For our family, Samira's is not only one of the best ethnic restaurants in Bloomington, it's one of the best restaurants period. We have been eating at Samira's for many years and I have yet to be disappointed. The food is prepared with care and the flavors are incredible. The menu is great and there are usually very good specials each day. The lunch buffet during the week is equally good and very popular. Unfortunately, they are not open on Sundays so that rules it our for Father's Day. Samira's is our family's go-to place for celebratory meals. My favorie dish is the Combination Pasta which includes both meat and vegetable dumplings with a wonderful sauce. I know so many people who spend their money at local chains and have never even heard of Samira's - their loss. I always laugh when folks walk right by Samira's to go to Grazi next door. If you have not tried it yet, you are really missing out. read more

Amazing food. It is my wife's and I favorite restaurant in bloomington. Affordable decent wine list.

I've been to Samira too many times in Bloomington . . . The lunch buffet is delicious. It's cheap, about 9$ and amazing. Lots of vegetarian options for me, which all my meat eating friends like too (they have meat too, don't worry). One waiter works the whole room at lunch time, which fills up! It's that good. But the waiter is great. I don't know his name, but he manages to get to everyone! Hummus and bread with lunch, along with desert, 2-3 kinds of salad, 2 rice dishes, 1 fried veggie dish, and some amazing lentil/chickpea options. It's probably the best buffet in Bloomington. The baklava is the best I've ever had. You can see the pans where they cook it fresh ever day. I always eat a couple pies . . . read more

In response to the negative review posted by Kris W: as an employee at Samira, I have seen many workers come and go, but most of us have been here five years or more. Certainly none of us would be working here so long if we felt we were being cheated. This is a great place to work and a great place to eat. Anwar is a great guy and I assure you we are all treated fairly. read more

Excellent food and service all around. Worth the trouble to find parking - an aside that Bloomington seems to be trying to kill downtown business with regressive parking meter rates and periods. The owners are very nice and offer and serve a fantastic array of what must be family recipes. A very nice experience that takes you away from the square, even though situated in a small footprint. Feels very spacious. read more

The meal and service was exceptional. The lamb and Cornish Hen kabobs were great. Recommend this highly. What a gem found in Bloomington, IN read more

Samira Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Ate at Samira last night. The outside seating is pleasant - good place to people-watch - a little noisy on Saturday nights when cars are cruisin' - The waiter was extremely nice - the food was amazing! The grilled eggplant and carrot that start out the meal is sooo yummy! (you'd better like garlic!) I got the lentil soup - which was very unlike say - Turkish lentil. This had veggie chunks (peas, tomatoes, carrots) in it (not pureed) - and was a tiny bit spicy - delicious. For the main course, I got the veggie platter - a sampler of three of their regular vegetarian dishes. It had a spinach dish, eggplant with tomato sauce, and lentil dal - they were all scrumptious - I think I liked the spinach best - although that tomato sauce on the eggplant was amazing, too. Anyway - it was served over rice with jullienned carrot strips and a few raisins over seasoned basmati brown rice. All in all - it was immensely satisfying. read more

The answer is Okra, Baklava and bread with hummus and olive oil. You can never go wrong on those. Every time I go there to eat i get in with the same appetite and excitement that were never disappointed. They hold a daily lunck buffet till 2 p.m check that out that will give you a hint about the quality of the home made food. I am.amazed how this place keeps the same quality and taste every time. A must try. read more

Simply delicious! Unique. Enjoyable and friendly staff. Be sure to try the salmon kabobs! This is a restaurant to plan to stay awhile, for the atmosphere is lovely just off the square and you are never rushed by the staff. read more

Absolutely marvelous food and service! Everything was well seasoned and cooked to perfection. Definitely on my list of restaurants to visit again. read more

Abundant vegetarian options lured me here and the complex, memorable flavors will bring me back. While the entrees are not as colorful or eye-catching as you might find at many restaurants, don't let their simple appearances fool you. There's depth to the spices (not hot, just multi-layered) that linger in your mouth in a great way. I'd encourage you to come with a group so you can share appetizers or entrees -- I for one wish I could have tasted everything on the menu! We arrived at 6pm on a Friday and it was still quiet but by the time we left at 7:30 or so it was packed and much louder. Next time I'm in town I'll be back! read more

Delicious and authentic with excellent food and nice atmosphere. The kabobs were excellent and the flavors unique and well mixed. We had the baklava for desert and it was fantastic. We went for dinner, dressed up to celebrate and didn't feel out of place among business and family guests. read more

Ordered 6 main dishes and 2 appetizers for 7 adults and a little kid - way more food than we needed and we had lunch the next day, too, all for under $110. They did takeout, which was awesome, and the man who took my payment offered to help me carry the 5 bags out to my car. The food was really tasty, although it would have been nice to have had more of a variety of rice/carb sides. Everything was a little spicy but only the eggplant was quite spicy. The eggplant and the spinach was really good and I would order anything with that in again in a heartbeat. It was the first afghani food any of us had ever had but we'd certainly go again! read more

Nice friendly wait staff, excellent food served on time and elegantly, good wine and beer available. Classy casual and warm atmosphere, one of the few places in Bloomington I would recommend so far. We'll be back! read more

This is a very beloved Bloomington haunt and to be honest I'm not quite sure why. The food is very bland to my taste. It just feels like such a pity to go there when there are so many other incredible gems so nearby! It's expensive for lunch or dinner (IMHO), though ofc cheaper for lunch. They do a lunch buffet which includes mostly healthy options. I like that. But none of the food leaves me thinking about it again, ever. The chicken is usually dry and I just dream of eating other food when I eat here. I've eaten here for dinner too and while I like it better, I have to say I'd much rather go to Amrit which is just around the corner. It's not Afghani but they are in a similar region of the world and Amrit is always amazing, so you'll be much more likely to find me there. I am glad we have such diverse options in Bloomington like Samira, but I'd be happier if Samira was replaced with a better Afghani restaurant. I will say though that because it's on the blander side, but also a little fancy, it's good for business lunches/dinners. read more

V disappointing they had inflated prices for graduation day. Were serving traditional dishes like humus with crackers.

