A “Lor” is someone from Lorestan, a province in Iran within the Zagreb mountains, and originally a “kebab” meant anything cooked directly with fire.

Mohammadali Asgari combines both at Lor Kebab, his family’s new restaurant in downtown Gainesville. Since starting, he has also combined his deep love of cooking with a fresh grief since his brother, who was supposed to help him run the restaurant, passed away before the opening.

Lor Kebab (12 SW 1st Ave., Gainesville) opened in December without any fanfare, and Asgari said it’s still in a soft opening stage. He cooks all he can and closes when the food is gone.

The restaurant is primarily for takeout, but tables and chairs are available for anyone who wants to eat there. Asgari said he wants to keep overhead and personnel costs low to allow premium ingredients and reasonable prices.

He was born in Iran’s capital, Tehran, but his parents were from Lorestan and the name is an homage to them and their culinary culture.

“I want to show our culture and our quality of foods, especially the kebab because it is famous there,” Asgari said.

He learned to cook there from his brothers, who are professional chefs. He came to America around 2007 and worked in Persian restaurants in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., and Miami. After eight years in South Florida, he decided to start his own restaurant.

He was already familiar with Gainesville thanks to Hadi Nikoonejad, a family friend for over 40 years. Sitting at a table in Lor Kebab, Asgari laughs and said Nikoonejad was actually his diving coach in Iran.

Nikoonejad was on Iran’s national diving team and coached Asgari on the junior squad. But Nikoonejad has been in Gainesville for over 30 years working as a pharmacist for the state of Florida.

Asgari planned for his brother to join and share in the cooking and management. He had already purchased a plane ticket for his brother to join when news came of his death. Asgari traveled back to Iran in October for the funeral and pushed back the Lor Kebab opening.

Nikoonejad said he convinced Asgari to do a soft opening. Since he would be sitting in the restaurant anyway, Nikoonejad reasoned that Asgari might as well cook for whoever happens to enter. Plus, he said it would help with the grief.

“I said, ‘this is going to keep your mind busy,’” Nikoonejad recalled. “And long term is good for his physical and his mental health, basically.”

It was tough to find the right spot for Lor Kebab, Nikoonejad said. The building they’re in used to be Paramount Grill, which closed in 2024. The space was divided into two sections, giving just the right amount of space for the restaurant.

Nikoonejad said Asgari spent two months cleaning the old kitchen. Lor Kebab serves a completely halal menu, an Islamic dietary standard, and the cleanliness comes as a major part of it.

He added that Asgari is passionate about cooking, meaning he’s also particular about training the right staff. Nikoonejad said it would take a few months to train up another chef and allow breathing room for Asgari.

The menu includes marinated chicken, lamb and beef kebabs, homemade hummus, wraps, stews and Persian appetizers—all approved by Asgari’s daughter attending Santa Fe College.

Like poetry, painting and music, Asgari said cooking is an art and must come from the heart. He said that is the difference between food as simple sustenance versus an experience worth repeating.

“For example, the koobideh is an art,” Asgari said. “When you mix it with a good feeling in your heart and you love your job, you can transfer your feeling to your food.”

He said that’s how he learned to cook and that’s what he is bringing to Lor Kebab. The success of transferring the love into the food is already showing, he said.

Lor Kebab received a shout out from Zach Abolverdi during The Tailgate on ESPN WRUF.

Asgari also said first-time customers have returned within 24 hours and then again with their family a few days later. Other customers found Lor Kebab and drove 20 miles to order a second time.

Asgari asks a customer about the chicken and koobideh, a ground beef and lamb skewer.

“The koobideh was probably the best here,” came the response.

“The best here,” Asgari repeats. “But I think the best in the United States.”