How the Internet Fell in Love with a Persian Grandpa and His Dallas Restaurant

We've seen the internet algorithm gloss over perfected travel videos that took hours to color grade. It's humbled creators and motivated others. It's a finicky beast that business owners and entrepreneurs spend hours trying to conquer for their next viral moment.

Unfortunately for many of them, the internet algorithm loves adorable old men more than anything (remember TikTok grandpa?). As such, it didn't take much for a global community to fall in love with a Persian man serving food out of his hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Dallas.

That's exactly what happened on Wednesday, April 2, when TikTok creator @SamsPOV went on a solo date to Samad's Cafe, a tiny restaurant in the shadow of Dallas Love Field Airport.
Twenty million views later, and strangers from around the world are leaving the cafe five-star reviews. In just a matter of weeks, Samad's Cafe went from having 200 reviews to nearly 1,800 and boasts a perfect 5-star rating. "Just left Samad a 5-star review and I’m all the way in Africa😭🤣, you guys better go!🫵🏽", TikTok user @chimyamazimba commented.

The TikTok creator visits Samad about once a week, documenting each visit back to the cafe. The most moving one is this video, where he gives Samad over $3,000 that his followers raised for him. Samad declines and shows the creator that every tip he receives, he saves, and at the end of the month, he gives it to others in need of medical care.
Samad Afghanipour has been filling Manor Way with Persian spices for almost 37 years now. It was his dream to come to America to open a cafe, and he says that his place was the first Iranian restaurant in Dallas. He was a one-man show until the video went viral, so he brought in his son, who grew up in the cafe, for backup. Many Persians come here for home-cooked meals that they usually can't find in Dallas.

Afghanipour wakes up every morning and starts cooking at 7 a.m. so that the food is ready by the time the cafe opens at 11 a.m.  At first, he had just a trickle of customers, but over the last month or so, the dining room has been filled with locals, who are making the TikTok commenters from around the world proud.

The drink selection consists of a few different Jarritos flavors, water, and other sodas, but by far the most interesting is a mint-flavored yogurt soda, which is popular in Middle Eastern and Persian cultures.
You'll either love or hate this concoction: you may find it a bit like spoiled milk with a glow-up. The consistency is thicker than either milk or soda, with a twangy kefir kick and a hint of mint. The carbonation gives the sourness an extra oomph, and that's why it gives your taste buds a toss-up. Remember the time Brittany Broski tried kombucha for the first time? It's like that. And don't worry if you don't like this one, Samad doesn't either. He prefers the non-carbonated one they also sell.
On Wednesdays, Samad's runs two specials: zaresh polo and morgh (juicy chicken thigh in broth with rice), and baghaly polo and mahicheh (delicate lamb shank served with rice). There's a different combo special every day of the week, as well as daily kabob specials, which the hidden gem is known for.

We went with the chicken thigh dish. The best way to attack this is to first squeeze a lemon wedge over the top, spoon some yogurt dill sauce over the top, and then use one of the quarter slices of pita to scoop up both chicken and rice.
Let's not skip over the rice too quickly, though; with mix of golden raisins and currants, it's amazing rendering a full spectrum of textures and flavors to the dish.

During our weekday lunch visit, we were told the "hype" was starting to wear off, which was apparent in the empty dining room. We hope Samad's Cafe continues to serve the variety of people that were drawn to it in the first place. Remember that reviewer from Africa? We need to make them proud.

Samad's Cafe, 2706 Manor Way, Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.; Sunday, closed.