Bamian

Great food great service. Two of us had vegetarian platters which were good. My son had a meat and chicken dish. Very good but so much food we took a lot of his home. Mango lassi was yummy. A drink called dough– looked like milk with herbs or veggies sprinkled in– I didn’t care for at all. Pita. bread came with the vegetarian platter for dipping in sauce. It’s easy to eat too much of the bread.

This review is for the lunch buffet only. Been there about 10+ times for lunch and plan to go many more times. Do go early for the best spread of the buffet. They get busy around 12:30pm, and sometimes it takes them a while to replenish food items.
Pros:
–place is clean, well-​lit, nicely decorated
–affordable price (~$ 11 per person for buffet)
–menu items change slighly depending on the day of the week
–friendly/​fast service
–huge dining area (can seat large groups)
Cons:
–food temperature is inconsistent
–naan bread (too hard)
Once I brought 50 people here for lunch on a one-​month ahead reservation. I even met with the manager face-​to-​face to discuss seating and other logistics. On that day, for some strange reason, they were really shorthanded… it ended up taking 30+ minutes to get our drink orders and our dirty plates were not taken. No one came to check up on how things were going. I had to walk to the counter to fill water pitchers myself. So I will not bring large group like that again. Other than that, I recommend this place for a quick lunch for you and a (in)significant other.

Why did I give this restaurant 1 star? The food is delicious but the service is AWFUL. I have eaten there within the month twice. I had to track down a waiter for water. I had to track down a waiter to ask questions of the food and had to track down a waiter for the bill — while at least 7 waiters were huddled in the corner. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when we left a tip — 10% because it was buffet and the service was lousy, the waiter had the audacity to ask for at least an 18% tip for service. The nerve!

The food here is wonderful, but we just came again and they don’t serve wine anymore. What is the deal with that?

100% authentic & delicious. Many powerful memories of two lengthy stays in Afghanistan (2009 & 2013) came to the fore with every bite. My wife & I enjoyed the Bamian Platter & the Vegetarian Platter. The Afghan dumplings were exactly how every meal in-​country had started for us.

Great food for a great price! Our office staff enjoyed the buffet last Thursday and were happy to have them cater our office event the following Tuesday for 25 people. Those who had never had it loved it! Thanks to the manager… Lots of leftovers.

I rated one star because of service. My friend from Afghanistan recommend to go eat yesterday with one of my other friend. The place was nice and we got the table by the window. I ordered Fish Kabob. My friends got Qaubili Palau and Chalau Kabob. We waited 45mins and the food didn’t come. Our water jug was empty and there was no refill. People came after us got their food first. I even raised my hands and all the servers ignored us. I was this close to walk out the door. My friend told me waited another 15mins if the food didn’t come out we will leave. Finally, the food came out. My friend asked him for Coke and I asked him for more water. He came back with a basket of bread and water but forgot the Coke. He said my fish was out and they have to wait to get some and marinated it. A good server/​waiter should come out and tell the customers that their food was out. At least, I would pick something else instead waiting and not knowing whats going on. He could have served my two other friends food first instead of waiting for mine. My fish got burned on the outside. We got the food to go because we can’t finish. Ask him for a check and came back without a pen. I was nice enough to give him tips. My friends wouldn’t even give him any tips for that kind of service. When we left, no one said thank you and come again.

From the outside, it doesn’t look like much. We pass this place all the time when we drive into Virginia from DC. When we found it on Unilocal,we decided to give it a chance. It’s a little bit of an older restaurant it seems. They have a large dining area and a saved area for a buffet. They have these private dining rooms for a party of two or three which we loved! We were seated there and we appreciated that because the restaurant was pretty empty. Our server was funny and very personable. The service was great. He made sure our cups were constantly filled and that all our questions were answered. We tried different appetizers and dishes. I loved the potatoe dish and I was surprised that I liked the dumpling dish ! I usually don’t like the consistency and texture of dumplings but these were done so well. The dumplings had a delicious flavor and the right amount of meat. It was not heavy at all. I loved the fresh onions on our dishes and the green chutney was a great addition to our meals as well. The prices are very reasonable. We definitely enjoyed our first visit here and hope to be back soon the next time we find ourselves in NoVA.

