A Wildly Popular Inman Park Persian Restaurant Makes Its Alpharetta Debut

Chef Fares Kargar opens the long-awaited Alpharetta location of his popular Inman Park Persian restaurant, Delbar Middle Eastern, Wednesday, May 10.

Taking over the former Traditions Indian Cuisine space on Old Milton Parkway, Delbar means “heart, captured” in Farsi and is a culinary love letter to family gatherings in Kargar’s native Iran and the women who taught him to appreciate and value cooking traditional Middle Eastern dishes. Kargar pays homage to his grandmother at Delbar, who often baked bread for the family in her tandoor oven back in Iran, with the many breads served at the restaurant.

“Since I was seven, eight, nine years old, I used to cook, I used to entertain people,” Kargar told Eater in 2022. “I would convince my mom and dad to throw family parties at the house so I could cook for everybody, and I had my signature dishes.”

As in Inman Park, the menu at the Alpharetta location centers on dishes inspired by Kargar’s upbringing in Iran and travels throughout the region, including adas polo (lentil rice dish made with tahdig), gheimeh bademjoon (lamb shank stew), Chilean sea bass spiced with saffron, and chinjeh (prime sirloin with saffron, onions, and yogurt marinade) during dinner. Weekend brunch sees dishes like shakshuka, barbari bread sprinkled with turmeric and sesame seeds topped with whipped feta and candied pistachios, and sosis bandari (beef links with potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and taftoun bread), along with a Turkish-style breakfast spread that feeds four people.

Cocktails at Delbar lean into Persian ingredients and flavors, with many ingredients and spices imported from Iran and other countries throughout the region. (Think barberries, cardamom, Persian dried lime, and sour cherries). In addition to cocktails, expect several beers on draft, a selection of natural wines by the glass and bottle, sharbats (cordial), and non-alcoholic drinks made using fresh fruits and flowers.

The Alpharetta location will initially open for dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, with hours eventually expanding to seven days a week and lunch and weekend brunch added later this summer.

The chef’s journey to the United States began in Iran when he was 17 years old. The country has a compulsory military service requirement for men 18 years and older, which led Kargar to leave Iran in 2006, fleeing to Turkey where he applied to come to the United States as a refugee in order to seek a college degree.

Kargar arrived in Atlanta a year later and went on to earn a degree in hospitality from Georgia State University. After working in a number of Atlanta restaurants, including Rumi’s Kitchen in Sandy Springs, Kargar opened Delbar in 2020 in Inman Park, followed by Persian restaurant stall Bibi at Ponce City Market two years later.

Andrew Thomas Lee

Andrew Thomas Lee

Andrew Thomas Lee

4120 Old Milton Parkway, Alpharetta. delbaratl.com.