Restaurants in Afghanistan
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Taverna du Liban
Several Lebanese restaurants have come and gone in Kabul; this one has stayed the course. Tables are easily laden with mezze like houmous, tabouleh and Lebanese salad, making it easy to fill up before hitting the grill for your main. At the end of your meal, you can relax by smoking a shisha, perfect in the garden in the warmer months.
reviewed
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Le Bistro
In a pleasant Kabuli house, this French restaurant has its own bakery attached, making the continental breakfast (US$10) a treat of bread, pastry and croissants. Evening meals are good, even if the servings are a little on the small side. Carpets and paintings festoon the walls, and there are regular art shows and sales on site.
reviewed
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Cabul Coffee House
With funky paintings on the wall and some mellow jazz on the stereo, this is a great addition to the Kabul scene. As befits its name, the coffee is great, as are the juices. Grab a paper or something from the bookswap and chill out in the garden. The menu has sandwiches (from 300Afg), burgers and the like.
reviewed
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Main Bazaar
Across Afghanistan, Bamiyan is known for two things - potatoes and krut. Krut is dried yoghurt made into balls, which can be reconstituted into a sauce, or sucked on as a snack when travelling or working. It's an acquired taste. The potatoes make a pleasant change from rice however, particularly when made into chips.
Bamiyan only has a few restaurants, all along the main bazaar in Shahr-e Nau, and all offering standard chaikhana-fare: kebabs, pulao and shorwa. None stand out over any others; try the Ghulghula Hotel, the Kabul Restaurant or the Sakhi Restaurant. All are 1st-floor affairs, with steps leading up from the street, making window space a good place to watch the…
reviewed
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Mirwais Shandaiz Restaurant
Not surprisingly this is the only restaurant in Kandahar to sport a spinning disco light; don’t let the waiters in matching grotty England soccer shirts put you off, as they serve great Afghan food all day. Offerings include kebab, pulao (rice dish), mutton karai (diced mutton fried with chilli, tomato and spices and served with bread), mantu (steamed meat dumplings) and beef kufta (meatballs with different sauces served with rice). The food is fresh, portions are generous and the local seasonal juices and milkshakes are delicious. To finish off, try the home-made ice cream followed by a cup of chai and a sheesha pipe on the elevated takht area.
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The Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop serves up a wide selection of Western café-style food, Pashtun and English literature and pretty good espresso coffee. It has been dubbed ‘the Starbucks of Kandahar’ in many Western broadsheets and magazines and has just installed four pool tables. It is the first of its kind in the city and a great place to take a break from kebabs and pulao. Here you will find groups of hip, male 20-something Pashtuns sipping lattes and speaking about the latest pirated Hollywood DVDs.
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Sufi
Sufi is a little way out of town, nestled beneath the Intercontinental Hotel, but it’s worth the trip. Beautifully decorated with prints and fabrics, guests eat Afghan style, seated on cushions and carpets around low tables (though there are some tables and chairs too). There’s a wide variety of Afghan dishes, nicely served up – we particularly enjoyed the kofte chalau (minced kebabs with dried fruit and saffron).
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E
Kulba Afghan
This restaurant is almost two in one, as it sits on the third floor above the also popular Rose Restaurant. What makes this more of a draw is the live Afghan music from 6pm to 10pm, and booths with cushions to tuck yourself into. Stuff yourself with the huge Kulba special (300Afg) which has a bit of everything – pulao, kebabs, mantu, chips, qorma (stewed vegetables), plus salad, yogurt and a soft drink.
reviewed
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Yasin BBQ Restaurant
By far the best Pashtun BBQ restaurant in town, the Yasin serves up tasty lamb kebab, beef shaslik and BBQ whole chicken in a twinkling, plus it will do meals on request. Cleanliness doesn’t seem to be too much of a priority, with the occasional cigarette butt kicking around on the greasy floors, but diners shouldn’t be overly concerned as the fare is fresh and comes straight off the scorching-hot charcoal grill.
reviewed
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Ibn Sina Restaurant
An Afghan place worth making the effort to get to, the Ibn Sina has a well-stocked menu including mantu,ashak and a variety of soups and qorma. The white tiles give it a canteen appearance, but you can spread out on the takhts (raised seats) as well as sitting at tables. The restaurant’s sign is fairly inconspicuous, so look out for the big tree outside the entrance.
reviewed
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Chaila
Ever popular with the large number of expats who live in west Kabul, Chaila is a joint Afghan-American enterprise. They serve brick-oven pizzas and quiche, as well as sandwiches and home-made ice cream, but they’re best known for their milkshakes and superb coffee – the cappuccinos and espressos are simply fantastic. It’s all tastefully decorated, and they have wi-fi and cable TV to boot.