I have to say, this is one of the hidden gems in the DC area. I was skeptical when my wife told me she wanted to try Afghanistan food. I’m a fan of Seinfeld and they had me believing Afghanistan food wasn’t good. WRONG!
You have to try the Samosas.
Bamian became one of our favorite places to eat. We quickly began taking visitors here and they loved it. Check out our first visit and review here:

Last time I was here we had an engagement party at this location and this time I got food catered from this restaurant for a funeral. The food was excellent. The service was friendly. The price was reasonable. The food came ready to lay out in a buffet. It was warm and packed in big aluminum trays that were kept in well insulated containers. We are very pleased, especially since the last time I had food catered from a similar place that just grew the food in shitty dirty looking Coleman picnic coolers. Like cooked spinach in a cooler without container, not even foil let alone a tray.
Thank You Bamian!

The food was decent, though not as good as our go-​to Afghan place, which was closed when we visited Bamian. However, as soon as we signed the bill, we we asked to get up and leave. It was abrupt, bizarre, and left us feeling embarrassed in front of the two friends we had brought with us. Though we tried not to be, we were really offended, and would feel weird going back there.
While I understand they were busy, you let guests finish up their immediate conversations– we weren’t even there for much more than 30 minutes. Extremely poor hospitality.

I’ve been here a couple of times over the past few years with different folks. The food and service have been good each time. One note about the service, while it has been consistently great once we are seated the act of getting a seat can be a little awkward. This last time my husband walked up and asked someone about getting a table. But once we were seated our waitress was nice, helpful, and accommodating. My favorite items from our last visit were the mantu (dumplings) and the pumpkin. Of course the bread is good although the sauce it came with was not to my liking I appreciate that others might enjoy a relish-​like sauce more than me.
The guys both got kabobs and although both thought they were good everyone agreed the mantu was the best. The dumplings are also a nice item for sharing.
There was plenty of seating available when we arrived and once we were seated the service and food were both spot on.
Just an aside — getting here can be a little challenging. We missed the turn and ended up coming in through the back of the parking lot via a nearby strip mall.

We found this place yesterday while we were both hungry and trying to search good place to eat. This Restaurant is conviently loctaed right off to leesburg pike road near the 4less tire shop.
We arrived here around 2.15ish. The restaurant has nice ambience especially with cozy booth. They have a buffet. The buffet was not that appealing to me may it was because we arrived there little late, they didnt have varieties of food selection. Buffet that day had a Salad, rice, seasoned rice, ground beef, chicken kabob, sweet pumkin, and some fruits and white rice pudding dessert. I dont do beef that might be the reason it felt like It was not fair but hey! With the price 10.99 it was a worth it. Chicken kabob was their best dish on the buffet. It took away the prize. We also orderd assaukh from their menu. It was just something to try as an afghan food. The appetizer was scallion stuffed dumpling. We tried to finish it but couldnt because we were full and stuffed.
Our waiteress was very attentive. Service was
Smooth and at its best. However, I would like them to interact with customer more and tell them about their restaurant and it’s background. People always want to know about different cultures and food. If you do this! you will definetely get five stars from me when I visit you next time. Until then keep up the good work.

The bread is really good. You do have to ask for it and they do charge but it’s worth the extra few bucks. I usually get mantu as an appetizer and the Palau for entrée. They season everything perfectly. Very well cooked and delicious. They also have pretty good tea. Every time I have been to Bamian there hasn’t been a wait and friendly wait staff. I also like for the younger kids who are not too adventurous with food they have a friendly kids menu.

My husband and I decided to go here for dinner on our wedding anniversary (based on its Unilocal rating). We went inside and were shown to our table by a server (without being greeted, of course). The restaurant is fairly small with booths on the left and tables on the right. The place was fairly packed and everyone seemed to be pretty comfortable there. The decorations are pretty basic and threadbare. So, we didn’t really get the ambiance we were hoping for. However, we were counting on the food to be mindblowingly delicious.
We ordered the bolani as an appetizer, the kabob platter and boneless chicken thigh as our entrees. The food was served fairly quickly which was definitely a plus. The bolani was generously stuffed but lacked seasoning. The chicken entrée was delicious though I didn’t care for the rice at all. The lamb kabob in the kabob platter was fantastic but everything else was sub par. I hate to nitpick but while our server did ask us how our food was, he seemed in a rush to get us out as he quickly cleared our plates while my husband was still eating. We weren’t asked about dessert either.
The music from the banquet hall was extremely loud and we requested our server to lower it however we were told that it was not possible at all. He did not even seem to give a shit about our discomfort and didn’t even want to try to accommodate us. Based on this and fairly average tasting food, we will not return to this establishment.

