Famed Portland food cart bringing Persian food to Beaverton

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, October 6, 2021

A beloved Persian food cart that shuttered in Portland right before the pandemic will finally have a brick-and-mortar location — this time in Beaverton.

Caspian Kabob owners Victor and Tracy Darchini hope to open their physical location at Beaverton’s West End District by January 2022.

The Darchinis sold their food cart in December 2019 to open a physical store, but the pandemic delayed their plans.

“During the pandemic we had received an email that the West End District was getting built and that there was retail space available,” she said. “So we jumped on and thought, ‘Wow, this would be like a dream location.'”

Caspian Kabob’s plans were first reported by The Oregonian/OregonLive.com this week.

When it’s finished in mid- to late 2022, the West End District will feature 424 apartment units and 30,000 square feet of ground-level commercial space.

West End has already attracted a number of local businesses, including Portland Cider Co., which will open its doors in Spring 2022.

Darchini said what attracted them to the new mixed-use development was its central location along Tualatin Valley Highway and Murray Boulevard. Beaverton is increasingly becoming more of a cultural destination as well, Darchini added.

“I think Beaverton in general is really diverse, and we really like that,” she said. “There are also a lot of Persians in the area, and it’s not too close to other Mediterranean restaurants, so we feel like it’s kind of well positioned.”

Caspian Kabob’s new counter-service restaurant will be set up for takeout and dine-in, with up to 26 seats.

“We are planning an industrial aesthetic with decor hints to Victor’s Persian heritage,” Darchini said. “The menu will be very similar to what was offered when we had a food cart — Persian kabobs over saffron rice, with a variety of sides to choose from. There will also be some Persian specials offered on a regular basis.”

Darchini said her husband doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to his cooking and treats his customers like family. While food carts are more than capable of serving authentic, high-quality cuisine, she said the brick-and-mortar location provides a much more comfortable cooking environment.

“I think the brick-and-mortar option was always more appealing because he would have a full kitchen to work in,” she said.