Joining me, as always, were my friends from Kootook Travel and Mr. Taster! We started off at an old-school cafe near Tajrish Square in the northern part of Tehran. He also came here with The Food Ranger, Trevor James!
They were making a Persian omelette with tomatoes and oil (omelette goje farangi), sunny-side up eggs (nimroo), and some barbari bread. We started with the nimroo and barbari bread, which was nice and fluffy.
We followed that with the omelette goje farangi, which contains roughly the same amount of tomatoes and eggs! They’re so fresh and rich, but also light!
We ended with some Persian tea served with rock candy, which you use to mix and sweeten it. Then, I headed into the kitchen and saw them cooking more eggs in little pots.
Adding red pepper to the eggs made them a lot spicier. They were great, as was the tea! Then, they brought us some lavash, which was thin and fluffy and was great for soaking up the rest of the tomatoes and oil.
Next, we headed to the restaurant next door, where they were making a mix of noodles, beans, chickpeas, vegetables, curd, , mint, and onion. They also made us some haleem topped with sugar, cinnamon, and sesame seeds. We had them with lavash.
The dish with the noodles, beans, and chickpeas had an amazing combination of flavors. I loved the lightness of the curd.
The haleem was very pasty, and adding the sugar and cinnamon made it sweeter and heartier! I loved the cinnamon. It was the most decadent haleem I’d ever had! I also liked the crunch of the sesame seeds!
I tried the haleem with the lavash. Mr. Taster told me people don’t really do that, but I liked it! Then, we headed to Tajrish Market nearby, where I tried a fruit called goje sabz, which was sour and tasty! I liked how meaty it was!
Near the entrance to the bazaar are lots of fruit and vegetable vendors. We saw some selling grape leaves, which they use to wrap dolmas! Then, we headed inside. It’s a great place to people watch.
Inside were people selling dates, spices, nuts, rose petals, lettuce, spinach, and garlic. Then, I found a vendor selling lots of pendants featuring the Evil Eye! I got some for my daughters and kept going.
Further on, we saw clothing and items for children, as well as more fruit. I found some white berries, which were very sweet!
Back outside, we found a holy shrine with a dome and minarets. It was gorgeous and had vibrant blue, aqua, and yellow colors. It reminded me of the architecture in Uzbekistan.
Inside, we visited the mirror room, but we had to be quiet, as prayer was in session. The entire room glittered and shimmered!
My name is David Hoffmann. Since starting David’s Been Here in 2008, I have traveled to over 1,300 destinations in 91 countries to experience and document unique cultures on my YouTube channel, travel blog, and social media. I highlight culture and historical sites, but my passion is food! I love to experience and showcase the different flavors each destination has to offer, from casual street food to gourmet restaurant dining.
Thanks for watching and subscribing!
Supa hey everyone, this is David Hoffman from David's Bin here with Mr. Taster in Tehran.
Supa hey.
Good morning.
Supa hey.
Today it is 10 in the morning and we're going to go on a little breakfast tour.
It's 11.
It's one hour delay.
We're starting a little late.
Unfortunately, big traffic jams here in Tehran.
We're going to have some breakfast.
So what is breakfast here?
There's an old cafe called Fat Cafe in Tajrish Square which is next to Tajrish Bazaar.
We're going to go for Persian omelette and egg.
They got DZ as well but we're going to try DZ somewhere else.
And we've got Seth Matthews as well.
We're going to try next.
Okay.
You ready?
I'm ready.
All right.
So let's go upstairs and after this we're going to also see the bazaar and this is one
of the most famous squares in the city.
All right.
Let's go.
Look at this.
Beautiful.
This is like an old school cafe.
Right?
We've been here forever.
Oh yeah.
This is for the creamy egg and omelette.
Amazing.
Hello.
Salaam.
How are you doing?
Hello.
Salaam.
They're making some eggs here.
Smells so good.
All right.
So we're going to start off with some omelette.
These eggs are heavy on oil.
Basically the pan is full of oil.
Then he puts two eggs inside.
