OZRA

Baltimore’s restaurant week with a taste for Persian cuisine at Ozra was out of this world, delish!
Started with the Eggplant Baba, consisting of eggplant purée, whey, walnuts & onions, accompanied by the sautéed calamari with an ambrosia of garlic, tomato chamblis-​citrus sauce. Entrée constituted of:
Lamb Soltani= skewered lamb chops plus a skewer of beef kubideh.
My partner had the: Beef Soltani. Same difference as the lamb but with beef. Both entrees came accompanied with rice. She the Polo Baghali (bastami, dill, fav fava beans) I the Polo Zereshk (bastami, barberries).
Our palettes closed shop with Baklava and Fahludeh. That is rice vermicelli in lemon sorbet, rose water and sour cherry compote to you :)
A must, must, must do when in little (B’more) Italy.

Nice for a date. Sleek, romantic décor. Very nicely done. With each dish, you get to choose from four different rices — I like that, you can get some interesting flavors. I had the one with cherries, and they were sweet, subtle, and delicious. My entrée of choice was the chicken soltani, a combination of jujeh and beef kubideh. I was surprised to find the beef was the best of the two, very moist and flavorful, and it matched the sweetness of the cherries in the rice perfectly. The jujeh was not bad, either. We started with hummus, which itself was great. There’s not much variety on the menu, but what is there is quite good.

My friends and I enjoyed the attentive service and delicious food. We all tried the lamb and beef barg dishes and all of the food was excellent. We had awesome cocktails and the dessert was delicious.

The whitefish is to die for! Went with friends from NY and used a Groupon. Great deal. Got the dinner for four deal, and used the two extra entrees for my children to order (came with drinks, but Dad & I got those)! One child ordered the lamb kabobs, the other the lamb chops. They liked their dishes very much and ate everything. Would definitely come back! Service was excellent, food was excellent and the atmosphere was nice, as well! Try the whitefish. You will be begging for the white wine sauce recipe! Bravo!

The feta herb dip was tasty. My companion really liked her labu salad. I had the Vegetarian Ghormeh Sabzi stew which was ok but could have used more flavor. My companion had the Bademjan Beef stew which was excellent. We skipped the desserts.

While finalizing plans to surprise my boyfriend with tickets for a comedy show in Baltimore, I decided at the last minute to take him to dinner before the show. I searched on Groupon and found an awesome special for this little gem. After reading the reviews I called with some questions and was immediately pleased with the attendee that answered. He was very polite and gave me all the information I needed as well as parking suggestions. (They validate)
My boyfriend had some sort of mint and garlic dip appetizer which he LOVED. His entrée was the lemon chicken special which he rated ⁷⁄₁₀; I on the other hand have to give my lamb chops a perfect 10! I ordered them medium and that’s exactly how they came out. The portions were great and they give you a LOT of rice.
I had sangria which I meant to write down the name of (since it was so good) and my boyfriend had some mint ginger cocktail he was in love with.
It was virtually empty when we arrived at 8 that Saturday night but by 9, it had gotten pretty loud. Its a fairly small place so you’re close to the other tables. I do believe there were some seats upstairs.
The waiter and bartender were wonderful and their customer service was outstanding! I will be dining here again!

First, this restaurant is in little Italy. There’s a parking garage nearby and it’s just a two block walk. The décor is clean lines and tasteful minimalism. The wait staff are friendly and attentive.
I started with the Saffron Tahdig &Khoresht — Ghaimeh… which baked saffron rice and beef stew split pea. I highly recommend it. I also ordered to the Tabouleh for freshness and it was a little on the tart side. I ate it as a salad, but think it would be better as a side with your main meal. I ordered the Lamb Soltani for my entrée and it was superb. This is a beef and lamb dish with a stewed tomato and saffron rice… wow! They even gave me a green sauce on the side that was nice and spicy/​tasty. I’ve never had rice cooked and prepared in this way. Delicious.
My friend had the lemon chicken with his saffron rice a little on the sweeter side. It tasted a little like cinnamon and fruit notes in the background. I tried it and it was amazing. The chicken was also cooked and seasoned to perfection.
If you’re in the area… you will want to check this restaurant out. I will come back here the next time I’m in Baltimore.

This is a really cute place in little Italy; however, it’s on the pricey side. The food was good, but the portion size for how much they charge is not equivalent.

