Clam
Awesome place. I'm not an expert but I really liked the food. I loved the stews. The atmosphere is very cute. Lots of traditional artwork on the walls and a cute water fountain at the entry. Washrooms are at the back before the kitchen. Service was very friendly and attentive. It felt like I was at a family home for dinner. Would definitely come back.
Mia
The first time I tried Persian food and was amazed by the food here. Beef with chickpeas were very impressive. The starter made of olives, pomegranate, and walnuts(or one kind of nuts) was veryyyy surprising and delicious. The lamb shank was fine but the rice was tasty! So overall good food and will definitely come back again!
Aicha Hassani
This was actually my first time trying persian food, so this feedback is solely based on this restaurant with no reference to another one.
Most of the dishes have a combination of meat and dried fruits/ nuts.
Fesenjaan was so good! The sauce was thick and tasty.
Aloo Ghesyi was a completely new flavour to for me (chicken+ apricot) and I really liked it.
At the end we ordered Safran ice-cream. The presentation was just on point!
And the restaurant layout eas amazing, we couldn't take our eyes off the carpets and pictures on the wall!
Will go back again for sure.
Mohammed Syed
One of those amazing hidden gems you find in Toronto. This is authentic Persian rice styled food (not BBQ/grilled kebab type). It’s a small setting with limited seatings but extremely cosy with a very classy Persian ambience (reminded me of Turkish/Moroccan vibes). The service was great with fast delivery time of the food after ordering. We had the Shirin Polo with the lamb and the Adas Polo with the lamb. Both were amazing with remarkable scents of the food too. The orange in Shirin and the dates in Adas made the taste very unique. Moreover, the lamb was super soft and really tasty. I also must compliment that with the outrageous dining prices around Toronto now, Pomegranate is one of the best few places where you can get an extremely tasty meal with tea under $30. Bravo! Will come again.
Nat Naz
Last year we traveled from the states to Canada for the first time and had a fabulous time. Saw great reviews of this restaurant and decided to give it a try but because of Covid it was closed.
Fast forward to today and we finally got the chance to try it and let me tell you no disappointments here.
We had the Pom salad , Gheymeh and fesenjune dishes. They were all delicious and tasted great.
So far best Iranian food in Toronto
Nawaf ALSHAMMARI
We had a great experience at this restaurant; friendly staff, beautiful decoration, great taste of traditional persian food and reasonable price.
Will return for sure :)
Gwor Chan (陳果)
Not a good experience ... I had high hope before I had my dinner at this Persian restaurant. The dishes display are totally different than what you can find from the internet images, size are fairly small, all main dishes are presented in the same way with rice and salad on the side. Price not cheap, but the quality and portion they are offering shouldn't be that high price compare to others. Taste was so so, not exceptional, not as bad, but definitely not worth to pay $20/dish. I was disappointed. Atmosphere was OK.
Mo Monsef
Beautiful place to see a bot of persian culture in downtown toronto. One the best persian experience outside of iran for me and in fact very unique..i strongly recommend to try it out and enjoy…
Shreya Bhati
The food is great and the atmosphere is lovely. Reasonably priced for really good food. On a Saturday night this restaurant was busy, so I'd suggest you book in advance or risk being turned away
Miladkh65
Absolutely the best authentic Persian food that you can get in whole Canada! Their food taste like what we used to get at our grandmothers houses back in the days and most importantly the menu is diverse and you can find real authentic Persian cuisine in here. Persian cuisine has far more delicious and colourful plates than just Kababs and these guys know that! Reservation is a little bit hassle due to restricted working hours but it definitely worth it.
Negar
The best Persian restaurant in Toronto. They offer the real homemade Persian cuisine with great quality. <br/>Last time I’ve tried one of their special food “artichoke stew” or “khoresh-e-kangar farangi” which was absolutely delicious...<br/>Great atmosphere and fantastic service.
Vicky Yilmaz
I love this restaurant and been there 3 times already! The food is delicious. The interior design is beautiful and cozy. If you want to try Iranian food, go there:) I also tried their wine and I would recommend it.
