Ordering Food in Farsi: Restaurant Survival Guide

Q: How do I order food in Farsi without a menu?

Ask emruz chi dârid? (what do you have today?) or chi pishnehâd mikonid? (what do you recommend?). The waiter will list available dishes. Point at other tables if you see something good: oun chi-e? (what's that?). In kebab shops, the options are usually just koobideh, jujeh, and barg. you can't go wrong.

Q: What does "daste shoma dard nakone" mean?

دست شما درد نکنه literally means "may your hands not hurt". it's a phrase thanking someone for their physical effort, especially in cooking. Saying this to the cook or server after a meal is the highest compliment in Iranian food culture. It's more personal than mersi. it specifically acknowledges the labor of preparing the food.

Q: What is doogh and should I order it?

دوغ (dugh) is a carbonated yogurt drink flavored with salt and dried mint. It's the traditional pairing with kebab. like beer with pizza in Western culture. It tastes like fizzy salty yogurt, which sounds terrible until you try it with a plate of koobideh in 40-degree heat. Then it makes perfect sense. Order it at least once.

How to order food in Farsi at Iranian restaurants. Menu vocabulary, dietary restrictions, and the phrases that get you fed.

Elyar Rose · الیار

Persian teacher · Milano · December 2026

↗♡

سماور · the samovar, always on

Iranian restaurants break every rule you know about eating out. Half the places don't have printed menus. you ask what's available and the waiter recites it from memory. The bill comes with a ta'arof battle where the server pretends it's free and you insist on paying. The cook might come out to ask if you liked the food. And if you order in Farsi instead of pointing, the entire dynamic shifts. you're no longer a tourist, you're a guest.

This guide walks through the complete restaurant experience. from walking in to walking out. with every phrase you need at each step. It covers traditional sit-down restaurants, kabab shops, and street food stalls.

This is part of the travel Farsi series. The menu reading guide covers the food vocabulary separately.

Step 1: Entering and Being Seated

. سلام، جا دارید؟. Salâm, jâ dârid?. "Hello, do you have a table?"
. سلام، خوش اومدید. چند نفرید؟. Salâm, khosh umadid. Chand nafarid?. "Hello, welcome. How many?"
. دو نفر.. Do nafar.. "Two."
. بفرمایید.. Befarmâyid.. "Please, this way." (بفرمایید is the most versatile polite word. "please sit," "please go ahead," "please take.")

Step 2: Ordering

If there's a menu:

. منو رو ببینم لطفاً.. Menu ro bebinam lotfan.. "Can I see the menu please?"
. یه پرس کوبیده لطفاً.. Ye pors kubide lotfan.. "One serving of koobideh please."
. با نون اضافه.. Bâ nun ezâfe.. "With extra bread."

If there's NO menu (common):

. امروز چی دارید؟. Emruz chi dârid?. "What do you have today?"
. چی پیشنهاد میکنید؟. Chi pishnehâd mikonid?. "What do you recommend?"

Drinks:

. دوغ لطفاً.. Dugh lotfan.. "Doogh please." (yogurt drink. THE drink with kebab)
. آب لطفاً.. Âb lotfan.. "Water please."
. چای لطفاً.. Châi lotfan.. "Tea please." (often offered free after a meal)

Step 3: Dietary Restrictions

Farsi	Transliteration	English
من گیاهخوار هستم	man giyâhkhâr hastam	I'm vegetarian
بدون گوشت لطفاً	bedun-e gusht lotfan	Without meat please
حساسیت دارم به...	hassâsiyat dâram be...	I'm allergic to...
آجیل / بادام	âjil / bâdâm	nuts / almonds
لبنیات	labaniyât	dairy
گندم / گلوتن	gandom / gluten	wheat / gluten
تند نباشه لطفاً	tond nabâshe lotfan	Not spicy please

Step 4: During the Meal

Farsi	Transliteration	English	When
نون دیگه لطفاً	nun dige lotfan	More bread please	Bread runs out fast
آب لطفاً	âb lotfan	Water please	Refills
این خیلی خوشمزه‌ست	in kheyli khoshmaze-st	This is delicious	Always say this
یه کم دیگه لطفاً	ye kam dige lotfan	A little more please	Seconds
ممنون، سیر شدم	mamnun, sir shodam	Thanks, I'm full	When they insist on more

Step 5: Complimenting and Paying

. خیلی خوشمزه بود. دست شما درد نکنه.. Kheyli khoshmaze bud. Daste shomâ dard nakone.. "It was delicious. Bless your hands."
. نوش جان.. Nush-e jân.. "To your soul." (standard response)
. حساب لطفاً.. Hesâb lotfan.. "Check please."
. قابلی نداشت.. Ghâbeli nadâsht.. "It was nothing." (TA'AROF. they still expect payment!)
. خواهش میکنم، چقدر شد؟. Khâhesh mikonam, cheghad shod?. "Please, how much?"

