Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 222 5444; Sardar Camii Lane; s/tw US$15/20)
A vaguely cosy reception area decked
with plastic foliage leads to somewhat small but neatly tiled rooms with shower and toilet.
Peaceful yet central.
Tak Setareh$
( 223 1861; Sardar Camii Lane; s/tw US$9/14, with TV US$11/17, tr with toilet
US$20)
Quiet, relatively well-kept
mosaferkhaneh
(basic lodging house) where you can
play
nard
(a local form of backgammon) in the little lobby area.
MOSAFERKHANEH
Ark Hotel$
( 235 6051; off Montazeri St; s/tw US$15/30)
The vivid yellow-and-brown colour
scheme clashes with the pink towels in the renovated rooms with bathrooms. Many cheap-
er
mosaferkhanehs
nearby will refuse to take foreigners.
HOTEL
Eating
Flamingo$$
( 346 1177; Kashani St; meals US$5-7; noon-3pm & 7-10pm)
Justifiably con-
sidered the best city-centre restaurant, the kababs here are succulent and the salad bar is
well stocked if a little pricey (US$1 per plateful). Decor is restrained, with solid wooden
benches, lanterns and flower arrangements. Head downstairs two doors away from excel-
lent, co-owned
Pizza 69
(pizzas US$4-7; noon-3pm & 7-10pm)
, which has a sign in
English.
TRADITIONAL IRANIAN
Shemaran Restaurant$
(Parhizkar St; 8am-11pm)
Predominantly visited for tea and
qalyan
(water pipe;
US$1), this gently atmospheric
sonati
-style traditional restaurant is immensely popular
for great lunchtime
dizi
(stew made with lentils, potatoes and tomato paste) and also
serves limited dinners (8pm).
Noghl,
west Azarbayjan's speciality confectionery, is made by laboriously coating nuts or
fruits in layers of icing sugar using a vessel that looks like a copper cement mixer. Buy it
from
Noghl Torabi
(Imam Ave; 8am-10pm)
, which also sells fabulous carrot-and-wal-
nut halva.
Baked potatoes (US$0.50) are sold from carts around the bazaar's northeast entrance.
Cake, sandwich and juice shops are dotted along Imam Ave.
TEAHOUSE
