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Deezi Cafe and Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sat, Sun
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
15 reviews for Deezi Cafe and Restaurant
Deezi has good prices (why are some other Persian restaurants so expensive?), tasty food, and large portions. Not everything shown on the menu is available every day, which is too bad, because I wanted to try another soup besides the deezi.
The combo meat platter is enough food for 4-5 people! The chicken was a little dry but the star was the ground beef kabobs, which were extremely juicy and fluffy - yes, fluffy. I'm not sure how they got it to be this light texture but it was great. The meat was soft and tender, not dense and dry. However, I did crunch down on a few pieces of bone shards, which is not good eats and warrants -1 star.
Freddy, the owner's son, was very friendly and talked to us about what were the best items to try and how much to order.
Self-service hot tea and cold water are available for free, and they also they also have a limited selection of beer and wine.
After reading such positive reviews and being a lover of Persian food, I was looking forward to trying this place with my girls on Friday night.
When we got there it was REALLY hot, and when I say really, I mean REALLY. Like sweating into your food hot.
Even though it was hot, we were hungry and decided to deal with it.
(Before I go any further, let me say I did not deduct stars because of the oppressive heat.)
The service started off ok, we were brought some amazing bread with herbs and feta. The bread turned out to be the best part of the meal.
Since it was so hot, we were all really thirsty. The first pitcher of water was brought to us, but when I asked for a refill, the server snidely informed me that there was cooler behind us to fill ourselves.
I'm not lazy, but in a sit down restaurant I don't expect to get my own water. Also, there was no ice around so the water was lukewarm.
It seemed to take quite awhile to get our food, and they weren't very busy. I started to notice that the few other tables that came in after us had gotten their food.
I still wasn't that bothered, the company was good, and we were hoping the food would be too.
Half the table finally got their food, and it was kind of gross. Really greasy ground meat. Obviously, the cheapest meat possible is being used.It had a nasty sheen of grease over it, and was pretty unappetizing.
My other friend got a Persian stew, hers looked good. I think she may have gotten he best dish at the table.
My food FINALLY came, and...drumroll...it was raw. Nothing more unappealing than raw chicken!
I don't like to make a fuss in a restaurant, but if my food is undercooked it's going back. I'm paying for it either way, it might as well be edible.
When it was brought back, the piece I had cut into was still on the plate, but not re-grilled. Yuck.
I did eat some of the chicken breast kabob, (I really needed some lean protein) but It was pretty flavorless. I make better chicken at home, and mine is NEVER raw.
There were no apologies for the bad food, or lackluster service throughout the meal.
No one wanted their leftovers, and in all honesty, we were hot and really wanted to get he hell out of there.
When the bill came, we were in for another unpleasant surprise.
Three of the girls at the table had been charged for their rice.
Are you kidding me? I've eaten at lots of Persian places, and rice ALWAYS comes with kabobs, and Persian stews. ALWAYS.
When I went up to pay the bill, I told the server it would have been nice if he had told us the rice was extra. It was only $2, but not telling us really annoyed everyone.
He informed me that it stated on the top of the menu that rice is an additional charge. I told him none of us had noticed that.
He grabs a menu, and lo and behold, he can't find that. It doesn't say anywhere that rice is additional.
He finally found tiny blurb halfway down the page that said, the dishes came with bread and salad.
Salad? No one got anything even resembling a salad. I really hope they aren't passing off a pile of herbs and a couple chunks of feta as a salad.
I said ok, but told him that every other Persian place I've been to includes rice. He then told me that's why their prices are so much lower.
Ummm.....ok...really? I didn't notice that their prices were that much lower, and if they are it's because they're using inferior products.
Our tip reflected our displeasure, and none of us will never be back.
There are plenty of other Persian places in the area that will bring ice water to the table, free rice, and do it all with a smile.
Wow....I am surprised by all of the 4 and 5 star ratings on this place! If I can offer anyone advice it is to NOT COME HERE!!
I had been wanting to try this place for a while so when the opportunity came up, me and my girls at Book Club came here for dinner.
When we first arrived, it was super hot inside! No A/C and with it being 100 degrees today and hotter then usual, we were melting in this place. They had some ceiling fans going but that didn't seem to help our legs sticking and sliding to the chairs. We all felt like we peed our pants when we left! (Sorry...TMI I know!)
