Hen House Grill

When we first wrote about Hen House Grill back in 2022, we noted at the time that Irvine had too few Mediterranean and Persian restaurants, and fewer good ones, which made this restaurant doubly rare. Having moved years earlier from its original space next to Irvine’s Wholesome Choice market to Campus Plaza near UCI – only steps away from Saffron & Rose – it was both available and consistently pretty excellent. Better yet, it was generous with its portions and warm in its hospitalty.

Instead of tiny slices of pita, gigantic discs of taftoon nan accompanied dips including very good hummus and kashk e bademjan eggplant. Beef koubideh, as well as chicken and lamb kabobs, arrived large, tender and moist, served with rice and vegetables. Lucky guests would also be able to get a free glass of freshly made, hot tea from their counter – a longstanding treat that went perfectly with their dishes. One needn’t be on a student’s budget to appreciate the value delivered with every reasonably priced meal here.