Some Helpful Stuff

Little Black Book

Whilst we would like you to think of Persepolis as a one stop shop for your ticket to Veggiestan, this is not strictly the case. Here’s some other helpful addresses, but it would be kind of cool if this page became a really comprehensive online resource – so PLEASE add your own recommendations and comments to the lists:

Shops:
In London:

  • Persepolis :), 28-30, Peckham High Street, SE15 5DT Tel: 020 7639 8007 (the mother ship )
  • Damas Gate, 81-85, Uxbridge Road, W12 8NR Tel: 020 8743 5116 (cheap, impressive)
  • Greenfields, 25, Crawford Street, W1H 1PL Tel: 020 7723 2510
  • Green Valley, 36, Upper Berkeley Street, W1H 5QF Tel: 020 7402 7385 (exquisite, expensive)
  • Golborne Road – pretty much half the shops are Moroccan, so head here for tagines and teapots
  • MFA Cash & Carry, 89-91, Turnpike Lane, N8 0DY Tel: 020 8340 7029 (Turkish, an experience and a privilege to shop there)
  • Ottolenghi, 63, Ledbury Road, W11 2AD Tel: 020 7727 1121
  • Phoenicia Food Hall, 186-192, Kentish Town Road, NW5 2AE Tel: 020 7267 1267
  • Turkish Food Centre, 89, Ridley Road, Dalston, E8 2NP Tel: 020 7254 6754 (the original branch of a chain of budget Turkish marts)
  • Super Mazandaran, 201, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W13 9AATel: 020 8840 5912
  • Super Zaman, 349, Kensington High Street, W8 6NW Tel: 020 7603 5083
  • Suroor Market, 101-113, Robin Hood Way, SW15 3QE Tel: 020 8974 6088
  • Yasar Halim, 386-390, Green Lanes, N13 5PD Tel: 020 8340 8090

Elsewhere in the UK:

Restaurants:
Some of these I have visited and love, some of them have simply been recommended. Please remember that few of them will be especially hot on veggie food – Middle Easterners in the diaspora usually go out to eat meat. And also remember that many of them will be Bring your Own: some of them may even frown on alcoholic consumption on the premises. NB – I found it hard on principle to recommend restaurants with websites that play loud belly-dancing music at you from the off.

In London:
Persian:

  • Hafez, 5a, Hereford Road, W2 4AB Tel: 020 7229 9398
  • Mohsen, 152, Warwick Road, W14 8PS Tel: 020 7602 9888
  • Patogh, 8, Crawford Place, W1H 5NE Tel: 020 7262 4015
  • Masoud, 201, Castlenau, SW13 9ER Tel: 020 8563 8638
  • Persian Palace, 127, Uxbridge Road, W13 9AU Tel: 020 8840 2015

Lebanese:

  • Al Bustan, 68, Old Brompton Road, SW7 3LQ Tel: 020 7584 5805
  • Maroush V, 4, Vere Street, W1, Tel: 020 7493 3030 (a chain – this is our pet branch)

Afghan:

  • Kabul Restaurant, Inside Himalaya Shopping Centre, 65-67, Southall Broadway, UB1 1JY Tel: 020 8571 6878

Turkish:

  • Tas, 72, Borough High Street, SE1 1XF Tel: 020 7403 7200 (another chain – I’m told this one is good)
  • Somine, 131, Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB Tel: 020 7254 7384

Iraqi:

  • Mingala, 9, Seymour Place, W1H 2NF Tel: 020 7724 5131 (it may not have an internet presence, but it’s a hidden treasure)

Egyptian:

  • Ali Baba, 32, Ivor Place, London NW1 6DA Tel: 020 7223 5805

Syrian:

  • Abu Zaad, 29, Uxbridge Road, W12 8LH Tel: 020 8749 5107 (silly music alert if you follow the link)

North African:

  • Azou Restaurant, 375, King Street, W6 9NJ Tel: 020 8563 7266
  • Moro, 34-36, Exmouth Market, EC1R 4QE 020 7833 8336 (with a bit of Spanish thrown in)

General Purpose Middle Eastern:

  • Ottolenghi: 287, Upper Street, Islington N1 2TZ Tel: 020 7288 1454 – here you WILL get good veggie grub
  • Saf: 152-154, Curtain Road, Shoreditch, EC2 A 3AT Tel: 020 7613 0007 – not wholly Middle Eastern, but definitely vegetarian. Mostly raw and vegan, in fact.

Falafel Wars:
My blogging pals tell me it’s between the Israeli Pilpel at 38, Brushfield Street, Spitalfields E1 6EU and the Palestinian Mr. Falafel, Units T4-T5, New Shepherds Bush Market W12 8LH.