Anyways...that wasn't even the bad part because we all are laid back and understand that it's hot outside and maybe their A/C is broken that night.
Our experience started out good...we got a load of bread which was tasty and hot and a plate of mint leaves with some feta. We also ordered an appetizer that consisted of eggplant, tomatoes, garlic and it was really good.
We all ordered our meals and waited for our food. They had given us a small pitcher for water on our table. It was hot so obviously we were all super thirsty. We asked the service guy if we could please have more water. He told us (in a rude way) that there is a water cooler behind us. Now I don't mind getting up and getting our own water but there is a way you tell customers this. I thought he was pretty rude about it and if I am going to be sitting at a restaurant, I expect that my water be refilled. It wasn't like they were super busy or that we were asking for much. So I got up a couple of times and filled up the small pitcher so that our table didn't go thirsty.
The food came and I've had lots of Persian food before and this wasn't that great. First off, my friend who ordered the chicken breast kabob....her chicken came out pink in the middle. She politely told them this and they took it back to the grill. He came back with it and some pieces were still pink. Two other friends ordered the ground beef kabob. It was greasy and oily and tasted like fatty beef. Ick! I ordered an eggplant stew dish which was probably the best dish at the table but I was so irritated by the service at this point, that I didn't even want to be there anymore.
But the kicker....and make sure you look at your bill!! When our bill arrived, three of us were charged for rice at $2 a piece. I was a bit surprised because no where on the menu does it say that rice is $2 or that it's not served WITH the food. I have been to many Persian places and most of them automatically serve rice with the meal or let you know that it costs extra. Nothing pisses me off more then when a restaurant slips in an extra cost under your nose. My friend went and paid for our meal and politely told the guy at the counter that none of us were aware that the rice would be $2. He argued with her and said it was on the menu. She grabbed the menu and no where does it say that rice is $2 extra. The only thing that the menu stated for our meals was that it included bread and salad (I don't remember any salad unless you count wilted mint leaves as a "salad"). It did not say that it did not include rice or that it cost extra. Nothing!! It's like offering refills at a restaurant and charging you without even being told that the refills cost extra. He told my friends that it was why their prices were so low (think again buddy...your prices are not that low. )
By this point, we were all so sweaty and melted, I couldn't wait to get the hell out of that joint! We paid the bill and left....me vowing never to come back and give them my business again!!
I am Persian and went to this place a few times. Never again!!! The meat is rotted in marinate for longest time, tastes pretty bad and he overcharged me!!
Let me brake it down to ya'll I've been going to this place for over 12 years when it was located in Union Ave. There are couple of one star reviews here that are not fare to this establishment. This restaurant is not good for picky eaters, if you are a seafood junky, organic whole foods type of eater or are into modern new age style restaurants. This is place is old school, you don't go here for ambiance, super comfort or even to be pampered. What this place will provide you with is respect, the owner or his son and daughter are very respect full people. Will never miss treat the customers, do they lack in their service { Yes without a doubt} but it's part of the character of the place.
This place is not Cheese Cake Factory, this type of place that makes you feel like you are at your own home.
You will get a pitcher water, if you want more there is 5 gallon jug to poor more water from. Don't wait around do what you have to do. This is part of the reason why the prices are much cheaper than other places.
Negatives:
Not the best service .....but they work very hard and they welcome you to ask for stuff like how you would at your own home.
You go to this place and you get your self some yogurt appetizer and you order a deezi, and you wait for the fresh hot bread to come out of the oven and you have them smash the garbanzo beans, potatos and meat in a plate by it self and you take a piece of bread and take a spoon fool of the potato and meat and stuffed in the bread and follow it with a spoon full of the stew. You will be shocked how amazing of a meal this is and then you will realize what a gem of a place this is.
If your idea of good food is tofu with sweet and sour sauce don't be writing any bad reviews about this place. Deezi is the name of the place and it's the meal and it's a delicacy and in the bay area they are the only ones that make it correctly. Go try this meal and make your own decision specially in the winter time when it's cold and rainy it hits the spot. If you like to eat food with flavor and soul this is the place.
Pretty good. Cheapest persian next to Rose Market, but tasted better and better quality. Just don't order their chicken (Joojeh) because they never cook it throughly and pink in the middle. YUCK!
