Shirin’s Deli & Market

Great budget lunch. Ate for under $ 5. Food was super flavorful and fresh! Would go again if closer to work. Was a great find tucked away in a tiny stripmall.

closed…

Shirin’s has closed. Walked past a few weeks ago and noticed the inside was being torn apart /​shut down, with no clearly posted notice as to whether they would reopen elsewhere or were in fact closing for good. It’s now home to what looks like a completely different «Tina’s Kusina Catering & Deli.»
I stopped by a couple of times while Shirin’s was still around and had a chance to try their kebabs. While pricey, they were on the larger side, and tasted just like good ol’ home cooking. The family who ran this place was also super sweet. The joint doubled as a deli/​mini-​grocery store for all things Persian, but was located on a quiet side street and sadly never seemed to get much business.

Just stop by and test the best kabob in the town

I don’t think they even deserve a star.
My wife went to this store to get some Persian food for us.
The Koobideh was like plastic, the rice and the chicken was absolutely dry.
When I called the owner and try to make her understand that for $ 14.99 charging us for a skewer of Koobideh ans a skewer of chicken, the quality of the food should be better.
As soon as I said to her what I think about her food, she said if I don’t like it I shouldn’t ever go there again.
I felt so bad that a business owner act with me like this and instead of saying that she is sorry for the bad quality and they will do their best next she told me not to go there and rudely hung up on me,
No star for this store and I don’t recomend for any one to visit this store.

I wish I could give this place better reviews but it seems a bit run down at this point.
the food wasn’t anything to review — not horrible/​not great
the market was like half empty, service was slow.
it just seems like they aren’t getting enough business to keep this place up and running. :(

I can’t give them more than 1 star
I never find any thing at this store, it is so empty all the time and have to go to Rose Market in mountain view, I wish they do carry more stuff so I don’t have to go to Rose Market because they are very close to where I live
The people work at the store very friendly but have nothing.

PGot the Wednesday special — shredded beef with basmati rice and saffron. The saffron was burnt, as was evident by the burnt side facing up. It was inedible as I told one of the guys, and requested more saffron, which they added. I was not offered any discount on the meal, which would have been appropriate.
There wasn’t as much beef as I believe there should have been for an $ 8 dish, but it was tasty. I may return and try another dish… without saffron.

Came here today to see if I can find a Rose’s Market alternative, but alas it didn’t come up to par at all. The pictures are very misleading and makes you think you can get 2 koobideh kabobs and rice for only $ 2.99. I know not realistic, but still! The meat was in the freezer and grilled to order. The koobideh was good, but just having it on a lavash and no sauces was a bit too dry. We got the sausage sandwich and it wasn’t what I expected as the description said fried sausage. It was probably slightly pan fried. I was hoping crispy fried yumminess. Though the mayo, lettuce and tomato was a nice compliment to our koobideh dryness. I don’t think we’ll be going back.
If you do go, maybe stick to the rice and shell out the extra $ 2.99 so that you don’t get the dryness of the lavash.

This small deli/​grocery really surprised me. So cute, family style service, good food and oh so charming. Located in a hidden/​old strip mall, this little place is easily missed but has a lot parking once you find it.
Walking in it’s a grocery store with so many different items. From honey, beans, soda, breads, pickled stuff to candies — there are so many different items and so interesting! So browsing is really fun while you wait for your food. My boyfriend ended up choosing some interesting honey on the comb.
The service is amazing, the woman who helped us was really helpful, gave us her recommendations and was really attentive throughout our visit. I couldn’t be more happy with how kind and nice she was. She was also the one to bring out free pita bread, serve us our things and our cashier. So friendly!
The food was good. I had one of the meat sandwiches in a pita bread, with fresh veggies and pretty big. .. I was really full. My boyfriend had the meat combo plate with rice and a tomato. The tomato comes kinda charred which is good and the rice is sorta plain but good too. The food was good, plenty and we left happy.
Really it’s a cute, charming little place.

Very friendly and tasty. Very large portions and reasonable prices. There’s seating here, but probably you want to get it to go.
Nice selection of persian groceries.

This has to be one of the best surprises I have run into…
Was looking for somewhere close by to have a quick dinner, and the pictures on Unilocal was very attractive… so, hey, why not. Oh, baby, was I glad.
The owner was such a delightful person, I instantly fall in love with this tiny store.
We ordered Lamb Shank dinner as well as the Lamb Kabob dinner, both was cooked to perfection, and both meals came with rice and both was very tasty. The Lamb Shank was simply meat fall of the bone good, and the lamb steak was equally well prepared.
All and All, I am sure I am one of their repeating customers now.

