Review Safa City Restaurant - Mount Lawley

Generally I love Persian cuisine; the mix grilled i had was great! Very good portion and actually delicious! Oh and they serves good Shisha as well. 👌🏽 Thanks Kamran for hosting us, we will definitely come again 😊

The food quality was extremely low. After waiting for quite some time, I was given an uncooked kebab with almost raw barg. The manager is not a polite and professional one, and doesn't pay attention to details. Overall, I wouldn't recommend it. Food and service are the key criteria to assess a restaurant, none of which are presented in this one. The raw meat, in redish pink color, I received in that so called restaurant, is clearly visible in the attached photo.

Generally the dish was very good, both rice and meat cooked well and tasty. The best thing about this place is portions of Kebabs!

Beautiful food, lovely service, good selection of meats and reasonable prices

Absolutely wasn’t happy with the food. The kebab meats wasn’t fresh at all. The smell was funny like been on the cool room for ages. Don’t waste your time there better to get a big mac!

😍Never disappointed with this place. We’ve been coming here for years and we love the food. Love the Kabab koobideh and Jooje. Always caters to the way we want our kabab cooked. Great portion sizes. Always has a welcoming atmosphere whenever we visit. We have visited many Persian restaurants in Perth and this one has always stayed the best🙏🏼

We had family deal which includes everything on it . Was very delicious but our fish was not cooked properly it was raw from inside

Terrible Terrible Terrible! I wish I could give it a -5 stars. Don't waste your time and money going there. The food was absolutely awful. The rice was frozen and they microwaved it. The appetizer was microwaved and disappointing too. The minced kebab was raw which I sent it back. What made it worse was the attitude of the owner/manager who didn't even apologize for that terrible food he served us. I've been to many restaurants and I really don't know how a food business can be this awful. Although he deducted the price of that raw food from the bill, we still paid $64. Absolutely a rip off, DON'T GO THERE!

I wouldn't come here for the service, instead I come for the atmosphere and the quality Iranian food. Don't be fooled by the unassuming entrance of this local secret, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the huge outdoor seating area out the back.

Having just returned from a 3 week tour of Iran it was great to find an authentic Iranian restaurant. Quirky but spot on with the food. Don't be put off by the empty front room, there is a great garden area out the back. You can even try a shiska (hookah )

We have been to this restaurant on three separate occasions and recommend it!  Our last visit was in April 2018. The staff were courteous. The food was delicious but we had to wait a little time for it.   We ordered juje kebab with rice and koobideh with nan. Our bill came to $38. We plan to go back again!

If i could give 0 i would definitely do it! We went there for dinner tonight. First time and last time. We arrived and the waiter sat us down and disappeard. 20 min later still no one so I waived at a different waiter. He asked us to wait. He was taking orders from two tables that arrived after we did!Then a different waiter came few minutes later to take our orders. The place was barely busy. After 1 hour our food still wasn't there. After a bit they came back apologizing saying the order wasn't taken to the kitchen so they gave us some kind of dips as a consolation. The bread was almost cold but we were starving. The Food came. We had a beef/chicken combo and the mixed one. The beef was so chewy we gave up and didn't eat it. Then the surprise when the bill came.. 81$ for two people!!! We didn't have entrées nor desserts. Just a main and I had can of pepsi max. What an actual rip off!! I will never go there again and will never recommend it to anyone. Plus I heard the shishas are bad too! Also They don't even have a drink menu, so try to pick a drink on your way in!