Koobideh is very good, I have not tried their chicken koobideh, but I think it should be good. They charge extra for rice $2. Their bread is really good. It's freshly cooked from a dough. Service is so-so. Their beer is freakin expensive $4.50 for a Corona. It cost even more than the clubs? What the hell???
Persian Review:
I am actually Persian and I have tasted lots of Persian foods before so this review is not biased. Deezi is not a bad place to go when your craving persian food and have no other options. You have to be careful of what you order though.
I suggest the Koobideh because it's not bad but not the best. Their warm bread is delicious for sure. I also have had their food called Deezi which is a traditional persian dish and it is okay but very far from authentic. The owner clearly takes the lazy way out and uses shortcuts like using Minestrone soup instead of making things from scratch.
BE CAREFUL OF YOUR CHECK! The owner OFTEN charges people ACCIDENTALLY for some items that we didn't even eat.
This is a small persian cafe that I'd recommend coming to for a casual lunch (not to impress a date). I ordered the ghormeh sabzi (a vegetable and lamb or beef stew)- probably the most traditional of all persian dishes. I liked it, but the herb/earthy flavor seemed a little more prominent than usual. It came with a huge plate of rice, and the mast-o-musir (yogurt with shallots) was a nice side to go along with it.
My friend ordered a combination of koobideh and barg (beef kabobs). Both were great...tasty and juicy. I would come back here for the koobideh. A little pricey for the type of place it is, so it's a bit below 4 stars.
best homestyle persian food ever!!! especially the koobide kabab, flaaaavorfullll!! yummy!
if youre on a diet, don't complain. its persian food for gods sake! not a protein shake.
when youre @ deezi youre @ home. help yourself!!! lazy people!
i specifically joined yelp to contribute to the excellent reviews... so there ya have it!
We met up with some friends to go to Zeni, but then when we arrived Zeni was closed for Ethiopian Easter. We noticed the new Persian restaurant storefront a few doors down and ate there instead. (Note: Zeni is supposed to be open Sundays but this is the third time I've been burned trying to eat there, and oddly, the second time I ate Persian food nearby instead.)
At Deezi's my husband was the most impressed with the high def TV. I was the most impressed with the complimentary starter of feta, herbs, a large raw onion, and bread to wrap it all in. I've only seen that before at Shalizaar (my favorite Persian restaurant). What were none of us were impressed by? Sadly, the kabobs.
There's not a lot ambiance-wise going on except for the giant TV. You order at the counter and wait for your order to be brought to your table. It was hot inside but then again we went on a day with record temperatures.
The people who worked here couldn't have been nicer. One even brought us a complimentary order of Mast-O-Musir (a yogurt spread with shallots) which we agreed was the best part of the meal.
My husband and I sampled the menu. We shared a small Shirazi salad ($2.99), which consisted of tomatoes and cucumbers and was fine but wasn't really anything other than an antidote to all the beef. We also had a small Tah Dig with Ghormeh Sabzi ($5.99). For the uninitiated, Tah Dig is the crunchy bottom of the rice bowl and Ghormeh Sabzi is a beef stew that goes on top. It tastes better than it sounds. Usually. I have to say this was the worst Tah Dig that we've had. The stew was runny and the rice was loose and broke apart. (That description sounded way more fecal than I intended.)
We got a large order of Koobideh ($8.99) which was ridiculously big - two skewers when we could have gotten by with one. Their Koobideh consists of two skewers of spiced ground beef. It was moist but lacked flavor. It was definitely the best kabob ordered, however. My friends thought the chicken in their Joojeh Kabob ($13.99) was dry. I thought it was moist but again, lacked flavor. Their sirloin kabob (I can't remember the name but it was about $15.99), was the biggest disappointment, especially for the price. The beef was chewy and not tender at all.
The portion size of all the food was truly impressive for all the food and we came nowhere near eating everything. The prices are high, however, for the ambiance and food quality.
The lesson to be learned is to go to Yas for Persian food next time Zeni is closed (and there will be a next time - "Ethiopian Easter" my ass!). But stopping in at Deezi's for Mast-O-Musir isn't a bad plan either.
