Arya Global Cuisine

Despite the overall 4 star rating, my experience was more reflective of the lower ratings. It wasn’t necessarily all bad but for the price point, it wasn’t acceptable.
It was a full house with a small party in the front room with two belly dancers floating through the restaurant. The music was too loud and it must have been acknowledged because ¾s of the way through our dinner, the volume was significantly turned down.
We were easily greeted and seated right away. Then we were forgotten about. 15 minutes later, I smiled at a waitress and she came over and asked if we have been helped. When I told her not yet, she immediately took our orders and brought us our drinks. Another 10 minutes passed before the bread basket was brought by. Although housemade, the flat bread was uninspired and oddly paired with a dry foccacia. They were served with a green salsa, strange combination but tasty.
After another 20 minutes, our meals came. The barg was terrible to cut through and so salty that the waitress kindly had it remade. The next piece came out under seasoned and strangely ‘anemic’ looking. The meat was bland and chewy.. . Like the texture of brined meat that’s water logged. My husband’s chicken kebabs also had that weird texture. He got a rice with cranberry which was tasty but after a few bites, it became monotonous and sour. My plain rice was bland even though the description stated it was saffron rice. The lentil soup had good texture but again, it as overly seasoned.
At the end of the night, it was an expensive dinner for a disappointing take on Persian food, which I typically do enjoy. If it weren’t for our astute waitress, I’m not sure when we would have been helped.

Persian food: 2 star. Albaloo polo was mix of cooked rice with thawed/​conserved sour cherry! stews tasted good.
Italian food: 4 stars.

This restaurant had bad reviews from the service point of view and I was there 2^nd week of December and service was incredible, a little more attention and it’d have been too much. Staff was very polite and service was in fact a 5 star. They are truly making an effort to improve this area. The food is good, not the best, but variety, service and ambience offer a good deal. I have very high standards on middle eastern food, but the people we went with, thought it was very good.

The service here is great. I came with my family to celebrate Christmas– it was one of the few places around that was open on Christmas– and everyone was really nice, despite having to work on the holidays. My mother has an aversion towards parmesan cheese, and forgot to ask them to leave it out of her alfredo. She remembered after the dish arrived, and the staff were kind enough to remake the whole dish, despite our apologies and protests for the inconvenience. Best of all, the food, even the remade pasta, came very quickly with no time wasted at all.

You know I don’t really like something when I lose my appetite halfway through the meal. I wasn’t full, I just didn’t feel like eating anymore because it just wasn’t good to me. It took over an hour to have our food come… probably because they were busy since it was Christmas Day.
Anyhoo, this is what we ordered:
For an appetizer, we all shared the sambosa which came with five triangles filled with herbs, potatoes, and chutney. The chutney was green and tasted like green salsa at Mexican restaurants. They also served complimentary pita bread with the same chutney that came with the sambosa.
I ordered the beef and lamb combo kabob. This came with saffron basmati rice and grilled tomato. It was definitely presented in a kabob style, with vegetables (onions/​peppers) in between each piece of meat, but without the stick. The lamb was really good and so was the rice. The rice was similar in taste to Mediterranean/​Greek rice which I like very much. The beef however was so disappointing. It tasted like meatballs or just ground beef. Nothing special about that. I didn’t feel like it was worth the $ 33.
My dad ordered the salmon kabob, which he liked a lot. I didn’t get to try his. My sister ordered the arya combo kabob (chicken, shish kabob, salmon kabob). The chicken was one of the few things I actually liked. My brother ordered the new york strip which was covered in a mushroom brandy sauce. My mom ordered the lamb chops which had a rosemary merlot sauce (kinda tastes asado, which is a Filipino dish). I didn’t like the lamb chops whatsoever. Both my mom and brother’s meals came with a side of mashed potatoes. Mashed potatoes never disappoint!!!
During your meal, you might be able to see a bellydancing performance! We did! The bellydancer danced around the whole restaurant and asked guests to dance with her every now and then. She had these drapes hanging off her arms with lights on them. Kinda looked she was part of Disney’s Electrical Parade, lol.
The food here was alright. Wouldn’t exactly go here again.