If only there was a 0 star for review I would not think twice and give them 0 star. Got there and was very impressed with the decor. Lovely garden. We sat down, after 5 minute we finally got the menu (even though we were the only ones in the restaurant). Had a look at a menu and we were very excited about the food. Then when I looked at the drinks menu I saw herbal drink(varieties available). Finally 5 minutes after us going through the menu, the waiter brought the water for us. We inquired what herbal drink is and whether it is hot or cold. He said "it must be cold". I asked him what the varieties are, he said he doesn't know and walked away and never got back to me. Then after finally getting his attention to place an order we asked questions about the menu as we are not familiar with the Persian food. The guy was completely clueless. We asked him how big the serving sizes are and his answer was "I am not sure". Somehow we placed an order. The food came in a timely manner and we really enjoyed the food. After we finished our meal they cleaned our table including our water glasses. It was our cousin's bday. We asked them to bring the cake out, the waitress asked if we want the cake in a box or in a plate!!! We said in a plate. The waiter then brought the cake out with no candles. He put it in front of the bday girl and then asked her "do you want a plate?" !! We said of course we do. Then we had to ask for knife and lighter and luckily we brought our own candle. After 5 minutes of back and forth we finally cut the cake. We then ordered some coffee. The coffee was luke warm. Then we asked for some water, the waitress brought us a jar of water but no glass. We asked for glass again but we never got it. We then asked them to take the cake back and put it in box and they just brought the flattened box with the cake on top. Didn't even pack it for us. <br/><br/>I have worked as a waitress before. It is a stressful job when it gets busy but with only 5 tables of customer it is very cruisy. The waiters needs some class on common sense, but if only common sense could be taught. <br/><br/>I feel that the only place keeping this place running is it's yummy food, but if I am spending money to have a good night out then I will not expect to get stressed about a glass of water or ignorant waiters.<br/><br/>In the end we went to the counter to pay the bill. We were looking through their desert shelf and we found that some of their deserts were mouldy. We had to let the waitress know about it then she said oh I didn't see that, thanks for letting us know.<br/><br/>That was the last straw. I raving about their food but now I feel sick. <br/>All in all won't go back

The service is extremely slow. I've been to this restaurant twice. Once I raised this issue with the waitress she said in an unfriendly manner "I'm the only one working here tonight." As though that is a good excuse! I received no apology despite having to wait 20 minutes for an ice cream.<br/><br/>I also posted this criticism on their Facebook page, but they shamelessly deleted my feedback. Usually when I criticize a business on their Facebook page they contact me and apologize. Safa City however, does not care about the customers. I then re-posted the criticism so that other people would know about my experience. They removed that one as well. I asked them not to remove the customer's feedback and allow freedom of speech. To my indignation they even removed that comment.<br/><br/>The food was not bad, but I do not recommend this place.<br/><br/>The Saffron ice-cream by the way, did not compare to the authentic taste of Persian Saffron ice-cream.

We enjoyed our visit to SafaCity. The food was delicious and very generous servings. Service was a little on the slow side but the sole waitress did a great job and was very friendly, plus the outdoor area has a nice relaxing atmosphere so we weren't too concerned with having to wait a little. Great value for money. A really good option if you want some authentic Persian food.

Went late on a Friday night for our first & only visit. Will never return. <br/>Staff were not helpful when ordering, couldn't offer suggestions or info about meal sizes. After ordering we waited for over an hour before being told our food would still be over 15 minutes away.<br/>Staff were unapologetic, it was cold & raining outside in the garden do we left & went home.

Seriously upset about this place because I had some high hopes from some of my Persian friends who I had hoped give me some insight into their culture. But even they agreed, this is not their culture or anywhere near it.<br/><br/>Service is APPALLING. Absolutely terrible. You didn’t get seated for 20mins. Didn’t get served or even seen to for a further 35mins. Food didn’t come for another 40minutes. And even then it was a hot mess. Good luck ordering a drink extra because you can’t tell who works there and they actively avoid tables. <br/><br/>Cutlery and china was cheap and very breakable. <br/>Atmosphere was cheap and rushed and confusing. <br/><br/>Their stools for shisha is even more disgusting. Rugs haven’t been cleaned for a very long time and dirty, shisha water was dirty, and shisha was poorly made and burnt quickly. <br/><br/>And when we tried to explain this to the owner her shoved his hand in my face and told me I was wrong. <br/><br/>Never coming here again and I will be advising everyone else against it.

Ok , The service was disappointing. Food was average , Pricy and Bad Manager !! not very clean , and not recommended The waiters could hardly notice us when we wanted something<br/>Windy place with poor roofing felt very unsafe

Poor customer service, as soon as we sat down and were handed the menus we knew what we wanted to order but the waiter left and service was non existent till 20 minutes later, when we signalled the waiter to come and take our orders. <br/>The seating is out in the back and it tends to get windy since its winter but it is no excuse for the waiters to stay in , they need to do their service instead of chatting inside. <br/>Overall negatives is the bad service and cold served bread. Positives are the food was a large serve for its price.

