Maykadeh Cafe

Strange atmosphere… Is it a store or a restaurant? Food was ok and nothing stood out… Koobideh was very dry and the chicken was tough… Best was the Kashik Bedemjan appetizier, I would have been happy if I left after the appetizer. The sister restaurant in San Fran is much better. Nageen and Ishfagan Kabob Beryani is much better.

It’s gone.
A showroom is opening at 1180 Lincoln

This place was awesome when they first opened. They offered free samples of the chicken koobideh to passer-​bys before they opened to draw the crowds to their restaurants and we were sold. Within a few weeks, we were there enjoying the deliciously seasoned ground chicken scrumptiousness. The prices were fairly high for what I would normally be willing to pay, but since it was a new neighborhood restaurant, there was reason to splurge. We made plans to bring our friends and family to this new-​found awesome local restaurant. However, things took a horrible, horrible turn…
Before I tell you the ending of this sad turn of events, let me tell you that this restaurant was previously a antique, unique home décor store. When Maykadeh moved in, they kept a lot of the old artwork– which is alright– but the space should accomodate hundreds, but often only hosts about 4 to 30 people at a time, so it seems rather vast and empty in there.
And now for the ending… these douchebags took the chicken koobideh off the menu. They replaced it with some baby chicken disaster (Poussin). They basically take a baby chicken (awww… I know, right??) and marinate it in the same spices and cook it like a kebab. It’s just weird. This ain’t Paris, we want our ground chicken back! I don’t want to look at a dead baby chicken carcass– at least disguise it so I don’t know what it once was! Or, don’t call it a baby! I don’t like eating «baby» anything! Even besides the fact it’s a baby, it definitely doesn’t even taste that good. So, why bother?
We’ve also had the joojeh kebab, which is just OK. It’s not very flavorful and it kind of tastes like uncleaned chicken… not the right KIND of flavors. We also have had the breast kebab, which taste like a drier, more flavorless version of the above.
So, when they took the chicken koobideh off the menu, they started adding random items like pear frappes and we lost complete faith in what used to be a local treat for us. However, on the bright side, the offer complimentary little appetizer (it might not be free anymore) of feta cheese, mint, walnuts, and whole wheat pita bread which is absolutely fabulous.
We’ve pleaded with them about the chicken koobideh, but still it does not show up on their menu… so there’s no reason for us to waste our money in there. They drew us in with it, but now they leave us with bitter disappointment.

I love this place. The food is excellent, the service is good. Tuesday’s special is lamb shank with bagala polo. The Mast-​o-​Musir is thick and yummy.
They have a note in the window that says something about remodeling for a bakery. Anyone know what’s going on?

I love this place. The atmosphere is so awesome. This use to be an antique store and is still decorated in a lot of unique items.
My friends and I go about once a week. The food is wonderful and tastes always delicious.
One of my friends is a wine drinker and loves that you can bring your own bottles here w/​o a corkage fee. The service here is the best in the bay area. They do not try and rush you out. We came here on a Friday night and ate, visited for almost 3 hours.
They get their desserts from another establishment that I can’t think of at this moment… sorry but they are very good.
Oh forgot to say I love the HUMMUS here with the wheat pita.
Everything so far in the 4 times I’ve been here that I’ve tried I have really enjoyed eating.
A must try in my opinion.

This place was much better than the other Persian restaurants I have been to in the area. The ambiance is neat, the antique euro furniture showroom setting is cool and unique. The music they played was good. The service was ok, a little weird… our server was very flighty and a little, weird is the only way I can describe her. Not bad, just odd.
The food was good.
The portions were bigger than the San Francisco restaurant I think.
It was a good dinner with the family.

Definitely worth a try if you have time to relax and want something different, maybe some flavors you haven’t had. They’ve been keeping a low profile since they opened so they can work the bugs out.

This is my new favorite restaurant. Everything about it is superb. For under $ 50 you can have a full on dining experience for two with appetizers, dinner and dessert. The manager, Sasha is a really nice guy (along with the rest of the staff). Very attentive but not pushy and annoying. They are also super friendly about explaining to you the food and how to best enjoy the dining experience. In my two trips to dine here I have gotten nothing but great feelings here and I can’t help but tell everyone I know about it. If you are a wine drinker, you should bring your own because they don’t serve any but don’t charge any corking fee.

