Updated November 2026 Vakil Tojjar is still listed as a working café-restaurant near Molavi Street; we have dropped the old phone number and opening hours, which we could not reconfirm.
Vakil Tojjar is a traditional restaurant and café in downtown Tehran, set inside a restored historic merchant’s house a short walk from the Grand Bazaar, and it is one of the most atmospheric places in the old city to sit down to a classic Persian meal. If you want to eat in surroundings that recall Tehran as it looked a century ago, rather than in a modern dining room, this is a strong choice.
The building, also known as Khaneh Mizani (the Mizani House), is on Iran’s list of national heritage monuments. It was rehabilitated by the family of Mohammad Bagher Mizani, the merchant known as Vakil al-Tojjar, and opened as a café and restaurant in 2018, making it one of the earlier examples in Tehran of a protected house being brought back to life through hospitality rather than left to decay. The rooms, plasterwork and courtyard are the main event, and staff in early 20th-century costume add to the sense of stepping back in time.
The menu sticks to familiar Persian dishes: rice with kebab, slow-cooked stews and the other staples you would expect from a traditional Tehran kitchen, alongside tea and simple café fare if you only want a break from the bazaar. Diners consistently praise the cleanliness of the place, the courtesy of the staff and the quality of the cooking, and the house can also cater for parties and larger gatherings.
A few practical points. The restaurant is in the Sangelaj area off Molavi Street, in the dense old quarter south of the bazaar; Molavi metro station on Line 7 is the obvious public transport option, and Snapp drivers will know the street. Lunchtime is the natural time to come, ideally as part of a morning in the bazaar, and it is worth calling ahead for a group or at weekends, as the house is popular with families and tour groups. Visitors have reported parking nearby, which is rare for this part of town, but the narrow lanes around Molavi are slow going by car. As with anywhere in Iran, foreign bank cards will not work, so carry cash or an Iranian card; our Iran price trackers give a sense of current restaurant costs.
For more places to eat across the city, browse our Tehran cafés and restaurants section.
