On Rue de Chabrol in Paris, Almas brings together the flavours of Russia, Iran and Lebanon. Opened in 2025 by Anna Kazachek, Maryam Lévy and Sandra Sfeir, the restaurant draws on their Russian, Iranian and Lebanese backgrounds to create a menu rooted in family recipes, shared memories and seasonal cooking.

Photo: Instagram-@signorsassidubai
The three founders met while working at chef Alessandro Montagne’s Nosso kitchens. Although their professional backgrounds differed, they eventually found a shared path in food. At Almas, those different perspectives come together without trying to make one cuisine fit neatly into another.
The restaurant’s name reflects that sense of connection. “Almas” means “diamond” in Persian, Russian and Arabic, while the letters also correspond to the founders’ initials. For the trio, the name captures the personal nature of the project.

Photo: Instagram- @Almas.restaurantparis
At the center of the menu is pirozhki, the Russian stuffed bread that provides a base for flavours drawn from all three cultures. Fillings range from spinach, lemon and sumac to white fish with tahini. Traditional flavours are adapted rather than simply reproduced, turning familiar family dishes into something distinctly Almas.
The menu changes with the seasons, with soups, salads and desserts adding to the offering. Iranian and Lebanese influences appear in dishes such as Shirazi salad and tabbouleh, while desserts include a pear cake inspired by Lévy’s mother and a pistachio-chocolate halva cookie.

Photo: Le Royal Monceau
Much of the cooking begins with recipes passed down through family members, often without measurements or detailed instructions. The founders recreate those dishes through memory, taste and experimentation, preserving the flavours while giving them a new form.
That personal approach extends into the dining room. Designed by the founders themselves, the space features marble tables, mismatched wooden chairs, family photographs and shelves filled with well-used recipe books. The space feels more like a lived-in home than a conventional restaurant.

Photo: Instagram-@almas.restaurantparis
For Almas, the food is only part of the experience. At its heart, Almas is about friendship and bringing different backgrounds together over food. Russian pirozhki, Iranian spices and Lebanese flavours come together as a reflection of the three founders’ backgrounds and their shared life in Paris.