My wife and I had been to Bandar on many occasions when we lived downtown a couple of years ago. The food was always fantastic and the surroundings pleasant. It was our go-to place to take visitors when they came to town; it never failed to impress. We just recently returned to San Diego after a year away and we made sure to make Bandar one of our first stops for dinner. Initially we made the mistake of going into the wrong Bandar and when we saw the Meditteranean menu we knew something had changed. The nice hostess cleared things up for us and we moved two doors north to the ""real"" Bandar. We usually order the Koobideh Kabab, my favorite, and the Adas Polo, my wife's. The portions are huge though, and we'd already eaten well at lunch, so this time we just ordered the Adas Polo and shared. The chicken was as deliciously flavored, succulent and tender as we remembered. It came with some equally tasty saffron flavored rice full of raisins and dates. We topped it off with a side of their yogurt cucumber dip, which my wife loves. I'm not a big cucumber fan, but I have to admit that it does go well with the Adas Polo. We've never had any problems getting a seat, even on busy nights without a reservation. The service has always been courteous and professional. With all the restaurants to choose from in the downtown area, the fact that I am looking forward to my next meal at Bandar should be recommendation enough. Next time though, I'll definitely be ordering the Koobideh. Mmmm... Koobideh
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