3.7rating<br/>We came here with our friends who spoke Persian. We left it to them to order because we had no idea what to order really! <br/><br/>Boy, what a feast they ordered. The food came very promptly and our first entree dish was the eggplant with bread and side yogurt and cucumber dip. Mr Fussy loved it.<br/><br/>For the mains we had the mixed platter (beef, chicken and kebabs , photo below) which was very yummy. Loved the roasted chilli and spiced rice that comes with this. The biggest standout however, was the lamb neck dish (I forgot to take a photo!!!) with dill rice and broad beans. The meat was melt in your mouth. <br/><br/>It was Friday night and so there was belly dancing and entertainment as well. We moved on to enjoy shishah and dessert sweets together with hot tea. <br/><br/>We went at 7.30 and left close to midnight! Will return for sure.

Too inconsistent. Often ran put of things on the menu and understaffed. Food is great on a good night but sometimes its not the same and your left disappointed

Completely agree with all comments on poor customer service. First of, the wait staff are not customer focused. They mostly act like you are there to inconvenience them. The owner doesn't care and half the time you can find him sitting there smoking shisha. What you don't see often are the serving staff. They come sporadically to put food on tables then disappear without even looking around to see if anyone needs anything. Such was our experience. We had brought a cake for birthday. After we finished we waited for someone to come and clear the table, and then we could ask them to bring the cake. Is what you would expect anywhere else. Not here though. So eventually I went to the front desk (no serving staff anywhere! where do they hang out??) no one there either. There is a bell however, so rang the bell. A girl showed up after a while (tip for anyone who wants to do the runner and not pay the bills... geez this place makes it easy!) so I asked her if someone could come and clean the table and they could bring the cake. She said yes right away! So they brought the cake.. but no one came to clean the table and also didn't bring a knife or serving dishes. So back I go again to the front desk (Seriously WHERE do the wait staff hangout??? are they in the back smoking shisha? are they cooking in the kitchen??) rang the bell (btw this whole time owner is sitting there smoking shisha not giving two hoots about a guest who repeatedly is running around! I have never seen a business owner so uncaring about customers or his business...) same girl came. Asked her again if she could ask someone to come and clean the table and can we have a knife and some serving dishes. She assures me they will do this asap. So 10 minutes later someone came, cleared the table and brought serving plates. No forks nor knives though. Mentioned this and he said he would come right back with them. Nope... back again to the desk, this time really not happy. Same girl! She asks me to wait for a second, goes in the back comes back with a WET filleting knife and some forks. Wet knife! they literally had just rinsed it but what absolutely boggles the mind is that they didn't think to dry it! It is one of the most bizarre places you can go for customer service. Seriously Mr owner, stop smoking shisha and pay more attention to customer service at your restaurant. Whatever we enjoyed about the food was totally overshadowed by the poor and frustrating customer service. Similar to previous reviews wont be going back and wont recommend this place to anyone.

Terrible terrible service. It was so horrible that I decided I was going to sign up to zomato and put up a review. We had booked a table, and arrived on time. The front area has tables etc but the seating is actually in the back in the garden area. We waited for a few minutes and a girl came and showed us to our table. Only two other tables were occupied but they were eating already. We were seated and given the menu (so far so good) but that’s where it ended. We asked the girl for an ice bucket for our bottle of wine and she said she would bring us one asap and then left. We waited for a while but nobody came to take our order, bring us water or glasses or the promised bucket of ice. 20 MINUTES we waited! How is that even possible???? Eventually one of our party decided to go and see if they could locate the servers. By this time we were starving, the wine was warming up and one of the tables had finished and left. The place was deserted! No one was outside except us and the table eating. She eventually found the kitchen in the back where there seemed to be some activity and found the chef and a guy she assumed was the owner. Chef was cooking, the guy was standing there drinking coke and chatting. When they saw her, instead of asking if they could help her, the guy started yelling at her that she shouldn’t be there and should be sitting at the table and my friend tried to explain that we had been sitting there for 20 minutes with no one taking our order and he kept shouting please! Go to your table! Go to your table! Someone will come! Go! So we left after that. Then on the way out saw the serving girl and she is all “oh…Sorry I was busy. I was just coming to take your order”. I never say this about restaurants because I know that sometimes circumstances beyond your control causes service to not be the best. But I am going to say it about this place. Don’t go here! Seriously just don’t go. If they were busy and packed and their serving staff had called in sick, then ok. But the place was empty, and nothing, NOTHING excuses yelling at your customer esp. when all they are after is some service. All he had to do was come forward, explain that the serving staff were coming or he would go flag one down, then that would have been ok. We weren’t even after an apology just a nice dinner out. But it was insane how he was standing at the back of the kitchen drinking coke and yelling to go back to your table! Seriously nothing good about this place whatsoever. If I could give them a minus, I would give them a minus.

