While Dubai has many Persian restaurants, Anar is truly authentic. The resident, expert chefs use traditional methods to ensure the dishes are prepared perfectly. Step into an immersive experience of not only Persian cuisine, but also Tehran's music scene thanks to live performances and sounds. Anar offers a hub of nostalgia for those who want to reminisce, while still being welcoming and accessible to expats.
Start your meal at Anar with some traditional soup. These dishes are soothing, warming and tasty, featuring ingredients like green lentils, Persian noodles, barley, beef stock, beans or chickpeas and fresh herbs and spices. Bademjan shekam por is a must here (stuffed eggplant with crushed walnuts and mixed vegetables).
Moving to larger plates, many feature lamb, such as the halim bademjan (tender lamb cooked with green lentils and eggplant, topped with sundried yoghurt and mint sauce). Vegetable dishes include baby okra cooked in a tomato sauce with freshly chopped coriander or chickpeas with red cabbage, celery, tomato, dill, bulgur wheat and coriander.
No Persian meal, however, would be complete without kebabs, so be sure not to miss them at Anar. Choose from beef fillet, lamb, boneless baby chicken, prawns and fish fillet, all grilled to perfection over charcoal. For heartier fare, the stews of slow-cooked meat and vegetables will warm your body, aromatic with fragrant spices and often served with rice.
Finish your meal at Anar on a sweet note such as baklavah or roulette cake. For something cooler, opt for the saffron ice cream with pistachio and almond or rice noodle sorbet with rosewater, fresh lime and homemade pomegranate syrup.
Located not far from the Burj Al Arab, this peaceful restaurant is the perfect spot for a relaxed bite, tucked away from the bustle of the main streets of Dubai. It's near the sea too, so you can be sure of a fresh breeze.