Kish Restaurant & Bar

I was here for a birthday party and the setting was beautiful but the service was very bad. The only good part was our actual waitress who was being spread extremely thin between two tables of about 20 – 25 people. There were about 5 other workers who were either slightly helping or not doing anything at all. I asked for the wifi and they got back to me 20 minutes later and gave me a password… however it was incorrect. Many of the waiters were running around trying to figure out what the password was and then they just gave up altogether. Next had a man performing loud elevator music and we could barely hear each other talking… he played Ain’t No Sunshine about 3 times in a 2 hour span. Then there was a company party who kept interrupting dinner to get on the microphone to talk about their various business ventures. I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on. Everyone around me started to get their food and when my 12 year old sister got her food the waitress told her very rudely «Um move that plate out of the way». Everyone started eating and I didn’t get my food for another good 20 – 30 minutes after everyone else. It was not very busy and the whole staff seemed to frantic. The food was ok but very overpriced and overly seasoned. it was $ 31 for a plate of cornish hen. It just seems very overpriced and very unprofessional overall.

I don’t understand why this place is empty all the time?
I finally ate here for lunch the other day and I was very pleasantly surprised how yummy my food was. Forgive me I can’t remember what I ordered some meat thing… but whatever it was it was delicious along with the grilled veggies and rice. We also ordered the hummus which was also delicious and soft warm pita bread.
Please please give this place a chance. I hate to see it go under.

Had lunch there on a Friday with a friend; we were the only patrons from noon till 2pm. There is no separate lunch and dinner menu. Here’s our bill:
1 smoked eggplant appetizer $ 8
1 portobello mushroom entrée $ 16
1 chicken kebab entrée $ 18
Total with tax $ 44.52
That didn’t include tips and we only drank water. The beer choices were abysmal (domestic macro only). A small salad appetizer was included, and the entrees both had rice and grilled tomato and pepper.
The server seemed new at it but was putting in an effort. I’m fine with that. We were hardly neglected being the only ones there.
(Here’s a tip for servers: ALWAYS say, «I’ll be right back with your change.» and not «Do you need change?» Big pet peeve of mine, but then that comes with training from management).
I like having a Mediterranean restaurant on the square — I had enjoyed those that had been in that space before; Effes, and then Kybell, and like supporting local establishments. The interior is pleasant enough, completely redone from the prior restaurants. The food was very good — no complaints there, but there are plenty other tasty options that won’t yank your wallet so hard.

Kish… I am sorry. You have created a wonderful space but the service tonight was truly the worst we have ever experienced !!
There were 14 or 15? of us & you had us stuffed like sardines under a low ceiling! Hello! We were literally the only ones there! Our tables should have been the focal point! We waited FOREVER for our water, our wine, our appetizers… Holy cow! Have your servers ever served before?
The food was tasty but we will not be back despite the fact that we love supporting small businesses!
Good luck Kish… We figure you are gone by March. Namaste.

This is a large and gorgeous restaurant but the lack of customers is alarming. This was a Friday night by the way. The place was empty before I arrived.
I called at 9 seeing when they stopped seating and I was informed 9:45PM. I arrived there well before that time and was seating immediately. Around 10 – 10:15PM, more people were seated. I know that it was a slow night for the restaurant, but at least be consistent with what you’re telling your patrons.
Another inconsistency were the prices. The website prices are a little bit cheaper than the prices listed on the menu. When I inquired about this, I was told the website was in the process of being updated and whatever the price was on the menu was the correct price. OK.
Food took a while to come out. Not exactly the portion size I expected for the price but it was fine. Everything (chicken, rice, veggies) tasted the same. The hummus and pita were good though! Can’t mess that up.
Not in a rush to return. I’d rather go to 1001 Persian Nights although it’s a little further away.