Gastro World
The colourful tapestry adorning the wall instantly put me in a cheerful mood. Despite visiting as soon as the restaurant opened, light aromas of spices were already wafting throughout the dining area, a promise of the flavours to come. The women didn’t lie, it’s a small restaurant with perhaps a dozen tables, so consider making a reservation - even with our weeknight visit, we secured one of the last unreserved tables.<br/><br/>While waiting for our mains, we shared an order of the kashke-e bademjaan ($7.95), which wasn’t big, but rich enough to satisfy our table of four with a couple tablespoons each. A bed of soft charred eggplant is topped with Persian whey, garlic, walnuts and caramelized onions. The starter comes with a basket of hot lightly toasted soft pita bread that’s perfect for scooping up a bit of everything to get all the flavours and crunch. The whey had a light creamy consistency and when mixed with the garlic almost had a tahini feel to it.<br/><br/>I’m always partial of lamb dishes when visiting a Persian, Indian or Greek restaurant. Hence, immediately the queymeh ($15.50) called to me. The hearty stew is great for spooning over the basmati rice where the
Nm
I have been to pomegranate a handful of times throughout the years, and the experience has always been disappointing. The service has always been weird. The woman (whom I've seen on each occasion - maybe the owner?) is always flustered, and a tad rude. The rest of the staff take her lead. I went back after years of not going back, thinking that things might have changed, and the service continues to be truly disappointing. They gave us a table for 90 minutes, and said we'd have to leave right at the 90 minute mark. Instead of making sure that we got our dinner and dessert in a diligent manner (which would be to their benefit in trying to free it up in 90 minutes), both our main course and the dessert took a long time to come. With the end result that my daughter was still eating at the 90 minute mark. The server told us to get up from our table, and when I asked for a take-away container to pack the food, she rudely told us, "you have to get up NOW!". What really confused me is that there were also a number of free tables in the vicinity. I eat out a lot, and have never experienced such behaviour. <br/><br/>I don't typically post bad reviews online. I know people work hard, and everybody can have an off day. I made an exception today, as clearly nothing has changed in the years pomegranate has been in business. If the food were amazing, I'd maybe be able to justify it. But it's really average. I know my persian food, being persian, and there are other persian restaurants that serve way better food. Pomegranate's baghali-polo is not bad; the fesenjoon, kashke-bademjoon, mast-o-khiar and a number of other dishes leave much to be desired. The desserts are good, but my guess is that they buy them from elsewhere.
Aishahnofal
We had the eggplant dip with caramelized onions, fesenjan, and the braised lamb shank. The eggplant dip was phenomenal, and the bread we came Witt was perfectly crispy on the outside and soft and warm on the inside. The braised lamb shank was perfectly cooked, and the meat just fell off the bone. I was a little disappointed with the rice though because it lacked favour. The fesenjan with grilled chicken was amazing. Would definitely recommend this place. I plan on going back soon!
Xiaoeats
Post a busy holiday season filled with family, I met up with my best friend to catch up with our respective significant others. The plan was to grab dinner somewhere and attempt to get a table at Snakes and Lattes, which proved to be impossible on a Friday night even at their new, huge, College location. We did successfully enjoy a satisfying, vegetarian friendly dinner at Pomegranate across the street. This was also The Hubby and I’s first foray into Persian cuisine.
Hana
The food wasn't special to me...maybe I just didn't order the right dish/combination of dishes, not sure...but, not a place I would go back in a hurry.
Aletta Brandle
Great place! It was packed when we went. The dishes are all very lemon-y but nonetheless delicious. Enjoyed a chicken dish and salad. Very healthy and freshly prepared dishes. Good place to go if you're looking for a light dinner.
Lise
The sister restaurant to scheherazade, and next door to it as well. They have a different menu with the stews. I would also recommend you make a reservation. They were turning people away on a Sunday at around 7pm. I really enjoyed the stews, they were very flavorful, and also very much enjoyed by my Persian friend.
MLie
So, finally I started restaurant hopping as new time pass and its been going nice. This is the first place I started with. Good place to check out; not fully Vegan but got options which are good. I tried salad shirazi pretty good and tasted fresh cucumber and juicy tomato def add some great flavor with persian style oil mix. Also tried adas polo because I love lentils and this dish was mind boggling because they had crispy onions well it was adding a very special fragrance.
