Shamshiry Restaurant

11/04/09

Great authentic persian food

by JonSoleymani

Go with an appetite! Order a Chicken Kabob or Beef Shamrimy dinner, and you'll get PLENTY of food. One suggestion: For a healthier pick, ask for any dinner with 1/2 rice and 1/2 salad.

If you're persian, you already know this place. If you're not, this is where the persian's go for authentic persian food!

• Pros: Lots of food, tastes great

08/29/09

Old food and overpriced - go somewhere else!

by mdavoudi

This restaurant is shameful. Don't give your business to bad overpriced food and bad management. I recently called to make a friendly complaint about the fact that they served us old/tasteless food- after spending $150! - and the owner yelled at me over the phone, told me i'm lying and hung up the phone! I'm persian and used to go to this place a lot a few years ago. At the time it had great food. In past 2-3 years, it has gone downhill fast. Some reasons:

1. They serve used/old food. Old rice, chicken, fish. And when you bring it to their attention they lie to your face about it.

2. It is waaayyyy over priced. Especially when none of the food is fresh and leftover from days before.

3. The owner - Hamid Mousavi - is rude and has a huge temper. He basically told us that he doesn't care what we think as customers, he is right, and he doesn't even want to hear what we have to say.

This place became famous a long time ago because the food was great before. It is no longer the case and they are ripping people off with old food. Don't buy into it!!!!

• Pros: none
• Cons: old food, overpriced, very bad management

04/04/09

Terrible customer service

by emily1234

I ordered for pick up. I picked my order up, got home and received a call letting me know they forgot to give me half of my order. Instead of offering to throw in an extra appetizer or a drink or whatever, they told me they wouldn't compensate me at all and if i wanted them to deliver it it would be an hour before they would be at my house. The manager refused to recognize or take any measures to remedy the situation. The worst! I will never go back there. They made me feel terrible because they forgot the order!

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: worst customer service i've had in a long time

02/28/09

If you want an enemy to have an upset stomach, send them to Shamshiri.

by reviewLA

Bottom line - go somewhere else. Who needs the grief.

Dining is an experience of both food and service and Shamshiri cannot overcome the terrible service with their good (although very greasy) food. The only service oriented folks are the busboys. The waiters and the manager are indifferent and inattentive to bordering on rude. I want to enjoy my meal, not focus on why the food ordered is not the food delivered, why half of our party at our table are served their order and 15 minutes later the other half of our party are served, or why I cannot get the attention of a waiter.

For many years, we ate at Shamshiri, although most of our Persian friends grimace at the thought of going here and instead recommend Flame down the street. Now the owner is not present and the site-manager is the wrong choice for a restaurant job.

Basically, the service is awful and it makes the whole dining experience terrible ? when we were able to get the attention of our waitress, she asked us if we wanted to take home the food that we did not eat. When we explained that we did not order this food, she proceeded to give us the bill. When we asked to speak with the manager, he insisted that we pay nonetheless, because it was on our table.

We paid, zero tip, thanked the busboys, and will not return. The attitude of ?bad-service is better than gracious-service? has achieved the result of loss of patronage. If you want an enemy to have an upset stomach, send them to Shamshiri.

• Pros: good and plentiful food. although very greasy.
• Cons: terrible people from waiter to manager. even the busboys are embarassed.

01/05/09

this place should burn to the ground

by critic62685

although the headline speaks for itself, I feel the need to explain a little of what goes on in this place.

I can guarantee you that if you spend your hard earned money there, you will be paying the paychecks of the most arrogant and selfish people on the planet. Not only is this restaurant filled with creatures I'm not allowed to write on this site(lets say I know some inside people), but all that aside, the management (ESPECIALLY the owner) is absolutely horrific. Day in and day out, the servers have to put up with his verbal abuse - for regulars of the restaurant, I'm sure they have heard Hamid yell and scream at the servers and the poor busboys for absolutely no good reason at all. He has even gone as far as screaming at the costumers, because he's an alcoholic and can't control his anger, and even kicking them out!! All the servers are emotionally distressed because of him, but being as arrogant as they are, I don't exactly feel bad for them. All in all, the food might taste alright, but if you knew what really goes on in that place, you wouldn't want to expose yourself or your family to this type of environment.

• Pros: one manager named Manny
• Cons: everything

10/12/07

Not a fan

by milf_cookies

The first few times I want to Shamshiri (about 2 years ago) I very much enjoyed the food. However on the last of those visits, my food was brought out over an hour after my companions had recieved their meal. While the manager profusely aplogized and comped our meal, it still ruined the evening. My mates waited till their food got cold before finally eating it and still finished before I got mine. I decided to stay a way for a few years. I recently went back becuase I did remember the food being good and worth enough to give it another. After a busboy spilled salad dressing on my leg and I had to ask 5 different people(our waitress seemed to be on a different planet that night) to bring me a fresh napkin before I got one, I officially crossed Shamshiri off the list. While the food is not bad, the service is so bad that i would not recommend eating here. A new persian place just opened further south on Westwood, yet to try it but it has to be better then this place.

• Pros: Food is not bad
• Cons: Service is abysmal

07/14/07

Freakin' Love it!

by epicuriousla

I love this place!! I was introduced by my friend and I've been smitten ever since! I've taken out of town guests, had birthday meals....really just love it! I've never had to wait for a table, yet they are always pretty busy. And they are, like, always open! Even on 4th of July! The food is a great value, too! You get a heaping plate of food, meat, rice, grilled veggies; it could easily feed you for two meals! The rice is like a narcotic, but you can get salad instead. And I love the meat! Well seasoned, well cooked, just delicious. I prefer the ground chicken kabob, but love the barg as well. Service is friendly, they always keep my Diet Coke full, and parking has never been a problem for me. i will go back here again, and again, I just can't get enough! Do yourself a favor and go!

• Pros: kabobs, portion sizes, staff
• Cons: you tell me

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Casual, family-friendly Middle Eastern restaurant dishes up exotic seafood, as well as grilled meat and chicken kabobs.

06/23/07

My favorite Persian restaurant!

by luvocean

After my former favorite Persian restaurant (Rumsar) in W. LA dissapeared, I was looking for another restaurant that offers foods as delicious and reasonable as Rumsar, and service as good and friendly as Rumsar. And, here it is! The Shamshiri Grill in Westwood! I was so happy to find my favorite dish "Fesenjan" with Chicken and "Lubia Polo" rich dish. It's just that this restaurant doesn't have regular lavash, but that's okay. Their bread seems very fresh :-) And, the almost-open kitchen (closed with a glass wall) made the place more welcoming, I think. Also, one of the people who work there or maybe one of the owners speaks Japanse, and it was a big surprise :-D

I think I want to have my birthday there!!

• Pros: friendly and fast service

04/15/07

Top-notch Persian food.

by sbizzy57

The food hear is affordable and very tasty. You get large portions, and the service is very friendly and prompt, and you don't wait too long to recieve your meal. You can also get takeout, but I think eating in is best. I particularly recomend the Chicken Koobideh sandwich wrap, and the Sabzi Polo, as my favorite dishes. Shirazi salad is a must as well. And when you are done, have some Persian ice cream, it is heavenly. This place has a nice layout as well, and is a good place to bring family, but please, not screaming little kids. Overall, a very affordable, great experience.

• Pros: Great food, nice service, reasonable pricing