Lunch for two at Persepolis Persian Cuisine.

Alcohol not included.

This Upper East Side traditional Persian eatery named after Persia's ancient capital may be humble by New York standards — there is nary a Persia-tini or leather swathed banquette in sight—but it gets the important things right.

Gratifying foods include homemade yogurt and eggplant dips, smoky lamb kebab on a bed of cherry-dotted Persian rice, and do not forget the Fesenjan, a stew with shredded chicken, pomegranate and walnuts that is a big favorite.

Fine hospitality sweetens the deal — waiters are gracious, and the owner can be found cracking jokes with customers or pulling out a chair for a lady (an appreciated gesture that nowadays takes place only in high-end restaurants or nursing homes).

End your meal with Persian tea, deliciously scented with cardamom, a homemade dessert of fresh baklava or saffron rose ice cream, and contemplate the restaurant’s greatest design element—an oversized painting of the 1973 Persepolis soccer team.

Enjoy your meal!!!