I drive by the Saffron Food Mart on a regular basis. The market is on the way to many stores I frequent. Because it does not have an entrance facing the street and it lacks visible windows, I think of it as a grocery store and not a restaurant. Seeing a recent social media review on their restaurant, I recently paid them a visit.
Saffron Food Mart is located on Pacific Coast Highway in Torrance. The entrance to the market is actually off of Neece Ave which is one block west of Hawthorne Blvd. Fortunately, they have a free parking lot in the back of the building. Additional unmetered street parking is also available.
The last time I visited the market it was called Seaside Market and I felt that the mart was dimly lit and not clean. Upon entering Saffron Food Mart, it was a totally different experience. The market was completely rearranged, attractive, brightly lit, and extremely clean. This quickly made me optimistic about my visit.
Their restaurant operation is located in the back of the market, directly next to the butcher case. A menu is printed on the wall containing categories of Persian specialties, kabobs, and sandwiches. Some of the items on my list like tarazi salad and mast o khiar were not on their wall menu. Fortunately, they didn’t have a problem fulfilling my order.
The kabob entrees are extremely popular. They have a choice of chicken or beef barg, chicken or salmon shish kabob, koobideh, or chicken soltani. They proudly feature quality halal meat which is a step above in quality over many other Middle Eastern restaurants.
The Chicken Shish Kabob is bright orange and very attractive in the presentation. After eating it, my wife and I felt that it was tasty but slightly dry. They use chicken breast which of course is denser and lower in fat. The koobideh is made with ground beef that had more flavor and wasn’t dry. Of the two, the koobideh was our favorite.
Both entrees included a heaping amount of basmati rice seasoned with saffron. The rice was light, fluffy, aromatic, and was delicious. Our meals were paired with traditional raw onion, a pat of butter to melt with the rice, charred tomato and sumac packets, a spice that has a pungent tart, lemony flavor. We sprinkled sumac over our entrees and rice.
Ashe-E-Reshteh is a popular Persian soup. It is also a healthy alternative to some of their meat-forward entrees. Ashe-E-Reshteh contains parsley, spinach, chickpeas, onions, garlic, and Persian noodles.
The shirazi salad consists of fresh cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions, and the mast o khiar, similar to Greek tzatziki, was a great addition to the pita, chicken, and beef. We also received a mini green salad with panir cheese, a Persian soft cheese similar to feta.
While Persian Square in West LA is known for some of LA’s best Persian restaurants, I think the Saffron Food Mart can give these restaurants a run for the money. Saffron Food Mart’s food is very tasty, priced right, and if you live in the South Bay, visiting them is a no-brainer.
Saffron Food Mart, 3801 Pacific Coast Hwy, Torrance, CA 90505; 310.504.0310
torrancepersianmarket.com