The Helmand

Absolutely incredible! Dinner was off the charts great. Service was impeccable. It's larger than it looks from the outside and quaintly decorated. The only knock is the restaurant was about 2/3 full and the noise level was a little much for me. Otherwise I would heartily recommend The Helmand.

Tucked away in Cambridge in a quite street. The decoration is very elegant and the tables are nicely arranged and clean with many Afghani crafts and paintings around the walls of the restaurant. The place is quite and you can easily have a conversation without being so loud, the also run a light music 🎶 that makes the places even more pleasant. The place offers complimentary bread and spreads that’s quite delicious “chutney was yummmy” and service is great. Now the food! I think this place is great for meat lovers, many options meat and chicken dishes and few vegetarian options too. However as a vegetarian I find the vegetarian special dish a bit too sweet for dinner and is just a mix of different mashed veggies. The kebab, Chicken and chelo kebab were super delicious though. To sum it up, I highly recommend the meat dishes and the Turkish coffee!

This is the best Afghan/Middle Eastern restaurant I found in Boston so far. The decor of the restaurant is very elegant, though a bit dimly lit. The complimentary bread is absolutely delicious (and very filling!), with three different kinds of dipping sauce: a green pesto lime sauce (with cilantro I think?), a red spicy hot sauce, and a fresh yoghurt sauce—the yoghurt is of such high quality that it reminds me of the yogurt I had in Germany (very hard to find such quality in the states). Their lamb cubes are absolutely delicious, perfectly flavored and juicy, yet not overly salty. Their grilled vegetable sides that come with mains are also delicious and juicy. I even love the rice side dishes we had there, with perfect texture and perfectly seasoned (not too salty yet not too plain either). Their desserts look amazing too; I only tried the rice pudding so far, which is amazing: not too sweet and perfectly soothing after a spiced meal. I look forward to coming back and trying more of their dishes! There is plenty of street parking nearby. The restaurant is also within walking distance from Kendall/MIT, and quite near the Charles river, so it’s a perfect walk after dinner to see the sunset by the river.

I love trying new food and this place did not disappoint. Their naan is made fresh, and their lamb is so flavorful.

My wife and I had our lunch wedding reception at The Helmand. Everything was fantastic for our party size of about 75. Ali, Mustafa and the entire team prepared everything so well. They set up the space perfectly, helped out with preparing a space for the children, for dancing and for a short video we played on a projector. We were able to select appetizer and entre items for the buffet and they prepared a wedding cake with their special cake recipe. Everyone loved the food and the atmosphere. Many of our guests expressed how much they loved the reception and food, and we trust we will be going back for dinner with them in the future.

The food was delicious. First, I enjoyed bread with 3 different sauces. Then I savored every bite of the dwopiaza for the entree. For dessert I enjoyed bucklawa and Turkish coffee. Server Hamayoun, bread and bucklawa baker Reza, owner Ali, as well as every other staff member there was very hospitable. Outstanding atmosphere, service and food! I arrived about 15 minutes after the place opened for the evening and it was 90% full when I walked in. I’m glad it was recommended to me. It was the highlight of my business trip in Cambridge. I highly recommend this place for a dinner to remember.

Terrific place for authentic Afghan food. All the appetizers were great and the entree choices included lamb beef chicken and vegetarian.

Went here for a celebration with friends. Food was very good, large selection and good atmosphere. We made a reservation earlier that day and were seated immediately. There did not seem to be a wait, though the restaurant was rather full.

Another exceptional dinner last night with a friend. I've been coming here for dinners since the late 90's (when I worked in Kendall Square.) We sat up front when the restaurant opened at 5 pm and watched the room fill with couples and families. We each started dinner with a non-alcoholic yogurt drink similar to one my maternal grandmother would always serve before meals. It was delicious! Our shared appetizer was Kaddoo (a fried pumpkin delicacy.) It quickly disappeared. We each ordered Koufta Challow (listed as spicy.) I grew up eating koufta weekly and wanted to compare. These were delicious, served with a generous plate of challow rice. (I would rate these spicy-for-taste, versus spicy-for-heat.) We passed on dessert only because dinner + appetizer was filling. (The dessert menu is worth coming in for on its own.) Service was prompt, informative (we had a few menu questions), and non-intrusive. Even as the restaurant filled, there was no discernible noise. Ample metered parking on the streets adjacent to Helmand. (Free after 6 pm.) Highly Recommended!

