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++ solidly executed kabobs & rice dishes.
++++ broad selection of afghani food, including a slew of dishes you probably haven't had before. as mentioned by other reviewers, the butternut squash w/ yoghurt is mandatory almost every visit--but you can keep coming back, always trying out new items, & you won't be disappointed.
+ grilled tomatoes w/ almost every dish--oh em gee, tasty.
++ low-key, casually elegant atmosphere in a large dining space.
+ food gets on your plate in pretty short order, place is almost never busy.
++ most of the food is healthy--a mix of great-tasting veggies, grilled meat & well-prepared staples.
+ private lot, which actually matters for a place situated on el-camino... reduced chance of random jerkbag dinging your mobiletron, lol-ing & taking off.
-- uneven service--bored-looking servers that don't check back on you, etc.
- prices might seem @ first glance steep if you compare them w/ hole-in-the-wall kebob places.
summary: lots of pluses, very few minuses--a nearly ideal place for a date, but also well-suited for more informal outings. place does generic skewered meats & rice staples well, but the real draw is the genuinely delicious & let's not forget healthy afghani dishes. definitely a spot to keep returning to.
I came here tonight with a huge alumni group for dinner. For appetizers we ordered the samosas and the mantu. Both were delicious. The samosas looked more like fried wonton triangles to me. I was hoping there would be some sweet and sour sauce somewhere that I could dip the samosa in, but the chutney did ok.
The mantu is a meat dumpling that came with some vegetables and yogurt. The filling is completely meat. I believe it was ground lamb. The veggies are just put on top on the outside with the yogurt as topping. I thought it was pretty tasty.
For sides we had the butternut squash with yogurt and meat topping and the mashed chickpeas. The chickpeas didn't have too much flavor to me and the butternut squash tasted more like sweet potatoes to me than anything else. In fact, my friend found it to be too sweet. I don't quite understand why it's so popular on yelp.
For the entree I had the Karaie Challaw, which is like a lamb stew served with rice. It reminded me of the German dish "gulash", but with lamb instead of beef. It had green bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, carrots and lamb. The portion size was huge and I could not finish all of it.
Each entree comes with a salad which consisted of lettuce, one slice of cucumber and one piece of tomato with some kind of mayonnaise dressing on top. And each entree comes with a thick slice of Afghan bread, which was very soft, moist and almost doughy to me.
For dessert we had a blaklava, which wasn't too sweet and it had walnuts inside which gave it an interesting taste that I liked. I finished that off with some tea. The tea had a distinct herbal-y/spice taste to it, which I just can't place my finger on.
The place was pretty empty when we got there. Probably just two couples having dinner the entire time we were there. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant. I think we took up more than half the restaurant. The food is quite pricey, but you get large portions. I didn't find the food particularly special, and I think I prefer Indian food to Afghan food. Three stars because the service was excellent.
My first try at Afghan food. I wouldn't say that it's a must have. But it is something worth trying.
The ambiance is nice dating or business meetings. It's expensive enough to keep out the rift-rafts and rowdy children.
The kabobs are pretty good. I especially enjoyed the combination dish which included rice, bread, chicken, and lamb. We also had side dishes of spinach and potatoes. I didn't particularly like overcooked spinach. It tasted like it came from a can.
Since it's a restaurant, I'll focus on the food. It wasn't memorable enough for me to desire a craving for Afghan food. I'll go to Shanh's instead to satisfy my craving for similar styles of food?
I do enjoy the bread though! Soft, warm, and sweet!
This was my first time trying Afghani food. It was pretty good, but I don't think the dishes or flavors were too memorable or unique. I think I'd rather go to a good Mediterranean or Indian place, if I'm ever craving something similar.
It was pretty empty for a Friday night around 7pm, but at least it meant that the service was pretty good. I went with a friend who has had Afghani food before, and he ordered dishes that he's liked at other restaurants. But when each dish came out, they weren't really what he was used to. Here's what we tried:
- Butternut squash side: This dish was a bit perplexing. It reminded me of when Rachel makes the English trifle on Friends because of the layers of food that you wouldn't expect in one dish. The butternut squash was pretty standard, the beef tasted like taco meat, and the yogurt sauce was sour -- so it was a mix of sweet, savory, and sour. I just picked at the squash.
