Toronto's newest registered Persian restaurants

New Persian restaurants in Toronto: 5 have been licensed in the past year, tracked daily from the City of Toronto business-licence registry (chains excluded). The most recent is CAFE NEGIN, first seen 59 days ago.

North York holds one of the largest Persian diasporas in North America, and the food shows it: kabab koobideh, ghormeh sabzi, fesenjoon, tahdig. Yonge between Steeles and Finch is the densest stretch.

How is Persian food different from Lebanese or Turkish food?

Persian cuisine is distinct from its Middle Eastern neighbours in its heavy use of saffron, dried limes (limu omani), pomegranate molasses, and slow-braised herb-and-legume stews — ghormeh sabzi being the most iconic. Where Lebanese food tends toward mezze and charcoal-grilled meats with lots of garlic and lemon, Persian cooking layers fruit and floral notes into meat dishes and builds complexity over hours rather than minutes.

Rice is also the clearest dividing line: Persian chelo and polo are an art form, steamed then crusted into a golden tahdig at the bottom of the pot — something you won't find in a Lebanese or Turkish kitchen.

What dishes should I order at a Persian restaurant?

Start with kabab koobideh — ground lamb and beef on a flat skewer, seasoned with grated onion, served over saffron rice with grilled tomato. Then get a stew: ghormeh sabzi (herbs, kidney beans, dried lime, lamb) or fesenjoon (chicken slow-cooked in walnut and pomegranate sauce). Both Bazari on Queen St W and DubaiLevant in the Yonge and Sheppard food court run kebab-forward menus built around this core.

End with bastani — Persian saffron-and-rosewater ice cream with pistachio. If the restaurant has ash reshteh (a thick noodle-and-herb soup) on the menu, order it.

Where are Persian restaurants in Toronto right now?

The longest-established Persian restaurant strip is Yonge Street between Steeles and Finch in North York, which still hosts the largest concentration. But the newest licensed spots have been opening further south: Bazari is on Queen St W in West Toronto, Patogh Irooni runs counter-service on Yonge St downtown, and Roozamoon Cafe is on Queen St E. DubaiLevant operates as a food court stall inside the Emerald Park complex at Yonge and Sheppard in North York. Cafe Negin, the newest, is on King St W in Downtown.

Is Persian food vegetarian-friendly?

More so than it first appears. The herb stews — ghormeh sabzi, ash reshteh — can be made fully vegetarian, and rice dishes like shirin polo (saffron rice with orange peel, almonds, and pistachios) need no meat at all. That said, most Toronto Persian restaurants are kebab-forward and won't have a wide dedicated vegetarian section; you'll want to ask what the kitchen can do with the rice and stew base.

What is tahdig and why does everyone talk about it?

Tahdig is the crispy rice crust formed at the bottom of a Persian pot — the most coveted part of the meal. The cook oils the bottom of the pot, adds partially steamed rice, wraps the lid in a cloth to trap steam, and lets it crisp over low heat for 20–30 minutes. The result is a golden, crunchy layer that gets broken apart and served alongside the fluffy rice above it. Getting a good tahdig is a skill marker for any Persian home cook or restaurant kitchen.