Gev’s Kitchen This creative deli from Yerevan native Gevorg Zakaryan serves hearty Armenian and Georgian comfort foods. He fills jet-black khinkali (oversize Georgian dumplings) with juicy ground Wagyu beef. Flaky wood-fired khachapuri aren’t the typical boat-shaped flatbreads; instead, Gev coils buttery pastry around molten mozzarella on skewers. 7335 Van Nuys Blvd., Van Nuys, georgianrestaurantvannuys.com
Kabob Village Payam Yousefpour brushes flame-grilled kabobs with saffron butter at his Persian restaurant, boosting luscious chicken koobideh (ground chicken thigh) and barg (pounded beef tenderloin). 6320 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills, kabobvillage.net
Kubbeh Cohen Jerusalem native Elioz Cohen specializes in kubbeh, a Kurdish beef dumpling soup with roots in northern Iraq that’s earned a following in Israel. This unique restaurant serves three different versions. Cohen favors bowls with squash in tangy tomato broth with vegetables. 21765 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, kubbehcohen.com
Pizza Polo Tehran native Mohsen Javadi opened this “Italian & Persian” restaurant, making for some interesting pizza mash-ups: standard mozzarella with Persian stews like ghormeh sabzi (herbaceous shredded beef with kidney beans) and khoresh karafs (celery stew). 21604 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, pizzapolola.com
Zaatar N’ More Nissrine Chiha and husband Hassan serve more than a dozen kinds of crispy 10-inch mannaish (Lebanese flatbreads), with varieties including lahm ajeen (marinated ground beef), muhammara (roasted red-pepper spread) and eggs with soujouk (sausage). 9545 Reseda Blvd., Ste. 14, Northridge, zaatarnmore.com
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