Then next to it he has like some tomato paste.
Right?
This is actually tomato.
Tomato.
He's putting the tomato paste.
But normally at home we use turmeric in it and also onions and garlic sometimes.
And garlic.
Wow.
Looks good.
It smells great.
I'm a huge fan of eggs with tomato.
So good.
With bread?
You guys have bread?
Of course.
Yeah.
Bread.
Burberry bread.
This is going to be good.
So light spices in here, right?
Yeah.
Wow.
Look at that egg.
Is that for us?
Let's go.
I'm hungry.
It's time for some Persian omelette.
Ali.
How you doing?
Good morning.
Having some tea?
Yeah.
And there's breakfast.
I'm ready to go.
You ready?
Yeah.
So first I start with the egg.
Okay.
Yours.
This is mine.
Mm-hmm.
So we just dip it in here?
Dip it in here.
Like that.
Oh.
Get all that yolk.
Yeah.
Mm-hmm.
Look at the bite.
You have a big bite.
Mm-hmm.
This is so fresh, huh?
Mm.
But this bread?
Mm.
Nice and fluffy.
This is fluffier than most of the breads we've had.
Yeah.
Other breads are very, very thin and crispy.
This is super nice.
Look.
Nice and fluffy.
Nice and doughy, right?
And over here we have the tomato, right?
Yeah.
This one is omelette.
Look at this, guys.
Omelette.
This is incredible.
You ready?
Yeah, I'm ready.
Oh, yeah.
Get as much as possible, right?
Oh.
Mm.
Wow.
Tomato's like next level.
Wow.
Mm.
That's wow.
That is wow.
That is like...
Wow.
Oh, it's so good.
And it's light.
Nice and oily.
Giving to Mr. Ali.
Mm-hmm.
It's not fair.
We eat all the time and he's watching us.
I know.
He knows we're watching.
Don't do that, please.
Mm.
Oh, with some onion, right?
Yeah.
Mm.
So sharp.
Yeah.
Mm.
Oh, my gosh.
Crazy combination, huh?
Look at that.
Mm.
Wow.
What a way to start the day, huh?
Mm.
Thank you.
Yeah, so this is how we're going to have our tea, right?
If you want to, you can mix it.
Yeah.
It's amazing.
This.
It's like sugar stick.
Yeah.
So where do they make this?
Yeah.
Because he was saying it's a different, like in Yads or something, right?
In Mashhad.
There are many factories making it.
I love the setting here.
Super old school cafe.
Like a Persian cafe.
Yeah.
Incredible.
So what else do they serve?
Just eggs and?
The omelette and for lunch, they serve, I think, dizi.
Dizi.
And some other foods like zahresh polo, sabzi polo.
Oh, so they have a mixed stuff.
Makkarani.
Yeah.
I didn't know that.
Kofte tabrizi.
Yeah.
Many foods here.
You should come for lunch.
This is the best eggs.
So you come here a lot?
No.
No?
My last time was with Trevor.
Oh, last time was with Trevor.
So Trevor James was here.
Yeah.
He was ranging on that food.
Exactly.
Mmm.
Oh, wow.
Is that eggs and tomato as well?
Yeah.
So it's almost like a, I don't even know, like a poached egg with tomato, right?
That's what's happening here.
Yeah, so they put it here.
Ooh, it's super, super hot.
I love this type of place, right?
Super relaxing.
Super chill.
And they open early, I'm sure, but we got here a little late.
It's okay.
And you see many old people.
Yeah, yeah.
A lot of regulars, right?
They've been coming here for 50 years.
They can add paprika.
I personally love paprika.
Really?
Yeah, yeah.
Nice spice, right?
It's red pepper, I think.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah.
I think it's a mix, right?
Red pepper.
Yeah.
Oh, so it's not paprika.
No, no.
Okay.
I thought it was paprika.
Let's get that, like a little scoop.
Oh, yeah.
And if you want it more spicy.
Mmm.
I love it.
Oh, wow.
Red pepper, yeah?
Mmm, red pepper.
