Lapis is a restaurant I'll think about for a long time. While visiting DC, I knew this was a…read morewell-renowned, must-try restaurant. Not sure how difficult it is to attain a reservation, but my friend made one for 3 the day prior to our dinner on a Sunday evening in one of DC's busiest weekends (America's 250th birthday, UFC at the White House, etc.) We were sat outside on the patio. No one in my party had had Afghani food before, but we were all open-minded and adventurous! Together, we shared all of these dishes: STARTERS starters tasting flight: one of each starter - 24 *bolani: afghan flatbread (choose two fillings) pumpkin (v), beef, onion potato *sambosa trio: a crispy phyllo pastry trio of spinach (v, vg), shrimp & beef - 12 *shamee kebab: small patty of minced beef with potatoes, yellow split peas, eggs, spices, served with cucumber mint yogurt, pickled onions & house-cut fries - 15 (gf) *shore-nakhot: chickpea, potato salad in vinegar, garlic & cilantro (cold) - 7 (v, vg, gt) *pakowra: gram batter cauliflower, spinach & potato- 14 (v, vg) AFGHAN DUMPLINGS *mantoo beef: dumplings with ground beef, topped with a yellow split peas & carrots tomato sauce finished with strained garlic yogurt - 4 pcs --16 / 6 pcs - 22 SIGNATURE DISHES gabuli palow: rice pilaf, boneless braised lamb, carrots, & raisins - 35 (gf) veggie - 22 (v) FROM THE GRILL lamb shank: bone-in braised lamb, herbed tomato sauce, basmati rice -- 38 (gf) My favorite dish overall was the gabuli palow. There was something so novel about the sweetness of the carrots paired with raisins in the soft rice and decadent lamb. Just amazing. Overall, Lapis is a culinary adventure with attentive service, chic ambience, and masterfully crafted foods -- worth every penny.

While I love a family owned business, Lapis was underwhelming for me…read more Start with the good: Doogh Punch: 5/5 best mezcal drink! Smooth, well balanced. Atmosphere: relaxed, warm! Love the photos on the walls giving that family vibe. Candle lit as the sun went down. Nice vibe. Meh: Shrimp dumplings: 3/5 shrimp in a dumpling. No flavors stood out even with the sauce. Beet salad: 3.5/5 this was an arugula salad with maybe half a beet cut up on top. The description of ingredients were flakes of toppings. I had to request more beets as there were few. I could have had more nuts and cheese, but I just wasn't in the mood to really complain. Chopawn: 3/5 lamb chops, tender but lacking flavor. "Picked" salad on top, not pickled. Just cut up onions and peppers with sumac. Buranee Kadoo: 3/5 also ok. The garlic sour cream sauce needed more tang.

Talk about a hidden gem!…read more Saying that we enjoyed our time at Afghania would be the biggest understatement of 2026. It's a little higher up than some of the more commonly known restaurants but we are so glad we made the trek. Everything we had was a hit, there were no misses and that's rare- especially since our group totaled 6 people. That's a lot of people to impress. We were only a couple bites into our dinner when my mom said "we have to come back here again, and soon" For starters we had the assortment of dumplings. All delicious but my favorite was definitely the pumpkin. Sweet, and flavorful. If you're not a huge fan of spice, like myself, skip the spicy beef dumplings. I mean, it's in the name. Our table bought a variety of things and sampled all of it as dinner. We got the beef tenderloin and chicken, the chicken and ground beef, the Kandahari vegetarian flights, and the Moguhli (the one thing I hadn't sampled (hint, it was also spicy). The beef? Tender. The chicken? Juicy. The difference varieties of prepared rice? Flavorful. The drinks were also a hit. I had a mocktail that was mild in taste, with a hint of sweetness yet refreshing (the name is slipping me at the moment). Dessert? To die for. The cardamom tres leches was the best dessert I'd had at a restaurant in a while. I would make a trip back to Afghania just for it. The service was also amazing. Our server was very patient (we were a table of six, ¼ bilingual, ¼ just French speakers and the rest English speakers), and also very knowledgeable as everything we ate came at her recommendation. The décor is tasteful and in no way overbearing : white table clothes, artwork that depicts the culture, and it was overall a very cozy and intimate vibe. Hands down, a wonderful experience.