Nice inside ambiance, on the slightly fancier side Service was pretty quick and to the point Dishes: Free bread and sauces - rly good flavor and nice chew, sauces were fun too! Can't complain Mantwo - rly liked this! Good flavors and each ingredient complemented the others well Dwopiaza - lamb w pillow rice, the lamb was chewy and was one of the gamier ones I've had. But the rice was so well flavored and so hard to stop eating!! Qoremay ma he - fish! Pretty good fish, portion on the small side though, again the rice was rly good! And all the vegetables and beans on each plate were also great!

Such a good restaurant!! I love their lamb chops, so flavorful, well seasoned, and tender. The rest of their dishes are really good too - the aush, veg special, and other entrees were so yummy! Cute ambiance, really friendly staff. Really recommend!

Amazing food in a pretty restaurant with great service. We really enjoyed our meal here!

My friend brought me here for dinner my first night visiting Boston. The food was absolutely amazing! The oven-fresh bread served with butter and three types of dip was delicious. We ordered: - Vegetarian Aushak: ravioli filled with leeks and scallions. Very flavorful and a unique filling! - Vegetarian Special: everything on this dish was delicious, but I will be dreaming about the baked pumpkin! I've never had anything like it and will be searching for it at home on the west coast! - Mourgh Challow: a very tasty chicken curry dish served with rice. Were we stuffed after all of that food? Yes. Did that stop us from ordering dessert? Never! Save room for the baklava served with ice cream, you won't regret it!

Yum. There's a reason this place is a neighborhood fixture. Lovely ambiance with a roaring fire oven and friendly, attentive and helpful service. Everything we had was delicious! If you're on the fence about lamb like me, jump off the fence and get it here - you won't regret it. And don't skip dessert!!! We were also startled by the abundance of PARKING on a Saturday night in this neighborhood of Cambridge. 10/10

This gem had been hidden for some reason and now we ll keep coming! Great halal Afghan cuisine ! Ambiance was really good too specially the Bakhoor and music brought very interesting vibes..

This was a very cute homey Afghan restaurant which is what I was looking for, I love Afghan food and was surprised to see a restaurant here in Boston. We started off with ordering some Afghan cardamom tea which was amazing and definitely recommend to try with adding milk and sugar. For appetizer we ordered mantu which was delicious too. We were served Afghan bread that was complimentary with three different sauces. You can tell the bread was made in restaurant with the oven shown in my photos. I got the Kabli Palau which I also recommend, the portion and taste was great and the meat was falling off the bone. My boyfriend got the kourma challow which was a great taste but we were disappointed with the portion size which was still pricey but much smaller portion than the kabli Palau. The reason I am giving this restaurant three stars is because of the service. The waiter was not rude but not welcoming and receptive, did not check on us after giving us the food and a bit condescending when we inquired about items on the menu. The person who filled our water was much nicer and sweet and wish we had him as our waiter.

I've been here twice and both experiences were incredible. The dining area is huge with lots of tables, and you can see them making fresh bread in the wood-fired oven in the same space (no smoky smell though! The ventilation is excellent). The meal starts with some warm, crispy slices of their fresh bread alongside butter, a mint sauce, a vinegary pepper sauce, and a yogurt sauce. The entrees are in the $25-40 range but the portions are massive. We got the aushak appetizer ($9.50) which came with two large raviolis. The meat sauce is packed with umami and the leeks in the raviolis are fresh and tasty. For entrees we got the seekh kabab ($29.95) and koufta challow ($26.95). While I enjoyed both dishes very much, the seekh kabab was definitely the highlight. The lamb pieces had such a tasty seasoning on them and were cooked perfectly! The pallow rice which came with the kabab was also so flavorful. The dish came with a side of eggplant which was soft and seasoned well. The koufta challow came with a massive portion of rice. Luckily the rice was super tasty on its own-- cooked perfectly al dente with a nice cumin aroma. The dish came with a bowl of koufta swimming in a tomato based sauce. There were two pieces of peppery koufta in total. The tomato sauce was meaty and tasty. The servers here are so kind and friendly!

