rated by maryam • food critic

Maydoon is one of those spots that makes downtown dining feel easy and exciting. The vibe is modern and warm, music at a happy hum, and the energy from the street spills right in. We started with mast-o-musir and warm pita, and it set the tone perfectly, creamy yogurt with that gentle shallot bite. From there the Sultani arrived glistening from the grill, juicy and well seasoned with that smoky char I love, paired with fluffy saffron rice and a roasted tomato that actually tastes like summer. The chicken breast with a side salad surprised me in the best way, tender and lemony with crisp greens and a bright house dressing. And the lamb shank was the showstopper, fall-off-the-bone in a rich tomato and turmeric broth that soaked into the rice just right. Service was kind and attentive, and the pacing let us linger without ever waiting on a thing. Delicious food, cool location, and a place I’d happily come back to for another round of that lamb shank and mast-o-musir.

+14

Negar Omidvari

Never disappoints! Consistent great quality and taste, and definitely one of the best Iranian restaurants in the area. The dishes are not necessarily made in an authentic traditional way, but taste great anyways. I really love the Meydoon bowl here!

Gah Eun Kim

This place is sooooo good! We ordered maydoon wrap with lamb and shish kabob. Shish kabob is good, and wrap is SUPER GOOOOD. The restaurant looks fancy(and theres lots of ppl wearing fancy clothes for some reasons) but the price is affordable. Wanna visit again! We parked far, but there was lots of place of parking near there(i think it was on 17th st)

Blair Salbaje

This is one is surprising in terms of the atmosphere, service, food and price. If you look from the outside it is very intimidating that it will be very pricey. This is why I would suggest to put a menu out w/ the price. Food was very delicious and the ambiance of the place was very elegant not to mention their service. Our server Santi can detail you what they put, if you have question on what you want to order. This is a must visit!

Lindys M

Highly recommend this place. Food is outstanding. Service is super friendly. Anytime we're in SacTown, this is a must "Stop here" on our things to do. Took my mother here a few times and it immediately became her fave restaurant. The servings are generous so she mostly enjoyed taking her leftovers home. The food is consistently d-lish, which makes me happy and is absolutely high on my list.

Anthony Clark

This place was absolutely amazing. The customer service was on point, my glass never was empty and I didn't have to wait long for any services. Ordered the hummus to start which I will most definitely be getting again. It was so rich, creamy and delicious, plus it was served with warm, soft pita bread. For the main course, I got the chicken soltani which I would have to say was one of the best decisions I made, next to ordering the hummus to start. The chicken and beef kabob was so juicy and prepared just right. The rice was so fluffy and tender. Lastly, I ordered the baklava for desert OMG it was so sweet and crunchy and the authentic baklava taste engulfed my mouth. I would recommend this place if youre in the neighborhood. A+ on every level.

Ashley

After passing by this restaurant countless times, I finally decided to stop in for some authentic Persian food — and I’m so glad I did. From the first bite of the flavorful hummus to the perfectly seasoned shish kabobs, fluffy rice, and tender grilled vegetables, everything was served piping hot and incredibly fresh. The restaurant itself has a warm, welcoming ambiance and was spotless, down to the gleaming gold chandeliers. It’s clear that the owners take great pride in both their food and their space. I’ll definitely be returning for another delicious meal!

+2

Shi Grissom

It was one of the most delicious meals we have had in a longggg time. We went in for lunch, and we are so glad we did. When you first walk in, the decor is beautiful, quiet, and super clean. But it was packed!! Come to find out, it was the last day of Ramadan, and it was the meet-up spot for families. The food..? Amazing. The favorite was definitely the chicken kabob. It was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The house dressing and green sauce, perfection. The falafel was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 10/10 would definitely recommend stopping by. The ice cream was also a fan favorite for our table. If you're in the area, you should check it out.

