Atlas Specialty Supermarket & Persian Cuisine

I’m not one to shy away from trying new cuisine, but having someone experienced to lead the way definitely helps!
I met a friend here for lunch, somewhere I’ve gone past many times not thinking it was a restaurant (I’ve seen the first part of the name as supermarket and assumed it was only a grocery store!)
Not sure what to get, I let my friend order: beef skewers for herself and chicken ones for myself.
The portions here are huge! And after enjoying the basmati rice, fire roasted veggies and amazing seasoned chicken, I really think they’re undercharging for their food! Seriously, I’ve paid more for less than stellar meals.
If you’re looking to try Persian food, Altas is were it’s at.

Short story: pretty good location and decent food. The service has become awful and the food us gotten worst. It is still good enough if you haven’t gone before and it’s ok to visit if you’ve never had Persian food but I wouldn’t recommend for your first Persian experience. The supermarket part was much better when they had the sweets but they don’t carry that anymore.

One of my favourite places to have Persian food! Atmosphere is good, it’s never crazy noisy even when it is busy and portion sizes are big. Kabob is consistently good and the khoreshts are great too. Definitely recommend!

By far my favorite restaurant in Calgary. My family and I have been going to Atlas for a about 10 years and it is fantastic. If you are very hungry then get the platter for 2 which is usually more than enough for 2 people. We usually get the Joojeh (Chicken) as spicy as possible and get the Barg (steak) cooked medium well. Starting with the Hummus is a must as there’s is the best I have ever had (I have been to turkey and Lebanon and it doesn’t compare). If there were 6 stars Atlas would get it. This restaurant is a must for anyone that liked Authentic Persian Cuisine.

When you visit Atlas, you are greeted at the door by the delicious smell of roasting meats. Our family loves visiting. We always get the platter for two. It includes 4 skewers: 2 ground beef, one chicken, one steak with rice, roasted tomatoes and onions. You also MUST order humus to start. Delicious!

It was a disappointing meal. I had the Koobideh Kabab and Joojeh kabab. They both were very dry and tasteless. There aren’t really any outstanding Persian restaurants in Calgary.

I would give this restaurants and the owners a zero if I could. The owner is extremely rude and judgemental. After having dinner at this restaurant, I bought a pack of Baklava which tasted really awful. I told the sweet girl at the counter that the Baklava is really bad and I don’t really want to buy it. She goes to check with the owner and this elderly gentleman comes out screaming at me telling me that I am out my mind and I am only doing this because I am Iranian. I stood there for a few seconds shocked, wondering what exactly he means and he keeps going on about how no one has ever complained about his Baklava. I simply don’t understand, The owner is Iranian, most his clientele are from Iran, so why would he disrespect or look down on Iranians? Or what restaurant owner in the right mind would ever treat a customer like this? In the end I told him that he can charge me for bad Baklava and keep it. After all, it was only 13 bucks and I had spent over 90 dollars on dinner!
I would not recommend this restaurant. The food, service and ambience is mediocare at best and the attitude… well, you be the judge… And if you are Iranian, it’s probably not bad to know how the owners see you or think of you.

The taste of «Atlas special» is wonderful. Three different kebabs with high quality saffrony rice in fair price for 2.5 or 3 person.

An Iranian friend recommended this joint and it was everything he said it would be.
Saffron rice based dishes were excellent. Choose from various sauces or stews. We sampled all appetizers in our group and were pleased with the entire selection.
Feel free to ask your server if you want help in ordering. English pronunciation is included on the menu. Fragrant, delicious and filling!
The prices are a little bit higher than I am used to paying but not in any way unreasonable. The quality is great, service is friendly and I enjoyed shopping at the attached Persian Market room.

Really enjoyed the food here. The prices are a bit on the higher side but considering that there are such few halal restaurants with a good ambiance, it’s worth it. Portions are big and the half sizes are perfect for lunch.

Atlas is one of the few Iranian restaurants in Calgary where you can get a decent taste of Persian food.
The service and ambience is usually good and welcoming.
They could do with a bit of renovation and upkeep.
Moving the storage boxes away from the bathrooms or separating the grocery section from the dining hall would be good ideas!

Atlas is my#1 Persian Restaurant in Calgary. I have been coming here for years, I have never been disappointed, everything about atlas is great, the food, the service, the prices, and the portions. I have tried almost everything on the menu over the years, and it’s all great and authentic. My favorite is the koobideh, ground minced beef kabobs served with rice, grilled onion and tomato, with sumac sprinkled on top, an absolute favorite! The Arabic tea is a staple there, they make it fresh and it’s delicious. After you eat, they have a portion of the restaurant dedicated as a retail supermarket of spices, nuts, breads, and more. It’s overall 5 out of 5 every time, Love this place, I highly recommend trying if you have not already!

Great place for kebabs, but the other dishes like the Fassanjoon — chicken in pomegranate sauce — is what makes this place truly delightful. Persian cuisine is considered fine cuisine in the Middle East, so it’s wonderful to see Calgarians experiencing a variety of authentic Persian dishes.
Don’t forget to take a peek at the deserts in the supermarket section. Pistachio & Saffron ice cream to take home, yum, yum.

