Rumi 入迷

Intersection of Gongti North Road and Third Ring Road,
Sanlitun
Opposite of Zhaolong Hotel
工体北路和三环内
兆龙饭店对面

8454-3838

www.rumigrill.com

Open 11:30am-12am
Price Y200-Y299 per couple
Accepts International Credit Cards

This Venue has been nominated for a Reader's Choice Award 2010 in the category Beijing - Best Middle-Eastern

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City Weekend
says

The charming Iranian owners are one of this popular place's main attractions; that along with the chic minimalist décor and authentic flavors. Iranian expats congregate here for juicy meat marinated in sweet and sour flavors like pomegranate done up in a bath of secret spices.

Reviews Been there? Add a review!

Most Recent Reviews

yesmaybe

do they offer a set lunch menu?

1 day, 3 hours ago

addyinbeijing

An expensive meal but well worth it. Large portions, helpful staff, and a great introduction to Iranian cuisine. One of the best in Beijing.

 
4 days, 3 hours ago

billyboy

really nice food. Portion are all big, and taste also ok. I think they should reduce the portion of rice that come with main dishes.

 
1 week ago

cuteboy

Rice and the nan breads are good at rumi,but the kebabs if you are a slow eater,after 20 minutes they become hard and not soft enough for the meal.

 
3 weeks, 2 days ago

asianguy

I like the nan breads.The kababas however are bland not my real liking. I always ask chilli and extra gravy to make my way,but its ok. I avoid the evening rush time as the waiter always make mistake of giving my food to someone else and then again make my order its too long a wait.!

 
1 month ago

sarah100

Found this place after walking past it and decided to try it after reading all the good reviews. I must say the reviews couldn't be more accurate. The food is great and the kebabs were without a doubt the best I've eaten. The service was fast and extremely friendly. On the night we dined here, the restaurant was quite busy (Saturday night), but had no troubles with anything whatsoever. I can't recommend this place enough.

My one piece of advise would be to go easy on the dips and bread as the rest of your meal will be filling. Oh, and not really the best place for a vego. They could eat here fine, but with kebabs like these, you can't visit Rumi and not try them!

 
1 month, 1 week ago

oilman

This is one of my favorites and so i go there pretty often. I love the hummus, stuffed peppers, stuffed cabbage, flavorful salads, lamb, sausage, etc. You cannot buy wine here but carry your own in and they are happy to have you drink it, so that saves some money to buy more of the yummy food!

 
3 months, 2 weeks ago

hopethenewlife

I enjoy the salmon.

3 months, 4 weeks ago

absentiment

i dunno. i love rumi, from the grilled meats to the hummus and service staff, not to mention the absence of a corkage fee. i haven't had the problems the rest of these reviewers have. i even had a group of 20 there and everything went exceedingly well, from the reservation to their apologies for not having fa piao and offering to send me one in the mail. perhaps if i ate there more often than once every two months i'd hit on a bad experience, but i've had nothing but positives.

 
8 months, 3 weeks ago

lotzforsale

Took my mom to this place yesterday and ordered a beef bbq plate and a chicken mushroom dish. The kebob was pretty good, but the sliced beef tasted like rubber. The taste to this chicken and mushroom dish was awful in every way. Too much mushroom, way too little chicken and the taste was just weird. Must say, the bread was pretty good. We heard lots of good ratings and gave it a shot, even though the bill was not cheap. If you're charging this much, don't cheapen out on the ingredients or at least make it tasty and edible.
I do have to give them credit for the spacious and nicely decorated restaurant.

But Guess what....My mom and I both woke up at 3am today ......we should of knew.....food poisoning to the max.

Maybe it's just bad luck ...but sorry, we're not heading back ever!

 
9 months ago

chrissy_ysy

9.30 p.m. June 11th, 09 dead tired /hungry -just needed my favourite meal of barberry basmati rice with chicken and lamb kebabs.

Upon arrival... 1) Place was packed outside, but there was a long table half occupied on 1 end. We asked the waitress if she could separate the table to seat the both of us, Immediately got rejected, and she lead us to another table in a more crowded area. Funny thing, a couple came by right after us, and she magically separated the long table for them. (SIGH)

2) No menu, until we waved frantically for one.

