Afghan Kebab House

I live in the area and kept passing by this restaurant. So I decided to take my sister here for her birthday! The food we had was really good. Would highly recommend this place.

We ordered Kabuli Pulao, but unfortunately it did not taste good at all. The chefs were Spanish, and the food felt more like Spanish food rather than authentic Afghan cuisine. The price was very high and honestly not worth it. The place itself was nice, and the restaurant owner was polite and respectful. However, I also had doubts about whether the food was truly halal, which is very important to me. Overall, the experience with the food was disappointing.

The consistent praise for Afghan Kebab House finally convinced me to visit. The food tastes amazing, costs what it should and comes with great service. The team's attention to diners was outstanding! The restaurant's setting is perfect. The neighborhood improved with this addition.

The food is phenomenal. They were over on 2nd Ave for years, and recently moved to this location on first. We picked up a bottle of wine (savings!) and were able to bring it in (because byob). Service was quick and courteous. Recommended!

I questioned all the online praise until I tried the food myself. Their meals demonstrate remarkable quality. I expected good things from Afghan Kebab House and got even better. The workers here really care about good service. Entirely happy.

I have been coming here for literally 41 years (to the old location also) and been ordering the lamb kofta kebab every time. My whole family is obsessed with it we can’t get enough. The other lamb dish with orange is amazing and the tandoori chicken kebab and the white sauce is to die for

Overall Rating 6/10. Solid place overall, just has some flaws. I’m going to break down this review into four parts. 1. The Atmosphere: immediately when I walked in, I was greeted with a nice atmosphere filled with traditional paintings and nice wallpapers. It was surprisingly empty for the dinner rush, however. The place could be bigger. 2. Service: mediocre at best. Took around an hour to get all our food. Apparently you have to bring your own beer in, which was weird. But, I gotta admit, the food was pretty delicious, so I would say it’s worth the wait. 3. Food: we started off with the dumplings, which were alright. The sauce that came with them was excellent. We then moved on to salad, which was refreshing. Then, we got our entrees. The lamb was nice, but the lamb chops were surprisingly gamey. The lamb kofta was very good. The eggplant was stewed in tomato gravy, and had a touch of spice. My chicken tikka breast also had a hint of some special herb, which differentiated it from Indian food. The rice was good and the bread was excellent. Now, the thing stopping this review from being 4-5 stars was the price. Crazy! 25$ for each dish, which were small and definitely not worth the price. The food is great, just be prepared for prices that you didn’t expect.

Ordered take out from this restaurant, I got qabuli palou and beef sambosas. The palauo was $30 and came in a small standard takeout container, extremely overpriced for the portion size. The food was average, I have had better. Honestly for the price it was not absolutely NOT worth it at all. Will not be coming back.

We've been coming here a long time (mostly when they were on 2nd Ave) They cook their juicy kebabs in both spicy sauces and tandoori style, served a large salad, rice and pitas. Make sure you leave room for the decadent Grandma's Chocolate Cake, the richest chocolate Cake I've ever had! The owner and servers are so gracious and nice too!

I wanted to love this place. Having a solid kebab spot is invaluable. I get it's a pricey neighborhood and times are tough for everyone, but I felt blatantly ripped off. The portions are really small for what you pay. We're talking shrinkflation meets inflation in an egregious manner. Even still that would be fine if it were delicious and crave worthy. However, the real problem is not only are you paying top dollar for microscopic portions, but the execution is unfortunately way off. The seasoning on the kebab was pretty good but all the kebabs were severely overcooked and the ground meat was over mixed and tough. The rice is okay but it's identical to halal cart rice. This is not restaurant / homemade with care rice. The side salad is un-adorned ice berg without any dressing or seasoning whatsoever. They claim to be using high quality product but honestly it felt on par with what I get from a halal cart .. I like halal carts but not for 41 dollars for a kebab plate where each of the three kebabs was 1/4th of a skewer so basically the total was less than a full standard kebab skewer. I also got one sambousek which again was dry and tasted like a frozen version from the super market. Hopefully they fix some things by either improving quality control or adjusting pricing / portioning. Other competing restaurants give you better value and better execution.

The food was decent here. I had the fish platter which was good. It is far too expensive for such little portions. I got the fish and rice, the chicken and rice, spinach and a mango drink for $80. Should have been $50 tops. This is more of a heads up to management there that their pricing is way way over what it should be for the size of the portions than a negative review on the food.

