Delicious Persian food a bit outside of Zurich: Restaurant Mama Persia (26. November 2023)

While I have been to this exact location, I’ve never been to the Restaurant Mama Persia. Given a friend with Persian roots wanted to indulge in Persian cuisine on a Sunday evening, the Mama Persia seemed like a good option. I have no clue what exactly she had ordered, since my Farsi is obviously non-existent, but she managed to order food for at least two large families.

There was “chicken tah chin (crispy, golden saffron rice cake, stuffed with chicken, yogurt, egg, and barberry; served with Salad-e Shiraz (tomato cucumber salad with onions, lemon juice, and mint)” (CHF 35.00) and while that was definitely optically the most interesting course, to me, the whole thing was a bit too dry. Once you’ve mixed it with the salad and added some lemon juice on top, it actually became quite enjoyable.

The small assortment of different dishes was nice – the “hummus” (CHF 9.00) was decent, but too dense for my personal gusto. When trying to re-create what we had eaten, I was scanning their menu, but I couldn’t find either on the menu. So, I have no clue really what exactly it was, but the “brown thing” was absolutely delicious! The what I believe “tomato based thing”, was quite nice too, but not as great as the ‘brown thing’.

If you want to try various meats, the “vaziri kabab” has a “chicken skewer (marinated chicken breast with saffron sauce, olive oil, lime juice, onions, and Persian spices)” and a “minced beef skewer: hand-made minced beef skewer, marinated in Persian spices)” (CHF 41.00). I absolutely loved both – the chicken wasn’t too dry, and if you added some sumac as a spice on the minced beef skewer, it really became super tasty!

Then, there were also two stews, which is something – apparently – as a Persian you would eat at home (since it seems to be easier to be prepared than the skewers). I think it was “ghormeh sabzi (aromatic sauce made of spinach, parsley, coriander, dill, chive, fenugreek leaves, served with red beans and dried sour lentils)” and “Borani (sautéed baby spinach, Greek yogurt, and caramelised onions, seasoned with kurkuma and cinnamon)”. Frankly, the stews are both good, but the tomato stew thingy was definitely superbly delicious.

Something quite interesting, I’ve tried before but still find intellectually a bit surprising, are the “burnt rice crusts” you can order in restaurants. I mean, they are actually nice as a ‘bread substitute’ to eat stews with it, but they are also rather special in terms of flavour profile.

The “aromatic basmati rice cooked with saffron” is the element you will definitely get enough of when eating at a Persian restaurant – it goes and comes with everything. So, be prepared to ‘drown’ in saffron basmati rice.

What I absolutely loved was the “home-made saffron ice cream” (CHF 14.00). Frankly, it wouldn’t need the decoration, but the flavour of the saffron was incredibly amazing. And as a sweet, it’s even better. The great thing about it is also that – despite the fact that you have had saffron in so many ways throughout the dinner, you are still not ‘sick of it’ as an ice cream because it’s so different from the rest.

Last but not least, we went for “Persian tea”, which is lovely, but I do admit, I failed to understand how exactly it was so distinct from other types of tea.

Since the restaurant isn’t too large, there are also not so many people attending – hence, you have to be a bit patient in the beginning. Once the ‘flow is on’, your dishes are served more or less at the same time and you get everything you want and need within no time. All in all, I absolutely liked the experience at the Mama Persia – but I do admit, it helps a lot if you speak Farsi fluently (or even a little bit) as it seems that there are quite a few things which are not ‘on the menu’ you can order.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Mama Persia

Seestrasse 116

8803 Rüschlikon (CH)

Tel.: +41 43 388 05 15

Cell #1: +41 76 246 01 93

Cell #2: +41 79 531 35 89

E-Mail: info@mamapersia.ch

Homepage: http://www.mamapersia.ch

About the Author: Sven

I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org. Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City.