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Mon-Fri. 12:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat-Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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Update: Just like Mediterranean Spirit, they vanished overnight. No warning, no signs, just gone. Both places had good food at a fair price, and good reviews. There is no information on their website. Makes little or no sense to me. Anyway, I spoke with the new owner who is going to open a (drum roll please) Moroccan restaurant June 1st. Polk street now has 3 Moroccan restaurants in three blocks.
Tip: But what is the deal with this place and the disappearing restaurants? Enquiring minds want to know!
I resisted De Afghanan Kabob House as part of some private homage to the memory of Mediterranean… Read more »
Very casual - i.e. plastic plates, teensy paper napkins out of a diner type dispenser....so don't take a date to impress here.
The food is good but not great. The best thing we had was a potato pancake.....hard not to like these no matter which ethnic group is serving them up. Out of the 3 kabobs-chicken, steak and ground beef steak, the ground beef was the most flavorful. The spinach dish was tasty.
I look forward to trying Helmand Place as I know from visiting other Afghani restos that Afghan food can be pretty awesome. 2.5-2.75 stars really.
I was running late to meet friends here this Friday. The kind kitchen at Kabob House - stayed open until I arrived..
As soon as I walked through the doors, I grabbed a menu and scanned it for the healthiest thing I could find. I've come to learn that if you're planning a late night full of dancing and revelry - it's in your best interest to choose food wisely - since it will be bouncing along in your stomach - right along with your bootie.
I decided on the Kadoo Challow - soft orange - sauteed pumpkin seasoned with fresh garlic and peppers and topped with special yogurt sauce and accompanied by basmati rice for $7.95. This paired with a side of mint sauce was pure healthy indulgence.
My dinner partners were blown away at how quickly the meal disappeared. But with such light - fresh fare it was hard to slow down. The staff's warm smiles only made me eat faster.
Next time you're planning on hitting up Vertigo, Hemlock Tavern - or say Cairo Nights - grab a group of friends and stop in here.
Be sure to explore the menu, and I guarantee that your dance moves will be executed with ease - if you fuel them with a little Kadoo Challow.
Trust.
Bolani is da' bomb! Yup, I said, 'da bomb'!
I scare myself sometimes - haha!
The Bolani Kadoo with pumpkin was a nice mix of sweet and salty.
But If you're on a date or going out, skip the house Bolani - it's SPICY! Otherwise, dig in because it's worth it!
We shared a couple of kabob dishes and everyone devoured them! The chicken was moist and tender and perfectly seasoned. The Teka Beef was delicious too!
The owner was nice enough to hold the kitchen open until my friend arrived - just around 10:30pm. They quickly served her a huge portion of sauteed pumpkin - yum! The way everyone ooohed & awed over her dish (even after they stuffed their faces w/ kabob & bolani), I'd suggest getting the Kadoo Challow for sure!
This is by far the best Afghani spot on Polk - and believe me, there are a lot.
Did not like the bolani...blah..the sauce on the table improved it.
Did not like the chaplee kabob..greasy, overcooked..not my thing
Yum lamb kabob...
Yum sauce in container on the table
Yum spinach
Yum rice
Eh, not bad, but not particularly tasty either. I came here back in March, and I've had better Afghan food. Obviously, nothing beats homemade Afghan food--and Afghan food at my friends' house owns pretty much any restaurant. But as far as restaurants go, Salang Pass is infinitely better--it's also located in Fremont, sooo, I guess if you're in SF, this is about as close to good Afghan food as you're going to get. Interestingly, the De Afghanan Kabob House in Fremont has better tasting food than this place...weird, considering it's owned by the same people.
I ordered the Chapli Kabob which was okay I guess. I didn't hate it, but definitely didn't love it either. Chapli Kabob for those that don't know, is the flat round kabob. If you want really good Afghan food, I'd recommend going to either Salang Pass, having friends that are Afghan, or going to the De Afghanan in Fremont.
This place is sooo good. The food is unpretentious, so flavorful and never disappointing! Their chaplee kabaob and bolani is to die for! Great food at great prices, this is the one stop shop fo your kebab fix.
P.S. Definitely recommend take out
Yes.
It really was the only word that came out of my mouth after my first bite. The Teka Beef Kabob was absolutely to die for especially when you pair it with the delicious green sauce they had on the table. Usually random sauces sitting for an indeterminate amount of time freak me out but this sauce........saying I wanted to drink the entire container would be an understatement.
I'm sure you are wondering which one of your first born or which appendage you will have to give for this glimpse into godlike cuisine. Well my dear Yelp friends...it was pretty darn cheap and worth every penny.
