Kabab Achome (also known as Kabab Mamzar) is one of three South Iranian ‘Khodemooni’ Kabab Houses on the Al Mamzar Beach Park Restaurant Strip on Al Khaleej Road in Mamzar. Up until my food buddies and I found it a couple of weeks ago, we had never seen an Iranian restaurant with Sofreh-Khaneh style daybed seating – now there are three! side-by-side. Whilst Khoory Special Kabab Restaurant next door has the pedigree, fresh Sangak bread and possibly the best Koobideh in town, Achome remains the more appropriate all-rounder and my restaurant of choice of the three for dine in. This, in no small part, has to do with the fact that Achome actually offers indoor dining whereas Khoory still doesn’t.
Achome in the middle, Khodemooni on the left and Khoory on the right
Achome’s interior may be steeped in Persian history and tradition; it may be quaint, charming even, but pretty it ain’t. There are two sizes of carpeted dining daybeds, the smaller for up to four people and the larger, which we usually sit at, for up to six or seven. Surrounding each of the daybeds are ugly, ambiance-killing, accordion privacy partitions which always make me feel a little claustrophobic (I don’t do well in confined spaces). And then – kick off your shoes, hop onto the daybed and assume the lotus position.
Achome has an impressive range of mainly South Iranian kababs. My favourite is their tart and tangy Bahraini Kabab. It has consistently been better than anything else I have had in Dubai. Both their Tikké Maasti Kababs are good, lamb and chicken. Almost everyone who has tried them prefer them to Ostadi’s. I like the fact that you get a stronger taste of pepper in Achome’s tikké, but I still prefer Ostadi’s. The surprise for me were their Lamb Chops which, while not in the same league as Damyati or the Meating Room’s, are still pretty darn good and definitely worth including in your order. Because I am so infatuated with the Koobideh next door (at Khoory), I have treated Achome’s Koobideh unfairly. The truth is that it’s pretty good. Unless you are going next door after Achome, I would include the Koobideh too.
Achome is one of the few Iranian restaurants in Dubai which serves Jigar – liver. On all the occasions I’ve ordered jigar at Achome, I’ve been more excited at the fact that I am having jigar as opposed to really enjoying the jigar. I find they cut the pieces too thick yet still manage to overcook them. Unless you are a die-hard jigar fan, order one of their other kababs instead. Before I move on from the kababs, I’d like to point out that, like most Khodemooni restaurants, Achome offers raw marinated kabab (by the kilo) for take away and home barbecuing. If you ask nice, they’ll probably even skewer everything for you too.
Jigar 
Jigar 
I found the staff at Achome friendly and hugely accommodating. Most speak passable English and Hindi (in addition to Persian and Khodemooni). They have menus with pictures so, in the worst case, point and grunt. An impressive section of the menu is dedicated to desserts, including Faloodeh and ice cream. I’m not a fan of either preferring instead their unique Ragag, a dosa like crepe which, depending on which filling you choose, can be either sweet (for dessert) or savoury (as a snack). We usually end our meal there with a Nutella filled ragag.
Achome is a welcome addition to the Iranian culinary scene of Dubai. It definitely adds its own distinct character and old school charm. Note, this is NOT date night material. Ladies, I recommend you dress appropriately (a short skirt isn’t a good idea). Our food buddy, Hulya, came in jeans and a comfortable t-shirt. She called it her Karama outfit. That said, what Achome lacks in refinement, it makes up for with some of the most amazing Khodemooni kababs in Dubai. The Bahraini alone is worth a detour leave alone the rest of the kababs…Bah Bah!
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Xerxes (pronounced Zûrk’seez) physically dines at, or orders from, each and every venue he reviews. He pays in full for whatever he and his companions eat, drink, take away or occasionally throw at each other. Xerxes accepts no money, gifts, discounts or free meals in return for reviews or favouritism. What you have read was NOT influenced in any way by the venue. Join his culinary journey on Instagram: @ravenousxerxes or reach out to him via email on xerxes@dellara.com.