Yalda, a Persian-focused restaurant with Turkish and Lebanese influences, is set to open next week in Sandy Springs.
Located at 6500 Aria Boulevard in the Aria Village development, Yalda is now open for takeout and will open for dinner on Dec. 27. Named for the longest night of the year celebrated by Persians, the restaurant will open a second location to follow in the coming months in West Midtown at 980 Howell Mill Road.
Yalda’s menu offers dishes including quail mezze served with anar sauce, a sweet and sour pomegranate molasses; a variety of salads, spreads, wraps, vegetables and kabobs; and entrees including sea bream stuffed with Turkish-style spinach. The restaurant, which has a full bar, also serves several desserts including baklava and faloodeh, a dish made with lime and rose water granita and rice noodles.
Designed to look like a villa in Lavasan in Iran, Yalda has a patio built with cedar and Egyptian-style iron work on the front gate and railings. The interior features floor-to-ceiling windows and Middle Eastern-inspired upholstery and tiles, along with an open kitchen, bar and a balcony available to rent for private events.
Executive chef and owner Ashkan Famili, who co-owns the restaurant with his longtime friend Farhan Kheraj, said in a prepared statement that he was inspired by childhood memories of celebrating Yalda with his family sharing food, poetry and stories.”
Famili, whose grandfather was a butcher, previously spent nearly a decade with the Buckhead Life restaurant group, including the Greek restaurant Kyma. He also helped open Buckhead Persian restaurant Sufi’s.
Yalda’s opening hours are 4-9:30 p.m.Tuesdays-Sundays, with takeout offered from noon-8 p.m. Lunch service will be announced in 2023.
6500 Aria Blvd., Sandy Springs. 470-355-0195, yaldaatl.com.
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