Fun, energetic, good food. I'm not an expert on the cuisine, so I can't judge if this was good Afghan food or not. What I know is I enjoyed everything they brought and I ate all of it. Good tasting food all around, though seemingly under-spiced for my expectation. That said, I'd come here again for sure. Plus, the owner / host is quite friendly!

I lived in Scotland for four years- eating lamb constantly. The lamb I had here was fresher, more flavorful, and perfectly cooked. I genuinely don't know how they did it. I'm so happy our waitress recommend it. Not only was the food perfect, the staff was incredible. As soon as a plate was empty, it was gone- glasses were refilled constantly. The owner even came by and talked to us for a bit which was super lovely. The restaurant is beautiful, open and has lovely afghan decor.

just ate my leftovers and drooled all over again. what a wonderful place. love the decor and afghani interior design. brought a group of 22 people for peak dinner time on a sunday night and the servers were soooo sweet. we had a beautiful back room set up for us and we must have been served by at least 5 wait staff. the menu is amazing and this is definitely the food i grew up eating from our afghani family friends that are basically like family. dessert is a must when you're done too. i would recommend this to anyone in the northeast and will surely be back.

Came here on a Thursday evening for a team outing with 20+ people and the place wasn't too busy when we arrived, but several more people started to trickle in after 7. We were told we'd have the room in the back, but were seated right in the front instead - seemed like we got outbooked by a bigger party. Service was pretty efficient for a party of our size. Our orders were taken efficiently and the staff was friendly and patient with our questions. Their menu was plenty diverse and we ended up having more than enough to eat which left us feeling quite full. The bread was a great start with the different types and the various sauces it was served with. You can see the person baking it right in the front which was pretty awesome to see. We ended up getting eggplant, pumpkin, and this ravioli-like appetizer to start. All were fantastic, my favorite was the eggplant but I'd order any and all of them again. The entree I got was their lamb rib dish and it was fantastic. The meat was cooked so well and just fell off the bone - I would recommend this, you won't regret it! The margarita I started with wasn't the best in my opinion, but it satisfied my craving just fine. We also had a few bottles of wine and those were pretty good as well. Overall, we had a great time and loved the experience. Thanks for taking such good care of us, Helmand!

Perfect spot for a more unique food experience. The food was absolutely delicious. I got the lamb lowland and the lamb was very tender. The restaurant is very clean and welcoming. We will definitely be back for more!

Every restaurant can't serve a party of 11 with ease but Helmand did! Absolutely great service and the food was also quite good. We ordered every appetizer on the menu. The pumpkin was the standout for me...wonderfully sweet, nice yogurt sauce, not quite enough ground beef but still quite good. The portion was also a good size. The next really good appetizer was the eggplant. It was seasoned well and very tender. The portion was too small. There was a tasty ravioli appetizer and that portion was small too. I'm a bread lover and the bread was hot and fresh. The dipping sauces were a nice touch. We had so many different entrees that I can't describe them all. My friend had the fish special and loved it. The piece of fish was big enough to share. I had Mantwo. It was spicier than I expected and really good. The pockets were filled with beef and topped with a mixture of chickpeas, tomatoes and onions. Liked it but didn't love it... However, it was enough food for two people. They've got a good wine list. We shared a couple of bottles of Sauvignon Blanc. Decent wine...acceptable price. The restaurant is small...cozy. It's also noisy so be prepared to talk loud. That's draining for me but it was still a place I'd return because the food was really good.

I don't know what it is about this place. I had it for the first time over maybe 15 years ago, definitely over 10 years ago, and it has just stuck in my memory and became one of my favorite restaurants in the world, for some reason. Every time I visit Boston, I have to come here. I don't even really understand why I love this place so much, because it's not like it's fine dining or anything, and nothing about it as a restaurant is necessarily outstanding, but the food is solid, the service is generally good, and it's delicious. Maybe it's the nostalgia, maybe it's some of the dishes that I love on the menu, maybe it's the company I have when I come here, I don't know. When I come here, I always get the pumpkin thing with the yogurt and minced meat. They used to pulpify it, but now they have a whole chunk of pumpkin on top of yogurt. Both ways are delicious. No complaints. I also always get the lamb (the more expensive one - the bone-in lamp chops, I think), and it's....just so good. This place makes me very happy. I can't wait to go back.