It’s said that opening a restaurant is one of the riskiest ventures. With the money and effort that went into Kish, one would think the proprietor would concentrate on dotting his i’s and crossing his t’s. He didn’t. Sadly, we experienced an amateur production.
As you can see from photos, the restaurant is lovely, spacious and well-​appointed. Friday, between 6:30 and 8:45 we counted only four other tables of patrons.
How will they stay in business???
Our waitress, a 17 year old girl, was untrained, uncomfortable and somewhat inept. The interactions throughout our meal were out-​takes from Saturday Night Live. Typical: while we were eating, with plates full of food, she asked if we wanted our check…
Kish’s menu is very limited, and priced highter than what they’ve posted online. I asked a server the price of a glass of wine, before realizing it was listed in the menu. «$ 9.00,» he reported back. «But wait,» I commented, «here’s the same wine on your menu for $ 7.00.»
And that’s one of the problems. If last night was typical, I don’t see how they meet their expenses. The restaurant provides a gratis plate of feta, tomatoes, cucumber, mint and pita. But for four adults, the offering was small, with just a few diced-​sized cubes of feta. For the prices charged, more should be included with one’s meal: a small starter salad … something! On the plus side, my chicken kabob was nicely marinated, tasty, and I enjoyed the rice and the few grilled vegetables on my plate.
I can’t comment on coffee or dessert, since our waitress never asked if we wanted any. Too bad, cause it was lost revenue for them. Seemed obvious that my table was in no great hurry, and it wasn’t closing time.
I wish the proprietor well. He seems like a decent guy, but he needs to step up his game, and train his staff.

Really awesome Persian Mediteranian resturant. We got chiken soltani and koubideh. Everybody on our table agreed that everything tasted great!
I liked that it is located in a historic place and we had the chance to taste motherland cuisine in our short visit to Atlanta.

Fabulous food in a lovely «ethnic» decorated spacious room with beautifully appointed tables in an atmosphere which inspires adventurous eating. Vegetarian and gluten free eating is a definite option! Seafood and other choices are readily available.
Great food, good service and our party of four will definitely come back.

We went to watch our compatriots and friends from Brazil singing but the overall experience wasn’t the best. It took about 15 min to a server come to the table and bring a menu. I stood up and I got my drink at the bar. So we were already stressed out then someone came to our table. The food is good, not the best one, just good, the music was great but the sound acoustic was not helping much. Besides my Brazilian friends everything was just ok. The place is nice, in a very good location but definitely need to have a better service.

You walk into a pleasant welcoming area w/​bar and thats when you see a wonderfully decorated dining room. I was taken back as it was not what I expected. A fantastically romantic setting for date night. The food was delicious and the staff was fantastic. I’d write more, but why? 5 stars the whole way around!!!

Wow… what an unexpected find! I am so surprised they were even open on a Sunday afternoon and we were certainly the first to arrive at 3pm. After hearing good things from others we decided to check it out. They turned on the lights and the fountain just for us. We had a great bottle of wine, and then shared the Greek salad and lamb kabobs. Both were really good… I mean really good. The waiter (Simon was great!) made sure everything was timed perfectly. We will definitely be back and hope others will check it out as well… this place needs to succeed!

