This was super delicious. I got the salmon kebab plate and it was not dry and extremely flavorful. The Cornish hen and lamb are also fantastic. So so tender. The manto are something to skip out on, wasn't that special. Also skip out on the rice pudding. It's just kind of peculiar. The reason why I gave four stars was because the hostess seated people who did not have a reservation before us-a party of three who did have a reservation. Also she would not communicate with us we had to ask if our table was ready. Maybe it's because it was a weekend I'm not sure. Our waitress though was fantastic. read more

Samira Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

After being in Bloomington for a while, we thought it was in order to rate this restaurant. The food was unique and good and the service was great. We will definitely be back. read more

Had the pasta sampler. I liked the manto the best. The eggplant and carrot free appetizer was good and had a good spice level to it. I loved the lentil tomato soup, it had dill in it which was a pleasant surprise! Portions were huge. Easily would work for multiple meals. Nice interior space and very comfortable. read more

Walked in for dinner without knowing anything about restaurant and had an amazing meal. Ashley, our waitress was awesome and made good recommendations. read more

I have been here twice and I just love their food . It's so tasty with exact blend of spices and variety of options over food . I had the vegetarian aushak and sambosa, which were really delicious. The person who took care of us in restaurant was so humble and prompt, he was always there when we needed anything. Love the food read more

DE-LICIOUS! Second time I've been here. First time was for dinner and it was amazing! Had a dish without meat that had a sampling of a few things. My brain is a bit fuzzy on it, but I remember it being superb. Today I came for the lunch buffet. Love that Bloomington has so many lunch buffets in the area that are damn tasty! Today there were about 10 main warm dishes to choose from, 2 salad options, 1 lettuce, and 1 fruit platter, and a dessert. They brought hummus on a pita chip to the table as an appetizer and bread as well. Very classy for a buffet, and mighty delicious! I will return! read more

I've had much better Afghani food in other cities The service is very good. The prices are decent. The location is great. But the food is unremarkable. read more

This really is my favorite restaurant. The food is amazing - try the kabobs the spice is flavorful not overwhelming The wine selection is interesting, they always have some great middle eastern wines that are really different and delicious. But the cool part is that restaurant is clean, the atmosphere is classy, and the staff is well trained and pleasant. Yep this is my favorite! read more

It was a good experience, but not that good! The place was crowded and we wait for long time before the food came in. The size of dishes is relatively small to the prices. To be honest the taste was really good but not enough to make me thrilled to come back again. Good place overall read more

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I've only been here once so I can only comment on the single dining experience of my friend and myself. It was really excellent. The service and the atmosphere is great, but I don't really care that much about those things. I ordered the Sabzi Pallao. Before the dish arrived they gave us some bread with eggplant. The bread was good and the eggplant was fine. Then the soup came. I have to say that I don't know much about Afghani cuisine, but this soup reminded me quite exactly of an Uzbeki soup my Russian grandmother makes. It was really excellent and herby (highlighting the use of cilantro which is apparently common in the region). Not as good as grandmother's, naturally, but a respectable contender. The dish itself was really superb. Before moving on to the best parts, let me just say that the lamb was the weak part of the dish and could have been taken out with little effect. It was on the tougher side and the flavour a tad underwhelming. The pilaf base was really excellently cooked basmati rice, well-seasoned and aromatic. The layer of spinach and tomatoes was again perfectly seasoned and hearty. The star of the dish are the laced carrots on top that are perfectly prepared with a generous amount of warming cardamom. Taken all together this dish really held together a balance of complex, layered flavours with simple ingredients, as much good ethnic food should. I'd recommend to others, and would gladly go back next time I'm in the area! read more

Good food, great service. This place tends to fill up sometimes, so be sure to plan ahead. And try the lamb.

Beautiful restaurant with amazing food. Love eating there for lunch or dinner. The wait staff are very friendly and willing to explain items and offer good suggestions. I love the premeal food that's a part of every dinner. The bread is nice and I have never had a bad meal or experience. The food--delicious! Every bite is a culinary treat. read more

Several friends raved about this place so when we were visiting our son, we had to check it out. Certainly weren't disappointed! We had a reservation and were quickly seated in the back away from the door / cold as we asked. Great tasting and variety of foods, friendly staff and very nice ambiance. We'll be back! read more

Great service and lovely restaurant. All the food here is excellent and I enjoy the eggplant appetizer they give you at the beginning of the meal. Hummus is delish and the kabob dishes have incredibly moist and flavorful meat. The only thing is that kebabs come in a very intimidating looking sword but once you can get the meat off, the accompanying rice is very flavorful and a great pairing. Have also tried the stuffed pasta and that is also very good. read more

Amazing food and wonderful service! Brought my friend from Chicago here and he loved it! Sums up the Bloomington vibe.

