The owner of this business is a rude older man. He treated me poorly, I will not give him my business and I will also tell my family and friends.
Timothy Legault
Fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere. Wait staff was very knowledgeable and service was quick.
Greg Wolfe
Absolutely amazing food! We especially like the sauce from the pomegranate chicken and love the pickled vegetables. Process in these strange lockdown times: As of May 2020 menus are not online but you can text the listed number to ask for a photo of the current menu and then order via phone for pickup.
Toni M.
This is another place I've followed Ed U to. It wasn't our first attempt at eating here. We walked in a year or two ago. Several people were seated at the bar. If there was staff there we didn't see them and we were not acknowledged. We took a look at the menu on the bar top, didn't see anything that called to us and left. Then, a couple of days ago I read Ed's review of his experience and the chicken really interested me.Today I called and spoke w/ Jamshied, the owner. He told me he had all the appetizers and one main, the lamb shank. When I told him Alan wouldn't want a lamb shank he told me he had chicken, just not the sauce. If Alan wanted the chicken he could put the sauce from the lamb on it. Rather than keeping him hanging on the phone while Alan and I sorted it out, I hung up and Alan looked at the menu online. We agreed on the beet salad to share. I wanted the yogurt dip along w/ the lamb shank and he decided to have the stuffed bell pepper and the fire roasted eggplant rather than the chicken. I called Jamshied back several times and received no answer, then he called me back, apologizing because he'd been so busy w/ customers, which is a very good sign. I ordered everything and added pita bread for the yogurt dip and the eggplant. Jamshied said it could be ready about 6:00 and I said we'd pick it up around 6:30. I forgot to ask about rice pilaf.When I arrived I asked Jamshied about the pilaf. He said it would take a little while to prepare, so I sat in the car and waited. When it was ready he told me there was less than he had anticipated, so he was giving it to me. He gave me instructions on reheating the lamb shank. The pita could be warmed and both the stuffed pepper and eggplant are to be served cold. When I got home I put the lamb shank and sauce, along w/ a tiny bit of water, in a covered frying pan on low heat. I quickly warmed the rice and heated the pita from a package of 6 whole wheat ones from Oasis, one at a time in a small dry frying pan. We started w/ the yogurt and the eggplant and the pita while the lamb cooked. Both were very tasty, as was the pita. The lamb was a very generous portion and the sauce was a mixture of chopped tomatoes, zucchini, lentils, cauliflower and assorted other vegetables. It was tender and flavorful, quite a bargain for $15. I didn't have room for the beet salad after all that, so we will have what was left of the eggplant, yogurt dip and the salad tomorrow. Alan liked the stuffed pepper, although it had a little bit of spicy heat that surprised him. He would order it again. I will keep checking for when Jamshied has the chicken as the main, because I really like the pomegranate-walnut sauce. The restaurant is cash only.When I went to write this review I read Jamshied's statement and learned that he had owned Saffron Gourmet on lower Solano, which had been one of my very favorite spots to shop for tea, buckwheat groats, feta cheese and other interesting goods. I was very sad when it closed in 2010. He taught me the difference between French and Bulgarian feta. Next time I'm here I will tell him. We might have recognized one another had we not been wearing masks.
Ed U.
** The following review reflects my experience DURING the shelter-in-place order currently in effect. ** I've passed by this spot on Solano Avenue many times, but since Solano was usually a Sunday stroll for Jamie W. and me, it was never open when we took a glance at their quiet facade and consequently didn't quite make my mental to-try list, especially with the similarly themed Chez Mansour just a few doors down. Until COVID-19. With our face coverings on, Jamie W. and I have been walking the neighborhood and saw that Enoteca was proactively pitching their Mediterranean-style dishes for takeout with a basket of their menus outside the front door.Since our walking routes are premeditated due to shelter-in-place, I decided we should finally give Enoteca a try since I took photos of their menu and contact info on our last walk. I called, and the owner picked up and let me know what he had ready that evening and that he serves it cold, which was fine by us since we had quite a hike back home ahead of us. We ordered a couple of house specialties, the $15 Persian Pomegranate Chicken in a sauce that included walnuts, butternut squash, and herbs & spices. It looked luxuriant in the takeout box, four plump chicken legs with the thighs attached and covered with the velvety sauce (photo: heated them up in a frying pan with the sauce warm and bubbly. It was delicious, quite a unique treat as I usually don't go for sauces on the sweeter side, but the pomegranate flavor lent surprising depth. As our appetizers, the $4 Beet Salad was a good choice with fresh fennel, celery, onion, and feta marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar (photo: We also went for an extra shared treat, the $4 trio of Dolmas stuffed with rice and spices and covered with a pomegranate mint glaze, raisins, and toasted almonds (photo: We agreed it was quite a stellar Middle Eastern feast and made us want to come back when real dining becomes safe again. I won't be ignoring Enoteca anymore.FOOD - 5 stars...Persian delights are in store for youAMBIANCE - n/a...looks nice but it was purely takeout SERVICE - 5 stars...the owner was really thankful for our business, and I was grateful he was operating his business during these challenging timesTOTAL - 5 stars...definitely one to try in a post-COVID-19 world RELATED - Strolling Solano Avenue? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed:
Sharon N.