2 stars for entrees + 1 star because of nice people here and Mast-O-Masir and complimentary herbs/feta
My Persian Rankings
1. Khayyam's - Albany (the master - now closed - against which all Persian restaurants will forever be judged)
2. Pomegranate - Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Concord (great barg and joojeh kabob with zereshk polo; pomegranate chicken is good but sweet taste can be cloying)
3. Shalizaar - Belmont (I've only been to the old San Mateo location)
4. House of Kabobs - Sunnyvale
5. Chelokababi - Sunnyvale
6. Yas - San Jose (really impressive selection of polos - but other food is just OK)
7. Afghan Persian Kabob - Sunnyvale
8. Leila - San Francisco
9. Kabob House Halal - Santa Clara
10. Rose Market - Mountain View
11. DEEZI'S CAFÉ PERSIA - SAN JOSE
12. City Kabob, Sunnyvale
13. Alborz - Berkeley
14. Kabob House - Pleasant Hill
15. Bijan - Fremont (food too oily, and stews either too sweet or too ketchup-y)
GREAT Persian food at AWESOME prices. More casual Persian restaurant experience and I love it. Now I can have high class Persian food with out having to be sat at a table and pay up big bills.
Deezi's 2 signature items (to me)
1. Their bread, they make it just like they do in iran. Its heaven dipped in any of their appetizers
2. Their Googeh Kebabs. No one does googeh like Deezi. No one.
Also the people are REALLY nice and fun.
This place is clearly the best Persian in our area. Not only is the food fresh and tasty, Fred takes care of his customers.
My favorites include the ground beef and chicken kabobs. When the flat bread arrives, make sure you save enough room for the large plates or you'll be too stuffed to finish your entree.
Here's another suggestion. Instead of getting a soda, try the Persian tea. You can have free refills. My wife loves the fact that they don't serve you plain old tap water; it is Alhambra water from a cooler (serve yourself).
If you're in the area (or not), this is the place to go. And, if you're not sure what to order, talk to Fred. He'll take care of you!!!
Oh Boy am I glad I found this place. I was pretty upset when the other location closed and I had no clue if they went out of business or they moved.
I was going to Zeni for Ethiopian food and ran into the new location tonight.
In any case they have the best kubideh I have ever tasted. So Tender and Juicy. It's so cheap to. $7.95 for two huge pieces.
Family run by some really nice people as well.
5 Stars!!!
04/11/09 Update - Since it's only been 2 days, I'm only allowed to edit, so here it goes. Stopped by here to watch Nick Diaz smash on Frank Shamrock on the plasma and I tried a few new things. The zereshk polo w/ chicken, taadig w/ ghorme sabzi, and baghlavah. The first too were really good. Even the baghlavah was good even though I don't like that kind of sweets at all and probably won't have it again. We ordered the combo and had chicken, chenjeh, koobideh, and maastokhiar. mmmm mmmm.
04/09/09 - This is THE BEST PERSIAN RESTAURANT/CAFE in the area.....hands down!!!!!
I'm here at least 2-3 times a week. My first time, I was really faded, but remember the Soltani (Chengeh and Koobideh) and Joojeh Kabab with their Taftoon bread and mast-o-musir are OFF THE HOOK!
Went back again sober and had the kubideh and some chicken and still off the hook. hahaha the owner actually read my review about international kabab house and said he wants me to tell him how their koobideh compares......can't compare.....Deezi's blows everyone away.
Yesterday, I tried the Deezi / Abgoosht.....and I'm picky when it comes to abgoosht, but it's as good as I remember it at the Winchester spot.
Tonight, I tried the Halim (my first time ever eating this....i didn't even know what it is). For those of u that don't know, it's the Persian version of cream of wheat w/ cinnamon, butter, sugar, and shredded beef. and it was honestly PERFECT! I don't even like sweet foods much....but forreal, you've gotta try it at least once for breakfast.
To top it all off.....this is the spot to come check out MMA fights on the plasma....and they even have some soccer games (or whatever else you feel like watching). Surprisingly, the price is cheaper than the other Persian spots in the area. Check this place out.....you won't regret it.
We went to this restaurant for dinner last Friday night. What a find! The food was delicious, the manager was helpful and kind, and the prices were very resonable. We shared a full order of kubideh, which was wonderful. We also had two other Persian dishes - an eggplant dish with eggs and a lamb stew with spinach and kidney beans. Both were excellent. They also serve puffy tandoori-style bread along with a plate of mint, onions, and feta cheese. We enjoyed their Persian tea too after we figured out how to dilute it enough. We will definitely go back.
