The Persian food here is horrible. We went there for the 1st time for dinner. There was nobody inside. That should have told us something. We ordered several Persian dishes & they were all bad & it took them forever to bring us the food. The barg & koobideh kabobs were dry, tasteless & chewy & full of fat pieces. The chicken kabob was even worse. It tasted like old rubber. Seemed like you're chewing an eraser. We asked the waitress to replace it with koobideh(not that the koobideh was any better) & asked her to remind the chef to make it a little juicier. Well, it was juicier when they brought it. They poured a lot of old stinky oil on it & made it juicy. That almost made us puke because of the fowl odor. The ghormeh sabzi was like sewer water & the sodas had no carbonation & it was an overall bad experience for the prices they charge. They was I saw it, this place will shut down soon.
Martin B.
We stopped here on the way home from church looking for something different for our weekly post-church meal. We know nearly nothing about Persian food, but enjoyed both of the dishes we got. The service seemed somewhat slow, especially given that we were one of only two tables occupied in the restaurant. When we said we liked the sumac spice powder, the waiter gave us a handful of packets of it to take home. We'll definitely be going back if they get enough business to stay open. 2:30 Sunday is sort of an odd time to be eating, but it still seemed very slow.
Michael S.
New owners in old location. The place was empty during dinner rush hour, and now i know why. Chinese/Persian cuisines in one restaurant might work if the food was good, but when both are mediocre at best, no one will come. Make 6 dishes that the best in town, and you will customers. Too many better options elsewhere for Persian and Chinese.
Guiti Zolfagharkhani
Good vegan and vegetarian options. It has a large outdoor dining area and it is dog friendly.
Rui Y.
Great steak and kabob. And they have Murtabak! Just that dish is enough for me to love this place. Those who know, know.
Cherylynn N.
Yo, where's everyone at? Oh yea, in line at one of the 812758346 boba shops, Egghead, or Kura. After a year of driving by Tarim on the weekly and seeing it empty, I was iffy about visiting....especially with the mixed reviews. But, one day when I was at Main Street, I got lazy to backtrack to Mountain View/Sunnyvale or drive further south for Persian food so decided to give Tarim a try. Well, one try led to two tries...and it's sad to see Tarim not get more business. First visit, we were one of two tables on Saturday. Second visit, we were the only ones on Saturday. It's a huuugeee restaurant too. No love for meat sticks in Cupertino, just balls?! Anyhow, Tarim (formerly Arya) is open for indoor dining, outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery (3rd party apps). Front patio is dog-friendly: Staff wore masks properly. M E N U Persian, American-Chinese, and Steaks. Halal meats. No liquor license. Didn't see Tahdig (like socarrat from paella or crispy rice from claypot rice) on the menu and wonder if they offer it off-the-menu? I agree with another reviewer; I think they should streamline their menu, focus on the Persian menu and 86 the Chinese menu items. Cupertino is rich with regional Chinese cuisine and if someone is craving Orange Chicken, they'll probably hit up Panda. F O O D * Complimentary Flatbread w/ butter: First time, the naan-like flatbread was tough, doughy, and hard to pull apart. The second time, it was much better; softer with a nice chew. Warm up the packs of butter in your hand for easier spreading. * Complimentary Zhoug: Spicy Cilantro Sauce Mildly spicy, herbacousness. I slathered it all over the koobideh. * Mast-o-Musir: Shallot Yogurt Dip ($10): Creamy and tangy but didn't taste any shallots. * Beef Koobideh Plate w/ half rice, half salad ($19): --Koobideh: Solid; beefy, meaty, and juicy. --Saffron basmati rice: Excellent; fluffy, separated grains topped with flavorful saffron rice. --Salad: Standard garden salad with fresh slices of cucumber and tomato. The salad dressing was straight up lemon juice and lemon, and just way too sour. --Grilled tomato: Juicy with a great charbroiled flavor. --Pickled Onions w/ sumac: Perfect acidic accompaniment to cut through the meaty and carby goodness. Ordered the same thing on my second visit but with just rice. The koobideh wasn't as juicy but still good. Sad that they change the pickled onions to plain raw onions. Personally, I think an acidic component brings everything together. * Lamb Kebab & Beef Koobideh Combo w/ saffron basmati rice ($39) **Requested lamb medium rare Not my order but I had a bite of the lamb (medium) which was super soft and tender with a pleasant gaminess. Friend doesn't eat veggies so didn't touch the grilled onions and bell peppers so I sampled some and damn, it was so good! Both the onions and bell peppers had a deliciously smoky, charbroiled flavor and still had a fresh crisp to them. Took them home and ate it straight from the fridge the next day. Friend ordered the same thing the second visit, and this time, the lamb was close to well-done. Also, I was bummed that onions and bell peppers were overcooked and soggy. S E R V I C E The lone server is very friendly and attentive. Before sitting down, she sanitized our table even though it was clean and rolled up the umbrella for us. She also gave great suggestions on using the leftovers - leftover flatbread for pizza, leftover grilled onions/bell peppers for nachos, and grilled tomato for Spanish rice. Standard wait times; made-to-order kebabs usually take 20-30 minutes. A M B I A N C E Huge, classy restaurant with various dining areas, fireplace, bar, and a stage for live performers. Spacious front patio with umbrellas for shade. Heat lamps available. P A R K I N G Ample free parking in their private lot. Overall, Tarim serves good Persian food, though with some inconsistencies. Not a complete deal breaker and won't stop me from returning when I'm in the area. If you don't want to drive to Sunnyvale or to Man Jose for your mea
Mohammad H.
