Persian restaurants have long felt like the Moose, Elks and Rotary Clubs of our Iranian population. Head for the Persian restaurants of Westwood \u2014 the ethnic \u2019hood known as both Little Tehran and Tehrangeles \u2014 and you\u2019ll find much of the conversation going on in Farsi.<\/p>\n
But at the new wave of shirazi salad, tahdig rice and beef soltani houses of the West Valley, that clubbiness, though certainly present, seems lighter and lesser. The population of diners is an eclectic mix of Iranians \u2026 and those who love kebabs and exotic rice. Like Vietnamese cooking, Persian has moved from for the community to for everyone.<\/p>\n
One recent Saturday night, there was live entertainment at the wildly popular Shirin<\/strong> restaurant on a market-heavy section of Ventura Boulevard in Woodland Hills. It was the sort of man-on-a-keyboard music you\u2019d find at any number of upscale Italian or American eateries \u2014 an assortment of old-school nightclub music, interspersed with the occasional musical tip of the hat to the eggplant borani and pickled vegetable torshi. Though the music could barely be heard over all the lively chatter and chewing. Since I was at a table of four, I asked for the large order of nigh-on perfect house-made hummus with freshly baked pita bread. It was enough for eight. It traveled home very well. Both the hummus and the bread were terrific for breakfast. Along with the sundry kebabs that were left over, and the mountains of rice. Thank goodness this is a cuisine that travels.<\/p>\n Cherry rice at Shirin in Woodland Hills (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Plate of meat kebabs at Shirin in Woodland Hills (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Chicken soup at Shirin in Woodland Hills (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Freshly baked bread at Shirin in Woodland Hills (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Shirin in Woodland Hills has a full menu of Persian classics, including a sizable selection of vegan dishes. (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Show Caption<\/p>\n 1<\/span> of 5<\/span><\/p>\n Cherry rice at Shirin in Woodland Hills (Photo by Merrill Shindler)\n<\/p>\n Expand<\/span><\/p>\n And a cooking that has mastered rice preparation to a degree that, unlike Chinese white rice, it\u2019s not dry the next day. The oil used in the cooking of the rice keeps it not just edible, but downright delicious. The flavored rices here run from lentil and herb, to my favorite, cherry rice, which is like a disassembled rice pudding, but without the pudding. And the raisins.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a vague perception that Persian cooking is sort of Arabic. But to me, the food of Iran is actually the bridge between the cooking of the Arabic world, and the cuisine of Russia \u2014 a style that both draws from its neighbors, and offers much to them. In conclusion, Shirin restaurant is a must-try for anyone looking to experience the rich and flavorful cuisine of Persia. With its wide variety of dishes, including kebabs, stews, and rice preparations, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.<\/p>\n Introduction to Persian Food Persian restaurants have long felt like the Moose, Elks and Rotary Clubs of our Iranian population. Head for the Persian restaurants of Westwood \u2014 the ethnic \u2019hood known as both Little Tehran and Tehrangeles \u2014 and you\u2019ll find much of the conversation going on in Farsi. The New Wave of Persian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":24611,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-24609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dining"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dailynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/LDN-L-DINE-SHIRIN-1121-01-1.jpg?w=1400px&strip=all&w=640&resize=640,480&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24609"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24609"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24609\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24612,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24609\/revisions\/24612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/los-angeles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\nPeople go to Shirin for food and fun \u2014 and they get both in portions as big as those on their platters. And when I mean big, I mean seriously big. No one leaves Shirin hungry \u2014 or without a bag of food for the next day.<\/p>\nMenu Highlights<\/h2>\n
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Rice Preparation<\/h2>\n
Kebabs and Other Dishes<\/h2>\n
\nAt the heart of Iranian cooking is the kebab, an infinitely variable dish of marinated, charcoal-grilled meat, sometimes flavored with sumac berries and yogurt; so simple, and so full of flavor.
\nAt Shirin (2.5 stars; 21826 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills; 818-887-1010; www.shirinrestaurant.com), there are six different beef kebab plates, three of lamb, seven of chicken \u2014 several of which mix and match the various preparations. One of the soltanis includes lamb chops or boneless lamb, along with ground chicken or ground beef. And, of course, broiled tomatoes, vegetables and basmati rice with saffron. Because you can never have enough rice.<\/p>\nConclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
Shirin<\/h3>\n
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