Good food, horrible service. We were a party of 6 adults and 4 kids who came in for dinner. We were seated outside, which is fine. They turned on the heat lamps as it was a chilly night. The server came to take our order and then pretty much forgot about us. They gave us no plates or utensils. The hummus came out without the pita, then the badenjan came out also without pita. One of us had to get up each time to go inside and let them know we were missing pita, plates, napkins etc. After about 40 minutes without any more food coming out, one of us got up to check if there was room inside the restaurant, there were many tables empty, so we all moved inside. I wish someone had come and offered us a table inside when one became available, we had mentioned this to the hostess who had seated us outside. After being seated inside, the food came 20 mins later. The filet minion was a bit chewy, other than that, all was good. We had a bbq chicken pizza, veggie tower, chicken kebabs, lentils soups and a couple of other entrees.
Not happy with the service at all

We had dinner to celebrate my son’s birthday. We had a party of 12 and wanted to make it to the movie nextdoor on time. I calling to pre-​order our dinner. When we arrived the food was right there ready for us. Overall it was excellent and the service is great. Good job Arya.

I was experiencing THE STRONGEST CRAVING FOR CREME BRULEE after I left work and was on my way to my next appointment AND I WAS ON THE HUNT… LITERALLY driving on El Camino Unilocaling any French restaurants near me and refreshing my app every single time I would travel a few blocks down… At the same time I was trying to call and place an order for pick-​up so that my order would be ready by the time I got to the restaurant…
(THIS IS HOW MY CRAZED CRAVINGS GO WHEN I’M ON THE HUNT)
Me: *finds a French restaurant on my Unilocal app, scrolls through the menu to see if they have Crème Brulee, makes a call to order for pick-​up while driving there, navigating directions via the Maps app on my phone* HOWEVERRRR…
Restaurant: «oh Im sorry… Crème brûlée must be eaten in the restaurant because we need to torch it and we need our dishes back. You cannot order to-​go»…
THIS HAPPENED TO ME AT LEAST 4 TIMES AND I WAS SO CLOSE TO GIVING UP HOWEVER BEING THE FOODIE THAT I AM, I REFUSED TO QUIT OR GIVE UP AFTER 4 FAILED ATTEMPTS… ENTER ARYA…
(Calls Arya): «Hi, do you guys have crème brûlée and can I order for pick-​up?»
Guy: «Uhh… sure.»
Me: (beyond belief, can’t believe my ears, overly excited, typing the address into Maps on my phone): «Ok, Can I order the crème brûlée, the tiramisu and the baklava? Thank you!!!»
Located on a convenient corner where I could just jump out and pick up my food… When I arrived, the desserts were ready for pick up. They don’t torch the top of the crème brûlée but Thanks Arya for saving me from a hunger disaster. Very clean, nice restaurant. There was someone having a private event at that time. I would definitely come back to check out their food and their night entertainment.

Best koobideh and kashke bademjoon i love their foods and the customer service! Thank u

I’ve only been here twice so far, but each time I’ve been impressed. The restaurant is attractive, the food is reasonably priced and TOTALLY delicious, and the staff is very friendly and attentive.
Most recently I had the grilled salmon with the most amazing buttery lemon caper sauce, which I sopped up with the generous amount of veggies and mashed potatoes. I’m definitely going back.

I am a fan. The menu is quite expansive and the varying combinations make it hard to imagine there isn’t something for you here. We were seated immediately upon arrival and were treated quite well. Had a combination chicken dish and can’t find anything to complain about. Everything was flavorful and the portions were generous. The only knock I have about the experience was that there were no scallops available, which was only communicated to us after we ordered them. Took a bit of adjustment because there were so many things that contained them, but overall, no biggie. The substitute dish we ordered instead was great and we would probably dine there again.

