The Best Afghan Food in the United States
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The best Afghan food in the United States, according to the experts: the Michelin Guide, The Infatuation, and The New York Times have all weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Lapis comes out on top, and the good stuff runs deepest in San Francisco and Washington.
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The Helmand and Sunshine Spice Cafe hold the next two places. Eater and the San Francisco Chronicle show up on more of this list than any other guide.
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Rank 1. Lapis
Modern Afghan Bistro
Afghan rugs on whitewashed walls and hurricane lamps set a date-night mood that doesn't feel like it's trying too hard. This Afghan restaurant in Columbia Heights earns a Michelin Bib Gourmand with food that's fragrant and light, nothing buried under heavy spice. The flatbreads and dumplings are reliable starting points, and the qabili palow, lamb over basmati with carrots and raisins, is the dish regulars plan their evening around.
The awards
- Michelin Guide Michelin Guide: Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation The Infatuation: #22 · Top 25: The Best Restaurants In Washington, DC
- The New York Times The New York Times: The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
- Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand
- The Infatuation #22 · Top 25: The Best Restaurants In Washington, DC
- The New York Times The 25 Best Restaurants in Washington, D.C., Right Now
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Rank 2. The Helmand
Afghan
Baked baby pumpkin with yogurt has been landing on tables at this Afghan restaurant in Mount Vernon for what feels like forever, and the room fills with people who know exactly what they're ordering before they sit down. Come with a crowd and ask for family style; the staff takes over from there, spreading large portions across the table until there's no room left to second-guess yourself.
The awards
- The Infatuation The Best Restaurants In Baltimore
- Eater Baltimore’s 38 Essential Restaurants
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Rank 3. Sunshine Spice Cafe
Afghan Café
Four sisters from Afghanistan run this casual, art-filled cafe on busy Fairview Avenue, where the name is a nickname for saffron and the menu behaves accordingly. Steamed mantoo with garlic sour cream sits near avocado toast on Afghan bread and a pistachio opera cake, which is the only place that sentence has ever been true. The baker was a James Beard semifinalist for Outstanding Baker.
The awards
- Eater The 30 Essential Boise Restaurants
- James Beard Awards 2022 · Semifinalist · Outstanding Baker · Khatera Shams
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Rank 4. The Mantu
Afghan
The awards
- AAA AAA: Approved
- AAA Approved
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Rank 5. Afghan Awasana Kabob
Afghan
Chandeliers and vibrant Afghan artwork give this small Fremont kabob shop the feel of a classy living room, which sets up the food nicely: deeply comforting, made from scratch, and the kind of thing Bay Area diners drive across several zip codes to find. The mantoo and chapli kebabs are the draws, and the dimpled flatbread comes by the slab, built for sopping. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top South Asian restaurants.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #5. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #5 Afghan Awasana Kabob (this place) 64.672
- #5 Afghan Cuisine 64.672
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Rank 5. Afghan Cuisine
Afghan
A small Afghan restaurant in Concord where the narunj palow arrives looking simple and proceeds to misbehave. The signature rice dish hides a lamb shank somewhere beneath saffron-tinted basmati, with caramelized orange peel lending a faint bitterness that makes the tender meat taste even richer. The habanero chile paste on the side is not decorative. The San Francisco Chronicle named it among the Bay Area's top South Asian tables.
The awards
- San Francisco Chronicle San Francisco Chronicle: Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
- San Francisco Chronicle Best Indian, Pakistani, and South Asian restaurants in the Bay Area
A Tie
Two places have the exact same Score, so they share #5. We don't pick a winner we can't back up.
- #5 Afghan Awasana Kabob 64.672
- #5 Afghan Cuisine (this place) 64.672
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Rank 7. Afghania
Upscale Afghan
The awards
- Washingtonian Washingtonian: #92 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
- Washingtonian #92 · 100 Very Best Restaurants
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Rank 8. Dunya Kabab House
Afghan
The awards
- The New York Times The New York Times: 2022 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review
- The New York Times 2022 · 2 stars, Critic's Pick · Restaurant Review