Used to be great. Went back after abt a year i think and sad to say the food and service has dropped quite significantly. Took ages for our order to be taken. The entree (eggplant dip) came without an accompanying side of bread. By the time managed to get the attention of staff (quite difficult as there was no one around) and they brought the bread the entree was cold. Similarly w the main, they brought the kebab (mix platter) and not the rice. Took another 5 minutes or so before rice was brought and the kebabs were luke warm. The rice was rather meh and felt like microwaved from frozen and was rather wet. Given such a drastic drop in quality of food and service we thought maybe they have had a change in mgmt till we saw the owner walking around talking to tables. Maybe a new chef? I don't know. Whatever the issue, was a highly disappointing night as the last time was there it was great and was quite looking forward to going back so the disappointment is even more pronounced. Feel like should give them another try but at $40 pp for entree and main, don't know whether i want to risk it. Have noticed there are a number of other persian/iranian restaurants opening up around Perth so might give them a try.

Used to be great. Went back after abt a year i think and sad to say the food and service has dropped quite significantly. Took ages for our order to be taken. The entree (eggplant dip) came without an accompanying side of bread. By the time managed to get the attention of staff (quite difficult as there was no one around) and they brought the bread the entree was cold. Similarly w the main, they brought the kebab (mix platter) and not the rice. Took another 5 minutes or so before rice was brought and the kebabs were luke warm. The rice was rather meh and felt like microwaved from frozen and was rather wet. Given such a drastic drop in quality of food and service we thought maybe they have had a change in mgmt till we saw the owner walking around talking to tables. Maybe a new chef? I don't know. Whatever the issue, was a highly disappointing night as the last time was there it was great and was quite looking forward to going back so the disappointment is even more pronounced. Feel like should give them another try but at $40 pp for entree and main, don't know whether i want to risk it. Have noticed there are a number of other persian/iranian restaurants opening up around Perth so might give them a try.

So disappointed …<br/><br/>We booked a table for Persian new year’s night and no one told us they have a set menu. The waitress took our order and she didn’t say that set menu has been placed for tonight. Staff were so disorganised to manage and serve the customers which was very disappointing. Our dinner was served 4 times wrongly !! After waiting 2 hours when we started complaining we were told that we cannot order anything out of the set menu. We expected to see reasonable act from manager to cover his staff fault, however he was so impolite and cheeky which was not a professional manner as a manager. The owner of the restaurant is not well behaved at all. Eventually we left unhappy!<br/>I have to say that was the worst experience I have ever had in a restaurant. I won’t return and won’t recommend to anyone. Absolutely waste of money !!

Service was poor and food was just ok. We got significantly over charged and when we attempted to dispute it we were challenged - we left very unhappy customers and will never return again.<br/>My suggestion - go elsewhere!

The food is ok, nothing to rave about but the atmosphere here is second to none! Very inviting setup and good service. Make sure you try their sheesha, they do a cocktail of flavors and unlike other places their flavors last a long long time. I'm definitely going back!

Fantastic Persian kebabs, highly recommend the koobideh, Chedjeh kebab & joojeh kebabs, I'll try the lot, we missed out on the rear garden area, will give that a try next time. Top quality food, great service and value. See you there soon.

Amazing kebabs ! (not the Aussie style donner type) Persian kebabs, koobideh, lamb fillet sewers. We had the Chedjeh kebab, koobideh and joojeh kebab served with rice, bread and salad. The meat kebabs were charcoal grilled to perfect. Great service and excellent value. I think we're gonna become regulars. We loved our first visit so much. I don't know anywhere in Perth that these style kebabs. It's not just kebabs a whole selection of Persian mains are on offer too !!

