Aria Kitchen

In 2023, soon after the Irvine-based Middle Eastern supermarket Super Irvine temporarily closed and relocated at Mission Viejo’s Crown Valley Market Place, the family behind both stores opened Aria Kitchen – a Persian-Mexican fusion restaurant close to the Irvine/Newport Beach border. Occupying a prime location in the Jamboree Promenade plaza (home to Oishi Shabu Shabu, Potato Powder Love Noodle, Spicy Master, Yonny, and Yoo’s Place), Aria Kitchen is one of the mostly Asian plaza’s nicest-looking restaurants: Ample marble-topped tables, nicely cushioned chairs, and plush benches provide cozy seating for around 100 people, compromising comfort only on some leg-cramped booths on one side of the substantial space. Aria’s upscale approach is just shy of fine dining in aspiration, and a marked contrast with local fast-casual Mediterranean/Mexican fusion chain FOB/Fresh off the Boat Fish Grill, which opened five years earlier and is less impressively executed across the board.

Delivered in a substantial leather folder, Aria’s four-page menu devotes almost the entirety of two pages to foods, and the balance to drinks, notably including specialty cocktails, mocktails, margaritas, tequilas, mezcals, mostly mid-tier spirits, wines, sangria, and beers. Cocktails and margaritas start at $16 but climb to $22, largely covering expected Mexican and American bases; as alcohol has been illegal for over a century in Iran, only one of the $15 mocktails, sharbat, nods to historic Persian beverages, as does a single standard drink, the mint and yogurt/fermented milk-based doogh.

Thankfully, Aria includes more Persian influences in its food selection, which balances Middle Eastern appetizers such as hummus ($10), bone marrow ($14), samosas ($12), and labneh-based mast o’mousir ($10) alongside Mexican taquitos ($15), guacamole ($15), and shrimp ceviche ($18). Similarly, collections of tacos and fajitas ($18 to $42) sit alongside traditional Persian shish kabobs ($22 to $28), tahchin (tajine, $28), lamb shank ($26), and seafood items ($25 to $30). Aria also offers a comparatively small number of true fusion items, including burritos with gheymeh or ghorme sabzi beef stew meat, and tacos with beef or lamb koobideh ($15 to $22, varying prices at lunch or dinner).

Our meal at Aria Kitchen began with complimentary chips and salsa – the latter a bit thin and more heavily chili- than tomato-based, but both welcome as we awaited appetizers and entrees. As we were curious to see how Aria would handle fusion items, we ordered empanadas ($15) with three different flavors, served with a dip that looked like ranch but was actually yogurt with smoky chipotle peppers. From the meaty, lightly fruity beef & barberry to shredded chicken and samosa-like curry potato, the empanadas were all wonderfully savory inside, and perfectly golden crisped outside, collectively making a great impression.