This Afghan restaurant is one of my favorites in Bloomington. Their lunch buffets are always delicious with a nice assortment of food and their salads are fresh and tasty. They offer a delicious garlic hummus appetizer and end with baklava. How can you go wrong? My favorite dinner meal is their vegetarian combo plate with lots of tasty vegetarian options. Always a treat to eat here and I highly recommend Samira's restaurant. read more

eh, not impressed came for the lunch buffet and was pretty underwhelmed by the options- a couple types of rice, dry tandoori chicken, decent meatballs, okra For the price, I expected more. What was, however, almost entirely worth the price was the fantastic baklava. Overall, the atmosphere isn't all that great (stuffy, quiet, dark), especially if you are going in a large group and wish to socialize. (also pretty gross was that it took forever for the waiter to clear our buffet plates, which kept piling up on our table) read more

I spoke to the manager on the phone who was wildly rude and told me to "get to the point" when I had a general business inquiry. Not the best way I wanted to communicate, so I'll happily take my valid questions elsewhere to someone who won't cut me off. The food may be good; but the service is not! read more

Arrived at Samira about 5:40 pm last night (a Tuesday), with a party of four. We were the first patrons of the evening, and so we were seated immediately. Wait staff is very friendly and quick to bring waters and warm bread with olive oil. We ordered baba ganouj and meat sambosa as appetizers to share, and both were delicious. There was a choice of soup or salad with my entree, and I chose salad. It was mostly a blend of arugula and cilantro with too much vinegar. It was OK at best. My husband tried the soup (lentil), and he said it was so-so. For entrees, I had the Manto and my husband had the combo pasta plate of Manto and Aushak. Both dishes were excellent. The kids both had beef kabobs, and they said it was very good. The wait staff was attentive throughout the evening, and the interior of the restaurant is tastefully decorated with proper space between tables so that you don't feel like you're on top of each other. All in all, a pleasant dining experience. read more

Very good! I was pleased with the waitstaff, and the food was delicious. It's a very small place and was packed on a Friday night, so you could hear most of the conversation between one of the large groups there. But, the eggplant and carrot appetizer they give EVERYONE was great, the namounaa was very good, and my chicken kabob was very good! My husband got the lamb and cornish hen kabob and devoured it. My favorite part of the meal may be the spiced basmati rice... Yum! read more

Simply said, great. Food, service, ambience. Amazing flavors, perfectly prepared and served.

My favorite restaurant in Bloomington! Been coming here for years. Lovely atmosphere, wonderful service, and delicious food!! Their Qabili Palau is out of this world! I love it so much I asked the owner for the recipe and he took me into the kitchen and instructed me on the preparation. Also love the roasted pumpkin. Just a wonderful dining experience!!! read more

I walked in and waited to be seated for the lunch buffet. It took about 5 min because the waiter was incredibly busy . The place was packed . I was served ice water and told to help myself to the buffet . There were a variety of salad including Greek and tomato and cucumber . Fresh fruit was abundant . The steam table was full of different vegetables and Turkish meatballs and chicken . They also brought hummus and bread to the table all for$ 10.80 . I'll definitely be back . read more

Excellent dining experience.Service was great.I never really cared for eggplant until I had it grilled here.When I told the waitress how I enjoyed it she was kind enough to bring me another at no charge.Lamb was cooked perfectly.Well be back read more

I had the vegetarian mantos (steamed dumplings filled with cabbage, onion and cilantro, in vegetable tomato sauce topped with home-made spiced yogurt sauce according to the menu) for dinner. The food was delicious if expensive. I loved the red lentil soup that came with the meal. The naan was also very good. More food than I was able to eat in one sitting. I can't afford to make a habit of eating here but the lunch buffet price sounds reasonable for a once in a while habit. The atmosphere could use a little work as it was so quiet in here that talking to my companion felt a little awkward. read more

I've been living in Bloomington for a little over three years now, and I can say confidently that this is my favorite restaurant in town, inclusive of all cuisine types. This is the rare establishment that truly takes pride in their craft, and the results of that dedication are obvious when you taste their food. Not only is their food delicious, but it's also highly refined and original. You can tell that someone worked hard over a long period of time to hone the recipes, and further that they're not just out of someone else's cookbook. Also rare these days, they usually provide a small complimentary tasting appetizer before your ordered meal arrives. I could talk about their food specifically, but others have done that extensively and faithfully. I just want to sing the praises of their devotion to good food. Everyone who appreciates food should eat at Samira's when they come to Bloomington. read more

