Istalif Cuisine

Our entrée Lamb Platter ended up being decent, plain but decent and that along with the sweet waitress is the only reason they get two stars. The hummus they brought out was freezing cold and so bad I almost left before they brought the entrée. In the end I really wish I did. The ‘Greek salad’ that came with the platter was a joke and reminiscent of hamburger garnish. The appetizer– Kebbeh, well I’m surprised my boyfriend forced it down, and the pita bread tasted old. Our 40 dollar meal– sharing an appetizer and an entrée felt like a complete rip off when we were paying.

The restaurant recently (end of Mar 2014) changed hands — including the chef. And, while I try to be understanding when a restaurant is in it’s start-​up period, I can’t see much of a chance for a major improvement.
The lamb was seriously overcooked and came with several wads of gristle.
The hummus was almost flavorless made worse by a hint of bitterness, perhaps from the oil.
I’ve never had such bad french fries in my life. The seasoning was nice, but the fries themselves were seriously undercooked and very oily.
They have some nice carpets and wall hangings but this element of «décor» was neutralized by some seemingly surplus tables and chairs.
Based on the glowing reviews in the past, despite retaining the name and location, this is really a completely different restaurant.
Buyer beware!

Stopped in for a quick lunch while at a conference at the La Fonda. Wonderful aromas and friendly service. Overheard several diners commenting on how goof their meals were. One even said that «it must be good because everyone is eating and no one is talking»! I had a bowl of their veggie stew with noodles, lentils, chickpeas all wonderfully seasoned. I would dine here again

I must say this is great traditional Persian/​Kurdish food. Take it from someone who lived with Persians in Syria.
The hummus is great! Very balanced with nice hint of garlic.
The lamb sandwich is perfectly prepared and good quality.
Persian black tea was great compliment to the meal.
Great people and the kind of place you want to support!

We stopped in and were quite surprised with our meal! We started out with the appetizer plate of walnuts, feta and veggies… Best feta EVER! Lol! My niece an I ordered the lamb kebabs. I asked if it was possible to sub out the rice with the Shiraz, cucumber salad. I ended up getting the entire side dish, which was quite yummy with the lamb. They handled all our odd requests without reservation and didn’t even charge the difference. Oh… Get the baklava… It is too die for! :)

Tried this place last night. Food was good. Meat/​entrée portions were a little small for the price. Had 2 chicken dishes that were both tasty and interestingly spiced. Though if the meat is organic, as one reviewer said, than that explains it. The service could use some work. I really enjoyed the complimentary hummus, however. The waitstaff seemed a little inexperienced. I also saw them laughing as some previous customers had left. Not cool to do with customers 10 feet from you. I think I will return for the food not service.

I’ve eaten at Persian restaurants almost a hundred times since I go to LA and Little Iran a lot. A Syrian rug dealer in a shop Santa Fe mentioned Istalif to me and said he eats there a lot. I was spoiled by having eaten so well in LA but I ended up giving Istalif a shot. My wife and I went in and were startled to taste exquisitely prepared food. The Kashk (eggplant) appetizer was first-​rate. So was the Joojeh Kabab (Cornish Game Hen). The lamb was excellent (but I would have liked a little more meat). I later learned that the meat is all organic. Maybe that’s why the portions aren’t as huge as in LA (where there is so much competition the portions have to be enormous to attract customers. The 2 sisters who run Istalif are Iranians from Kurdistan. The sister who does the cooking had a restaurant in Albuquerque for years. Try it. You won’t be disappointed.

The food was fantastic! Fresh, flavorful, and unique. The service was very friendly and accommodating to me and my fiancé, which is important because we are vegan. The owner came over and have us a complimentary dish to try. I highly recommend this place!

I ate here a few weeks after they first opened and had a pleasant experience. Kind of. Since they were new, the restaurant was still kind of coming together. They’re family-​owned and it seemed like the whole gang was running the restaurant, which was charming – until we realized that meant just the mom, dad and a daughter.
Needless to say, it took forever to get our food, but since the family was so friendly and humble, it wasn’t something I felt compelled to get upset about. They give you free pita bread + hummus while you wait, but when we asked for more we were side-​eyed. Oops. I guess it’s not like chips and salsa.
On the plus side, the food is delicious and a great starter course on Afghan cuisine. There’s not much variety besides kebabs, but they are cooked to perfection. The sauce the meat was marinated in was probably the most flavorful aspect of the meal. The side of fluffy rice and vegetables was a great companion.
Really great place and I hope they’re able to improve their PR and get some professionals to do their hosting duties. I plan on coming back later to see if they’ve gotten their act together. Or gone out of business! (Which I hope not, of course.)

Simple, but enjoyable food. Introduced us to some new middle eastern dishes. We will try to make some. Wait staff young, enthusiastic and helpful.

Delicious Persian cuisine! Some of the best dishes I have had. The food is delicious. The chicken is so tender and perfectly cooked. The eggplant dish is full of flavors, it is amazing. Will be going back to try more menu options!

We tried Istalif after reading a review in the Santa Fe RReporter. The service was friendly and the food delicious. We tried the lamb kebobs served with saffron basmati rice, a roated green chile and a roasted tomato and the falafel plate. The lamb was tender and moist, full of flavor. The generous portion of rice was perfectly prepared and the tomato and chile were wonderful accompaniments. We’ve been looking for good falafel around town and finally found it. the meal started with complimentary hummus and pita– both quite good. We are looking forward to the planned Afghani additions to the menu. The restaurant is located where the Sleeping Dog Tavern used to be. Give it a try!

We tried this fairly new place today for lunch, and it was awesome! Having lived here for 32 years, I’d say this is one of the elements that has been missing. We ordered fairly simple lunch dishes — a soup, an eggplant dish and a salad, and tried a sample of the hummus, plus pita. All were delicately flavored and uniquely good. We’ll be back to try the dinner items soon!