Possibly one of the very best restaurants in Boston. Every time I come here I am amazed at the cuisine. Preparation, service, food is flawless.

Always excellent food and service in a lovely atmosphere and large enough you can usually get a reservation and there is lots of street parking nearby.

Amazing restaurant Amazing staff and food served excellent xxxxxxxxxx xxxx xxxx xxx xx

The Helmand is a Afghani restaurant located at 143 First Street in Cambridge, Ma. The restaurant is named after the country's longest river. The restaurant is in close proximity to the Cambridgeside Mall. There is plenty of street parking. The restaurant takes reservations online and over the phone as well as takeout orders. First impression I must say is that the restaurant has an extensive wine list. Also, who doesn't love warm bread? The flatbread is served with three very unique dipping sauces. All quite delicious. For appetizer, my husband ordered the Bowlawni, which is oven baked pastry shells. One was filled with leeks and scallions and the other was filled with spiced potatoes. It was accompanied with a yogurt dipping. Both were very tasty. For entree, we ordered the chowpan and the lamb lawand. The chowpan is half a rack of lamb, grilled and served with sauteed eggplant and rice. The lamb Lawand is a stewed leg of lamb, served with sautéed spinach and rice. Both were delicious but I preferred the chowpan over the lamb lawand. I also tried their yogurt drink. In retrospect, wine would have been a better choice to go with the lamb. We completed the meal with a slice of the Our cake. This is a cardamom and pineapple cake served with a scoop of ice cream, fresh pineapple, dates and figs, and a drizzle of pomegranate sauce. For specialty coffee, we tried the Turkish coffee. The waiter made it right at our table. Because it is unfiltered, the coffee had a muddy or should I say rich taste? Our waiter, Michael, was absolutely stellar. Please don't hesitate to give them a try. See my pictures!

Me and my grandfather have always had a love for afghani food, so I couldn't wait to try this place, one of the few afghani restaurants in the Boston area. Everything we ordered was tasty, starting off with the ravioli appetizer (aushak) filled with veggies & topped with a yogurt sauce. It's a must-have. Next must-have is the okra stew. Okra is a very hit-or-miss vegetable, and the only way to really enjoy it is in a stew (my opinion!). It's made with spiced tomatoes and garlic. Other things we tried: qabelee (spiced rice topped with sweetened carrots & raisins with lamb), the afghani bread with yogurt (ask them to warm it up for you), and shared a baklava. I'll be coming back to try the chapendaz (beef tenderloin), the eggplant and their cardamom/pineapple cake. The restaurant is so cozy, with cushioned chairs, relaxing Arabic music, lovely service (attentive & nice) with bright yellow walls that make me feel at home. There's a lot of space, so it seems like a great place for group dining. Pricing is reasonable, appetizers & soups are under $10, and meals are from $20-$40. They are close to both the lechmere station (green line) and MIT station (red line). Highly recommend!

The food was very good. There were numerous options including fish and vegetarian. The atmosphere is somewhat fancy yet comfortable and romantic. It is good for a special occasion. The reason for three stars is due to the service. We waited for maybe 8-10 minutes without being served water. When the waiter arrived at our table, his first question was "Are you ready to order?" He did not ask us if we wanted drinks, explain any of the menu, specials or ask us if we had any questions. I told him we needed a minute. When he came back, he simply repeated his question. I felt rushed and almost like my being there was an imposition. Our appetizer came at the same time as our bread and before my wine. We were not offered any more water or bread. I had to ask for both. We were celebrating a birthday, which I mentioned in our reservation. The waiter did not appear to know this.

