The Helmand

Great little place closed to downtown Baltimore! Service was spot on, food was great, got for appetizers the aushak and bowlawni,Main course I had Kabuli pallow and to finish I had baklava and Turkish coffee which it's a must!Highly recommend!!

I have always enjoyed coming to The Helmand for a delicious meal! Today, I visited for Valentine's Dinner and I ordered the Vegetarian Dolma, it was SO delicious! The dish paired well with the red wine :) The service was smooth and fast, the staff are so friendly and welcoming. I highly recommend anyone to come here for a memorable meal with the people you love.

We enjoyed our visit to The Helmand. We have been before but I always forget to post a review. This is one of my favorite places to bring people. It's very vegetarian friendly and has delicious food and wonderful service every time. The place is nicely decorated and gives you a feel for the afghan culture. We had the following dishes: kaddo Borwani (baby pumpkin), vegetarian mantwo, ashsak, and the shornakhod salad. It was all fresh, filling, and light all at the same time. We always have the best time when we come to The Helmand.

Best place I've been in Baltimore so far!! The flavors are out of this world and the service is amazing!! The vibe is so good! The prices are pretty reasonable especially given the portion sizes. Def can't wait to come back here!!

It was a one of the best dinner I had in Baltimore. The food was high quality and quantity, super flavorful, and the service was passionate and friendly and patient. I'd give it 6 stars if pissible. The food came in large quantity. We ordered Mantwo for appetizer and it might be the best beef sauce I've had. It's full of the special season and the dumpling came freshly cooked.The lamb dish was awesome too, it came medium cooked which is a bit red (which I like) and very juicy. And the sauce/dressing!! The one came with the chicken (the same for Shornakod salad) was beyond good--- it's the best chutney/dressing I've had. It's cilantro vinaigrette-- and it's tangy, mixed with cilantro and all different kinds of spices. It's so exotic and delicious that I took a dipping sauce box with me when boxing leftovers.We had ice cream for dessert, and it was delicious. It was cardamom flavored, with dried fruit and nuts mixed in. We were so full but couldn't resist eating more.Conclusion is: if you like flavorful Indian/ Middle East, Afghanistan food, you can't go wrong! The service was great too, it was our first time there, they explained to us what are dishes like and what wine to pair with our food. They are patient and apparently knows their restaurant and food super well. They checked back when we were eating frequently. The ambience was great too, was romantic (with candle lights) and people are slightly dressed up. Plenty of space between each table so that you have privacy. We had a great date night and eat until they are almost closed (hence there is an inner space picture lol). I'd definitely recommend and will come back more times in the future.

Nice sit-down restaurant with Afghan decor on the walls that gives an authentic feel. There are many vegetarian dishes, most of which could probably be adapted to be vegan, the portions sizes are really big, and the food is relatively healthy. The one thing that could maybe be improved is that most of the dishes have a tinge of lemony sour taste- they might be more palatable without. We got the cauliflower and chickpea curry (which came with spinach!), the vegetarian platter, and the salad- I might skip the salad next time but everything else was great!

Food was bomb! The food came out pretty quickly, and our waters were always filled. The food came out hot and pretty quick and it was just so flavorful.It's pretty dim inside but still nice inside. Don't skip out on this place, you won't regret it.

What a great experience! I've been meaning to come to Helmand for forever now. I've heard such great things about it and it's been a longtime staple of the Mount Vernon neighborhood. I finally went in for dinner with a few friends and couldn't be happier with the food, the service, and the atmosphere. Everyone who was working was so nice. From the host, to the servers, to the man cooking the naan bread in the oven, they each had a smile to greet you with. The inside is a lot nicer than I expected. It feels very fine dining with the white tablecloths and dim lighting. And it's really cozy thanks to the beautiful decorations and the brick oven in the back. The bathrooms were also really clean too. We got a couple appetizers to start: the pumpkin and the eggplant. The pumpkin was very tender and came drizzled with a yummy yogurt sauce. The eggplant was cooked to perfection and that's saying something because I normally find eggplant to be too slimy to appreciate the flavor - this one was good! For entrees, we decided to share the kabuli pallow and one of the specials, the chicken lawand. We were all new to Afghan cuisine but these dishes came highly recommended by the staff. The kabuli pallow was definitely my favorite. It featured tender, flavorful lamb over a bed of herbed rice and raisins. Omg, soo good! The chicken lawand was also very good and well seasoned but I think I just liked the lamb more. We also got a bottle of red wine that paired really nicely with everything we ate. I'd definitely come back to explore more of the menu and wouldn't be opposed to just ordering that lamb for takeout for myself!

Came here for the first time recently and had a great experience. We were a little late for our reservation due to traffic and the staff were very patient and accommodating. Everything we ordered was great and so flavorful. Loved the eggplant appetizer, the leeks in puff pastry, the kabuli chicken, and the mantwo. Definitely don't skip dessert because both of their ice cream desserts are so unique! Already looking forward to coming back and trying more of the menu.

Amazing food, service and ambience! Would go back for another at a drop of a hat and make a special trip just for the food!