Really great food, atmosphere and customer service. I've had Iranian food in a lot of places (Dubai mainly) and this is the best I've had so far. The Kubideh was great and everything else we ordered was really tasty and we re-ordered (which is rare). <br/>Staff are really good, helpful and attentive. Love the fact that you can have sheesha there as well, separate from the main dining area.Keep up the good food and service, I will definitely be going again soon.

Just had a great meal at this quirky venue. We loved the food and ambiance and will be back! Good for large groups but plenty of single and pairs dining there as well. Well worth it!

Great restaurant. Terrific atmosphere - outdoor garden and marquee, love the decor outside; daybeds and tables and chairs with an eclectic selection of tableware. The teapots and crockery are made on site by the wife of one of the staff members. Cosy in the marquee with heaters, even in the rain. The food was excellent and plentiful. Went with a group and were guided by the staff who brought out platters of mixed kebabs (heaps), dips, olives, salad, rice and loads of flat bread. More than enough food and they were happy to pack up the leftovers for us to take home. Live music (keyboard and violin) set the Persian scene perfectly. Some of the patrons got up to dance. Great for groups of family and friends, especially when the weather improves. The staff were friendly and helpful. They worked really hard to make sure everyone had what they needed. Will go again with a group. Recommended. We need more of this in Perth. Good work guys!

Went to Safa a couple of days ago, Koobideh was delicious, Masto khiar spot on, & those olives soooo tasty, very generous portions, only thing stopping me from giving a perfect score is some items we wanted werent available (how can you run out of chips?!) Anyway food & service was excellent, will return.

Can't even begin to explain how much I loved Safacity! We stopped by for dinner last night and had the BEST time. <br/>Delicious food, casual & welcoming environment out in the back garden and amazing people :) <br/>We will be back. I recommend this place to everyone.

If you are looking for good, home cooked Iranian/ middle eastern food this is your place. Healthier and more authentic than Recipe Restaurant in East Perth I think.<br/><br/>My favourite dish is Ghorma Sabzi (which is like a spinach and lamb stew - just make sure you pick out any of the huge dried lemons) and I often get this as a take out so I can have it for dinner and lunch the next day. The Koobideh kebab is AMAZING - so succulent (and I couldn't believe how tender the chicken was). I also recommend getting the garlic yoghurt and the delicious naan bread to dip. <br/>Constructive criticisms: Be great if they had Salad Olvieh and Tahdig on the menu. Also, the watermelon juice (freshly squeezed) needed the pips filtered out. Felt it could be more of a "sharing" experience with the dishes to make it more authentic. <br/><br/>Great staff service - very welcoming which to me is worth more than the quality of food, especially in WA where the service is generally so bad! Meals came out quick, and it will most certainly become my regular if they keep up the good work.

The most authentic Persian restaurant in Perth by far, the food is absolutely divine. Exceptional customer service, relaxing ambience, it feels like you are in your own backyard. I highly recommend this place, once you visit you will be hooked! Oh and not to forgot the shisha, the best shisha, amazing flavours.

A curious place indeed. The front of house is bare, not a table in sight, all the action is in the back yard - shisha smoke, fountains, pot plants, graffiti murals, dancing girls on TV, yellow budgies in a cage and tables everywhere. Good luck getting attention if your in the back corner. . . Picture a backyard suburban wedding from the 1970s. . . The mood music comes courtesy of a lyra (like a violin) player and a mother and pre pubescent daughter wandering around dancing and shaking a fish shaped tambourine. Smile or frown there's no in-between. <br/><br/>The food is interesting - Persian of course, with some well known favourites. The kashko bedmjam (an egg plant stew with strong smelling fermented cheese and yoghurt) is well done and worthy. The kebabs (picture 2) are the highlight - soft and juicy, great flavours. Less convincing are the mains (pictured - saffron chicken and a fried chicken) they all come with rice and the same sides, suggesting that sharing was not the intention. <br/><br/>It's byo with small but reasonable wine glasses.

My family are seasoned world wide travellers and we all agreed that this dining experience for ambience, service and taste was unsurpassed anywhere in the world. We sat inside. Our waiter provided us with an introduction to and explanation of Persian cuisine and culture and recommended our dips, providing one on the house, and breads. These were served soon after our arrival. The olives minced lamb marinated were the best olives ever. We had barely finished our tasty dips when the share platter he recommended with rice on the side arrived at our table. We had BYO wine, water, soft drinks replenished without asking and without delay. Every single mouthful was delicious. Our waiter recommended the shared sweets (3 plates between 6) and we could not believe how ice cream and a coconut ice concoction could taste so good. The tea he recommended was remarkably good and not a bit like our usual western tea. I had 3 cups. Only $235 for 6 people including drinks. No pushing you out the door and pleasant Persian people and surroundings. We will return and recommend this wonderful place to our friends.

