Bahar Narenj, which means orange blossom in Persian, is an authentic Persian-Iranian restaurant aimed squarely at Iranians, locals of Iranian descent and adventitious foodies. This modest eatery, located off al-Rigga road, is as authentic as they come; there’s stuff on their menu you just don’t find in other Iranian restaurants in Dubai – like their Chelo Gardan (slow cooked lamb neck, which you can have with either green or white rice) or Khorake Zaban (slow cooked lamb tongue, served with bread) or even their Del-O-Jiggar (bbq’ed lamb’s liver and heart) and lastly, there’s Kaleh Pache (sheep’s head and trotters which for some reason is NOT on the menu) – good stuff but most certainly NOT for the fainthearted. The other ‘must have’ dish is their Ghaiyeh Mâhi, a tart and tangy fish and herb stew indigenous to the south of Iran. Like many Persian-Iranian restaurants, Bahar Narenj also offers a daily special, which is (occasionally) worth considering over and above their already amazing line up.
The restaurant itself is small, but there’s a large, Ramadan style tent out in the middle of the walk way (how on earth did they get permission for that?) which has a number of tables on one end and sofas on the other, catering to both diners as well as shisha smokers and loungers. This is fine in the winter months but come summer, even the giant air conditioning blowers they have on each corner of their outdoor compound offer little comfort from the heat and humidity. Even so, the restaurant seems to have developed something of a cult following and is usually quite full. Don’t expect much in the form of amenities, it’s quite obvious, interior design was not on the owner’s list of top priorities.
Service though is both friendly and fast, and prices are very reasonable. If you’re looking for authentic Persian-Iranian food with a distinct South Iranian bias then this is the place to go.
Waste NOT. Want NOT.