- Chicken and lamb kabobs: The lamb kabobs were really good. I wanted to try both, but I'd recommend just sticking with the lamb. The chicken kabobs were pretty dry, and definitely not as flavorful as the lamb.
- Lamb, rice, and raisin dish: It was basically a mountain of rice and raisins, with some lamb underneath. It was pretty simple, and wasn't anything spectacular.
Tip: Ask for the hot sauce! Be careful because it's super spicy, but it definitely helps the dishes come to life.
I'm just slightly disappointed because I was hoping to be more excited about my first foray into Afghani cuisine.
We went here last night (Nov 25) with 3 other friends ... the place was not pack at all ... maybe 4 or 5 tables occupied. The host sat us down and we just walked out after 20 minutes without anyone approach our table or even the courtesy to fill our water glass. There were 2 waitresses and it looks they are just attending to the other tables and completely ignoring us. We even tried to wave at one of the waitress and she just ignored us. Terrible, terrible, terrible service and will NEVER recommend this place to anyone even if they have the best food in town.
Afghani House should be rated in two different categories- food and service.
Food-5 stars, definitely. Delicious and filling- the butternut squash was deliciously sweet. The sauce that came with the bread was quite flavorful, and nothing was bad. Really great food, overall, though I would have to recommend coming with an empty stomach :-)
Service- 1 star. The one star is for the honesty of our waitress- it might have been the first time I've ever been told that I've ordered too much food. Our waitress took away our knives after the salad- forgetting that the lamb kebabs were in the main course. Fortunately, we were able to secure another pair later. I'm fairly sure that our waitress also forgot the order- she didn't write it down (maybe that's why she told us we were ordering too much, because we actually didn't over-order). She came back to our table to confirm that we had ordered combination kebabs, and was quite reluctant to believe that we had ordered lamb kebabs instead (then asking "are you sure??") Someone needs to teach the employees the technique of "pleasing the customer." When a member of my party asked to replace a plate after she had removed some dirt, our waitress picked up one of the spoons of our place setting (without thinking twice about it) and proceeded to demonstrate how the plate wasn't dirty by scraping it with the utensil. Then, having proved her point, she refused to give us a new one.
All in all, I would have to recommend coming here when you're in the mood to laugh at all of this. The food is great, and the service shouldn't permanently deter you, by any means. I know I'll be going back!
As far as Afghani food goes, this restaurant is definitely my favorite locally. The food is dependably good and they have a few dishes that will work for almost anyone. My favorites:
*Kadu - Butternut squash with yogurt and meat sauce
*Mantu - delicate dumplings with veggies in the yogurt
*Lamb kababos - delicately cooked meat
*Sabsi (especially with the lamb) - flavorful spinach dish, great with the garlic and onion
*Beef in tomato (i think korma challaw) - is one of my alllll time favorites at this place and worth trying, the beef is so very tender and it has a fabulous tomato, pepper, onion sauce to accompany it.
If you are up for trying Afghani food in the south bay, I'd recommend starting here.
In the four or five times I've been here, the food and service has been consistently solid. I can understand the comparison to Kabul down the street which serves in many cases identical dishes, but with larger quantities and a bit nicer ambiance. On the flip side though, perhaps as a result of the comparison, it's a bit easier to get a seat and to have a nice quiet conversation, as it lacks the overbusy bustling feel.
I love this restaurant! My husband and I have been going here for years and have gotten to know the owners a bit. They are two brothers from Afghanistan and they are wonderful people. The food is always amazing...and it's a bonus that we live around the corner. i always feel well taken care of when we go here and I can be sure to go home very satisfied from the tasty food. The service is wonderful and all of the staff are friendly and recognize us and treat us like family. I love the food here and the people are wonderful! I'll go back for years and years to come!