Akki
After couple of visits to the Persian restaurant next door, this was our first visit to Pomegranate. Highly recommended to reserve your table before the visit. The ambience and the aesthetics inside the restaurant gives you a very persian feel. Get to know the specials for the day before you order. I ordered a Baqali Pollo which was green beans infused with basmati rice and braised lamb shank. The lamb was soft and extremely well cooked. The rice had a great flavour and the entire dish was a treat! I would recommend this restaurant if you want a beautiful setting, a nice glass of wine and delicious food!
Kevin Chu
First time here! Came for dinner because I really wanted to try Persian food.<br/><br/>I had the aldos polos, which is braised lamb shank with rice and a salad. The rice had some bits that sweetened it, which I didn't like as much...but the braised lamb was freaking fantastic. The meat was literally falling off the bone. Super awesome.<br/><br/>Had a trio of desserts, which was definitely not for me. It had a weird aftertaste.<br/><br/>Overall, it was good for the price...and the meat really uplifted everything
Tiana Feng
I tried Persian food for the first time at The Pomegranate in Toronto. I was with Nash and my friend Karol so we ordered a couple of different things. For my main I ordered the morasa polo (pictured above): jewelled rice – slivers of seville orange peel, almond and pistachio with diced carrots and barberries blended in saffron basmati rice served with a braised lamb shank. The lamb was heavenly and fall off the bone. The rice was very flavourful with all the berries, fruit and saffron.
Tiana Feng
I tried Persian food for the first time at The Pomegranate in Toronto. I was with Nash and my friend Karol so we ordered a couple of different things.<br/><br/>For my main I ordered the morasa polo (pictured above): jewelled rice – slivers of seville orange peel, almond and pistachio with diced carrots and barberries blended in saffron basmati rice served with a braised lamb shank. The lamb was heavenly and fall off the bone. The rice was very flavourful with all the berries, fruit and saffron.<br/><br/>Nash ordered baqali polo: dill and large green fava beans blended into saffron basmati rice, served with a braised lamb shank and persian pickles. His shank also easily fell off the bone. I thought that dill would be too heavy a flavour for rice but the amount they had seemed to work very well!<br/><br/>My friend Karol had one of the specials (can’t remember the name), but it was a tomato-based stew of yellow split peas, lamb chunks and dried lime topped with cinnamon. It was also supposed to have egg plant but we couldn’t find it. The most interesting part was this whole lime that was in the stew.<br/><br/>We also shared a few sides. They came with a delicious bread that we had 2 baskets of. The first was this maast-e saadeh which was a fresh creamy yogurt dusted with dried mint and rose petals.<br/><br/>The second was zeitoon parvardeh, a sort of vegetarian caviar made from a tapenade of green olives marinated in a pomegranate walnut sauce with a generous amount of fresh garlic. This was strange at first but super duper addictive!<br/><br/>I also had a refreshing (but salty!) carbonated Doogh.<br/><br/>We downed all the food. The aromas and tastes were awesome and the prices were very reasonable. We can’t wait to go back! A reservation is recommended.
Djkolpjes
Great food - poor service. The lack of service really ruined the delicious meal they had to offer. I realize service slows down a little when it's busy but I do not appreciate having to struggle getting anyone's attention when for instance in need of placing my order or needing more bread with the appetizer. Neither not hearing any form of apology for the delay. Thankfully nothing was wrong with the food, so we did not have to try to beg for anyone's attention again. Waitresses just brushes past our table never making eye contact and not even reacting to any "excuse me"s. Once business slowed down, they all chatted over personal stuff.
P.ghorayshi
Not Persian. We reserved for two, for dinner. The table was too small, big enough for one person to have coffee. The ambiance was good, but the manager and the waiter and the waitress had attitude, were not pleasant and were not accommodating. Food was o.k., but an altered version of Persian food. I had aloo khoresh that said will be made with chicken breast, but instead I got chicken tighs. <br/>Not a good place for having a delicious Persian meal.