Bonus points awarded for despite the fact the surrounding areas are infamous for scary bathrooms this one was basic, clean, and had plenty of soap and hand towels.
Every now and then I experience something that reminds me of how great it is to be living in San Francisco.
Friday evening, it was when I had Afghani food delivered to my doorstep. Can you imagine? Afghani food, delivered? I think that's amazing.
Equally amazing was the food itself. I imagine this is comfort food in Afghanistan. I ordered "DeAfghanan's Famous Chaplee Kabob", which was actually not a kabob in the way I imagined, but two big patties of quality ground sirloin mixed with green onions and "special seasonings", atop a mound of rice. It was served with a garbanzo/potato salad that I had the great foresight of ordering an extra side of. A heaping spoonful of rice with a chunk of rich, flavorful meat and some of the tangy garbanzo salad made for a wonderful combination of flavors.
The only thing I wasn't enamored of was the bolani kadoo. Imagine naan stuffed with spiced pumpkin...sounds good, right? Unfortunately, the pumpkin wasn't seasoned enough for my palate and I found it quite bland.
But I will most certainly be back and intend to try every kabob on the menu. Go there, enjoy it and support a family-run business that was inspired by a man's memories of home:
http://www.deafghanan....
You really can't go wrong with any of the dishes. The potato bolani, a gigantic potato pankcake, is really filling and can be a meal in itself. The eggplant borani with yogurt and tomatoes, and mantu, a green onion and beef filled ravioli, are both really good.
For me, Afghanan Kabob is the shiznit meat-o-rama. The beef and chicken kabobs are moist and tender, and there's plenty of it. The Chaplee kabob, grilled ground beef with scallions, is my boyfriend's favorite, portions are huge.
As long as Afghanan Kabob is my hood, I can never be a faithful vegetarian. I'll be cheating and sneaking meat every chance I can get. Call me a meat whore.
De Afghanan epitomizes what I love about a good middle eastern restaurant. You're welcomed by a calm staff and warm kitchen in a dim, almost entrancing environment. The people who work here are cool and approachable but in no way overbearing or awkward. There's a steady rhythm to their actions which is at home in their restaurant.
It so turns out that I had a delicious meal here as well. The beef/onion dumplings (Mantu) were tender and savory without being too subtle. I also tried a Sauteed Pumpkin appetizer (Borani Kadoo) which was soft and flavorful as well.
This is definitely a place to come back to for a delicious and inviting meal.
200********
This is my 200Th review. Yea me!!!!
I really liked this place. Veronica G and I, as always, were walking to one our fav bars, and had a hankering for some kabobs. She directed me here and we decided to stop in.
This place is kinda small, but they make up for it with KILLER Kabobs. We got the combo, with chicken and steak, and watched as the Kabobs cooked over the flames. To hear and see it cook was just one more thing that was making my mouth water. They serve them on a rice bed, your choice of white or brown, with dipping sauces and some warm Afghan bread all in a nice little container.
This will be a constant stop for me and Veronica. GO HERE!!!!! EAT KABOBS!!!!! And be happy with your kabob happiness time.
Let me start off by saying this place is fantastic. Though not very noticeable from the street, De Afghanan is very ornately decorated and various spicy smells loom in the air the moment you enter. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who would like to try delicious cuisine from another culture.
They offer a menu of various meat and vegetarian dishes, all served with rice; I decided to get the "famous" chaplee kabob. The dish was very large, and there was plenty of meat and rice. The sirloin was cooked to perfection, and a very mild spicy flavor. My only gripe is that they should have offered more vegetables. The service was fast, and the owner was a very nice guy.
De Afghanan, if you don't end up walking right by, is a great little restaurant with affordable, delicious food.
Ass-kicking Afghan fare. It is cheap, delicious and more on the Shalimar tip, than say Helmand Palace (on Van Ness), which is a proper fancy sit-down and be served kind of Afghan restaurant. I usually get my food to-go and enjoy at home.
This is what I get:
- Bolanee Kado: light turnovers filled with pumpkin, seasoned with herbs and spices, served with yogurt sauce! Insane!
- Chicken or Combination Kabob platters, with an extra helping of their special salsa. I mix that in with my double-ration of Basmati rice. Delicious!
5 Stars!
Maybe I got the wrong thing, but I wasn't impressed one bit.
I got the Mantu, beef dumplings covered with a tomato sauce and yogurt. The dish tasted more like raviolis than Afghani food.