Overall, delicious food from an unfamiliar culture. That was my goal when I chose to visit the Afghan Kebab House. I was craving a dish I had with friends in Istanbul that was a type of dumpling with minced meat in a yogurt. While searching my neighborhood, I found this spot and was immediately taken by a photo of the Afghan dumpling (as it looked moar similar), so I decided to play this place a visit. The ambiance itself was beautiful. I loved the mood lighting and the walls of tapestry, just was a lovely vibe. I came by myself and was seated but found the service to be quite odd. Perhaps it might have been a cultural thing but I was seated at a two-person table and when my utensils were brought to me, they were placed on the side opposite of me (they only brought one set which made sense since I was dining alone). The server was rash in his responses to my questions which made me feel slightly uncomfortable. Honestly, I understand we living in an evolving world, and I am in New York City, where people look different. I was unsure if it was because of my gender presentation but nevertheless it was q learning experience. Food 8/10 Service 5/10 I would come again for the food and ambiance but not the service!

I have eaten at Afghan Kebab House II more than once. My friends love it. I am happy to go there. I don't know the cuisine well. The food is flavorful. The ingredients seem to be high quality. The preparation is good. The pacing is fine. Service is attentive, and better for my friends who are regulars as might be expected. I had the kebab sampler. My friends each had a lamb shank (ordered in advance). We had dumplings with meat and samosas. They give you a small salad. It is BYOB with no corkage. Highly recommended.

Came here for my birthday and had an amazing experience! The food was delicious, authentic Afghan cuisine, and the service was fantastic. The owner was incredibly humble and welcoming, which made everything even better. Highly recommend this spot!

I "dined" here with a friend based on OpenTable's recommendation "a neighborhood gem". They might as well have called it a neighborhood GYM. It's as close to being a gym as it is a gem! The only redeeming quality about this place is that it has a heat lamp above one of the tables. Request this table, if you are generally cold while eating indoors. Food- (tasty if your favorite condiment is salt, fish cut in cubes ( this was NOT a kebab!) ) Service - (ALWAYS with a grimace) Decor- (shredded wall coverings).

It's always great to support local restaurants that have been around for a very long time. During the summer, this place had a really cool outdoor set up so I had it on my list to visit. On a decently warm winter day, I sat outside to enjoy lunch. I ordered a spicy fish kebab and it was stellar. The flavors were amazing. The rice and the yogurt were well seasoned. For the appetizer, I had the samosas with pumpkin in it and that was bomb too! Wasn't expecting that. What I didn't know was that this place was byob, they don't sell alcohol or charge a corking fee!

Great chicken kebob. Only order take out but every time it's great. Fast delivery would recommend

As an Afghan, I can tell you this place is legit. Very authentic. Only downside is the naan is store bought pita. The ambiance is perfect. Warm and feels like I'm in Afghanistan. The service was decent too. Kabob was very tender. Rice could use a bit of work but very good. Will come back.

The worst attitude, the worst food, the worst everything. I usually would never complain for some things at a restaurant but this place was terrible. Don't waste your time.

Food is delicious, even though the portions are on the smaller side. They need to do better with the bread, like maybe bake it in house because right now it's store-bought pita that you get at halal carts. The service was OK- bare minimum, not very personable or caring toward us, which would have been nice. Seems the old owner just cares about his regular, long-time, older customers.

The food was very good, a bit pricey, but I think on par for NYC. Had the combo kebabs and the okra vegetarian plate, both where very good. This is a family owned place and they were very friendly and attentive. Over great place, just a little pricey for portions severed, again could Just by NYC prices.

Great authentic afghani food. For starters raita with samosas is delicious. Fan of Kabli pulao and lamb chops.

Not my cup of restaurant very dark looked dirty to me very old carpet and table cloth was ripped food was not great know one was there eating there i wonder why

Absolutely delicious. I ordered the tandoori chicken kebab platter and My tastebuds were thrilled. The chicken was very moist and well seasoned and the rice was very flavorful ( option to add carrots and raisins to the rice as well) . A bit on the pricier side but you pay for the quality, so well worth it.

I have walked past this place many many times, as I live in the neighborhood. We decided to finally try it last night and because of the weather we caved in and took a table inside. The restaurant is gorgeous and the owner is a very nice, friendly man who is accommodating and he made some good menu suggestions . My friend had a lamb kebab which he enjoyed very much, and I had a vegetable combo of pumpkin, eggplant and okra. The rice was also delicious. Both entrees came with a very nice salad. The condiments are made in house and they were wonderful. We will be back! Note: it is BYOB.