Not gonnna lie, we totally over-ordered food from here last night ahead of the Snowmaggedon, Snowpocalypse, Snowzilla that is today. BUT given that the food is always amazing and helping out a local business in these times is so important, it's a win for all :) We've eaten at the restaurant several times, and since they started doing delivery during the pandemic, have also ordered delivery numerous times. And Helmand rarely disappoints. The food is consistently delicious, filling and satisfying. Prices seemed a tad high to me this time and not sure if their prices have increased or it's the delivery app jacking up prices. Anyway the food is great, it's clear that they take care and pride in what they do, and want to bring authentic food to the people so it's totally worth it. Appetizers ordered were laghatec (eggplant), vegetarian bowlani (2 thin pastry puffs one stuffed with spinach other with spicy potatoes), bendi (okra). I really liked the potatoes puff pastry. Mushawa soup is so hearty and deeply complex and flavorful with the lamb, black eyed peas and lentils. The bread that comes with the soup and apps is a little chewy for me but dipping it into something liquidy makes it soft. Sometimes I dunk the leftover bread in my tea for breakfast the next morning! Entrees mourgh challow, Vegetarian showla, vegetarian kourma challow, and qabelee (lamb and rice) were all tasty as expected. And of course we have lots of leftovers so rest assured we'll survive the snowstorm thanks to Helmand ;)

Loved the baklava and ice cream dessert here. Food and ambiance were good! Service was good and the servers were knowledgeable.

A must-not miss restaurant! Physically, one of the most beautiful restaurants you will find. The service and presentation were excellent. Very family friendly. The bread is baked on premise in a wood oven. It is served with an array of dipping sauces. My companion and I each had Kourma Challow with Lamb. I had that feeling of: this food is so delicious that I want to eat every morsel, but the portions are so plentiful that I can't. Helmand is delightful!

This was our first experience with Afghani food and we loved it. Everything was so aromatic and comforting for a cold evening. The service was on point as well. Our waiter Hamayoun was the best! To start, we tried the Bowlawni appetizer which is 2 large baked pastry dumplings, one filled with leeks and scallions and the other filled with potatoes and vegetables. Every table also comes with a basket of their delicious bread. For my main dish, I tried their Mourgh Challow, which is a chickpea stew-like dish with chicken breast that you eat with basmati rice.

Delicious food!! We were so hungry, we forgot to take pictures of our meal! Grilled skewers: chicken and beef were delicious! One of us ordered the meatballs and okra; delicious as well!! Yummy sauces accompanied the meal for extra spice. We ordered and shared a piece of their house cake- delicious!!! We remembered to take a photo of that!!

Reservation: we were just two, so we were able to walk in and were seated outside. There was no table available inside the restaurant. It was super busy. I recommend you to reserve a place before you go especially when you are more than 2. Parking: Street side parking available through parking meters. Ambience: The place has a beautiful ambience. Its a fine dine restaurant and you will find everyone nicely dressed. Food: we tried their lamb and chicken and they were super delicious. The food is expensive with small portions. With the price they charge I feel, they can increase the portion. Cost: With two entrées you can expect to spend anywhere between $60 to $100 and that's expensive. Overall: Good experience. I am sure there are other restaurants which provide more value at the same price.

The food, the service and the ambience were all good. The bread is especially amazing as they cook it in a special wood-fired oven. I only withheld a star in my review because the prices on the final bill did not correspond with the prices on the menus we were given. When I asked about it, I was told that the menus were outdated, but that was what was supplied to us when we were the first customers there for the evening! I understand inflation and I do not think the prices were unreasonable, but they were not what we anticipated, which was disappointing and somewhat unfair.

My experience with Afghani food is limited, but in my mind Helmand is excellent with particularly superb meat dishes. The space is medium sized with a welcoming atmosphere and very good service.

Come back all the time just for the qabelee!! It is absolutely amazing -- I love the sweet carrots, raisins, and the tender meat (hidden under the rice in the picture). The portion is also very generous -- definitely can share with two people. I've tried some other meat dishes here in the past but honestly wasn't impressed by anything else so will be sticking with the qabelee. I recently tried the eggplant appetizer which I was also not impressed by -- there's just not much flavor so it exclusively tastes like you're simply eating an eggplant and that's it. Service is generally good. There was one time when the service was pretty bad (the waiter kept ignoring us and it took forever to get someone to take our order) but the manager took it into his own hands and apologized at the end of the meal. Overall, the restaurant is well run.

