Vatan

It’s considerably harder to do anything new or different than simply duplicating what’s already being done and working well enough. Vatan – a “contemporary Persian dining experience” across from Lido Marina Village – is taking the hard path. Replacing one of Newport Beach’s countless Italian restaurants, Vatan debuted in September 2026 with a substantially refreshed interior, minimal exterior signage, and a menu that looks decidedly unlike those at 99% of Orange County’s Persian restaurants. Its concept is to “celebrat[e] the diverse flavors of Iran through tapas-inspired dishes,” a feat attempted through a substantial collection of $10 to $18 appetizers, four entree-sized main courses ($26 to $38), four desserts ($10 to $12), and a small collection of drinks, notably including five cocktail-like options with wine or beer at the core ($12 to $14).

Before diving deeper into the menu, several aspects of the Vatan dining experience are worth understanding. Each table inside the roughly 50-person space – including some really nice copper-toned metal tables, plush velvet benches, and wicker/wooden chairs – is set with a beautiful glass lamp and an equally attractive, initially covered glass bowl. When a server first stops by, the bowl is revealed to be filled with complimentary pistachios for sharing at the table, an amazing touch of hospitality; a handful of two-person tables on the small, enclosed outdoor patio notably lacked the lamp and bowl.

On our first visit, the restaurant was open solely for dinners, six days a week, beginning at 5:00PM and ending at 9 or 10 each night. A menu posted outside the front door references brunch, and names several additional dishes (including a fifth dessert) that will only be available during yet-to-be-announced weekend hours. This was the first obvious sign of a larger plan that was only partially executed as of our visit.

As huge fans of authentic Spanish tapas (see: Telefèric Barcelona, sometimes Vaca) with an open mind to high-quality approximations (see: Fat of the Land), we think Vatan’s description of its efforts as “tapas-inspired” is fair; its “mazeh” appetizers aren’t so much traditional tapas as small Persian plates with shareable items. In addition to salads, this part of the menu includes plates of spreadable bone marrow ($18), olives and walnuts with pomegranate molasses, pan-fried potato cubes ($11), and shrimp with either crispy lime/cilantro rice ($16) or bread ($18).

We tried the kal kabab ($14), a northern Iranian spin on the Middle Eastern eggplant dips babaghanoush or kashk bademjan, served here with pine nuts, pomegranate, beet microgreens, and two small discs of sesame-flecked, butter-golden bread. In a moment we haven’t experienced anywhere else locally, we were five bites into our first plate – and not complaining – when our server stopped by and offered to take the dish back, saying that the kitchen was concerned about the salt level, and had pulled it from other tables. Minutes later, the plate was replaced with another, its saltiness noticeably dialed down, another sign the restaurant was still getting its footing but obviously concerned about quality and customer experience. We appreciated the candor, and enjoyed the earthy, lightly sweet, tangy, and nutty replacement dish even more than the first, though there was too little bread to treat the pureed eggplant as a traditional Middle Eastern spread.

Though the “dis” (main courses) section of the menu includes Newport-friendly steak, chicken, lamb, and branzino options, each has been given a Persian spin: The chicken uses a walnut-pomegranate sauce, and the fish is stuffed with tamarind, herbs, and garlic. We ordered the lamb chops ($36), which attracted our attention by promising not only flame-grilled meat but also Persian rice, golden tahdig – crispy bottom-of-pan rice – and roasted tomato. Like the kal kabab, this plate arrived looking sharp, its three chops arranged bone-up with more microgreens around a pile of soft rice with chunks of orange and yellow tahdig. And we generally enjoyed the several ounces of grilled, overly fatty lamb, which were properly served at kitchen-recommended medium doneness. But apart from the tahdig bits, the rest of the rice (seemingly lime/cilantro-based) wasn’t as fragrant or tasty as the versions that generally fill entree plates at other Persian places.