Overall it was way below than an average dining experience. We ordered both Mediterranean and Chinese dishes. They have very poor selection of deserts and drinks. Itemized food rating: - so called ice cream faloodeh: 0 (worst desert, which was basically shaved ice with some saffron flavor). Check out the pic. - Beef and lamb combo kabob: 1 (lacks flavor and taste) - Dumpling: 2 - Lamb rack: 3 - Spicy dragon prawns: 3 Not returning to try Mediterranean dishes again.
The food was terrible. I don't remember the last time I actually had to send my meal back because I couldn't stomach it (nor could my dining companion.) The “braised” chicken was tough as rubber and appeared to have been boiled in a can of tomato paste. The eggplant stew had a putrid odor, which I cannot fathom could appeal to anyone. After a bite, it took us hours to get the awful taste out of our mouths. Service, to top it off, was quite slow, although we were literally the only two people dining (which should have been a red flag to us.) I would not recommend this place to anyone!
Food was great! service was good but not great because the server looked frustrated and in a hurry to chase us out. Too expensive as well so no value for money. But the food was great for sure!!
Jeff I.
Brought dishes out far apart in time, kitchen got one order wrong, told us another order wasn't possible AFTER getting 5/6 dishes out. Asking what the fastest dish could be, we released that order, but it didn't come out until AFTER everyone else finished eating and time to leave. Waters were never refilled, strangely served in plastic cups. Then the food wasn't good. No reason to return.
If I could give less, I would give less. This review is solely based on service as we walked out without food because it was not given. We got there at 7:20. We were seated immediately. Waiter came shortly after. It wasn't busy. Our waiter was just very preoccupied with a different group. It was just my husband and I. We were given water and then ordered our food around 7:30. After us five new groups show up, and two of them received naan/lavash bread with some type of sauce. We did not receive anything besides water until 8:20. I couldn't even get a hold of our waiter. Finally when I did, he said our food will be out in less than 5 minutes. Our food did not come but finally he realized we were not given the bread so he brought bread and butter no green sauce that everyone else had. I asked him again when would our food be coming and he said less than 5, after this it was another 15 minutes later around 8:35 we decided it was time to go. We found him and told him we are leaving. This was 8:40. We ordered only a few items- Dumplings, Mongolian beef, fried rice and chow mein. Our appetizer never made it to our table. We waited patiently a long time and nothing, not even a courtesy from anyone. We realized after he came back a third time that he may not have put in our order as he was scrambling with the owner/manager maybe. But he didn't even explain himself or let us know as to why our food didn't make it out. Please pay attention to your customers. I know sometimes people see big groups and think maybe they're getting big tips but we are also there for a service and can also tip as well. Again, it was not busy when we arrived, it got busy toward the end of the night. We were there waiting for more than an hour. It was ridiculous to see other people after us get more attention and even people that were also only two people. Please try better.
Ishan K.
This place is awful. The service is subpar at best and there was none at the bar to make/take drink orders. I had the lamb shank and it was downright horrid. The 'broth' is they served it in was just oil. Don't order the shank and for a dinner outing best to stay away
Belal H.