Elsewhere in the UK:

  • Belfast: Byblos, 8-10, Amelia Street, BT2 7GS Tel: 028 9023 6266
  • Birmingham: La Fibule, 31, Woodbridge Road, B13 8EH Tel: 0121 449 3289
  • Birmingham: Syriana, 1, Constitution Hill, B19 3LG Tel: 0121 236 9444
  • Birmingham: Restaurant Shiraz, 167-169, Hagley Road, B16 8UK Tel: 0121 454 9911
  • Bradford: Markaz, Centenary Square, BD1 9SG Tel: 01274 743744
  • Brighton: Sahara, 103, Western Road, BN1 2AA Tel: 01273 730123
  • Bristol: Sands Restaurant (general Middle Eastern), 95, Queens Road, Clifton, BS8 1LW Tel: 0117 973 9734 (silly music alert if you click through)
  • Cardiff: Falafal Wales, 2, Wyndham Crescent, Canton, CF11 9EH Tel: 02920 340521 (take-away with an incredible reputation)(but with more silly music on their website)
  • Cardiff: Mina Restaurant, 43, Crwys Road, Cathays, CF24 4ND Tel: 02920 235212 (Lebanese)
  • Cardiff: See Iain’s notes in the comments below!
  • Edinburgh: Hanam’s Kurdish and Middle Eastern Restaurant, 3, Johnston Terrace, EH1 2PW Tel: 0131 225 1329
  • Exeter: Al Farid, 3, Cathedral Yard, EX1 1HJ Tel: 01392 494444 (Moroccan)
  • Glasgow: Persian Paradise, 411-413, Great Western Road, GL Tel: 0141 339 2170
  • Hull: Saffron Restaurant, 157, Kingston Road, Willerby, HU10 6AL Tel: 01482 650280
  • Leeds: Fairuz, Fairfax House, Merrion Street, LS2 8JU Tel: 0113 2434923
  • Manchester: Persia Grill House, 255, Barlow Moor Road, Chorlton M21 7GJ Tel: 0161 860 6864 (really annoying web-intro music – you have been warned)
  • Newcastle: Red Mezze, 34-36, Leazes Park Road, NE1 4PG Tel: 0191 261 9646 (Turkish)(more lift music when you follow the link)
  • Norwich: Three Ways Lebanese Restaurant, 4a, Brigg Street, NR2 1QN Tel: 01603 622814
  • Nottingham: Palm Tree Restaurant, 7-11, Arkwright Street, NG2 2JR Tel: 01159 869797
  • Swansea: Shiraz Restaurant, 696, Mumbles Road, SA3 4EH Tel: 01792 367478

The lovely Sarah in France has submitted the following list of Parisian resources:

Épicerie de Bruno
30 Rue Tiquetonne, 75002 Paris
It’s a small shop but easily the best in Paris, the owner is one of the friendliest I’ve met and would happily spend hours giving advice on how to use anything in the shop. A lot of the stock is out the back because the shop is so small so you just need to ask if you can’t find something, or even better if your french is terrible, make a list and hand it over, i promise, he’ll only laugh at you a little.

Sabah
71, Boulevard de Belleville – 75011
125, Boulevard de Ménilmontant – 75011
140, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine – 75012
30, Rue d’Aligre – 75012
43, Rue de Meaux – 75019
111, Rue d’Avron – 75020

A chain of small family-owned shops with helpful staff and admittedly the best prices outside of Rue des entrepreneurs. The staff give you honest advice and allow you to taste things like olives before you decide which to buy. It would be my favourite if it i hadn’t found Bruno’s.

Rue des Entrepreneurs
75015 Paris
There are 3 or 4 Iranian shops on this street so you can find absolutely anything and the prices are the cheapest in the city. On a good day you’ll be lucky to get a hello from the owners, on a bad day you’ll probably get the impression they wish you’d just get out but it’s worth persevering if you’re on a budget. Also there are a lot of shops on this road selling freshly made food.

Les Délices D’Orient
52, Avenue Emile Zola, 75015 Paris
Not too far from Rue des entrepreneurs, it’s the biggest shop of the lot but the prices are a bit higher. That being said the people working there are much nicer so it’s worth it if you’re a sensitive soul! They also have a deli where they serve the most delicious, fresh meals, dips and pastries.

Izraël
30 Rue François Miron, 75004 Paris
Definitely the most expensive shop in Paris but absolutely packed with the ingredients to cook food from almost any country in the world. It’s great if you don’t want to spend your entire weekend running around the city trying to find ingredients for lots of different cuisines (like I did the first week I’d been living here) But like I said, it’s really VERY expensive.

As noted above, it would be great if you could chip in with your suggestions. And this list is glaringly obviously mostly for the UK: please let us know if you have any shops or restaurants that you can recommend in other countries.

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