This place has the best lunch buffet you can find anywhere!!!! Its pretty simple - some roast chicken, wonderful meatballs in a tomatoey sauce, a few vegetable dishes, rice, salads, desert. It hits the spot every time. I don't live in Bloomington anymore but every time I come back we hit this place for lunch and we are never dissappointed. Lunch buffet is around $8 per person. Only problem is they close at 2 PM and once I arrived at about 1:58 and they wouldn't serve me. :-( read more

Right on the Square in downtown Bloomington, I am always happy with my meal. Their lunch buffet remains a consistent winner. Great place to take those who are new to town. read more

Very good lunch buffet. Consistent menu with the same options daily. Did not try the dinner menu, so cannot comment on that, but you should expect fresh food prepared by hand recipes, which is so much better tasting in my opinion. Servers were the most helpful and polite as I've seen in a long time. read more

a lovely and under-appreciated bloomington restaurant. they always give you a free appetizer, which is awesome. the prices are a little high, but the portions are big enough to split. read more

Samira's is the best Indian food I've had in Bloomington but it was also the most expensive and probably took the longest for the food to come out. If you've got the time and patience, it is worth it! read more

I've lived in Bloomington for a few years but this was my first visit to Samira. It was excellent. I went at lunch and didn't realize they offered a buffet. I decided on that route because of the variety and price. It was very affordable and the quality was excellent. I tried everything offered and loved it all. I can't wait to go back with my family. read more

The Samira lunch buffet is incredible! It's also very reasonably priced for the quality of the food. I often go there and get the buffet to go. The man who is usually working is very friendly and even when he's busy, he is always quick to get me a takeout container to fill up. The food is also delicious and there's a great variety! I always get a little bit of everything and am particularly excited about the meat patty dish (not sure what it's called) and the okra! Yummy! read more

Worked with the owner to entertain a large group for their luncheon buffet. It was a wonderful experience. He was a delight to with. Everyone loved the ambience, the service, and the wonderful buffet that they serve.The food was well presented, delicious, and a variety was amazing. I would highly recommend it. read more

Very nice find in bloomington. Great food with good service. The lamb skewers were grat.

Samira's is fantastic! The wait staff are friendly and the lunch buffet is a steal!!! Such great food and ambiance. Would definitely come back again! read more

Just like all the other reviews posted this place is very good and a gem in Bloomington had the lamb kebab and it was perfectly cooked not too salty. Also had the samosas which were perfectly spiced and well baked. Highly recommend. read more

One of my friends gave me a recommendation to eat here and while I like to give my business to local places rather than chain restaurants, Samira was underwhelming and the food we were served at the buffet was not warm and nowhere near worth the price in terms of taste. I'm not sure if it was cooked thoroughly or if it was sitting out too long. For an ethnic restaurant that seems to have quite a bit of appeal, my guests and I were disappointed and will not be returning. read more

Love this place. First tried it on a lunch buffet. Brought my husband back for dinner the next night! We lived in Bloomington for almost 16years and this was our favorite restaurant. I have eaten here probably over 100 times over the years and have never had an average meal . Always polite service and what should be served cooled is cooled and should be warm is served warm. We also loved Siams but Samira's is our favorite. We go to both when we get back to Indiana. read more

This place was really good - I was really surprised that I liked Middle Eastern food as much as I did, and their food is wonderful.

The buffet is to die for and the sophistication isn't what I would expect having just a lunch buffet.

The food was awesome and came out extremely fast. The meat is amazing; moist and perfectly seasoned.

Our entire experience at Samiras was terrible. We are told to put sugar in our Turkish coffee if we want it sweet. We are served baklava without any silverware, and told that we can just eat it with our fingers, and that's what most people do. When we insisted on having silverware, we first received only forks by one server, then forks and knives by another server(we ended up with two sets of forks), and then at the end, we got napkins. And finally as we were getting ready to leave, we were given someone else's bill. read more

I love this place. My favorite is the eggplant dish. I like it because it is very upscale and classy. I've been here several times and be service is always impeccable and the food is always great. I came for a romantic evening one night and had a blast . The food was sooo delicious and our server was very polite and pointed out the most popular dishes on the menu. This is truly a gem in the downtown area of beautiful Bloomington Indiana ! We will be back time and time again. I'm always satisfied when I leave Samiras ! read more

great food in Bloomington! truly love the appetizer

it can be wonderful or so-so. they bring in their second string "talent" during the times when the students are out of town. a shame that they let their quality lapse during these times. was very embarrassed by low quality of food when i brought out of town friends during march (spring break) when i was expecting the usual quality. wine list is nice. try one of the dumpling dishes. don't fill up on the rice! read more