Behesht Restaurant specializes in the preparation of authentic Persian cuisine centered on the art of the traditional charcoal grill. Guests encounter a menu defined by succulent skewers of marinated lamb, chicken, and beef, each served alongside aromatic basmati saffron rice. The culinary selection emphasizes the use of fresh herbs and bold spices consistent with regional culinary traditions. Beyond the grilled meats, the kitchen prepares a variety of cold and warm salads, featuring ingredients such as cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh mint, and yogurt with shallots. These vibrant vegetable components provide a crisp balance to the savory, flame-seared proteins presented at every table. The preparation techniques remain focused on highlighting the quality of raw ingredients through expert heat management. The dining environment maintains a consistent focus on the delivery of these staple Persian dishes for all patrons.
Behesht Restaurant is widely regarded as a top destination for authentic Persian cuisine in Montreal, frequently praised for its flavorful, high-quality grilled meats, fragrant rice, and generous portions. Many patrons appreciate the restaurant's warm, traditional decor and welcoming atmosphere, which often provides a cozy, home-like experience. While the service is frequently described as friendly, professional, and efficient, some visitors have encountered inconsistencies regarding long wait times, occasional ventilation issues, and varying quality in certain dishes. Despite these mixed experiences, the majority of guests highlight the restaurant as a standout spot for celebrating special occasions, enjoying fresh ingredients, and receiving attentive hospitality.
Decor: Exquisite, beautiful, stainglass windows, the sun hit perfectly, persian rugs, faux brick that wasn't tacky...very chic for it's location! Soup: Lentil soup, insane, I could eat 4 bowls. Hummus: Very good, could have had more than a normal-sized portions. We tried ALL of the meat skewers in their'Behesht' platter. Unfortunately, the chicken breast skewer & the cubes of meat skewers were a bit overdone & dry, but the bone-in chicken & those made of ground meat were some of the best Persian bites I've ever had. So freaking good. Be VERY careful when ordering extra skewers. We ordered 2 extra & there are no prices for individual skewers on the menu. One was 7$, one was 24$. Baklava & tea for dessert was excellent. Tea was caradmom-based, so if you like that, you'll love the tea. But I must mention one last thing that was unfortnate. Our server was super nice & super kind to everyone, full of smiles to all customers.....except for us. The kids were well-behaved, we ordered efficiently, but she was curt, dismissive & her body language was quite rude. Now, obviously this could be all in my head, but she was like this to all the people at our table & we observed her not doing this with any other table. The predominant language at our table was NOT English (nor French), & we couldn't help but feel that there was some untowards feeling towards us because of it. Again, nothing that we could'prove', but a LOT of little things adding up. So, if we could avoid that server again, I would go back. The bone-in chicken & spicy Koobideh are calling for me with their meaty Siren song.
This restaurant is truly exceptional & dependable. Beyond the quality of their food, their reliability & commitment stand out. I placed a large order for a party at my home, which was mistakenly prepared & delivered much earlier than my requested time. Upon realizing the error, they assured me they would rectify the situation & worked diligently to deliver my order at the correct time. Their dedication & outstanding service not only salvaged my party but also left a lasting impression.
This place is their new location at the corner of cavendish & st Jacques. Wonderfully decorated & truly a place of warmth & class. Staff are friendly though some had difficulty speaking & understanding English - though Farci is a staple at this restaurant :) The menu is wide & plated as good or better than in the photos. Pricing is on par with other Persian restaurant of this caliber. Portions were excellent. Freshness & quality are excellent. Review. Salad was fresh, cold & crisp. Dressing was good but nothing special. Lamb shank stew (Baghali Polo with Mahicheh) - not recommended. Portion was on the small side. Meat was rubbery & the flavour was lacking. Something wrong likely how they cooked it as it's supposed to be fall of the bone tender. It could be the cut they used & how they cooked it. The fava bean & dill rice was plentiful but overly seasoned with dill, the beans were hard & not tender, & the rice was very dry. It's likely they prepared the typical rice & then added in the additional ingredient & then over cooked the rice - came with a small piece it tahdeek. Also, insufficient amount of stew / gravy. There was not enough to properly marry with the tough, dry & chewy meat. Chicken kebab (chicken Koobideh). The chicken was cooked perfectly as well as seasoned beautifully. The portion was plentiful & came with perfectly cooked basmati rice that was fluffy & not greasy & came with a small piece it tahdeek. Beef kebab (Koobideh) was perfectly seasoned & cooked. It's was so juicy & fresh like no other restaurant has done to match. As per above, cake with & excellent tasting portions of basmati rice & a piece of tahdeek. Yogurt with Persian shallot dip (Must Moosir) was perfect & balanced with a thick creamy yogurt & excellent on pita or combined with the proteins. Portion was very good & four people can easily share. Eggplant dip (Mirza Ghasemi) was superb! Best in the city for sure. The smokeless was on point & the seasoning was perfectly balanced. It's so good you just want to skip to pita & scoop it out with a utensil. Apparently this is their most ordered appetizer they sell. Portion was excellent & four people can easily share. Dessert. I have included the dessert we had & lack the name of it as it's also not mentioned in the menu. It's essentially layered thin pastry (like a proper French mille feuilles) with cream filling in & around it covered with chopped pistachios. I hope I have recalled this properly. This was such a delicious light & flavourful treat away from the typical Baklawa. The only point here is the price ratio to the portion - either the price is too high for the portion or the portion should be larger as it's no more two to (max) three small forkfuls. We didn't notice & mention of BYOB or the selling of any form of alcohol so plan not to consume here. This being stated, you really don't need the alcohol as the atmosphere, service & food really make you very relaxed & satiated. It's amazing how packed the place was & yet the demeanour of the customers was calm & the volume of the place was comfortable to be able to hear the person accepts the table from you. I mention this as if your like mane people, a restaurant with a more calm & quite atmosphere is actually an attraction especially for the elderly who may have hearing challenged. All in all the place is great & will be returning for certain. As for the 4 star rating, this is solely due to the lamb shank stew. It was just too far from "earning a star" & until this dish is prepared properly I without the star, though a more accurate number for me would be 4.5 stars. This being stated I doubt I would order it again as I would not be sure that the chief or management/ ownership will conclude with the same assessment & instead be quite defensive of their food prep & likely not change a thing. I would welcome peoples feedback on this dish to let me know your experience & hopefully one day this dish will be prepared as it should.
Jan 20, 2025
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The food was delicious & the portion was generous. We enjoyed the Kebab Torsh, Chicken Kebab, & Kebab. The Kale Kebab was tasty. The combination of smoked eggplant+ wulnut+Pomegranate molasse were really good. The chicken kebab & kebab torsh were awesome, they were two of the best I have eaten. Chicken kebab was tasty & soft. Overall, I recommend this place to everyone.
Amazing food!! Our first time here & absolutely loved everything we had. Big portions & they serve free tea after your done!! Loved their lentil soup. Wish service was better by greeting us at the door & checking on us to see if we needed anything. That was the only downfall! Would definitely come back!
