Cafe Vanak Opens in Belmont

A brand new Persian restaurant has opened in the western suburbs, and it has a connection to a market next door.

Eater Boston is reporting (via The Boston Globe) that Cafe Vanak is now open in Belmont, taking over a space on Belmont Street that is next to Super Vanak. The articles say that the new eatery offers Halal Middle Eastern and Iranian fare, including tabouli salad, grilled eggplant, stuffed grape leaves, lamb shank, saffron chicken, Persian stew, chicken kababs, and more.

The address for Cafe Vanak is 271 Belmont Street, Belmont, MA, 02478. The website for both Cafe Vanak and Super Vanak can be found at https://www.vanakfood.com/

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Hafez House of Kebab Opens in Former Jasmine Taste of Persia Space in East Watertown

by Marc Hurwitz

A brand new Persian restaurant has come to the western suburbs of Boston, and it has moved into the space where another Persian dining spot had been.

Eater Boston is reporting that Hafez House of Kebab is now open in East Watertown, taking over the former Jasmine Taste of Persia space on Mt. Auburn Street in Coolidge Square. The post mentions that the new eatery offers such items as falafel roll-ups, lamb shanks, shawarma, beef stew, kebabs, and more.

Jasmine Taste of Persia closed in early 2017 after being in business for more than 10 years.

The address for this new Persian restaurant in East Watertown is: Hafez House of Kebab, 580 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA, 02472.

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Lala Rokh in Boston's Beacon Hill Is Closing

by Marc Hurwitz

A Persian restaurant in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood that has been around for nearly a quarter century is closing for good.

According to a press release, Lala Rokh on Mount Vernon Street is shutting down at the end of dinner service on Saturday, August 11, with the note saying that "We are immensely grateful to our mother without whom we and Lala Rokh wouldn’t exist. Mama Bina (as she’s been called by the staff) painstakingly trained chefs who knew nothing about the nuances of Persian cuisine. She visited Iran year after year—as recently as a few months ago—to bring back herbs, spices and other ingredients so essential to our authentic dishes. This is a task that is now too arduous for her to continue....Although we will miss Lala Rokh immensely, we feel the time has come to spend more time with our families." It is not known what might move into the space at this point in time, so keep checking back for updates.

Lala Rokh, which first opened in 1993, is part of the BiNA Family Hospitality restaurant group, which includes Bin 26 Enoteca, jm Curley and Bogie's Place.

The address for Lala Rokh is 97 Mt Vernon Street, Boston, MA, 02108. Its website can be found at http://lalarokh.com/

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[Related article from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): Slideshow--Ten Good Places to Get Beer in the Boston Area]

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Jasmine Taste of Persia in Watertown Has Apparently Closed

A Watertown restaurant that has been featured as a hidden gem on our sister site appears to have closed its doors.

According to several sources, Jasmine Taste of Persia on Mt. Auburn Street is locked up and papered over, with one poster within the Friends of Boston's Hidden Restaurants Facebook group page saying that a "For Rent" sign is displayed out front. Phone calls placed to the dining spot have gone unanswered, and its website shows no indication of its closure; as soon as we find out why Jasmine has shuttered, we will post an update here.

Jasmine Taste of Persia has been a spot that Boston's Hidden Restaurants featured as an under-the-radar spot to go to for Iranian and Middle Eastery fare, with the review being found at this link:

http://www.hiddenboston.com/Jasmine.html

The address for Jasmine Taste of Persia is 580 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA, 02472.

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Sizzling House of Kabab Opens in Lexington

A new takeout spot has come to Lexington, and it looks to feature Middle Eastern and Mediterranean fare.

According to the Lexington Patch, Sizzling House of Kabab is now open on Woburn Street at the Lowell Street intersection. The article indicates that the restaurant leans toward Persian/Iranian cuisine, though there are some American dishes as well. The menu at Sizzling House of Kabab includes such items as barley soup, stuffed grape leaves, baba ghanoush, mirzaghasemi (grilled eggplant sauteed in tomato paste and herbs), a tabouleh salad, beef and chicken shawarma sandwiches, lentil rice with chicken, kubideh kababs (flavored ground beef and hummus), eggplant teriyaki, and hot dogs, hamburgers, and roast beef sandwiches.

Hours for Sizzling House of Kabab are 11:00 AM to 8:30 PM Monday through Saturday and 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Sundays.

The address for this new eatery in Lexington is: Sizzling House of Kabab, 321 Woburn Street, Lexington, MA, 02420. The phone number is (781) 652-0468. And the website can be found at http://sizzlinghouseofkabab.com/

For more information on Sizzling House of Kabab in Lexington, please go to the Lexington Patch article below.

Photo Gallery: New Restaurant Sizzles in Lexington

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Sabzi Opening in Arlington, Taking Over Former Prose Spot

A new restaurant is coming to Arlington, moving into the space where another eatery had been, and it looks like it may be featuring Persian cuisine.

According to the Arlington Patch, Sabzi is planning to open on Mass. Ave. (just east of Arlington Center) in the former Prose spot. It looks like the new restaurant may focus on Iranian fare, as "sabzi" is a Persian reference to herbs or greens. The Patch mentions that Sabzi will apparently be serving alcohol, as it received a beer and wine license earlier this week.

Prose, the restaurant that had been in the space that Sabzi is moving into, was an eclectic eatery that had been in business for about 15 years until closing this past New Year's Eve.

[July 13 update: According to posters on Chowhound, Sabzi is now open.]

The address for this new restaurant in Arlington is: Sabzi, 352 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA, 02474.

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Chaloos Restaurant Opens in South Easton

A new restaurant has just opened south of Boston, and it joins a handful of Persian dining spots that call the Greater Boston area their home.

Based on their website, Chaloos is now open on Washington Street (Routes 138 and 123) in South Easton, a short distance west of Route 24. The eatery appears to feature kabobs, but also serves Persian rice dishes, stews, wraps, and wood-oven pizzas, as well as appetizers such as grape leaves and falafel, and desserts such as faludeh (frozen rice noodles with rose water) and rollet (rolled cake filled with cream).

Chaloos is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.

The address for this new Persian restaurant in Easton is: Chaloos, 574 Washington Street, South Easton, MA 02375. The phone number is (508) 230-1888. And the website can be found at: http://www.chaloosrestaurant.com/

Thanks to a poster on the Chowhound site for bringing this to our attention.

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Khayam Opens in Brookline

The owner of a Persian restaurant in Watertown has just opened another Persian dining spot in nearby Brookline.

According to Chowhound, the Brookline TAB and Wicked Local, Khayam recently opened on Harvard Street between Coolidge Corner and the Allston line, taking over a storefront that had been unoccupied for quite some time. The owner of Khayam also runs Jasmine, a tiny eatery on Mount Auburn Street in East Watertown that first opened about five years ago. [Note: Jasmine is one of the featured restaurants on our sister site, Boston's Hidden Restaurants. To read the review of that restaurant, please go to the following link: http://www.hiddenboston.com/Jasmine.html.] The article in the TAB/Wicked Local states that Khayam will be a bit like Jasmine, but the menu will feature more in the way of fresh bread, stews, and veal dishes.

The address for this new Persian restaurant in Brookline is: Khayam, 404 Harvard Street, Brookline, MA, 02446.

Thanks to the Chowhound poster who first alerted us of the opening of Khayam.

For more information on Khayam's opening, please go to the Brookline TAB/Wicked Local link below.

Winter brings pizza, sandwiches and Persian cuisine to Brookline

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