Behesht Café

You don’t have to travel to Iran to experience its diverse and vibrant culture. With delicious homemade dishes and traditional antique design, Behesht Café, situated in the heart of Richmond Hill, is the perfect place to soak up a little bit of Iran.

Leila and Hamid Bakhtiari opened Behesht Café in August 2013. Its great menu offers traditional Persian delicacies, prepared by Leila herself, such as ash reshte a thick soup, kashke bademjoon, an eggplant dip garnished with fried mint and onions, as well as classic dishes such as grilled kabobs. Behesht, which means "heaven" in Farsi, has an interior that reflects the authentic and traditional Iranian culture. It was designed by Leila and Hamid, and their goal was to provide a setting that was, as Leila put it, “completely Persian”.

Iran is known for many things, including tea, rugs and poetry, all of which you can find around the café. Lines from the poetry of the great Persian Sufi poet Rumi are painted on the walls in beautiful calligraphy. Many of the paintings and tablecloths have been brought back from Iran, and Persian samovar’s can be found around the café as well.