I went with my boyfriend, and we had a great meal with lovely service. We went on Friday night at about 7pm with a reservation, but it seemed we didn’t need it. The place was almost empty, but more tables filled up as we ate. The whole neighborhood was a block away, sitting outside waiting for a free movie to begin in the parking lot for Dammio’s! That was fun.
We sat downstairs. The restaurant has 7 tables downstairs plus seating at the bar, and is elegantly decorated with beautiful bright colors (I’ll try to post photos of the room and the food). There are more tables and an outdoor patio upstairs where a large party was enjoying themselves. The tables were not too close together, and it wasn’t noisy, so a private conversation is easily possible.
We decided to try the yogurt with shallots, because it was different — delish. It came with warm pita wedges. I had the lamb barg, my BF had the Soltani combination of beef barg and Saffron Chicken. The meet was tender and nicely spiced. Mine came with barberry rice, and his with the mixed vegetable combination, and both were presented beautifully on long rectangular dishes perfect for a skewered dish. We couldn’t figure out why they asked us whether we wanted the roasted tomato with our dishes as it was free — we both got it, and it was quite good!
For dessert, we tried the fahludeh, which neither of us had ever had, a kind of creamy lemon sorbet with cherry flavor mixed with vermicelli. It was very light and refreshing, and the noodles gave the dish a nice little crunch.
The service was lovely — attentive but not cloying or overbearing. We would definitely return.

Grade: C
Here’s the deal: Unilocalers are parochial punks or poseurs with pretenses to worldliness. Usually they’re both. You can probably trust Unilocalers on the best slop joint to slather you up a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but their opinions on anything more interesting than spaghetti and meatballs? Nine times out of ten, you’ll hear condescension dressed up as hipster hyperbole about exotic spices, cute dining rooms, and «authentic» flavors (as if they’ve ever left the shores of the Great Satan).
The point is, you can’t trust Unilocalers about a place like Orza. It has great reviews, but this restaurant is decidedly mediocre. I was disappointed on all fronts. The kebab was dry. The zereshk polo, my favorite Persian dish, was well below par. The barberries lacked the tartness that makes the dish so good. The gheimeh didn’t taste much like gheimeh. And so on. The bad food was insult enough, but the self-​satisfied yuppie diners were the coup de grâce. It’s tough for a ba-​ba-​ba-​bomb-​bomb-​Iran troglodyte like me to admit, but I found myself with more than a little sympathy for the death to America camp. Plus the tahdig was soggy.
If you’re out for better Persian, Villagio Café in Towson is a click or two better than Orza. If you’re really out for a sultanic feast – and are up for a drive – the gold standard is Shamshiry in Tysons Corner, one of the finest Persian restaurants in the United States.

Very pleasant atmosphere, great food, excellent service. A hidden gem in Baltimore City. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food you are getting. I would recommend this place for any person who wants a classy middle eastern food restaurant. The owner Ray is so gracious.
Thank you very much.

DISAPPOINTING! I can’t decide if I’m more disappointed in Unilocal reviewers for misleading us or in the restaurant for serving us mediocre food. I’m going to give Unilocalers the benefit of the doubt and assume that something about this cuisine has recently changed turning what was once ⁴⁄₅ star worthy into 3 stars.
The service was okay. We had a nice waiter who was adequately attentive. Being that we were the only people there at 430 on Saturday maybe he should have gone above and beyond but… He did well.
Drinks were disappointing. I got a mint mojito with kind of «fresh» mint. My husband’s bourbon and coke was small and overpriced.
The eggplant mirza was a blow away dish. Awesome smoky flavor! The tabbouleh and beet salad were both great as well. Good starters.
Unfortunately, our entrees were just bad. The white fish was mooshy, drowning in sauce, with no fish flavor (obviously was frozen). The rice was also mooshy and bland. The lamb chops may have been the biggest disappointment. They were gray with no char on the outside. Tough and undercooked on the inside, and poorly seasoned. The vegetables on the side, while crisp and seasoned, had obviously been pulled from the freezer as well. The lemon sorbet dessert was icy and had a weird texture.
I will not go back, I do not recommend going. Very disappointed that this is the new place we decided to try during restaurant week.

was not so packed on a cold friday evening, so reservations may have not been necessary. nice ambiance. expensive but delicious meat! we got the yogurt trio and eggplant trio and the eggplant one was much better. i felt like we were being skimped on the bread even when we ordered like 6 dips. the chicken wings are made from tiny chicken so even if there are 10, it wasn’t a huge dish. they were quite delicious. we got 2 entrees then for 4 people — one stew and then the mixed grilled platter — both were delicious. the dessert didn’t sound too great.
definitely worth a visit.

