Helmand Palace

10 STARS for a beautiful restaurant that qualifies as aesthetically pleasing art gallery with much TLC. The owner and staff are very hospitable. The delicious dishes are modestly priced, well worth it here!!!

It had been many years since I dined at Helmand Palace and I'm so glad it has survived the construction on Van Ness and the awful pandemic. It's so sad to see that parking is made even more difficult by the removal of all the parking in front of the restaurant and on the block south of it. I think the lack of parking will make it even more difficult to maintain a strong client base. Regardless of the parking situation, I'm glad I had a chance to dine here again. They've moved some tables around within the dining area and the menu has changed a bit, but they still bring out the basket of bread with the three different dipping sauces that are so delicious. I'm not sure what the sauces are, but one is red, the other green, and the last one white. The white one, I assume, is a seasoned yogurt. The red and green sauces have a mild kick to them. All three are delicious! A couple of people ordered the hummus and samosas which they were generous enough to share with the table (each $8.99). They were good, but I'm not sure they were worth the price; the hummus was a good amount, but the two samosas were a bit skimpy for the cost. The only thing about the hummus was that there wasn't enough bread to go with it (there were 5 of us) and they charged for extra bread. I ordered the kadoo and banjan challow (baked baby pumpkin and eggplant with mint yogurt and tomato sauce served with rice). It was supposed to be a vegetarian dish, but I asked for the addition of ground meat sauce, a dish that used to be offered on the menu. The vegetarian version should've been $13.99, but I'm not sure how much it was with the meat sauce added because I didn't see the bill. My dish was wonderful, though a bit on the too sweet side; with a lighter hand on the sugar, this dish would be fantastic!Others in my dining party ordered salmon, kabobs, and lamb dishes. Everyone seemed to be happy with their meals. One big thing that would bring me back to Helmand Palace is the service. It seems to be family run and each person was very attentive and nice. I like how friendly and accomodating each person was. Service is one of the big factors of whether or not I would patronize an establishment again and I would certainly go back to Helmand Palace.

This is the perfect place to come with a big group of friends so that you can maximize the number of dishes that you try! For starters, we shared a few vegetarian options: samosa, vegetarian mantwo, and banjan. My favorite was the mantwo because the filling in each dumpling was delicious and I loved the yogurt on top. It added a nice tanginess to the dish!For entrees, we shared the qabelee and a kofta kabab. I loved the lamb that was served with the qabelee. It literally fell off the bone! It paired great with the rice that had raisins and carrots. Overall, I'd say the kabab was my favorite dish though. The meat was so flavorful and had a nice grilled taste. It came with some delicious peppers and okra, which I could have eaten a whole bowl of. The rice was also amazing and I somehow liked it even more than the rice that came with the qabelee. I must learn their secrets for making white rice taste to flavorful because the rice that I make at home tastes so bland.The service was great here and the waiter was really patient with us as we chatted a lot before finally ordering! Can't beat the price for the quality of the food either, so I'll definitely be returning!

Came all the way from LA to try this place. It was beyond amazing. I was a little scared because it was the first time trying Afghan food. But needless to say I will Definitely be coming here again. Everything was so flavorful we ordered the family meal and it fed all 10 of my family members. The service was amazing they are very tending and always ask if everything is good and okay. Highly recommend also if your looking for halal food this is the place is the place to go. The place is a fine dine restaurant it gives an Aesthetic vintage vibe. Not really a cuisine type of person but this place is a go too and I will be returning.

An extra star for quality food a a real value. and a true family run restaurant (husband and wife and their 3 kids walking through the dining room on occasion)We shared the nan (not like indian nan, more like a less buttery, and flatter focaccia -- but served with 3 dipping sauces. And an order of somosas (more like a Persian wonton, than an Indian samosa). Quite good!For my main, I ordered the Theeka Kabob - which is prime rib served with rice and lentils (enough for 2 meals really) I was a bit skeptical that it would be good quality meat - but it sure was!It was a Monday night and we were one of 3 tables occupied, I know this is a bit of a SF institution, so hoping it is more packed on other nights.

The pumpkin squash and bindi dishes were delicious! The naan and side dishes were average, nothing extraordinary. It's a great place to go with a big group so you can try more dishes. The service was okay, felt like there was only one waiter the whole time so I think he was spread a bit thin with handling all the tables.

What's not to love here? Delicious food and a comforting vibe. There are so many vegetarian options I have a hard time choosing (though I always do need to order some pumpkin)! The last time I came in, the owner said they were having a slow night, so he even let me park my bike just inside the restaurant instead of risking it getting stolen on Van Ness. We had a fantastic dinner with friends and I can't wait to come back.

Best Baklava! If you enjoy a perfectly balanced baklava then Helmand palace will deliver. This pairs well with the Turkish coffee. Good service.

Taste of Food and service have definitely gone down. The restaurant also looks a bit run down with same old furniture and looks a bit inundated.The Chicken kebabs weren't juicy. The Salmon had some weird red sauce on it which didn't taste the best. The Rice pilaf had some brown color versus the one they used to serve many years back. The vegetables were also over cooked and didn't taste as earlier. Not sure if the cooks changed or what happened? The best dish was the lamb chops.

Still a wonderfully tasty dishes and appetizers. Nice ambience and friendly service. Great neighborhood place!Not my neighborhood so have to drive here, but well worth it