Etihad Market Restaurant

This place is in the old Huong Lan sandwich shop, at Folsom and La Loma in Rancho. There is no seating, the food is to go. The employees were friendly. The grocery section is decent. They have a good amount of Middle Eastern groceries, I saw a few American items, and even a few Russian items. They have kitchenware, they have dried fruits, they have cookies and pastries, etc. I bought a bag of dried figs. I thought they were a bit high, pricewise, but they were very, very good. I ordered from here two days in a row. Both times, I asked for my food mild. Both days, the main dish was not spicy at all. The first time, they told me it would be about 15 minutes for my food to be ready. That was fine, I had the time. I had the veggie Samosas, And the manto, which are dumplings with beef and spices, topped with a sour yogurt sauce and lentils. I believe there was also some pepper on the top. I had enough for two meals. Everything was very good. The samosas were delicious, and didn't seem that spicy when I were eating them, but my lips were definitely tingling afterwards. I didn't mind at all. They came with a chutney, but I didn't have any. I've never really cared for chutney. Chutney is definitely an acquired taste. The Manto, was also extremely good. The dumplings were tender, I liked the filling, and while yes, the yogurt sauce was a little bit sour, it was not overly so. It complemented the dish very well. I liked the lentils, and whatever spice it was that came with them on the top. The dish was great. The next day, I decided to order ahead from DoorDash. I did pickup, because they are not part of the dash pass program, and so you have to pay a delivery fee even if you are a dash pass member. This time I ordered the beef samosas, and the qabili palaw, which is like a biryani. It had fragrant, rice, roasted carrots, raisins, and a lamb shank. I also ordered the. Fini, which is a traditional Afghan custard. They called me back to tell me that they were out of the fini, and out of the beef samosas, so I had the veggie samosas again and I ordered the Gulab, jamun which I really like.The main dish was again a home run. The rice was tender, fragrant and delicious, I liked the carrots, and the raisins added a pop of sweetness. The lamb shank was very large, tender, and delicious. It had a large bone that I could use as a handle, to eat it "Fred Flintstone style." :). Again, I had enough for two meals. While the gulab jamun was tender and had plenty of the sweet syrup on the inside, they only gave me one. I had thought they would at least give me two of them. The price of the food both days was very reasonable, and I want to come back and try more things. Thank you.

Great market. I've had their Qabili Palaw a few times and it has been delicious and plentiful. The ground beef samosas were wonderful as well

Superb, authentic Afghani food!This evening was my first time ordering from the restaurant. I ordered mixed bolani (flatbread stuffed with spiced potato-leek filling, served with a distinctive spicy-sour dipping sauce I've never encountered before), qabili pallow (a delicate long-grain rice with carrots, raisins, and slow-cooked lamb), four beef samosas, and a chicken gyro. They will ask if you want your food spicy or not, and both the bolani and samosas had complex layers of spice and a nice heat (since I did request spicy - which they honored even though I am a white guy! ). The gyro was generously crammed. My wife and I stuffed ourselves and still have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow. All that came out to just under $50. When they ran my card, there was no tip prompt (and I unfortunately didn't think of it until I looked at my receipt later)!I got my food to go, but it looks like the dining room seats 40 or 50 people. It looked like all the tables and chairs (stackable auditorium-style chairs) were moveable to accommodate larger parties. No booths.The service was unique in my experience:When I first came in, the proprietor was in conversation with other customers in Dari (?) so I browsed the market: lots of semi-exotic spices, cookware, dishes, dried beans, noodles, dried fruit, rugs, propane burners (big enough to brew beer or deep fry a turkey), flashy cheap-looking jewelry (though I didn't look at the prices), dresses, sandals (men's and women's), and unusual (and ordinary) beverages (not beer, wine, or liquor, but Kvass as well as sodas with flavors like ginseng and basil seed) and potato chips (Tiger brand tomato flavor, among others).I was a little confused about placing my order: there is a sign saying "order here" over the soda coolers; there is a deli-style counter with a blank menu-board overhead and boxes behind it instead of a customer-service representative; and the kitchen staff (the kitchen is past the boxes behind the deli counter) don't speak English. But someone had posted a photo of a delicious-looking plate earlier in the day, so I knew the restaurant was operational.I confirmed with the proprietor at the market register that they were taking orders for dinner. He has recently ordered menus, which haven't come back from the printer yet, but thankfully they come up in Google Search. There are three pages, but I initially only saw two. I put in my order (they don't have all menu items available everyday, so be aware that you may need to have backups), which the proprietor delivered to the kitchen staff, then - after apologizing that it would take 20-30 minutes to prepare the order (although I recognize that making good food takes time), he SAT ME DOWN NEXT TO HIM FOR A CUP OF TEA AND A CHAT, kind of like an old-school barbershop! (He shared that this is a part of his cultural tradition, but verified with me that I wouldn't prefer to wait in silence with my smartphone to keep me company.) His citizenship interview is coming up, and he and his family have found Sacramento a welcoming community. I was pleased to hear that from a new American, who helped our troops in the "war on terror."Once the food was ready, he walked it out to the car with me. He also pointed out that the parking-spaces were newly-repainted (they are marked nice and clearly!).DoorDash and UberEats will soon be available, but honestly I enjoyed the change of pace of having a cup of tea and a chat.And once again - most importantly - the food was delicious and affordable!!

I hadn't eaten for 20 hours. I was in Rancho so I started searching the web and came upon this Afghan place. It's in the bldg that Huong Lan used to be on Folsom Blvd. I looked at their menu online and decided on beef samosas that people were recommending, Afghan burger, and something called ash that sounded worth trying. The menu from 7 months ago showed $6.99 for the burger. Now $9.99, oh inflation wow. I asked if they had beef samosas, he replied, "no I think those are veggie." Ok I'll try the ash, oh that takes a really long time to make. Though he was clear I could get it, but it must be steamed and yeah...long long time. These seem like chill, nice, humble people they weren't playing games, just being honest.I finally just got a chicken shawarma ($9.99). It came with fries with Cajun looking spice sprinkled on them. It smelled great when I opened the box and everything tasted fine, but nothing spectacular.For me the shawarma had too much yogurt sauce. All the sauce mixed with hot cucumber and tomato. It was a texture thing, it was all too mushy and goopy and the flavor got old quickly. Somewhat disappointing to be honest.

The food was unfortunately not outstanding. The place was primarily a grocery/ general store and the restaurant service matched. They intended to be better but don't seem to be committed to it. Unless there's a marked improvement, I wouldn't eat there again. But if I don't feelLike making it down to my usual stores, I may stop in for things that work with our palates.

bringing love from multiple different cultures into the spotlight in this establishment! so many food options and the flavors are amazing i highly recommend trying all the food. the customer service is lovely they really make the shopping experience great they are the most accommodating people i've ever met. beautiful tea sets detailed rugs, unique comforters and other unique and high quality items from different countries.