Afghan Kitchen

Would definitely recommend. The food is outstanding and very well priced. Ordered plenty of food for 3 for 2 for £62 including service charge, with a glass of wine each. I recommend trying the aubergines, the butternut squash and the lamb with potatoes. Venue is cash only, there are plenty of ATM around.

🇦🇫 Afgahn Kitchen 📍Islington, London, N1 8DU Nestled between a coffee shop and a barber shop, Afghan Kitchen is easy to walk past- minimal branding, plain white exterior. I stumbled upon it thanks to Lily Allen via the Off-Menu podcast. With Nat Geo's food festival already on the day’s agenda, dinner here felt inevitable. Angry men worried about Big Brother’s cashless conspiracy- your next meeting spot is sorted. Afghan Kitchen is CASH ONLY. While that may catch some diners off guard, the Tesco Express ATM is a short walk away. As a white British man who’s never stepped foot in Afghanistan (though one day, I hope), my knowledge of the cuisine is limited. I expected big flavours- and got them. From their very small menu (do little, do it well), I chose Chicken in yoghurt, Rice, and Afghan Chutney. I would’ve ordered more but I was alone and rationing my £20. The chicken fell apart under the gentle push of the spoon- moist and tender. Moist. Moist. Sorry. Moist. The yoghurt sauce delivered a chorus of herbs and spices I couldn’t name but enjoyed with every bite. The rice? Good rice. I’m no expert. The chutney left me confused until I asked- a punch of coriander, walnuts, vinegar. Might be "too much" for some, but without it, I’d have wanted something to cut through the richness. The Afghans clearly know best. Food is pre-prepped fresh, chilled, and heated to order (yes, probably microwaved. Mouth-burning levels). Not a complaint, just fact. Seating? Two tables. Expect to share. If that’s not your vibe, don’t go. For me, it added to the ‘home-cooked’ experience. With a coffee, chicken, rice, chutney, and baghlava (a little dry- but maybe that’s me), the bill came to £20.50. A 10% optional service charge caught me out, as I’d drawn exactly £20. £20 was paid. I’d love to try more Afghan spots- maybe one day, even under the Silk Road sun in Kabul!

Good food! This small family run restaurant is a great option for dinner in Islington! The food is delicious and has a lovely home-made quality about it. Come early or make a booking!!

We got a few things to share. The lamb with potatoes was a favorite of the table. Everyone loved the aubergine, it was a bit spicy for me but I can’t handle any spice. I absolutely loved the lentil dall, so delicious. We got chicken with yogurt and this one was interesting. It tasted quite minty. I wish we had more of the lamb instead. Normally I like mint but this wasn’t my exact favorite. But everything else was incredible! Baklava is not too sweet, it was nice. It’s a popular spot, you will probably share your table. It’s worth it!

This place is amazing, the menu is simple and straightforward. I've never tried afghan food before but it felt like home cooking

So wonderful to eat at the Afghan Kitchen again after several years. It's just as delicious as I remembered. Healthy and unique menu, great for vegetarians and meat eaters alike, with a lovely atmosphere. Full and busy but quick and efficient service. Will definitely be back.

I love this restaurant. Great food, affordable prices and nice service. We got the chicken with yoghurt and the lamb with spinach. Both were great, my partner liked the lamb with spinach more. I think the chicken was my favourite though. The chicken had a strong mint flavour, which I like, but some people might find it a bit too strong. We got rice as a side. Service is friendly. If you go, please note that it’s a cash only restaurant. We were already aware of it, but there’s an ATM nearby. It’s a tiny restaurant, but cosy. I booked in advance because it was a Saturday lunch, but wasn’t full. This is a place I’ll come back when I’m around in Angel.

Support your local community spot. It's delicious here, food comes quick and with love. The slow cooked lamb and potatoes is my all tine favourite. It's characterful inside and a close quarters dining experience in the evening or nice and quiet day time. Both is nice.

Good food! This small family run restaurant is a great option for dinner in Islington! The food is delicious and has a lovely home-made quality about it. Come early or make a booking!!

