate, and their saffron rice is so good, but you'll have to read my review of Pomegranate for details on that! -
Review from Linda M.
3/16/2011
I went to Sheherzade yesterday for dinner with a group of 5 other girls after we couldn't get a table at Pomegranate. The staff there recommended their sister restaurant, which was conveniently right next door. Since we had all been expecting (and therefore craving) Persian food, we happily took the suggestion. They sat our group with no problem at 6:30, but beware - by 7:30 they were turning away groups of two. This is a popular restaurant it would seem, and I can see why!
I loved the décor, from the benches to the lettered tiles to the lamps (I loooved the lamps). It really set the mood for the meal. Most of us had never had Persian food before, but the menu wasn't intimidating. And as a somewhat picky eater, I found many options that sounded amazing.
For the two vegetarians in the group, there wasn't a lot to choose from, but they were happy with their choices. One had two appetizers (spinach borani and kal kabob) as her meal, and the other the Kalleh Joosh. Since we all shared another order of the two apps, I can tell you that they were both delicious - especially the kal kabob. I was expecting something like Baba Ghanoush from the description, but it was nothing like it. A little tangy but a little sweet at the same time...it was everyone's favourite. Ooh, and it was served warm. I love dip served warm. The spinach borani was good too, but I was expecting it to be a little more similar to a cheesy spinach dip, whereas this one was yogurt based. A tip - you should stir the dips. The spinach one had garlic on top that we didn't notice, and the kal kabob had pomegranate juice on the edges that changed the flavour when stirred in.
The Kalleh Joosh was pretty interesting - a lover of simple pleasures (or maybe I'm just easily amused), I love dishes that come with a demonstration of some kind. The server strained out the broth for dipping the bread, and then explained that you should mash the rest with a tool provided. I got a chance to taste it, and even though I'm not a big fan of chickpeas, it was really tasty!
I ordered the traditional option of Jujeh Kabob ba Ostekhon (i.e. Cornish hen). For only $14.95, I got a huge plate filled with flavourful basmati rice and the hen was fantastic. My first bite was almost melting in my mouth. Mmmm....my mouth is watering right now. The rice with my meal had dried barberries mixed in, which I thought was great. I kept eating long after I was full just because I wanted more of the tangy sweet berries. The salad though...I found the dressing to be bitter, but everyone else ate theirs no problem. Date tip: the hen comes served on the bone which, if you're like me, isn't the most graceful thing to eat. You might want to go for one of the chicken options instead if you don't want to get a little messy.
Some of the other options the table had were the Jujeh Kabob - akbar Jujeh style and the Kabob Chenjeh. Based on the lack of food left on their plates (and the silence that descended the table as soon as we started eating), I'd say they enjoyed them.
All in all, this was great, flavourful food in generous portions at a reasonable price. I will definitely be back again!Listed in: Dining group!
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Review from En L.
8/1/2010
Sister restaurant of Pomegranate. The zeitoon parvarde was full of flavor. I tried Dizi, a stew lamb dish. The broth is drained and eat it separately. The meat and vegetables are pounded and eat it with flatbread. Interesting and very filling.
Service is great. The guy is very helpful in explaining everything.
Will go back again. -
Review from Tony C.
Richmond Hill, ON
9/21/2009 2 photos
Went here for dinner on a Friday night with friends, I only had Persian food once, and it was a home cooked meal, so I'm not an expert on Persian food. The experience at Sheherzade was a really pleasant one. Our waitress was helpful in explaining the dishes, as all of my friends - this was their first time trying Persian food. For appetizers we order a yogurt dish (Maast-e Saadeh) and a eggplant dish (Kal kabob) to go with flatbread. The yogurt was absolutely delicious, the flatbread came out warm and sprinkled with sesame - very good. The eggplant was a strange mix of flavours, salty while sour, and an aroma of spices that explodes in your mouth. It was ok to try, but it did not float my boat. Fortunately our entrees were up next, I ordered the lamp chop (Shishlik) , it was tender and flavourful, very good. The entree came with rice and a salad, the salad was ordinary, but the rice was just amazing! Trust me I eat my fair share of rice, and this rice was just on a another level. I also tried my friend's chicken and beef kabob dish (Kabob Bakhtiari), now that dish is a winner. Flavourful pieces of meat that were cooked just right. Overall the meal was good, waitress was really helpful with the explanations of the items. Would definitely go back and sample other dishes. Make sure you make reservations on the weekend they only have a few tables, we saw a lot of people who were turned away at the door. This place is definitely a hidden gem!
