Ariana Halal Market

For our next #abqrestaurants #restaurantreview, I'm obliged to let y'all in on a secret I love it when we find a new place to visit, and further love it when I find an equally rare gem of a small business that we have driven past many times before. This location, was in a grocery store (several of which we reviewed before) and initially we were the only customers. The owner was the only one working in the store so there were boxes of groceries that were in the middle of being stocked, plus he also cooked for us and others that had ordered takeout, so that more than made up for the slower service time and lack of offer for water (that someone else had previously mentioned) in a small, but beautiful dining room with a TV that was set to an arab channel (currently a work in progress, but again, considering he's the only employee in the store, we give him a LOT of credit!) This was our first time eating anything Afghan, so I was really excited. I ordered a flatbread appetizer and my husband ordered a chicken kebab, plus we had this yogurt drink with mint, similar to kefir (which my husband felt was sour then enjoyed it as I explained how to drink it (If you focus on the flavor of the mint and contrast it to the yogurt, you'll see how well it works together!). Plus, the tart of the yogurt dissipated the longer it sat on the table. The food was equally delicious. The chutney that came with my appetizer was moderately spicy (which I prefer ) and the yogurt drink served as a complementary offset. Unfortunately we didn't stay for dessert this time because we needed to run to the store before it closed, but were grateful to have enjoyed the meal we ordered! (Total cost around $40 for two people but reasonable for the quality ) #gourmetrecovery #foodfreedom #Intuitiveeating #supportsmallbusiness

Stopped in the other night, had not been by all year since covid started, but ive really been trying to hit the small markets. It's silly to stand in a long line at a grocery store, when there are little neighborhood markets scattered around town. And the small restaurant there is also still doing take out, picked up some bread(it is like a yard liong flatbread, yogurt, (all the folks looking for yeast and flower and other things a few months ago? they have had plenty. Got some beans, spices mostly some little things to help replenish my pantry at home. i've been getting more adventurous at cooking and going through many things. they have plenty of frozen meats. (all halal) lovely candies. Nice to be in a small shop not crowded. not feeling guilty if you read a few labels because there are people waiting for your slot in the store. Spend your dollars at these places, you can't get everything there, but you can get enough.

This food is to die for! The only afghani food we've been able to find in abq. I love the market where we can find lots of goodies too. First timers and super happy with our experience here. Will def come by here pfte

Extremely rude and unprofessional. Charged me 37 bucks and gave me "2 orders" each. I ordered for 4 people but regret it. Never again. Dodge it before you get ripped off.

Everything Zaher-Ahmadi makes is delicious! A skilled chef from Afghanistan, he bakes luscious breads. MUST TRY THE BREAD! He greets everyone with a smile and treats everyone that comes through the door like family. The prices are reasonable and you can get products that are hard to find, like grape leaves and fermented black garlic. Two big thumbs up, SO happy he moved into the Pueblo Alto neighborhood. A Mediterranean market within walking distance? I'm in heaven.

Delicious catered meal that consisted of rice, naan, beef koobideh (ground beef), chicken skewers, spinach, and yogurt for the naan. Everything was fresh and tasty. An Iranian friend liked it too, so that's how I know that it isn't just tasty but legit as well. Not a lot of Persian options in ABQ, but this one is solid.

Omg what a great find. Food is fresh and cooked right when you order. $10 for a plate with golden Afghan rice, beef or chicken or lamb with salad and yogurt sauce. Very helpful host. Will be going back often!

Service was unprofessional. He sat us down and didn't even offer us any water. The food was outrageously overpriced for the food you receive.

The quality of cooking and the products are as good as it gets, with only a comment of reservation for too much salt for my taste. They are very accommodating in that they make your dish per your restrictions. The "Noon Taftoon" has no match in the area, and the Kabob is just excellent. Rice is made to perfection. while the need for a more attractive ambience is felt by anyone, the potential visitor, should balance the top quality of the products against ambiance, as it is by demand of necessity that they can provide their products on such location. I strongly recommend.

The lamb kabob was excellent. The rice (saffron) was well cooked , cucumber yoghurt excellent and small salad good but dressing had too much vinegar for my taste but I'm not a fan of vinegar.Lovely host. All and all very nice but far too much salt on food for someone on a sodium restricted diet, especially the hummus-salted far too Much so could not eat.