Green Cottage

by G. K.

This place was great when it first opened up. Its run by two brothers George and Sarman who on a good day would sit down at your table and tell jokes while giving you free shots of liqueur.Fast forward a couple years and the place is now densely populated and there's no time for the owners to fool around. The food here is great, show up with friends and get the family style portions and you'll be happy.  However the girls that work the tables are really slow.

by Jennifer L.

Food is delish!  Everything I've tried thus far has been great but the inside decor is YUCK.  Fake grape vines, fake flowers, fake cherub angels, fake fountains, and even fake tree trunks--one just a tree and one of a palm.  This place needs a makeover.

by Courtney H.

This place is just fabulous.  My friends brought me here for the first time last year, and we've been eating here whenever we're in the neighborhood.Their salads are amazing, and extremely large for even a half order.  Nothing but the freshest greens and vegetables, and so beautifully presented on the plate with so many colors and textures.  Their baba ghanoush is probably the best I've EVER had anywhere, lemony and perfectly spiced.  I am never disappointed with anything I've ordered here.Last weekend, I ordered the shish kabob combination, which came with a koobideh kabob and a regular shish kabob.  I never have had koobideh before, and I absolutely loved it.  It's ground beef that's all spiced and shaped together over a skewer, then barbecued.  Delicious!!!  My favorite, however, was the 2nd kabob, with USDA choice cuts of beef.... I took one bite, and was in heaven.  The meat was so tender, and was marinated so perfectly... it was nicely charred so that the marinade was right on your tongue when you take a bite.  I still remember how it tasted!  All of this was served with a gigantic portion of rice (with the orange rice on top), a grilled tomato and pepper.I have also had the vegetarian plate from here, which I remember being phenomenal.   Try that too, if you're not in the mood for meat.  If you're not in the mood for red meat, try the chicken kabob, which comes out tender and bright yellow -- from the succulent marinade.You will love this place, so buy yourself a bottle of wine from Ralph's next door, bring it with you, and have a feast in the outdoor patio by the fountain.  You won't forget it!

by Christian P.

Ate here years back before I knew of Yelp and the food was DELICIOUS! It was a recommendation by a co worker and it lived up to everything that he said about it!If I ever end up in 818 I'll definitely be back

by Tom C.

Victoria's hairdresser is Persian and says the restaurant all the Persians go to is the Green Cottage. Today, we were feeling a little housebound with the rain and everything so we decided to get out of the house and have supper at the Green Cottage. I'd been craving Middle Eastern cuisine lately, anyway.You have to at least go into this restaurant once in your life. Even if you don't eat, order a Coke or something just to experience the unlikely confection that is the interior of the Green Cottage.I imagine this place started out as some sort of American diner in the 60s... maybe it passed through a phase of serving Italian dinners... then it became the Green Cottage. It's how a Disney princess would design her restaurant. Narrow with a soaring high-peaked roof it's typical "Cinderella" architecture from the 60s. Inside, there's another little cottage surrounding the kitchen. Multi-colored twinkling Christmas lights are strung on everything including the ceiling. Vast swags of lime green fabric are hung from the rafters and on the walls and everything else. Electrically illuminated plastic grapes hang overhead. (Where the heck can I get some of those!?!?) Chandeliers, artificial flowers and more swags of pink material fill in the gaps. Trust me. This you have to see.We started with a Persian salad... very fresh and refreshing... and a dish that's Victoria's favorite: Tadig. She also calls it "bottom of the rice." It's that crispy disc found at the bottom of the pan when you overcook rice. It came cold and covered in ghorma sabzi... a stew made of lamb and herbs that was really tasteless. We shared a kabob combination consisting of a flat filet of beef and seasoned ground beef served over rice.We enjoyed our warm flatbread and appetizers while we waited for our kabob. When it was delivered, unfortunately the platter slipped out of our waitress's hands and dumped on the white linen tablecloth. Profuse apologies followed and, frankly, we were willing to just eat it anyway off the tablecloth but we were shown to a clean table while our entree was re-prepared. Listen... it could happen to anyone. The plate just became unbalanced... and the waitress was properly mortified but we did have to carry our own plates and glasses over to the new table. Service was a little distracted while our server payed more attention to her toddler instead of her tables. To their credit, the remains of our original entree weren't just taken back to the kitchen and replated. It was totally prepared over again from scratch. Good, I guess, but for the extra 20 minute wait. When it was finally redelivered, we didn't see our server again until we flagged her down for the check. The meats were tender enough for me though Vic though the filet was a little tough and tasteless. The ground beef kabob was a little better but still not the exotically spiced Middle Eastern food I was craving. It was, honestly, bland and slightly oily.And that was that. I thought we'd be offered a complimentary dessert or something for the accidental dumping of our supper but no such luck. So, in the end I felt like Alec Baldwin after he crawled out of his wrecked car in  the film "State and Main" and said, "Well, that happened."

by sharron D.

Since the last time I came here, the place has been remodeled a little bit. Some of the waiters have also changed, which I really like because the service is much better. If the weather is nice, I recommend sitting outside by the fountain on the big lounge chairs. If you want some music and belly dancing, go on a Saturday night and sit in the main area. The food is very good. My favorite is the hot kabob, very delicious! I love coming here with family or friends, everyone loves the food and atmosphere. You can't go wrong if you come here, trust me. Definitely suggest you try it out!

by Farnaz Y.

We had a family dinner here on a Friday night and were surprised at the lack of patrons dining.  It must be the state of the economy we said. Or, it could be the fact that there are three other Persian restaurants within a mile radius of each other. However, I know none other Persian restaurant that looks like it used to be a Wienerschnitzel (my brother said so).The food was OK, not fantastic.  But, it's not so much the food you eat but the people you're with.  Of course having yummy food makes it all the better. Cheers!

by Joshua D.

Aptly named, from the outside, the restaurant resembles nothing so much as some sort of fairytale cottage, and the interior does nothing to discourage that notion. I would recommend sitting in the outdoor patio area however, as it is covered, enclosed, and just pleasant to listen to and watch the fountain with your mealGetting to the meal, the portions are BIG, so keep that in mind when ordering...two people with average appetites can probably split one dish and come away happy. The cuisine is fairly traditional persian, and there are not too many vegetarian options, so be sure you enjoy chicken, kebab, or lamb if you are coming hereThat said, the food is meaty, well seasoned, and filling, though a little on the slow side. I ordered the Fesenjun, a chicken stew in a sweet pomegranete sauce, served over basmati rice. I happen to have a bit of a sweet tooth, so this dish was perfect for me. The flavors blended excellently, and the rice was more of a serving platter and could have provided a meal of its own.The service is not fantastic, but neither is it horrible, so if you eat here, be prepared to take your time and dont look to rush, because you will simply be frustrated. Afterward, if you have time to kill, the pyramid hookah lounge is two doors down, and the perfect complement to a persian mealPrice: $10-20 per entreeGood for: casual dining, datesRecommended Dish: Chicken Fesenjun