The owners of Shiraz Persian Restaurant in East Watertown announced they will be closing down their restaurant after “16 wonderful years.”
The eatery located at 72 Bigelow Avenue published a message to its customers on Facebook in late August, and the closing was announced on Boston Restaurant Talk on Tuesday.
The message reads:
Dear Valued Customers,
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the closing of Shiraz Persian Restaurant after 16 wonderful years. We have cherished every moment spent serving you and being a part of this community. Your support, loyalty, and shared love for Persian cuisine have been the cornerstone of our success and joy.
We are immensely grateful for the friendships we’ve made, the stories shared, and the memories created within our walls. Shiraz has been more than just a restaurant; it has been a place where culture, tradition, and community came together.
As we close this chapter, we want to express our deepest gratitude to each of you. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your lives. We hope that the flavors of Shiraz will remain in your hearts as fond memories.
With sincere appreciation and warmest regards,
Shiraz Family
Sad news! Have enjoyed Shiraz when I’ve visited ‘home.’
I wish the owners of these properties would lower the rent. I don’t know if that’s the case here but I’ve heard from numerous restaurateurs that they can deal with wages and food prices but the rent ends up killing them, even the ones making money hand over fist. There are restaurants that have shuttered in which one could not get a reservation for at least a month, and when I ask what happened, the common refrain is the landlord doubled or tripled the rent. Then a chain comes in, stays open for a couple of years and then closes because it wasn’t as good. Unfortunately it becomes a blight of empty space and the landlord gets a tax write off. I still miss the Aegean, Island Creek and La Casa de Pedro!
True. La Casa de Pedro was terrific. Great food and a superlative location for quiet outside summer dining, next to the wide green lawn in front of the Mosesian Center. Families could watch their kids play on the lawn while enjoying a meal at a shaded courtyard table, insulated from busy Arsenal Street by a row of sweetgum trees.
Such a loss to Watertown when Arsenal on the Charles eliminated this special place!
I did not know Island Creek, but I agree with others about Pedro and Aegean. I also miss Stellina’s, Porcinis, and to some extent, The Vault.
Does anyone remember the name of the French restaurant which occupied the place now vacated by Shiraz?
Stellina’s was one of those places that wasn’t high profile but was highly regarded among those in the know. I had a downtown colleague who always wanted to come to Watertown to lunch at Stellina’s.
We are known for our locally owned food establishments. There are many fine ones. Please support them. Check out the new Cha Yen Thai in Coolidge Square!