Berenjak

Berenjak Berenjak is a home style Iranian restaurant reinterpreting the classic kabab houses lining the street

Opening a restaurant on Nowruz felt particularly meaningful. There’s something symbolic in starting a new chapter at tha...
08/05/2026

Opening a restaurant on Nowruz felt particularly meaningful. There’s something symbolic in starting a new chapter at that very moment and carrying that energy into the space. Our intention was to bring the depth and generosity of Persian cuisine into a slightly more contemporary setting without losing our soul, and the new restaurant has given us the space to explore this journey in a different way.
I’m grateful for this opportunity and that I get to do what I love for my livelihood. I’m grateful for our community, who showed up and filled our new restaurant from day one, and I’m grateful to our teams everywhere for holding it down every single day. This period has demanded a huge amount from us: opening Mayfair and Riyadh simultaneously, preparing Abu Dhabi, which will follow imminently, and planning openings for later this year in Chicago, Bahrain and Kuwait, not to mention the numerous projects we’re juggling right here at home. I’ve come to realise that this work is never ending, so embrace it, because whatever hill you climb over, there’s an even bigger one waiting for you after.
Anyway, less of the sentimental stuff and a bit more about Berenjak Mayfair, which happens to have around thirty new dishes, although not in one place and not all available at the same time. Some of my home favourites are finally on a menu called ‘Golestan’, in honour of the beautiful Golestan Palace in Tehran that was damaged earlier this year in the ongoing conflict.
Each dish is partnered with a province that I think best represents it, but really it’s just an educated guess on where these dishes could have originated from. Plus, I’m not an expert and have never claimed to be when it comes to Persian cuisine and its history. I only know what’s been passed down to me, and unfortunately there’s a serious lack of verified information available when it comes to the history of Persian food. Most knowledge is shared through generations within families, usually with a hint of Chinese whispers added. So we do our best to put pieces of this ginormous puzzle back together, build theories, and find the ‘why’ to so many questions that the generation before us are unable to answer.

Opening a restaurant on Nowruz felt particularly meaningful. There’s something symbolic in starting a new chapter at tha...
08/05/2026

Opening a restaurant on Nowruz felt particularly meaningful. There’s something symbolic in starting a new chapter at that very moment and carrying that energy into the space. Our intention was to bring the depth and generosity of Persian cuisine into a slightly more contemporary setting without losing our soul, and the new restaurant has given us the space to explore this journey in a different way.
I’m grateful for this opportunity and that I get to do what I love for my livelihood. I’m grateful for our community, who showed up and filled our new restaurant from day one, and I’m grateful to our teams everywhere for holding it down every single day. This period has demanded a huge amount from us: opening Mayfair and Riyadh simultaneously, preparing Abu Dhabi, which will follow imminently, and planning openings for later this year in Chicago, Bahrain and Kuwait, not to mention the numerous projects we’re juggling right here at home. I’ve come to realise that this work is never ending, so embrace it, because whatever hill you climb over, there’s an even bigger one waiting on the other side.
Anyway, less of the sentimental stuff and a bit more about Berenjak Mayfair, which happens to have around thirty new dishes, although not in one place and not all available at the same time. Some of my home favourites are finally on a menu called ‘Golestan’, in honour of the beautiful Golestan Palace in Tehran that was damaged earlier this year in the ongoing conflict.
Each dish is partnered with a province that I think best represents it, but really it’s just an educated guess on where these dishes could have originated from. Plus, I’m not an expert and have never claimed to be when it comes to Persian cuisine and its history. I only know what’s been passed down to me, and unfortunately there’s a serious lack of verified information available when it comes to the history of Persian food. Most knowledge is shared through generations within families, usually with a hint of Chinese whispers added. So we do our best to put pieces of this ginormous puzzle back together, build theories, and find the ‘why’ to so many questions that the generation before us are unable to answer.

I’ve rewritten the caption for this post maybe four or five times since October. This isn’t unusual for me, as I always ...
25/02/2026

I’ve rewritten the caption for this post maybe four or five times since October. This isn’t unusual for me, as I always struggle with words. But this time it was worse: I hit a wall so tall that, for months, I couldn’t figure out how to climb over it.

This has allowed me space and, more importantly, time to reflect, and I believe that the most meaningful way we can honour those whose lives were lost and carry their memory in what we build each and every day is to continue our mission with purpose, respect and integrity

The toll on the global Iranian community over these past months has been immeasurable. Our beloved brothers and sisters inside Iran have paid and continue to pay the heaviest price. We allowed some time to pass out of respect for the many thousands of grieving families, some of whom are our friends. But recently, I have begun to feel that adopting this position is somewhat defeatist.

So, instead of climbing over it I’ve decided to crash through that wall. Iran will be free, if not today then tomorrow, if not tomorrow then the next day; it is not a matter of ‘if’, it is a matter of ‘when’. Holding onto that conviction changes how we move forward. Last year I made a point of not celebrating Nowruz. Ironically, this year I feel we must. But more on that soon.

My OCD around building this page requires me to talk about things in semi-chronological order, and my original intention back in October was to talk about the Berenjak we had just opened in LA.

It was something of a full-circle moment for me. Few people know this, but when I was little, my dad co-owned a Persian restaurant in Santa Barbara with a friend he later discovered to be a fraud and a conman. My dad had a lucky escape and managed to exit the business with much of his investment returned. Soon after, the restaurant shut its doors for good.

So, I went to LA not quite knowing what to expect. I was sceptical and simultaneously worried about opening a Berenjak there. I was aware that the Iranian diaspora in California is one of the largest in the world, and maybe even one of the most unforgiving, but I wasn’t prepared for what came next.

Continued in comments 👇🏽

What can I say about what’s going on in the world right now that hasn’t been so brilliantly said already by so many of o...
22/06/2025

What can I say about what’s going on in the world right now that hasn’t been so brilliantly said already by so many of our amazing and kind-hearted community. It’s a devastating situation, and I’m saddened to see so much conflict and disagreement among countless who I’d previously assumed were more aligned, but that’s ok, I guess it’s the beauty of this life that each individual is different and has the freedom and privilege to think and feel how they want, especially when we take the latter for granted sometimes.
One thing I will point out though is that I do believe we’re all united in wanting the common end goal of a regime change in Iran, albeit with different views of how we get there.
Anyway, I’m sharing some snaps I’ve been holding onto that showcase the beauty of a traditional Persian Sofreh and hope that one day our friends and family all around the world who are currently affected by war can return to some level of normality. Check in on your loved ones and please reach out if there’s any way we can support those affected recently.

Address

27 Romilly Street
London
W1D 5AL

Opening Hours

Monday 12pm - 3pm
5:30pm - 11pm
Tuesday 12pm - 3pm
5:30pm - 11pm
Wednesday 12pm - 3pm
5:30pm - 11pm
Thursday 12pm - 3pm
5:30pm - 11pm
Friday 12pm - 3pm
5:30pm - 11pm
Saturday 12pm - 11pm

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