Affordable and tasty - a great place for a lunch break. It may look like a takeaway place but you can actually sit down and eat. As you walk in, you only see one communal table, but there is more tables upstairs. The menu is very straightforward. Four veggie options and four meat/ fish ones. You get a side of rice with your main. That's all. We had a aubergine dish, a daal and a fish stew. Aubergine was a bit bland, but everything else was good.

I went back here with a friend for lunch, who has never eaten here, and overall had a mixed experience. She enjoyed her chicken main (excellent sauce!) and I my pumpkin with yogurt main. Spicy and tasty. I appreciate the waitress gave me a yogurt side on the tours. The lentil dal was alright but I much prefer the smoky taste and potency of Dishoom's dal. This had a slight peanut butter flavour, which was just odd (and I LOVE PB). The biggest downer of our meal was the ATROCIOUS baklava. Stale and sour, we each took one bite and put it down. It was apparently made the day before and the taste showed that. Bleh Also dinking a star for cash only. We knew that going in and had cash ready, but in 2023 it's dodgy and unacceptable to not accept card. Especially post-COVID! Service was also middling- had to grab the waitress' attention twice.

This place was great! This was our first time having Afghan food so I cannot speak to how authentic it was but what I can say is it was delicious. I had the chicken and my dad had the lamb with spinach, which he said he enjoyed. The chicken was so tender and in this almost pesto style yogurt with hints of lemon. It was very mildly spicy. Be sure to get bread to sop up the extra sauce because you'll definitely want to! Also, every dish was under £10, which is fantastic! Just proves that cheap food absolutely does not mean bad food.

Get there early, but be ready to just sit and enjoy a fantastic (and quickly served meal) with a friend. Great for a cathch-up or date night. Tougher to squeeze in a large group. Despite filling up quite fast and being busy, they didn't rush us and even let us slip in another wine although our booking was far past over. The decor is odd in that it has almost no warmth, just tables and water. The back feels a bit deli-esque. But they get the job done and really it's clean as heck and that's all that matters to me. Also, get the warm bread, it's soooo worth it, and the squash.

Super simple. Super yummy. Definitely going back! We had the spinach with lamb, chicken in yoghurt, sweet potatoes and bread. Favourite was the chicken as it was super tender, but everything was deliciously. However when I go back I will order rice and not the bread as my friend and I felt the bread was a little bit hard and we felt rice would've been better to soak up all of the yummy sauces. Oh, and we finished off with the baghlava...also yummy and nutty.

This could easily be a 4 Star review if some minor things changed. The food is good and not super overpriced, although I do feel like four pieces of pumpkin for 7£ is a bit ridiculous... all together we ordered the lamb with spinach, the fresh bread, the rice, a side of yogurt, the pumpkin with yogurt and the afghan pickled vegetables. All was good, but based on the food alone, not worth a visit in my opinion. The woman who "greeted" us was not very friendly and seemed annoyed when we weren't ready to order when she sat us, but the woman who actually took care of us was very prompt, professional and kind. When we went to pay downstairs the girl prepping all the food didn't say or do a thing for us after we asked to pay, she just said "ok." The actual dining experience was pretty atrocious. I would say most people eat family style here, which means you need some table space for multiple plates coming. It is communal table seating, which didn't really bother me at first, but tables that should seat 6, they crammed 9 people (4 different parties) at which made the dinning experience stressful and awkward. Tip: as soon as you get your food pile everything onto your plates, then stack all the plates together so your waitress can take them immediately. To paint the picture of how crammed it was, the lady's utensils next to me had to overlap mine and our water glasses were completely touching. This may sound dramatic but when you are trying to reach for food or your beverage, you need to do so cautiously to avoid any spilling or accidentally taking someone else's food. Since there are only 5 tables in the entire restaurant, 3 being upstairs and 2 downstairs, I would definitely call ahead of time for any size party. I wouldn't say this is for elderly since it is stool seating and I didn't see any high chairs for children, definitely very small to bring in strollers. The food does come out very quick, so if you're hungry, in the area and feeling for Afghanistan style cuisine, I would say try this place out! Seems like they are not very busy before 7:30PM and could be a pleasant dining experience. They do have some cheap bottles of wine available!

