Shiraz Now Open, Serving Authentic
Persian, Indian and Pakistani Cuisine
Shiraz is now open, serving authentic Persian, Indian and Pakistani halal cuisine. Located at the corner of Decatur and Sahara, Shiraz is owned by longtime restaurateur Raja Majid, with Chef Jainine Jaffer helming the kitchen and Jozef Letasi behind the bar.
Named after the ancient Iranian city known for its colorful gardens and breathtaking art, the wide-ranging menu offers a fresh and innovative take on Mediterranean food including a variety of vegetarian options. Dishes are cooked in traditional methods, including tandoori specialties and Indian breads in a clay oven known as a tandoor.
Jaffer’s menu is reminiscent of her extensive travels and her experiences with many world cultures and foods, including Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Greek, Italian, Latin, Thai, Argentinian, Mexican-Indian and more. She developed an insatiable love for food, flavors and creativity at a very young age, with some of her earliest memories being waiting impatiently all week for the Saturday PBS cooking show lineup with Julia Child, Jacques Torres and Martin Yan. As a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas, her versatile culinary skill set ranges from from savory to sweet, baking and pastry, mezze/tapas, vegan and vegetarian to fusion. Her passion for the Indian, Pakistani and Persian cuisines led her to Shiraz, where each dish she makes is thoughtfully hand-crafted with her secret ingredients, love and dua.
Indian and Pakistani chef specialties include mutton (goat) korma, an iconic Pakistani dish slow simmered in a rich sauce of yogurt, spices and nuts delicately balanced with kewra (screwpine) essence; lamb karahi infused with garlic, ginger, green chili and spices in a thickened tomato curry and cooked in a karahi (wok); shrimp masala; and Pakistani chicken karahi with a complex blend of chili, onion, tomato, garlic, ginger and traditional whole spice blend and simmered until bone-tender.
Persian specials include ghormeh sabzi, an Iranian stew of sauteed herbs including leek, parsley, green onion, bitter greens and seasoned with fenugreek leaves; gheymeh bademjan or eggplants stewed with yellow split peas; and zereshk polo, a combination of white and saffron rice with barberries.
Shiraz has partnered with Ace of Steaks to provide kosher catering for private events.
With more than 10 years experience bartending at various locations on and off the Strip, Letasi’s bar program showcases classic libations such as the Sherry Cobbler, East India Cocktail, Monkey Gland and the Honeymoon Cocktail. He will also feature rotating specialty cocktails made with fresh and unique ingredients.
“I’m excited to share Shiraz with the Las Vegas community and continue to expose the rich, diverse and flavorful cuisine of the Persian, Indian and Pakistani cultures,” said Majid. “We want everyone to enjoy the food, drinks, service and atmosphere, while expanding their palates and hopefully learning something new.”
Shiraz is open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. with live music.
For more information and to view the menu, visit shirazrestaurant.com. Keep up to date with events, news and specials by liking on Facebook /ShirazLasVegas, Instagram @ShirazLasVegas and Twitter @ShirazLasVegas.
Chicken korma
Aloo tikki with cholay