My wife and I had our anniversary dinner there last night, the second time I’ve been since February. We shared a hummus appetizer and each had glass of wine. The hummus had a nice olive garnish and was served with fluffy flat bread, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes, walnuts and feta cheese (or perhaps a Persian equivalent). It was nicely done, except for the usual pink cotton tomatoes — a pet peeve with me, but few restaurants do better. The wine was 14 Hands Merlot, nothing fancy, and $ 7 for a large glass — very reasonable, in my opinion, and a tasty selection from a reasonable wine list.
For our entrees, my wife had Chicken Soltani, a skewer of white meat chicken and a skewer of ground beef, while I had the whole Cornish hen. The meat in both entrees were marinated, grilled perfectly, with small charred spots, but still juicy, and served with grilled onions, tomatoes and green bell pepper as well as saffron rice, all perfectly prepared. The rice had very long grains, like basmati, a premium ingredient. The portions were large, easily satisfying my overachiever appetite…
Skewers are removed before serving for the customer’s convenience, then the meat is plated perfectly. Gallery photos showing the skewers still in place appear to be out of date, as Kish has improved the dining experience. Whole Cornish hen was bone in and cut into serving pieces — I ate it with my fingers. Very sensuous, with simple, excellent flavor. The juices on the plate mixed with the vegetables and rice and seasoned them very nicely, not greasy at all.
To those reviews complaining about a lack of flavor, these dishes are marinated and simply grilled, without much spice. Perhaps they are Americanized a bit, but they flavors are honest and blend well with the veggies and rice. A bit more about that later.
On both visits the service was just fine. We were seated immediately, the waiters answered all our questions, brought and refilled water without being asked, cleared dishes when we finished and never brought a dirty dish to our table to save steps, like you see so much these days. They also handled the water glasses properly, not touching them near the top and not touching the pitcher to the glass, avoiding cross contamination. That tells me someone is taking time to train them. Those sins are very, very common all but the best restaurants in Cobb county. I was pleasantly surprised.
They’ve done a nice job decorating as well, have a full bar, entertainment from time to time and a reasonable wine list.
During both visits, the owner, Karim, spent time talking to us and was not at all defensive when I made suggestions. I want Kish to to show that a Mediterranean restaurant can succeed and thrive on the Marietta Square, unlike others on that block that didn’t make it, so I will make a few suggestions, hoping that they go from very good to great:
To get more business, please do some advertising, perhaps in the local ValPaks, with coupons on the web site
etc. Customers will return once they have a good experience and locals want to come to the Square. Advertising can be started and stopped at will and doesn’t have to be terribly expensive.
The menu has large color photos of all the dishes, but little or no description. It would be nice to know a bit more about the items, even if the photos need to be somewhat smaller.
Please consider adding a few more Persian dishes to the menu, such as stews, so those of us who like spice have an option and more variety in our return visits. Yes, it adds expense and complexity. The value is more frequent visits by existing customers and more ways to please new ones.
And, please, please please add chelo, the rice dish with crispy, caramelized crust on the bottom, called tahdig. Foodies seek it out — there is no substitute.

Good food if you don’t drink. Otherwise, expect to be ripped off. Our three cocktails were $ 12.00 each. Of course, one never asks what the price of a cocktail is when ordering at dinner, because one trusts the restaurant will charge reasonable prices. When we complained, they said that this is what Schillings charges! It is NOT what Schillings charges. We were the only table in the entire restaurant. When a couple arrived to be seated, they put them right next to us! Don’t understand that. This place won’t last very long because they are ripping people off with their bar prices.