+3

MOE JARADAT

Easy to find, it's a little hard to find parking spots in busy downtown. Amazing menu, generous portions, reasonable prices,modern and clean facilities. We were a party of 18, our waitress did a great job, however having to ask for sugar for the hot Tea 3 times, then one of us walked up to the bar and picked up some is not acceptable. Hot Tea should be Enjoyed hot, not at room temperature 10 minutes later, lol. Otherwise, it's a great restaurant.

Eddie Lieu

Came here for lunch with a fellow coworker on a Friday (7/12) afternoon. First time here for me. The place is very clean inside out with a very nice bar set up. We were able to get a table without having to wait. Our server was very nice and very hospitable. Menu included options for both vegetarians and non vegetarians. Our food arrived within 10 minutes of placing our order hot from the kitchen. The presentation of the dishes were very colorful and well put together. My chicken kebob with rice turned out very good. Chicken were perfectly seasoned and grilled. Rice was also very good. Our lunch total came to about $23 each with tax and tip and that’s with having water as our beverage. Here’s how Maydoon scored: Service (5/5). Food (5/5). Atmosphere (5/5). Value to Price Ratio (4/5). Overall experience (4.5/5). Maydoon offers a very pleasant dining experience with plenty of options on the menu for everyone. Service is great. Persian food is delicious. Expect to pay a higher premium to dine here however even for lunch. Will definitely come back to try out some of the other items on the menu. If you find this review helpful, please give the like or ❤️ button tap below

+2

Alisa Takeuchi

Wow! What an unexpected surprise. I'd never had Persian food before, but this place was highly recommended, and I can see why. The service is great. The staff is so friendly and helpful, and the food I'd fantastic. I don't eat rice anymore and they offered to replace it with salad, which was fantastic. I had the shish kebab, and it was so flavorful and tender. My BF had the lamb shank, and it was so tender that it completely fell off the bone. The portions are very generous. Neither one of us finished, and they will both make excellent leftovers. And the prices are very reasonable for the quality and amount of food. I highly recommend it and I will be back!

+2

Far Zad

This was my first time at this restaurant in Sacramento. Very nice and attentive staff, and a nice downtown atmosphere. The food is really good too. However, I’ve had better Persian food in other restaurants in Sacramento. Salad Shirazi was really tasteless. Joo Biden can be improved. Their chelo Kabab barg was good, and the Kashk e bademjoon was pretty good with fresh pitta bread. Our group felt that Gheymeh and rice were also nice.

Michelle Anderson

I had high expectations for Maydoon, but unfortunately, the experience fell short. I'm familiar with Persian cuisine and was excited to see how their take compared. On the positive side, the cocktails were creative and very well crafted, definitely a highlight of the evening. However, the ambience felt more cafeteria-like than cozy or inviting, and the food didn't arrive hot, which was disappointing. The tahdig was served hard as a rock, and while the topping had good flavor, it was far too sparse. The kashke bademjan was decent but lacked the depth and punch I was hoping for. The koobideh and chicken kebabs were flavorful and nicely prepared, but the filet kabob was surprisingly tough and bland. For a 30-minute drive to get there, the overall experience just didn't feel worth the trip.

Amir Dehghan

Unfortunately this place is way below the rating it has on Google. We ordered a chicken kabab and a koobide Chicken kabab was definitely not a Persian style as I was only tasting Indian spices and nothing close to traditional Iranian marinate. Koobide was really bad. First of all in each bite you could feel the excessive smell of fat which was I guess hiding something in koobide. I also strongly tasted ground soy bean or bread crumbs in my koobide. Whatever it was, definitely not a high quality meat used for my lunch. Mast moosir (must musir in the menu) was very good and the only piece that we could enjoy. The service was almost 5/10 and surprisingly the check started tips from 18%! I think there’s a misconception with these businesses. When you get a tip that you offer some at least close to normal service. Just bringing the food doesn’t mean you deserve a good tip! The food might not be bad for non Iranians but for the ones who tasted the real dishes, I don’t recommend maydoon. It was so disappointing and I hope the owner read and fix the issues. It has a great potential to be a good restaurant. Price: 5/10 Taste: 4/10 Portion: 6/10 Service: 4/10 Good luck with your business!

+2