Teahouse & Restaurant In Mashhad

[Rasputin]

The Hezaardastaan Teahouse is a gem in Mashhad that any visitor should go to. This traditional Persian eatery is on a quiet little shopping street in the center of the holy city. Located in the basement of a commercial building, the teahouse serves traditional Persian food, tea, sweets, hookah pipes and is a treasure filled with art, poetry, and beautiful Persian music.



Exceptional murals from the Shahnameh, depicting Rostam and his ancestry cover the walls in whimsical ways, transporting the visitor to a time when Rumi and red wine were at the core of everyday life. Archways and corners are filled with water vases, samaavars, copper pots, and antique lamps. The ambiance is enhanced with myriads of cultural icons such as hookah pipes, a couple of meels from an old Zoorkhooneh, an aftabeh near the small pool in the center of the room, and local carpets and cushions strewn around. Classic poets such as Hafez and Khayyam adorn moldings that bear their work in circular format and asymmetrical shapes jumping from one column to the next.


A small stage makes way for all the great Persian instruments including an old daf, santoor, dombak, and even a kamaancheh. The night we were there, we were greeted by a lonesome ney master who seemed intoxicated with his own music and played melancholic love songs the whole night in front of the fireplace.