3) I tried to place my usual order - somehow after eating this for the past 4 years over countless times, I was educated by this wonderfully difficult waitress... a) The dish doesn't exist AT ALL b) I MUST HAVE remembered wrongly c) I MUST HAVE been in another restaurant, NOT RUMI! d) NOPE, it cannot be prepared even with extra charge of the usual RMB 45 for the rice!

Needless to say, I walked out! Sorry no rating, I couldn't get my order thru!

9 months, 1 week ago

andybj

I love, love, love this place. Not only is the staff extremely friendly, but the food is cooked naturally so you feel great when you leave....and the next day. The vegetarian selection is very good and the saffron rice was exceptional. Plus, if you've got a question about the spices used in a dish, they clearly explain how they make it. The arabian manager came out a few times to personally check on us and to chat for a few minutes. I'm glad this gem is only a few blocks down the street.

 
9 months, 2 weeks ago

monkey99r

Been there a few times, I was wonderfully surprised the first time. But I have to agree with summer77's speculation up there. Certain dishes were definitely different from what I had in the summer, and they were not as tasty. Overall the food is still good, but I don't like the down slope.

The atmosphere is soothing, perfect to relax and enjoy your food. Unfortunately I don't see the service improving that much. I'm not being tough. There is a difference between being nice and offering good service.

 
1 year, 2 months ago

hongkonggirl

We were at Rumi after few hectic work yesterday and we were at Rumi. Off late I been liking the Sanlitun-the 1001 nights, to stroll thorugh . We ordered some humus, soup,the barbeques and rice.The had some good juice kept on the tables which we enjoyed.

All and all everything except the soup was quite tasty.I specially liked the rice. The kebabs could have been little more softer.

Though the prices are not cheap , its a good change restaurant.

Service was surely not upto the mark. They had missed to get one of the two kababs we ordered and persian tea arrived after our reminders. The waiters were trying but our server was new I guess.I have been used to now. Worth surely a trip if you have not had this type of food.

 
1 year, 3 months ago

lwest

First time is the charm at Rumi. Spacious and serene atmosphere make it easy to settle in for good conversation. Be warned, the Persian bread and hummus are good, too good. So, try not to overindulge as subsequent dishes come in healthy portions each as delectable as the other. For meat lovers in particular, the sample platter of lamb, chicken, salmon, and more is to be cherished. Each bite is tender, moist, and perfectly seasoned so that you can still apprecieate the richness of the meat. As the weather turns down, I'll definitely be turning into Rumi for warm smiles and a happy stomach.

 
1 year, 4 months ago

summer77

I've been a fan of this Restauarant every since they opened. Because of work and stuff, I have stopped going for a period of time and started going back again. Did anyone tasted any difference? It doesn't seem to be as good as 6 months ago. The meet was not as juicy and the taste was bland or with some sort of weird, baking soda flavor.

The cheeseburger was still good.

I jokingly asked them whether they changed owners and they said yes. Any confirmation?

1 year, 5 months ago

bushwacker

My boyfriend and I go to Rumi almost every Friday-- after a long week at work, their hummus, greek salad, naan, and chicken and beef kebab is the only thing we crave. We bring our own wine and sit outside for hours. Staff has been very attentive, and there's always someone around should you need anything. Not sure what happened to everyone else...

 
1 year, 8 months ago

go_swiss

This is really a favorite in Beijing! Fresh design (all in white ... in a city like Beijing!!!), perfect Persian food, a nice outdoor option in summer. AND 100 POINTS FOR THE OWNER, FOR CREATING A SMALL INDOOR PLAYGROUND FOR KIDS! ... for all family with kids: try to get the table right next to the children's playing corner, then you can really enjoy your dinner!

 
1 year, 9 months ago

chrissy_ysy

This place offers something that's missing in some restaurants... SPACE!

It's the perfect place to wind down over a cuppa mint tea, refreshing salads & oh, don't forget to try their shrimp dish & rice!

Not forgeting their absolutely lovely outdoor setting during warmer days.

Chicken Kebabs could do with a bit of improvement, but I owe it to the "muscleless" livestock in China (aka - ever wondered why fish & tofu has the same texture in China?)

1 year, 10 months ago

rachels

Rumi is a gorgeous restaurant with extremely soothing ambience, and I find that the food there is authentic rather than bland, so if the latter is one's impression of the cuisine, I would imagine you'd find the cuisine of the middle east to be a bit boring. While more expensive than some others, the portions are also more generous, and the fact that they don't charge corkage for BYOB really keeps the bill quite reasonable. The cucumber and yogurt salad was particularly impressive, as was the warm, freshly baked Persian bread the wait-staff constantly replenished. I would only suggest that they produce their own chili sauce, as the Tabasco they offered me didn't quite mesh with the flavors of their grilled meats. Nonetheless, I had a lovely and relxing meal there, and will be sure to return.

