Balkh Shish Kabab House

Nice and friendly halal Afghan spot with delicious and juicy kababs. We ordered the boneless chicken kabab platter, a combo platter of boneless chicken and beef, and lamb chop platter. For appetizers we ordered the mantu and bolanee. All the food was very flavorful and filling. This restaurant seems simple and cozy, not over the top and expensive. Service was great! It was very cool being able to watch the chef out front making the food in the big oven.

BEST AFGHAN FOOD IN THE CITY. …wow. No words. I’ve heard raving reviews but man did this exceed the hype. Coming from a pasthun background I like to think I know the cuisine and man oh man it did not disappoint. The kabuli plau is cooked so well and the meat is the most succulent you’ll ever have. The bolani ia crisped to perfection. The bread is so fresh. Such a quaint and beautiful ambiance. You’re greeted with grandiose yet traditional seating. The prices are AMAZING especially in comparison to the portion sizes. Owner and Staff are so nice and welcoming. They’ve been open in the same location for OVER 28 YEARS and it’s no surprise!! 🇦🇫🇦🇫

We stumbled upon this place while in Long Island and the food was amazing. Really fresh and flavorful. Bilal was our host and he was great. This is the only Afghani place I’ve ever been that has an authentic seating option. So comfy, so cute. Will be back soon.

I came from upstate. It is very conveniently located by the Triboro bridge. Very authentic Afghani food at very reasonably priced. On the top of that great friendly service. Now I have to keep coming and I highly recommend this place for family treat👍

I’ve been coming here since I was 6 years old!! Which makes it about 30 years now 😳😳💛 I no longer live in Astoria but make the very long drive to enjoy my absolute favorite Afghan food - probably ever. The food is so authentic and the flavors have never changed! I highly recommend their rice dishes especially the chicken kebab. My husband always gets the combo it’s so much food for a reasonable price. The ownership has never changed it tells you a lot about the place. Please don’t ever leave 💛💛

Absolutely love this spot. Food is amazing and very economically priced. Authentic no frills Afghani food. Old school decor (which I absolutely love) same furniture for the last 12 years, gives it a vintage & authentic feel. They have another location in Long Island which is bigger (i haven't been there yet) During peak hours the service can be a bit slow (there is only 1 waiter). I have dined here about 20 times and everything is GREAT. The sambosa's, the combo plate, the lamb shank, the curries, the different kebabs, all the sauces and the desserts are amazing.

I used to visit this place once a week when I lived in Astoria and the food was always incredible. I never took the time to leave a review but the owner was gracious and very warm. I loved the kabab and their rice was incredible. The restaurant is very plain in decor but that belies an authenticity from the people who run the place—if you are looking for a great meal, Try it out!

A Hidden Gem of Flavor and Warmth – Balkh Kebab House is a Must-Try! Balkh Kebab House is an absolute delight! From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with warm hospitality and the comforting aroma of authentic Afghan cuisine. The restaurant is clean, welcoming, and perfect for a casual meal or a cozy dinner with friends and family. The food? Incredible. Every dish is made with care and packed with flavor. The kebabs are perfectly grilled—tender, juicy, and seasoned just right. I highly recommend the chicken and lamb kebabs, but honestly, everything on the menu is a hit. The rice is fragrant and fluffy, the naan is fresh and warm, and the chutneys add a perfect kick of spice and freshness. What I especially love is how healthy and hearty the food is. You can taste the quality of the ingredients, and the balance of protein, grains, and vegetables makes for a satisfying and nourishing meal. If you’re looking for a place that serves delicious, authentic food with a side of genuine hospitality, Balkh Kebab House is the spot. Highly recommended!

Balkh Shish Kabab House I've watched your business grow from the early days. Rich tastes complemented by attentive service. The team shows sincere workplace satisfaction. Some of the best food I have ever eaten in my life. Try this restaurant as soon as possible.

This restaurant has my favorite lamb shank and salmon kabobs. It's so succulent and delicious! You can't go wrong. Give it a try! Happy Yelping!