This was my third time trying Afghan cuisine. Overall, compared to Persian and Lebanese food,…read moreAfghan dishes use spices more aggressively, featuring heavier flavor profiles.The main reason I came there was the assortment dumplings. In general, the food was unique and delicious but the service was disappointing. For food, I tried the following dishes: 1. Assortment dumplings: On the menu, "For X" means there are X pieces of each type of dumpling. I ordered "For 3". The pumpkin dumplings were my favorite. They were packed with sweetened and herbed mashed pumpkin. Paired well with the warm yogurt. The Aushaks had the mildest flavor overall, with just a hint of fragrance and sweetness from leeks. However, there was so little filling that I doubt if each dumpling had 1/10oz leeks... The Mantus were incredibly peppery-spicy. 2. Sabzi: A medley of leafy greens featuring spinach, kale, mustard greens, collard greens, turnip greens, cilantro, dill, and a tiny amount of green pepper slowly simmered for ~3 hours until it reached a texture of Saag in Indian cuisine. It tasted good. 3. Afghan Naan: Golden brown outside and fluffy inside. Served with (spicy) mint yougurt, spicy mango sauce, cilantro sauce and chii oil. However, I found some burnt piece in my Sabzi. I mentioned it to the staff and was told that it was "just" residue from the bottom of the pot that had charred from cooking too long and was "normal". Unacceptable. How could you serve the scrapings from the bottom of a pot to a customer!?

I've visited bistro aracosia twice. The food is always amazing and the service is also great…read more Everyone is kind and friendly. The bread comes out with four different sauces in the beginning which is nice. We got the assorted dumplings which were very flavorful and delicious. The lamb rack is to die for and the saffron chicken is also very good. I preferred the other two entrees over the lamb moghuli but it might be because I'm not a huge fan of the smoky flavor. The restaurant has a cozy and comforting atmosphere and is pretty quiet. Will be going back again:)

Had a really wonderful lunch here before heading to the National Cathedral. Both of us had the Mini…read moreTaste of Aracosia and bread with 4 different chutneys for dipping. We weren't sure it was going to be enough food but it was plenty. Beef, lamb, chicken and veal dishes were served with a chickpea and lentil sides and two kinds of really tasty rice. One had shredded carrots and raisins. Service was super friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back. Everything was really flavorful and tender.

Everything was great! Fantastic service in this family run restaurant. We were led through the…read moremenu. We had an eggplant dip with homemade flat bread that was steaming hot as it arrived. We had mantu (Afghan dumplings with beef, lentils) A lamb dish with rice pilaf. Was wonderful and we hope to be back. I wish they offered gift certificates so I could introduce our son.

( This review is based on delivery via a third-service provider .... )…read more I ordered from here for Nowruz (Persian new year) -- and everything I received was very, very good! I say 'everything I received' because I didn't receive my drinks -- but the food was all great! The Chickpeas were well-cooked and flavourful, bathed in a tasty red sauce, the Buranee Bademjan eggplant was nice and soft plus super-tasty, and the salata added a nice crunch -- I ate mine along with the chickpeas, mixing some of each in my spoon, bite-by-bite. I do feel the salata was rather small for the price, and feel you -- the customer -- should know none these dishes do not come with rice or bread. It would be nice, I think, if this fact were written in the descriptions -- but apparently, those are AI-generated, or at least the one for the Chutney Sabz is, and it's definitely not what you get! The description says you get four things, but you only get one. Maybe I should've known that from the price, but I only figured it out later, after I'd gotten it. It wasn't clear to me, because I saw both names and photos of four different things and they all sounded so good! It was still rather perfect. It was nice to not have leftovers, too! It's not that I wanted the rice or bread, by the way -- I didn't -- but it's just nice to know in advance what you're getting, with clarity! I do highly recommend this place!

If you're considering eating here I say do it! This place is amazing, the food is delicious, and…read morethe inside of the restaurant itself is cute. I had the manto and the qabili pallow and they both blew me away especially the pallow. Friendly staff and the service was really quick. I also really love the location of the restaurant its a really cute area.

Is it unfair if I rate a place when I used uber eats? So take as that a caveat for this review…read more.. I thoroughly enjoyed my meal from here. At first I was disappointed when I learned from the app that the chicken kobeda option was no longer available, so I instead ordered the kabob option. The food was prepared pretty fast for a Saturday night and I got my food within 30 minutes of ordering. Shoutout to my uber eats driver; the food came hot still and I enjoyed all aspects of my meal. I especially liked the sauces that came on the side! I would be interested to check out this place in real life. But until then... 5 stars to Kabul Castle Kabob!

