There is no doubt that the best of southern Italian cooking can be found in Naples’ plentiful trattorias and pizzerias. But sometimes you need to scratch a different itch and explore the city’s other culinary options.

A yearning for Middle Eastern food recently led me to Soraya Persian Taberna and Tea House in the city’s Centro Storico, or historical district.

The family-owned restaurant, opened about two years ago, features a wealth of Persian dishes from appetizers such as soups, dips and salads to beef, chicken and veal kebab platters with rice.

A dining companion and I recently arrived just before our 7:30 p.m. reservation to find a man, who turned out to be our server, sitting outside looking at his cellphone and blithely unaware of our presence.

Inside, the restaurant was nicely decorated in a Persian teahouse theme, but the air seemed stale and had a slightly unpleasant odor.

That unpromising beginning behind us, we hoped our experience would improve. It didn’t.

With several seemingly enticing appetizer options, we found it difficult to choose just one and eventually settled on two traditional Persian dishes.

The kashke bademjan arrived nicely plated, star-shaped and topped with walnuts. The mixture of fried eggplant, onion, garlic, mint and kashke, or whey, was served at room temperature with lavash bread on the side.

It was deftly seasoned, with no single ingredient overpowering the others. But the lavash had not been warmed as is typical in most restaurants.

We also ordered tahdig, fried lavash studded with rice on one side. The ultrathin bread was crispy but too oily, although the rice added a nice, chewy texture.

Each appetizer was passable but appeared not to have been recently made or consisting of stale ingredients. The portions were fine for two, but larger parties will want to consider ordering several dishes if the intent is to share.

For the main course, my dining companion ordered mirzaghasemi, an eggplant dip with roasted tomatoes accompanied by basmati rice and the option of eggs.

The eggplant dip was flavorful but virtually indistinguishable from the kashke bademjan, and the rice was too oily for her taste. The garnish of watery tomatoes was unpalatable, she said.

I ordered adaspolo, a rice dish featuring lentils and dried fruit accompanied by veal meatballs, which I asked him to omit because I’m a vegetarian. He happily obliged but did not offer a substitute.

The dish arrived at room temperature generously accented with sultanas, slivered dates and nuts, such as walnuts. It was OK but lacked freshness and flavor.

It also was concerning that the menu did not list the nuts, a serious omission for people with allergies.

We finished our meal with a sampling of the day’s desserts: baklava flavored with rose water and a moist cake with almonds and pistachio cream.

Each arrived nicely plated. But the baklava was soggy and each dessert lacked any defining flavor.

Sadly, they were the highlight of the meal.

Soraya Persian Taberna and Tea House

Address: Via Michele Zannotti 11A, Naples, Italy

Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 12:15-4 p.m. and 7-10:30 p.m.; Friday, 12:15-4 p.m. and 7-11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 12:30-4 p.m. and 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m.; Sunday, 12:30-4 p.m. Closed on Monday.

Prices: 5-17 euros for appetizers; 3-7 euros for sides; 13-17 euros for stews and meat/rice platters; 17-32.50 euros for kebab platters; 4-7 euros for desserts; 6-7 euros for wine by the glass or 17.50-27 euros by the bottle; 3-5 euros for beer; and 2.50-12 euros for water, soft drinks, teas and specialty drinks. Menu available in English.

Information: Phone: +39 329 166 8383, Instagram: @soraya.persian.taberna