Los Angeles has one of the largest populations of Persian Americans in the United States, which is why some refer to the city as Tehrangeles. There are roughly 30,000 Persian Jews among the 300,000 or so Persian Americans living in the City of Angels, according to USC's Center for Religion and Civic Culture, making Southern California also the site of one of the largest concentrations of ex-pat Persian Mizrahim.

Most of the Persian Jewish community can be found on the Westside and in the San Fernando Valley. Persian synagogues, organizations, markets, restaurants, pharmacies, hair salons and other service-oriented businesses have taken root in these Southland areas, providing a cultural connection for the refugee generation, which arrived between 1977 and 1980, and their American-born children.

The following guide includes synagogues, businesses, agencies and services frequented by the L.A. Persian Jewish community.

Santa Monica/Brentwood

Brentwood and Santa Monica's ocean-adjacent living is gradually luring families from Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles, and this has added a significant Persian Jewish population to Chabad of Brentwood.

Beauty

Nahid Beauty Salon
2925 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica
(310) 828-9545

Markets

Tehran Market
1417 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica
(310) 393-6719

Synagogues

Chabad of Brentwood
644 S. Bundy Drive, Brentwood
(310) 826-4453
www.chabadbw.com

Maohr HaTorah
1537 Franklin Ave., Santa Monica
(310) 207-0666
www.maohr.com

Westwood/West Los Angeles

Signs in both English and Farsi stretch along Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in West Los Angeles, but the city's largest variety of Persian-owned businesses are found along Westwood Boulevard.

Bakeries

Rex Bakery
1659 Sawtelle Blvd.
(310) 445-8799

Star Bakery
11628 Santa Monica Blvd., No. 6
(310) 207-0025

Beauty

Mahnaz Beauty Garden
1410 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 475-0500

Books

Ketab Corporation
1419 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 477-7477
www.ketab.com

Pars Books & Publishing
1434 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 441-1015

Carpets and Rugs

Damoka Persian Rug Center
1424 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 475-7900

Hardware

Boulevard Hardware
1456 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 475-0795

Markets

Santa Monica Glatt Kosher
11540 Santa Monica Blvd.
(310) 473-4435

Star Market
12136 Santa Monica Blvd.
(310) 447-1612

Music

Music Box
1451 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 473-3466
www.musicboxla.com

Restaurants

Darya Restaurant
12130 Santa Monica Blvd.
(310) 442-9000
www.daryarestaurant.com

Shahrezad Royal Persian Cuisine
1422 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 470-3242

Shamshiri Grill
1712 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 474-1410
www.shamshiri.com

Synagogues

Ohr Hashalom
10848 Missouri Ave.
(310) 441-9938

Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel
10500 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 475-7311
www.sephardictemple.org

Sinai Temple
10400 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 474-1518
www.sinaitemple.org

Stephen S. Wise Temple
15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles
(310) 476-8561
www.sswt.org

Travel Agencies

Amiri Tour & Travel
1388 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 475-8865
amiritravel.com

Video

Prestige Photography & Video
1561 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 312-1221

L.A. Color Studio
1461 Westwood Blvd.
(310) 478-8883
www.lacolorstudio.com

Pico-Roberston

Pico-Robertson Persian grocers sell almost everything, including music and movies. No matter the time of day, the store aisles are likely to be lined with the carts of fervent shoppers. Some business signs in this observant neighborhood are written in Farsi with "glatt kosher" added in English.

Bakeries

Elat Pastry
8721 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 385-5993

Groceries

Elat Market
8730 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 659-7070

Eliass Kosher Market
8829 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 278-7503

Livonia Glatt Market
8922 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 271-4343

Pars Market
9016 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 859-8125

Sinai Kosher Market
8680 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 657-4447

Pharmacies

Century Pico Discount Pharmacy
8722 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 657-6999

Restaurants

Elat Burger
9340 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 278-4692

Kolah Farangi
9180 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 274-4007
Synagogues
Chabad Persian Youth
9022 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 777-0358

Netan Eli
1453 S. Robertson Blvd.
(310) 274-2526

Ohel Moshe
644 W. Pico Blvd.
(310) 652-1533
www.ohelmoshe.com

Ohr HaEmet
1030 Robertson Blvd.
(310) 854-3006

Torat Hayim
1026 S. Robertson Blvd.
(310) 652-8349

Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills is home to one of the most politically active communities, featuring three Persian Jewish candidates currently running for two City Council seats. As for places people tend to visit, there is an elegant bakery, beauty salon and supply shop, and the Laemmle Music Hall, which occasionally features Farsi-language films. Nessah Educational and Cultural Center is popular among Persian Jews who observe the traditional form of Judaism practiced in Iran. The congregation is led by Rabbi David Shofet, whose father, Rabbi Hacham Yedidia Shofet, was the late spiritual leader of Jews in Iran and in Southern California.