Came for the Sheeryakh, but had such delicious, authentic Afghan food! I'd give 4.5 stars for some…read moreconstructive modifications to make in the future related to service, but overall amazing food! I left with a full belly and a happy heart. Got a combo of chicken kabob and shami kabob along with a side of their borani banjan/eggplant dish. The eggplant was honestly one of my favorite things- it's a must get in my opinion. Homey dish with incredible flavors! Their naan is fresh and pairs well with it. The chicken was good, but I've had better honestly. The shami was a little disappointing as I expected more flavor and it was slightly dry, but good. Their rice was so tasty and I loved the sweetness coming from the carrots an raisins. Of course, the sheeryakh was great- quite a big portion for one person, but I loved the texture. It tastes very similar to the Indian/South Asian/Pakistani ice cream, "Kulfi." CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK: Service needs improvement. The whole time I was there I had to keep looking for waiters to make eye contact with to ask for menu, water, paying, etc. It took about 10 min or more for me to have to call a busy waiter over just to look at the menu- no one came over on their own. Things just took time for a Saturday night- plus they were hosting an event on top of this. Needless to say, I've never had service like this, but the vibe and food made me be not as harsh. Despite the service, this place is a must try for authentic Afghan cuisine. Can't wait to try more of their menu (and the borani banjan again) in the future!

The chicken bowl was amazing. Friend loved the spinach and we got the chickpea. The star of the…read morenight was the eggplant dish! We have had it at other restaurants but this place topped it!! Way too stuffed to get dessert but the ice cream looked phenomenal!

Randomly stopped here on a night walk, wasn't super busy so I decided to check it out and i was not…read moredisappointed at all! To say the least the guys were super friendly and helpful with picking out what I should order they recommended the lamb and chicken. Everything was Hot, fresh and flavorful so memorable! You can have a kabob a lot of places but a lot of places don't have Mango Lassi! I was pleased to see real authenticity throughout their menu so stop by if you have time for lunch for quick grab and go dinner option.

The food is so good and so cheap here. The portions are enormous (the pitas are huge and the…read morefalafels are the size of a hamburger patty) and you get the food quickly on cute little red trays. Order at one of the kiosks and then wait for them to call your number. There's also free water cups which was nice. I'm honestly astounded there's any bad reviews about this place, they're so nice and the food is so good, yet still enormous portions and low prices.

Loved my lamb dish! Surprisingly reasonable pricing when you at opening/lunch too!…read more Nice cozy but elegant vibes. Great to take out your family or significant other. Interesting art on the wall and nice bathroom. Park on the parking garage below or on the side street/lot nearby. Make sure if you don't finish your lamb and ask to put it in a takeaway box go specify that you want your lamb scraps. Learn from me because my waiter tossed all my lamb and just boxed up the rice likely thinking I was done with them. Big bummer since I was looking forward to my leftovers but oh well.

Overall it was a good experience! We absolutely loved the bread and the difference sauces that…read morewent with it. The pumpkin dumplings and pan fried veggie filled dumplings were great as well. I thought my salmon wrap and the chickpea side was ok. Interesting flavors for sure. As for the service, there was always someone filling up our waters and our waiter was very nice checking in every now and then. The only downside of the experience is at the end when the waiter was boxing up all the food for us. Very sweet that they do this but when boxing up my partners food, they only boxed up the rice and they got rid of the lamb that he was looking forward to eating more of later. So that was kind of a disappointment for us. I think if we go again, we would request to box our food ourselves since I'm not sure why they decided to get rid of all of his lamb.

This spot was a pleasant surprise. Most late-night spots are loud and overcrowded, but this one had…read moreplenty of space and a relaxed vibe. The staff were amazing and made the experience even better. I had the gyro and fries, and both were outstanding. The fries had a seasoned coating that made them next level, and the gyro was packed with flavor. For a meal at 2 a.m., it exceeded all expectations. I'll definitely be back the next time I'm in DC.

Super causal kabob restaurant with multiple locations. Food is good but the size is a bit on the…read moresmall side. We had the kobeeda kabob (a lamb beef mix) which comes with rice and a simple salad. It was very tasty. The chicken curry had simple flavors but was also decent. It comes with one piece of flatbread.