This is a tiny place semi-hidden in the Angel area, if you are not paying attention it is likely you will walk past it. Though there are two floors there is very little seating; also the menu is quite small. The few items they do have, however, are all delicious. I liked the dal and the rice, and my favorite was the lamb and least (but still tasted pretty good) was the fish. For me the place felt home-y - the energy and the food.

My first attempt at Afghan food, and I wasn't disappointed. This is a tiny place with little to none ambience, but the pre-cooked food (it's in a showcase so you can have a look before you order) is very tasty and not unlike Pakistani food, and yet a little different. The dishes I had weren't too spicy, so if you like it hot order the pickles on the side - they have a bit more kick! The chicken in yoghurt was very nice, and the pumpkin a must have from my perspective - they use "spaghetti pumpkins" (you'll see what I mean) with a pleasant sweetness and interesting texture - excellent. Unfortunately the fresh bread wasn't available, but the rice wasn't bad either. Certainly worth a visit!

The Afghan Kitchen in Islington is a great place to grab lunch. The space is small and you can sit on the ground or first floor. The space is designed to be communal and when it is crowded you'll find yourself sharing a table, which I don't mind. The staff is friendly and the food arrives quickly. I really enjoyed the lamb, which I'm noticing I order out a lot. It must be because it is one of the few meats I rarely make at home, so I always have a bit of a craving when I'm out. The lamb with spinach was very good and I was able to enjoy it with a mint tea. The combination was a delight and since the food arrived quickly I was able to enjoy a great lunch and get back to enjoying a sunny winter day.

I got the pumpkin with yogurt for takeaway. It's a very cramped place on the lower floor so you'll have to squeeze by the counter where at least you can see the food you're eating. It's cash only which is just stupid so dinking them one star for that. Now the pumpkin. For starters, it's spicy. I wish I had known this beforehand as I never would have ordered it =(. I need tubs of yogurt to eat it and I've only had three bites so far. There are three large pumpkin chunks in the dish. As opposed to what others have said, I didn't find it stringy at all. The roasted aubergines in the case look amazing but glad I didn't order them as I might find myself in the same situation as the pumpkin.

This place is small. very small. Be prepared to dodge or knock a few people over on your way in. Bring your angry glaring eyes along, you'll need them to pressure people into getting up and leaving in a hurry once they're done eating. Also bring a large appetite. Afghan kitchen serves hearty, rich, yummy food, with 4 or so veggie options. I've not come across many places that salt and butter their rice (so rich!). It works wonderfully with the earthy mung dal and the bean-chickpea in yogurt sauce. Oh so delicious and satisfying! don't forget to order a side of pickles. I'd probably skip the baklava (why do they call it baghlava?) the next time.

Brilliant little gem just off Upper St in Angel! I'm continuously surprised at the quality and diversity of food options up in this yuppie haven, but very happy to be so. Afghan Kitchen, as the name suggests, provides a limited but delicious range of Afghan specialities. And I'm not kidding about the limited part - there are 4-5 starters, 4 meat mains, 4 veggies mains, and an attempt at dessert. The first thing you need to do is order the bread. This is baked fresh from the time you order and is so popular that people will wait up to 30 mins to ensure they have it with their meal. I kid you not, the couple sitting in front of us were insistent and said one of the main reasons they come to AK is for the bread alone! It's a fluffy naan like bread that comes out piping hot and covered in butter - absolutely amazing. For the mains, I'll recommend the yoghurt chicken, the fish, and the pumpkin. I should mention that all this food has been prepared that day and is in massive serving dishes in a glass case on the ground floor. They will then nuke the food you order to get it hot and ready for you. Normally, any place that nukes food would be an instant veto, but AK manages to serve up incredible flavours despite the microwaving. I can understand why they do this, it's a small location and some of these dishes require hours of cooking to get the flavours just right. Back to the food! The chicken was very tender and juicy with a spiced yoghurt sauce. With just a bit of heat, it satisfies your need for decadent creaminess without sucking up all the flavours. The fish was seared and served in a chilli gravy. It was cooked perfectly with flaky flesh and vibrant chillies coming together in each succulent bite. The pumpkin appears simple but had a kick to it. I'm not sure if they sprinkle chilli on it before roasting but the combination of sweet and spicy is truly excellent. Between two of us, we finished of about 4 mains (the 4th being a cauliflower dish) and 1.5 loaves of bread which came to around £40. We were absolutely stuffed to the gills though so an all-you-can eat for £20? Yep I'm in anytime!