Jay Singh
Quite disappointed with food and service. I went in expecting this to be an above average restaurant. Not that the servers were rude- they could have done a much better job. Noone bothered to refill water or even as how the food was. The food itself was horrible- from chicken breastfeeding stew to the lamb. The rice was served cold. I probably wouldn't be going there again. I'd give it a 2 out of 5.
Capeskeggs
If you like lamb, this will hit the spot, but there is not much else on the menu.
Moji
Best Iranian Restaurant in TO.. As an Iranian myself, I think this is the best Iranian restaurant in Toronto. This is where we always take our non-Iranian friends, because not only the food is great and very homey, but also the décor and atmosphere has a very traditional Iranian feel to it! This is one the only Iranian restaurants that serves traditional food like stews from different parts of Iran and not Kebabs which is what you'll find in most other Iranian restaurants!
Frenchies
Worst experience ever!. When I heard about the restaurant, I went online, checked the website out and to be honest, the place looked amazing and the reviews weren't all that bad. Coming from a Persian background, I was very excited to visit and bring my friends out to dinner for my birthday. The waitresses who served us, were by far the rudest people we've ever met. The food was a bit late, but we ignored that. Our waitress did not check with us once during our meals and when we would make it clear that we needed their assistance they still ignored us. I found a lot of extra oil in the sauce and I know it wasn't supposed to be that way. Later on, while waiting to go the restroom the one Indian waitress, who was "serving us" pushed me 3 times and screamed at me the third time. I could not believe it. I was so shocked that this was ACCEPTABLE!!!! Never going back, not ONCE!!! I asked to speak to the manager and both waitresses told me off, I had to go outside and find the owner at the sister restaurant. She said that she was sorry but did not seem sincere at all. By far the worst birthday dinner ever. GOOD LUCK Y'ALL!
Ennui
Deeply wonderful food. I will return anytime I'm in Toronto!
Nima S.
Heavenly Persian Food!. This place offers high quality gourmet persian food in very generous portions. I am Persian myself and am very familiar with Persian food and have tried Persian restaurants around the world, including in Iran itseld, and I must say I was extremely impressed by the quality, presentation and value of the Persian food at this restaurant, as the amazing vegetarian options, which make this restaurant very unique. <br/>After a very satisfying first experience tonight, I tipped generously and promised myself to go back multiple times for the period of my stay in Toronto.
Urban Tuzi
Had high expectations because of friend's and Urban Spoon rating. (88% when I went)<br/><br/>Disappointed because:<br/><br/>Hot bread with appetizers were over baked Pizza dough and not hot.<br/><br/>Lamb in Qemei, was tough to chew.<br/><br/>Ordered 1/2 litre of wine, which I am 100% sure had water added to it.<br/><br/>Servers handle food and money without washing hands, and even use the same trays for desserts and presenting the bill.<br/><br/>Silver lining, all the yogurt / curd based dishes were very fresh and tasety.<br/><br/>Final verdict not what it is hyped up to be.
Jonathan
The best Persian place in the city. Reservations are a good idea.
Foodies Inked
Just ok. I would give this place a 2 star because aside from making a fall-off-the-bone lamb, the place lacks a lot in taste. The appies we had which were mostly made with yogurt were extremely plain and simple. We had to add a ton of salt and pepper to give it some flavour.<br/>Once again, the meat was good, because it was tender, but it lacked in flavour completely. The only compliment I would give this place is on its different beer selection. I like fruity beers and they seem to have quite the selection.<br/>Service was good. <br/><br/>Foodies Inc.
Samzy
Traditional persian food prepared with love! I recommend it!
Michal Mat
Pomegranate was intimate, lively and most importantly delicious. The Persian and Persian-inspired cuisine was an interesting combination of savoury and sweet. I wasn't sure how I felt about the rose petal infused yoghurt, but overall both my partner's dish and my own were delicious. I had the stew, with prunes and some other fruit. It melted in my mouth!