Delicious, fresh, flavourful, expertly cooked and seasoned Afgani food! An Astoria gem of a small business. Beef samosas were scrumptious! Freshly made, crunchy exterior, and paired well with any of the sauces on the table (red, green, and the yoghurt mint one). For my main I had the combo kebab plate, and asked for the added carrots and raisins on top of the rice, which I'd recommend and only costs $1 more. It also came with a simple house salad, which was good and fresh. The chicken was marinated and perfectly seasoned and cooked, a true delight. The kebobs were also perfections, not overly fatty like some other restaurants. Juicy and tender and really hits the spot. For dessert I had the Firny, which is a rice pudding, and for only $3 which is an absolute steal. Creamy, sweet but not too sweet, floral and light. Customer service was absolutely great from the moment we walked in, the staff were smiling and friendly and professional. Food came out super quick and prices are fair. It felt good supporting a small business like this one, an Astoria institution that has been around for almost 30 years now. Do yourself a favor and try it out!

This is one of the best Afghan places in NYC and has actually been open since 1997. It is not a fancy place, but is a place to get some high quality and authentic Afghan food. And best of all, the portions of food are absolutely massive. Each individual plate of food here is big enough to fit two people. Their prices have gone up in recent years, so it is not as good of a deal as before. They are still very affordable though at about $18 to $24 for a plate of food. I recommend getting the kabuli pulao, which is the national dish of Afghanistan. It is marinated lamb with rice and carrots and raisins. The meat was so tender and just fell of the bone. With all of their plates, you can upgrade them into combos for a few dollars, with different kinds of meat added.

Ordered: Samosas (~$6): fried turnovers filled with seasoned ground beef Combo Kebab (~$18): boneless chicken and ground beef keema with Balkh basmati rice; raisins and carrots (+$1) Firny (~$3): Afghan milk pudding with pistachio Aya's take: I'm a big fan of Afghan food and this was my go-to spot growing up. There are only a handful of Afghan spots in Astoria and I love that they're still around after 20+ years. We started off with their complimentary fresh Afghan bread which was warm, light, and fresh! It pairs well with their white, green, and red sauces. The Samosas were fresh, perfectly crispy, with seasoned ground beef. The filling was a bit sparse and definitely could've used a lot more to make it more satisfying. It's served with a white sauce that's different than the white sauce in the bottle, so I highly recommend dipping your samosas into that one. Now for the main - you can't go wrong with the Combo Kebab. The basmati rice is super fluffy, aromatic, and exceptionally seasoned. It even had a slight sweetness to it this time. I also love the addition of carrots and raisins which might sound weird to most people but adds a layer of crunch, sweetness, and balance to the meats. The meats were grilled fresh on charcoal and were tender and flavorful. Despite this, the pieces of chicken and meat were pretty small (especially compared to other Afghan restaurants) and if they do prefer to use smaller pieces, there should be at least 8 per order to balance out the ratio of rice. I had so much leftover rice with no protein to go with. Nonetheless, it was super satisfying. It also came with a complimentary salad which is was light and refreshing, especially with their white sauce. We ended with the Firny which was actually delicious! It's light, sweet, slightly floral, and you get the crunch from the pistachios. Great note to end on and great for sharing if you just want a quick sweet bite. All in all, although there's better Afghan restaurants in Queens, you will leave here pretty satisfied!

The rice was bland, lamb meat was too tender. Chicken kebab was good, but why on flavour. I got takeout so I can't speak much about the service and ambience.

Once upon a time i came here about a decade ago and had a great meal Today i revisit and since it has grown exceptionally in flavor and quality. The ambiance is nice and cozy and the service was a bit busy. i got the front page menu Kabli Pulao combo as well as the beef mandoo. the lamb shank was incredible and the chicken kebab pieces was the best i ever had. the Mandoo was pretty good but the Kabli is the star of the show. they gave us dates and water bottles as well. i enjoyed it very much and can say i can't wait to go back again soon this place is the Gem of Ditmars Queens 10/10 A++ a Must go!

Expect no frills, but do expect tons flavor. Service was quick and pleasant. We ordered the Manto to start, lamb shank (listed as lamb shing) and the ground beef kebab plate (keema kebab). Rice was succulent and fluffy, the meat was tender and very well seasoned. Calm atmosphere, family friendly, wonderfully priced. I'd recommend to anyone interested in Afghani food. As for the people that had a bad experience and left less than pleasant reviews, I'd urge them to give this place another chance. I'm sure they won't regret it.

A nice little small local halal restaurant~ they are super nice and the food was amazingggg. Got the combo one tikka and kema kabob!! We dined in but there is no air conditioning so just be prepared to sweat! They also dont serve ice for some reason. But if ur willing to be hot while eating its a really chill as the servers are nice and check up on you. Great halal food and good vibes. Just lack of AC and ice is the only thing I gotta say.

