Roksana’s

I have been coming here since this place opened and I am with everyone else that the eggplant and torsh kabab are amazing. But if you have been a customer from those early days, you also have noticed the shrinking kabab effect. The kubideh is supposed to be a long skewer of meat and each month since opening, it has been getting shorter and shorter and shorter… Plates have also shrunk in size… you get less meat, less rice, less grilled veggies (before it was onions, tomatoes, peppers…). It’s a shame but after my last visit I will be migrating back to the other Persian eats just a few blocks away where I get more for my buck and have the option of eating in…

It’s a great take out place. I had torsh kabab, lamb kabab and celery stew and they were all delicious. The staff are very friendly and they offered me and my friend free Sholeh zard and free Halim both time we went there. I will surely buy more good delicious food from tgis place in the future. Recommend it to everyone.

I had persian food once while I was in portland, and sure was delicious. Back in boston now and thanks to Unilocal I found another great place. Mind you this is only a take out place, yes no place inside to eat but so worth the drive. Mind you I did drive 40 mins to get here. Got home and food was still warm. So good and the bread omg amazing.

I will keep it short and simple. Food is great, service is great so the only negative thing I can say about this place is that it is take out only. However I cannot hold that against them like some other reviewers have done…
I would recommend the Salmon Kabob, Torsh Kebab and Chicken Kebab.

I ordered the family platter. The lamb koobideh, beef kabob and chicken kabob were all great, but the lamb kabob was a bit dry.

First: This is a TAKE OUT ONLY place. Some reviewers mention it, but it really should be emphasized more. Call in advance as well so you are not waiting a while for them to make it.
Second: I live in the south end so this was a bit of a trek for me. This does color my review a bit since I have to ask myself would I go come back all the way here again.
FOOD:
I got the beef kebab plate (i.e. they add rice) and my S.O. got the beef soltani. Beef was good and the price was reasonable for both of these plates BUT I really think it should come with sauces. They sell them as extras, but it’s off to the side and they don’t even mention it. Otherwise, you are just eating beef and rice. And the sauces come in large containers… great if you are getting catering from this place but otherwise too big.
SERVICE:
everyone was very nice and they were helpful since I’m not that familiar with Persian food.
Would I come again: maybe if I was in the area? Otherwise don’t have plans to return. Nice take out place, but not enough of the WOW factor to have me cross the city for it.

I am an LA native who was definitely spoiled by the abundance of fabulous Persian restaurants in that city. When I moved to Boston, I desperately searched for something that was at least somewhat as good as the food back in Los Angeles. After some, «less than memorable» experiences at other restaurants, I quickly gave up hope that I might one day find anything remotely similar in quality to the Persian food I had once known…
Until I found Roksana’s. And dare I say it, this is BETTER than any of the other Persian restaurants in ANY other city I have lived in/​traveled to. Firstly, the owners, husband and wife team are unwavering in their kindness and warmth every time you stop in. Now onto the good stuff…
–I now have given up meat, but the only thing that tempts me back to the carnivorous side is the Torsh Kabob. It is the most indulgent, succulent, flavorful chunks of meat one would ever hope to taste.
–Luckily, I still eat fish. The Salmon Kabob is also divine. Always cooked to perfection, never dry, and full of flavor.
–The rice is SPECTACULAR. This is such an important component to Persian cuisine and Roksana’s has perfected it.
–The sides, Mast-​o-​Bademjan (eggplant yogurt), Mast-​o-​Khiar (mint/​cucumber yogurt) in particular, are ADDICTIVE. I feel compelled to stock up on these every time I visit.
To the owners: Please, please, please open another location with a sit down service. You will do so well as there is NOTHING that compares to your food in any of the more formal Persian restaurants in Boston.

Everything was awesome fantastic fables phenomenal and you should try it then go try it

Sometimes when you walk inside a place, you know the food will be delicious. The clean, natural décor — wood; open grill; delicately prepared to-​go items; and the family working behind the counter all clearly speak to a nice experience. The menu is the perfect size, and the owner was helpful and choosing toppings and preparation. I had the Torsh Kebab, which was lovely. The Sholezard was deadly delicious — best appearance, texture and flavor I have ever had in a rice pudding. Home made bread. Awesome.
I was waiting for the bus outside the restaurant, and they were so kind to have me sit inside. Friendly owners. Lovely people. I look forward to returning.

