First Look: Persian Hospitality at Roya

Roya, which means “dream” or “vision” in Farsi, is an apt name for a business that was literally years in the making. After beginning to serve Persian food as a series of pop-ups in 2018, Amir Hajimaleki and his brother Ali have officially achieved their mission of highlighting Persian culture and cuisine with their new restaurant, located at 7858 Shoal Creek Blvd.

“I grew up here. I love the city. I love the people here. I want to create something not only to stay connected to myself, but to share my culture with others,” says Amir, who was born in Tehran but moved to Austin when he was a child. Although the pandemic derailed his plans to open a brick-and-mortar, the Anderson and Westwood High alum was dead set on trying to bring his hometown an authentic ode to his birthplace. 

“Growing up in Austin, Iranian culture wasn’t something you’re around a lot, other than immediate family,” Hajimaleki says. “[So I said to myself], I got to keep this alive. Even if the restaurant never happens, I want to keep this conversation alive.”

Years later, Roya has finally opened in the suite adjacent to the Hajimaleki brothers’ other North Austin restaurant, District Kitchen (they also own Oasthouse Kitchen and a South Austin District Kitchen, both of which are on Slaughter). It comes at a tumultuous time in his homeland’s history, with recent American and Israeli bombings of Iran at the forefront of Iranian Americans’ minds. For Hajimaleki, it’s nothing new; his memories of Tehran during his childhood shaped his journey through life. 

“My first memories are of war,” he says. “I remember it was the Iran-Iraq War and I was born in the middle of that, missiles and sirens everywhere. It’s crazy to think [about], but after that [was over], most of my memories are very pleasant and are all around food. 

Credit: Haris Qureshi

“When you’re in a world of somewhat chaos with wars and political stuff happening, you can still sit around a table with delicious food,” he continues. “Regardless of people’s political or religious beliefs, everyone’s happy around a good meal. I want to recreate that for people.”

Hajimaleki’s nostalgic memories of Iran shape Roya’s menu. A rotisserie chicken sandwich he remembers eating with his grandparents in Shomal inspired their Olivieh, a twist on the popular chicken salad Roya fashions into hors d’oeuvre bites. When I stopped by, they were definitely a standout: they came three to a plate and easily could have been demolished in seconds. 

The ghormeh sabzi, a spinach and kidney-bean-based beef short rib stew, was another highlight of the meal – no surprise given how Hajimaleki raves about one of his favorite Persian dishes. 

“Ghormeh sabzi is the national dish of Iran,” he says. “I could eat that every day. It’s the shortrib, it’s braised, it’s falling apart. You get the bone marrow and mix that with the rice … it’s heaven.” We also had the koobideh (beef/lamb) and jujeh (chicken) kabobs, which came out juicy and flavorful, especially when paired with the shirin polo, a crispy saffron rice dish with nuts and yogurt. 

The drink menu is similarly constructed by Hajimaleki to reflect some of his fondest memories of Iran. The chef turned the Albaloo Sharbat, a traditionally nonalcoholic sour cherry beverage, into a margarita, which is now Roya’s bestseller. The Behesht, which translates to “heaven,” is another favorite with a specific backstory. 

“There’s a syrup that has vinegar and mint in it. It’s called “sekanjabin,” and it was a really refreshing drink. We’d drink it in the summertime when we were outside playing soccer. Our mom or grandma would take that syrup and top it off with some water and put some cucumbers in it. The Behesht, [which is our alcoholic version of that], is very refreshing and is made with gin and some orange zest.”

You can go literally down the line for the drinks and each one evokes memories of Tehran. There’s even one called “A Night in Tehran,” a $65 influencer’s dream of a cocktail that even Hajimaleki admits with a wry grin is “over the top.”

Bademjan, Gojeh farangi salad, Olivieh and taftoon bread Credit: Haris Qureshi

“It’s got Remy XO in it, it’s $65, it’s crazy. It’s made with this cardamom saffron syrup that we make and the Remy is expensive, but saffron is actually way more expensive than the Remy. We serve it with these mixed nuts that are saffron-roasted and we named it “A Night in Tehran” because it’s so common to eat a trail mix of nuts and drink.”

“Obviously alcohol is forbidden in Iran due to the Islamic regime,” he says, but “that doesn’t mean that historically a lot of the stuff we enjoy these days didn’t come from there.” The wine menu, although featuring a couple of Californian reds, heavily features wines from the Mediterranean, Central Asian, and Middle Eastern regions and makes exactly that point about the historical and agricultural significance of the area.

It happened to be Nowruz, the Persian New Year, when I met with Hajimaleki. Nowruz has deep roots in Zoroastrianism, as it marks the beginning of spring and doubles as Iran’s spring equinox festival. A Haft Seen, a symbolic offering of items marking the beginning of spring, is spread across the entrance and upstairs area of Roya. 

“It’s the seven symbols of Nowruz and they all start with the letter S. It’s about new beginnings and life and they each represent something like life or sweetness,” the chef explains. “It’s like our Christmas. … It’s a lot of family visits, you eat a lot.” In honor of Nowruz, Roya is offering a $95 “Sofreh” option throughout the spring, which is a tasting menu of assorted specialties.

Amir is determined not to let the turbulent political climate surrounding Iran determine his future or how he and his family honor their heritage. “People in the Iranian community were like, ‘How could you celebrate a restaurant opening with all the stuff that’s going on?’ But we’re celebrating the culture,” he says. 

“Regarding Iran today, it’s bittersweet. Difficulties like this are part of our past, and probably our future as well. But you have to always celebrate the culture to keep it alive and moving forward. It’s more than just a restaurant selling some food. The focus is bigger than that, our responsibility is bigger than that, and it’s really to showcase that this is our culture and this is who we are as humans. We want to share that with everyone.”

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