As war spreads, local Iranians finding familiar comforts in L.A. Persian restaurant

Published On: June 24, 2025

Shaheen Samadi sipped cardamom-infused Ceylon tea, a tea he grew up drinking, in the minimalist dining room of the Azizam restaurant in Silver Lake late last week, prior to the U.S. raids on Iranian nuclear targets.

Samadi, who was born in Connecticut to parents who emigrated to the US following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, relocated to Los Angeles in an attempt to get in touch with the Persian diaspora, which is the biggest in the world outside of Iran. In his music, Samadi, who calls himself your friendly neighborhood Persian rapper, has long expressed disapproval of the Iranian government. He has been frightened and incensed for the entire last week as Israel and Iran have exchanged lethal strikes.

As waiters passed by with plates of khoresht and barbari bread, Samadi, who was sitting close to the Azizam counter, remarked, “The whole Iranian diaspora community is in this weird phase of fight or flight and crippling anxiety right now.” Seeing [the Iranian regime] slaughtered is what we enjoy. The casualties that accompany it are what we dislike.

In an effort to give Iranians a secure place to unwind and socialize, Azizam, which Times culinary reviewer Bill Addison recently named one of the 101 greatest restaurants in California, started offering free tea and backgammon on its quaint patio overlooking Sunset Boulevard. According to Samadi, the majority of humans have blood in their bodies, but for Persians, it’s tea.

You are still Iranian whether you are full, half, or a fraction. Check out the restaurant’s Wednesday Instagram post. Our doors are open to everyone, and Azizam was founded to honor that.

Throughout the week, local Iranians have been seeking comfort at places like Azizam and districts like Tehrangeles in Los Angeles, which offer much-needed places to connect with their culture. They believe that, as Iranian Americans, they can overcome a decades-long rift, even as many of them worry about their friends and family in Iran.

Sal Mousavi, who made his first visit to Azizam on Thursday, said that a lot of the food made him think of his home and that the occasion allowed him to divert his attention from the situation.

At Azizam, dice are rolled during a backgammon game.

According to Aubtin Heydari, family members traveled 48 hours to Armenia for protection while in Iran last week. Golshani, Alex/For The Times

Samadi, like many Iranian Americans in Los Angeles, opposes the Iranian leadership, which his parents left behind. However, he stated that the growing confrontation between Iran and Israel, and now the United States, continues to split Persians in the United States.

Samadi remarked of the Persian diaspora in Los Angeles, “I hate to say it, but it doesn’t feel like a community.” We are not one. Each of us has strong beliefs regarding various topics.

Israel has killed at least 657 people in airstrikes on Iran since June 13. Iran launched airstrikes in retaliation right after, killing at least 24 Israelis, including one that struck a hospital in southern Israel on Thursday.

With President Trump’s approval, the United States launched strikes on Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, entering the war.

According to Peyman Malaz, chief operating officer of the PARS Equality Center in Sherman Oaks, a nonprofit organization that assists Persian immigrants, many Iranians, particularly those who reside in the diaspora and here in Los Angeles, are quite unhappy with the current government. However, since war is, of course, war, the community is expressing feelings of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety.

simply witnessing the bombings of all the communities where I grew up. It’s simply unbelievable. It feels more like a nightmare than a dream.

Adrian, an Azizam guest

Adrian, who would not provide his last name, moved from Tehran to Los Angeles in 2011. He arrived to Azizam, which he defined as a restaurant that serves backgammon and an albaloo or sour cherry spritz, two Persian dishes that only your mom cooks at home.

Laila Massoudnia stated, “I want more connection with my community and less intellectual debate in times like these.”

Backgammon and tea at Azizam. Golshani, Alex/For The Times

Adrian, who has family in Tehran, stated, “My mind is so busy that I can hardly sleep at night.” The neighborhoods where I grew up are all being bombed, just by looking at their names. It’s simply unbelievable. It feels more like a nightmare than a dream.

Shop owners in Tehran’s Westwood, a Persian area that served as a gathering place for immigrants escaping the Iranian Revolution in the 1980s, report that their Persian clientele is afraid.

Ali Perkdas, the proprietor of Super Sun Market, a Persian food store that has been in business for more than 20 years, stated that they are quite concerned at the moment. They are unable to contact their loved ones because of the internet outage caused by the Iranian regime.

Laila Massoudnia, who recently relocated from the Bay Area to Los Angeles, expressed her admiration for the friendly, encouraging community she encountered.

If anything, Massoudnia stated, “I’ve seen so much of a united front here, regardless of whatever background we come with,” in reference to the events of the last week. It means the world to me to have it because I didn’t grow up in an area with many Iranians in America. I don’t feel alone because of it. Additionally, I am aware that many Iranians are feeling extremely alone and separated both emotionally and externally.

A peaceful settlement overseas is what many Iranian Americans are looking for. Massoudnia underlined that even during times of conflict, Iranians, a group of people she characterized as being all about love, have the same worries as almost every other American.

According to Massoudnia, nobody wants to be born near bombs and missiles. These are folks that wake up every day, go to work every day, and have plans, dreams, and aspirations. They want their children to attend college and receive an education. They face the same challenges as every single idea that has ever crossed the minds of Americans or anyone else.