Pomegranate on Main, located at 618 S. Main St. across from Falls Park in downtown Greenville, takes pride in its specialty Persian cuisine.
Starters such as hummus, cucumber salad and eggplant dishes made with fresh herbs and spices whet the appetite. The restaurant offers a select variety of wraps, made with fresh portabella mushrooms, salmon, chicken and more.
Meat kabobs are the signature entrée choices, specially marinated and charbroiled to bring out a strong, rich flavor. The most popular entrée is the tenderloin torsh kabob, made in a pomegranate and walnut marinade.
A unique aspect of Pomegranate on Main is that all entrées are gluten free. Vegetarian options are also available.
Prices for lunch range from $9 to $15, while dinner prices are $16 to $32.
Daily dessert specials are available upon request.
Entrepreneur Ali Saifi, a native of Iran and owner of Pomegranate on Main, moved to Greenville in 1982, bringing the Subway food chain with him, which had little recognition at the time.
In 2007 Saifi opened a restaurant of his own, Pomegranate on Main, uniting two worlds in one place.
Debbie Atkins, public relations manager for Pomegranate on Main, described Saifi’s passion for downtown Greenville and his native people.
“Ali Saifi has created common ground with the opening of Pomegranate on Main to share his Persian heritage with the Greenville community,” Atkins said. “While the restaurant builds a bridge between two cultures in the U.S., Ali is also working in Iran to help teens and their families.”
On average, Pomegranate on Main caters to approximately 6,000 people per month, nearly 72,000 people per year.
“Being a part of the Greenville community is important to us,” Saifi said. “We offer special programs to convention attendees and patrons of the nearby Warehouse Theatre and have supported fundraisers for local organizations and schools.”
VIP curbside service is available; customers may order food ahead of time and have it brought out to them at reserved curbside parking spaces.
“At home, we would entertain friends serving traditional Persian food,” Saifi said. “Often they would say ‘Ali, you should open a restaurant.’ I decided to start the restaurant as a way of giving back to the Greenville community that has given so much to me.”
More information can be found on their website, pomegranateonmain.com, or on their Facebook page.
Pomegranate on Main is open every Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until the restaurant’s last customers are served.