I came here for takeout, and was floored by the prices! It was at least 15 to 30 for a meal. I opted to get one of the sides with butternut squash, yogurt and meat on top. It was very good, although the edges of the squash tasted a little bit funny. I also ordered bread, which they gave to me at no cost. The bread was really thick and slightly salty, which I enjoyed. Overall I was impressed with the food. Be warned about the high price point of this restaurant.
When I saw this place, I thought to myself. Now there is a restaurant that knows how to pick an accurate name.
Actually pretty good. I got Chello Sabzi take-out and enjoyed everything. I thought it was a great price considering I got a ton of rice, two containers a 'flat bread'. I am not familiar with Persian, but the use of spinich and olives was tasty.
A group came in and while they were being seated, they asked "Do you know where Kabul is from here?". Maybe the waiter was being truthful, but he said he had no idea. It is a block away, so that kind of bumbed me out.
A coincidence, I am hoping to try Kabul next, so that we can go head to head!
Wasn't too busy. I thought pricing was on the high side for kebobs, but the portions balance that out. I'm not a kebob expert but the meat seems decent too.
Plus, you are paying for the ambiance--it is good for a date (if you still need to do that) for a quiet, relaxing, low lighting feel.
Service was mixed. It wasn't busy but they forgot to bring out the salad. I was fiddling with my phone for entertainment and I guess someone noticed and promptly brought it out. On the good side, they cheerfully cooked the food longer (see below).
We ordered the lamb kebob set and the beef stew (in a tomato based sauce). We asked for the lamb kebob well done. It was more medium than well done so we had to send it back to cook longer without any issue. I DID grab a few pieces (since we were sharing) and it was juuuust fine for me.
The beef in tomato was wonderful. No complaints.
A solid 3 at least, maybe 3.5
I've come here for dinner a couple of times and so far, I've had only positive experiences here. I like their basic chicken kabobs a lot- they're great. For their appetizers, I like their sambosas- so crispy on the outside with their warm ground meat and peas on the inside. I also love the chutney that they serve- it's sweet and spicy and it great over their rice, bread, meat, sambosas- everything. The wait staff is professional and they frequently come over to refill my glass with water. The ambiance of the restaurant is clean and pretty nice, so this would make a decent date restaurant.
I guess the reason I'm giving four stars and not five is because I want to try more items on their menu first.
I really like this place. Nice decor, soft music, not too crowded. The staff is rather formal and service is good.
The food is very good. I love the chicken kabobs with rice and very delicious bread. There are more menu options besides kabobs, and different kinds of meats.
I like this place for business lunches, or it would be a nice upscale place to bring a friend.
The food was pretty good and tasty - I had the Mantu and it had a lot of flavor, especially the veggies and yogurt sauce on top. My bf had a lamb stew dish that was hearty and tasty. I recommend the fried meat/potato appetizer that had a spicy mint/garlic sauce to spoon on it. Also, the butternut squash was a good recommendation by the waiter. The only thing I didn't like was the salad, which was mostly iceberg lettuce with a couple huge hunks of tomato and cucumber, and I didn't like the dressing very much.
The service was good, and the restaurant is decently decorated. Prices were fine, especially because you get a lot of food - we had enough leftovers for lunch the next day (we ordered an appetizer, two entrees, and a side dish). I wouldn't mind coming back here or recommending it to anyone looking for something new. I wouldn't say I was wowed but it is solidly good food.
Mmmmmm yum. What a great lunch! Pricey, but such flavorful food.
I can't elaborate much more than what everyone else has said ... so I'll just recommend some dishes:
Mantu - flavorful dumplings that reminded us of spaghetti. And I totally mean that in a good way.
Any of the kabobs - cooked perfectly, moist and flavorful. Can't go wrong with these.
Kadu - ohmigoodness can butternut squash be any more heavenly? Why yes, it can!! Cooked butternut squash covered in meat sauce with yogurt -- mmmmm delicious. I can taste it now. Mmmm.
And I love the homey atmosphere inside the restaurant. It does feel like a house ... and really, like a home. :)
This place is S-L-O-W. Dinner service on a Friday night in January should not have taken 2.5 hours!