After a stellar first visit to OZRA following a successful trip to Horseshoe Casino, my husband and I figured we’d make it a tradition to come here, so that is exactly what we did with my dad and his GF. Once again, we made an OpenTable reservation… on a Saturday night… and we were the ONLY patrons in the restaurant throughout our entire dinner, which was a little off-​putting, and at the same time, a bit sad. I truly hope that OZRA survives; maybe they’re busier during lunchtime hours or weeknights?
Anyway, the service wasn’t quite as awesome as our first visit. Our waiter seemed miffed that my dad and his GF were only ordering small plates (they had eaten a lot during HH at the casino). We were the only customers, so… every dollar counts, right?
We shared the hummus. Once again — $ 4 is a great deal for the hummus, and the quantity of pita served alongside was enormous. Dad and his GF then had the Tabouleh Salad and the House Soup, which were both affordable at only $ 5 each, but were unremarkable in terms of flavor and savoriness.
My entrée, the Bademjan, with Polo Baghali rice, was still a good portion for the price at $ 15. It’s a savory eggplant stew with chunks of sirloin, but I sorely wished for much more eggplant and less over-​cooked meat. Luckily, my husband’s entrée, the Sonati Combo was HUGE, as you essentially get two entrees — the Beef Barg and Saffron Chicken — plus rice of your choice, for $ 24. He pined for the chicken to be as crazily-​juicy as we reminisced about from our first visit, alas it was almost too dry.
Another turn-​off while we were there (okay, two turn-​offs) was the obviously bored waitress doing her homework/​playing on her phone behind the bar the entire time we were there, and the huge clump of long hair plastered to the wall next to my seat. Ew.
OZRA, please don’t go downhill further. You’re a true gem to the Inner Harbor/​Little Italy area, and you offer a unique ambiance and wonderful food. Go back to your roots that made you so awesome only a year prior!

Brought my special lady here for her birthday dinner since I knew she digs ethnic foods including Persian. Nice little place, tastefully decorated and welcoming. There were numerous patrons of Middle Eastern descent, which I took as a good sign since I see it as something of an endorsement from those who are accustomed to that type of ethnic cuisine.
We enjoyed a couple glasses of wine from a small selection that at least offered both by-​the-​glass and by-​the-​bottle options for each selection. Me not being a big wine quaffer, I appreciate having numerous single serving options. Overall the food was very good. The eggplant trio was, in my estimation, the star of the show. My favorite of the trio was the Mirza, which featured a deliciously smoky tomato base. My main, a chicken dish in pomegranate sauce with rice, paled in comparison. It was pretty good, but just a bit too strong to enjoy in quantity. The lady ordered a soup with lentils and noodles, which she thoroughly enjoyed, as well as the salmon skewer with basmati rice and steamed veggies. While she liked her main, she thought the steamed veggies seemed to be of a freezer bag variety and thus nothing special.
Service was good and attentive, and the pricing was fine. A quality experience. I’m sure we’ll be back!

What a great restaurant with amazing food! We went as a Christmas present, and although it was only a few days after the holiday it was not hard to make reservations at all. To start we ordered the calamari, which came in a slightly spicy marinara sauce that was different than most other calamaris that I’ve had — really delicious! My boyfriend and I were fighting over the last bits. This was also served with fresh pita bread and an olive tapenade.
For our entrees, I ordered the lamb chop and beef skewer combination, which was excellent. The lamb chops were a little small so I’m glad that I got the combo, otherwise I don’t think it would’ve been enough food for me. The chops were cooked perfectly at medium rare, and the beef skewer itself was amazing, almost like an ethnic meatball if that makes sense. My boyfriend got the white fish chef’s special which was really awesome! A generous portion size and a very yummy sauce. We both got the sour cherry rice with our entrees, and that was delicious as well.
For dessert we both got the baklava, which was excellent and a nice little treat at the end. Slightly difficult to eat as they only gave us spoons, but that didn’t stop us from wolfing it down. The service was slightly slow, but didn’t bother me because they seemed pretty busy in the lower dining room. Wish they had known a little bit more about the gluten free options on the menu (which I expect to be most things), but other than that I had no complaints! Really great find and will be definitely coming back with friends to show off this great restaurant.