What do you fancy tonight? Um, Afghan? Afghanistanian* cuisine is probably not the first choice for most, but then they haven't been to the Afghan Kitchen. The first time I went here, I didn't really know what to expect. I ate one of their pickled gherkin things and the top of my head exploded. Note: Afghan food is spicy. The second time I was prepared. I tried the chicken, the lamb, the amhuazing pumpkin and the veggie dahl thing. The chicken sauce was the tastiest, the pumpkin I could have eaten all week and the bread, you'll need your own, DON'T SHARE! The only downside is the food is already prepared, so you can't add anything or make any changes. The menu is small, so don't go here with a picky eater. In fact, don't eat out with picky eaters at all. Life is short and those people are whingers. *Afghanistanian, I made that up. I don't know what they call it.

What an awesome little place. The restaurant is tiny, as is the menu, but don't let that be a deterrence. Get there early enough to get a table, and don't sweat the decision on what to order. There are about 10 options total, and in one visit I tried around half of them. Every single one was tasty and satisfying. I liked the chicken best, but both lamb options and the fish were really good as well. Order extra bread- at the end of the meal you'll need it, as you won't want to leave any sauce behind.

Last night I had my first meal in the Afghan Kitchen and every single glorious bite I was kicking myself for not booking a table sooner. It was spicy. It was meaty. It was saucy. It was tiny and unpretentious both in menu and in the actual size of the restaurant, and I loved every minute of it. I was lucky enough to visit with a group of adventurous eaters so we each ordered something different and before we knew it, an array of lamb, chicken, fish, pumpkin, beans, bread and rice was spread out over the table. Each main was £5 to £6.50, so we ordered a few extras. We noshed, we scarfed, we did everything one would do when deeply enjoying a satisfying meal (save licking our plates... although this may have in fact happened...) and I left happy, full, satisfied, and with a burning tongue, but without burning a hole in my wallet. Does it get any better?

Wooooooaah, my mouth is on fire! (sing to the KoL hit 'Sex Is On Fire') Yup, there is sweat building up underneath my lower lashes and tears trickling down my face. If you ever need to kill a cold, a visit to Afghan Kitchen can do the trick. The menu isn't extensive and they make it all fresh in big pots every evening so don't go asking for the dish without onions or peppers as they'll just look at you like you're speaking a different language. The whole place is pretty crowded which I quite like. Makes it nice and cosy. Perfect for a date. Just a note, bring cash, they don't take card. I'm a fan and in Islington you can do a lot worse than this... there is Desperados!

Divine, unique curries (I'm a meat-eater but try the veg offerings, they're quite something) great location, somewhat expensive. The service has never been great (either grumpy but quick enough, or kind but suuuper slow) and their seating is very limited. With that said, their food is so. fecking. good. it outweighs all the disadvantages - including the fact that it's a little pricey (the rice especially - holy moly).

As I write this, I'm experiencing a food coma induced by the deliciousness that was my Afghan Kitchen dinner. My friend who's leaving London suggested this quaint place as he had heard so much about it but never experienced it. We almost walked past the giant picture window with a clear view of the one large communal table and a smaller one on the side of the ground floor of this cozy restaurant. Bottom line: few dishes, few ingredients, but blasted with the right spices and flavour combinations. Simple. Delicious. We ordered the lamb and potatoes (heavenly), chicken in yoghurt (with just the right amount of kick) along with sides of bread and buttery rice (divine). Washed it all down with cold glasses of water (which we shared with our table neighbors across the way) and I had a lovely (yet surprisingly small) glass of fresh orange-carrot juice. As others have said, this place isn't one where you linger around after a meal, but it does take some time whilst waiting for your food, so you can have your conversation then :) And at the time we went, there was the cutest baby sharing the table and her presence, smiles, and giggles charmed everyone at the table and all the passers by. I may have to go back again to try some of the veggie dishes - aubergine and pumpkin, yum!