Mmm.
It's almost like a...
It is like a spicy pepper.
It's phenomenal, though.
Like it's spicy.
Yeah, it's a little spicy.
I can't get enough of the tea.
This tea is so good.
This is a great day.
Yeah.
Great day.
We almost finished, and they brought us some lavash.
Look at this beautiful lavash.
Love it.
Just a bunch of little air pockets.
Just break it like that.
This is the best.
It's filling me up.
Mm-hmm.
So break it up.
Little piece.
Super thin.
Nice and oily.
Fluffy.
Mm-hmm.
Then I'm going to add some red pepper.
Mmm.
So light.
Oh, it's incredible.
Just go like that.
Get everything.
What a great day.
No, no, you're good, right?
Pleasure meeting you, too.
Pleasure.
Hey, thanks, man.
Thank you so much.
Pleasure.
Awesome.
Thank you, guys.
Thank you so much.
Pleasure.
So what was the price?
What was the price?
Omelette, 25,000 tomans.
25,000?
Tomans, yeah.
It's cheap.
Nimuni, 20,000.
The egg.
Got it.
That's less than $1 per dish.
Incredible.
Super affordable.
Must come here.
I'm full, but we have a lot of eating to do.
Yeah.
Next one is next door.
Said Mehdi Ash.
Right downstairs.
Oh, my God.
Halim is super filling.
Yeah.
All right.
And this is it right next door?
Yes.
Exactly next door.
Wow.
So what is it?
It says, like, noodles, chickpeas.
Beans, chickpeas, vegetables.
Wow.
It looks incredible.
It's really famous here.
Wow.
What's that?
Curd?
Curd.
That's it?
That's the dish right here.
Oh, with some lavash?
Some lavash, yeah.
Look at the Halim.
Yeah.
Incredible.
Thick Halim.
Put some what?
Some clarified butter right there?
Some ghee?
Wow.
What is that?
Some different seeds, huh?
Yeah.
Sesame seeds at the very end.
So it's sugar, cinnamon, and sesame.
All right, Ali.
Are you ready for this?
Yeah.
It's gonna be great.
It's gonna be perfect.
I'm excited.
Last time I had Halim, I was in Pakistan.
It's been a while.
So what are we sitting over here?
Over there?
Yeah.
Nice.
Oh, this is great.
Love this place.
Are you ready for this?
I'm ready.
To be honest, I'm super excited for that one.
Really?
Yeah, it looks incredible.
Let's switch.
Yeah.
Wow.
So it's mint, onion, and curd.
And curd.
And under it, we have the chickpeas.
We have the noodles.
We have beans.
Wow.
Vegetables.
So it's mixed, right?
Again, normally, mom's cooking it much better than outside.
Of course.
It's still delicious.
I mean, home-cooked meals is very different, right?
And do I eat it with the lavash?
Not really.
You don't have to.
Not really.
No.
Okay, so then we just go in.
Yeah.
I like curd.
You love curd?
Yeah, me too, man.
You ready?
I'm ready.
Cheers.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah.
It's so good.
Oh, man.
Combination of flavors here, right?
Mmm.
The curd, like, makes it a little lighter.
Right?
Yeah.
Halim, it's coming from Neshabur.
And they put famous on top.
But in Tehran, they're having sesame, cinnamon, and sugar.
Oh, wow.
So they make it a little sweet with that, right?
Yeah.
And, you know, more sticky, it means more meat.
More meat, of course.
More delicious.
But you can't see that.
Wow.
Look how sticky it is, guys.
It's, like, very pasty.
Yeah.
And many people are using it in Ramadan.
They have Ash-Rashteh and Halim.
Mostly, we're using it in the morning.
So you have to have it up before 9 o'clock.
Look at that.
Oh, it's going to be a nice, sweet Halim.
Yeah, look at that.
Some people, they don't have it with sugar.
Somebody puts salt instead.
Salt instead?
Yeah.
But I'm a fan of sugar, always.
So you've got to mix it well, right?
Yeah.
Make everything go throughout.