This restaurant is in the location that used to be «The Glen,» then «Beavers,» then a furniture store. I have been there 3 times in about 3 weeks and it’s fantastic! Our server told us that a lot of the unusual furniture pieces in the restaurant are still there from the furniture store and the interesting pieces give the place a comfortable, funky vibe. They have a regular dining area but I prefer the 2 sofas and chairs over by the coffee/​dessert bar. Cozy and romantic.
The (free) appetizer is pita pieces that you spread with goat cheese, then add basil leaves and some sliced onion. Doesn’t sound that great but it is delicious! Their baba ganoush and a feta dip are great and so rich you end up taking some home with you. They have a great selection of dips and appetizers. I’ve had those alone as a dinner.
The salmon entrée with Israeli cous cous was fabulous, moist and perfectly cooked. I just had it last nght. My first visit they prepared an off-​the-​menu non-​meat eggplant entrée for me that was great.
The best part is that you can bring your own alcohol and there’s no corkage fee. Supposedly one of the furniture store owners (who is subleasing to the restaurant) won’t allow them to serve alcohol. So they bring you a cork puller and you’re on your own. A delicious, romantic dinner for two for $ 28 is pretty good!
Also, our server is the one woman who works there. She’s super-​friendly and already knows what we’ve had there to make recommendations for other items.

My boy wasn’t workin at Deezi Café, so I didn’t want to risk bad service and we decided to go to Maykadeh. The SF restaurant catered my cousin’s wedding a few weeks ago and it was really good, so we figured we’d give it a shot.
I’ll switch it up a little this time and give the breakdown of stars, so we’ll start with 5 stars. The hostess was really friendly and welcoming, and she let us choose where we wanted to sit. I noticed the décor was different from other persian restaurants and the hostess explained that it used to be an antique shop. The owner of the antique shop is also one of the owners of the restaurant now.
The manager came to take our order and it was the same guy that was running the catering service at the wedding, so I know he’s on top of everything at that restaurant. Really fast paced, sociable guy. I ordered the Maykadeh Soltani ($ 27) and she had a Koobideh. We also ordered a Mast-​o-​Khiar (yogurt, cucumber, mint) and a kashk-​e-​bademjoon.
The staff is fairly green like somone else said, so they looked a little confused and not confident at all (except the manager and hostess), but they were still nice and got their job done (deduct one star — 4 stars).
The mast-​o-​khiar is the best I’ve had anywhere except maybe Raffi’s in Glendale (but it’s a close race), and the kashk-​e-​bademjoon was the best I’ve had at any persian restaurant around here. The bread they brought out was «sangaak», but it’s not the same sangaak they make in iran… sorta like the americanized version you can buy in bazaars here… and a little dry.
Food came out, and after prepping my rice and meat with butter, somaagh (sumac), and mixing my tomato, I got started. The Barg was really good even though it wasn’t cooked as much as I like my meat to be cooked (my fault for not specifying well done)…and probably one of the best I’ve had in norcal. The koobideh had too much of a lamb taste for me. Not the lamb that they serve in Iran or in really high end restaurants out here, but the lamb that you can actually smell lamb as you eat it. My girl liked it, but I wasn’t feelin it at all. subtract another star = 3 stars. If I had to rate the koobideh by itself, i’d give it between 1.5 to 2 stars, but the barg did make up for it. Chopped it up with the manager for a minute, and left. Pretty good experience, maybe next time i’ll stop by for just appetizers instead of dinner or maybe i’ll try something besides kabab..

For the longest time, I wondered whether this is a furniture/​antique showroom or a restaurant. The spacious interior looks like a showroom with tables and chairs set up. There’s a beautiful bar inside, but they do not serve alcohol. Because of this limitation, they do offer free ice tea and you can bring in your own wine. No corkage fee applies.
The menu was limited to beef, lamb, and chicken, either braised or kabobs, but the meat served there is organic and Halah. Ingredients used were incredibly fresh, especially the cucumber salad. There were some very interesting appetizers, notably, the lamb tongue and brains! For this visit, we tried the lamb tongue, cooked to perfection in a saffron and lime buttery sauce that will simply melt in your mouth. For a few bites, I almost believed that I was eating foie gras. The braised lamb shank served with eggplant was quite tasty, though not memorable. The lamb kabobs, on the other hand, were juicy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious!
Service was green, but still very attentive. Overall, Maykadeh Café, is a great value local restaurant, and serves up a wonderful meal!

This is the Maykadeh Café in Willow Glen, this is not the same as the other one in Mountain View. We went here for a birthday dinner about a month ago for a change of environment. This place is definitely a change of environment, you either think you walked into an old antique shop (which it actually used to be) or some magical middle eastern world, which is what I like to think.
The food was okay, very different so it’s hard for me to comment on it. I loved the appetizer… it was like a tortilla bread that you add raw onion, cilantro and hummus. Something very different. If you don’t know what your ordering just ask for the «Shish Kebob.» I believe it’s the safest thing you can get… if you’re a little daring get the Khoresh Ghaymeh, small pieces of lamb, yellow split peas, sun dried lime, tomatoes, basmati rice.
There is no alcohol. It’s a religious thing… still kinda strange the fact they have a lower level to the restaurant that could be made into a bar.
But what really put this place over the top was our experience with the owner of the restaurant and his time to ask us how our meal was. For someone that loves to give opinions on Unilocal,it’s nice when the owner of the restaurant wants to hear your opinion.

hmm… half michael jackson inspired interior design studio and half upscale persian restaurant? who gave the stamp of approval on THAT business plan? frankly, i could not stop staring at the three foot gilded ducks and excessive use of pink marble to really enjoy my kabob, not to mention said lunch item was way too expensive, even for hormone free beef. the staff was pleasant enough, but the service was so slooooow. this gives further clout to my theory that this place is a front for the persian mafia or something-​seems they leaned on Michael for back payment of a loan and ended up taking the entire interior content of neverland ranch in payment to fill this place.
i’m happy to see the spot filled again, but shit– does anyone else miss beavers???