Great food and good service. Delicious and fresh, and unique compared to other options in the area, which to me are quite redundant and uninteresting, but I guess as a local, that's most of "new" NYC. Sad if this place were to go. :(

The service was interesting, maybe we came in to early for diner, we were not sure they were ready for us, but they gave us menus and we stayed. Food was decent. The rice was good, beef was a bit over cooked, the shrimp was tasty. We enjoyed the appetizer dumpling the most.

So let me start by saying I am Afghan myself. I ordered from Uber eats thanks to a hefty discount. 50 bucks with out it. This meal (if you can even cal it that) is soooooo bad that I wish I would've ordered a mystery burger from McDonald's, at least I'd know what I was getting into. The combo kebab ($22.50) I ate 3. For 22.50 there should be rice, or the kebab as should be layer on a bed of bread a spread of butter, and seasoning. What do you get here? Undercooked chicken, and a few other pieces that fit snug in the same little container you could feet a cat in. Oh, and bland as hell. The tomato and onion barely charred and ZERO seasoning. The aushak (boiled dumplings with filling) was a pile of slop. The "samosas"...LOL...ok, so samoas are a buttery pasty puff casing a veggie or beef stuffing, they are sizeable and 2-3 can easily fill you up. What they have here is: lazy. It a store bough wonton wrap, conservatively stuffed with ground beef. The bolani is the same size as the wannabe samosas...I don't even wanna get started on this one... I really should've looked at the photos online. I would never bring my own family or friends here out of embarrassment. If you're goi g to call yourself an afghan restaurant, at least make everything properly. You can fill someone up on a $7 halal cart and it's tastes miles better than this pile of crap you call Afghan food. Shame on you for ripping people off. If your Afghan/Persian/ middle eastern, skip this place altogether.

Food is amazing- salmon, kebabs, the rice is ON POINT. Love their sauces. Can't wait to try more of their food.

My fiancé loves this spot because he had a little get together with his groomsmen here. It's small but the owners are very accommodating, and it's awesome they have a BYOB policy. Came here to finish some of that wine from his dinner, and hands down best outside Afghan food I have ever had! Homemade will always have a special place in my heart, but this place beats any Afghani restaurant I frequented in the past. The lamb kebabs here are the real deal - no weird after taste or anything. The chicken was very tender and well seasoned, and the rice was made the traditional way and topped with shredded carrots and raisins. I preferred the scallion Bulani appetizer over the potato, but both were yummy. Baklava was absolutely amazing! They make it fresh Great atmosphere and cute decor. Did not get a chance to sample anything else, but left completely satisfied and will return again!

I regret not taking pictures of the delicious dishes my friend and I ordered. We enjoyed the Kabuli Palau, Chicken Korma, okra, and eggplant along with cardamom tea. the rice waa so good we ordered more! Everything was fantastic. Service & food thanks to owner Esmar. He is quick to greet you with a smile so warm you can feel it through the mask. My dining companion who had been coming here for years before he moved out of town was greeted like a long lost friend. Also no problem accommodating my gluten allergy/ celiac because a large part of the menu is naturally gluten free.

Kebabs okay, servings left more to be desired. Chicken korma was inedible. With so many great options in the neighborhood will not be coming back

As someone who has been loyal to afghan kebab house for over ten years, and having left a 5 star review before for their other location, I am extremely disappointed after we just had one of the most underwhelming meals of our life. Safe to say we won't be ordering or eating here anymore. They have completely changed their portions and food and it's just NOT worth your money anymore. For context, We used to order from here regularly (for past ten years) and my husband and I used to share the combo Kabab Kabuli pulao because it was big enough for two people. They used to give generous portions of bread, sauce, and salad on the side. Today we ordered take out after a year or two. The prices have gone up as have all restaurant prices around the city since the pandemic and we fully support the price increases in order for local businesses to stay alive. We happily pay more to support our favorite local restaurants. HOWEVER, this restaurant has halved their portions in addition to raising their prices and it is obvious that they are trying to rip you off. Each of our tiny entrees was over $20. They simply don't care about the food anymore either - the taste and quality have gone down and the worst part was that they don't serve Afghan bread anymore. It's the store bought pita. See attached photos for reference. Sad. They have lost us as loyal customers.

Love Afghan food and this place is one of the best in the city. Rice, my favorite thing, is always spiced so well. If you feel extra get the rice with the carrots and raisins. It's sweet and savory at the same time. Love the food and the salad is pretty standard for Afghan places but always fresh. This place is my go to place for take out as well. Days I just want to Netflix and chill with some yummy food.