I’ve just started looking for the most awesome Koobideh kebab meal in the RWC area, seeing how I moved away from my favorite place in Mtn View. This is a take out review. 3 stars may be a little light, but 4 stars is a little much.
First I have to say the portion sizes are great, but the price a little high. Seeing the ritz and where this place is located, I guess the price is justifiable. The Koobideh itself was tasty and seasoned (except for salt) and two huge skewers were a little larger than I had expected. It could have been a little more moist. The rice included a good portion of saffron, but was slightly on the dry side. Both the kebab and rice, I’d rate a good 4 stars.
The disappointment comes from the bread, which is a major component of a Persian kebab, IMO. I was confused when I saw the package with the bread. There was more focaccia bread than flat bread? What the… And it wasn’t the typical thin flower tortilla type flat bread cut in squares I was expecting or hoping for. It was more doughy pita or gyro type raised flatbread and it made the meal feel really heavy in my stomach and there wasn’t enough of it. After I had finished half of my meal, the flatbread was gone and all I was left with were chunks of really fresh focaccia bread that I had absolutely no use or desire for.
I did ask for extra flatbread but it still didn’t last for more than half the plate. It’s also kinda sad that the bread alone is why I probably won’t be coming back here. Not that they were being stingy with it, which they were, but that raised flatbread just made the meal way too heavy.
They included a full cooked tomato, but it was just kinda bland… I flipped it over expecting a nice black sear but nothing. Not even charred a little bit. Maybe that is for family appeal? I dunno.
The staff was friendly and the place looked nice which is important for a downtown restaurant, and I was surprised to get a parking spot right next to the place, but the food wasn’t the home run I was looking for.

The food was great. We got a hummus starter, and the Chicken Barg, and they were both exquisite. The chicken was nice and tender, and the BBQ tomato was super juicy. At times though, it did seem a little try, but overall, would get again. My friend got the Vege Tower, and that was also really good & colorful (not to mention the option of flavored rice).
The gentleman serving us was very nice and though with the explanations and he catered very specifically to all our dietary needs. The service was also very efficient. The restaurant was very clean, however, a tad pricy in my opinion.
Would def recommend to a friend & even go again.

Delicious food & spectacular service! Our server brought a bowl of water for our Yorkie. Dogs are allowed at the outdoor seating area. However, beware: the umbrellas do not provide any shade relief at all! Best time to sit outside is after 7pm when the sun descends below the building across the street. (Since all the outdoor tables were available, we checked the shadiness of each one haha)
Our server was really helpful & attentive (and patient with our dog as he barked at him every time he came near our table). I ordered the yogurt drink called «dough» (pronounced dew) just to try, and our server suggested he give me a sample first. I ended up canceling my order haha it was a sour yogurt taste with a minty after-​taste. No bueno para mi. But the shirin polo dish I ordered came with chicken & this delicious rice consisted of basmati rice (long pieces of rice from India), pieces of orange peels just for a nudge of sweetness, almonds, and pistachios. The braised chicken was ok. (I would definitely switch the chicken with a beef kebab next time.) My boyfriend wanted the saffron scallop, but that was unavailable so he went with our server’s recommendation and got the steak & prawn instead.
At first, I was annoyed with my BF because I thought it was silly to order steak & prawn — an American meal — at a Mediterranean restaurant. Butttttttt it was so delicious & different! I believe the sauce is yogurt-​based, and it tasted perfect with the prawns. I admit I was wrong to judge! It was definitely a satisfying surprise.
Arya Global Cuisine has another location in Cupertino, and both places have belly dancers every Friday & Saturday. I am definitely going to check out the Cupertino location one of these Fridays or Saturdays!