It really pains me to give a low star review for a local, independent Afghan restaurant. Long story short, the food was just alright compared to my fabulous past experiences with the cuisine. Service was quick and friendly, and although small, the room felt homey despite the stark white decor. I think there is additional seating upstairs, but I would say that a large part of their business must come from take away. My first problem was when I was asked if I wanted to take away cold, or have it microwaved. What!? Do the mountain tribes or families of Kabul zap their food and shiver the molecules into friction, or do they toss it around a pan on a fire, like any decent cook would insist upon. Right? Who wants microwaved food? I took it cold, and warmed it up on the hob in five minutes. C'mon. Next, the Afgan bread I've previously enjoyed has a light,waffly crisp on the outside and slightly gooey dough on the innards, perfect for scooping rice or mopping up the juices. This bread was whole wheat, which made is dense and heavy, and it was so rubbery I had a hard time tearing it, and by the time I had, most of the sesame and poppy seeds were all over the floor. And finally, although the lamb was perfectly marinated and quite delecious, the spinach and eggplant dishes were completely saturated in oil, so much so that my skin felt like it had a sheen by the end. All this considered, it wasn't terrible. We ate it all, it did taste good, and were reasonably satisfied.. we just don't feel the need to do it again soon. also .. 3.50 for plain white rice?! No.

Being a fan of indian and persian cuisine, I was positively surprised by my visit at Afghan kitchen. The apparent paucity of seats provides a very family-like, popular feeling. Indeed you get to sit next to complete strangers, bewildered at what they're eating, and asking them for recommendations. The food in itself is great. Apart from the rice and bread, the richness of all dishes in terms of texture and taste makes it one of my best culinary experiences this year. "Sarah's" dish is delicious, if you like beans and the like. The borani, with long simmered pumpkins is also great, but the best dish we took was the chicken "curry" (Murgh something...). Service is also very friendly and does not make you feel you're in a hurry, although it gets quite packed ! I can't wait to go there again and try out some new things ! Enjoy !

I had no idea this place existed until a friend of mine suggested eating here before our show at Angel comedy. We got there a bit early around 6:30 and got seated right away. We ordered the lentils, lamb with spinach, pumpkin with yogurt and a side of rice. We really wanted the bread and they said it's only available from 7 onwards. My friend and I both ordered the carrot juice which tasted so fresh and good. Everything came up quite quickly and thought 3 dishes to share at first seemed like it might not be enough but it was so filling. The pumpkin was really good and make sure you scoop up all the yogurt. The lentils were quite hearty and had a very moorish taste to it. My favorite was the lamb with spinach. Perfectly cooked and went so well with the spinach. Shortly after we started eating the bread arrived! It was quite a thick loaf of bread and sizzling hot so you gotta let it cool a bit before trying to cut a piece off. It went extremely well with the lentils and great to soak up all the sauces afterwards. Will definitely be back to try some of the other dishes!

I loved this place--especially that ridiculous yogurt chicken where I could have licked the plate. Eggplant was fab as was the squash and oh the bread! Better to go during the weekdays--it was getting a bit loud and rowdy upstairs on a Saturday night. And get ready to get cozy with your neighbor--all community tables and tightly packed in. But for some interesting food and a feeling of home-Afghan cooking this place is excellent. Warning: not a lot of options on the menu.

Pretty bad: 1. *very rude waitress* -- she got our order wrong (it was the neighbouring table's dish) and impatiently insisted that she was right. Patrons next to us were amazed at her rudeness. We considered leaving. 2. Food only mediocre, cramped tables, noisy due to small space. 3. Rice extremely overpriced at 3.50! Not very good. Street full of better choices.

The place: small and quaint. The food: simple and delicious. It is the simplicity of the place, the unfussiness of the menu and its presentation which makes this place so delightful. I had their suzhi gosht, a lamb and spinach stew. The meat was surprisingly tender, breaking off and melting straight into my mouth. Their chicken and potato dish was also just as comforting to eat. I topped all these wonderful flavours off with a piece of honey drenched baklava. Just the right way to end this delicately pleasing meal.