Based on their public reviews, it seems that their Persian and steak offerings seem to be top-notch. So with some trepidation, we walked in. AMBIENCE: outdoor patio seating is available, though there is some road noise from Stevens Creek. There is a hybrid space with an awning, and then finally a large indoor space -- I mean, very large. I could see them easily accomodating large corporate events or family gatherings with ease. Persian music was softly playing in the background. SERVICE: Our server was prompt and glasses of water with lemon wedges were refilled constantly (I'm a big drinker). FOOD: A basket of warm bread (1 naan, and a few pita slices) were offered on the house with a green sauce that tasted suspiciously like zhoug. It was served quite cold, I think I tasted icicles. Next time, we will decline to avoid wastage. Our gluten intolerant stomachs will likely be happy with that. We opted for the Persian menu and chose the Shirin polo - the description speaks for itself: "Basmati Rice mixed with Almonds, Pistachios, Sweet Orange Peels, Served with Braised Chicken" That's gotta be Shah-grade food right? We asked for one chicken koobideh on the side and they were happy to oblige. The food came out within 10-15 minutes and was piping hot. The rice was cooked beautifully, each grain held its own and the orange peel crafted a wonderful balance of savory, tartness and light sweetness. The koobideh had that glistening char that makes your primordial instincts salivate at its sight. The braised chicken was a tomato base chicken thigh that was suprisingly fork tender and not at all dry. It was not greasy or heavy on masala - flavorful, light and just right. PRICE: $32 for the two of us, with so much food we had to pack it up to go. ASSESSMENT: An outstanding Persian cuisine experience that I would like to return to for more. Based on my quick reading of their reviews, it seems that the negative reviews are mainly for two issues. The first, seems to be some of their Chinese offerings, which, as discussed above, may be a reflection of the challenge of maintaining such an extensive menu. With such a large number of authentic Chinese restaurants in the area, I wonder if the restaurant would be better served by really focusing on increasing and/or maintaing the quality of their Persian and steak offerings and paring down the rest of the menu. The second set of negative reviews seem to be about not offering alcohol. There's plenty of Persian restaurants in the area that serve alcohol so don't knock this restaurant for not having it!
Kausar Fatima
Persian and Chinese one stop shop .. hahha
Leann K.
Took my mom here for lunch and very disappointed. We checked the menu on there website before coming but was told only buffet available. Couldn't go anywhere else because it's Mother's Day, everywhere packed. More than half of buffet station had no foods, basically only couple Chinese dishes (noodle and orange chicken) and 6 other items, which barely have anything left in the container (1 piece of butter chicken and 2 pieces of eggplants, plus a salad and hummus. We saw people from the next table ordered foods from the menu. We asked the waitress and she said those people had reservation weeks ago so they didn't know. Wth? How about us? They should update the menu. We ended up paying $150 for nothing. Such a horrible experience!
The Persian food here is horrible. We went there for the 1st time for dinner. There was nobody inside. That should have told us something. We ordered several Persian dishes & they were all bad & it took them forever to bring us the food. The barg & koobideh kabobs were dry, tasteless & chewy & full of fat pieces. The chicken kabob was even worse. It tasted like old rubber. Seemed like you're chewing an eraser. We asked the waitress to replace it with koobideh(not that the koobideh was any better) & asked her to remind the chef to make it a little juicier. Well, it was juicier when they brought it. They poured a lot of old stinky oil on it & made it juicy. That almost made us puke because of the fowl odor. The ghormeh sabzi was like sewer water & the sodas had no carbonation & it was an overall bad experience for the prices they charge. They was I saw it, this place will shut down soon.
We stopped here on the way home from church looking for something different for our weekly post-church meal. We know nearly nothing about Persian food, but enjoyed both of the dishes we got. The service seemed somewhat slow, especially given that we were one of only two tables occupied in the restaurant. When we said we liked the sumac spice powder, the waiter gave us a handful of packets of it to take home. We'll definitely be going back if they get enough business to stay open. 2:30 Sunday is sort of an odd time to be eating, but it still seemed very slow.
New owners in old location. The place was empty during dinner rush hour, and now i know why. Chinese/Persian cuisines in one restaurant might work if the food was good, but when both are mediocre at best, no one will come. Make 6 dishes that the best in town, and you will customers. Too many better options elsewhere for Persian and Chinese.
Good vegan and vegetarian options. It has a large outdoor dining area and it is dog friendly.
Great steak and kabob. And they have Murtabak! Just that dish is enough for me to love this place. Those who know, know.