Two of my college friends and I went to Afghan Kebab House after volunteering and the server (the owner) was SO RUDE. DO NOT GO HERE. I asked him a question about the difference between the dumpling entree and appetizer. First it looked like he ignored my question because he didn't acknowledge me, not eye contact, and after a weird pause, he said "what do you think is the difference? One is entree one is an appetizer." I replied, "Yes, but what's the serving size difference?" He answered. Then, when my friend was ordering for the table, he made her pronounce all the foods even though she felt uncomfortable. She didn't want to mispronounce the ethnic dishes or be culturally inappropriate. She wanted to point to them but he made her say each item out loud. Then, after we ordered one entree and one appetizer for all three of us to share, he said "that's it?" I replied "We never had Afghan food before, we wanted to try it." He said to think about the number of plates, utensils, napkins used per table and how our order doesn't reflect the number of people being served. He also said "you thought mispronouncing dishes was inappropriate, but this is what's really inappropriate." It's our choice as to how we want to order. In our case, we wanted to share so we can try a new culture's food but we weren't in the mood for a whole meal. I've been to countless restaurants where you can order a bunch of appetizers to split with friends. He said he would "make an exception for our inappropriate order" for today and let us order our 2 items. We decided to cancel our order due to the disrespect from the server. We did not wish to support a business that didn't respect us. Then, as we left he proceeded to complain about us to the other only other customers, 3-4 white adults who were already eating. Thankfully no one else was suffering from not supporting this potentially racist man's business. We were a group of three young college students, all of different ethnic backgrounds. I found out that other students have also faced similar experiences at this restaurant. DO NOT GO HERE. HORRIBLE SERVICE. SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ACTUALLY CARE.

We got denied service because they didn't wanna serve us. I was told they didn't wanna wash the extra spoons and cups. The restaurant also had four other empty tables. The owner was giving us looks from the moment we walked into the restaurant from the kitchen. very rude stuff will never be coming here do not recommend. They took the cup out of my hand as I was about to drink the water. Very racist "you people are like that"

We had a wonderful lunch at this simple place. Food was great, portions generous, prices very reasonable, and everyone working there was delightful. We had chicken and lamb kebobs that were served with very tasty rice and a rice pudding for dessert that was memorable. Will be going back to this restaurant again.

great food, great owner, great relaxed ambiance!! The chicken was unbelievably tender!

Really unique and flavorful food! No wonder this establishment has lasted 39 years. We will definitely be back to try more things on the menu

We had a really nice dinner and enjoyed the flavor of the food. You enter through a double door to a beautifully decorated interior. We were seated right away, only three other tables were occupied. We ordered the spinach and scallion bolance to start. Both were delicious, the scallion tasted similar to a scallion pancake, but the spinach was our favorite. It was nice and crunchy, similar to a turnover and came with a yogurt sauce. They brought the salads before the entrees, which were good, but nothing special. Nice that they include it though. We tried the half spiced chicken and naringe palau for our entrees. They were both very flavorful and good portion sizes. The naringe palau was a nice combination of flavors and textures and I liked the lamb at the bottom under the rice. The half spiced chicken though was my favorite, a perfect blend of spices and just the right amount of spicy. The rice it came with had carrots and raisins and was seasoned with cardamon. It was really flavorful which was a pleasant surprise as rice served with a dish can sometimes lack seasoning. The entrees were divine and I would definitely order them both again. The service was good, friendly, though a bit slow, but nothing egregious. The prices are on the higher side, but well worth the quality and quantity of food you get.

Delicious authentic food in a cozy ambience. The chicken korma is excellent and it is BYOB!

Food was really bad. Everything was really sour. The chicken was under cooked. Not worth the time or effort. The service is terrible. We wanted to try something other than the chicken (because it was sour and under cooked), but the servers would not even come to our table. Will not be returning

this place was amazing! some of the best food i've had in the city and very affordable. great bang for your buck. this place is BYOB with liquor stores near by. the owner was extremely friendly and we enjoyed chatting with him. for an appetizer we started with the aushak ghoushti boiled dumplings filled with scallions, herbs & spices topped with minted yogurt sauce & seasoned ground beef very flavorful, would absolutely order it again. for the main course i had the: kabuli palau chunks of lamb tenderly cooked with herbs and spices under a mound of brown basmati rice, topped with carrots, raisins and almonds incredible, reminds me of my dad's indian lamb dish which is the highest praise. the mint citrus green sauce on the table goes great on this dish, definitely spoon some on top! my husband had the following main course and really enjoyed it as well: chicken korma chunks of boneless chicken tenderly cooked with fresh onions, tomatoes, herbs & spices will absolutely be back!