This is one of my favourite restaurants in London. I was taken here a while back by a boy I was dating and based on restaurant choice alone he raised himself quite considerably in my estimations. It was also an incredibly enjoyable evening, enhanced by the layout of the restaurant, which is bare, light and simple with communal benches. After waiting a while for a place (always a good sign) we were seated almost cheek to cheek with another group. Far from ruining the romance, we all ended up chatting and swapping them some of our chicken in yogurt for their lamb and spinach stew. As the prices are so reasonable, it's perfect for ordering a few dishes, pick and mix style. There are only a few dishes on the menu and everything is displayed in the café style counter on the ground floor. This means with a group any larger than two you can try almost every delicious dish on the menu, either by ordering it yourself or asking your neighbors for a bit of theirs. The staff are friendly but busy and I would eat here every day if I could.

This place is the place you go to when you want to jazz up a home-cooked meal, and you also are not sure if you want to wear pants at all during the evening. It's as big as a living room and they only have like 8 dishes in total, which is why if you want to show up looking like a tragedy on legs in need for some lemon yogurt chicken, here you can. I really like it a lot! Try the bread, the chicken and the lamb with spinach :) You'll spend about 20 a head with drinks!

Came here as part of my birthday shenanigans this year. The service was a little harried but the food is great. I've wandered past before, and been drooly through the window over their giant naan breads that were heaped with seeds and glistening with yumminess. The bread was crunchy and lovely as expected, and the veggie curries also great - quite Indian-y to my palette (but I guess it's not too far geographically anyway)! I preferred the kidney beans to the pumpkin, as the latter was more stringy than expected... The menu is v simple and I'm not sure I'd return as I think this is v close to home-cooking for me, but nice to try :)

You can almost miss this great little stop walking down Upper Street if it is not your final destination - but, wow, what a find! Don't be put off in you peak inside if there are no seats as there is also an upstairs. The menu selection, as other reviews have noted, is limited but I find this to be helpful when ordering one of everything to share. As the seating is a bit limited, this isn't somewhere you'd want to bring a whole load of friends (I'd prefer somewhere like Tayaab's in Whitechapel for that) - but if you're looking for a yummy, flavourful meal - to change it up for the pub filled Essex Road - this is your stop. Especially great for vegetarian friends! Must tries: sweet pumpkin and aubergines. Yum!

I was really excited to try this place out - I don't have a lot of experience with afghani food, but what I've had has been great. This was was not so great. First off, we got take away. Maybe this was the wrong move, but living literally a block away, we figured not much could go wrong in transit. The food came cold, with them offering to warm it up in the microwave. Now, I'm not naive, I know restaurants do this all the time, but I don't want to know about it. And, with the soupy, saucy food they serve, and the limited menu, I don't understand why there aren't big pots of each item simmering all day. So we declined the zapping, and heated them on the hob at home. Really took some of the fun out of take-out. We had an eggplant dish, which, although quite tasty, was swimming in oil. Really too much for this little tummy. The lamb and spinach was pleasing in a comforting sort of way, but not something I would want to eat more than a few spoonfuls of - just one of those tastes. For me, the biggest disappointment was the bread. I've had good afghani bread before and remember it being fluffy and tender. This bread was wholemeal, which though healthier perhaps, really wasn't what I was looking for. It was also incredibly tough. After cooling down just a little, it became ridiculous to try to chew. We ended up throwing almost all of it away. A sad story, I know.

We ordered take away (because our conference skimped on veggie offerings) and went back to the Business Design Center. We were quite upset to find that after starving at the conference our food was cold! Baklava was good.