We’ve walked by Arya for years and never went in because it always appears empty. It turns out the food is excellent, and the portions and prices are super reasonable (2 people can *easily* share 1 entrée). Arya is by far one of the best restaurant options in Redwood City — based on food & value it’s 4 stars.
My complaint was the service and atmosphere, which I’d give ¹⁄₅ stars. Despite their open dining room being empty except 1 table, we were stuffed at a 2-​person table in a stuffy corner. We asked the hostess for a larger table and were denied; of course the table didn’t have enough space to place the food we ordered, and for some unknown reason our table was the only one without a tablecloth. On our way to the table, the hostess got in a weird back-​and-​forth argument with a server about whether they’d take our table, which should never happen out in the open. Our table was then tag-​teamed by 2 servers who were very absent — especially considering how empty the restaurant was. They were also visibly upset that we weren’t in the mood to drink alcohol.

Arya is a good persian joint and should be a stop to consider before heading to the movies. Try doing it family style where you get big plates of rice and assorted kebab platters. That way everyone gets to try a little of everything. Th koobideh and lamb chop in particular were moist and flavorful.

I love this restaurant, I go here atleast every 2 months. Fridays they have a belly dancer, I typically order beef kabob over rice with soup. They have good pizza too!
Clean bathrooms

hubby and i had been here several years ago for his company holiday party and enjoyed the food immensely. we vowed to return again, on our own dime, to try some of their other dishes. more than 2 years later, and re-​locating to rwc, we finally made it over for lunch on a beautiful saturday afternoon. and since it was such a gorgeous sunny day, and not crowded at all, we chose to sit outside in the sidewalk seating area.
aside from their standard menu, they have a 3 course prix fixe lunch for $ 10 which includes a house salad + entrée + dessert. hubby ordered the chicken koobideh kebab for his entrée and i chose the fesenjoon. hubby also ordered a side of hummus since he was extra hungry on this day.
two glasses of iced water and a fresh basket of pita and house bread were immediately brought to our table, as well as a small tumbler of green salsa to enjoy with the bread. good thing hubby tried it and told me that the salsa was spicy, so i refrained from trying it as i am a spice wimp! the hummus came out a few moments later.
both the strips of pita bread and pieces of house bread were served warm, and they tasted great alone as well as when they were dipped into the hummus. i’d love to know how they get their pita bread to be so soft and chewy inside!
a few minutes later, our salads were brought to the table. hubby’s dressing was already added to his salad, and mine was put on the side, as i requested. the salad was pretty standard, mixed greens with slices of cucumber and tomato, and little creamy dressing (not sure what the dressing was but it wasn’t too strong, which i liked).
before i had a chance to finish my salad, our main entrees were brought out, and our waitress actually had to put them on the adjacent table since our table for 2 was already full with the bread, hummus, salads, and drinks! good thing there wasn’t anyone sitting next to us!
my hubby’s chicken koobideh was really good, tender pieces of chicken, marinated in their special sauce, served on a skewer. i enjoyed my fesenjoon very much as it was a pomegranate and walnut stew with chicken mixed in, something i’d never heard of, but tasty and healthy! the stew was a little sweet, a little tangy, and just full of flavour. i also dipped some of the bread into the stew which was delicious and ended up finishing every last bite of the fesenjoon!
we’d almost forgotten about the dessert that was included in our meal, when our waitress came and reminded us that there was a chocolate duet to end the meal. after clearing our table, she brought out the desserts, which were really pretty; white and milk chocolate mousse cake with a slice of strawberry and chocolate drizzle. i’m so glad that it was small b/​c i was so full from my lunch that i didn’t think i could eat anything else! but the sweet ending was delicious and i’m so glad that i made space for it.
service was great as our waitress checked in on us periodically, even letting us know when she headed out on a quick break, and someone else would be keeping an eye on us. we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch here and plan to be back very soon for another delicious meal.