Also, when I go out to eat, I don't like to hear the sounds of a microwave chirping in the kitchen. Not a good thing.
Not much of an update here, but just want to add a few thoughts: the chicken kebab is a great deal and a really nice, complete meal for about $10. I need to add it to my regular list of quick and healthy-ish meals in the hood. I recently tried the pumpkin crepe thingy again and was a little less impressed than I had remembered, but would still recommend trying it out. Nice service too in a bare bones environment. Very solid cheap dinner option in the Polk Gulch.
The name made me wonder if this was going to be Jamaican-Middle Eastern fusion (De Afghanan Kabob… Read more »
Very good food at very good prices. The guys who run the place are stoic but good-hearted, and they really care about their culture and their cuisine. That alone is appetizing to me. Don't neglect the firni--a dessert that will make you feel certain you had an Afghan grandma. Now if only they served wine like grandma did . . .
If money is no issue, you should also try Helmand, not far away on Van Ness.
As a kebob house, the menu is very meat-centric. But even as vegetarians are limited to the appetizers and sides (minus the Aush--it contains meat stock), I doubt we're missing out on much; it's all delicious.
The bolani kadoo (dough filled pumpkin heaven) was large enough to be meal in and of itself. Because of the tomato sauce, the borani badenjan reminded me of an eggplant primavera dish from an Italian restaurant. Off putting at first, the mild spiciness gave it a nice kick, and I enjoyed the dish more and more before I realized I had completely devoured it. The accompanying bread was a good complement. The firni dessert pudding--similar to kheer--was very sweet. The rose, cardamom, and pistachio flavors stood out nicely.
The service, both dining in and take out, were a bit lacking. But the staff is hardworking, and it becomes clear that the focus is on the food and not much else.
had a spinach dish. it decidedly tasted like spinach.
there was nothing wrong with this place, but there was nothing spectacular about it, either. the staff was really friendly.
This is a small hole in the wall joint that my friend enjoys. We ordered the beef and chicken for take out. Like Persian kabobs, this place cooks their food after you order. The place is a small hole in the wall so don't expect a stunning dining experience. We waited and it took about 10 mins for our food to be cooked.
The food was really good. I'm a fan of the flavor in the beef and chicken. The basmati rice was superb but I was really delighted by the sides. They gave pico de gallo, chick peas and potatoes, green spicey sauce, and bread. The chick peas and potatoes were great and I wish they gave a little more. I also wish they gave a few more pieces of chicken and beef because the overall portion size was small.
For cheap eats, this restaurant is a good place to try.
I was so excited to find a De Afghanan in San Francisco. Their Chapli Kabob isn't quite as good as the one on Fremont Blvd but t was still very good and my friend really enjoyed her borani kadoo.
The palau was pretty good if not a little too fluffy. Other than that it was great and definitely much better than Helmand ever was. Since the original De Afghanan is in Fremont Blvd the food tastes the most authentic Afghan of any restaurant outside of Fremont itself.
Negative one star for being cash only, but so is the Fremont Blvd one.
There is something so mouthwatering about watching pieces of chicken being held over a spitfire, its juices just sliding off drop by drop.
Ugh. I'm salivating again.
I first started eating bolani a year ago, and MAN oh MAN is it fucking awesome. I mean, really awesome. So when I found out that there were Afghani restaurants, I was like "SHIT sucka, we should hit that up fo SHO". Panda gets what Panda wants :D
We got the bolani, the eggplant borani thingie, chicken kebob, and firni. The bolani was awesome, the eggplant thing..ehh...not so much.
The chicken kebob, OBVIOUSLY, was absolutely breathtakingly good. The basmati rice was unbelievable, and even better the next morning when I decided to stuff my face with it randomly at 10am. I mean, it was SO good I almost ruined my appetite for brunch.
While the bolani seemed a bit overcooked, it was still fucking nomilicious.
The wait--mehhhhh not so much. Plus, the guy screwed up our order any number of times, but he still chatted us up and was super nice and friendly.
So four stars!
Oh, and I learned how to spell Afghanistan in the 4th grade because it was a word in my spelling bee packet. I spelled it right but I got "occur" wrong.
????
I've passed by De Afghanan Kabob House SO MANY times in the past year. I've intended to try it on many of an occasion, expecially after one afternoon of walking a little, Chinese lady chose to vociferously and repeatedly recommended the food at De Afghanan to me and the boy because she saw us perusing the menu.