Yo, where's everyone at? Oh yea, in line at one of the 812758346 boba shops, Egghead, or Kura. After a year of driving by Tarim on the weekly and seeing it empty, I was iffy about visiting....especially with the mixed reviews. But, one day when I was at Main Street, I got lazy to backtrack to Mountain View/Sunnyvale or drive further south for Persian food so decided to give Tarim a try. Well, one try led to two tries...and it's sad to see Tarim not get more business. First visit, we were one of two tables on Saturday. Second visit, we were the only ones on Saturday. It's a huuugeee restaurant too. No love for meat sticks in Cupertino, just balls?! Anyhow, Tarim (formerly Arya) is open for indoor dining, outdoor dining, takeout, and delivery (3rd party apps). Front patio is dog-friendly: Staff wore masks properly. M E N U Persian, American-Chinese, and Steaks. Halal meats. No liquor license. Didn't see Tahdig (like socarrat from paella or crispy rice from claypot rice) on the menu and wonder if they offer it off-the-menu? I agree with another reviewer; I think they should streamline their menu, focus on the Persian menu and 86 the Chinese menu items. Cupertino is rich with regional Chinese cuisine and if someone is craving Orange Chicken, they'll probably hit up Panda. F O O D * Complimentary Flatbread w/ butter: First time, the naan-like flatbread was tough, doughy, and hard to pull apart. The second time, it was much better; softer with a nice chew. Warm up the packs of butter in your hand for easier spreading. * Complimentary Zhoug: Spicy Cilantro Sauce Mildly spicy, herbacousness. I slathered it all over the koobideh. * Mast-o-Musir: Shallot Yogurt Dip ($10): Creamy and tangy but didn't taste any shallots. * Beef Koobideh Plate w/ half rice, half salad ($19): --Koobideh: Solid; beefy, meaty, and juicy. --Saffron basmati rice: Excellent; fluffy, separated grains topped with flavorful saffron rice. --Salad: Standard garden salad with fresh slices of cucumber and tomato. The salad dressing was straight up lemon juice and lemon, and just way too sour. --Grilled tomato: Juicy with a great charbroiled flavor. --Pickled Onions w/ sumac: Perfect acidic accompaniment to cut through the meaty and carby goodness. Ordered the same thing on my second visit but with just rice. The koobideh wasn't as juicy but still good. Sad that they change the pickled onions to plain raw onions. Personally, I think an acidic component brings everything together. * Lamb Kebab & Beef Koobideh Combo w/ saffron basmati rice ($39) **Requested lamb medium rare Not my order but I had a bite of the lamb (medium) which was super soft and tender with a pleasant gaminess. Friend doesn't eat veggies so didn't touch the grilled onions and bell peppers so I sampled some and damn, it was so good! Both the onions and bell peppers had a deliciously smoky, charbroiled flavor and still had a fresh crisp to them. Took them home and ate it straight from the fridge the next day. Friend ordered the same thing the second visit, and this time, the lamb was close to well-done. Also, I was bummed that onions and bell peppers were overcooked and soggy. S E R V I C E The lone server is very friendly and attentive. Before sitting down, she sanitized our table even though it was clean and rolled up the umbrella for us. She also gave great suggestions on using the leftovers - leftover flatbread for pizza, leftover grilled onions/bell peppers for nachos, and grilled tomato for Spanish rice. Standard wait times; made-to-order kebabs usually take 20-30 minutes. A M B I A N C E Huge, classy restaurant with various dining areas, fireplace, bar, and a stage for live performers. Spacious front patio with umbrellas for shade. Heat lamps available. P A R K I N G Ample free parking in their private lot. Overall, Tarim serves good Persian food, though with some inconsistencies. Not a complete deal breaker and won't stop me from returning when I'm in the area. If you don't want to drive to Sunnyvale or to Man Jose for your mea
Overall it was way below than an average dining experience. We ordered both Mediterranean and Chinese dishes. They have very poor selection of deserts and drinks. Itemized food rating: - so called ice cream faloodeh: 0 (worst desert, which was basically shaved ice with some saffron flavor). Check out the pic. - Beef and lamb combo kabob: 1 (lacks flavor and taste) - Dumpling: 2 - Lamb rack: 3 - Spicy dragon prawns: 3 Not returning to try Mediterranean dishes again.
The food was terrible. I don't remember the last time I actually had to send my meal back because I couldn't stomach it (nor could my dining companion.) The “braised” chicken was tough as rubber and appeared to have been boiled in a can of tomato paste. The eggplant stew had a putrid odor, which I cannot fathom could appeal to anyone. After a bite, it took us hours to get the awful taste out of our mouths. Service, to top it off, was quite slow, although we were literally the only two people dining (which should have been a red flag to us.) I would not recommend this place to anyone!
Food was great! service was good but not great because the server looked frustrated and in a hurry to chase us out. Too expensive as well so no value for money. But the food was great for sure!!
Brought dishes out far apart in time, kitchen got one order wrong, told us another order wasn't possible AFTER getting 5/6 dishes out. Asking what the fastest dish could be, we released that order, but it didn't come out until AFTER everyone else finished eating and time to leave. Waters were never refilled, strangely served in plastic cups. Then the food wasn't good. No reason to return.