AFGHAN KITCHEN-although lacking in any traditional Afghan designs or motifs is a pleasent enough place to eat in at any time of the day. The Jade-Green Walls,shared Pine-tables and lots of light create an atmosphere of being honest and sincere. The menu is not very extensive -it consists of 4 meat dishes and 4 vegetarian dishes all pre-prepared and very mild tasting often featuring yoghurt as one its main ingredients. I had the Lamb with Spinach which was flavourful,succulent and very filling. The vegetarian dishes are very similar to Tapas in terms of ingredients were ample. Its a good idea to eat at the Afghan Kitchen in a large group because the establishment's style of serving dishes means that you are going to get through copius amount of Pumpkin with spiced Yoghurt-it is tasty but can get repetitive. In my opinion it is better suited as a side dish,but in Afghanistan thats how they serve it. The bowls of fluffy rice and warm fresh bread are an excellent way to mop up any of the juices that are left over on your plate. Afhan Kitchen is no place to linger because not only does it get overcrowded but the staff are hard to engage in polite conversation. I think its a good standby for a quick cheap bite - a change from the norm i.e English greasy spoon cafe food or the fish and chip shop.

Love this place! Cheap and cheerful with a buzzing atmosphere! I restaurant is quaint and small on the inside so expect a bit of a wait for a table, but well worth it!

With such a small menu (the same 5 or 6 main dishes are offered daily), they do each thing extremely well. The yogurt chicken is legendary. The smallish dining area is usually packed, so luckily there is takeaway. Cash only.

It was a Thursday around lunch time and we were hungry! It was cold outside so the Tesco Metro sarnies just weren't gonna cut it We turn the corner and there is a chorus a drunken howl from Islington Green I flinch and we turn ready to flee but lo and behold the Afghan Kitchen steps in our way and sizes us up, shoving a menu under our noses. Could this be it is this the answer to our calls for a warm meal? Yes, it was taaaaasssty! No fuss, just good food. nice

Bright, stylish and simply decorated decor giving a lovely sense of space and cleanliness. Food was on the rich and filling side with a selection of meat curries cooked with yoghurt and further veggie options made with lentils, beans, aubergines and other veggies. A simple menu which lists a small but good selection of rice and bread sides. Desserts are simply a three options selection (can be mixed) of baklavas. Reasonale prices and friendly, caring service. Recommended!

As a partner of a vegetarian we really like this place. My wife always finds something tasty on the menu that is vegetarian from the start, not some meat-based meal deprived of the meat. It serves great comfort food and in my mind is a perfect cold day retreat, not so great on a warm night in summer. But how many of those do we get in London? We do find it hard to get in sometimes.

Make sure you keep looking inside all the windows when you are walking towards afghan kitchen ... otherwise you will miss it. Its very small and doesn't even have a big sign-board. This restaurant is different in many ways than most i have seen. 1. Probably one of the smallest i have been to. 2. Definitely the smallest menu i have seen. Dal, 2 veg dishes, 2 lamb dishes, 1 chicken dish and 1 fish dish ... and you are done. Evidently they do little ... but what they do they do great. The dal is thick and tasty ... the lamb with potatoes is the best lamb i have eaten in london ... the rice looks and tastes great ... and the serving quantity is huge (just take a look at the bread). One rice and one dish of curry will over-stuff you. The food is very different from the Punjabi-Pakistani fare that you might be used to in Indian restaurants ... closer to East Indian food (at least in the abundance of milk/yoghurt used in cooking the curry). This is the only place in London where i can say that the food tasted "homely". In spite of the lack of vegetarian options, even my veggie friends loved it. I don't know any other afghan restaurant and have little clue about afghan food. I am giving them 4 stars in the hope that some day they will expand their selection a bit and i can taste more afghan dishes (that day i will gladly upgrade them to 5 stars :) ) By the way ... remember to book before hand. It gets very crowded. Also its closed on sundays and mondays.