Well, it was about a month after that encounter that we decided to take her advice. My mouth was WATERING at the thought of warm, juicy kabobs. I was actually very pleased with my meal, which was the simple Chicken Kabob. It was juicy and appropriately spiced. Of course, I had just had my teeth bleached (Zoom Whitening) and was afraid that the seasoning would stain my newly pearled whites!!!
Lunch for 2 was approximately $25.00 (including tax).
So sad to see it go. It was my favorite place to eat in the neighborhood. Tasty food for a good price. Not fancy. Simple, and very clean. Guys working there were always cool. Will be missed!
Best thing about this place aside from their yummy kabobs, basmati rice and garbanzo beans side dish? Free delivery on Fri-Sat from 7-11pm!!! Sure, I only lived two blocks away, but sometimes I just didn't feel like making the effort to get out of my PJ's. My lazy ass would rather wait an extra hour for the clock to strike 7pm and POOF! my food would magically appear at my door. I've tried chicken and beef - both are delicious! The chicken can be a tad dry at times, but the sauce makes up for it.
Oh Polk St., how I miss your abundance of good food!
okay, so ive been a huge fan of afghan food ever since i took the first bite..
i gotta tell ya love at first bite...BUT not all restaurants are created equal..
ive been going to the original De afghanan in little kabul also known as Fremont california...........way back when i had the red n black lubber jack, with the hat to match..remember rappin duke, da-ha da-ha............Ooops, got carried away...anyways...where was i? oh yea, way back in the mid 90s as a teen..and i keep going back for more...
ive tried the one in the city on polk, and sadly, its not the same flavors or the large portions i am used to, so i only ate there once...but continue going to the one in fremont...man oh man...its so worth it..trust me!
Love this place! It smells like warm comforting food the moment you walk in the door. Dig the casual vibe too. I usually get the Chaplee Kabob (two sizeable ground beef patties) which is on brown rice & comes with salad & bread. The green chutney-stuff on the tables is yummy too but a little goes a long ways. Once in awhile I try other things like the Mantu (homemade dumplings) or the pumpkin but I keep on going back to the Chaplee Kabob. The staff is very friendly and remembers my favorite dish!
Hella legit kabob house. Good cuts of meat served up with basmati rice and afghan bread with bottomless chutney. Add a side of pumpkin with yogurt sauce and you have one of the best cheap meals in the city.
After accidental "landing" in this area for dinner and quick iPhone yelping we got this place in our radius to try.
Kebabs were OK, we tried combination (chicken and Tiki beef) and the lamb chops. Chicken was like chicken. (but I don't like it unless it is in masala sauce).
Chops were good, but overall experience was OK.
One day, about two years ago I had a dream, a nightmare really, that I woke up from. A nightmare that I had lived as a vegetarian for almost 8 years and had given up the opportunity to eat meat. And not just eat meat, but eat meat cave man style. Off a stick. Grilled over a fire. Tear that shit off with my teeth and swallow it with some meed. Grrrr....
Pass the napkins, please. (Too bad they don't have any meed... at least there's no corkage.)
Who would have thought, you come here for food and find a make over happening in the middle of the restaurant. i asked the girls if they would wax my eyebrows and make me look like I am more sensitive.
A place where you order from the register and stake out your seat.
I had the Veg Soup which was spicy and good.
My friend got the Afghan special which had two meat patties on the plate that had a delicious flavor.
Definitely a place I'd hit up again as this place is authentic.
i would have liked this place a bit more if it wasn't so cold, inside.
the food was okay, they were out of the dish that i initially wanted, so i opted for choice #2. each plate was good, but not great. i didn't feel like i discovered a new must visit restaurant while eating there.
This is a great hole in the wall on Polk to grab a tasty bite of grilled Beef, Chicken, or Lamb! A classic simple menu place, there are only about 5-6 main dishes with different types of kabobs. My fave is the chicken & beef combo. The meat is lean and well seasoned and is probably one of the best kabobs in San Francisco (granted, I haven't had that many in SF, but have been to some great places in LA while living there). It comes on a large bed of basmati rice and two vegetable sides - one with chickpeas, the other with a type of pico de gallo.
The place is small (hole in the wall, remember) but very tidy with a friendly owner. Enjoy the free tea while waiting for your meal!
Chaplee Kabob. It was so good I havent tried anything else. I tried it for lunch one day and now about once a week, my tastebuds say "WTF, when are we going back?"
The green sauce is a chutney which goes great on the food. Everything I had was delicious. My rice expectations were different, but it went well with the food. I am really suprised that I finished my food, because the kabob is a good 2-patty portion. It also came with bread, rice, and a tomato salad.