This has been our go-to for the best takeaway during Shelter in Place. The dolmas, yogurt dip, pickles, pomegranate chicken are all outstanding - everything is very fresh and tasty and the owner is wonderful.
Philippa K.
This is a wonderful restaurant. We originally stopped there to buy some of the inexpensive wines advertised - but the food looked and smelled so good that we ordered that as well. We've now been back twice, and it's only been ten days since we discovered this place. Great takeout, scrupulously clean, wonderful man who manages and cooks. This is a real find. We have had beef and chicken and vegetarian dishes - all wonderful. Our chihuahua agrees - she immediately took the beef bone out and buried it, and can be seen from time to time enjoying groundhog day in that corner of the garden.
Stuart C.
Yes! The takeout last night had my family saying wow, yum, and licking our chops over these complex recipes that are so original. We had tried to eat here about 6 months ago but the owner had such a strange schedule it never worked. During COVID he seems to have put up a sign outside with his menu but doesn't advertise so people don't know about it. You can call. He's open Tuesday -Saturday (he doesn't update Yelp's hours). Most amazing was the Pomegranate Chicken. The vegetarian stew was also delicious and complex -- I especially loved the apricots and adding a bit of the goat cheese that came on the side. Beef stew was also a winner (according to family members) but the lamb shank not quite as good. He also sells wine, with a great selection, a nice way to support him.
Tina Kremzner-Hsing
Wonderful food and lovely service! We ordered the lamb, Moroccan meatballs, dolmas and eggplant – all so flavorful without being too greasy or salty! The lamb was very tender and paired nicely with a fresh tomato sauce with plenty of vegetables! The meatballs were perfectly spiced, as well! We will definitely be ordering from Enoteca again! Great selection of wines, too! Thank you very much!
Sue Pucci-Walker
We've just enjoyed Chef Jamshied's delicious Easter Special - fantastic lamb meatballs in a wonderful sauce coupled with a side of rice pilaf. We paired our dish with the Cadaretta Syrah, just great or us! As always, enjoying a meal prepared by Chef Jamshied was full of wonderful flavors and textures. Looking forward to our next dinner already.
I want to give a shout out to this small little Persian restaurant on Solano Ave. The owner is trying to make a go of it in this difficult time during shelter in place. My wife and I ordered last night and picked it up on site and I must say I had one of the best meals in a long time. He also sells wine by the bottle and had a lot of deals ready to go! We ordered the pomegranate walnut chicken,eggplant dip, beet salad, and a beautiful rice dish. What I like about this menu is it it is not very complicated and the prices are very low compared to the quality of the food that you take home. It's delicious flavor driven foods, made with love and care it's almost like you're eating in his living room, but actually it was our living room. Please support this restaurant as any restaurant at this time they need, you won't be disappointed here.
My husband & I have been coming here for over a year. We love the food and Jamshied's hospitality. We've come both for dinner and for his special events. I've never been very fond of dolmas until I had them here. The pomegranate syrup along with pistachios and dried fruits really make the dolmas special. The lentil soup and mezze plate are also very good. My husband usually gets the lamb shank. Jamshied likes to change it up and it's always delicious. I usually get whatever chicken (or Cornish game hen) dish he's serving. It's always flavorful and delicious. He also has special events which are wine tastings with a set menu. These are good values for the money as the pours are generous as is the food. He has a good selection of wine at reasonable prices. At Enoteca Mediterriano, you get delicious food served up by a charming host.
Gary Head
I really enjoyed their food. I always get awesome service here. The place is clean and the employees are always super nice. Will visit here again.
Ian W.
Hit or miss - he either likes you or he doesn't. If he likes you, service is fine. If he doesn't, it'll be terrible and he'll make sure you know he doesn't like you. If you go weekly and then stop for a while, don't go back because he will take your brief absence as a personal affront and make sure you realize that when he next serves you. Aside from that, the hours are pretty odd. Two hours a day, 4 days a week.
The owner of this business is a rude older man. He treated me poorly, I will not give him my business and I will also tell my family and friends.
Fine dining in a comfortable atmosphere. Wait staff was very knowledgeable and service was quick.
Absolutely amazing food! We especially like the sauce from the pomegranate chicken and love the pickled vegetables. Process in these strange lockdown times: As of May 2020 menus are not online but you can text the listed number to ask for a photo of the current menu and then order via phone for pickup.