The ta'arof trap: When the server says قابلی نداشت or مهمان ما باشید (mehmân-e mâ bâshid. "be our guest"), they DO NOT mean it's free. This is ta'arof. You insist on paying. They insist it's free. You insist again. They accept your money. This dance is expected and takes about 15 seconds. The ta'arof guide explains the full system.

Types of Iranian Restaurants

رستوران سنتی (restorân-e sonnati). Traditional restaurant. Full menu, seating on platforms with cushions, often live music. Formal service.
کبابی (kabâbi). Kebab shop. Limited menu (2-4 types of kebab + rice). Fast, cheap, no-frills. Order at counter.
اغذیه‌فروشی (aghziye-forushi). Fast food / sandwich shop. Persian burgers, falafel, sandwiches.
سفره‌خانه (sofre-khâne). Traditional dining house. Floor seating, family-style serving. More communal.

For a deeper look at regional Iranian cuisine before your trip, Lonely Planet's guide to Iranian food covers the essential dishes by region.

FAQ

How do I order food in Farsi without a menu?

Ask emruz chi dârid? (what do you have today?) or chi pishnehâd mikonid? (what do you recommend?). The waiter will list available dishes. Point at other tables if you see something good: oun chi-e? (what's that?). In kebab shops, the options are usually just koobideh, jujeh, and barg. you can't go wrong.

What does "daste shoma dard nakone" mean?

دست شما درد نکنه literally means "may your hands not hurt". it's a phrase thanking someone for their physical effort, especially in cooking. Saying this to the cook or server after a meal is the highest compliment in Iranian food culture. It's more personal than mersi. it specifically acknowledges the labor of preparing the food.

Is it rude to leave food on your plate in Iran?

Not rude, but Iranians may insist you eat more. this is ta'arof. Saying سیر شدم (sir shodam, I'm full) is perfectly polite. You may need to say it 2-3 times before they accept it. Wasting large amounts of food is frowned upon, but leaving a small amount is fine and sometimes expected (it signals you were served generously).

Do I tip at Iranian restaurants?

Tipping isn't required in Iran but is appreciated. 10% is generous. Some restaurants add a service charge (سرویس, servis). In traditional restaurants and for exceptional service, rounding up or leaving extra is common. In kabab shops, tipping isn't expected.

What is doogh and should I order it?

دوغ (dugh) is a carbonated yogurt drink flavored with salt and dried mint. It's the traditional pairing with kebab. like beer with pizza in Western culture. It tastes like fizzy salty yogurt, which sounds terrible until you try it with a plate of koobideh in 40-degree heat. Then it makes perfect sense. Order it at least once.

Ordering food in Farsi isn't just a language skill. it's a cultural experience. The ta'arof, the compliments, the insistence that you eat more. this is Iranian hospitality expressed through food. Learn these phrases, use them, and you'll eat better, pay less, and connect more deeply with the people feeding you.

The 50 travel phrases cover the broader travel vocabulary. The food vocabulary guide has 100+ words for every dish and ingredient.

Heading to Iran? ZabanYar works offline. download the food vocabulary before your trip.

This guide is part of our Essential Farsi for Traveling in Iran series. Head there for the complete travel survival phrasebook.

◆ Try it — the way I’d run it in a lesson

Role-play: the taxi.

I play the driver, you play yourself. I’ll wave you off — قابل نداره. Your job is not to believe me. Insist, twice, with a smile:

خواهش می‌کنم، بفرماییدkhâhesh mikonam, befarmâyid“please, I insist”

نه، اینطوری نمی‌شهna, intori nemishe“no, this won’t do”

We run it three times, then swap roles. By lesson’s end you’ll taarof without thinking — slang, tone, and all.

Get it wrong and the worst that happens is a warm laugh and a story they’ll tell for years. Get it right — refuse the tea twice, accept on the third — and you’ll watch a face open up. You didn’t just speak Persian. You played the game.

Elyar Rose · الیار

A teacher from Tabriz, based in Milano. 5.0 on Preply across 42 reviews, 1,100+ lessons taught. He curates the growing dictionary behind this site.

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