We came here on a whim, we are so happy that we did. This place was incredible. When you walk in you’re immediately hit by the amazing decor that reminds you of Central Asia and Afghanistan. Mind you that Afghan food is very similar to Persian cuisine in both style and taste. It’s heavy on fresh ingredients that are often stewed with veggies served alongside steamed rice. As a Persian I’m very particular about Afghan food since they’re both very similar.
We were seated and then the fun began. The barbary bread is served warm and delicious along with some house chutneys. The menu is expansive and features a wide array of options for diners with both vegetarian, vegan, and regular things to choose from. They have great skill preparing veggies, I highly recommend ordering the butternut squash borani, a traditional Afghan dish that is served here with a drizzle of yogurt and topped with some sweet brown sugar crumbles. This appetizer is divine.
The other appetizer we ordered was the Qoroti, often described as an Afghan savory bread pudding, it had minced meat with spices and yogurt sauce served over a warm piece of barbary bread that was soaked in the meat juices. It was incredible, the flavors and their perfect balance was like a delicious symphony.
For our meals we opted for the more traditional Qormas or ghormeh if you’re Persian. We ordered the Rumi Chicken, Chicken Saffron, and Chicken Sabzi Leewan. These were all stews that had boneless chunks of chicken in a flavorful stew base served with white rice. All 3 were incredible I highly recommend them. The Rumi chicken has a touch of heat to go along with the rich tomato stew that also has a mild sweetness to it, it’s a perfect balance of flavors. We finished the meal with tea and dessert, they had a daily cardamom milk cake prepared which was divine, the ice cream was okay but it’s perfect for scooping into your tea. The rice pudding was mild and pleasant, if I had to choose one I would say go with their cake and some tea.
The pricing is reasonable for a DC place and the staff was very friendly. The parking is a pain since there is none, I had to circle around trying to find something. Uber or ride share here.
Overall this place is excellent and should be at the top of your list to try.
Final Grade: A
