The Afghan Village

As an Afghan himself wanting some home-cooked Afghan food and eating what I ate was just horrendous. The food was burnt. It had a horrible taste to it. I mentioned it to the staff worker and they gave me attitude with horrible customer service and asked me to replace it but if they’re gonna burn it the first time I don’t want it the second time as well. I’m very disappointed to believe such a horrible review for this restaurant, but in my opinion, they do not deserve any good reviews.

First time to try Afghan food. Everything tasted great. We really liked the complimentary dipping sauce that came with Naan as well. Everyone was very nice and very helpful. We will definitely back to try more different items.

After my first visit to Afghan Village Restaurant, I became a regular. The food is packed with authentic Afghan flavors, from tender kebabs to fragrant rice. I’ve brought friends and family, and everyone loves it. Great food, warm atmosphere—I highly recommend it!

The people who own and work at this restaurant are exceptionally good people. Beyond that, the food is absolutely incredible, from the tea to the entree you can expect everything to be delicious and made fresh. The food is fragrant, juicy and seasoned to perfection. I highly recommend Afghan Village Restaurant to anyone looking for authentic and delicious Afghan food or anyone looking to enjoy a yummy meal in a welcoming and tranquil atmosphere. 10/10 everyone who works there are attentive and kind. I highly highly recommend stopping by. Whether you live in Houston or are visiting, try it out it’s spectacular. We will be back again, pronto! :)

The food was just fine. Service is ok. But the atmosphere and table was great and clean.

Afghan Village is a true gem! The authentic flavors, especially the kabobs and Afghan pulao, are unforgettable. The cozy ambiance and warm hospitality make our visit special. A must-try for anyone craving delicious Afghan cuisine!

Afghan Village is a hidden gem known for its authentic Afghan cuisine. Tucked away as a hole-in-the-wall, its simple ambiance adds to its charm. Despite its unassuming appearance, the restaurant offers a delightful array of traditional Afghan dishes, including succulent kebabs and aromatic rice pilafs. The focus on flavorful, homely food makes Afghan Village a must-visit for anyone craving an authentic taste of Afghanistan in a relaxed setting. Ask for Kamran, he provided amazing service!

Lamb shank is one of the best dish of them. I usually order whole grill chicken which is a good option when you are a group of 3-4 people.

Came here after seeing an IG post about the food. Goat was tender and flavorful! Paired great with the rice and naan!

Went for the first time to this small family owned restaurant, it won't be the last! I'm a strong supporter of family owned and family run businesses and Afghan Village was just that. Servers are nice and friendly. Naan and combo kabobs and Tandoori kabobs were excellent. Lemonade is freshly made!

Very very good! The service was on point. The kabobs were really flavorful and tender. The hummus was perfect. The bolani was really good but the mantoo stole the show, they were tender and very flavorful. Do not forget the lemonade with mint was incredible. Not too sour and not too sweet! We will absolutely will be back!

First of all, I highly recommend the bolani, especially if you're a first-timer to this restaurant and Afghan food. It's a stuffed flatbread (with potatoes) and it's really good. It's also specific to Afghan food. It was my favorite part of the meal, I think. Second, the portions are generous and the food is reasonably priced. Third, I really appreciate that their menu has a couple combo platter options. It's a great way to try multiple types of meat. We ordered the All-In-One platter for 39.99. It had lamb, several types of beef, and a couple types of chicken. It came with a TON of rice in one of those large aluminum trays. They must have thought we were feeding a whole family but nope, just my fiancé and my hungry self. As far as the food goes, I will say that the meats weren't created equal. Some were pretty tasty and tender, specifically the chicken breasts and the Chapli kabob (ground beef patty). Others were really dry (like the lamb chop). The rest (ground meat kabobs, beef chunks) were somewhere in the middle in terms of texture. Overall, not the most tender/juicy meats however the combo platter was a great way to try everything. The rice was pretty good and I have 3 ziplock bags of it left in my freezer right now! We also ordered a side of hummus which was tasty. And like I already said, the bolani stole the show. Just a heads up, I couldn't find their website/online menu. Luckily, some folks posted a few photos here so you'll have to piece it together that way.

