OMG. Will 1000% be back. Everything from food and service to atmosphere was 10/10. A group of 7 of us came here on a Monday evening for dinner and staff at Ariana took great care of us. I ordered the Qabili entree and a shared a side of the lentils. Both so yummy. The lamb shank was tender, moist, and just perfect. I wish I hadn't ordered the lentils to share, because I could've eaten the plate all on my own. Portion sizes were huge as one entree was enough to have a full meal the next day. read more

Came as a group of four and immediately decided on the Ariana Special. It was the perfect amount for the four of us, and each type of meat was enjoyable. They also give bread and dipping sauces beforehand and offer free bread refills. Service was friendly throughout and we opted for dessert as well, despite being full from our meal. The rice pudding was my favorite of the two. I would definitely come back! read more

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The ambiance and the service were great. The food was average. I don't think the food is worth the price. I judge an afghan restaurant by the quality of their kabuli pulao. I have had many a kabuli pulao from my days in the DMV area. This pulao ranks as the blandest so far. The carrots and raisins weren't as sweet. The rice wasn't as fluffy and coated with ghee. Last but not least, the meat wasn't as flavorful. I won't return. read more

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The food is incredible and the owner is wonderful to work with. We used Ariana Restaurant to cater a special lunch for 5th grade students. Most students tried Afghan cuisine for the first time and everyone loved the food. There were many options for all guests. Everyone left the meal with full bellies and happy hearts. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

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We just had a private event at Ariana and had the best experience. Due to an issue with another venue, we had to find a new venue for a milestone celebration for my mother in law. I contacted Ariana Restaurant 4 days before the event. They were able to set up and prepare for the event in seamless fashion. Service was great, food was delicious and the venue was wonderful. Amazing experience! You can't go wrong with this restaurant. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Wine area - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

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We really enjoyed the food at Ariana - the kebabs were just perfect - cannot wait to go back

My first time trying Afghani food! Everything was delicious and well-prepared. You start off with their complimentary flatbread, which was warm and toasted, with three dipping sauces - a spicy sauce, a chutney, and a yogurt/mint. Trying not to fill up on the flatbread was a struggle. We tried the kaddo as an appetizer. If you love sweet/savory combos, definitely order this - it's pumpkin topped with sugar, sautéed beef, and garlic yogurt. If that sounds a little odd, just know that the execution works perfectly. I went with the vegetarian korma challow, which had a bit of everything I wanted to try. The korma challow had an amazing flavor (maybe somewhere between a curry and a stew) and soaked up the challow, which was worlds beyond your typical side of rice (it's cooked with oil, then baked, which gives it that incredible texture). Also really enjoyed the sautéed spinach. I'm usually wary of eating out in Brighton, because the parking situation is a nightmare and trying to finagle a parallel parking spot with a line of cars waiting behind me gives me hives, but Ariana's parking was not too bad. There are street options, as well as the giant Star Market parking lot next door. I'll definitely be back at Ariana's. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Vegetarian Kourma Challow - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

We were exploring the Cambridge area and stopped by Ariana for some dinner. We were 5 people and ordered the Ariana platter which was the perfect amount of food for us. The food was pretty delicious! Definitely recommend this platter if you are a large group. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Ariana platter - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

Me and my friend passed this place a bunch of times on our walk and were always curious about it. We ordered take out last week and it was amazing. Everything was great, the roasted lamb dish with rice dish we had was tasty and fall off the bone, the kofta was very nice- everything we had was thoughtfully prepared and delicious. We can't wait to go back! read more

Good food, good ambiance and good service! Had dinner here few months back on a Saturday and it was a very good experience. We had the Laghatac and Veg Bowlawni and both were very tasty. My husband had the Qabili- rice baked with lamb shanks and he said it was delicious. For vegetarians, they have a lot of options but since I wanted to try customize my dish, they gladly did that. I had the Pallow rice with lentils and Korma Challow that was just mind blowing. It was sooo flavorful, I am salivating just thinking about it. For dessert we had a slice of their cake, it had such a lovely rose and pineapple flavor. We will skip the pomegranate sauce next time, that did not work for us on the cake. The food is on the pricey side, but definitely can be a splurge on special occasions. Overall a great meal and if you like Afghani food, definitely recommend dining here! read more

