Azizam

Originally a pop-up, Azizam is a casual all-day cafe in Silver Lake that serves classic, homey Persian food, which is a set-up you don’t typically find in this part of town. Yes, LA—the city with the largest Iranian community in America—is home to banquet halls, kabob houses, and even grocery stores with excellent fesenjan and shirazi salad, but less common is the combination Azizam offers: a breezy, counter-service spot where you can order a kuku sabzi sandwich and pomegranate radler and stretch out next to a post-punk bassist and a micro-influencer gabbing about their jewelry line.

Azizam reminds us of the Kismets and Botanicas of the world: new-wave Mediterranean/Middle Eastern restaurants that source beautiful produce and curate their Instagram feed. That’s not to call it derivative, though. If anything, it’s kind of revolutionary. 

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

The dining room at Azizam is flooded with natural light, and in the daytime, it exists as a quiet, impermeable bubble on Sunset—one that’s ripe for a leisurely lunch with a book, friend, or sleeping baby. Not much changes at night, either. People from the neighborhood stroll in for wine, Persian craft beer, and the same menu of colorful cold mazeh, like a punchy shallot yogurt dip, pickled veggies, and bowls of smashed olives tossed in tart pomegranate molasses. You can easily use Azizam to drink and graze, but we prefer piecing together a family-style meal of hot dishes.

Within ten minutes of ordering, you’re served things like freshly baked barbari, fluffy dampokhtak rice topped with a turmeric-stained chicken leg, and grapefruit-sized kofteh tabrizi studded with walnuts and dried fruit. Everything is warm, comforting, and pleasantly unfussy. It’s easy to kill an hour or two at Azizam because it’s not reinventing delicious Persian cooking. It’s simply providing a new backdrop.

Food Rundown

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Mazeh Plate

Don’t be the person who holds up the line when you can’t decide which of the half-dozen cold dishes to order, especially because you can order a few of them as mazeh plate. The snacky spread comes with fresh barbari to make DIY Persian sandwiches with, plus feta crumbles, pickles, and fresh herbs. Start with this whether you’re here for a full meal or just drinks.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Maman’s Fried Potatoes

These tender potatoes look like a spud exploded into different-sized nuggets. The smaller bits get extra crispy, the bigger ones become soft when you squeeze lemon on top, and all of them are coated in sumac to keep things bright and tangy. The thin slices of raw onion add a nice bite, too.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Kofteh Tabrizi

When LA decides not to be sunny and perfect we need something warm and comforting—this giant meatball is just that. The beef and rice mixture soaks up the savory tomato broth at the bottom, and softened walnuts and dried fruit add crunch and a little sweetness.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Eggplant Khoresht

You need to fit everything on this plate onto one spoonful to understand why this dish so good. The braised eggplant is soft, the split peas are creamy, and the fried potato strings on top keep the mixture from tasting like tomatoey mush. The tart tomato sauce is delicious, though, and even better when scooped up with basmati rice.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Turmeric Braised Jidori Chicken

The jidori chicken gets the name check here, but it’s not the best part of this dish (sorry, chicken). That would be the buttery turmeric rice underneath, which is salty and fluffy with texture from tender fava beans and crispy shallots. The juicy, turmeric-stained chicken leg on top is more of a bonus. Add the optional fried egg, too. A runny yolk in that rice is the best bite at Azizam.

photo credit: Jessie Clapp

Persian Mille Feuille

The first time we walked into Azizam and made eye contact with this in the pastry case, we knew we had to have it. It’s as if a kooky French pastry chef tried to make baklava but got carried away (in a good way). Each layer has fluffy cream, crumbled pistachio for crunch, and a sweet jam that changes with the seasons. Please enjoy with a mint tea.