Molana Restaurant

Excellent Persian food! Highly recommended! Great service! If you are looking for an authentic Persian food in Boston area, this is it!

Poor and slow service. They were out of several items on the menu. They overcharged us for an item by 50%! Food quality not great. My last time in the restaurant!

My husband and I tried this restaurant because of a groupon promotion that included appetizer, 2 entrees and dessert. We had grape leaves, the beef soltani (kubideh and barg) and the lamb kabob and saffron/​rose water ice cream. Overall food was good, not great. We usually go to a different Persian restaurant in Watertown, which we LOVE but wanted to try something new. It was good at Molana but we preferred the flavors more at the other restaurant. But perhaps we had become accustomed to what we had first and had we come to Molano first we would like them better? Another big let down was that Molano served pita for bread that tasted very chewy, like it had been heated in the microwave whereas the other restaurant makes it fresh in this very cool domed brick oven. I was so looking forward to the fresh bread assuming that Molana would do the same so it was a big let down. This alone is enough to keep me going back to the other place. The service at Molana was exceptional though, very attentive and helpful. I had requested an appetizer portion of the mirza gasemi which was listed as an entrée here (we normally get as an appetizer at the other restaurant). They would not honor the request but was kind to bring me a sample so that I can taste their version. It was good but definitely more eggy rather than smooth and cream. Lastly, the other restaurant had better ambience and live music on weekends.

This is the real deal! Authentic Persian food that is fresh and delicious! The amounts is just right and the price is reasonable. We had kabab bakhtiary and the combo platter with beef barg, chicken barg and beef kubideh. The roasted tomato’s are fresh and tasty! Persian Ice cream made with safeon, rose water & Persian cream is the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. The atmosphere is very nice and cozy. I met the owner who is friendly and the waiter was also very helpful and provided great service. They also had live mood percussion music in the background.

I would recommend this restaurant to anyony interested in great food and atmosphere.

I came here because of a Groupon deal which I bought for 49 dollars.
Appetizer: #1 Kashk Bademjan — Vegetarian-​friendly. Pretty heavy with the oil but I suppose that is traditional. It came with a generous portion of warm flatbread. The sauteed eggplant had a near-​purée texture and was well-​seasoned with spices without being overly salty.
Entrees: #18 Kabob E Soltani and #20 Boneless Lamb Kabob — Meats were very tasty and not at all fatty. I liked the marinades which were flavorful. This came with lots of rice and a nicely grilled tomato that added a good touch of acidity.
Dessert: Persian Ice Cream — Easily my favourite of the meal as it was flavorful and not cloyingly sweet. I loved the bits of pistachio and overtones of rose water.
Beverages: Persian hot tea — I liked the hint of cardamom in the tea. Otherwise, nothing particularly spectacular.
Service was okay. I would recommend the entrees for the delectable selection of meats and Persian ice cream.
Although I had a Groupon, tax and ~18% service charge (apparently included so I didn’t have to tip?) were included to come up to 20 dollars extra. Honestly, I thought the food was above average but 70 dollars in total was too steep and not the best value for money.

Ambience is very nice.
Very nice thing is that they hv picture album of food items which was very helpful!
Appetizer kashk bademjoon (egg plant, mint based) was very nice which was given with fresh hummus & pita bread.
Entrees were very tasty too. Chicken barg, Chicken kobideh & beef kobideh were fantastic.
Food portions were very generous.
Persian Ice Cream with Saffron, rose water & pistachios. Very new to us & were happy we ordered it.
Staff was very polite and visited our table every few minutes.
Overall very nice dinner!

So good! The meats were so tender and flavorful. Will be coming back for sure. Service was good and fast.

Horrible service. I took my daughter there who was visiting from out of town as she was craving for Persian food. We drove from southern NH and by the time we got there, around 7 pm, she had low blood sugar and was very thirsty. They ignored us for 10 or so minutes at the door, despite the restaurant not being full, and the host who was chatting with a customer at their table clearly seeing us standing there. When he finally came over and sat us, we asked for tea right away and the menu. Neither came for another 10 minutes. I had to get up, get his attention, and ask for tea and menu again. It came right away but with no apologies. We ordered appetizers and kabob immediately, but neither showed up for another 40 minutes, and they arrived barely warm. It is worth noting that at this time the table next to us who had came after us were just finishing their meal! As my daughter was nearly going pale from hunger we did not dare sending the food back. We ate, paid the bill in cash and left 1 not so shiny penny as tip!

We went to Molana last night in a party of four. Service was poor. The restaurant appeared understaffed. We waited over twenty minutes to have our order taken. We had to ask for glasses of water; they were never refilled. Upon asking for additional water, we waited an additional fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, we saw four other tables near us receive their checks, all while we were waiting for water! But our check came very fast, and in it we discovered a mandatory twenty percent tip– for a party of four! We have never experienced mandatory tips for four people anywhere in Boston. Despite tasty food, we will not be returning to Molana any time soon.

Terrible service. Did not get a good table even though there were other options. Tried to sit us by the takeout counter. Ended up walking out.

This is the first review I place and I never thought that I will place one but honestly I have to because this restaurant is a waste of money for tasteless food. I ordered many things but non of them where good. I even had to fill my stomach with bread and butter! I will never go there ever again. They even charged me for coke refills! Seriously?! It’s not a coke can to accept that!

