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Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Thu, Fri, Sat
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
14 reviews for Shish Kebab House of Afghanistan
it's tasty.
all the veggie sides are or can be vegan. not too oily, which is always a big plus for me. really love the special kabeli palow rice - has raisins, spices, shredded carrots.
fave fish entree is the sauteed catfish, followed by the trout. try the pea soup, and ask for lemon slices to squeeze in. flatbread in the beginning is a nice touch, olive oil instead of butter is great, really excellent green olive oil variety. great wine list.
like to sit outside or in the bar, not as big a fan of the upstairs dining room for atmosphere.
good value for the center-you can easily split an entree between two if you get an extra side and/or an appetizer.
I am really surprised at the reviews that people said they received bad service. I went here with my parents last Friday because there was a long wait at a near by restaurant. We sat outside on the street and our waitress was lovely, her name is Solemio (awesome name huh). She was very attentive and when another server brought my father the wrong beer, she was apologetic.
The food is good and the portions are huge. My favorite thing I ate was the yogurt salad, the dressing is simply perfect!
I love the food here.
Last night I had the Lamb Kebob Kabeli Palow and the pumpkin puree side. Rice pudding for dessert.
This is one of the top three places in West Hartford for tasty moderately priced food.
They didn't know what Gluten Free meant that was the only draw back.
Sitting outside watching people go by added to the enjoyment.
Being from the Bay Area I'm used to really good Afghan food. Maybe that's why I felt this place is really over-rated.
What I liked:
The atmosphere (upstairs) was excellent. The night I went they had live music. It was lively and traditional.
What I thought was ok:
The food! I liked the Chicken Kabab and Qabli Paloa. Everything else was pretty mediocre. The lamb wasn't cooked too well and both our sides (potatoes and eggplant) were below mediocre. I guess I've had a lot of very good authentic Afghan food in Fremont, CA, so maybe I was expecting too much.
What I did not like:
The service... From the minute we walked in, I felt a sense of attitude from the lady behind the bar. They were hesitant to give us a table upstairs, even though there was lots of space. The girl waiting our table would disappear for long periods of time which was kind of annoying. They served us our food without providing plates so we had to wait again for our waiter to appear.
If you plan to go to this place, do get a table upstairs (it's much better than sitting downstairs by the bar!).
I had always liked this restaurant when it was in Hartford, but hadn't checked it out since its move to West Hartford a couple of years ago. I went with a group of 6 people. We ordered the Afghan House Dinner Treat -- a selection of appetizers, shish kebabs, and side dishes for $33/person. This can only be ordered for a minimum of 4 people, but is highly recommended because of the variety. Everything is served family style. I LOVE the pumpkin puree. Next time I go I am going to order an extra serving of this to take home! We ordered the "Dinner Treat" for 5, but really 4 servings would have been plenty to serve the 6 of us.
A great restaurant in an unusual location, sort of tucked away from the road. The inside is rather unusual with different levels and little separate areas and booths. Gives it a exotic feel. The staff was very friendly and since we were not very acquainted with Afghan food, patiently explained the different dishes and opinions.
The food itself was fantastic. I have to admit I don't have much to compare it to because I have only been to a couple of other Afghan places, but everything we ordered was wonderful. The pumpkin curry was sweet and tangy but not overwhelming, and my friend loved her lamb kebab. The menu has all sorts different and wonderful items, unusual and different without being too strange. Many of the sauces and yogurts are absolutely unique taste sensations.
I have been here several times and enjoy coming with different friends to introduce them to this wonderful food.
The food is five star, but the cruddy service and awkward seating pushes the rating down to four stars.
I love Afghan food and have only had it at two other restaurants in Boston and Washington DC. What a nice suprise to find this in West Hartford, of all places! My mom and I started the vegetarian Ashak- six large dumplings filled with scallions and spinach, yellow split peas, mint and a delicious homemade yogurt. All the flavors melded together so perfectly, and the chewy texture of the dumpling combined with the crunch from the yellow split peas was SO good. This appetizer proved that you foods that are healthy can also be incredibly tasty!
As an entree, I got the Chicken Shammi Kebab with Spinach Rice and Pumpkin. The Shammi was ground chicken, then skewered and grilled. I am usually incredibly skeptical of ground meat, but this was all white meat and very high quality. The pumpkin was AWESOME- almost the consistency of mashed potatoes, with perfect spicy and sweetness.
I would undoubtedly come back here if I were in West Hartford. So healthy, tasty, and overall a wonderful experience (with the exception of slow service and a dirty plate). As for it being expensive, I really don't think it is.
How do I begin to praise perfection?
The staff is charming. The atmosphere is convincing, classy, and intelligent. The menu is expansive and exciting. The cuisine, flawless. Everything about this place is consistent and reliable - what is good once is guaranteed to be good many times over. Vegan options abound and may I (enthusiastically) recommend the pumpkin puree side dish?