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The ambiance at the restaurant was clean and contemporary with beautiful wall hangings and dresses. The service was not rushed but allowed time to visit. The menu was extensive and the food our party had was yummy. read more

Great afghan restaurant!  Inside the vibe is earthtone pained walls with beauty handmade rugs decorating the floor. To add to the ambiance was authentic Afghan music being played. The food was delicious and of high quality. Portions are on the small side, but well worth the price. I had the following for dinner: Kaddo- pan fried pumpkin covered in sugar  and covered with a beef sauce. This is like a deconstructed pumpkin pie covered. Greate textures with tender pieces of whole pumpkin and the beef on top. Lightly sweet and very savory. So yummy. 5/5  Chopan- delicious rack of lamb! High quality and perfectly cooked.  There was a beautiful (natural) smokiness that added to the deepy savoriness the herbs they used. Came with a tasty sauteed eggplant and pillow rice. 5/5 Pineapple cake- this was good. Not overly sweet. Subtle pineapple flavor. Not too heavy not too ligh. Wish it was just a bit more moist though. Still a good way to end a meal. 4/5  I highly recommend giving this place. I will absolutely be coming here again read more

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Delicious food and great service. The place feels super wholesome specially on cold days. The dishes are delicious, I had their soup of the day, eggplant banjan appetizer, qabili, and chicken stew. I must say, the eggplant and the qabili were the star of the show and tasted absolutely delicious! read more

Ariana Restaurant - Qabili Banjan - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

Highly recommend! I recently ordered takeout from Ariana and the owner was very kind and attentive, including taking care with a nut allergy on the order. The customer service was great, and the food was delicious! I had the qabili which was cooked perfectly, and would definitely order it again. The Afghan flatbread and yogurt and chili sauces were also very tasty. The decor inside was also lovely and featured elements of Afghan culture. All in all, so glad to stop by and hope to be back soon! read more

The owners have been running this place for maybe 10 years, between the old location and new. They take such pride in their food and it shows! The food is delicious, amazingly consistent and the decor is very nice. Don't expect the typical Indian or Pakistani takeout joint in terms of quality or price-point. This is a great place for a nicer night where you want to do something different. The service is wonderful! read more

This place is great, from the food to the service to the ambiance. The woman who took our table was very find and timely with menus, water, and amount of time before the food came out. We did come a little later in the evening on a Wednesday around 8pm so if there were any crowds, they dissipated by that time. They had complimentary flatbread that was perfectly crispy with a variety of sauces - I recommend slathering butter and sauce together for maximum savoryness. I ordered the Vegetarian Special - the pumpkin and spinach were amazing. My partner ordered a dish that had steak - I don't think I've tasted a better char on a steak in my life. As a note he did wish he asked for a more medium rare meat but it was still delicious. The dessert I chose was Sheerberaing - a rice pudding with pistachio crumbled on top - it was great but I really wish I could have tried all of their desserts because it was hard to choose just one. Overall so glad I tried this place - I've been meaning to go since I moved to the area a while back. read more

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Most of the food was good but it is wildly expensive. Small appetizer of two small slices of pumpkin was 12 dollars but was my favorite dish there. Entrees were close to 30 and add a glass of wine and you are spending a pretty penny on a decent meal. read more