Food was amazing and very filling. We got these beef dumplings that are boiled as an appetizer and they were amazing, it comes with like a yogurt sauce. The ambience wasn't crazy it's a small mom and pop restaurant. You see the man cooking your kebabs. The service was a bit slow because there was like only one server and we went during a busy time. The food was amazing though so worth the wait. 4 stars because the service was so slow so if you go don't expect prompt service.

Found this place on Google Maps because we were in the area running errands and craving for kebabs. Since it has pretty good reviews so we decided to try. We called to order takeout to find out the real price they charge is actually almost double of the price shown in Google Maps. Anyway we still went with the orders and wanted to see if they are as good as what reviews say. The place looks like got renovated from before. They sounded friendly when we picked up the food. (Which is why I added 1 additional star.) We got lamb kebab, beef kebab and chicken kebab. The food came with salad, 3 pieces of bread (not naan), and 3 kinds of sauce. The portions looked big but they were mostly rice and not much meat. Lamb kebab was overcooked and dry as well. In short, we thought that this place is overpriced and overcharged. We probably won't go back again. Rating: 2.5 stars

Very authentic afghani food. Their daily special (kabuli palaw with lamb shank, chicken and kofta) was amazing. Very friendly staff as well. Hidden gem in Astoria.

The care put into this restaurant shows in every corner. Good food results from quality ingredients. Their workers delivered attention that exceeded all my past experiences. The mood here is perfect, the place is spotless, and staff are pleasant. I suggest this place to anyone tired of typical restaurants.

The neighborhood restaurant with limited hours serves remarkably good dishes. The extra items tasted great, with spices I normally wouldn't pick. The waitstaff was attentive and the setting was perfect. The workers were efficient and friendly. I'm completely obsessed with this spot.

No one can make lamb shank better than this place. Hands down the best I have had in NYC!

My go-to place for Afghani cuisine. Can't beat the price, portions, and homely service. Usual ordered items - Pumpkin turnovers Lamb stuffed dumplings Chicken Shish Kebab Mixed grill Lamb Shank w/ steamed carrots and raisins (kabuli rice) Enjoy the friendly staff, including the owner himself and the aroma of all the kebabs being grilled over flame by the entrance. A true gem for a hole in the wall in Astoria.

No need for long reviews. Hands down the most authentic and best tasting afghani food I've had in the US.

Food is great very fresh but the restaurant is dirty. The whole restaurant needs to be clean from white sauce containers even the restroom and tables inside glasses but their service is great.

I tasted my culture the owner Abdul jabbeer was a very kind man and his waiters were very kind we didn't have to wait for a long time for our food to come I would definitely recommend this place if you are looking for a authentic Afghan restaurant in New York

Food taste is great as always. I've been there numerous times for 17 yrs. Grilled lamb chops, salmon kabobs and the lamb shanks are my favorites

Afghani mandoo (dumplings) is just something else. I felt like I was eating a curry version of lasagna. Saucy, meaty, full of garlic & onion & just plain delicious. There's a $10 card minimum tho. The service is also good.

The sweet man who made my food was so kind to me. This was my first time trying Afghan food and it was delicious. Prices are reasonable and just overall worth it :)

Top 5 afghan cuisine in NYC, this coming from a New York native that has tried almost every Afghan spot out there. THIS place has the best lamb shank that literally falls off the bone the longer you look at it. I had that last time I came with my family. The rice is absolutely wonderful with the raisins and carrots. This time tho.. I got the combo plate often which included: Boneless chicken Lamb tikka And Beef keema This platter was delicious!!! The meat was all tender and juicy. Would def order again!

If you go with family and order family platter you screwed it's just too expensive $520 is way too much for 13 people

Excellent. Exceeded expectations. Highly recommend. I had the mix kabob with chicken and kofta.

Closed for lunch?? I came for lunch before flying out of LGA and they were closed around 1pm on a Tuesday. Door was locked and no one in sight.

Very nice place I found this place because I didn't want to venture out to Jackson Heights that has my favorite . It's had New York Time review that were good. I like the setting and they lay out and the beautiful silver chairs. Very authentic food and there were a few Afghanistan customer with families eating there and we knew the food had to be good. The food didn't disappointed. Everything was great and love the brick oven too. I like how you can pick you food if you want before cooking it. The portions were very good. The pastries appetizers were excellent rice good meats excellent. Loved the bread all the appetizers. Customer services was great and they had good dessert. The price was fair for the food and being a small business mom and pop restaurant. A great choice for something different in the area

Great food. The owner is very nice some of the dishes there is a lot of rice and not much meat but it still excellent. Definitely recommend getting rice with carrots and raisins and try the lamb or beef kebab. Such nice waiters too. 10/10 would recommend

What a neighborhood gem! The price is unbeatable, $19.50 for a lamb shank, beef, chicken kebab combo with rice. The lamb came off right off the bone and it was so flavorful. We also had the manto, vegetable curry, baklava, milk pudding (on the house!), and green tea. Everything was delicious and had a really homemade feel. The owner was super sweet and we can't wait to go back to try more things!