The significant and I were eyeing this restaurant for quite some time, and fortunately, were able to purchase a Groupon deal and finally got the chance to see what this venue was all about.
The décor inside the restaurant is quite impressive — an elegant charm filled with various middle eastern memorabilia throughout the restaurant. Our waiter, Omar, was sensational, always on top of tasks such as re-​filling water cups and checking up on us to make sure we were satisfied with our food. The significant had ordered a bottle of Menage à Trois ($ 36.00) and Omar kindly set up an ice bucket beside our table and placed the bottle in the bucket so it would remain ice cold.
We had ordered the following:
*Calamari — $ 9.95
Crispy calamari served with a tomato dipping sauce.
–Your average calamari, nothing radically special about them, however, they weren’t bad either. A great starter before you get to your main dish.
*Vegetarian Sambosa — $ 8.95
Phyllo pastry filled with seasoned potatoes, fresh herbs, cilantro served with a cilantro chutney sauce.
–The phyllo dough dipped in the chutney was to die for! I found it difficult to contain myself as I had to prevent myself from getting full before the main entry arrived. The chutney sauce was sensational! Filled with an array of various herbs and cilantro, an appetizer you cannot forget!
*Shish Kebab (Filet Mignon USDA Choice) — 24.95
Char broiled juicy chunks of filet mignon marinated to perfection in our special herb sauce, served with skewered onions and peppers.
–I had ordered this dish and I must say that it was a hit! The chunks of filet mignon was absolutely amazing, were not bland, and were of the highest quality of meat.
*Koobideh Kebab — $ 17.95
Two skewers juicy strip of char broiled seasoned ground beef; added chicken Koobideh for an additional $ 6.95.
–This dish was huge! I honestly think it can feed a party of 2! The significant had ordered this so in terms of flavoring/​taste I am unable to provide a review, however, I will emphasize that the presentation of the dish was immaculate — neat and huge portioned.
*Pistachio Cheesecake — $ 9.00
Pistachio cheesecake with a chocolate ganache and raspberry sauce.
–This dessert was absolutely amazing! Be prepared to enrich your tastebuds with a warm blend of raspberry sauce, pistachio, and ganache! A MUST TRY!
The bill had totalled $ 113.75, however with the Groupon discount ($ 105.80) and a «Manager Open Discount» ($ 6.95), the total came out to be $ 10.61. WHAT AN AMAZING DEAL! Again, HUGE kudos to our waiter, Omar, for being so amazingly attentive throughout our dining experience. I hope to have you again as our waiter the next time we visit! :)
Arya definitely does not disappoint. I hope to come back here again to try more dishes!
For the Lunch/​Dinner/​Dessert Menu, please click:
PLEASE NOTE that there is a Belly Dancing event every FRIDAY and SATURDAY at 8 p.m.;D #ShakiraStyle

This place is a «global cuisine» type restaurant specializing in Persian/​middle eastern food and some Italian.
The décor and layout of the restaurant is elegant and classy and it has some middle eastern flair to it. It definitely has the feel of a higher end restaurant with a bar in the far back.
At first glance their menu is extensive. I mean, if you like options then this is the place to go. They have several pages of dishes they offer but like I said it’s mainly Persian and Italian offerings.
The server recommended the appetizer sampler platter for our big group. We decided to go for it and we also got freshly baked bread (flat bread was super good here) that came with butter and a dipping sauce. Everything was really flavorful and delicious
**The sampler platter comes with hummus, an eggplant dip, falafel and samosas
**Ghemieh Bademjoon was pretty good too. It’s a Persian stew with a tomato base and eggplants. Slightly tangy and good over their saffron rice. My only critique would be the potato crisps they put as garnish on top. It was a little too much for my taste I’d prefer more stew than potato crisp but otherwise good.
**Exotic bomb– recommended dessert by server. It’s their mango and passion fruit sorbet dipped in white chocolate garnished with fresh fruit. Really light and refreshing! A good way to end the meal.
Service: overall great! the server was attentive and could give good recommendations and always stuck close by. Two thumbs up!
I’d come back again and try some of their other menu offerings!
(Psssttt! Very vegetarian friendly too! I approve ;))