 
1 year, 12 months ago

cynthjeany

I always like Rumi's white-ish decor... My friend recommended the Beef Koobideh and it's quite nice. The fact that they don't charge for corkage is just great. Just a little down side is the low ceiling on the 2nd floor... I'd much prefer dining in the ground-floor-high-ceiling space (oh and you'd better make reservation to secure those seats) :)

 
2 years ago

beorn

I went back after the last review, but was equally disappointed. The got our dishes mixed up, and the service was only marginally better. I'll give it one more star since they didn't completely mess up everything, the food is unique, and the ambiance is nice.

 
2 years ago

siennapc

While the prices seem a little high, the portions are immense and easy to share. I especially like the lamb ribs. The fresh fruit juices so delicious (I tried the honeydew melon one last week and have been thinking of it ever since) that the lack of alcohol doesn't even matter. I agree it can be difficult to get a waitress over to the table, and sometimes you have to ask for things several times. Also, I find the decor much more calming and elegant than "plain."

 
2 years ago

xigor

Nice environment, I like the design of the restaurant.

I've been couple of times to Iran, and I confirm Rumi does cook authentic Persian food. It's an Iranian restaurant, so you shouldn't expect alcohol.

However, service is really not up to standard and I fully agree with Bjorn's comments above regarding the poor service and management problems.

 
2 years ago

forest

I had lunch here a couple of days ago. I was very pleasantly surprised with the lunch menu. A large variety with prices ranging from 29 - 79 RMB for the meal. The chicken kebab was excellent. The humous though was not quite up to par (the best is still Bite A Pita).

Well worthwhile knowing about and frequently frequenting.

I rank it as a four.

 
2 years, 3 months ago

tombschrader

Judging from the clientèle, this places is popular with the Iranian community in Beijing. The hummus was solid, and the jujeh kabob had its moments (although several pieces were a little overcooked). Baklava at the end of the meal definitely was a great way to top it off. Maybe I'm just too used to meals juiced up with over-the-top spices, but it seemed like everything I had, with the exception of the baklava, was a bit on the bland side.

 
2 years, 4 months ago

pixienic

Just had the 'Set business lunch' and was great value for money! For sure a quiter location and the staff were decent. Not normally a fan of the 'plain' decor but here was good, can imagine its beautiful at night. The only tiny problem, is we didn't sit down and get served and be ready to leave within an hour so perhaps its a 'business lunch' aimed at those with about a 2 hour gap...

Mon-Fri 11:30 - 16:30 29RMB-79RMB

2 years, 4 months ago

beorn

Just putting my one star on the place. See above for explanation.

 
2 years, 6 months ago Updated See beorn's latest review »

beorn

Well, they're new, so I'll give them another shot. I just thought the service level we got was more that I would expect at much cheaper restaurants. Usually the manager/owner at new restaurants is all over the place ensuring service levels are high; that really wasn't the case when we went there last time.

2 years, 7 months ago

timpmurray

Beorn, You are a tough man! I went to Rumi last night. First you can take your own wine there and they dont charge corkage. The food was great, out of six dishes 5 were outstanding and one was ordinary. The staff were very helpful and pleasant.

So for stars I would give it 4 out of 5

2 years, 7 months ago

beorn

The good:

  • Nice and clean interior design and ambiance
  • Outdoor seating
  • More quiet than 1001 Nights

The bad:

  • No alcohol
  • The food was bland and unexciting; we'd prefer 1001 Nights to this any day
  • This place is quite a bit more expensive compared to 1001 Nights

The ugly:

  • Wait staff was busy watching our neighbor table while we ordered, didn't get that we changed or order instead of adding more dishes
  • Wait staff had the nerve to try to pack the extraneous dish on us... TWICE!
  • Serious management issues for a place that's positioning itself to be so premium

I'd give it 1 out of 5 stars.

2 years, 8 months ago

collin

New date place Elegant but accesssible, this restaurant surprised me with its authentic take on fine Persian dining. It's a tribute to Beijing that a place as exotic and local as Rumi exists.

3 years, 2 months ago

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