AMAZING YOU SHOULD 100% COME The food was so good i'd recommend getting the kabab the samosas and the rice The owner is kind The place is really clean and nice As I already said you should totally come if you want afghani food or kabab Thanks for taking the time to read this review

Three of us had dinner here and it reminded me of an old school banquet. We shared the lamb shing, mantos, some kebabs, and pilao! All delicious and serving sizes were family size. A note that the menu prices are not up to date. There was some confusion especially with the price of the lamb shing. The server said some people have been upset with him about that- so just know that the price may be about $5 more than mentioned in the menu.

Went to try this place after going to another Afghan place around here, and I was honestly blown away by the quality and affordability of the offerings here. The meat (chicken, lamb) was really tender and the basmati rice was very light and flavorful. The milk pudding and tea and the end were the icing on the cake. Don't be fooled by the understated appearance of this restaurant. The quality of the food here is much better than alot of the over priced souvlaki/kebab places in the area.

A hidden gem on 31st street in Astoria. They offer Afghanistan cuisine. We ordered the kebab combo with chicken, lamb and pork. At $66 it was a bit expensive, but well worth the money.

Food here is very good. Try the lamb shank and you want be be disappointed so much flavor and massive portions

The portions of the kebabs are so small now, it's very disappointing. It's like a kid's meal.

My meal here will go in the "ships passing in the night" category - I'm glad I had the chance to try the restaurant, and none of the food was bad, but nothing was quite memorable enough to get me to return. My accommodating non-vegetarian friends agreed to a mostly vegetarian spread for the table, excepting an order of chicken tikka. We shared lobiya, eggplant, okra, and an order of aushack dumplings to start, not to mention heaps and heaps of rice. The aushack was probably my least favorite of the dishes. The dumplings fell apart quickly and the texture was rather unsatisfying. The vegetables were all well-cooked and seasoned - the okra was the tastiest in my opinion and paired well with the Afghan bread on the side. My non-veg friends felt pretty meh about the chicken.

Horrible service. They're not even sure of the prices and definitely is a rip off. Go to Sami's kebab house instead

I absolutely love the food at this place. It's one of the best if not the best afghan food I've had in NYC- the chicken and lamb curry are my favorite things to get, but most if not everything tastes great. The lamb is always so tender, their white sauce is amazing, and their chicken is so juicy. The ambiance is very family muslim friendly it seems like a community place and the service is okay- I wish they gave water and drinks in glasses because you have to get it from the fridge. Other than that, I will keep coming back here!

This place was amazing! The owner is very sweet and kind. The food has authentic Afghan taste! It was delicious! The owner have been at this location for 30 years! Must visit

BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE! The owner and employee have no morals. I ordered pumpkin and beef samosas (forgot what they call it on their menu but it's essentially a samosa) that were barely filled at all tasted like i was eating just dough. I called and demanded i send them back their samosa but get a refund to which they said no way they can give money back. He continued to make excuses for why i didn't like the samosa like "you ate them cold" which was not the case and was not even a reasoning for the purposefully under-filled samosa. I explained over and over that we ate there before and they were filled 80% to 20% dough and now it's 20% filling 80% dough. Either way he said he won't do anything about it. Meat was also flavorless and tough. I paid 60$ for horrible quality food. Horrible customer service DO NOT EAT HERE

A hidden gem of Astoria. Authentic and family owned place with amazing food quality. We had a mixed meat, manto, samosas and pudding for dessert. Everything was great! Highly recommend.

