Note: We did not pay for this meal, while we intended to, my MIL opted to cover it.

Finding the Restaurant

I found Bijan's by looking for restaurants near our hotel on Open Table. It is found at 81 Hoyt St. Brooklyn, NY. We took rideshare there, as going more than a block wasn't great for neither my MIL nor I. In reading reviews, I was a bit hesitant but decided to risk it anyways. (The OpenTable review by Matthew from LA specifically.)

There was some sort of festival going on that blocked off the street in front of the restaurant. When we got to the door a tall gentleman blocked our way and demanded to know why we were there. I see the example that Matthew mentioned. When I stated I had made a reservation, the gentleman backed off and let us through the door.

Atmosphere

It was not well lit inside and had a very eclectic decor. There were branches with string lights over the bar, there was a fun chandelier over a table by the window, various artwork, and stained glass leaning against a wall. One wall had a projector screen that was showing old, black and white horror movies. Daniel joked that while his back was to the movie, the real show was watching his mother and I react to it. We saw The Last Man on Earth and Monster from Green Hell. Honestly, I was giddy as this was my sort of quirky.

I appreciate that there was no sound from the movie and that even as the restaurant filled up around us, it was never too loud. We could hear each other easily without the need to shout.

Service

The pace of the meal was slow, I think we were there for almost 2 hours. The drinks came from the bar in a reasonable amount of time, but the wait for food was really long. I suspect everything was made from scratch to order and that it was a tiny kitchen to work in.

We had a delightful server that I am ashamed to say I don't remember her name, nor did I remember to put it into notes on my phone; and everyone we interacted with, aside from the guy at the door, was incredibly nice. When we left everyone - from our server, the bartender, and some folk from the kitchen waved good-bye to us!

Food & Drink

I started with the Persian Kiss and Daniel had the Sangria. We split the Kashkhobadenjan without walnuts. The Persian kiss was good, while it was tangy it didn't have the balancing sweet I associate with pomegranate. Daniel's sangria was a delightfully light mix of fruit and wine that was well balanced. The app didn't scream eggplant, which is good because neither Daniel nor I like eggplant much, and was slightly smoky. We asked for more bread so that we could finish it up.

For dinner, both Daniel and MIL had the Persian Kabob and I had the Rosemary Lime Sumac Chicken. MIL eats like a bird, so when she was done, I asked to try hers. The kabob by itself was a bit mealy and dry, but when it was paired with the mint yogurt, it sang. The yogurt provided the necessary moisture and the tanginess and mint played really well against the warming spices in the kabob.

My chicken was pure heaven. My chicken... I swear I had a food-gasm. Every single item on the plate was utter perfection. The mashed potatoes were slightly chunky but luscious from the cream. The green beans had a lovely char and the perfect amount of olive oil and garlic. The chicken was a breast on the bone. The description did not lie. I could clearly taste all three spices, and believe it or not, the sumac and lime overwhelmed the rosemary. The chicken was juicy and fully cooked. I had to ask for the recipe, but our server said they wouldn't even give it to her. I loved it so much I made Daniel try a bite.

Final Thoughts

I strongly recommend that if you are in New York and want a quirky place to get excellent Persian food, make a reservation a few days ahead of time and go here. It will not disappoint.