I remember coming to this store a couple times when I was a kid, but I had not been back for a long time until now. We walked in on a Saturday night, and it was pretty much us and the owners the whole time. Very kind people, but the fact that it was deserted made us kind of weary. Anyway, for the food:
— Ash Reshteh: Lentils, garpanzo and pinto beans, pasta, grilled onions, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I tried this dish for the first time at Chelokobabi, and enjoyed it very much. Here, it’s not as great but still pretty good. It was a bit too bland due to so much lentil in the dish, but had a good texture nonetheless.
— Koobideh Kabob: Thoroughly cooked and well marinated. Just like koobideh at any other place that makes good kabob. I felt like the piece was a bit too narrow, but all kabob joints make theirs differently.
— Lamb Kabob: Not really a kabob, but more like 5 pieces of lamb chops. For $ 12, it was pretty much worth it. Very well marinated and grilled to well done. Some parts were black on the outside, so they probably spent too much on the grill. They tasted great nevertheless.
— Banghali Polo: The special dish for the day! Basically a lamb shank with saffron rice and basmati dill rice. The meat was cooked perfectly and was just falling off the bone. One of the best lamb shanks I’ve had in a while, but not the best I’ve ever had. My dad enjoyed it quite a bit, and ended up eating the bone marrow as always. The rice added a good touch to it as well.
Overall, Shirin’s is a good hole in the wall place. Too bad they’re located in a strip mall that barely anyone visits. The dishes are all great, and the service very friendly! Since it was a slow night, many items, such as the tomatoes and the upgrade to a larger Ash Reshteh, were on the house! I’ll probably come back if I need a kabob fix whenever I’m around Sunnyvale.

I was going to the Kragen right next door, and saw their sign for «chicken bbq and kabob». thought I’d give it a try, and glad I did! They have a really good menu at really good prices. I had one beef koobideh and two grilled tomatoes over rice for under $ 7. It is more of a market/​deli, but they have tables inside, so I took my time and ate there. Most people came in to take food to go, usually talking to the owners in Iranian (I assume). It’s located in an old-​school Sunnyvale shopping plaza, but it’s nice enough I’d come back to try the chicken or falafel.
Not sure why the previous post says they are closed… unless it’s just under new ownership.

Probably my first 2 start review. Much better around this place to go for. Ordered on phone, thought the kebabs order with come up with rice, but the attendant said I have to order separate order for rice, I was like fine.
Also they had just one king of Sauce, generally other Persian places has at least 2 – 4 types which I like a lot, would better go to House of Kabobs at Murphy sqaure for better taste…
Sorry, but the food here needs improvement interms of taste & aroma.

You know you’re at Shirin when you see the sign that says «Karoon.» You can’t expect to find Shirin by doing something so obvious as looking for a «Shirin» sign. Shirin is attached to Karoon Persian market, and is a very bare bones Persian deli. Also, a trip to the bathroom here is confusing since you’ll end up in the market opening a door that it full of boxes and random goods and couldn’t possibly be the bathroom, but it is.
At least the food was cheap.
The people that worked there were really nice and brought us a complimentary appetizer of bread and hot baba ganooush. It was topped with yogurt and olive oil. I usually like baba g but I wasn’t into this. Nice of them though.
We ordered:
Shirazi Salad ($ 4.99?) — I’ve had Shirazi Salad (diced cucumbers, tomatoes, and some onions) before, but this was way too vinegary. My husband wouldn’t even eat it.
Ghaymeh ($ 3.99?) — I thought this was the best dish we tried. It was a pretty competent rendition with yellow lentils and chunks of beef. Unfortunately it wasn’t served tah dig style over crunchy rice, but it was still good.
Koobideh ($ 5.99) — Fairly large portion for the money — a full ground beef skewer with saffroned basmati rice. Unfortunately it was bland.
Zeresht Polo ($ 7.99?) — Again, the meat was very bland, though it was moist. The rice portion was very disappointing compared to renditions at other restaurants (particularly Pomegranate). Here there was no complexity (no orange zest or pistachios for instance) just barberries and it was way too sweet. It’s usually made with dark meat but we requested chicken breast and they didn’t charge us extra.
People are nice. But there’s better Persian food around.
My Persian Rankings
1. Khayyam’s — Albany (the master — now closed — against which all Persian restaurants will forever be judged)
2. Pomegranate — Berkeley, Walnut Creek, Concord (great barg and joojeh kabob with zereshk polo; pomegranate chicken is good but sweet taste can be cloying)
3. Shalizaar — Belmont (I’ve only been to the old San Mateo location)
4. House of Kabobs — Sunnyvale
5. Chelokababi — Sunnyvale
6. Yas — San Jose (really impressive selection of polos — but other food is just OK)
7. Afghan Persian Kabob — Sunnyvale
8. Leila — San Francisco
9. Kabob House Halal — Santa Clara
10. Rose Market — Mountain View
11. Deezi’s Café Persia — San Jose
12. SHIRIN — SUNNYVALE
13. City Kabob — Sunnyvale
14. Alborz — Berkeley
15. Kabob House — Pleasant Hill
16. Bijan — Fremont (food too oily, and stews either too sweet or too ketchup-​y)

