We went for dinner at the Old Hall Persian Restaurant last weekend. Being a party of 9 ( 2 families) we made sure to book beforehand. The owner was very helpful during the phone booking, he even noticed that we would be having a drive of about 45 minutes to get there.
None of us had ever had Persian cuisine before and so we , like many, opted for the culinary selection buffet where we could choose what we wanted from a selection of dishes. A selection of freshly made dips, olives and flatbreads were presented to us as appetisers . These were all extremely tasty and set the mood for a relaxing evening to come. The main dishes were again very tasty - various rice and couscous dishes, beautifully flavoured lamb and chicken dishes, vegetarian lentil and pulses. All foods had a brief description typed above their large pots so we all knew what kind of flavours to expect. Desserts were also available, and these too, were extremely tasty.
The owner and his family were around to explain any things we were unsure of. They were also very happy to offer any personal recommendations when we asked for their help. The owner/chef was extremely friendly and welcoming. He happily spoke to his customers during the evening. When he got to our table, we found him a most pleasant man. We ended up having our photographs taken by his brother in law who was going back to Iran the following week!He is a quietly spoken man who wants to give culinary pleasure! He certainly succeeded with our group.
Did we have a wonderful evening? Yes! Would we recommend the Old Hall Persian restaurant? Yes! Will we going back to the Old Hall Persian restaurant? Try stopping us!!!

While visiting Shrewsbury we met up with some friends at the Old Hall for a meal.

We opted (as many do) for the buffet and it was amazing, the starters were a unique experience full of exciting flavours but not overpowering. They were served with the thinest, tastiest naan that I have ever tasted, the mains were four exceptionally good dishes, meat and vegetable with fluffy rice and coucous and the biggest naan I have ever seen.

The staff were charming and looked after us very well all evening and the chef/owner came and greeted us and explained what all the dishes were and what spices the contained and how they were cooked.

This is a real foodie experience and if you are lucky enough to live close by then do try it as you will not be dissapointed.

We'd heard from friends (and Trip Advisor reviews) how good the Persian food was at the Old Hall, Dorrington so decided to give it a try ... and were very glad we did! We opted for the 3 course buffet and the phrase which immediately came to mind on finishing my excellent meal was “packed with flavours”! The starters were so tasty, simply more-ish .. two lovely dips with the thinnest yet largest Nan breads to use as scoops. Ijlal, the owner and master chef, has a genuinely welcoming and friendly manner and happily explained the contents and cooking methods of each course available at the buffet tables. From memory, there were two rice dishes, two chicken dishes, a lamb dish and numerous different vegetable dishes. Every meal option was simply delicious and oozed lovely flavours. Only one was slightly spicy – and it was absolutely delicious too. The buffet even includes three delicious Persian puddings and a fruit salad. The buffet was so delicious we went for seconds, and I even observed one elderly couple going back for thirds and fourths!! The main restaurant is tastefully decorated and is a calm and relaxing place to eat in. There is ample parking in the large car park at the rear of the restaurant. As for costs - great value at just over £60 for three adults including one round of drinks! We will definitely be returning – often!

As we went through the entrance door we were met by the chef who happened to be passing. He stopped and greeted us warmly and asked about our experience of Persian food. We told him we knew nothing and he delightfully told us the history. He then went on to explain that it was buffet night and we'd have dips to start and we could go up and taste many different dishes. We were then led to a delightful room and our drinks order was taken. Once seated at our table we were given our starters, both the dips and olives were amazing. After which we were then taken to another smaller room and the chef himself greeted us and explained the dishes he had cooked. We were then left to choose what we wanted. I personally had a little of most of the dishes. The taste of each dish leaves you speechless, there's so many different tastes going on all at once. I've never tasted food like this in all my life, I'm 39. You have to go and try it so that you have an understanding of what I mean. The service was wonderful and staff were cheerful and eager to please. We'll definitely be going again, I only hope its sooner rather than later!!

I would have given this a 5 star rating but for the slightly "awkward" welcome and introduction to the menu. We arrived through the 2 entrance doors and guessed we were in the right room as there was a bar - but no staff at all, so we waited at the bar for about 4-5 mins. then a lady appeared, I mentioned we had booked and gave my name, which which she said she knew, but no personal welcome, we were asked if we had been before, which we hadn't, and so was suggested we have the "sample buffet" - can't quite remember exact wording she used, which we agreed to - but no further explanation of exactly what it entailed, or the "format" of how it was to be served etc. We were shown to our table and shortly after the 3 x appetizers arrived, hummous, aubergine dip and olives and tomatoes together with nice bread - the best "dips" I have tasted! - very exceptional. We were then ushered to join some other diners in another room where the chef talked us through each dish individually, all very nice and enthusiastic (but it's difficult to remember about 13 or so dishes, but a nice selection!) we were then handed some plates and helped ourselves to whatever we wanted and returned to our table. Simply summed up this was very tasty and nicely spiced food, complimented by an exceptional spiced rice (among others) - it would be doing it a dis-service to suggest you compared it to curries, as this is definitely not comparible to regular curry fare. Restaurant is simply decorated without silly ornaments or pictures, nice linen tablecloths, and linen napkins which is nice to see in this day and age of all things paper! - I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone wanting something a little different, and I will definitely be returning myself.