Bakeries

Nahid La Patisserie Artistique
421 N. Rodeo Drive
(310) 274-8410

Beauty

Jacky Hair Design
215 S. La Cienega Blvd.
(310) 659-6326

Yafa Hair Salon & Beauty Supply
818 Robertson Blvd.
(310) 659-6366

Charitable and Nonprofit Organizations

Iranian Jewish Women's Organization
1855 Loma Vista
(310) 472-5261
www.ijwo.org

Restaurants

Beverly Hills Colbeh
9025 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 247-1239
www.beverlyhillscolbeh.com

Senior Citizens Service Organizations

Iranian Jewish Senior Center
8764 W Olympic Blvd.
(310) 289-1026

Synagogues

Nessah Educational and Cultural Center
142 S. Rexford Drive
(310) 273-2400
www.nessah.org

Theaters

Laemmle Music Hall 3
9036 Wilshire Blvd.
(310) 274-6869

West Hollywood

Hollywood Temple Beth-El was once known as the "Temple to the Stars," featuring such celebrities as Edward G. Robinson, Eddie Cantor, Universal founder Carl Laemmle and "Wizard of Oz" director Mervyn LeRoy. The building was sold in the late 1990s. The space is now home to the Iranian-American Jewish Federation and is a favorite place to celebrate a wedding or other simchas.

Carpets and Rugs

Mehraban Oriental Rugs
545 N. La Cienega Blvd.
(310) 657-4400

Synagogues

Hollywood Temple Beth El/Iranian American Jewish Federation Center
1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd.
(323) 656-3150

Downtown

Many Persian Jewish entrepreneurs in the jewelry, clothing, fabric and upholstery industries work downtown. The area features two kosher restaurants and a new synagogue, Ohr HaShalom, popularly known as the Downtown Synagogue, which is located in a storefront between fabric shops and is open only on weekdays.

Restaurants

Afshan Restaurant
112 W. Ninth St.
(213) 622-7578


Cohen Restaurant
316 E. Pico Blvd.
(213) 742-8888

Syangogues

Ohr HaShalom
820 Cecilia St.
(213) 215-6061

San Fernando Valley

The Valley has one of the most widely dispersed Persian Jewish communities in Southern California, with many families living along the 101 corridor in cities like Tarzana, Encino and Sherman Oaks.

Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center in Tarzana is the oldest Persian Jewish organization in California and the largest in the San Fernando Valley.

Established in 1979, Eretz-SIAMAK offers social and immigrant services, community programming and business networking opportunities; subsidizes living expenses for nearly 100 poverty stricken Persian Jewish families; publishes the Iranian Jewish Chronicle Magazine (also known in Persian as Chashm Andaaz), and holds daily minyanim, weekly Shabbat morning services and High Holiday services.

Charitable and Nonprofit Organizations

Eretz-SIAMAK Cultural Center
6170 Wilbur Ave., Tarzana
(818) 342-9303
www.siamak.org

Bakeries

The French Bakery -- Shirinisara
18000 Ventura Blvd. No. 5, Encino
(818) 757-1248

Dry Cleaners

Encino Cleaners
17930 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 996-5208

Gifts

Le Kado
18000 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 881-6200

Groceries

Encino Glatt Market
17977 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 343-7900
www.encinoglattmarket.com

Super Sal Kosher Market
17630 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 906-2815

Valley Produce
18345 Vanowen St., Reseda
(818) 609-1955

Synagogues

Beith David Educational Center
18648 Clark St., Tarzana
(818) 344-6533

Haichal Moshe Synagogue
18038 Ventura Blvd., Suite 42, Encino
(818) 344-2303
haichalmoshe.com

Hebrew Discovery Center
19819 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills
(818) 348-4432

Mishkan Torah Valley Community Kollel
5229 Lindley Ave., Tarzana
(818) 705-4926

Netaneli Synagogue
17948 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 345-4501

Ohel Rachel Synagogue
18750 Oxnard St., Tarzana
(818) 345-0613

Temple Aliyah
6025 Valley Circle Blvd., Woodland Hills
(818) 346-3545
www.templealiyah.org

Torat Hayim of the Valley
17901 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 343-0457

Valley Beth Shalom
15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 788-6000
www.vbs.org

Theaters

Laemmle's Town Center 5
17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino
(818) 981-9811