I usually go to the one in Hells Kitchen, been going there for as long as I can remember. When my family first started ordering the chicken kebab was $8 that's how long it's been. I went to an appointment around this location so I decided to try it instead of heading all the way across town and downtown. Big mistake. It was ok but nothing like the other location. The rice had too much of something, not sure what. The chicken was ok a little salty. The salad was sad and they give a little plastic container of the white sauce where as the other location gives you more. I wouldn't order from them again, especially knowing how good the other location is.

We absolutely love this restaurant! It was our first time here and we are sure we will be back quite regularly. The host and owner was so lovely, friendly, and accommodating of our allergies. The food was also absolutely delicious! Each delicious kabob comes with salad, rice, and bread that is baked on premises straight out of the oven. Our meal was also very fairly priced for NYC.

Amazing. Great staff, great prices. Cosy warm feeling inside. This place will be added to my restaurant rotation.

This gem of a restaurant has been here for 35 years Tried and True. Dinner was wonderful, Flavors were amazing.we enjoyed our dinner very much. Owner is very pleasant and very interesting.

This place is a gem on the Upper East Side. We have tried a variety of dishes and the care and preparation in each one never disappoints. The mix of condiments and sauces is extremely authentic, and the decor of the restaurant to match. The owner is an extremely affable man of great integrity, always willing to engage in a friendly conversation. His restaurant has stood the test of time, and the quality of his meats is testament to this. They also have some interesting vegetarian options. They don't sell alcohol, but have no problem with you bringing your own wine. The portions are very generous and won't disappoint even the hungriest diners. Definitely a place to see in NY - a great night out.

- BYOB - Expect an extremely slow service (40-50 min. for the entrées to be served) - a 2 course dinner lasted for 2 hours as they were slow... - Entrées are good sized portions, with a basic salad (lettuce, one tomato slice, one cucumber slice), afghan bread (similar to nan) & white rice (with carrot & raisins on top). - Mango juice is bottled... - The lamb, chicken & shrimps are tasty & not too dry in the case of the chicken, so good!

Delicious, delicious & delicious! The food is perfect & well appreciated! Must try this place! We have for many years! Service is exceptionally wonderful & the decor is welcoming! Must tey everything on the menu & the price is very reasonable! Hidden gem which needs to be discovered by everyone! Enjoy!

The Afghan Kebab House ll is our favorite go to family restaurant on the upper Eastside. The food is fresh, authentic and delicious. The owner is both a gracious host and a fabulous cook. We've been eating there for 30 years and have never been disappointed. Our favorite dishes include Aushak Ghoushti: boiled dumplings filled with scallions, herbs & spices, topped with mint yogurt sauce & seasoned with ground beef. Lamb Tikka Kebab: chunks of lamb marinated in fresh grated spices, broiled over wood charcoal. And, Palau Kadu: pumpkin cooked with onions, fresh tomatoes, herbs & spices..

A lovely hidden gem! Both me and my friend loved it! It was great from the start! The owner is so friendly and welcoming! Reasonable prices and the food was delicious and GREAT quality! Highly recommend this place! Will come back again!

Fantastic kebabs & vegetarian offerings. Consistent excellence. If you love Greek & Mediteranean food, do not hesitate to order. You will be happy you did. The staff is friendly and kind.

The rice alone is phenomenal- jasmine/saffron, I'm not sure, but wonderfully fragrant and delicious! Chicken kebab and pumpkin turnovers were excellent. A bit far from me in Brooklyn but will definitely return!

We wanted to try something different and they did not disappoint. We ordered a bunch of dishes to share all were great kabob, half a spicy chicken, dumplings, fish and another app i don't remember. One thing i want to note is even though it was takeout everything was packages well, not sloppy and the crunch food was well ventilated to save some of the crunch in travel.

This place is an absolute gem. So cozy...The Owner is the best..so friendly...and the food is outstanding. So much flavor. Fish Kebabs...lamb...the most moist chicken. Oh yeah...did I mention it BYOB! Bring your favorite bottle(s) and friends and enjoy. Moved from NYC over a year ago and this is in the top 5 places we miss eating at on the regular. Love it

This place is the best! A friend and I dropped in - neither of us had been here before. The restaurant is smallish and the decor is lovely. It was crowded with one gentleman serving everyone but we never felt like we were waiting. Started with the spinach fritters (forgot what they called them on the menu) which were crispy and spinach-y. I ordered the pumpkin entree which was sweet (I think a bit of coconut) and savory. The rice was cooked beautifully and the salad which I didn't realize we got was also delicious - although I'm not a fan of iceberg lettuce. We'll be back! Thanks, sir.