Look at that.
You ready?
I'm ready.
Let's go.
Wow.
Look how sticky it is.
Pasty.
Let me get a good amount here.
It's like noodle.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah.
All right, ready.
I'm not ready.
Let's go.
The cinnamon.
Oh.
It's so sweet.
It's freaking ridiculous.
Yeah.
It's the most decadent Halim I've ever had.
Really?
Yeah, yeah.
Mmm.
Very nice.
Oh, wow.
Love it.
This is like the ultimate Halim.
If you have a sweet tooth, this is your jam.
Yeah.
Mmm.
And if you go to Neshapur, you're going to love more.
Yeah?
Yeah.
But it's still good, though.
Wow.
I'll tell you, so far, my favorite dish is this of the morning.
Really?
Yeah, yeah.
This is amazing.
Mmm.
It was funny that you thought you were going to love that one, and then you love this one
more.
Well, when you hit me with cinnamon, it's like, bro, give me cinnamon all day.
Yeah.
Also, nice with the sesame seeds, right?
Mmm.
Best Halim I've ever had.
Dude.
Fantastic.
Yeah, best Halim in the world.
Come to Iran, bro.
Come to Iran.
Gain some weight.
Yeah.
I love it.
The bread is just there for decoration.
If you're hungry.
So, if you're hungry, you add the bread.
So, I mean, I think with this, what you could do is go like this.
I never do that.
Never?
No.
But people do it, right?
I don't know.
I don't think so.
For Halim, no.
No, you don't think so?
No.
So, why is it here?
It's like a Halim taco.
It's David.
David way of eating Halim.
Yeah, you see why they don't have it with the bread.
Oh, but it's so good together.
I love the lavash.
Good.
Lavash bread is so delicious.
Wow, that is filling.
This is also a very old restaurant, right?
Yeah.
It's beautiful.
I love it.
Super high ceilings.
Lots of decorations, right?
Yeah.
Super cute decor.
The celebrity here.
Always taking selfies.
Alright, let's go.
Let's go.
What do we have here?
It's called Goje Sabz.
Goje Sabz.
Okay, so let's try this.
Let's try it together.
Just gotta wash it really fast.
It's great.
So, right when you enter here, lots of fruits and vegetables.
It's sour.
It's good.
Nice and meaty.
Is it that good?
Very nice.
Oh, man.
So refreshing.
It's sour.
Very sour.
But I like this.
Nice.
Better than mine.
So, here entering the bazaar, you have a bunch of fruits and vegetables.
And right here, we have grape leaves.
This is what they use to roll the dolmas, right?
Dolmatis.
Yeah, it's for dolma.
And here, how do you make the dolma?
With meat and rice or just rice?
Meat and rice.
Meat and rice, okay.
Yeah, so every country does it differently.
Obviously, Greece, Turkey, very big there.
This is the best.
I love it.
And you must try it in Iran because dolma here is far delicious from other countries.
Yeah?
Yeah.
Maybe some saffron in it, I'm sure.
Alright, let's go inside the bazaar.
Let's go, let's go.
So, what's the name of this bazaar?
This is Tajrish Market.
Tajrish Market.
Yeah, in the north of Tehran.
And it is one of the very interesting areas for the tourists to get around to see the
actual market and different stuff that are carried in the market.
Yeah, so local produce, right?
Local people here.
Yeah.
It is a very nice area to see the local people, the housewives getting around to actually
buy their needs.
So, it is a very nice area for everybody.
Yeah, so this is one main alley, right?
And on the left and the right, you're going to see a lot of date vendors, spices.
This is very different, actually.
This market is not a market.
It is a religious place called tekiye.
Okay.
Gathering area for the holy month of Muharram that we just get some mourning for the death
of the third imam.
It is quite different from other markets.
I got it, I got it.
Oh, man, but look at that vendor over there.
Yeah, down there.
Oh, look at that.
That's the evil eyes everywhere.
Let's go see that.
Let's go, let's go.
Let's go.
Right here, you have an amazing date vendor.
