Counter by Naroon

You'll squeeze onto a stool at Counter by Naroon and immediately understand why locals keep coming back. This isn't a sit-down affair—it's all about watching the kitchen work while you're inches away from the action, the grill's heat warming your face as they char meat and flatten bread. The menu pivots around proper Persian cooking: fesenjan (pomegranate and walnut stew), tender lamb koobideh, and rice dishes that taste like someone actually cared. The vibe is unpretentious and efficient; you order, you eat, you move. Great Titchfield Street location means you're walkable from Fitzrovia and Marylebone, which probably explains the 4.9-star rating from people who know what they're after.