Charcoal Kabob

We had a wonderful experience with the great food and a warm greeting from one of the owners and the staff. The food was very flavorful! Full of great tastes, a variety of textures and explosions of spices (even mild enough for my palate). Everything was fresh, the meat was tender and melted in your mouth with each bite. The bread was warm, right out of the oven and was a treat to enjoy... The mango lassie were rich and creamy. The deserts were sweet and yummy, down to the last drop. We like it so much, we even carried out for lunch at home the next day. 30 years at this location, they are doing it correct and worth the 30 min. Ride. We will be back soon to explore more of the menu and enjoy the hospitality. P.S. They also do quite a carry-out business. Fast and friendly.

My friends and I have been eating at Charcoal Kabab for years. The kababs and Karahi are the best in the DC area! If you like spicy food you just have to ask them to make the Karahi extra spicy. Lately they have added some new menu options to expand the already very good menu. One of my favorites of the new offerings is this made-in-store Afghan dessert speciality. It is delicious! It's smooth and creamy, and the nuts and cream that are offered make for a complex and delicious overall taste.

Long time(10+ years) customer of this place. Used to be an institution of consistency and quality. Over the past year or so it has changed. Much different staff and the quality has gone down. A staple in our house was the chicken wrap. Used to be a kebab style chicken with fresh toppings. Now it resembles a shredded tomato based sauce wrap. Wtf. Small details. Like the salad provided. Absolutely mid quality. No idea why they would even serve they( the little they do give). Damn shame. This most recent visit will be my last. I have given enough tries to see if it was an off night. Nope. It has jumped the shark unfortunately.

My family went a month ago and I'm just now getting to a review, but this food is delicious. This was my first experience with afghan food and I got the chicken bowl I don't remember the name exactly but I'll attach a photo. The flavor was mind blowing, I've never had food like this before I completely recommend it to anyone and writing this review has made me crave it. The owners are also very polite and even gave samples.

The place is quite old, the interior needs modification, but who cares , as long as the food is great, yes the food the kebabs the bread the side of lentils all so delicious, the chapali kebab was great, will be back. Must try this place out . PS dine in recommended.

I recently dined at Charcoal Kabab and had a generally good experience. The food was overall good, with some items standing out more than others. The beef chapli was particularly amazing, while the chicken chapli didn't quite meet the same standard. What truly set this place apart was the exceptional service. The owner is incredibly gentle and a pleasure to talk to. He went out of his way to accommodate my desire to try a few different items, allowing me to choose separately. There was a small mix-up with one of our orders, but it didn’t bother us. The owner, however, insisted on making it right by providing us with both the item we ordered and the item we didn’t order. Additionally, he generously offered us free sides to make up for the mistake. His attentiveness throughout our meal was impressive and greatly appreciated. While the food had its highs and lows, the exceptional service and the owner's kindness made our visit a positive experience. I would recommend Charcoal Kabab for its excellent customer service and the standout beef chapli.

Delicious lunch with my BF. Best lamb kebob and freshly baked Naan. A very generous portion. Glad we stopped by at what looked quite small from the outside but was surpriseling big on the inside. Definitely can cater to huge party of people. loved it!

TLDR: The Star is their bread. Its outstanding. The Chickpeas was some of the best I've had. The meat was dry and probably could use a few minutes less cook time. The salad could be fresher. I used to go to Moby Dicks for my Kabob fix but ever since they changed their bread, I've been wanting to find a new place. Charcoal Kabob was very good even with some shortcomings. I ordered the Beef & Chicken Kabob with Chickpeas. The salad was not great, had some browning. The rice is very good, the chickpeas are excellent, the bread is excellent. The bread and chickpeas are worth coming back for. I"m almost certain they bake the bread in a traditional clay oven. The meats were a bit of a disappointment. They're well seasoned but they were dry and could use less cook time. It could have been sitting a while. I'll say this is fairly common with other kabob restaurants so I'm not taking too much off the score for it but I can understand why some people make this a top concern. The biggest compliment I can give is that I'll reorder from here whenever I want a Kabob for dinner/lunch.