Pandemic 2021 Review I came back to Ariana for the sweet pumpkin Kaddo $6.95 appetizer and since I forgot that I've ordered the Qabili $21.95 back in it's Allston/Brighton hey days, I opted for that as well as a side of Sabzi, another app in the form of Bowlawni Kaddo $6.95 and their baklava type dessert, Bucklawa $5.95. This was plenty for our 2+ appetites. Although admittedly, we may be deemed lightweights at times. The courtesy bread was overly baked, unfortunately. It would have left a better impression if they pretended to have forgotten to include it this time. Everything else ranged from fine to very good (let's get it again). I'm still all for the sweet Kaddo. The Bowlawni with it's crisp pastry was nice, but more air than filling within. The Sabzi was a nice shareable portion of tasty spinach, and a good choice of an add on to the Qabili which came with sweetened carrots and raisins from the fruit and vegetable department. But beneath the hill of rice was a large lamb bone with a goodly amount of non gamey tender meat. While the baklava at Fairouz was preferred to Ariana's Bucklawa, both in terms of portion and taste. read more

Never had Afghan food before. This was my first experience and it is Ok. I've been eyeing this restaurant for a while and finally decided to give it a try. I made a reservation, and the host was polite and helped us along the way. The food was served hot, and it tasted good. The entree portion size is perfect for one person and definitely on the expensive side. +points: Nice host, good ambiance and there have a lot of options for vegetarians. So, vegetarians out there who want to try out Afghan food, check out Ariana. read more

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Pretty good! Kind of small plates, but every bite is good. The inside aesthetic is pretty fancy read more

Ariana Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

Never tried Afghan food so didn't work what to expect! My friend raved about it so much and said it was one of the best. I felt so underwhelmed... Ordered take out for to-go. Ambience inside was absolutely stunning and so cute. Definitely dress up a bit. The staff was also sooo nice I ordered an app Mandu - comes with 2. It was kinda bland tbh. Next, I ordered Qabili. It's a huge lamb leg and rice meal. I don't know how I really feel about this. It was basically a leg of lamb and nothing else. It was sweeter than I thought because of the raisins. Some may like it cause it'll balance out the gaminess of the lamb. It's definitely on the higher price point of meals. I didn't enjoy it overall but maybe because it just wasn't right for me. I'm not a sweet salty combo person, don't prefer lamb that much, and I like lots of savory flavor read more

Ariana Restaurant - Qabili - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

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Wow - such special food, well cooked, and delicious! Nice, simple, and quiet atmosphere. read more

TLDR: delicious food Got the lamb which was impressively tender. I'm not very well acquainted with afghani food so I can't tell you if it's authentic but it's very delicious. read more

I'm being generous with a 4, but would have preferred to rate at 3.5 stars. I've been going to this restaurant for many years, even back when they were still located in Allston. The food quality has gone from amazing to decently tasty. Grilled meats continue to be their best selling point. Pumpkin appetizer used to have better cream sauce consistency, now it's just watery. What I really noticed on my last trip was how empty the place was for a Saturday night, which I suppose goes to show that, if you're charging $30+ for home cooking, you're going to lose customers. I'd consider coming back, but it might be another 4 years with meal prices in mind. read more

The food was fresh and very tasty. The ambiance was nice. I went on a Thursday night and it was pretty busy. Prices are on the high end and the portions on the smaller end. We ordered the Ariana Special- which was $185! We expected more food for the price we paid. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Ariana Special - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

Came here with a group of friends last night . I was eagerly awaiting to sample the food after reading all the reviews and was not disappointed! We sampled quite a bit from the menu across veg and non-veg items. Everything was delicious. My friends had no clue what to expect and I had built up this huge expectation around afghan food-so happy it lived up to every bit!!! :) . Although everything was mild in terms of heat, it was delicious. The service was warm and courteous. It wasn't crowded at all so we were able to get our food pretty quickly. The wine selection was good too. We will definitely come here again and encourage folks to support this local gem in Brighton! read more

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Delicious food Mediterranean cousins Halal food The restaurant was clean. The staff were friendly. Service was great read more

Afghan food here in Boston . There are not many Afghan restaurants here in MA so this is a lovely experience out of the ordinary. It's a cute romantic place. Great for couples, families and groups. Cute Afghan decorations, lovely table settings and good service. They have vegetarian options, which is great. And the vegetarian options are tasty! We ordered two entrees and 2 drinks and our total was about $80. The food gave, "moms home cooking " vibes. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Lamb Lawand - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