The butternut squash w/ yogurt appetizer was super tasty...but then I was completely let down by the salad and my entree. They were lack luster and unappealing. The rice served with my entree was delish...but ultimately that's all I ended up eating of my entree. That's not what I'm expecting to do when I'm spending $20-25 per person.
I will not be returning. Service was just two slow and I've had better food at Kabul in San Carlos.
Really really *really* good food! Afghan food being completely foreign to me, I think i ordered "mantu" and it was so flavorful! I was impressed by the decoration and general atmosphere.
i was not impressed by the lipstick stains on my water glass or the speed of service. (slow)
i got the feeling that sustaining relationships is more important than impressing newcomers. that's ok. i'll be back. (and a little more brave).
I'm pretty much just adding to the chorus here. I've been here for lunch several times with co-workers and everyone loves it. The kabob are all great; tender and well seasoned.
I recommend sharing, the kabob plates are just that, rice, and bread (like a more aromatic focaccia). The vegetarian dishes are tasty, but when I get them I notice myself wanting to grab an occasional piece of meat.
incredibly delicious. the lamb stews are perfect, slow cooked and tender. the vegetable options are delicious as well, they just aren't that reasonably priced. i don't have any problem spending 12-15$ for lamb, but spending that much for a vegetable dish is difficult for my stingy side. however, my vegetarian friends don't have any problem doing this. this is also a great place for vegans, as their vegetable dishes are quite simple.
i wouldn't recommend the house wine, it's not that great. but i would expect a middle-eastern place to do lamb well, i don't expect them to be wine experts.
the decor is classy, with cloth napkins and fabric hangings on the walls. this is a place to linger, don't expect quick service. it's a great place to take groups, and for romantic or special occasions.
Afghani food! Sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it? Well, there are indeed some exotic items on the menu, but my all-time favorites at Afghani House are two fairly simple dishes. As other reviewers have noted, the Challaw Kadu (butternut squash with a yogurt/meat sauce) is arguably the best dish on the menu. I wholeheartedly concur. The squash is incredibly tasty and is served over a bed of rice. Meat-eaters shouldn't be hesitant to order a non-meat dish, because the portions are quite substantial. However, if you're feeling like a carnivore, I highly recommend the Lamb Kebobs. The kebobs may seem a bit pricey when you're looking at the menu, but the portions are large, the meat is tender and perfectly prepared, and every order includes a small salad and tasty bread served with a spicy green chili sauce. I may not be an expert on Afghani food, but I know what I like!
A fine dining experience for lunch. Rob G., Sidney C., Craig and I went out for lunch today, and decided to go off the beaten path a bit. Having enjoyed Kabul thoroughly (http://www.yelp.com/bi...), I wanted to try the other nearby Afghan restaurant.
We were seated by a very professional waiter in a bright, airy room with tasteful decor from Afghanistan on the walls. Service was prompt, but not in-your-face at all.
We shared an appetizer of fried dumplings filled with chickpeas. Very good, and served with an impossibly spicy green sauce that had mint and cilantro in it. Excellent. I ordered the chicken kabob - no lawang here. I will see if I can get it as an off-the-menu item next time. It was hot, fresh, and very tender. The seasoned rice was great. The bread was not particularly great, but it was good. As I discovered earlier this year, Afghan food is filled with wonderful, unusual flavors.
Our waiter was quick to refill glasses, and kept a low-profile while still responding when we needed him. Very classy service. All in, we really liked the place, and had a very relaxing lunch in a classy environment. We will be back. I hope they add Lawang to the menu.
Delish! Kadu here is made with meat, which threw me off a bit, but the service is excellent, the decor is excellent, and finally the food is excellent. I will be back.
My quick summary: Afghani House restaurant is pretty good. I had a good time there and enjoyed the food, but I like the food at Kabul better and so will probably not be returning because Kabul is closer to my house.
This restaurant has a nice sized parking lot in the back and is pretty big inside. I met a small group of friends here and was pleased that we didn't have to wait for a table. (Then again, it was a Thursday night.) The decor is nice and a little upscale. The wait staff was friendly and polite. I found it a bit odd that they didn't give us a wine/beverage menu at all. I might have thought they didn't have a liquor license if I hadn't seen the wall of wine bottles in the back.