Tina Rosenquist
Astounding. Pomegranate has a delicious name coz the food is super delicious. At first it is very foreign but listen to the waitress explain and detail your dish and specials and once you put it in your mouth you are a devoted fan. They have great rice and stews on a bed of fried rice. The atmosphere is beautifully done and the service is careful. I will go back
Gratefulphish
This charming little bistro serves up classic Iranian home cooking. Stews are the star of the show here. You should always get kashk-e-bademjan, or eggplant and whey dip. There is no dish like it, and when made properly, is the single tastiest thing you'll consume during an evening filled with flavors. Also, no homestyle Iranian meal is complete without fessenjan, or pomegranate walnut stew with chicken. It's tart and sweet and different than most things North American palettes are used to.
Verwho
There was no sauce, and the spices were very simple, almost not there. But please, let me describe its tenderness. I had a piece on my fork, and I bit that piece. Half stayed on the fork, just falling away. I don’t know if I’ve ever had something so tender! Beautiful lamb.
Vickie Cheung
Pomegranate was one of our first date night back when we first dated, so Ben decided to surprise me by bringing me there on Valentine Day. Upon entering they told us we got our time wrong and they eventually got us a table but we only had an hour. I was kind of upset but after a while a couple came in with the same problem. The place look exactly like when we went a few years ago, don't you just like the colorful space with the cute lights and the carpet on the wall. Mint Tea Hot cup of refreshing mint tea to start warm me up Kashk-e Bademjaan ~ charred eggplant, garlic and walnut dip w/ Persian Whey A very generous portion, that was more than enough for the two of us. It came warm topped with caramelized onions, crispy onions and yogurt. Rich and yummy. Adas Polo Love the Saffron rice with the lentil, raisin, cranberries and dates while the lamb shank was fall off the bone good. Love the charred crispy rice on top, both of the side salad was very light refreshing citrus-y which was perfect with the otherwise filling main. Aloo Gheysi With plums and dried apricots, this chicken dish was a rather sweet dish. Not my thing but Ben loved it. Persian Chai Tray of Persian Sweets Zulbia ~ a lacy dough, fried and drizzled with rosewater syrup Noon-e ~ Nokhodchi bite-sized chickpea powder shortbread Sohan-e ~ Qom chucks of saffron infused, buttery, cardamon scented wheat brittle with pistachios If you are not into overly sweet things, I would definitely recommend you skip this. Although I love the flavors of the spices of each of them, it was overly sweet for me so it was a tad difficult for me to enjoy it. There's even a mini fish pond Verdict: Apart from messing up our appointment, they try to make it up with friendly service. Food was as good as I remember and very generous portion, we had to packed half of the food home.
Liz Lisa
Been here about 4 times and were all great experiences. Wonderful staff and service and the flavours i guess are right up my valley. I think for foodies that have a tongue that aches for new flavours and can appreciate the natural flavours being drawn out of the ingredients, this is well worth a try. The dishes are all very vibrant but balanced in flavours and though I am not Persian, I feel that the cooking is quite authentic, at least they are very earnest. As a rice lover which a picky taste, I enjoy all the jewelled rice that comes as sides to dishes which mix fruit and nut to enhance flavours. Sizes and portions are quite fair and satisfying. <br/><br/>Personal favourites are mirza qasemi for appetizer (their bread is amazing), and the aloo gheysi stew (such an interesting but pleasant sour and sweet flavour that embraces the juicy chicken), and both of the lamb shank entrees. You must finish everything off with a rose water ice cream... its a little hard to break down and tackle...but it is worth it. Its a lot of fun to eat here and the environment is very calm and cozy. <br/><br/>Make sure you book in advance, you will find they are often quite busy.
Sahiba Sidhu
A quaint and small place where you are literally rubbing elbows with everyone. Good food and friendly service.
Gulosus
This is a great place if you're looking for something different. The cuisine hereis authentic Persian, as is the decor. The staff is not only friendly but more thanhappy to help you choose something that'll suit your taste buds in case you'renot familiar with Persian food.It's a great place to go with a group: order several dishes and share with thetable to get a better idea of the range of tastes and textures Persian food offers.It would be great if they'd change their menu b/c once you been there a few times,there's not much else to try; if you haven't gone, however, get ready for a fantasticeating experience.
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