We recently visited Helmand and it was wonderful! Our server Hamyoun did a wonderful job and pointed us to some great recommendations.

Went during the weekend. The experience started out as three stars but ended as four stars. The service was good but the waiter missed a couple of things - there seemed to be a language barrier. The food is solid but the menu is overwhelmingly lamb dishes. Wish there was a little more variety but I guess that's Afghani cuisine. The manager (I think) was super friendly and lovely to talk to. They do have outdoor seating but it rained that day, so we sat indoors. The place started to fill up pretty quickly. Nice ambiance inside. Street parking is not always easy to find in that area but you can park at the Galleria mall & pay.

The service and food were both great and I filled up on appetizers before I even got my main. Specifically the Kaddo baby pumpkin was so sweet and soft - it is definitely a must order. Also the bread and dips that come at the start were delicious. It's great to have this variety of food in the area.

Have been walking by this place for years on our way to Toscaninis, so decided to try. Service was excellent and the food was delicious.

I like the plants and decor, the servers are quietly kind and friendly, the food is flavorful and tasty. I had black tea which was really fragrant. They put cardamom in it and it really made it special . We had the kaddo (pumpkin ) app and I think I'm getting one just for me next time. Also the bowlani was excellent. And vegetarian kourma challow was good. The mourgh challow with chicken was satisfying. It is nice to dine in such a pretty restaurant and have an exceptional meal. It is near the Galleria Mall, about 5 minute walk and really worthwhile for a pleasant atmosphere and lovely food. I've been before but neglected a review.

This is one of my all time favorite restaurants in the Boston area. I love that they have many vegetarian options and clearly note them on the menu. This is a fantastic date place and is large but cozy, I love sitting by the wood fired stove in the colder weather. Definitely check this place out.

If you like lamb, then you'll find many options to satisfy that craving. I however, ordered the Ashmak, the spinach filled ravioli with mint yogurt sauce and ground beef sauce on top. The portion was large and I enjoyed it, and I liked the bread that came with the meal and the sauces as well. The service was good, and the restaurant was not full, but it was a Monday night. Entrees range $22-$36.

Helmand has been a longtime favorite of my family, friends, and myself. Went here a couple days back with friends and the quality has not changed. We had aushak, bowlani, and kaddo for appitizers and ordered the qabelee, chowpan, and Koufta Challow as mains. We split these amongst 5 people and it was plenty of food. My friends ordered drinks and desserts and liked them all. The prices are fair for all they include. My gripe was the service was painfully slow but otherwise still liked the place and glad I got to go back after many years!

Really loved the food we ordered! Been a huge fan of ethnic food, so I chose to try this one. We ordered Lamb Lawand ( more like a lamb curry) and Chapendaz (a piece of grilled beef with lentils, mung beans, and spinached rice). Both tasted good, Lamb Lawand reminded me of indian lamb curry. The portion is kinda small (we ordered for pick up), but since the food is good, i probably will come back and try Chowpan!

This was my first time trying Afghani food, and it was a great experience! Our waiter was very friendly and offered menu suggestions/was able to answer any questions we had! The service was great, and our food came out hot. The complimentary bread comes with three dipping sauces, all of which were delicious. I ordered the kebabs with pilaf! Everything was seasoned perfectly. The portions are big and the price point is reasonable. I definitely recommend checking this out if you're in the area.

My wife and I visited Boston for the first time and we decided to have dinner at Helmand Restaurant. It was the best thing we did because everything we ordered was leaps and bounds better than any afghan restaurant we've been to. When dinning at restaurants we like to order multiple appetizers and one entree as this allows us to get a better feel for the different flavors in the cuisine. We ordered banjan, bolani, shor nakhod, ashuk for appetizers and chappli kebab for an entree. The entire time we kept looking at each other in amazement of how good the food was!! The naan they make, fresh out of a brick oven, reminded me of how my family made it back in Afghanistan and it tasted just as good!!! We have had our share of afghan food in many states ranging from New York, Northern Virginia and California but this place is hands down the best! Everyone was very hospitable and the ambiance of the place was perfect and our waiter was very attentive. We will DEFINITELY be coming back for more in the future!