Hidden gem, maybe not too hidden. Located on the western border of Little Italy, OZRA features delicious Mediterranean cuisine, unlike the majority of its competitors that cater to the Italian taste buds. OZRA is deceivingly spacious — two floors with plenty of seating, with an inviting ambiance and modern décor.
Most noteworthy is OZRA’s impeccable service. I made a reservation for 8, but surprised the staff with a group of 17. We were promptly seated without any complaints. Our waiter was very friendly, offering great recommendations during the ordering process, and even going the extra mile in splitting checks at the end — mind you that this is for 17 people! How impressive is that?
Food. Excellent and one of a kind. I don’t think there’s another restaurant in Baltimore that offers this specialized subset of Persian/​Iranian food within the Mediterranean context. Appetizers were delicious. Checked out the hummus, yogurt/​cucumber, and eggplant dips. The pita slices were a winner. Entrees included grilled items as well as stews. Was able to try the chicken saffron, grilled shrimp, and the beef stew. The grilled shrimp was a little tough, the chicken was decent, but beef stew was clutch. I appreciated the fact that a variety of rice and spice options were offered. I saw that there was an enticing cheesecake baklava on the menu, but didn’t have the stomach room to fit that. Will have to give that a shot next time.

Amazing food and service.
I was part of a party of 17. They gave us two tables upstairs in a relatively isolated area so we were free to be as loud as we wanted. What impressed me the most was the process of paying — the waiter graciously got the receipts printed out for each person and we were all able to pay for our own bills. We know how painful splitting a check among a large group of people — 17 at that — can be.
We were also very happy with the food. Started with hummus, eggplant, and yogurt dips — think the eggplant dip was my favorite. Between M and me, we shared lamb chops and filet mignon stew with red beans. So delicious !!! Lamb chops (done medium rare) was just the right amount of juicy and softness. The stew was very flavorful as well — the rice to go with it was a bit buttery but definitely enhanced the flavor.
Ah mouth is watering just thinking about those lamb chops!

Our party of 6 went for restaurant week.
Service: Blah. The waiters are very inattentive. Friendly yes, but it takes years to get drinks (initial and refills), more bread, whatever. Not acceptable for a restaurant that was not very crowded on a Tuesday night at 8pm.
Atmosphere: Nice clean look that consists of a few tables downstairs with a bar and a loft style upstairs. There also appears to be a 2^nd level patio, but I didn’t venture over to confirm. The music in Ozra ranges from classical middle eastern to an instrumental version of «My Heart Will Go On». Random.
1^st course: I sampled eggplant baba, eggplant mirza, and the hummus. Both eggplants were tasty. The hummus was a bit bland unless you combined it with the tomatoes and vinegar.
2^nd course: I sampled the beef kubideh, beef barg, jumbo shrimp, and lamb chop. I asked for my lamb chop to be medium rare, it came out rare. The chop was decent, but no where close to the lamb chops at Samos. The shrimp lacked flavor to the point that I forgot I even sampled a piece so I asked for another sample. The kubideh is more like a sausage or kofta. Not really my thing, but it was good. The barg was just chunks of steak that were uninspired. Each entrée comes with a bed of rice. You can choose from 4 different ‘flavors’. The rice is good, but there is so much of it, it makes it overkill and overshadows the protein. Overall, the entrees were not bad, but nothing was great.
3^rd course: Most of us got the bakalava. They served this with an oyster fork. Why? The bakalava was not overly hard, but it is impossible to break through the layers with an oyster fork. There was no point in trying to get a real fork because the servers went ghost.
The food is decent, but not noteworthy. The service, although friendly, is laughable. Plating and presentation could be improved. Usually I cut some slack during crowded restaurant week, but the place was empty. In a crowded Baltimore restaurant scene, Ozra fails to stand out.

SERVICE: started off attentive (we were the only people in the restaurant) then they completely forgot we were there when other patrons arrived. After waiting 25 min for the check, we had to walk over to the kitchen entrance to find someone to give us our check (!) …disappointing.
FOOD: the complementary starter hummus was flavorful and had a unique fresh/​herb aftertaste that I liked. The eggplant apps were warm and good, not too memorable. The Cornish hen was amazing. It was juicy and came out as pieces of hen still on the bone. Sadly though, it was accompanied by cold and dry rice! I liked the cherry rice better than the dill rice but everyone’s rice came out cold. It was such a damper on my friend’s kubideh which was hot, flavorful and moist.
(My theory is that the rice sits out in some sort of weak reheater that dries it out while the meat is made fresh)
PARKING: they will validate for up to 3 hours at the Old Bay lot, so you pay $ 4 for 3 hours.
OVERALL: the service was lacking, the rice came out cold (accompanying flavorful piping hot meats) so I have mixed feelings about this place. They definitely have areas for improvement.