We had a friend eggplant with meat and yogurt sauce appetizer. It was tasty. We split several dishes: spinach, butternut squash, a chicken kabob dish, and a tender lamb with some vegetables dish. They were all tasty although the chicken was a little dry. The lamb was very tender and flavorful. We got both the white rice (challaw) and the spiced rice (pallaw). They were tasty, but the pallaw at Kabul is more flavorful and, in my opinion, a little more interesting.
We didn't get dessert here because we were going someplace else, but overall we had a nice time and enjoyed the food. We ordered for four people but the food ended up feeding 5. Plenty of leftovers if you get one main course per person.
Another discovery group dinner with Tetsu N and two other friends. This is our best one yet! The group got bigger by one, which meant that we could order more food without leaving feeling overly stuffed.
Check out Tetsu N's review for the details of all the different food we had.
It's been a while since I have gone to a restaurant and enjoyed immensely every item of food that was ordered.
At first, we were a bit scared because the person (owner?) who we checked in with told us very sternly that it would be a 15 minute wait to get a table, and that the people behind us had already been waiting 10 minutes. We looked around and saw that there were tons of empty tables, but figured that maybe they were understaffed, or those were all reserved for Afghanis who patronize the restaurant.
Now, I have never been to Afghanistan so I can't vouch as to whether this is authentic enough, and the fact that I don't think there were Afghanis sitting in the tables, so not sure how "good" this place would be as being an authentic restaurant. Maybe I should take a trip to Fremont's Little Kabul and do a taste comparison.
So we thought that our waitress looked a little hispanic, and we thought the same of the other waiter, so I was thinking how people of Afghanistan resembled Hispanics. Then, they started speaking to each other in Spanish, and that thought was immediately killed.
So towards the end of the night, the owner dude lightened up a little, especially since we couldn't stop ranting and raving about the food, and he seemed genuinely pleased, and started joking around with a bit.
The food was a bit heavy, but the food was definitely good, especially if you have a phobia to vegetables. :D Definitely a lot of lamb, beef, and chicken, or maybe those were the only dishes we ordered... hmm...
I now have to try other Afghan restaurants in the area.
Friday was another Discovery, and this time we had a bigger crew. Cory W., Michael C., and Josh were on hand to make sure we could order more dishes. Wahooo. Thanks to Cory, by the way, for Friday's selection of the Afghani House. Great pick.
This is one of those times I wish there was a four and a half. Gotta leave some space for the truly extraordinary experience. Afghani House is in a great location, within walking distance to two hotels, and right next to the Fish Market.
It's not only my first time in this restaurant, it's my first time in an Afghani cuisine restaurant at all.
Let me just cut to the chase: This place is great.
There are all kinds of lamb and beef and chicken dishes. No pork, of course. Grilled meat (kabobs) seem to be the main type of food here, but everything was fantastic, and the non-sticky rice is to die for.
The place was fairly large, maybe 100 people or more, simple and clean decor, possibly reminiscent of a typical Afghan restaurant, but I've no way to be sure. To my untrained and uneducated eye, it seemed authentic.
But the food. Wow. What a great spread. We had for appetizers:
- Mantu: Steamed dumplings filled with chopped beef, onions and herbs topped with yogurt and sauteed mixed vegetables. Just delish!
- Pakawra-E-Badenjan: Batter dipped, sauteed eggplant topped with yogurt and meat sauce. What a great combo of flavors.
For entrees:
- Chicken and Beef Kabob. Grilled chicken and beef with rice. nicely grilled and very tender. The chicken was a little dry, but the beef was just perfect.
- Kabob-E-Chupan. tender pieces of lamb loin chops. This was even more tender than the beef, and while lamb can be somewhat gamey when not cooked right, this lamb was perfect.
- Quabili Pallaw. Tender pieces of lamb under a mound of PALLAW, topped with carrot strips and raisins. There was also rice on the side. this dish was probably my absolute favorite. This was also the surprise dish, since we generally have at least one dish that is recommended by the restaurant folks.