Awesome lunch special offer! Food is awesome. I like staring at pictures that hang on walls in the area.

Average to below average. Wouldn’t eat there again. The meat doesn’t have much flavor; simply nothing special.

They are amazing on the grill. The meat is cooked perfectly every time I go there. The rose petal ice cream is complex in flavor and delicious. I highly recommend it. Ambience is good, nothing too fancy. The staff is extremely courteous.

WORST SERVICE EVER!!!
I don’t know if this was just a bad dream (sorry nightmare) or what, but I have been to many bad restaurants, this is beyond belief. Customer service is probably a term they never heard of. Friendliness? nah. They don’t know what it is.
So I went there with a friend, the guy who came to the table to take our order (tall Iranian guy, no smile, no nothing, in a rush to take the order and run), could have been an owner or family member, certainly not a seasoned server.
In the midst of us telling him what we would like and asking questions he rushed away greeting people at the door and seating them. Really??? WOW. That is beyond me. Molana if you are so understaffed, hire a person damned!
Anyway, after placing the order I told him I would like a cup of lemons with my soup.
He said «a cup of lemons? we only give 2 pieces, if you want a whole cup we need to charge”— I stopped him right there (already angry at this nasty unfriendly, rude stingy attitude, I told him «I didn’t ask for a whole big plate full of lemons, but I would like a bit more than just two pieces!»
He of course returned with two slices, and said «I bring you more with your entrée»
(I needed more with my soup in fact!) — I already told my friend the tip would be ZERO (yes you heard right, ZERO, and I worked as a server myself) — it is not acceptable when I specifically asked for it, to deny me lemons.
So the next woman /​server/​family member walked by and I demanded a few pieces of lemon from her. She brought me two more slices. (of course the tip remains at zero at this point, nobody showed any smile, any sign of friendliness, customer service skills, or the like)
Now here comes another customer UN-​friendly behavior at the end: I asked for a spill proof container for my food to pack it myself (yes, spill proof because I know of the two types of containers restaurants have, the cheap white foam ones where food spills out, and the harder ones with the lid.
She comes back with a tiny one.
So I have to wait till she walks back again, ask her for another one of these for my rice.
This time she comes back with the foamy one. I have to tell her this is not what I wanted, I asked for the spill-​proof one please.
She turns to me and says «no, this is the one we give out for the rice» (and I know why, because the other one costs 50 cents)
I get angry at this point, and I say «but I would like the other one for my rice as well, I had asked for it earlier, I do not wish my food to spill while walking home»
so she reluctantly, angry and with a face that you should have seen, walks back and returns with the container that costs 50 cents at the most. (you should see their prices, almost as high as Lala Rokh, the fine dining in Beacon Hill with wonderful ambiance and service!)
Molana has the nerv to be rude & stingy and nasty to customers for no reason whatsoever, really?
take it easy Molana, we will make sure to spread the word about you guys.
As a side note, the Barley soup didn’t even taste remotely like an authentic Iranian Barley soup– trust me I know what it supposed to taste like –

What’s Up Everyone!!!
My names Jeff, this is honestly my first time writing a review and it’s mainly because it’s the first time I’ve honestly received Stellar Customer Service !! The owner of this restaurant has a phenomenal vision for business and might I add the «Kabob-​E-​Soltani. Is Truly For The Soul». If your ever in Watertown looking for authentic Persian cuisine there is only one place to be «Molana Restaurant».
Jeff

This place delivers on so many fronts. Great food first of all, and friendly, courteous wait-​staff. The variety of Persian entrees is impressive and a great bargain for the price. Chicken Barg and grape leaves and hummus are amazing. They have delivery too so that makes me give it a double thumbs-​up.

We have been going to this place for years. The food is never consistent. One day is ok and the other day is terrible. I always have kobedeh so I see the difference.
And the other issue that I have is the owner. He always sets at a table in the dinning area, always on phone and talking loud. Sometimes yelling and screaming and cursing in Persian. He doesn’t have that much sense that maybe customers don’t want to hear him on the phone .
This was my last time going to this molana. I hope you have better experience

The people who run this place are the sweetest ever, but the food wasn’t my favorite. I got the beef kubideh (ground beef molded onto skewers) and found it really oily tasting, maybe an attempt to make it juicy? But it was overly greasy to the point of being off putting. The rice was kind of bland but if you sprinkle some of the purple spice (some kind of pickled plum spice?) It adds some pizzazz. Also kind of disappointing that they didn’t have home made bread/​naan and served just plain store bought pita bread. I did have a bite of the bfs beef bagh which was a little better but not by much. The Persian ice cream was also a little strange, not that I have a reference for taste, but the rose water and saffron flavor combination didn’t agree to me. Sorry but prob won’t be back

I was blown away by this place! The food, service and ambiance all get a ⁵⁄₅ score on my scale. It’s a family owned restaurant and the food has a homemade feel to it. I ordered the soup ‘Aash’ as a starter and it filled me up immediately, so rich with ingredients and you get that mi ty and dry coriander flavor and smell right into your nostrils, leaving me feeling awwww! I also ordered the chicken soltani and it was so tender and moist cooked to perfectionism, rice was tasty and not dry or sticky, I loved it and I’m not even a rice person! !
I would definitely go back to this place!