someone had recommended that we try out this restaurant and gave it high praise so we went in with high expectations; from our side we were disappointed with the experience the ambiance ain't great but what was really disappointing was the food. we ordered the kabuli pulao, chapli kabob, eggplant and afghani bread. the kabuli pulao was average, the chapli kabob did not taste good, the eggplant had no eggplant but tomatoes and pumpkin, and the afghani bread was tandoori naan. overall, disappointing experience here

Really good food! Lots of flavor! We got the goat karhai, shinwaray kabob, and the mantoo! Highly recommend the mantoo, so good!

Love the food! Always tasty, yummy bread! Service is great, servers are nice. Its a small family restaurant and not fancy but authentic food.

We ordered the platter it was authentic Afghan cuisine the food was delicious and the atmosphere was great

This is a whole in the wall store. Parking is good and lots of space in the store. Nothing super fancy. The food was wonderful! We got the platter, which was good for 4 people. Also got the mantoo, and eggplant/tomato dip, and a bread filled with potatoes. All were amazing, and service was great!

This place is amazing! The food is SO flavorful, and the service is great. They even threw in some free bread and We got the large platters (with kabobs and cranberry rice) and WOW! It was delicious. We brought it for a group that had largely never had afghan food, and they were all so impressed. They were all trying to find a time to go back! The rice is cooked perfectly, and so flavorful. I don't know if I've ever had rice jam packed with that much flavor. The chicken and beef were perfectly seasoned and delicious as well. We also got the bouranee bademjan (an eggplant dip) that was vegetarian, and it was savory and had a wonderful flavor. They also gave us (for free!) some green sauce. I'm unsure what it was exactly but it had a cilantro, fresh flavor. It was delicious! My husband has actually been here a few times, and they remembered him. Which was so nice! You don't see that at many restaurants these days, so it was a nice touch. Great place! Can't wait to be back!

Authentic Mediterranean food can definitely be found here! The taste is so on point! First off, I'm so glad they have pictures on their menu, and the pictures on Yelp definitely helped my selection. My friend and I started off with the bolani which is a potato stuffed naan and it was sooo good! Great appetizer to start with and enough to make it an entree really. We also tried the mantoo (mantu) which is a beef dumpling. This is probably my favorite dish because it was so unique and flavorful! Definitely plenty of food and a popular dish. I also got to try the chapli kabob with the rice. The beef patty was good, but I actually really liked the rice. There was a great portion to fill you up. Overall, I loved the food and it was superb! The service wasn't the best to be honest. I don't expect much from a mom and pop shop like this, but it just sucked that we had to keep asking to see if we needed to order at the front, or at the table. It just felt like every step requires us to take initiative. I did like the decorations and it was very authentic. I would definitely come again for the food because it was great and an affordable price.

This is probably my new favorite restaurant in Houston. Afghan food is the best kept secret on the planet. The meat dishes are well seasoned and super tender. The flavors are exciting. From an outsider perspective, it tastes like a mix between Persian food and Indian food. It's seasoned more aggressively than Persian but less heavy than Indian food. Don't want to offend anyone, just my opinion. I eat both Persian and Indian regularly, so it felt very familiar and seemed like a great fusion.

This is my favorite restaurant ever. Do not expect the quickest service, as there is typically a single attendant or two. I do not care, food is amazing, service is attentive and friendly. Good employees, I frequently get free appetizers. Karhai is very (probably the best I have had) meat samplers are amazing, rice with cranberries is amazing. Chapli kabob is also amazing. During ramadan, they have a buffet after 7 which is excellent.

Updated menu photos. All others were way out of date. Food and service is stellar as always. Ambience is very homely, which i love- creates an intimate vibe for you and the family to be comfortable and at ease.

