My Kabul Restaurant and Cafe

The food here is amazing! Simple menu, but all the dishes we had were simply delicious! From the mantu to the bouranee baudnjan, just fantastic! Seasoned really well and the naan was perfect. I love Qabuli pulao and is my measure for amazing Afghan cuisine. This place does it amazing! Not too sweet, not too oily, but just balanced perfectly! We enjoyed all of our dishes!The service is simple and there is a little bit of a wait between dishes, but I'm fine with it because I got to thoroughly savor each item. The ambiance it elegant but simple. It was quiet vibe which I usually enjoy! The only challenge was the parking. It's a busy center and parking was relatively hard. But that's not going to stop me from coming back!

That regular naan bread that was served to us as part of our eggplant appetizer was easily some of the best bread I've eaten in the DC metropolitan area. It was somewhat soft and pillowy like focaccia, but had the strength and depth of flavor like a expertly made NY city pizza crust. The holes that were punched throughout gave it a beautiful varied texture and man... just man. I really think they should offer sandwiches on it lmao, afghan pizza on it, pretty much anything. They have a really special bread there. If I had that recipe for bread... I'd store it in like Gringotts with wizard guards or something. Maybe even some place more secure seeing as.... we know what happened with Gringotts. Not to mention the rest of the food was fantastic. But the bread is running through my mind like a past lover. We got the mandu to start off which were absolutely delicious. It was the perfect walk down the memory lane of Afghan cuisine which it has been quite too long since I've eaten. Afghan cuisine is truly something special. The varied boldness of the savory end of the flavor spectrum is not often visited by most cuisines. It is both subtle and in your face at the same time. Basically, it defies all conventions of reality. The eggplant dish that accompanied the bread was beautiful and much appreciated. And we got the my Kabul platter which is a lamb, chicken, ground beef, and I believe one other kabob but it's not coming to me.... oh wait... yes it is... steak. The kabobs were expertly flavored, but I will say that some were a just a tiny bit cooked harder than I would have liked. And the chicken had a seasoning on it that wasn't my preference. THAT said, I think honestly that they just paled a little bit in comparison to the two dishes we had before and I ate the heck out of all of the kabobs in front of me. The rice was beautifully seasoned that came with the kabobs and yogurt sauce it was served with I'd buy by the bottle. Also, we ended up getting an order of their garlic naan and I have to say - though delicious. I actually preferred the regular naan, which has never ever happened before. Would recommend, will be back. Service was excellent and they are under new ownership and are doing things differently. I honestly can't wait to go back and try more.

This is the best afghan restaurant in the dc area. We came back a week later because the food was truly that good. There is nothing bad on the menu ny favorite is the ground lamb kofta but everything is sooo good

I tried to come a couple months ago and was turned away because there were literally no tables to sit at. It was a weekend, so a crowd is expected, but they could've been more polite about it, and I was on the fence about returning... but I'm glad I did. It was the literal opposite... there were like 1-2 tables occupied, but by the end of our time there, my party was the only one in there.The place is really chill like this, and they played music off and on. I have never had Afghan cuisine before, but I saw a few similarities to others, like samosas and kabobs. My friend and I decided to get new appetizers.Mantu - it's only one letter off from mandu, but it's the same concept! Dumplings... but they were filed with beef and onion, and were absolutely delicious!Boranee Baudnjan - a FANTASTIC eggplant dish, and was quite honestly my highlight of the evening.They even had mango lassi, but I decided to stick to water. For my main entree, I got the lamb kabob. It was drier and chewier than I typically like mine, but it was good with the rice and sauce. We also got naan with a couple things, and well... at other spots I'm used to it being soft, but this place makes theirs crispy.I want to come back because they were out of a couple things I wanted to try, like bolani and ferni.

Delicious Afghan restaurant. Everything was delicious and authentic. My favorite was the lamb shank. Just falls right off the bone! The eggplant dish they had was also very tasty! Best to go with a small group of friends you can al order something different to share!

I came here because of the WaPo article, and I wanted to investigate for myself. Outside is a busy street and a congested parking lot, but inside, you can enjoy a wonderful ambiance, smiling hosts, and soft Afghan music. I asked the wiater for his recommendation as to their signature dishes. I got the (I don't have the real names) dumplings, garlic naan, lamb with rice & carrots, and a "pudding dessert". The dumplings were excellent. Great sauces and the beef filling was very tasty. The garlic naan is flavorful, but unlike the Indian naan I am used to, this one is very stiff. I would enjoy the option to have both versions, as a suggestion. The lamb with rice & carrots really surprised me. I've never had such silky and seasoned rice before. It needed nothing else it was so good! However, the lamb was tender, spiced well, and really complemented the dish. Insight recommend it. Finally, I tried the Afghan dessert, which was a new one for me. I love pistachios and the taste is not overly sweet. However, the texture was a total surprise! It's hard to describe but the top layer is slightly firm while underneath it's almost a yogurt consistency. I enjoyed it because it was something new and unique.

The food was okay, mediocre at best. I ordered 4 plates of chicken kabobs with rice. The order was called in and when I got there, it was ready. The restaurant was welcoming and pleasant. I don't know if I'd return. The seasoning on the chicken was weaker than I have had from another Afghan restaurant. The bread was partially burnt and crunchy (it's not supposed to be). My husband and I had been craving Middle Eastern kabobs and unfortunately, this did not satisfy us.

My date and I decided to come here after reading the Washington Post review. So glad we did! Everything about it is great. Our server Maryam was so helpful in picking out favorite Afghan dishes. Give this place a try and you'll be glad you did!

Not sure why it's taken me so long to write a review. I've been here several times. I'm obsessed with their mantu. It's soooooo good! I haven't had any bad dishes, but depending on the time of day they can be sold out of some dishes.

Both appetizers were great and the chicken kabobs on rice generous and tasty with light dipping sauce.