A great addition to Willow Glen. I was pleasantly surprised by the attentive service, clean décor, and great food at great value. Did I mention great value? The free sampler they bring with the bread could go for $ 7 anywhere else. The food was generously portioned (I’m a pig) and was very reasonably priced around $ 10−12/plate. I found it reminiscent of Afghani House. The food is not quite as good, but they offer more variety and much better value.

This restaurant adopted its name from the one in SF. I don’t know if the management is the same but by far the food is not! The kabob and goojeh which I got on my dish was dry and felt like you are eating fish bone! The restaurant is actually partially furnished with tables and chairs and the rest of it is some local antique furniture goods scatter here and there and so it is a weird clumpsy atmosphere. The price is very comparitive to the fine dining locations though. I probably won’t ever go back neither recommend it to anyone.

Used the visit of a friend from out of town to try out this place for lunch. Had been curious about dining here after noticing one night that the owner of what had been an airy, pleasant, and somewhat odd antique shop had morphed it into a restaurant. which oddly still had some of the feel of what it had been before. a pleasant place to sit in while dining in what feels like a nicely decorated antique and furniture store if nothing else.
Loved the flatbread, goatcheese, basil, onion, and radish appetizer they provided. I had their salmon and couscous. others had their chicken kabob plate. all very reasonable $ 57 for 4 of us.
Oh. no wine or beer. No alcohol. The owners are devout Moslem I think is the reason.

2.5 stars.
2 of us went in on a weekday evening. We were seated pretty much immediately, in the front of the restaurant, at a table for 4. I like when restaurants give you a larger table when it’s available — instead of insisting you cram into a table for 2! The service was S-​L-​O-​W. Took forever to get a server to come over, and we didn’t get any water upon being seated, either, although the starter plate (gratis) was really interesting — flatbread with feta, radishes, raw onion, and mint leaves. We also ordered an app: feta and olives — really nice. My husband’s shish kebab was excellent — the meat was cooked medium rare, as he requested, the veggies were tasty and juicy, and couscous tasted really authentic. My lamb shank was interesting and flavorful, more of a shank in a stew, with saffron rice on the side. No liquor license, which is not a big deal to us, but in a town like Willow Glen, that might be a problem… perhaps they’re in process of getting the liquor license?
Getting refills on drinks was a real problem, and in general, service was spotty. I had a question about my dish after we were served, and we had to wait nearly 10 minutes before we saw ANYONE that worked there, who we could wave down! Seems they were all in the back at the same time. I have high hopes this place will work out the kinks — it could be a nice addition to the WG restaurant scene.

A fun place indeed. What is up with the atmosphere — you could walk by and wonder if it is a home interior store or a restaurant. Maybe it is both! In any case, this is what makes it kinda attractive.
The menu is fun, but all entrees are meat. Maybe I don’t eat out enough, but this is the first place that listed the source for all their meats. No antibiotics, etc… that’s great and we were impressed. If you are vegie, they have a comprehensive list of salad type items (hummus, etc…) that you could just load up on.
I don’t agree that the service was unfriendly. They aren’t charismatic and bubbly, but they were nice and trying hard. Our server (s) did know about the items on the menu and offered helpful advice.
My (first) visit was a first date and they sat us at a nice spot in front of the fireplace. The foods are fun to «play» with, and if you are foodie, you should have fun! They don’t serve alcohol it seems — so if this is a showstopper for you… My date and I split dishes, and the bill ended up being quite reasonable!
No complaints about Willow Glen parking here — we rode our bicycles!
I’m looking to see how they do, and I’m going back for future visits.

A refreshing new taste that hubby and I are glad to have on Lincoln Avenue. Countless times we have drove down this cute little street looking for a place to eat… finally something new and different.
The interior is very random but has a warm welcoming feeling…
The service was excellent…
The manager, I assume he was came by to welcome us to the restaurant…
The food is very tasty… we tried the Baba ganoush, very yummy… our 3 year old loved it, hubby had some sort of Lamb stew with rice and I tried the beef/​lamb kabobs with rice… we both actually all three of us enjoyed our dinners and can’t wait to go back again.
As far as price goes, I think they are reasonably priced $ 45 for the three of us, of course the little cheese shared with me but we did have an appetizer and two drinks which cost $ 5 each. A little steep for lemonade but next time we’ll just skip the drinks.
They do offer food to go and catering!!!
We also found out that the owner has a restaurant up in San Francisco which his had for over 25 years and is well known in the Persian community… hopefully this one will have the same success!