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Khyber Pass
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mon-Thu. 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Fri. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
8 reviews for Khyber Pass
I have been here a few times and have always enjoyed their food. The location is perfect for Macalester students who want to celebrate completion of a paper or exam and end their studious fast. Also, you might want to check next door at Kinkos for local celebrities! I have a wonderful memory of eating here and then stopping at Kinkos where I saw Garrison Keillor making copies for the Prairie Companion show he hosts!
I have come here to have brunch, lunch and dinner and have to say the best meal was the buffet (I believe it's offered on weekends). The lamb dish I ordered was very tender and the side of potatoes went very well with it. I will be back here when I visit Macalester next time!
I have eaten everything on the menu at Khyber Pass, except for some of the rotating special dishes since it's hard to get a chance to try some of them. I love all of it. Good Afghani food is perfectly seasoned. It is never too bland, nor too heavily spiced. A typical Afghani entree will have a combination of items with spices and flavors that coordinate perfectly. Everything at Khyber Pass is like that. This makes it easy to eat a lot without getting tired of it. I always crave Khyber Pass; I even dream about it sometimes...
Pros:
There is something for everyone, since Afghani food is so versatile. I have heard it be described as a cross between Middle Eastern and Indian food. However, people who are not fond of either of those cuisines might find something that they like on the Khyber Pass menu since the spicing and seasoning is a lot more toned-down. There is also a good selection of vegetarian dishes. The desserts, Firni and Daygcha, are very nice too. Both are puddings with cardamom, rosewater and pistachios. They are very light, cold and refreshing.
They have a buffet during the lunch hours, which is probably the most worthwhile time to go. You can get *almost* everything on the dinner menu in the buffet, minus the lamb, of course (and some of the more labor-intensive appetizers). You can eat as much as you want for a very reasonable price, even more so if you have a student ID because you can get a discount.
The atmosphere at night time is very intimate and enjoyable. Especially on Friday and Saturday. Sometimes, I think on Saturday nights, they have a sitar player.
The decor is very tasteful. It is neither too plain, nor over-the-top as in some Indian or Middle Eastern restaurants. There are traditional Pashtoon dresses and other Central Asian textiles adorning the walls and ceilings. There are also beautiful, framed photographs of Afghanistan on the walls as well as several paintings created by the owner. The music is Afghani and barely there- it's set at the perfect volume so it's not awkwardly quiet, nor is it loud and distracting. The restaurant is also very clean and smells so good right when you walk in the door. I think the overall environment is casual, but classy. Lots of authenticity.
Cons:
After the restaurant closes in the early afternoon, they re-open for dinner at 5 PM. The buffet is gone and all of the exact same dishes are plated at a higher price. I don't consider the night-time portions to be very generous; maybe this is due to having taken advantage of the buffet so many times.
I don't like that they use bagged, store-bought pita bread to be served with "chatni-e gashneez" (Walnut & cilantro chutney [not mint, nor store-bought, contrary to another reviewer's comment]) before the dinner entrees. Pita bread isn't really Afghani and it doesn't do the chutney, which is perfect, any justice. You will likely run out of bread anyway, and you have to pay $1 (as far as I can remember) per piece after the first four complimentary triangles.
The Afghani tea (green tea with cardamom) is nice as is sheer chai (sweet black tea with milk), but sheer chai is a little pricey considering that you do not get a free refill.
There are a few other non-authentic-Afghani foods such as hummus (although it is home-made) and baklava (which is store-bought). These are items that you would find at any Mediterranean or Middle Eastern restaurant, which is misleading since Afghanistan not located in either of those regions.
Another thing that bothers me is that their water glasses are so small. The water goes so fast, and on a busy day when wait staff is very occupied, it can take forever to get the water refilled. You can request a carafe of water but even those may not provide enough.
The last con is that they are closed on Sunday :( Anyway, despite those few cons, I love Khyber Pass. I never get tired of the food. I think my favorite dish is Kofta Chalau...since it features all of the items that I take the most of at the buffet on one plate :) I also highly recommend Gulpi Chalau (a dish with lamb and cauliflower and bell peppers). It is one of the rotating specials, so get it when you can.
We had a great meal and a great time at this quaint little restaurant on Grand Ave. The decor is cozy and pleasant and service was very good. We had the butternut squash vegetarian special along with the eggplant and curried potatoes. Everything tasted great, was well prepared and seasoned and was very satisfying.
I've been a fan of Khyber Pass since they were on St. Clair Avenue. I like the Grand Avenue locale as well, with its understated decor featuring pictures of Afghani people and villages.
In short, I've never had a bad meal here. My favorite items are the shola and aushak. They have a decent lunch buffet but I tend to order off the menu when I'm here. Not sure what Afghani food is all about? If you like Indian and Middle Eastern, you will like Afghani food... it's not super spicy but absolutely flavorful. I haven't been back in about a year, so I'm overdue for another visit!
I was impressed. Came here on an impulse while in town and enjoyed a delicious vegetarian meal. We split two dishes between three people, and it was plenty. Even with the beers, it was a fairly reasonably priced meal. We had the mung beans and the vegetarian sampler (with spinach, eggplant and potatoes). The meal came with plenty of rice, cooling chutney (yum!) and pita-- we asked for more sauce and pita a few times and the waitron was more than happy to accommodate. Sweet!
They had a couple of local beer options, which was also nice. I'm not from the Twin Cities, and when I travel, I like to sample the local offerings. Overall, the meal was relaxing, filling and hassle-free.
I think if I lived nearby, this might be a go-to place for me.
The inside is quaint and the waiter was very nice. The Afghan tea was delicious and has free refills! The buffet looked great, but I wasn't that hungry so I ordered eggplant instead. The food took a while to come out, but it was worth the wait. Very delicious!
Lordy, what a fantastic experience!! I decided to make reservations during Dinning Out for Life and ended up getting the last reservation of the night. We had to wait a little longer than we would have liked after our reserved time, but hey...it was an unusually busy night. The staff was helpful and very welcoming. The food was FANTASTIC. Everyone in our party (5 people) raved about the experienced. The grilled chicken was some of the moist chicken I have ever had. It melted in your mouth. Don't even get me started on the baklava.
I like to go here when I have long lunch breaks between classes. It is perfectly located in the college area and easily accessible by car, foot, bus or ACTC shuttle.
They are open for lunch and dinner, but lunch time is when the discounted buffet is served. The menu items are similar to what you would find at a Indian or Middle Eastern restaurant and not very spicy (although you might be able to order something spicy).
There is always a good selection of food and you can order a plate if nothing at the buffet looks good. Drinks are plentiful and delicious - I like the mango yogurt drink. Desert has not let me down - baklava is the way to go!
Service could be better. The staff tends to forget about you, but it's not too hard to walk up to the register to pay if you don't want to wait forever; however, it can be a pain if you want to order something else or have water refilled.
