Food and service at this afghan restaurant are top notch! The menu is comprehensive, with an array…read moreof mezzes, salads, kabobs, vegetarian entrees and drinks. The complimentary bread brought out was warm, chewy and delicious. My companion got the kabab-E-Gosfund, which consisted of grilled lamb chunks marinated in spices with saffron rice and chickpeas. Meat was tender and flavorful, rice was aromatic. I got the combination vegetarian platter, which was a choice of 3 vegetarian entrees served with spinach rice. One choice I got the zardak chalow, which was a stew of prunes, chickpeas, tomatoes, and carrots. It was sweet, savory and a little tart. Very unique and delicious. Another choice was the banjan chalow, which was eggplant, onions and garlic in a savory brown sauce topped with yogurt. Eggplant was tender and soft. Yogurt was creamy and complemented the dish. Rounding out the veggie trio was the sabsi chalow, which was pureed spinach with onions, garlic and spices. A side of spinach rice came with the combo platter, also yummy. Will definitely be back!

Panjshir is gorgeous and I'm still not over it. I'm also sad I had never visited before. It was the…read moreperfect place to grab some lunch after an appointment. I really enjoy Afghan cuisine. Service was friendly. I ordered the eggplant and the stuffed bread. The eggplant was so fragrant and I could smell it before it arrived. The stuffed bread was addictive. I wish the complementary bread would have had the mango sauce, which is my favorite, but I still appreciated it. Everything was good and I had leftovers, which made me happy. I'm looking forward to returning and trying more of Panjshir's offerings.

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.

WOW! Highly recommend!…read more We've been coming to Bamian for years and mainly during the month of Ramadan for their Iftar buffet. When I tell you that they have upped their service and experience I truly mean it. They are so extremely nice and organized with their seating options the whole experience was very easy and welcoming. Their buffet offers an array of appetizers, main and dessert of Afghan cultural and if you've ever had their food, you KNOW it's good! The price was very reasonable and I would highly recommend this spot for a large group or an intimate date night.

This place has a new energy! It was refreshing to walk in and see women running the show. The…read moreexperience was so different given they actually want to make sure you have a good experience and enjoy you're food. They walk you through customizing your order if you don't want certain sides and they started cutting and toasting the afghan naan which makes it hard to stop eating. They are in the middle of renovating the left side so we ate in the banquet side. Can't wait to see how they decor the whole place. Will be back soon to get my sambosas and kabobs!

Food is always excellent. The customer service is friendly…read more The location is convenient. The interior is clean. Noise level is low.

About a 2-2.5: We were really excited to check out Arlington Kabob, as this place has been around…read morefor a while, and it seems to be a local favorite. We came here for an early lunch, and we ordered: +a Combo Platter for 2 - this came with chicken kofta, beef kofta, and a choice of chicken, lamb, or beef kabob - we went for the beef; for the sides, we went for the potatoes and the lentil soup, and for the rice, we went Quabli style Out of all the meats, we thought the chicken kofta had the best flavor; both the beef kofta and the kabob were just 'okay'; the beef kofta had a more game-y flavor - not sure if they had mixed it up with lamb first; the beef kabob was overcooked and dried out, more on the chewy end, which was not enjoyable. The Quabli-style rice didn't really enhance anything - the carrots were way too soft, and there were hardly any currants, which was disappointing. Potatoes were forgettable, as they were bland; the lentil soup was piping hot, but could have had more lentils - it seemed like just broth with just a spoonful of lentils in it. The white sauce was more dill-heavy and ranch-like which didn't complement the kabobs and the kofta at all. There was complimentary tea for those who dine-in, which was nice, but the tea wasn't steeped well and was too watered down. Staff were friendly, and there's limited parking in the tight strip plaza lot. +chicken kofta +game-y beef kofta +dried-out/overcooked beef kabob +avoid the Quabli style rice +friendly staff +limited parking in lot available

I was passing through and decided to stop in and grab a bite. The food was great and I really…read moreenjoyed it. The service was a bit slow, which was a little disappointing, but overall the food was definitely worth it.

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!

Absolutely blown away with my meal at Lapis. Fantastic service, atmosphere, and food. This…read morerestaurant is intimate enough for date night and cozy enough for a meal shared with friends. My husband and I split the Herat Platter and modified it to be vegan. Our friends shared the meat platter. Our server was friendly and helped make sure our platter was in fact vegan by removing yogurt from the leek dumplings. I loved how all the food came out to be shared. It made it feel like I was having a home cooked dinner and less like I was in a stuffy fancy restaurant. It was just the vibe I wanted to relax with friends. It is hard to pick out a stand-out dish. All the flavors were so savory and comforting. The mushrooms (samarok) was probably my favorite as it reminded me of a beef burgundy. The mushrooms were so meaty and the sauce was deep and fantastic. The carrots were far and away the best carrots I ever had. I have never had carrots taste so savory. The cauliflower was perfectly tender. The lentils were something I wish I could eat daily as they were just the right amount of umami made me feel so warm and comforted. The dessert (halwa) was not my favorite. I am a chocolate lover and I wish it was a little sweeter. I am sure it was authentic to the flavors it should be. It just was not the sweet note I usually hope for at the end of a meal. I am still drooling over this meal and longing for a chance to come back. The price point is so reasonable for a tasting menu in DC that left my husband and I absolutely stuffed!