I'd wanted to try Afghan Village for a while and when the opportunity presented itself I jumped at it. Both the food and the environment were amazing. I cant say enough about the service. We ordered quite a bit and the chef still sent us extra things to try. If you're at all interested in trying Afghan food then do not skip out on eating here.

Great, fresh food in a low key setting. This place is a bit of a hidden gem, with juicy kebabs and some of the best grilled chicken in town.

In Afghan Village, you will find a humble and home-style Middle Eastern eatery hailing, like so many other gems in Houston, from a drab strip mall. The story here is a unique one. The restaurant was founded in 2012 by Afghan lawyer and refugee Omer Yousafzai, who earned an American law degree after moving to Houston before working abroad training interpreters for the U.S. military. Go watch the Eater video on the restaurant if you get a chance, and you'll no doubt be charmed by the hospitality and generosity of the owner, who is heavily involved in feeding resettled refugees and the needy in our city. Walking in, I was greeted by atmospheric traditional music, the aroma of grilling meat, and spirited chatter, probably a scene not unlike a street-side café in Kabul. Combo platter with rice, lamb chops, and lamb kabob - With the caveat that grill-to-mouth time was prolonged because I had to drive 20 mins home before eating, I found the meat excellent in flavor but quite tough overall, probably because it over-cooked in its own heat. Each bite was garlicky and well-seasoned with some tangy afternotes but required far too many chews for my liking. I am not sure whether this was an issue with grill time and the temperature had approached well-done, or a quality issue and the meat was fibrous and tough to begin with. The rice was fragrant and lightly buttered with a handful of raisins and carrots. Bouranee Baunjan - A very oily but super tasty eggplant dish with a tangy yogurt sauce. Rich and delicious, but rather small. Mantoo - Little dumplings filled with minced beef and onion. Loved these! Like sweet and savory pierogies with a healthy dose of mint. Bolani Bolani - Nicely fried flatbread stuffed with minced beef. This was probably my favorite item, as it was chewy and savory with a complex, herbal flavor due to numerous spices and cilantro. Good food cooked in the traditional way and a seemingly mission-driven approach. Afghan Village has become a beloved Houston institution for a reason.

It has Amazing food the service was good regie was fun and the ambiance made me feel home

Food is good - not amazing like it use to be. Service is terrible - food came late , my table had a nasty remote sitting on it, some nasty fake flowers. NO AC AT THIS RESTAURANT - when I informed the server and cashier Ismail, they both lied to me stating that they have hvac techs currently working on top of the roof to fix it. SMELLS OF NASTY FEET THE VENTS IN THE RESTAURANT ARE DIRTY CLEANLINESS IS ZERO WHEN COMPLAINED TO STAFF THERE - Zero F's given HOW IS THIS A 4.5 stars restaurant when this place is breaking all food safety and osha regulations

Our first time at an Afghan restaurant but not first time eating Afghan food. The place outdated and not entirely sanitary but the food was so good. We chose to sit at the table where you sit on the floor with pillows to get the full experience. Quite difficult for those of us not so young but it was nice and cozy. Our waitress was attentive to our needs and very friendly. We ordered a few dishes and our favorites were the mantoo, bolani and chapli kabob. They were so delish! The lamb Pulao had a little lamby taste but it was good. The chicken kabob was a bit dry, our least fave dish. We love the bread! Can't wait to go back.

Good Goat karahi only don't waste money on anything else. There green tea is good as well

Food was deliciousss and absolute perfection! Compliments to the chef, you have blessed our food with love. I know this bc I can smell it and I def polished off my food. Afghan Village platter came with lamb cooked just right--juicy, plump. Rice was perfection, not too soft not too crunchy, beef+lamb kebobs paired well with grilled veggies. Hummus was smooth and flavorful--must eat with naan. Beef Karhai was a bit oily (no complaints, I cleaned my plate with naan) but meat flavor is out of this world, also a must have with naan.

