Lapis

I was seated downstairs and we started with cocktails which were surprisingly good and well balanced.The kofta and chicken shish were good. I would have preferred more spice on the chicken.The ambiance is good, it's a little loud but still quiet enough for conversation.

Went on a Friday evening to celebrate my husband's birthday. The hostesses were really lovely and generally - everyone we interacted with was pleasant. To note - I hate when restaurants have stairs and I wish when making reservations there was an option for upstairs or downstairs. We were seated downstairs and the tables are TINY. If you think you're ordering a bunch of things (which the menu seems inclined to want you to do) - it gets tight very quickly. Also the absolute worst part is that the chairs are PROFOUNDLY uncomfortable. There is some seating that had booths on one side which we asked to move to but those were for larger parties. I would honestly not go back based on the chairs alone so - do with that as you will but I definitely noticed a few other patrons with their coats bunched up behind them as they sat. I also hated that the bathroom stalls all open up to a shared trough sink. The lighting is vibe-y and I loved the art. For a basement (where we were) - it was impressive. I had a vodka gimlet and it was fantastic. For food we started with the bolani (leek and potato and onion) and pakowra. The former was delicious - they came piping hot and this was a meal highlight, the latter was a disappointment. They came served on a wooden slab and the grease was pooling underneath them which was interesting since they had clearly not been recently fried. Both were served with a green chutney and a mint yogurt that we enjoyed. For mains my husband got the lamb chops and I got the buranee bademjan. His dish came with rice, I had to order some. We also shared naan and got a beet salad. He enjoyed his food and we both agreed that the rice (chalow) was great. I did not enjoy my dish mostly because it was warm and not hot and I always want to know via the menu (or the server!) that something is coming to me room temp. This is in no way like naan in the Indian sense and it's served cut up into small rectangles and I did not enjoy it but my husband did. We definitely were hitting the wall so we didn't eat much of the salad but what we did - we enjoyed. We finished with the rice pudding and my husband got a lapop chai. The pudding was fine - not exceptional, not bad. I did appreciate that they stuck a candle in it for my husband. The chai was also just fine. Not bad, not great. All in all - a bit of a lackluster experience and I feel the value (for me!) was not there. I can't see a time when I would want to go back for anything besides drinks and the bolani and because it's already difficult to park - I probably just wouldn't.

I went to this place with high expectations as I love Afghan food, used to go to this place in fairfax owned by 2 brothers that unfortunately closed so was eyeing lapis for quite some time, came here for my birthday Girls upstairs are nice and warm, we got seated downstairs and our server was cold and almost rude from get go, no smile no greeting, it was taking forever to get a hold of him, rest everyone seemed super busy too, asking him for recommendations seemed it we we were wasting his time, sorry dude the whole attitude was just BAD. Coming to food which is extremely important, not impressive and no where quality of Michelin star for sure, mixed grill, aushak dumplings and were all average or below average. Meat was dry as hell. Will not be Back for sure

Everything was super high quality, fresh, and expertly seasoned. The qabuli palow was aromatic and delicious with lovely lamb chunks, fragrant rice, and raisins for pops of sweetness. We tried all of the dumplings, which were all great but as a heads up, the aushak was especially spicy. We probably wouldn't get the buranee kadoo again, as it did not stand out, but we're looking forward to our next visit here to get the qabuli palow and dumplings and to try some new favorites.It's a quite nice atmosphere, very clean and well decorated, though we felt okay bringing our toddler.

I can understand the hype because we had a fantastic experience here. We started with the starters tasting flight, and everything was delicious. My least favorite was the pakowra, but that's only because of personal preference. My favorite was the spinach sambosa. We also did an order of the aushak dumplings, which were also really tasty. For my entree, I got the qabuli palow after a strong recommendation from our server. It was delicious and the lamb practically fell right off the bone. My mom got the kofta, and each meatball was pillow and full of flavor. We ordered a side of the Afghan bread, which was great to dip into the kofta sauce.

Excellent dining experience at Lapis. This restaurant has been on my list of places to try for some time. I had some friends coming in town to visit and this was a great spot. We got quite a big spread of food and shared everything. All the dishes were good!! No complaints. The service was also very good as well. Our server was on top of everything. The restaurant is quite small, very small actually. We ended up sitting outside on the heated patio because we didn't make a reservation. It was fine for us but if you prefer to dine inside make sure to make a reservation.