- Korma Challow. Tender chunks of beef cooked with green peppers, onions and tomatoes. The beef chunks were very tender. This was an excellent dish.
Side dishes.
- Kadu. Sauteed butternut squash, topped with yogurt and meat sauce. This was another surprising combination that worked really well. The sweet squash contrasted great with the yogurt and meat sauce.
- Sabsi. Sauteed spinach cooked with onions and garlic. The garlic taste came out really well here and was a great side dish to go with everything else we had.
And...of course....we had to have dessert, hehehe.
We had both the:
- Firnee. Light pudding with lamonds and pistachios served chilled. Cory had a suspicion that there were crushed roses in the pudding. I don't know how roses taste, but there was definitely some extra flavoring in there in the toppings that I'd never had before, so i don't doubt him.
- Baghlava. If I had to choose one item that wasn't going to make my favorites list, this would be that item. It's just too heavy and the taste is just too thick and sweet for me. But everyone else seemed to like ti just fine.
All in all, Afghani House was a great experience and one I would recommend to anyone. The tastes are great and there's nothing I would warn against. If you like food, this restaurant is a real treat.
I do love this place. It's never crowded - or! if it is, it's closed for a hoppin' private party?! I really like the chicken [or beef] kabobs as I am a big fan of their brown rice and their bread product. Lovely salad to start and some [Carlo Rossi] 'house burgundy' and you are set! Yum! The carrot-raisin dish looks great, but I don't eat lamb; hear it's amazing if you do. They've sent over complimentary spinach a few times and I wish they'd send more bread or something else. The spinach is meh, and green, and plentiful. The sauce served with your lovely bread product is tasty, but HOT. Very nice place, service has been great -- can be casual or dressy.
well this is the place i have been wanting to go since the last 2 yrs ...can u believe it ..... i always ended up here at the wrong time and found it closed .
yesterday ..... i did finally manage to get in ....
i had to wait there for 2-3 mins before i was seated there was no one to help us out . then a gentleman came and helped us out . he was very warm and polite.
i ordered bulane(veg): it was horribleeeeeee ....bitter yuckand tht too for $5.50 ....it was so small....deep fried ..yuck yuck yuck
the cilantro sauce it came along it was even worse ....
the main course was decent
i ordered chicken kabob plate :$16.50 (without tax)
but it was huge ...i guess good for 2 or 1and1/2 ppl
the plate had abt 8 pieces of kabob (meduim size) which were very bland .... no spice at all ...lil dry
the bread was not tasty ...jus passable
the rice was awesome
the waitress who took our order was not polite and kinda rough(i cant say rude .... some one who is itched irritated etcetc ....she also tried to push us for ordering more :( i dont like that at all)
decor was ok ... nothing grand ...peaceful place.
This place is good and refreshingly different. Come with lots of friends so you can order family style and try different dishes.
I went with five other people and we order five dishes and an appetizer. They don't seem to have a menu online, so I'll have to just describe what we got.
Samusas - Fried dumplings filled with spiced ground beef. Pretty standard.
Dumplings with yogurt sauce - Very flavorful and the yogurt sauce was a great touch. They have this for appetizer and entree, we ordered it as an entree.
Combination Kebab - Chicken, lamb, and beef? I forgot, but they were all pretty good. Not overly spiced and not overly cooked.
Beef with seasoned brown rice (pallaw?) topped with sliced carrots and raisins - Sooo good. One of my favorites. Beef was super tender and could be easily cut with the end of a spoon. Carrots and raisins added a nice blend of colors and texture
Lamb with eggplant - Very good. Served as kind of a stew with a nice sauce. The lamb was very very tender and delicious.
Grilled veal steak - This was just ok. It came as one big steak of veal (seemed more like a kebab from the menu though), with some grilled veggies on the side.
The flat bread they served was also pretty good. The green sauce is kinda spicy though, so be aware.
Service was very good since we were the first ones there for dinner (before 6). Later, it got pretty crowded. I hear the service can be slow during busy times though, so plan on a leisurely dinner.
I love this place. The food is excellent. The first time I went here I did not know what to expect. I had never tried Afghani food before. The waiter was very helpful and made some great suggestions. The spices here were interesting. I had the lamb with some rice, damn it was good!