Great food, slow service. The restaurant was literally empty when we walked in, no one came to greet us for like over 5 minutes. We had to call server to take order. Food quality was great, good portions too

Been craving mantu for over a year now and finally came to check this place out! You know a place is authentic when majority of the customers are of that ethnicity. Food was delicious and the restaurant had great service! The green tea here is very enjoyable as well (oddly enough). Most definitely will be back. Pro tip: green tea is complimentary so don't forget to indulge. Its a little diff than your regular green tea so def worth trying :)

Got the lamb because that's all they offered at the time. Very flavorful. The lamb soup was excellent too. Came here because it was late and wanted some food.

Afghan Village used to be good. But as of late, I've noticed prices have gone up and quality is pretty inconsistent. I usually pick up karhai gosht from them every few weeks. Today, I ordered the same. Two karhai gosht and one order of qabuli pulao, to-go. Paid $50. Upon opening, I noticed mostly bones and curry. The gosht was quite less. I ignored that. But I found hair in my food. Now THAT, I can't ignore. When you call and ask to speak to the manager, you get told the manager is not around. He's never around apparently. Either way, I won't be going back. But I do expect the manager to reach out and rectify this please. Thanks.

Fantastic food! Terrible Service!! Unwelcoming Don't speak English Zero Knowledge regarding the menu

This place is a hidden gem! I've been here once with my friends and then brought my family the second time because the food is that good! Everything I've ordered has been tasty and flavorful but my favorite dish here is definitely the Goat Karahi! Their tandoori naan is also so authentic and fresh. Their dishes make me think of home-cooked meals you can't find in most restaurants. They really take their time and put love in their cooking MashaAllah. Payam served us and was very kind and cheerful. This second time I visited he brought out an appetizer on the house because he thought one of our orders was taking too long. We appreciate the considerations and mindfulness and hope to always see Payam every time we visit, he's wonderful! Also, they have a little prayer room and the ambience feels nice and cozy :)

We were visiting Houston for a business trip and decided to try some afghani food locally. On a scale of 1-10 the food was a 1 , the service was zero , ambience was okay. Customer service is zero. Manners and Etiquette a BIG FAT ZERO and very disrespectful. The owners son was incredibly rude and aggressive and it seemed as if he almost wanted to physically assault me only because I pointed out something I saw in the restaurant that I did not agree with. I will be filing a complaint as I felt threatened more than welcomed as a guest at this place. I don't need to be told as a guest by a FOOD SERVOR that he is disabled because it seemed more like an excuse for his behavior that he had to say this to me. Customer service is when you apologize for your mistakes and try to be a better server in the future. Customer service is when you make sure there are soap and paper towels in the bathroom so people can wash their hands. If you don't have these basic things than how do we be sure if you wash your hands before preparing food. This to me is a big health concern and should be reported among other concerns.

we tried Kabli Pulao with Lamb Shank and ChaplI Kabobs, both items were superb. the service was amazing by Mr. Regi he was friendly and well mannered. we would definitely go back there with our family and friends.

The food was good but the service was just terrible. Had to request multiple times for water.. hope the management gets more staff to provide good service. Food was good but the Naan was hard and less warm..

Food is tasty . Bolani , kaboli pulao , kabab all is really good . The staff and owner really nice

Inconsistent but often superb. Many Afghan restaurants have come and gone in Houston over the years, but this one is likely the best there's ever been. On good days, the food is outstanding and incomparable. On the off days, it's still pretty good. You never know which version of a particular dish is going to come out of the kitchen on any given day; it's totally dependent upon the cook there that day. It seems the cooks have a lot of discretion in terms of how they prepare dishes. It's interesting to see the different styles of each cook, but more consistency is needed. Expect slow service. Often, there is one server to run the entire front end of the restaurant, including running the register. The dining area is usually acceptably clean, but the restrooms are usually unacceptably dirty. If the owner could establish better consistency in the kitchen, add another staff member to the front end, and focus a bit more on cleanliness, this would be an outstanding restaurant. 4 stars overall, but 5 stars for the food on the good days.

