Bibi Sara

"It’s easy to miss Bibi Sara while whizzing down Topanga Boulevard through Woodland Hills. The restaurant is tucked away in a strip mall with the shades often drawn, leaving the interior to the imagination of passersby. But step inside the unassuming restaurant to be greeted by a menu of homestyle Persian dishes like shish kebab, lentil soup, and dolmas. The owners are often working at the restaurant, and sitting down for a meal is like being invited into their living room. Plates of cherry rice land on tables to be scarfed down between bites of falafel and baba ghanoush. The entire menu is priced at under $20, making it very reasonable to add in an order of baklava for dessert. 4878 Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Woodland Hills, CA 91364 — Rebecca Roland, associate editor"