Shalizaar

Shalizaar is one of the finest Persian restaurants in the Bay Area and has been serving delicious Persian cuisine for over 23 years now. First established in 1996 in Mountain View, we moved to 25th Avenue in San Mateo in 2000 and have been situated in Belmont since September 2007.

At the helm of our team are three highly skilled food visionaries who have been associated with fine cuisine and the restaurant business for a very long time. Afshin Abbasi, Saeed Ayagh and Narges Ayagh have worked very hard to bring Shalizaar to the place it enjoys today.

Along with us is a staff of loyal and talented people. Most of the staff has worked with Shalizaar for over 15 years. We have a very low staff turnover, and our people stay close and stay strong because of our family atmosphere.

Saeed Ayagh has been associated with the restaurant business for a very long time. He and his family were part of Iran’s restaurant industry from 1978 until Saeed moved to California in 1994. From then on, he worked for Iranian restaurants until 1996. In late 1996, he opened his own restaurant and called it Shalizaar. The rest is history.

Afshin Abbasi has been in the restaurant business since 1995 and has worked with some of the best names in the industry including Chef Bradley Ogden, who is one of America’s best chefs and is known as the pioneer of updating and modernizing American cuisine. Abbasi gained a wholesome experience working at Chef Ogden’s restaurant in Santa Clara. He also has abundant experience in the hospitality industry, having worked for Marriott for 3 years and Embassy Suites for 2 years.

In addition to his excellent cooking skills, Afshin Abbasi has his wine knowledge and skills from master sommelier Randall Bertao as well as Robert Sharp, who is also a recognized sommelier.

Shalizaar is a Persian restaurant par excellence, and the food here surpasses the standards of the best Persian restaurants the world over. In addition, we also have a comprehensive catering line. We have a huge banquet hall, which is a tall, elegant structure with a capacity of 180 people. There you can celebrate all your greatest life events and occasions with class and style.