Authentic and welcoming. A surprise having the big outdoor space out the back.<br/>We had great service and happy with the relaxed pace. The food was was plentiful, meats all juicy and tender, hearty servings. Such a friendly place for a casual dinner. We will return soon.

Its quite difficult to review this place. Having read other people's reviews, we were fully prepared for slow service and a long night. Which is precisely what we got. The waitress was very nice though, and I give her credit for her efforts in keeping the service rolling.<br/>We sat out the back, which everyone seems to do. We had a variety of dips and Kababs, which were tasty. The atmosphere is certainly unique. A little ramshackle perhaps.<br/>Don't go to this place, unless you're prepared to spend a few hours. It's not a quick-meal kinda place.

Very disappointed .. Went there for Yalda Night, it took the waitress more than half an hour to approch us. We asked her whether it's a set menu or ordering she said it's a set menu. She later comes back and ask us what would like to order !! It was $60 per person and we were told every 2 adults share one appetizer !!! Kids price is $40 !!! Too pricey and customer service was awful.<br/>We ended up leaving the place and went somewhere else.

Excellent food, service and atmosphere. Such a chilled and lovely location. Perfect way to end a day....or start one. Big thanks to Terry for making the night extra entertaining. I definitely recommend SafaCity if you're looking for a unique and memorable dining experience.

Just had a fantastic authentic meal with a group of friends. Terry guided and took care of us, bringing us a beautiful range of food. Wonderful atmosphere. We would all strongly recommend you give this place a go. We'll be back!!

Unfortunately the service was so bad, the food wasn't as good as we thought, so many items in the menu were not available (don't see the point why they were in the menu)! Nothing was good here.

Quality food and service. Very pleasing interior and cosy oasis at the back. I recommend safacity to all my family and friends 👍🏻 the waiter that served us makes exceptional coffee as well

Went there on Saturday night. scrumptious food and great service. The chief was a funny guy and also the waiters were all awesome and friendly. Cheers

Authentic delicious persian food, great customer service. The court yard is very welcoming and cosy, beautiful live music performance. Its the 3rd weekend in a row that we are coming to this place. Highly recommended.

An authentic experience.<br/><br/>Firstly the food is fantastic, with generous servings and great quality.<br/><br/>The service is also great, and the night we went we were treated to some fantastic live music.<br/><br/>It really is a hidden gem and worth a visit or two... or three.

we agree with Sue Somersly. <br/>disappointing on every level.<br/>first "restaurant" we have ever seen a frustrated customer grab the order book from the only overworked waitress to write their order so the "cook" got it and could start.<br/>The rice was cooked well.

Not going back... We walk in, say we have a booking. Waitress sits us at a table that is clearly not for us - it is set for 6 people with birthday presents on it - so we notify this lady and then we get accused of not booking? Um no. Then we have to ask 3 times and wait for almost 10 minutes to get a menu (we were the only people inside). Then we order, she comes back twice saying both things my mum has ordered aren't on the menu... theres all of like 15 things to chose from... then we get our mains and my burger bun was legitimately still thawing out. And we got our entrees after our mains. Not a fan and definitely wouldn't go back or recommend. <br/>

Really good food and excellent service.  Had the mixed kebabs as recommended, rice and salad followed by safron ice cream.  Would definitely recommend and go back.

What a disappointment! I thought I'd try this place out but I shouldn't have bothered. We had a few different dishes and none of them were great - some pretty bad and nobody finished their meal. It's a shame as the place has potential. They need to lift their game with food and service if they want to stay in business. No idea how this place has gotten good reviews.

Amazing food, great service and a beautiful restaurant. The little details on the cutlery and the fish theme were captivating and provided a great visual treat to go with the food. I'll definitely be coming back to try some of the other dishes!

Amazing food,amazing service the koobideh was so good and extra yummy! attention to detail highly recommend and great location and atmosphere - this little gem is definitely a must try!