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4.5/5 Ordered through Grubhub and it came right on time. Pros: -Tender meat, rice, and vegetables Cons: -Expensive -Couldn't find all of the items on the online menu on Grubhub (Mantu, Mourgh Challow) -- Kaddo ($6.95) The pumpkin was incredibly tender and very sweet. The ground beef sauce on top was rich and gave some salt to the dish. The garlic yogurt sauce around it provided a nice tang. Overall, this was hearty and delicious, though I found it so sweet that I think it could serve as a dessert instead of an appetizer. Sabzi Challow ($19.95) There was much more lamb in this dish than I expected based on the photo--maybe ~5-6 oz of tender meat in large chunks. The rice was cooked perfectly and the flavor was great. There was a lot of spinach as well as some soft cooked okra on the side. The meal came with 4 pieces of bread and 3 sauces--one spicy, one that was similar to the yogurt/garlic sauce, and one refreshing green sauce. I was impressed with Ariana's flavors and would certainly return! read more

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Very good food but pricier than I anticipated. Would still go again. The lamb dish was excellent and all appetizers were delicious. Ambiance is a little quieter and nicer - expected more causal feel. read more

Brilliant food. Great service. Wonderful dining experience. Loved Ariana. Flavorful entrees.

First time trying Afghani food and it was wonderful! Servers were very welcoming and offered suggestions on what to order. They basically just said everything was good but they were not wrong. Ordered one of each of the appetizers and we were not disappointed by any - each had their own flavors and they were really delicious. I don't have pictures except one because we ate everything so fast. Had beef, chicken, lamb, and vegetarian entrees and everyone was happy with their order. I ordered the Mourgh Challow and it was a simple dish but had a lot of flavor. Had some of the Chopan which was especially great and I am not usually a fan of lamb. Would probably order that next time. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Aushak (appetizer) - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

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Great restaurant with incredible Afghan dishes in a convenient location in Brighton. Can't go wrong with their Mantu, but I was especially impressed with anything they had with okra in it, such as the Sabzi Challow. read more

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As soon as we sat down, we noticed the sparking white table cloths and immaculately clean tableware. Everything looked perfect. Since we are vegetarians, we ordered the Benjan appetizer which we shared. It was excellent. The bread and accompanying sauces were delicious. It was great to see a full vegetarian menu with many choices in addition to the regular menu. We selected the Korma Challow and Sabzi Challow. Both were prepared perfectly. The servers were all very friendly, efficient and accommodating. I will have no hesitation about returning to Ariana. It was wonderful. read more

Seekh kebab and veggie entree were excellent .hubby liked his vegetarian entree. Service was excellent. Patio is lovely. read more

Ariana Restaurant - Seekh kebab and a vegetarian entree - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts

My family's go to place for Afghani cuisine. Always fresh and delicious. Staff are cordial and friendly. The owners are nearly always present and consider customers to be 'family'. I encourage everybody to try Ariana Restaurant. Finish up with a fresh Turkish coffee and flan for a complete dining experience. read more

Excellent food, cosy ambiance, outstanding service. Have eaten in and had carry out -- both were wonderful.

Spotless restaurant with perfectly prepared food and attention to every detail. Over several visits, my wife and I have tried several items on the menu and have never been disappointed. If you like lamb, the Qabili is outstanding-- but you can't go wrong with anything. read more

Delicious lamb lawand, lamb korma challow, bamiya, and mashawa! Cream pudding is good but baklava, pineapple cake and ice cream could use some improvement. Beautiful ambiance. read more

I love the food and the pretty colors of the place. The service is very nice and I love how the people who work here have fresh bread. read more

Ariana Restaurant - I love the color of the place and how traditional it is. - Afghan Near Me - Brighton, Massachusetts