Went there lask week. It was a fantastic place! The person at the register was really nice and helpful. My girlfriend ordered a lamb kabab roll up and I ordered a Lamb soltani. The meat was grilled perfectly. The portion of the food is enormous, especially the soltani —- normal sized kabab and beef koobideh with Basmati rice. The rice was also seasoned and definitely more flavorful than any other Basmati rice I’ve tasted. The kebab roll has veggies in it so I actually prefer that more than the soltani. But if you are a meat lover, then soltani is the one you should try.
Be adviced though there’s really no place to dine in, most people call advance to order take out. I suggest you to do so as well, it will save so much time.

My previous review still stands, the only difference is that I don’t think that I gave them the right amount of stars. Four stars is more appropriate for this business, rather than the 3 stars that I gave them earlier.

The food taste great but the portions are smaller than typical Persian dish at other restaurants.
Specifically, the Kubideh Kabobs are awfully small. Typically a Kubideh Kabob includes two skewer of Kabob. They have two skewers too but each is half of the normal size. So this is a rip off.
I usually cannot finish a Kubideh dish at any other restaurant but at Roksana, I eat it all and am still hungry which is very weird for me who can never finish a dish by myself. So again they are making the dish half the usual size and selling it at the same price. Unacceptable and disappointing!!!

Absolutely fantastic! I ordered the lamb kebabs on a skewer. The meat was tender, flavorful, and seasoned to perfection. The service was friendly and welcoming. The owner treated me to rice pudding to welcome me as a first time customer. I will definitely be back again. I was so excited to see yoghurt soda! I make my own at home, but it’s so lovely to see it being sold in a store. Strongly recommend.

We were starving and got last minute take-​out from this place. By last minute, I mean they were closing in under 1hr. So, I won’t grade them on service which was a disaster.
The food varied from good to weird. The beef kabob and lamb shank were bursting with flavor and tips were grilled perfectly. Some of the flavors, including the koobideh (ground beef) and the zeytoon parvardeh were a bit too strange for us… and I generally like everything!
If I go back I will be weary and avoid some items.

Roksanas is great. I love their Kabab Torsh, i definitely recommend it. The owners are super sweet. Walked in and felt right at home in Tehran

Expensive, very expensive.
Tasty? Of course.
But then, expensive for a carry out. I hope that they adjust their prices.

This is the yummiest Persian food I have ever had! If you’re in Boston, you have to try this place. The food was really flavorful and the kabobs were extra tender. Kabobs can often be overcooked and lack flavor, but these were perfect. They have a really good eggplant dish too.

i have not been to roksana’s. but for my birthday potluck, i cajoled one of my friends to go over and pick up a roksana’s family platter (four types of kebabs, tomato, and rice, serving ~4 people). holy moly. we got an enormous platter full of beautifully seasoned, extra tender kebabs off the sticks, grilled tomatoes, and limes, and another enormous platter full of basmati rice. suffice it to say that the kebabs were devoured within about 15 minutes, and were as excellent as i have ever had them from a persian restaurant.
my friend who went there said the place appears to be in the middle of nowhere. so goes watertown. go for the food. the atmosphere — it’s takeout. and the prices are fab!
i’ll definitely head there next time!

I’m by no means an authority in Persian food, but this place is an incredible place for takeout! My wife and I ordered the lamb shank and Beef Soltani. The lamb had excellent flavor just the right amount of spice to balance the gaminess, and there was a very generous amount of beef in Kabob form and grilled skirt steak. Being Asian I was amazed at how long the grains of rice were, and how fluffy but not mushy it was.
The only reason why it’s four stars and not five, is that I kinda wish there was some sort of veggie that would come with the entrée. Perhaps next time I’ll order the Shirazi Salad.

My favorite kind of place, and the reason I keep using and contributing to Unilocal,Roksana’s is a small clearly family-​run Persian restaurant in Watertown.
You are well-​advised to follow the instructions in other reviews: call ahead to order because there are no seats or tables (although there are a couple surfaces with rugs that nobody seemed to care if I sat on), chat with the proprietor, ask a lot of questions. I didn’t mind waiting 15 minutes for my kabob to cook because the smell in here was heavenly, and I always enjoy watching owners at places like this interact with their customers. See what the regulars order, and get that next time.
My kabob was medium, tender, and flavorful. I also got a huge bowl of some kind of spiced crack rice, beef, and green bean dish, which tastes strongly of cinnamon and turmeric. Great stuff, and after living a few blocks from a Persian restaurant a few years back, I couldn’t have been happier to find this place.
I’ll be back to try every damn thing on the menu.