I loved the patio seating at Lapis! Such a perfect way to spend a beautiful evening with friends…read more We all really enjoyed our food and drinks. Mantoo Beef Dumplings: 5/5, we ordered the six-count, which was perfect to share. The savory flavor balance was great, with just a hint of spice. Lamb Tikka: 5/5, I really loved the spicy red chutney that came with this dish (I would've liked more vegetables, but it was still so good.) Sabz Highball: 5/5, if you like a tart, herbaceous cocktail, this is a great one. We look forward to coming back to Lapis and trying their tasting menu!

BLUF. It's the go-to place for every birthday for everyone in my family and there's a reason for…read moreit. Friendly service and high quality food with a smile This update keeps the same rating as before and for good reason. Five of us went for dinner to celebrate a birthday. I had to change the number of people on my reservation on the same day and it was quickly accommodated when I called them. As usual their bread basket with a sort of dips is delicious and a wonderful way to start the meal. We had this sort of dumpling and aushak appetizers, which were both delicious as usual. Honestly I've never had a bad dish here. We weren't even able to finish our dinners so we didn't order dessert, but we were surprised when we were brought a wonderful happy birthday dessert for our birthday boy. What a kind gesture. We've been going here ever since it opened, and we still considered a go-to place when we have company in town or for special occasions.

My girlfriend and I came here for dinner and we enjoyed how tender the lamb chops were and how…read moreperfectly made the pork tenderloins were. The assorted dumplings were so unique and tasty. We also enjoyed the complimentary bread and side dips which was fun to taste together!

The cleanses is totally awful and the food , as we order Charsi Chicken Karahi with Afghani Pulao…read morewith Lamb Shank , the karahi had a bad smell and the worse thing was afghani Pulao , they can not cook afghani , it's like punjabi they should change afghani name.

The low Yelp scores for this place makes zero sense...except that I have some theories that are the…read morestuff of fan fiction. Here's my first guess: This place is awesome and the people in the know don't want others knowing about it. This is the one that makes the most sense. They already do a brisk business and the current customers don't want to wait any longer than they already have to. My second guess: some people are totally clueless and don't understand that this is a place where your meal is an event and not just dinner. If you want to eat and run, go to McDonalds. This is the place where you come to eat, sip your chai, and enjoy the company of those around you. Food takes time to cook...figure it out people. Okay...about the food: WOW! So delicious and all perfectly cooked. I have to open with the one dish that was absolutely stunning: the lamb chops. The seasoning was spot on and flavorful while the cook point (which appears to be hard for many restaurants it seems) was flawless. Tender from end-to-end without a sign of chewiness. Next up on the menu hit parade was the Chapli Kebab. That little bit of char on the outside combined with the seasoned meat made this a repeat order for sure. Check the pics and you'll see what I'm talking about. The last but definitely not least on the list was the massive Namkeen Chicken Tikka. There was enough food on this order for three people and it was awesome! There was a smokiness to the meat that permeated beautifully and each piece was amazingly tender. We couldn't finish this one and it ended up in the to-go bag. Seriously, it huge. The service, decor, and general ambiance of Shinwari was so great too. The staff were totally professional and the families enjoying the props (which included a auto rickshaw) where fun to watch. I will be coming back here FOR SURE. Bring a close friend or five and enjoy an amazing evening.

Great Mediterranean food at a reasonable price. They have many side dish options. The chicken and…read morebeef combo is delicious. The hummus tastes great.

Two Haiku Review:…read more Not the best kabob I've had, but the flavor was There and the portions Were quite large. Pretty Fast service and for a good Price, I give four stars.

I've been here several times, though not recently. Street parking only, though I've never been…read moreunable to find a spot within a couple of minutes' walk. I came with a friend for lunch at noon on a Thursday right after the restaurant opened. The female greeter and waitress (a Guatemalan) were both friendly and informative. By the time we left an hour or so later, the dining room was just half full, so not noisy. We both ordered the amazing SMOKED lamb shanks with pulau rice (only available at lunchtime), shared an appetizer dumpling sampler, and had a couple of pilsners. All the servings were generous and fresh, well seasoned, and eye-appealing. The decor remains eye-catching with lots of colorful lighting and wall decorations. NO DISTRACTING WALL TV SCREENS OR INTRUSIVELY LOUD MUSIC. This is a good place for conversation. Lamb cooked in many forms is the main attraction, but they also make a delicious hamburger for the faint of palate. Check it out! They need new customers.

Hands down, the best Afghan food I've had! (And it's safe to say, I've had more than most)…read more Since we only dropped in for a light meal, not much to review BUT the food was so good we're trying to drive the long distance back just to make our way through more of the menu! We ordered only vegan options- the kadoo (pumpkin) turnover and the Nakhoud & Mushroom Lawaan I believe (it might've been the Nakhoud & Mushroom Sabzi Lawaan, I can't remember and both are very similar). Everything was cooked to perfection and each bit was incredibly yummy. Textures were on point and mixed with the assorted of chutneys they offer, it was heaven! Easy to (happily) overeat here Décor was pleasant, the restaurant is spacious and every staff member was gracious. We felt very welcomed and, again, looking forward to going back! Can see why this place is a neighborhood favorite! You will NOT be disappointed here.