Restaurant teas off after 4 years away

DURING the first lockdown in August 2020, the owners of a Persian restaurant in south Manchester decided to close their doors for good: not because they didn’t have enough customers, but because the weight of the pandemic had proved to be too much.

- ADAM MAIDMENT

But, almost four years later, in the very same spot on Stockport Road in Levenshulme, the couple behind the Alborz restaurant have made the big decision – despite a volatile hospitality industry – to open back up again.

Named after the mountain range in Iran, the restaurant has a bustling menu serving the likes of traditional Koobideh minced lamb skewers and a slow-cooked Fesenjoon chicken stew.

There are also plenty of grilled kebabs, vegetarian stews, rice dishes and noodle soups to choose from – all freshly made on-site.

Fronted by head chef Amir and his wife Nafis, who have asked just to use their first names, the couple say their passion for cooking authentic and traditional food has led them to re-opening Alborz. But it came by chance when passing the premises one morning and noticing the shop was up for sale.

“We took the restaurant on from the current owners back in 2014 and ran it up until Covid,” Nafis told the M.E.N.

“That bit of time just became a bit much for us so we decided to close down back then and Amir went to work as a chef at a number of other places.