Shamdooni is described as a warm, authentic Persian restaurant in downtown Montreal that consistently delivers generous portions, flavorful dishes, and good value. Reviews highlight authentic favorites such as dizi, ghorme sabzi, fesenjan, joojeh, koobideh, baghali polo, tahchin, and ash reshteh, with rice often praised as well cooked and the meals feeling homemade and comforting. The service is frequently praised for friendliness and hospitality, with staff going the extra mile, including sharing homemade bread and tea, and even delivering orders during busy times. The atmosphere is described as cozy, unpretentious, and family like. While most feedback is very positive, a few notes mention slower service when busy, some dishes not meeting expectations such as tenderness of meat or balance of flavors, and occasional issues with wait times or accuracy. Overall the restaurant is regarded as a gem for traditional Iranian cuisine at affordable prices, offering a memorable and homey dining experience in the city.
While I gave this place a 5 star review, I still wanted to share a few more thoughts. Overall, the quality of the food was very good for the price. We went as a group & ordered tahchin, baghali polo with lamb shank, karafs stew, & zeytoon parvarde.
I really loved the chicken tahchin. It came with a small bowl of chicken broth that you could pour over the rice, which made it even more flavorful. The chicken was well seasoned & tasted great. The presentation was also beautiful, topped with fried almonds & barberries.
The lamb shank was well seasoned too, but the taste was just average in my opinion. I have had better elsewhere. The karafs stew was well cooked & nicely thick & settled, but it had a seasoning, maybe a hint of cinnamon, that I did not enjoy as much. That is just my personal preference though.
The ash e dough was delicious & tasted exactly how it should. Unfortunately, the zeytoon parvarde was not my favorite as it had a slightly bitter taste.
I can confidently say that Shamdini is one of the best Persian restaurants I've experienced-& I say this as a Persian myself.
The food is truly authentic & absolutely delicious. Every dish is rich in flavor, perfectly balanced, & clearly made with care. From the quality of the ingredients to the way the food is beautifully presented, everything feels thoughtful & refined. You can tell they take pride in what they serve.
What I really appreciate is the variety. Whether you're vegetarian or a meat lover, there are plenty of options to choose from, & everything I've tried has been consistently excellent.
The restaurant is also very clean, well-organized, & welcoming, which makes the whole experience even better.
If you're looking for real, authentic Persian cuisine that's actually'Persian-approved,' this is the place.
A restaurant that brings the best of homemade Iranian cuisine to Montreal's food scene, affordable, high-quality, with generous portions, & always tasty & fresh. The presentation is beautiful; what they create is truly art on every plate.
I would never be willing to eat at this restaurant again. Unfortunately, the environment was not very pleasant, & the quality of the two dishes we ordered was very poor. It was quite obvious that the food was not fresh, which was really disappointing.
In addition, the staff's behavior was not very professional, & the constant movement of employees around the restaurant was quite distracting & made it difficult to enjoy the meal.
If the food had been good, these issues might have been easier to overlook. However, compared to many other Iranian restaurants in Montreal, this place is unfortunately much weaker in terms of quality. I do not recommend this restaurant at all.
I visited this restaurant during a weekend evening. It's rare to find a Persian restaurant that I like. I liked the food & the staff are nice & welcoming. The quality of the materials used is quite good too. I'm overall satisfied with my experience. (I hope they can eventually invest in the interior design a bit.)
I have to mention that cooking Persian food takes more effort than most people think. Considering the circumstances I think the price is justified.
We ordered Barg kebab & Zeitoon parvarde.Barg kebab meat was NOT tender & Zeitoon parvarde was sweet & a bit bitter.I don't recommend it. Price was normal . 2x Barg kebab with rice+1x zetoon parvarde +2drinks =75$ .You can have better quality persian food with this price in Montreal !
It's rare these days to find restaurants who put love into the art of cooking & fortunately, Shamdooni does this right. Food is exceptional. What's even more impressive is the quality of food for the price. A gem in the heart of Montreal to be discovered & hopefully, continuing to thrive.
The waiter was exceptional. Thank you for letting me try the homemade bread & tea. You have done Iran proud.
Excellent food! The kebab was delicious & the Iranian rice was perfectly cooked with great quality. They were busy, so the service was a bit slower, but overall a great experience.
One of the best Persian restaurants in Montreal-fresh, high-quality ingredients & delicious dishes. The staff are friendly & welcoming, making every visit a pleasure.