The food… I’ll start with that. The kabobs (chicken and beef) had no taste. I’ve been eating Persian food my whole life both at home and at numerous Persian restaurants from New York to California. Kish is over-​priced, food and drinks alike. I paid $ 43.00 for two drinks… TWO DRINKS. I read Michael P.‘s review from January and see that not only we agree on the LUDICROUS DRINK PRICES, the service is still just as it was. When the «owner» (calling him man #1) stopped at our table to solicit us for our email addresses WHILE we were having dinner, I mentioned the alcohol prices (very nicely). His very rude reply was totally unexpected, so unprofessional and RIDICULOUS I won’t even repeat it. I froze, looked at my dad and told him he could take it from here… couldn’t believe it… especially taking into account this is a new business. Later someone else (man #2) with a faded green old polo shirt and unkept greasy looking hair (I know that sounds mean but it’s true and as their aim is to be a high class restaurant he shouldn’t have been out on the floor looking that way much less trying to troubleshoot which he failed at miserably) came over to me and told me «he was told some things that he didn’t like». After a moment of feeling like ‘who is this guy??’ I asked him who he was, he said he was an «investor» ummm okayyy… So, I started telling him about the conversation I had with man #1 when he cut me off and said «you should look at the prices before you order» … WOW. First off, they didn’t offer a bar menu at the bar, and secondly. did this guy really just say that to a customer? At that point I looked over by the bar from where we were standing and there was literally a heard of men standing there staring me down. I felt bullied and needless to say, very disrespected as a patron. In the end after deciding to walk away from that conversation he got desperate and asked if he could make it better and refund my money. I let him know it wasn’t just the money. As fellow countrymen my father and I wanted to see them succeed with their new business. Between my father and I, we have over 60 years of business ownership experience. A bit less than half of that being in restaurants. It wasn’t just about feeling ripped off as a patron and not keeping this place on the «visit again» list, it was the way we (I) was treated/​spoken to. Their reaction and way of handling situations will see Kish restaurant to it’s demise. To reiterate, in the nicest way possible my father and I tried to let man #1 know his prices might chase people away. My father told him 90% of unhappy customers won’t say anything, they just won’t go back. In turn, we got a nasty, unprofessional, reply… I was shocked by the behaviour of BOTH men. I didn’t accept the refund. I told them to keep it, or give the refund to the bartender (which had the dirtiest fingernails I’ve ever seen on a woman, and bartender at that.), wished them well and let them know we’d never be back. On a side note, the bakhlava was old and tasted stale.
If the food was good I’d say suck up the bad service, clueless owners, and prices… but the food is tasteless. This place would be a waste of your time and money.
Eat well and be well, everyone xx

Overall excellent experience. As a Persian, I have a knack for authentic food from the homeland.
The place has a nice upscale feel to it, great layout and nice decoration. Border-​line a place you could hold a reception for a wedding. Service was great, our server was on the ball with drinks/​food.
My only ‘reservation’ about this place was the lack of choices on the menu. I had asked for a well-​known yogurt Persian drink which they did not have. All the other places such as Mirage and Roomies carry it so I was disappointed.
The food was SUPERB. Kabobs were nice and fresh, super juicy, priced very well. Will be coming back, and hopefully they can fill up the menu.

Lots of promise. New owner did a tasteful redecorate. Menu is smartly limited to items that can be prepared fresh to order. Our only issue is we should have allowed more time for dinner before going to the theatre. More staffing will surely help this restaurant to succeed. I will absolutely be back to try some of other tempting dishes.

Had dinner there for the first time this evening. Sunday night is usually a slow night for restaurants and it was not crowded here as well. After going inside was really surprised at the great job they did on the interior and the look and feel of the restaurant.
We ordered the cucumber and tabouli appetizers, and both of us ordered the tenderloin shish kebabs.
The food was very very fresh very very flavorful and a really great !
All the food is grilled, very fresh, the marinade on the beef was incredible. They even dressed up plain rice with saffron, it was the real stuff looking forward to going back soon and taking some more friends, a welcome addition to the Marietta square.

Great find, I think they just opened. Location is perfect, much closer than the usual Roswell rd restaurants. The décor is chic and classy. Very large dinning room. There is even a stage for what I assume would be events.
The food was great, juicy chicken kebab and tender rice. The kashke bademjoon was different than what I’m used to — spicy and garlicky — but very good. The pita bread was delicious as well.
The only thing that I would recommend — get rid of the cheesy 80s piano music lol. Besides that — I hope this place catches on because we are definitely going back!

This food is fabulous absolutely delicious beautiful Atmosphere and very friendly
Hands Down to you

Delicious hummus and charming service to start you out. The owner is here and looks like a little like Al Pacino. He’s pleasantly gruff but welcoming.
Could maybe do with out the Celine Dion… being piped in over the speaker system. But maybe that is so you don’t stay too long after your meal.
We ordered the beef tenderloin shish-​ka-​bob with veggies and basmati rice! Delicious!
Come in and patronize this place so it stays! It was absolutely empty when we went and I worry that if y’all don’t come, Kish won’t stay…