Wow, this restaurant had some good Afghan food! The service left something to desire but go figure - Covid! We had their Village Sampler for $39.95 and it was huge! It included the appetizers and naan. The meats were great, and the rice that it was on was succulent. The only reason that I rated it o lay 3 stars is that the service was underwhelming (they were over whelmed with calls for take out) and the decor was rustic to say the least. The food was better than good!

Great food, very kind people. We enjoyed the beef Karhai and hummus. They gave complimentary green tea as well, which was delicious.

This place is absolutely amazing! The food tastes so fresh because it is!! We usually get the platter which is assortment of grilled items served on a bed of rice ! Their chicken shami kebab is also extremely flavorful . The service is great as well!! Ahh so many good things to say about this place . Don't judge from the outside or where it is located . It is definitely hole in the wall type restaurant!

I had high hopes for this place as it had high ratings and couple friends recommended it. So I didnt mind driving 30 min just to give it a try. But man this might be the most horrible mediterenean food experience. There were cheaper options but we decided to give a chance to their "all in one platter" for $30 so we could try them all. Allegedly it was for 4 people... but let me go ahead and tell you if you pick hummus option instead of filling yourself with rice, 2 guys will barely be full as that was the case for us. When it came it had only 1 lamb chop unlike the pic. When we asked about it, the server (most likely manager/owner) said he will bring one more just to vanish and not even show up until we leave. Tastewise meat tasted off and hard, most were over cooked. Only one thing was not overcooked and that was pretty much raw as can be seen in picture. When I told that to the server he didnt even bother looking at the meat and automatically said oh it is red because of the pepper. I think I know the difference between raw meat and pepper... anyways, we didnt end up eating it all of the raw meat, but no wonder why me and my friend both felt sick after this place. Based on my experience I would avoid going here but if I have to eat there again I would definitely get their red lentil soup. That was really good but wasnt enough to make up for slow & bad service along with bad main course

A group of us came here for a late lunch and opted to sit in the area where you can sit on the ground. They have pillows and cushions and linen spread on the floor. We started off with naan and hummus. Tons and tons of naan. It was so delicious. Fresh off the oven with good tasting hummus. Next, we went with a eggplant dip and more naan. It was another version of baba ghanoush. Next on the agenda was lamb salad. It was nice blend of greens with shredded pieces of lamb and sumac seasoning sprinkled all over. For the main entrées, we went with goat karhai, Lamb shank, lamb kabob, combo kabob (beef and chicken). All these items tasted pretty good. Lamb was excellent. Tender, juicy and came right off the bones. The lamb kabob and chicken kabob were very good too, although the beef kabob was dry and hard to chew. Also they gave too much rice with meat. Their meat to rice ratio was off. There was not enough meat on the plates and plenty of rice. If you are a rice lover, you would have had a field day. Their best dish was the goat karhai. It was seasoned very well and was delicious to eat with naan. Service was up to standards. No complaints there. I may return here some day.

One of the more memorable food experiences of my life. The food is absolutely delicious. Seriously, try this place. It is authentic afghani food that will make you feel right at home. When we mentioned we had never been before, our server (who was super kind and was holding down the fort on a busy night) recommended the goat dish, and offered for me to try it with both rice and naan. It was flavorful, tender, and had some lovely bone marrow to boot! The lamb shank was beautifully tender and splendid. He also brought out an eggplant and garlic dish for us to try -- fantastic. We went for the bolani which was perfectly sweet and herbaceous. The tea with good quality sugar was just the cherry on top. The price in the end? Cannot be beat. I felt like I was stealing. I tipped to make up for it.