The Afghan kitchen is true Islington gem! It is a tiny non discript little place that you can easily pass by and not notice. That is exactly what I have been doing to it for the past 3 years. Andalsa a couple of months ago discovered it. I was surprised at how sparse the decor was, it was minimalist, but i came to the realization that it was so in the most pleasant sense and thus makes the food and the service the focus of the visit. The menu as advertised is "traditional Afghan Home cooking" and I can vouch for that after having lived with Afghans for 5 years. The menu consists of no starters, just main courses which are divided into a canrnvourous section and a Vegetarian section. All the dishes can be seen behind the Deli like counter steaming away, thus making it easy for new comers to decide. Along with the curries you will see a little assortment of bowls with homemade Afghan pickles, which are just lovely (salty and tangy) and chutney. On my last trip I had Lavand-e-Murgh which is a lovely boneless chicken pieces in an aromatic yogurt gravy. I had this with an order of their rice (even that was so yummy, it could be eaten on its own). I cannot put into word how flavourful the curry was, it is typical of a an afghan dish ,which consists of aromatic herbs and very few spices. Spices are predominantly used in south and East Asia, the Afghans,use herbs and salt and can do wonders with that. If you are looking for a spicy food, forget this place and Afghan food, it is not spicy ! The restaurant over all gets a thumbs up from me ! It has simple flavourful food, my only qualm would be that it is very small and thus eating in is usually something I opt out of. It is a must try if you would like to try a new cuisine!

Just came back from Afghan Kitchen. Was with 3 other friends and we all were enthusiastically pleased with our experience. the food was all excellent. I am happy when a restaurant chooses to offer only a select amount of dishes, therefore making the hard decision of what not to get. Food prices were more than reasonable, and portions were generous. We tried almost all of the dishes. I would say the standouts were the Chicken, aubergines, and pumpkin. The lamb and spinach had a mild flavor, but I think it was a good contrast with the rest of the flavorful dishes. The dining space is a bit cramped, and it got very loud in there as each table was trying to talk over the next, but this may be its only flaw. We ended up talking to the guys next to us and were commenting on each other's dishes, even sampling, which made the environment very friendly. Not sure about their bottle policy, the wine there was also quite crap. I am mad at myself for not trying this place sooner.

Not sure what all these bad reviews are about... A special lady once referred me to the place and I haven't looked back since...Sure, it's a bit cramped for eating in but maybe London people need to get over their extreme fear of having their personal space invaded once in a while. Takeout is quick since all they do is heat it up, and my one complaint is that the rice is massively overpriced..Easy fix for this: cook the rice at home, yeah? Try it out anyway.

Excellent delicious food. Service a bit hectic & rushed. Dining space tiny & cramped.

Excellent. Top tips - Book a table in advance! Or call ahead for takeaway Bring cash Food is amazing and surprisingly cheap. I'll definitely be back!

An amazingly delicious and simple menu. We would go to AK more if the place wasn't so tiny and always packed. They also do not take reservations. You're left either going very early or waiting for a quite a long time to grab a seat. Despite this, it is one of the better restaurants in Angel.

This was a great introduction to Afghan food! The dishes were all amazing, I had the lamb with spinach, rice & pumpkin with yoghurt & fresh bread. The spices and flavours were quite simple but incredibly delicious and cooked so well! The menu is quite small, but don't fret, I'm sure each dish will wow you.

Afghan Kitchen is located opposite Islington Green, its quite nondescript in that you may end up walking past it, so keep a look out for it!. Its a small restaurant spread over two floors, it gets quite busy, so get there early or book in advance or do a takeaway, the food is persian, so its spicy, but damn DELICIOUS. Service is good, staff are polite, thoroughly enjoyed the meal and atmosphere. will go back again. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I love it honestly. Cheap, cheerful, handsome portion sizes. What is not to love? Some people just don't like having to sit next to others, me personally, I'm not fussed. I like the food. Better for lunch than dinner.

I went with a couple of friends to the Afghan Kitchen recently. Wasn't sure what to expect, but I was positively surprised by the quality of the food. It's a perfect restaurant for sharing, so we all had different dishes and could try pretty much everything on the menu. The bread is freshly baked and can sometimes take a while to arrive, but don't be put off by it, the bread is simply wonderful. Many of the dishes do contain yoghurt, so you might want to give the yoghurt drink a miss and opt for a different beverage! The best way to describe it is like a liquid tzatziki... Anyway, the food was delicious and also reasonably priced. It's not the biggest restaurant, so you might have to wait for a while, so it's better to book a table. DONT FORGET _ CASH ONLY

One of my favorite restaurants in London. Although is a small place and you have to share the table, the food is amazing, the prices are really convenient and is a type of food you dont get everywhere. You cant leave without trying the pumpkin with yogurt sauce, the best option by far!