This is another place I've followed Ed U to. It wasn't our first attempt at eating here. We walked in a year or two ago. Several people were seated at the bar. If there was staff there we didn't see them and we were not acknowledged. We took a look at the menu on the bar top, didn't see anything that called to us and left. Then, a couple of days ago I read Ed's review of his experience and the chicken really interested me.Today I called and spoke w/ Jamshied, the owner. He told me he had all the appetizers and one main, the lamb shank. When I told him Alan wouldn't want a lamb shank he told me he had chicken, just not the sauce. If Alan wanted the chicken he could put the sauce from the lamb on it. Rather than keeping him hanging on the phone while Alan and I sorted it out, I hung up and Alan looked at the menu online. We agreed on the beet salad to share. I wanted the yogurt dip along w/ the lamb shank and he decided to have the stuffed bell pepper and the fire roasted eggplant rather than the chicken. I called Jamshied back several times and received no answer, then he called me back, apologizing because he'd been so busy w/ customers, which is a very good sign. I ordered everything and added pita bread for the yogurt dip and the eggplant. Jamshied said it could be ready about 6:00 and I said we'd pick it up around 6:30. I forgot to ask about rice pilaf.When I arrived I asked Jamshied about the pilaf. He said it would take a little while to prepare, so I sat in the car and waited. When it was ready he told me there was less than he had anticipated, so he was giving it to me. He gave me instructions on reheating the lamb shank. The pita could be warmed and both the stuffed pepper and eggplant are to be served cold. When I got home I put the lamb shank and sauce, along w/ a tiny bit of water, in a covered frying pan on low heat. I quickly warmed the rice and heated the pita from a package of 6 whole wheat ones from Oasis, one at a time in a small dry frying pan. We started w/ the yogurt and the eggplant and the pita while the lamb cooked. Both were very tasty, as was the pita. The lamb was a very generous portion and the sauce was a mixture of chopped tomatoes, zucchini, lentils, cauliflower and assorted other vegetables. It was tender and flavorful, quite a bargain for $15. I didn't have room for the beet salad after all that, so we will have what was left of the eggplant, yogurt dip and the salad tomorrow. Alan liked the stuffed pepper, although it had a little bit of spicy heat that surprised him. He would order it again. I will keep checking for when Jamshied has the chicken as the main, because I really like the pomegranate-walnut sauce. The restaurant is cash only.When I went to write this review I read Jamshied's statement and learned that he had owned Saffron Gourmet on lower Solano, which had been one of my very favorite spots to shop for tea, buckwheat groats, feta cheese and other interesting goods. I was very sad when it closed in 2010. He taught me the difference between French and Bulgarian feta. Next time I'm here I will tell him. We might have recognized one another had we not been wearing masks.
** The following review reflects my experience DURING the shelter-in-place order currently in effect. ** I've passed by this spot on Solano Avenue many times, but since Solano was usually a Sunday stroll for Jamie W. and me, it was never open when we took a glance at their quiet facade and consequently didn't quite make my mental to-try list, especially with the similarly themed Chez Mansour just a few doors down. Until COVID-19. With our face coverings on, Jamie W. and I have been walking the neighborhood and saw that Enoteca was proactively pitching their Mediterranean-style dishes for takeout with a basket of their menus outside the front door.Since our walking routes are premeditated due to shelter-in-place, I decided we should finally give Enoteca a try since I took photos of their menu and contact info on our last walk. I called, and the owner picked up and let me know what he had ready that evening and that he serves it cold, which was fine by us since we had quite a hike back home ahead of us. We ordered a couple of house specialties, the $15 Persian Pomegranate Chicken in a sauce that included walnuts, butternut squash, and herbs & spices. It looked luxuriant in the takeout box, four plump chicken legs with the thighs attached and covered with the velvety sauce (photo: heated them up in a frying pan with the sauce warm and bubbly. It was delicious, quite a unique treat as I usually don't go for sauces on the sweeter side, but the pomegranate flavor lent surprising depth. As our appetizers, the $4 Beet Salad was a good choice with fresh fennel, celery, onion, and feta marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar (photo: We also went for an extra shared treat, the $4 trio of Dolmas stuffed with rice and spices and covered with a pomegranate mint glaze, raisins, and toasted almonds (photo: We agreed it was quite a stellar Middle Eastern feast and made us want to come back when real dining becomes safe again. I won't be ignoring Enoteca anymore.FOOD - 5 stars...Persian delights are in store for youAMBIANCE - n/a...looks nice but it was purely takeout SERVICE - 5 stars...the owner was really thankful for our business, and I was grateful he was operating his business during these challenging timesTOTAL - 5 stars...definitely one to try in a post-COVID-19 world RELATED - Strolling Solano Avenue? Here's a collection of places I've tried and reviewed:
This has been our go-to for the best takeaway during Shelter in Place. The dolmas, yogurt dip, pickles, pomegranate chicken are all outstanding - everything is very fresh and tasty and the owner is wonderful.