I have returned on many occasions and NEVER have been disappointed. The service here is excellent, there is easy parking, and the prices aren't bad.
I'm an Afghan food virgin, so feel free to take my review from that inexperienced point of view. I thought it was good: nothing amazing but nothing anywhere near bad either. 3.25 stars. Thanks to my fellow yelpers for letting me know what to order.
Cost to worth it ratio: 2.6 (at $12/plate, bit spendier for a lunch)
Eve award: most interesting use of butternut squash
Highlights:
- Ambiance: I liked that it was an actual house on the corner and had a nice, clean, open set up inside
- Beef dumplings (mantu): reminded me of xio long baos but with a load of tasty ground meat inside and minus the soupy part. I actually expected more exotic flavors, but as an old review posted out front says, even the standard meat and potato guy will like the food. Pics of our food spread: Our lunch spread: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
- Butternut squash (kadu): as everyone has noted, unlikely combination of butternut squash, yogurt, and ground meat. The squash was mashed and oh so bright orange and sweet, meat had an Italian bolognese taste, and the yogurt gave it a bit of tartness to tie it all together.
- Menu set up: I liked how you could get a sampling of 3 set appetizers as an entree if you wanted. Gotta love the grazing variety meals--makes you feel like you're at your own little cocktail party.
Midlights:
- Veggie turnover (bulunee): donut-type dough covering cut into flattened triangle pieces. The leeks and scallions weren't enough to carry it flavor-wise on its own but the spicy green sauce served on the side made it come alive a bit more.
- Chicken kabob: standard, well cooked chicken, but a bit more bland that other kabobs I have had. I liked the presentation with the long row of chicken in the middle, foccacia-like soft airy bread topped with sesame seeds on one side, and seasoned tan rice on the other.
Lowlights:
- On our meat dumpling plate, there was a mysterious bright blue liquid reminiscent of internal alien fluid. OK, yes I've been watching Fringe lately. I'm sure it was just some food coloring, but I didn't understand why it was there or if it was intentional or not. Only one dumpling of the set hemorrhaged this foreign substance.
- Slow service: I didn't mind too much cause it was a chatty lunch with my favorite "let's try this and see what we get" food friend, but there was a noticeable time before the food was served and we were one of 3 tables there at the time.
I was glad I tried, but since none of the food wowed me, I'm not sure I'll return.
I want to give it 4 stars. I really do. But the service there was just simply way too slow! I mean I'm all about eating leisurely and relaxing when I eat but I find myself just peeking and looking for my food!!~ Now the food was good. I dont remember what's the name of my dish but it was one of the Pallaw dish that had lamb, carrot, and raisins. I loved the combination of the sweetness from the raisins and the carrots paired with the spiciness of the lamb. And it looks really cool since the lamb was completely covered up by the rice. It's a nice little surprise underneath and there was a lot of it too!
We also really enjoyed the bread with a green spicy dipping sauce. It was very very spicy but tasty at the same time. A nice alternative to the oil and vinegar you usually see paired with bread. But then again that's why you go to an Afghani place instead of an italian place right?
Now my issue with this place is time management. When we got there, the place wasnt busy, but we waited at least 5 minutes before anyone came over to seat us. They all just looked at us and didnt do anything about it. And later when our entrees arrived. Only 3 out of the 4 came! We waited the longest 10 minutes of my live for the last one to show up. By the time it's on our table, my food was cold...
This is by far my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. Not because it's particularly exceptional at the food, service, ambiance, etc. It's because it's consistent. I ALWAYS have the same experience and the way Ali (the owner) makes those lamb kabobs you would swear he made some sort of pact with the devil.
So, if you are a first timer, get the combination kabobs with WHITE rice. Once you get that out of your system, get the Korma Challaw. If you are a vegetarian, get the CHALLAW KADU. Regardless, ALWAYS get the PAKAWRA-E-BADENJAN.
This place is seriously good and is all about the food. I wouldn't go there if you are watching your pennies or if you are looking for a good social date place.