The staff is friendly, one person gave me a sample of a potato chickpea salad and it was a great beginning to my meal while I waited. Another time, and I'm far from a regular - I was coughing, and the guy behind the counter seemed concerned that I was sick.
The inside is painted a warm orange and it was clean. I like lunching here and sitting on the stools by the window.
Chaplee Kabob burps are delicious too.
This place was so good, it made me want to visit Afghanistan. The sweet young man behind the counter talked us through the menu, made hot fresh tea and brought it to us, and as we were finishing up, brought us complimentary (and delicious) rice puddings for dessert. What hospitality! What service! And we only paid $12 each!
We had the eggplant appetizer which is served with bread similar to Turkish pide. It was truly excellent. We then had the pumpkin turnovers, which were like crepes and were served with a yoghurt sauce. Wowee, they were good (and even better reheated the next morning, I might add). Finally, we had the specialty beef kabobs, which were served with yummy rice. We left stuffed and brought food home. What a bargain! And we only paid $12 each!
I ate there last night & loved the bolina (sp?) the Afghan version of paratha. However, the lamb dish I ordered was absolutely flavorless. How do you make lamb tasteless? It was so bad we ordered another bolina appetizer to fill up. The chicken kabob was good, but not enough to make up for the lamb. This place is also halal, yeah!
If you enjoy simple pleasures, then a trip to De Afghanan Kabob House might be in order. It's hard to find great kabob restaurants in the Bay Area. This little hole in wall, however, provides really tasty kabobs (I prefer the beef version), and their lamb with Basmati rice dish is my favorite. Tender lamb, nice sized portion, well seasoned, with fragrant rice...perfect. One of their free sides, the piquant green spicy sauce, also makes for an excellent dipping sauce for the kabobs. Prices are right, and if you stick to these dishes then you should be pleased with your visit. I rounded up to four stars.
I had their chaplee kabob lunch special and borani kadoo. (pumpkin)
The chaplee kabob was really good, but really salty. it has some spices that are different / more complex than a standard kabob at whatever Mediterranean restaurant that serves it. what would have been better would be to 3x or 4x the quantity of rice that was served with the meat. you get two meat patties and about the same proportion of rice. since the meat was salty, the rice is a good balance.
also, the bread it comes with is really good, wasn't sure if the veg salad was to mix with the meat or with the green stuff and the bread, so i mixed it all together and ate it. it has cilantro, so if you like cilantro youll like the green stuff and veg salad.
the pumpkin appetizer was really really soft, if you can image sweet potato, but delicately sweet (not as sweet) and really really soft like cutting through pudding. the spices and sauce it came in didnt really have much flavor and neither did the yogurt. so i ate it with my lunch special. this was just ok. i probably wont order this next time since it was very plain.
This is the 2nd time I've had afghani food, first time was in san diego and it was pretty expensive. Pretty good flavorful food and looking forward to trying it again.
Great cheap eats! I came last night for take out dinner and it was pretty good for $10!! I ordered the chicken kabob and I ordered my co-worker the Chaplee.
The chicken kabob came with tons of chicken, rice, chickpea salad, onion salad and Afghan bread. The chicken was delicious! Moist, juicy and had great flavor. I loved the rice. It was made with some type of spice and it was so flavorful. The chickpea salad was ok and the onion salad was too strong, but it was fine as sides. The afghan bread was good too with the sauce, but I preferred eating the chicken with the rice. I had some of my co-worker's chaplee, which was basically ground beef with onions and spices. It was good, but I think I would like to try the sirloin beef next time.
I would definitely recommend coming here for affordable good eats!
This was my first time trying Afghani food and I loved it!
I ordered the eggplant lunch special while my friend ordered the pork kabob. The eggplant was definitely unique and very tasty. My friend said the pork kabob was somewhat dry, but they added an extra chicken kabob which we didn't order. He said he really liked the chicken and would definitely go back just for the chicken. The lunch special included rice and bread, but like with so many other restaurants, the rice is not going to fill anyone up. I recommend getting the eggplant and dipping the bread with the eggplant sauce, tasty!
When it came time to paying, they charged us for three lunch specials, but we only ordered two. He was nice enough to drop one of the lunch special, so basically we got an extra lunch special.
Good food, good people, and all the tea you can drink!
Vegetarian Friendly? 3 out of 10
Only a few items are vegetarian.
Neighborhood: Russian Hill
Category: Afghan
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Moroccan
Berkeley, CA
Category: Afghan
Fremont, CA
Category: Afghan
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Mediterranean
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