Sunnyvale boasts 2 good Persian Restaurants in strange locations along the Wolfe/​El Camino intersection (yay! Sunnyvale pride). The more upscale one, Chelokababi is directly behind a dumpy Shell station; across the street is a gem and affordable alternative, Shirin. It is part of/​next to a Persian market and neatly nestled in an Indian shopping center.
As the other reviewers have said, Shirin is a sweet mom and pop (or son?) shop. It is probably best for take out as there are only a handful of seats. But, don’t let the simple diggs fool you.
Their food is top quality and as far as this type of cuisine goes ($ 2.99-$ 8.99 options), not very expensive. My favorite is loubia polo (pieces of steak, green beans, tomato and rice) that I order with a yogurt sauce whose name escapes me now. It is delicious! The two or three times that I’ve ordered this, I took half the serving home «for later» although it never makes it to the fridge as I’ve been unable to resist polishing it off.
I’ve taken a few people here as well and we can attest that their tadiq (cruncy rice), ashe reshteh (lentil/​noodle soup), and adas polo (lentils/​rice/​dates) are top notch. On a hot day, I’ll even guzzle a cold doogh (yogurt beverage) if I’m feeling punchy.

Small space serving tasty Persian cuisine, primarily a catering operation, but they have 5 or so tables for eating in.
The menu consists of salads & appetizers, sandwiches, grilled items, and sides. I had the koobideh (ground beef kabob) ($ 2.99) and chicken thigh kabob ($ 5.99). Both were very nicely cooked, fresh and moist, but subtly seasoned. They do have a sort of pepper flake seasoning on the table. Both kabobs were a hefty portion for lunch, I might try one kabob and the hummus or baba ganoush next time.

Nice little mom and pop that is easily missed due to the name.
The outside of the place does not have the Shirin sign, it is part of a Persian market (can’t remember the name), but the directions were right on so I finally found this spot.
A neighbor of mine had been telling me about this place for awhile. He is from Iran and says this place is some of the best around. I personally liked Rose Market’s jujeh a bit better, but this was a good second. Their rice is very buttery and they are generous with the saffron rice mixed in.
The service extremely nice and prompt. I called in my order and the food was ready in about 15 minutes. Talk about service!

Friend passes by this place daily and wanted to check it out, so we did today and the food was pretty good. Its a persian restaurant and after talking to the guy behind the counter (who was super friendly) found out that his mom makes the daily specials herself. Todays daily special was chicken with basmati rice (with saffron rice on top) and a sauce made of berries.
Friend and I ordered the daily special while another friend ordered the koobideh with rice and bbq tomatoes. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. The koobideh was good, but a lil too well done. theres only one place in the sunnyvale/​mountain view area where I’ve tasted better koobideh.
Prices won’t leave a hole in your pocket and the portion sizes are generous. The price of daily specials range from $ 6.99 to $ 8.99 while items off the grill menu (koobideh, grilled chicken etc) are in the range of $ 2.99 to $ 4.99. Khoresh (not an expert but I would call this the Persian equivalent of curries — dishes with beef and different veggies, served with rice) costs $ 4.99 and theres 4 to choose from.
This place is better then 3 stars but a lil less then 4 stars so I’m rounding up. If you want to go to a fancy persian resturant you’ll have to look elsewhere. The décor is simple and place is relatively small. If you want a quick, inexpensive but decent persian meal check out this place. All their meat is Halal so thats a plus if you’re muslim (a lot of my friends are… so i guess we’ll be making more trips to this place).
Will add more to this review and upload photos after work.