Restaurantji Recommends
If I could give less, I would give less. This review is solely based on service as we walked out without food because it was not given. We got there at 7:20. We were seated immediately. Waiter came shortly after. It wasn't busy. Our waiter was just very preoccupied with a different group. It was just my husband and I. We were given water and then ordered our food around 7:30. After us five new groups show up, and two of them received naan/lavash bread with some type of sauce. We did not receive anything besides water until 8:20. I couldn't even get a hold of our waiter. Finally when I did, he said our food will be out in less than 5 minutes. Our food did not come but finally he realized we were not given the bread so he brought bread and butter no green sauce that everyone else had. I asked him again when would our food be coming and he said less than 5, after this it was another 15 minutes later around 8:35 we decided it was time to go. We found him and told him we are leaving. This was 8:40. We ordered only a few items- Dumplings, Mongolian beef, fried rice and chow mein. Our appetizer never made it to our table. We waited patiently a long time and nothing, not even a courtesy from anyone. We realized after he came back a third time that he may not have put in our order as he was scrambling with the owner/manager maybe. But he didn't even explain himself or let us know as to why our food didn't make it out. Please pay attention to your customers. I know sometimes people see big groups and think maybe they're getting big tips but we are also there for a service and can also tip as well. Again, it was not busy when we arrived, it got busy toward the end of the night. We were there waiting for more than an hour. It was ridiculous to see other people after us get more attention and even people that were also only two people. Please try better.
This place is awful. The service is subpar at best and there was none at the bar to make/take drink orders. I had the lamb shank and it was downright horrid. The 'broth' is they served it in was just oil. Don't order the shank and for a dinner outing best to stay away
Based on their public reviews, it seems that their Persian and steak offerings seem to be top-notch. So with some trepidation, we walked in. AMBIENCE: outdoor patio seating is available, though there is some road noise from Stevens Creek. There is a hybrid space with an awning, and then finally a large indoor space -- I mean, very large. I could see them easily accomodating large corporate events or family gatherings with ease. Persian music was softly playing in the background. SERVICE: Our server was prompt and glasses of water with lemon wedges were refilled constantly (I'm a big drinker). FOOD: A basket of warm bread (1 naan, and a few pita slices) were offered on the house with a green sauce that tasted suspiciously like zhoug. It was served quite cold, I think I tasted icicles. Next time, we will decline to avoid wastage. Our gluten intolerant stomachs will likely be happy with that. We opted for the Persian menu and chose the Shirin polo - the description speaks for itself: "Basmati Rice mixed with Almonds, Pistachios, Sweet Orange Peels, Served with Braised Chicken" That's gotta be Shah-grade food right? We asked for one chicken koobideh on the side and they were happy to oblige. The food came out within 10-15 minutes and was piping hot. The rice was cooked beautifully, each grain held its own and the orange peel crafted a wonderful balance of savory, tartness and light sweetness. The koobideh had that glistening char that makes your primordial instincts salivate at its sight. The braised chicken was a tomato base chicken thigh that was suprisingly fork tender and not at all dry. It was not greasy or heavy on masala - flavorful, light and just right. PRICE: $32 for the two of us, with so much food we had to pack it up to go. ASSESSMENT: An outstanding Persian cuisine experience that I would like to return to for more. Based on my quick reading of their reviews, it seems that the negative reviews are mainly for two issues. The first, seems to be some of their Chinese offerings, which, as discussed above, may be a reflection of the challenge of maintaining such an extensive menu. With such a large number of authentic Chinese restaurants in the area, I wonder if the restaurant would be better served by really focusing on increasing and/or maintaing the quality of their Persian and steak offerings and paring down the rest of the menu. The second set of negative reviews seem to be about not offering alcohol. There's plenty of Persian restaurants in the area that serve alcohol so don't knock this restaurant for not having it!
Persian and Chinese one stop shop .. hahha
Took my mom here for lunch and very disappointed. We checked the menu on there website before coming but was told only buffet available. Couldn't go anywhere else because it's Mother's Day, everywhere packed. More than half of buffet station had no foods, basically only couple Chinese dishes (noodle and orange chicken) and 6 other items, which barely have anything left in the container (1 piece of butter chicken and 2 pieces of eggplants, plus a salad and hummus. We saw people from the next table ordered foods from the menu. We asked the waitress and she said those people had reservation weeks ago so they didn't know. Wth? How about us? They should update the menu. We ended up paying $150 for nothing. Such a horrible experience!