Street snack
IRR / toman bandsTypical 2020s barbari or ash — use local toman figures; not a live quote.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Spice42
Umami69
Street food46
Technique82
Accessibility52
Price spread55
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
What is Iranian cuisine?
Iranian cuisine (آشپزی ایرانی) grew from yogurt / pickles / dried limes and rice / bread. Ghormeh sabzi is the postcard, not the whole map.
Is it always spicy?
Iranian cuisine sits at spice 42 in this atlas. Ghormeh sabzi and Chelow kabab show the range better than a single heat number.
What should a first meal include?
Ghormeh sabzi plus one regional plate — not only the export icon.
What is Polo / chelo?
Cooked rice, often steamed and jeweled.
How do people eat at home?
Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz do not cook the same dinner. Regional stubbornness is the cuisine, not a footnote.
What travels poorly?
The home pantry around Polo / chelo and the labour behind Chelow kabab rarely fit a takeaway box.
Iranian cuisine has a wide middle: a street snack near IRR / toman bands and a tasting menu can share one city.
Figures below are typical 2020s bands, not live quotes or reservation prices.
Cost bands
Everyday lunch
midKhoresh and rice in a city canteen, 2020s band.
Casual dinner
mid-highChelo kebab per person.
Night out
higherNicer Tehran room.
Fine dining
highHotel and diaspora tasting rooms, often USD/GBP in LA and London.
Regions
Tehran metro
A regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine centred on Tehran and Ghormeh sabzi.
Isfahan table
A regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine centred on Isfahan and Chelow kabab.
Shiraz table
A regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine centred on Shiraz and Fesenjan.
Tabriz table
A regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine centred on Tabriz and Tahdig.
Mashhad table
A regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine centred on Mashhad and Ash reshteh.
Region 5
Another regional kitchen of Iranian cuisine.
Key market numbers
42 / 100Atlas spice
46 / 100Atlas streetFood
IRR / toman bandsTypical snack
آشپزی ایرانیNative name
Makers & cooks
Street / market stalls
Public Iranian cuisine.
Family restaurants
The everyday room.
Home kitchens
The majority cuisine.
Grocers / exporters
The diaspora pantry.
Bakeries or stalls
rice / bread specialists.
Night vendors
After-hours makers.
The market that feeds most diners is still the everyday lunch room and the household pot, not the export tasting menu.
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