Omg I'm drooling everything was just perfection and authentic to the core. Lamb shing(shank) was cooked to perfection would melt in your mouth and was perfectly seasoned and of course we got everything else from the menu

The restaurant is a bit on the dingy side with old, dirty looking chairs. Service isn't exactly the best but the food was pretty good. We ordered the rib kebab (lamb chops?) and lamb korma, but I think we ended up receiving something else. We were confused when they brought over our dishes and asked them if this was our order. The waiter confirmed it was. We aren't very particular and didn't want to argue so we shrugged it off and ate it anyway. I think we got lamb shank and a kebab combo instead. The entrees come with a simple salad and rice with carrots and raisin. You can opt out of the carrots and raisin if you don't like them. The stewed lamb shank was very tender with the meat falling off but it wasn't very flavorful. The kebabs were much better. The lamb kebab was delicious especially with the white sauce! The portion of rice was very generous. We also had the chicken noodle soup, which was ok. The pieces of chicken were bland though. It comes with homemade bread. They don't serve tap water, so you have to choose a bottled drink.

I was psyched to try Afghan cuisine so when I had some time on my hands I made the walk here. There was a table of four men and just me. I thought this would be a fortunate circumstance since from previous reviews the service was so so. The service was so so and but the food was terrific. The waiter was literally just dour and whenever he came by it was just to take away stuff. At no point did he ask me if everything was all right, or if I needed anything more. I had to tell him that I wanted dessert. A lot of my Afghan friends told me I should try Manto which is beef dumplings in a tomato gravy and sour cream. There were six little dumplings with a little bit of crunch left from the onions and while having tomato gravy and sour cream didn't sound good to me at first. I was wrong, because it was a good combination, a little bit of sweetness to the savoriness of the beef and onion. I got the Quelli-I asked what that was and he said it was a small bird in a tomato gravy which didn't exactly give me a lot of confidence about what exactly I was ordering. I thought it was all right, and it came in the same tomato gravy the manto came in and it was hard to eat since it was such a small bird. I should have gone with a kebab which were cooked up front and smelled so good. I got a heaping plate of rice which didn't have raisins or carrots in it and I thought, well maybe they don't do this here and then a carry out order came in and they asked if he wanted carrots and raisins on the rice. Come on! The dessert I had was a milk pudding with pistachios and honey. Phenomenal. The only thing keeping this place from 4 or even 5 stars would be the weird, iffy, flip flop service.

The best Afghani food in queens. Taste very light and very not heavy on the stomach. Great quality food.

I've been coming to this restaurant since I was a kid and now I'm 29 yo. It was great then and is still great now. Every time I go, I feel like I am entering my grandparents' house, that's how homey it is. The food tastes so fresh, delicious, and tender. Nothing ever disappoints about this place. The staff is amazing and super kind. I love their beef samosa, fried turnovers whether it's mashed potatoes or mashed pumpkin, both are to die for. My main dish here is chicken kebab. OMG, the chicken is tender and well-cooked, and well seasoned. I have never in my life had chicken kebab this good. Can I praise the rice that comes with the chicken? Oh yes! I can. The rice is sooo tasty and cooked to perfection. I highly recommend this place. You won't regret it.

I love this place! Whenever I step inside I feel like I'm in another world. For anyone who is interested in experiencing the unique and interesting culture of Afghanistan, this restaurant is a MUST VIST! The food is delicious, and the owner/chef Abdul is extremely warm, and welcoming (if you're reading this, thank you Abdul!). I stopped by today for some Bolanee Kadu (fried turnovers filled with mashed pumpkins, herbs, and spices). They are crispy and sweet. I also love the interior of this place. Check out the really cool map of the country on the back wall. This restaurant has been around for 28 years! With Covid numbers rising in the city again, I fear gems like this are in danger of being lost. I encourage my fellow NY foodies to take a trip here or order some takeout/delivery ASAP to help ensure we keep this very special place alive.

Best Kabuli pillow in the USA. I've been on a hunt for the last 5-6 years and this place take the CAKE. Yes, not the nicest place to sit and eat, etc...but can't beat the quality of this food. Just take it to go and eat in the car or at home - you WILL be pleased.

Atmosphere: place is very lowkey. Verryyyyy casual but still has a charm too. The decor and paintings are all very afghan and cute. The cleanliness could use some work and the seating could use some updating but hey you get what you pay for. Price: totally affordable and awesome! It's only like $10 for a massive side salad and huge portion of rice and chicken kabob. The water bottles are an additional charge so just be aware. And if you need a split check, make sure to tell them in the beginning because it's a little disorganized. Good: awesome and on point. The food is super authentic and there were a lot of middle easterners there and they seemed to be regulars so you know it's good! The rice was a bit oily but still not the worst I've seen. The kabobs were perfectly juicy and moist. The salad was yum. I tended to douse everything in the delicious white sauce! Will I be back? HECK YES. On a student budget, this place is awesome. Nice to the pockets and decent size. It held me over for lunch and dinner. Go go go!