Darya

For close to three decades, this top-notch Persian restaurant in West L.A. with another location in Orange County has served excellent kebabs, stews and rice dishes. The signature naderi kebab, made with center-cut filet mignon, comes with a delectable housemade marinade, plus the usual charbroiled tomato and basmati rice, and you can’t go wrong with their other chicken and beef cuts as well. There’s a reason Darya—which means “ocean” in Farsi—has stuck around for so long; the kitchen values quality and consistency, from an always great juicy chicken kebab that’s marinated overnight in lemon juice, yogurt and saffron to a phenomenal ghormeh sabzi, a spinach-rich stew loaded with kidney beans, beef and plenty of herbs and a homey staple dish in Iran and its diaspora. For an even more decadent kebab feast, swap out your rice for one of the polos studded with herbs, legumes or dried fruit; the slight upcharge adds even more flavor to your meal.