Accolades all around for you at Shish Kebab House!
No reviews on this place yet? What a shame. Well, out of all the places I've reviewed here so far, this is the first getting five stars.
This excellent eatery was located for many years in the South End, then they made the move to West Hartford Center, presumably a big investment, as it is a very large restaurant now with a beautiful bar, upstairs dining area and patio.
The food is some of the best I've had anywhere and I've dined all over the country from hole-in-the-walls to trendy bistros to upscale restaurants. If you're the kind of person who feels like they might orgasm when they have a really good meal, then be sure to get a secluded table as this one actually might do it. My favorite is the Lamb Kabeli Palow with a side of Pureed Pumpkin, but the Mantoo and Ashak (both kinda a Afghan ravioli) are also superb. The salads and kebabs are great too-- you can't go wrong here.
Besides the food, the ambiance is nice and the service excellent-- professional without being snobby, friendly without being intrusive.
It ain't cheap, but it ain't exactly pricey either (entrees in the $15-20 range). For the quality of the food, atmosphere and service, I feel I'm getting a real bargain everytime I eat there.
Which is why it's such a disappointment and such a sad comment on the state of Hartford's culinary scene that on nights I should be fighting for a table (for example Friday night or Valentine's Day), I have had no trouble getting a table. The last time I was there they had resorted to "Service Industry Night" promotions at the bar to drum up business in order, presumably, to break even on the huge investment they must have made moving to West Hartford.
I strongly encourage people to visit this place soon, before it goes under-- make me the jerk waiting at the bar for a table with his date on a Friday night because it's so damn packed. I can think of nothing more fitting for such a quality establishment. If it were still in the little building in the South End, I'd be happy to have it be a "secret" for the true chowhounds like myself, but I don't wanna see this restaurant's investment in moving to West Hartford be a failure, because it's one of the best places I've ever dined at and want to continue going there.
After living in Boston for six year, I am constantly looking for new, ethnic restaurants in the Hartford area. The Shish Kebob House is definitely a gem! I have tried a few different dishes on the menu and have been quite pleased with them all.
To start, diners are served with a wonderful crispy bread, perfectly portioned and seasoned with salt and butter. Main dish portions tend to be on the very large size, which can be remedied by asking for the lunch-size or child-size portion - perfect for one! The beef shammi kebab is moist and wonderfully spiced. The catfish dish is great if you're looking for something on the lighter side, as the earthiness of the fish and the acidity of the tomato sauce blend well without being overwhelmed by butter. They have wonderful vegetarian dishes, as well, such as the ashak. The textural blend of noodles, yogurt sauce, crunchy split peas and mint make it almost impossible to leave any left on the plate.
I have to say, however, that the best thing on the menu may just be the sides. The pumpkin puree is "crazy good," as one of my friends described it. As for the eggplant, it's maybe the best eggplant I've ever had.
The only thing standing in the way of a 5-star rating is the service, which is very hit or miss.
I have found my little slice of heaven in pieces of spiced lamb strewn across my plate. So fucking tasty. And the rice and goddamn eggplant. So good. I washed this all down with a spicy bottle of Ridge Zinfandel. Service was excellent (probably because we were the only people eating at 8pm; I have no idea why). Nice ambiance inside...70's look outside. Beautiful big luscious bar that made me want to order all forms of exotic drinks.
It's the cat's meow.
Sorry guys but it met expectations.
The Shish Kebab House specializes in shish kebabs, big surprise there.
I ordered the sauteed lamb, bowlani, and pumpkin puree only to be topped off with the baklava.
The fiance ordered the lamb kebab with brown rice and mushrooms.
The bowlani was wonderful, my simple brain connected this to a quesadilla. The sauce on the side was a yummy citrus blend. The pumpkin puree was served on a plate with some design stamped in it and was exactly what you think pumpkin puree should look like heaped onto a plate with a pattern on top, however, tasty. I liked my sauteed lamb more than the char-grilled lamb while I loved the brown rice but the mushroom side fell flat with me.
The baklava was served very cold and if baklava wasn't difficult enough theirs was even worse, but again one of the more flavorful baklava's I have had.
My impression was, "This is good but... ", or "This was delicious but...."
I was craving a vegetarian dish and they didn't really have one, seriously they do shish kebab with rice and a vegetable side that is it.
Extensive wine list. I drank Root. Awesome interior, and fabulous service.
I have been there about three times and have had excellent service each time and great authentic food.
All the food we had here ROCKED!!! It was so flavorful. The food also looked awesome. The staff was very friendly and polite. We tried the Combination, Chicken Shammi Kebab and Kabali Palow, all are definitely recommended. The side of eggplant was the very best eggplant dish ever!! This place is A++. We had a little bit of a wait till the food came but definitely worth every minute. The chai was also very good. The neighborhood is very quaint for a nice walk around the block. Truly a shame that there is only one other review for the Shish Kebab House.