Lots of dates.
Hey, guys, how are you doing?
Looks so good.
I'll come back later.
I'll try some.
And over here, more spices, walnuts.
You have, oh, the rose.
Oh, I can't wait to have some rose water.
Rose water in the south.
We'll see more of this.
This is too good.
Wow.
Smells incredible.
The fragrance.
Everything's fresh.
Right here, we have, you know, lettuce.
We have spinach.
We have garlic.
What else we have?
Onions, a bunch of stuff, right?
This vendor has a lot of evil eyes.
Up here, this is Turkish.
These are Iran, right?
These are Iranian-made or Iranian-made.
Amazing.
So, I love them.
So, what's the price again?
You said, like, two and three dollars, right?
Two dollars.
Two dollars?
Okay, I'm going to take three for my daughters.
Let me see.
What do you got?
Beautiful colors.
I think, I like the red, so I'll take one red.
Yeah, I mean, that's beautiful.
Very nice.
Okay, and then I'll take this one.
Yeah, it's very special, right?
Yeah.
My friend, merci, merci.
Love it, love it.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Merci, merci.
Yes, yes.
Keep going.
You back?
Where were you?
I was just going around the bazaar.
So, what do we have here?
Just fruits and vegetables, clothing, right?
Yes, that's it.
So, this place really doesn't end, huh?
Just a mix of everything.
You got souvenirs.
You have clothing.
You have stuff for kids.
You have lots of fruits, vegetables.
And over here, it's super bright.
Look at this.
It's so bright.
All taste.
What's this?
It's a fruit.
These are berries.
It's like a blackberry, but it's white.
White berry.
White.
Got both of them, black and white.
This is a whiteberry.
Can I try a whiteberry?
Try it.
It's so sweet, isn't it?
So sweet.
Yeah.
I've never had a whiteberry like this.
Really?
Yeah, I've only had blackberries and cranberries, raspberries.
It's amazing.
Take one more.
It's too good.
More selfies over here.
Trying to escape the crowds.
Yeah.
Oh, wow.
So, what is this?
This is a mosque, and this is the minaret?
This is not actually a mosque.
Oh, it's not a mosque?
It's a holy shrine.
Okay, wow.
It is, of course, very similar to the mosque.
And the architecture is the same.
We have the minaret.
We have the dome, the arches, the tiles, the calligraphy.
But the difference is we have the tomb of a holy person.
This one goes to the brother of the 8th Imam in Shiaism, Imam Reza.
Look at the colors, guys.
Gorgeous.
It really reminds me of Uzbekistan.
This is just stunning.
The chandelier, the very huge chandelier here.
Wow.
The tiles, the calligraphy, the sign of old and, you know, pre- and post-Islamic era in Iran here we see.
For example, the domes date back to post-Islamic era.
The arches, the walls date back to pre-Islamic era.
So, it's a very nice, you know, combination of old, ancient Iranian architecture here.
So, we just entered this, like, mirror room.
A prayer is in session, so we're going to be really, really quiet.
We just want to show you how gorgeous this is.
Look at this.
It's, like, beautiful, shining, shining.
It's shimmering of the light here all the time.
No, it's worth it.
I loved it.
Really?
Yeah.
And that's our mini tour of Tajris area.
So, we had two breakfasts.
We had eggs with tomato, with bread.
Phenomenal.
After that, we had the haleem.
Ashishteh.
And then we explored the bazaar.
We saw the shrine.
We had Goyasab.
Goyasab.
The green.
Oh, the unripe peach.
We also had the white berry.
I mean, this place is a must.
Definitely come here in the morning between 9 a.m. and midday.
Walk around, explore, and eat lots of food.
You're going to have fun, yeah.
You're going to have lots of fun.
Guys, I hope you enjoyed the video.
If you did...
We love you, guys.
Come to Iran.
I'm waiting for you.
If you enjoyed the video, thumbs up, comment below, subscribe to him, me, and we'll see
you in the next one.
Thumbs up.
Here in Tehran.
Let's go.
