Arya Steakhouse

About Arya Steakhouse

Arya Steakhouse is a Persian restaurant and steakhouse at 140 University Avenue, at the Caltrain end of downtown Palo Alto. It pairs two menus that rarely share a room: hand-cut steaks and the kabobs, rice dishes and slow-cooked stews of Iran. The restaurant describes it as a modern interpretation of Iranian cuisine with fresh ingredients, alongside the steaks.

Arya was founded by a husband and wife, executive chef Mike Hashemi and Fera Hashemi. They opened the first Arya in Cupertino in 2007 and a second in Redwood City in 2012. The Palo Alto restaurant brings both earlier locations together under one roof. The room is decorated with Persian art and textiles, which the owners say is meant to add an old-world feel.

The restaurant's website displays a DiRoNA Award of Excellence for 2026.

What is on the menu

Arya butchers its own meat in house and says it serves only prime cuts. Steaks are dry-aged in house for 28 days. The aged ribeye is one of its specialties. The July 2026 dinner menu lists ribeye, a dry-aged ribeye, a cowboy ribeye, New York steak, filet mignon, a lamb rack, a tomahawk and an Australian wagyu filet. Steaks are seasoned with a Persian steak rub and served with roasted potatoes and garlic.

The Persian side of the menu is just as long. Kabobs include joojeh (boneless chicken), barg (filet mignon), koobideh (ground beef), lamb chops and salmon, served with basmati and saffron rice, grilled tomato and sumac onions. You can swap in flavored rices such as zereshk polo with barberries, baghali polo with dill and lima beans or shirin polo with almonds, pistachios and orange peel. Stews include fesenjoon, a pomegranate and walnut stew with chicken; ghormeh sabzi, an herb stew with beef and dried lime; and gheimeh bademjan, with eggplant, beef and lentils.

Starters cover both traditions. There is a bread board of Persian flatbreads, ash reshteh (an herb and noodle soup), a mazeh platter with hummus, borani bademjan, falafel and sambosa, Persian yogurt dips and a Shirazi salad of cucumber, tomato and onion. Steakhouse starters include steak tartare, crab cake and herbed bone marrow. The site also lists an all-day menu, a cocktail menu and party platters. It also promotes a weekend brunch.

Dietary notes

The whole menu is halal. The dinner menu marks vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free dishes and says every kabob is gluten free. A mushroom ravioli can be made vegan on request. Several starters, such as the yogurt dips, falafel and eggplant dish, are meatless.

Private dining and catering

Arya is set up for groups. Its private dining page lists a chef's table in the main dining room, the Executive Room and the larger Shiraz Room, plus semi-private rooms and the bar and lounge. The listed capacities differ slightly between pages, so confirm numbers with the banquet coordinator through the request form or by phone. The restaurant also caters office lunches and events and sells gift cards. The dinner menu notes that a service charge is added for parties of six or more.

Who it suits

Arya works for a business lunch, a family celebration or a group dinner in a private room. The mix of steaks and Persian dishes helps when a table cannot agree on one cuisine. Because it opens at 11:30 a.m. every day, it is also one of the downtown options for a sit-down lunch on a weekend. Families who keep halal will find the whole menu open to them.

Tips for visiting

Book through OpenTable, especially for dinner. Arya says reservations are highly encouraged for the main dining room, though walk-ins are seated when space allows. The last reservation is at 9 p.m. Its posted dress code is smart casual to dressy. The restaurant asks guests not to bring strollers because of limited space.

For parking, Arya recommends the city structure on High Street, which has free three-hour parking, or the High Street lot and street spaces nearby, which are free for two hours. The Palo Alto Caltrain station is a short walk away, so it is easy to reach by train.

For more options, see our steakhouses guide and our halal food guide. Our downtown Palo Alto guide covers the blocks around University Avenue.

Location and getting there

Arya Steakhouse is at 140 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in the Downtown area of Palo Alto. Our Downtown guide covers what else is around.

The Palo Alto Caltrain station is less than a quarter mile away, a walk of a few minutes.

Parking: street spaces and city garages with posted limits (see parking in Palo Alto).

Hours

Hours from the business's own website, checked October 30, 2026.

What is nearby

• Verve Coffee Roasters, cafe, under 0.1 mi
• Starbucks University Avenue, cafe, under 0.1 mi
• T-Mobile University Avenue, shop, under 0.1 mi
• Yummy Future, cafe, under 0.1 mi
• Palo Alto Bicycles, studio or gym, under 0.1 mi
• Lytton Plaza, under 0.1 mi
• University Avenue, 0.1 mi
• Cogswell Plaza, 0.2 mi

Other restaurants nearby: Sweet Maple (under 0.1 mi); Onigilly (under 0.1 mi); Sprout (under 0.1 mi); Pho Ha Noi (under 0.1 mi). Browse the full restaurants list.

Before you go

• Popular dinner spots in Palo Alto fill up on Friday and Saturday nights, so book ahead where the restaurant takes reservations.
• Many kitchens close earlier than in big cities. Plan to order by about 9 p.m. on weeknights unless the posted hours say otherwise.
• If you have allergies or dietary needs, call ahead or check the current menu on the restaurant's website.

About this listing

Checked October 30, 2026 against Arya Steakhouse official website; Arya: Reservations and location; Arya: FAQ; Arya: Private dining; Arya dinner menu, July 2026. How our listings work. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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