The beeeeest!!!!! Reginaldo was our waiter and he was the very very very best!!!!! Check this place out!!!!the food is delicious and the spices are awesome!!!!! I drove 20 minutes for this place and I will do it again and again!! Loved it Ask for Reginaldo when you visit

Customer service was great, the atmosphere is great, and the food was soooo good the portions are perfect and everything they make is done perfectly, even down to the chicken tenders!!! I easily recommend y'all gotta check it out

Extremely friendly staff. For somebody who is unfamiliar with the items on the menu, the staff was kind in explaining many dishes. We enjoyed the Mantoo, beef karhai, and lamb shank with gravy. Large family style portions. Worth a try

First off, their rice was amazing. I could not get enough of it, but however their beef fell flat. Maybe it was overcooked because the meat was tough to chew on. We came here for a late lunch. Plenty of tables and two areas where you can sit on the ground and eat. Good for large group and if you're used to that type of seatings. We started out with hummus and naan. We also got the eggplants dip with yogurt. Naan came out hot and went perfectly with the eggplants dip. The hummus was alright. In addition, we ordered several dishes of various meats. Each dish came with the rice. It's slightly yellow rice with a subtle taste. Lightly seasoned and went perfectly with the meat. One issue, the portion of rice was huge and the meat was very little. On the bright side, the lamb and goat meat were nicely seasoned and very flavorful. Portion was decent. The meat was also much more tender than the beef and chicken kebab. In the end, we received complimentary tea for desserts. Services were quick and friendly. We had a good time here for lunch.

Take a look at the pic i posted of what I ordered & paid for.....VS what I actually got delivered to me. The meal was described as Garnished seasoned rice under (heaping) sweet carrots & raisin medley as shown in the restaurants description & pic with tender pieces of lamb. As u can see, No pieces of lamb just a lamb shank tht was barely cooked on the inside. Bland White rice and no garnished carrots and raisins as described. I basically paid $17 for oily white rice with an undercooked lamb shank in the middle. I was at work and placed my order via Uber eats 1 Hour before the restaurant closing time, I don't understand the reasoning behind throwing anything together and not giving someone what they paid for. If ur still open for business when an order is made, u should prepare the order properly and not throw together anything in a container just because it's a delivery and close to ur closing. It is unfair. People are paying their hard earned money and as a healthcare employee in the Houston medical center and as an essential worker, I think I deserve to have the meal I pay for in the middle of my 13 hour night shift. Very disappointed. Even the naan I paid extra for was burnt & dry.

We had an amazing meal! I wish I lived closer so I could go all the time. Our waiter WaliUllah was awesome and very friendly with us and our toddler. We had the best service and everybody there is always hospitable and generous.

Great authentic, non pretentious, lots of flavor and can't can't go wrong. Very tasty rice. Will be back for sure.

Food: Yummy food, we got the leg of lamb and beef kabob, although some items had a bit of a stale smell. Not sure what it was but the beef kabob wasn't the best. Highly recommend the leg of lamb with the rice. Very yummy naan and egg plant dip. When we went they were out of a lot of items, so call ahead! You must get the garlic and spicy naan as well. Price: A little on the expensive side for selling a plate with missing items and no discount for running out of a side dish (no hummus for both plates we ordered but were still charged same price) Staff: very nice and friendly, clean restaurant. The bathrooms are not air conditioned and were very difficult to be inside of Overall: great for to-go, good food if you pick the right things, and friendly staff.

This is an updated review from my last review in 01/2019. We went back to this place and ordered two combo kabobs. Unfortunately the food wasn't as great as it could be. We ordered two combo kabob plates. The meat was super dry and lacking flavor. The beef was chewy. Also another turn off was the lady at the front who handed me the order. She wasn't friendly and also was rude when I asked for extra chutney. After tasting the food when we got home we also noticed that the chutney or green sauce didn't taste right. It had a spoiled smell to it and tasted a bit fizzy. I'm not sure we'll be coming back here.

Delicious hole in the wall restaurant in Houston. We tried the Bouranee Baujan which is basically eggplant with yogurt drizzle and the Lamb Karhai which was a delicious lamb stew. They have two traditional floor seating areas, but we unfortunately didn't get to sit there during the Sunday dinner rush. I will 100% be back here!