REVIEW: NEDA’S PERSIAN KITCHEN, LATHAM
Neda's Persian Kitchen, Latham
Family-owned Persian restaurant · kabobs · stews · daily specials
463 Troy-Schenectady Road (Route 2), Latham, N.Y. | @nedakitchen2023
We like it for: Dine-in lunch or dinner, takeout, cozy spot to dine solo.
Must try: Koobideh kabob (ground beef and lamb, grilled over open flame, served on saffron basmati with grilled tomato and sumac); saffron-marinated joojeh chicken kabob; the mantu (steamed dumplings) topped with chana dal and chakka; the Saturday ghormeh sabzi special. Finish with ferni, a fragrant rosewater and cardamom milk pudding, or their homemade baklava.
Vibe/Style: Warm, counter-service casual. A clean, modestly decorated room in a Route 2 strip mall. .
Sound: Quiet and conversational.
Neda's Persian Kitchen keeps it simple as a family-run kitchen cooking scratch Persian and Afghan dishes, consistently and with care. Opened in spring 2024 by owners, Neda — who handles the cooking — and Said, the restaurant sits back in a modest strip mall on Route 2. The setting undersells it entirely. This is a word-of-mouth spot that friends send friends to for soulful, made-from-scratch Persian cooking — and the daily specials, which sell out fast.
Drop in most days and you’ll find a diverse customer base sipping Persian tea, or tucking into kabobs with jeweled rice. The menu is built around their flame-grilled kabobs, ground beef and lamb koobideh, saffron-soaked joojeh chicken — served over fluffy saffron basmati with sultanas topped with grilled tomatoes and sprinkled sumac. The street-style Sosis Bandari sandwich (spiced chicken sausage sautéed with peppers and tomato paste) is a popular handheld, but we can’t go without ordering the fantastic mantu dumplings topped with savory lentil chana dal, chakka, a tangy yogurt, and dusted with dried mint. A daily special rotates Monday through Saturday and is featured on the digital menu boards above the arrive early or you'll miss it.
Parking: Small lot in front; more parking behind the building
Nearby: 1. Zaitoon Kitchen 2. Spice and Beyond 3. Ala Shanghai 4. Tipsy Moose Tap & Tavern 5. Innovo Kitchen