Never tried Afghan food before Helmand and now I'm hooked. Visited the place a few times pre-COVID and it is a pretty fancy spot. I came in leggings and a t-shirt and definitely felt underdressed but everyone still treats you really well nonetheless! Since COVID has hit, I've ordered from Helmand every time I visit Boston and the food never fails to impress me. Today, my bf and I got the Banjan, Mantwo and Chowpan. We usually just get one appetizer and one entree to share and it's more than enough, but today we were starving. 2 appetizers and 1 entree had us beyond stuffed and extremely content. The Banjan is an eggplant dish that has some creamy sauce on top of it. It is AMAZING and pairs well with the bread that they provide. The eggplant is extremely soft and the skin isn't too tough or overcooked. The Mantwo are two dumplings stuffed with meat and lots of veggies. The soft exterior falls apart easily with just a fork and all the various flavors easily blend together with every bite. These dumplings are slightly sweet and personally tasted a little like pumpkin too me, though I'm not sure if it contains any pumpkin lol. This is my second favourite appetizer for sure. Today we got the Chowpan, which is a rack of lamb with some pallow rice and a sautéed eggplant side dish. The eggplant side dish was very tomato heavy and added a lot of sauce and moisture to the dish -- I personally used this as a dipping sauce for my bread and rice. The lamb was incredibly soft and rich in flavor. Each piece had an abundance of juicy meat and was more than enough for the two of us. I personally slightly prefer the Qabelee over the Chowpan in terms of taste and value for money. The Qabelee has pallow rice that has raisins and carrots mixed in. I think this version of the rice provides a great contrast to the chunks of meat in the Qabelee and overall creates better balance than the Chowpan. If you're a huge fan of rack of lamb or just willing to shell out a little more for a richer chunk of meat, then I'd go for the Chowpan! Overall, an amazing place with great portion sizes. If you've never tried Afghan food, I'd definitely check it out!

The food was ok at best but the portions were too small and made for little kids or someone on super diet.

Service as attentive, knowledgeable and considerate. The atmosphere was lively, a real neighborhood feel. And the food! My tastebuds are still singing. The eggplant appetizer, Banjan, was cooked perfectly and served with a yoghurt garlic and mint sauce. We shared 2 amazing lamb entrees: (forgive me for not remembering the proper names). Lamb shank with rice, raisins and carrots with beautifully aromatic spices and leg of lambs cooked in a spiced gravy with potatoes and green n beans served with rice ice and lentils. Lastly, Turkish coffee and a light creamy pudding topped with perfectly ripened strawberries, blueberries and pineapple. Go. Enjoy the amazing food, excellent service and the comfortable ambience

Before covid (which feels like a l-o-n-g time ago), we used to dine regularly at Helmand. The flavors, like a mix of Northern Indian and Persian, was always exceptional. We had tried just about everything on the menu, and each was superb. This time, we ordered all the appetizers on the menu: Aushak, Mantwo, Bowlawni, Banjan, Kaddo, and also one entree (but I just can't remember which). All were delicious! The service was A+, making this a delightful evening. Tips: (1.) get there early. As the place fills up, the hubbub got a bit loud. (2.) don't sit near the cashier desk. People waiting for tables crown this small area. We sat by the fireplace which was perfect!!

This was my second visit to the Helmand restaurant, and just as I remembered on my first visit, the food was delicious. The lamb in the seekh kabob was cooked perfectly tender, all the dishes were seasoned well, and overall it was a fun and newer dining experience! Thank you for being attentive staff members & providing top notch food as well!

This restaurant was beautiful decorated to highlight Afghani culture and for a weekday night was busy (I recommend making reservations). A special highlight is the fresh pita being made for all to see. The restaurant has a lot of food options available including vegetarian. I love Middle Eastern food - my go to favorite is a Chapli kabab which I also ordered here. It was juicy and yummy! Although this place did not steal the #1 spot in my heart for Afghani food, it was really good.

The appetizers are so delicious that I now order just appetizers and no main dish. The desserts are also wonderful. I find the Feereney refreshing and delightful, but my daughter loves the rice pudding and both she and my grandson think the cake is phenomenal. And then there is the bread that you can watch them bake in the brick oven with its tasty sauces. And the side dishes of spinach and even okra are great.