If you are in Bloomington for a few days you must make it to Samiras for the combination kebab platter or the cornish hen. The food is consistently tasty and the wait staff are very good. I had a birthday dinner one time and they were 30 min from closing yet they accomodated my friends and I for a lovely evening. read more

WOW! What a great meal! I went to Samira with my mom and sisters to celebrate my birthday. This was our first visit and we LOVED it! The food was delicious, the atmosphere was lovely and Yoseph our waiter, was very attentive and made everything perfect for us. I wanted to experience the specialties so I ordered the combination platter. It was excellent, so flavorful. For dessert we had Baklava which was amazing. We can't wait to go back! read more

To begin with a summary: This is a great restaurant! We had some family over, from out of state, so we looked for a nice place to go to and to have dinner. We are all strict vegetarians, and one person in our party has even more restrictions. The chef (owner?) was very responsive and very nice, and he prepared a special vegetarian dish, matching the restrictions of our special vegetarian. We also asked for a special Afghani drink, and we got a yogurt drink that was not on the menu. The other, "usual," vegetarian fare was great too. Everyone loved their dish. Each dish was accompanied by a choice of soup or salad, both great. We ended up paying about $100 for five people, gratitude included. For that price, Samira is a great place to go. read more

Their lunch buffet is great. A number of options, including vegetarian food. My favorites are their amazingly soft and tender meatballs, and their outstanding bread. You also get some flat bread toast with hummus and olive oil, as well as a delicious dessert of baklava. The service is always very friendly. We usually spend $11 per person for a lunch buffet including salad and dessert, and a drink. read more

We have gone to Samira multiple times and everytime we like the food. Parking is difficult to get around there...but food and service is superb. There are limited veggie options. Chicken Manto, Baba Ganouj, and pretty much all menu items are delicious. read more

Went to Samira's for their lunch buffet today with my wife. It is a nice place with good service and fresh, tasty Afghanistan food with good seasonings. The buffet including meatballs and chicken dishes with rice, bread, hummus and baklava. The white bean/cilantro/carrot dish was also very good. Wish they had lamb kabobs on the buffet, but still recommended for lunch, which is reasonably priced. read more

The food is also fresh and smells great. The lunch Buffett offers really great value for a well prepared meal. When we have come here for lunch, though, we are often ignored by the staff and seat ourselves. Eventually though, we are welcomed and given a basket of delicious bread. They are just vey casual here. read more

It is lunch time on a beautiful day in Bloomington and you're right around the square, then get on over to Samira to engage in some cultural foods! Samira's afternoon buffet offers a great selection of Afghan foods and dessert. You'll walk away with lots of great food in your stomachs! Their servers are also just the nicest people! read more

I've been all over the country, and this is one of my absolute favorite restaurants. The food is INCREDIBLE. Absolutely get the mantu. Meatless entrees can be hard to get right, but this place nails 'em. Once we discovered this place, we came back every night we were in town. My first love affair with Afghani food, and I don't think anyone could do it better. read more

Three of us had dinner at Samira's this past weekend and it was amazing. The lamb kebob and chicken manto were prepared expertly. The staff is on top of things every minute. It's wonderful to see this restaurant getting even better over time. read more

Very VERY good food. Was in Bloomington for business for two weeks and came here twice! definitely the best place I tried in btown. I looked on yelped and pretty much tried the top 10 rated places and this was my fav. I got the kabob combo with lamb (medium) and added shrimp cuz I wanted to try everything (plus it was paid for by my company anyway). The meat and shrimp were amazingly tender and very well seasoned. This place almost makes me wish I lived in Bloomington instead of California...almost. Must try! read more

Great place if you're looking for a nice, casual evening out with a more upscale ambiance than most of the other international restaurants in Bloomington. Lunch buffet is also good. Delicious complimentary zucchini appetizer comes with every meal alongside bread. read more

The lamb kebab was remarkable, and the prices are good for the quality of the food.

Wow, what a delicious restaurant. First of all, it's an attractive place -- white tablecloths, servers in ties and black aprons (I suppose the photo of the Afghan girl was hard to resist). And the service is very attentive, very friendly. And you'll have a really rough time deciding what to order, because everything on the menu sounds terrific. Yeah, there are kabobs, but also dumplings, sabzi tchallao, hummus, an absolutely terrific butternut squash soup, a lot of vegetarian options (many of which can have meat added), sambosa, bolani . . . The servings are huge, and the food is delicious. You'll start with an eggplant/carrot appetizer, followed by soup or salad, then the entree and finally a lemon cookie. I have not been to the weekday lunch buffet, but it must be fantastic, and it's very reasonably priced. A definite winner right in downtown Bloomington. read more