reviewed
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La Cantina
There’s a full range of Tex-Mex food on offer here, with great plates of nachos, burritos and bowls of chilli – tick off your choices on the menu sheet and present it to the waiter to order. Dining is al fresco, with the traditional Afghan courtyard garden pressed into service as a half-decent pueblo substitute (hence the dining season is restricted to the warmer months). Alcohol is served.
reviewed
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Delhi Darbar
This trusty Indian restaurant is something of an institution among Mazar-e Sharif’s expats. The menu is mainly north Indian cuisine, with a refreshing choice of vegetable dishes. The meat/vegetarian thalis (South Indian all-you-can-eat meal) are excellent at US$6. Eat inside, or in the walled garden in summer, enjoying a cold beer at the same time. There’s a sister branch in Kabul.
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Turkestan Restaurant
Aside from the chaikhanas in the bazaar, Turkestan Restaurant is the only sit-down option for eating. The breeze-block architecture lends the place a certain awkward ambience, and although the menu promises a choice of dishes, you’ll end up with kebabs whatever you go for. Not signed in English, look for the glass kiosk outside with the brazier, next to the UNHCR compound.
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Haji Baba
Run by a genial Afghan, the food here bridges the gap between Persian and Herati food. The surroundings are brisk and simple, not that the many locals passing through seem to mind. They’re here for bowls of thick chicken shorwa (soup) and plates of moist kebabs, king of which is maheecha, a sublime oven-baked leg of lamb. Be sure to leave room for dessert.
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Khosha
This place was freshly minted when we visited and looked a treat. The rooftop setting gives great views over Kabul, while the interior is decorated with Kuchi textiles. As well as Afghan favourites, there are some good vegetable dishes normally found only in the home, like banjan borani (aubergine with tomatoes and yogurt), plus a great lamb qorma with chickpeas.
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Anaar
Recently relocated to new premises, Anaar remains one of Kabul’s lovelier restaurants. There’s a wide selection of Thai, Indian and Chinese dishes with vegetarians particularly well-catered for. Thankfully, the new premises still feature a lantern-hung garden for al fresco dining, otherwise withdraw to the cosy interior, decorated with traditional Afghan crafts.
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Kookcha Restaurant
Here’s something blessedly different: chicken and chips. Almost finger-lickin’, but after a diet of meat and rice definitely worth the trek to Shahr-e Nau. ‘China soup’ with noodles is also on offer. Look for the green restaurant front. There are several more standard chaikhanas along the same stretch of the main road.
reviewed
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Flower Street Café
The name is momentarily confusing, as this café is nowhere near Flower St. It’s worth finding though, as it does some great sandwiches and burgers served in a flowery garden, with cake for afters. Alternatively they’ll deliver your lunch to your door, but that means you’ll miss out on the great smoothies and cappuccinos.
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Carlitos
Carlitos touts itself as Kabul’s best Mexican restaurant, and not happy with that crown, it then goes on to attempt Lebanese, Indian and anything else it can think of. It’s at its best in the summer, when the Thursday and Friday buffet and barbeque comes into play. With a bar attached, it’s deservedly popular.
reviewed
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Yas Restaurant
One of the few places we found in Herat serving mantu (a type of ravioli) , Yas also has a decent range of kebabs with rice, salad and yogurt. The pizzas are disappointing in comparison. The restaurant always seems to be busy – its success has allowed it to buy what could be Herat’s largest TV.
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Delhi Darbar
A popular choice for Indian food, and successful enough to create a mini-franchise, with branches in Mazar-e Sharif and even Tajikistan. The focus is on north Indian cuisine, plus some fiery curries and lots of vegetarian options. The one-dish-fits-all thalis remain a prize attraction, washed down with a cold lager.
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Sufi 2
A sister branch to the original Sufi, this was just opening during research. With the decor and service borrowed from its sibling, lunch is a big thing here, with lots of delicious dishes like pumpkin boloni (stuffed pancakes), samosas and some great sweets like gosh-e fil (elephant’s ear) pastries.
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Arghawan Restaurant
Popular with middle-class Heratis and internationals alike, the attraction here isn’t so much the formal dining room as the outside seating area, strewn with bolsters to slump against for shade from the daytime. The set meals are excellent value, comprising soup, salad, bread, rice, kebabs, tea and a soft drink.
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Samarqand
This relaxed restaurant was one of the most popular in town when we dropped in, serving a mix of Central Asian food – beautifully flavoured rice and meat options – and international dishes. The regular theme nights liven things up, with Chinese food on Friday, and salsa dancing on Wednesday and Saturday.
reviewed