Loved the roasted eggplant here and salad – and the cool buy behind the counter – great beard! I also bought some wonderful dried limes at the grocery which I used when I made an awesome guacamole (along with fresh) and I bought some beautiful sumac which I used in a fattoush salad. I will definitely return – with free parking in the back.

Atlas is a place I’ve driven past a few thousand times, but never paid much attention to it. The name «Specialty Food and Supermarket» left me with the impression of an ethnic grocery store, as opposed to a sit down restaurant.
However, at the suggestion of a co-​worker, 5 of us hit it up for lunch recently.
It turns out it is indeed primarily a Persian restaurant (with an aisle of take away grocery food-​stuffs, which I guess is the «Supermarket» part).
From a dining perspective, the double sided menu provides plenty of variety, with some dishes, but not all, coming in «half orders.»
However, for us the meat kabob section beckoned. We asked our waitress to bring an assortment of everything for us to try (in both regular and spicy).
Two large platters of meat and grilled vegetables arrived a short time later, as well as a big plate of saffron rice for each of us.
It was the equivalent of the «full order» meals for 5 people — and I can assure you, it was a LOT of food.
And a lot of food is my friend.
There were chicken, striploin, and ground beef kabobs. All were quite tasty, though the «spicy» variations really aren’t that spicy at all.
Interestingly, the kabobs also are incorporated into the «wraps» menu. Though I haven’t tried them, something like the ground beef crumbled into a pita with veggies and sauce, falafel style, sounds delicious.
Next time for sure, as I will most definitely return!

Great place!
Delicious kabobs, lots of flavour and great atmosphere. They have a lot of other things on the menu, which are all tasty as well, but I would definitely say that the kabobs are the best. The kabobs come with a generous amount of rice and vegetable compliments (I loved the cooked tomato!).
I really liked the tea as well. The service was good and friendly as well. Great for business lunches or a nice dinner!

The dishes taste just Ok and the amount of food in each serving is a lot…
However, Last night I found a WAVY RED HAIR IN MY KOOBIDEH … The hair was cooked in the ground beef, and I was lucky to find it in my plate and not in my mouth!
yack! I am never going to eat in this place again. Some people might not care but I was totally grossed out and I can not get the image out of my head! Shouldn’t the chef and anyone near the food in the kitchen wear a cap?

Since I have high standards when it comes to Persian cuisine, I only go to Persian restaurants when I’m dragged by my friends.
I’ve been here once and I tried the chef combo. I was not impressed. The «koobideh» was alright but it was made with beef instead of lamb. The chicken kebab (joojeh) was completely tasteless; even the «spicy» version of it!
The portions are huge and there’s enough rice to feed a small village in every dish! The «doogh» was pretty good and the goodies they have on the shelf are pretty good, too!

I’m a huge fan of this place… I’m sure the whole menu is excellent, but I tend to order my favorite dishes whenever I go.
I start out with the Saladah Shirazi, which is similar to a greek salad without the feta cheese. It has cucumbers, tomatoes and onions, in a lemon vinagrette. the veggies are diced up into small pieces, and for $ 3.99, you get a good 1 cup serving of this light, refreshing salad.
I also get the Joojeh Kabob, which is a chicken kebab on a huge bed of saffron rice. You have the option to get a full or half order, and also whether to get it traditional or spicy. A half order is perfect for me. Its about 4 ounces of meat. You also get a grilled tomato and onion on the side as well.
The Joojeh Kabob is so full of delicious flavor. Because I love smoking hot, spicy food, I don’t really find the spicy version of this kebab really hot. However, the flavor is unique and savory. I seriously at times crave this kebab and come here with some coworkers.
This restaurant gets extremely busy on lunch hours, so I would recommend dropping by before noon, or calling for a reservation. I am not sure if they do take out.
There is also a supermarket with teas and other persian foods.

I have heard so many high praises about this Persian restaurant; the first one was amidst a groggy conversation I had with my taxi driver whilst driving home from the airport at 2 in the morning.
The name Altas stuck out in my mind and upon seeing it today I decided to do some takeout food, it was too cold not to return home! Parking is easy enough, a quick left entrance from 9^th avenue SW. The restaurant was empty at 5pm except one waitress and Persian chanting music in the background.
There is an area to the right of the restaurant that sells staples and fresh spices by the gram. Everything from grape juice to lemon juice, cardeman and pistachio nuts. Most of the ingredients served by weight are in these huge baskets, it’s a really exotic presentation of food and makes you feel more like a little market than a grocery aisle.
I ordered the small Kabob portion with saffron rice, tomato and fried onion at 6.99 and a couple of baklava at 1.50 each. And as far as I am concerned for a grand total of a little over 10 dollars, you are getting good portions at reasonable prices. The Kabob was very well seasoned, a large strip on a bed of sweet smelling saffron rice and the baklavas I can honestly say are the best so far that I have had in town.
The menu is quite large and although there wasn’t anyone in the restaurant yet, another waitress did show up as they were expecting a dinner rush.
I highly recommend this place to eat, for exotic and tasty Persian nourishment.