Wow. This was one for the books. My top-tier chum who literally went to the school of hospitality and I came here for lunch on Inauguration Day, deciding after roughly 48 hours in DC that we were kind of over politics and would rather just make a non-presidential day of it. I did a lot of groundwork for this one, and had a vibe about this Adams Morgan neighborhood. A few bars/restaurants caught my eye, but Lapis seemed like an interesting place to eat with strong reviews. Easily a huge weekend highlight for both of us if not THE highlight.This really is a cool neighborhood; it reminded me a lot of Park Slope, very chill and a totally different vibe from the chaos going on closer to the White House. For these types of adventures, I always feel better when the sidewalks are teeming with hipsters - it means the cocktails will be good and I'll receive tons of compliments on my gorgeous denim hats. Lapis was very easy to find and while decently busy, we were able to secure a table in the back almost immediately and settle in. For several hours.If you're apprehensive about the ethnic flavors and/or general unfamiliarity with Afghan cuisine, I wouldn't sweat it - it has a lot of parallels with Mediterranean and Indian food, and the menu had so much variety it would be almost impossible not to find something intriguing to sample. We went pretty nuts in that regard. We knew going in that the dumplings had a reputation, so we got (if memory serves) the shrimp and pumpkin ones; the pumpkin were probably my least favorite item I tried here, and they were still pretty good. I think the taste was just a little bland for me. We also were hoping to mix and match a little with the dumplings, and weren't permitted to, which was a bit disappointing though ultimately not a huge issue.The other food was dictionary definition phenomenal. At the waiter's urging we got the kofta, the official dish of Afghanistan, featuring boneless lamb and rice pilaf. Delicious, and the lamb was incredibly tender and flavorful. Huge portion as well; I think that was one of the few items we weren't able to completely demolish. We also thought most of the apps looked interesting so the tasting flight seemed like the natural option in that regard. Everything I sampled there was awesome, particularly the bolani; I believe we did beef for that. The word that really comes to mind here is memorable, which when you think about it can be the highest form of compliment you can give. We're going to be talking about this meal for months.In a very unsurprising development, the drinks were excellent too. We both got Lapis Old Fashioneds (just a Don Draper kind of day), which had a unique spin on them with char masala bitters. It took a few sips to get used to it, but it was really tasty and definitely had an "ethnic" feel to it without losing the essence of the basics. We got a few of those with no regrets.The service was pretty good. My chum was VERY cranky/yowly when we first got in here and the waiter was able to navigate those treacherous waters ably. He was also very familiar with the menu, which to me is an important quality at a place like this where I'm sure a lot of patrons are not quite as comfortable ordering as they would be in, say, an Applebee's. The wait time for the initial drinks was close to 15 minutes but that was the only real hiccup. We also appreciated very much that they let us linger and chat even though the restaurant was technically closed by the time we left - that more than makes up for a slight delay on a beverage. If/when I'm back in DC, I'm figuring out a way to get back here. I'm not saying that about any other place, which should tell you something.

After visiting the Zoo's two new pandas, we were in the mood for something hot and spicy and Lapis was a short walk away.It's a beautifully appointed space, with so much attention to detail everywhere (including their gorgeous plates!)We kept things vegetarian (so many options) but the brunch menu was very tempting as well. The staff were so welcoming, friendly, and polite. Since this was our first visit, they were helpful in identifying serving sizes and made some wonderful recommendations.Cannot wait to come back and explore more of the menu!

I haven't been to Lapis in ages so was thrilled to go back when a friend suggested it for brunch. We had the Bolani (Afghan flat bread) in pumpkin and onion-potato. Super delicious, especially with the mint yogurt and chutney sauces. Definitely getting the leek cilantro when I return. They're very crispy on the outside with just enough interior filling. We also had the Mantoo Shrimp which are just gorgeous in both presentation and flavor. One chef friend said they are her favorite dish in all of DC and I can see why. Highly recommend! I also had a hankering for pancakes so snagged the rosewater-cardamom pancakes, with warm rose water syrup & pistachios which were beautiful and tasty. Definitely on the floral side if you're sensitive to that (rose water, of course). I also had the lavender latte which was tasty. The restaurant's decor is eclectic but warm and inviting. Service was friendly and fairly quick. Will definitely be back to Lapis for future brunches and dinners.

I was recently at Lapis for dinner I sampled several types of items from apptizers to the main course There were plenty of choices for the main entrees,?for someone who does not eat lamb Everything was delicious, and the service was excellent I would highly recommend Lapis