This is a wonderful restaurant. We originally stopped there to buy some of the inexpensive wines advertised - but the food looked and smelled so good that we ordered that as well. We've now been back twice, and it's only been ten days since we discovered this place. Great takeout, scrupulously clean, wonderful man who manages and cooks. This is a real find. We have had beef and chicken and vegetarian dishes - all wonderful. Our chihuahua agrees - she immediately took the beef bone out and buried it, and can be seen from time to time enjoying groundhog day in that corner of the garden.
Yes! The takeout last night had my family saying wow, yum, and licking our chops over these complex recipes that are so original. We had tried to eat here about 6 months ago but the owner had such a strange schedule it never worked. During COVID he seems to have put up a sign outside with his menu but doesn't advertise so people don't know about it. You can call. He's open Tuesday -Saturday (he doesn't update Yelp's hours). Most amazing was the Pomegranate Chicken. The vegetarian stew was also delicious and complex -- I especially loved the apricots and adding a bit of the goat cheese that came on the side. Beef stew was also a winner (according to family members) but the lamb shank not quite as good. He also sells wine, with a great selection, a nice way to support him.
Wonderful food and lovely service! We ordered the lamb, Moroccan meatballs, dolmas and eggplant – all so flavorful without being too greasy or salty! The lamb was very tender and paired nicely with a fresh tomato sauce with plenty of vegetables! The meatballs were perfectly spiced, as well! We will definitely be ordering from Enoteca again! Great selection of wines, too! Thank you very much!
We've just enjoyed Chef Jamshied's delicious Easter Special - fantastic lamb meatballs in a wonderful sauce coupled with a side of rice pilaf. We paired our dish with the Cadaretta Syrah, just great or us! As always, enjoying a meal prepared by Chef Jamshied was full of wonderful flavors and textures. Looking forward to our next dinner already.
Restaurantji Recommends
I want to give a shout out to this small little Persian restaurant on Solano Ave. The owner is trying to make a go of it in this difficult time during shelter in place. My wife and I ordered last night and picked it up on site and I must say I had one of the best meals in a long time. He also sells wine by the bottle and had a lot of deals ready to go! We ordered the pomegranate walnut chicken,eggplant dip, beet salad, and a beautiful rice dish. What I like about this menu is it it is not very complicated and the prices are very low compared to the quality of the food that you take home. It's delicious flavor driven foods, made with love and care it's almost like you're eating in his living room, but actually it was our living room. Please support this restaurant as any restaurant at this time they need, you won't be disappointed here.
© 2020 Nextdoor I find the owner charming and a great chef.I want him to stay in business in these hard times. He was suppose to have a wine paring dinner to celebrate Persian New Years ,now it is takeout. Event details Dear Friends of Enoteca Mediterraneo, The 5 Course Persian New Year Dinner is still available FOR PICK UP this Saturday 3/21 and Sunday 3/22. The cost of the menu without wine is $30 and will be available for pick up between 3pm and 7pm on both days. Please call me to order and schedule pick up. ALL WINES ARE CURRENTLY ON SALE 20% OFF. Please note that starting on Monday 3/23 there will be an expanded To-Go menu. I will send further information in the next days. I want to thank you for your continued support. I wish you and your family good health during these difficult times. Please stay safe, Jamshied 510~529~1344 I think that it is still Cash only
My husband & I have been coming here for over a year. We love the food and Jamshied's hospitality. We've come both for dinner and for his special events. I've never been very fond of dolmas until I had them here. The pomegranate syrup along with pistachios and dried fruits really make the dolmas special. The lentil soup and mezze plate are also very good. My husband usually gets the lamb shank. Jamshied likes to change it up and it's always delicious. I usually get whatever chicken (or Cornish game hen) dish he's serving. It's always flavorful and delicious. He also has special events which are wine tastings with a set menu. These are good values for the money as the pours are generous as is the food. He has a good selection of wine at reasonable prices. At Enoteca Mediterriano, you get delicious food served up by a charming host.
I really enjoyed their food. I always get awesome service here. The place is clean and the employees are always super nice. Will visit here again.
Hit or miss - he either likes you or he doesn't. If he likes you, service is fine. If he doesn't, it'll be terrible and he'll make sure you know he doesn't like you. If you go weekly and then stop for a while, don't go back because he will take your brief absence as a personal affront and make sure you realize that when he next serves you. Aside from that, the hours are pretty odd. Two hours a day, 4 days a week.