I do live near all of the good restaurants! Persian food included. While the atmosphere may seem like fine dining, it really is relaxed. We didn't get in until after 9, not too far from closing but we weren't the only late eaters. I quickly scan the menu for the vegetarian items and spot butternut squash with yogurt and rice. We also order the battered eggplant with yogurt and chutney. I couldn't imagine what that would taste like because vegetable tempura came to mind. Would you be surprised if I said it was NOT like tempura? Really. The chutney was spicy and sour. I ate half of my rice, if you didn't know Persian servings of rice are a meal in itself, and all of the squash. The sour rice aftertaste perfectly complemented the sugary sweet oozing out of the squash. Dessert followed our stuff fest with rosewater pudding and baghlava. I thought the baghlava was too sweet and resembled a meat pie. While the food was excellent I do have a minor complaint (or major depending on your back problems) the seats have no back support and the bottom cushion sinks in.
My favorite Afghan restaurant in the south bay. In a little house like structure off El Camino and Lawrence. The staff dress and wait on you formally. Various Afghan art and photos adorn the walls. The furniture are nice wooden pieces and the tables have white table cloths The setting is a bit fancy for lunch but totally worth it.
Some of the favorites:
Kabob-E Chapandaz - Grilled Veal Chop
Kabob - Cubes of broiled beef
Mantu - Dumplings of seasoned ground beef topped with veggies and yogurt sauce
Quawbilli Pallaw - lamb cooked in seasoned rice with raisins and carrots
Kadu - slow cooked butternut squash ctopped with a yogurt and meat sauce.
Rice and braed come with most of the entrees and they have a mint , garlic hot sauce which I have no idea what the name is. This is a pretty hefty meal for lunch and between three of us came out to be abour $27. Not something you do on a regular basis. If you've never had Afghan food before, it's definitely worth checking out.
This place is really, really good. The appetizers are awesome, particularly good are the Sambosas. Think of them as a better version of Indian mini-samosas - except they are filled with spiced ground beef and potato....yum!
The Lamb!!! This place is all about the lamb whether it be in the kabobs, chops, or the Du Piazza - think crown roast with a yummy vineagrette- pricey but Oh So Good
The service is very nice- prompt, classy and unobtrusive.....this is one of my fav places to go and kick back....
THE WORST, THE WORST, THE WORST...
My wife and I just ate here, and the food and service is horrible. We wasted $40
They charge way too much. Nothing but old white people eating there. Dog food taste better.
Wow! What is there NOT to like?! I got the Quabili Pallaw and I must say, this is probably one of the best Afghani places i've been to in a while. Let's not forget the main attraction of the dish: tender chunks of lamb. Mind you, I don't even like eating lamb because of the gamey aftertaste. However, AH hit all the marks with this dish.
I'm definitely coming back to this place! Forget Kabul! I've got the real deal here in San Jose!
I love this place! The food is super and unique and the service is awesome. The waiters are super gentlemanly and courteous and one older man is so cute that I always want to giggle when he comes to our table! :)
My boss recommended this place to my husband and I and also recommended the combination kabobs with a side of the butternut squash. AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS! I have ordered those plates every single time I've gone back! I absolutely love the flavor and the texture of the butternut squash with special meat sauce and yogurt. There is a dumpling appetizer that is also very good, but I find those portions to be way too small.
If it weren't as pricey, you'd definitely find me there more often!
At first, I thought it was a little pricey for lunch... I$13.50 for eggplant? but then they brought out a ton of food: salad, bread with dipping sauce, the eggplant dish, and a huge plate of fragrant rice. I saw that my money was well worth it. The food was delicious!
However, the quality of the service did not match the quality of the food. When we walked in, three different employees (including the owner or manager, not sure what his role was) saw us and didn't acknowledge us, seat us, or even tell us that they would be right with us. And the restaurant wasn't even busy, the employees weren't doing much of anything besides standing around. After we were finally seated, the employees were still unfriendly and seemed almost spacey. To me, the service contributes to the experience. If the people were friendlier, I would've given this place 5 stars.
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Afghan
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Afghan
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
Sunnyvale, CA
Category: Middle Eastern
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