The Kabuli Palau topped with the classic raisins and carrots was amazingly tasty! The food came extremely fast, in fact, our server brought our food within 5 minutes of ordering, even before our drinks came – that was a first! This is by far the best Afghani food I’ve had in the US.
The only reason I’m not giving them a 5 is because when we entered the restaurant we waited quite a while before a waiter even came to greet us at the front and seat us. And later even when eating, no one came to re-​fill our drinks or check on us. They were understaffed for a night that wasn’t even that busy.
Otherwise, if you can get over the service, would definitely recommend this place for their great food quality!

An underappreciated GEM! buried in strip mall hell near Bailey’s Crossroads. I’ve gone for years and every time, we were the only non-​Afghans in the place. The food is delicious and preparted with care. Even in the salad, the knifework is done with care, and they take the trouble to removed the cucumber and tomato seeds. The kebabs are fantastic, but my favorite dish is the mantu dumplings, available as either an appetizer or an entrée.
Service was friendly and prompt. I think they do big business in family events, but they deserve to be filled to capacity the rest of the time.
If you have never tried Afghan food, I encourage you to try it. It is like a cross between Indian and kebabs. These folks do a wonderful job and even if you are not Afghani, you will be welcomed.

We ordered take-​out from Bamian and really enjoyed it. The food is delicious and the portion sizes are decent. My only qualm is that it’s a bit pricey for what you’re getting — $ 15 for a kabob platter. But other than that, good deal and very friendly service when we were picking up our food. We ordered the beef kabob combo, which came with rice and a lemony salad comprosed of tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. We also ordered sambosas (savory fried potato pastry with veggies inside) as our appetizer. All around, delicious food! A little on the pricey end for what you’re getting, but good overall.

Stumbled upon Bamian on my Unilocal app while looking for somewhere to grab a bite after shopping at Khan El Khalil around the corner (see other review), I’m always impressed with the Afghani food scene in the DMV area so figured why not stop by here and check it out. It was a rainy Wednesday night so I wasn’t expecting much of a crowd, which meant faster service. You walk in and feel like you just walked into a banquet hall, the huge dining room with a buffet setup in the middle lends itself to large events quite well and Im sure the dinner setup changes as needed. There are also quaint booths against the walls that allow you to enjoy your dinner in privacy with smaller groups if you choose.
The food is your traditional afghani food. kabobs, slow cooked stews and a small array of appetizers that are delicious. The menu is simple, uncomplicated and familiar. Everyone was well prepared, the fresh baked whole wheat bread was definitely the show stealer though. nothing beats off the oven break, still steaming in your hands! All in a all a pretty decent place to go if you’re in the area, definitely recommend it if you need a large hall for huge parties (weddings, engagement parties, mehendis etc) great food, reasonable prices, and friendly staff.

I had AMAZING Afghan food years ago and had such fond memories, I was expecting to be blown away by this place! Sadly, I was only mildly impressed. Sambosa and manta appetizers were really good, but our entrees were just OK. I had the kabob burgh (chicken), and I found myself drenching it in the spicy green sauce they serve with the afghan bread. Hubby had quabili palau, which he said was «meh». For dessert we had the elephant ear– a fried piece of dough with powdered sugar. It was too hard and crunchy for my taste.
Service was awful. Terrible.

I was a bit skeptic walking into this large, hard to get to, banquet hall looking (seriously was a dance floor, two chairs up on a mini stage that looked like King Joffer and Queen Aolean might grace at any moment).
Half of my party ordered the buffet, which after getting my one dimensional dish, I was envious of, but even though I only had two types of things to eat, they were both extremely tastey.
My kabob came with a starter lentil soup of some sort, piping hot, slightly creamy and satisfying. I also ordered the fried beef/​chickpea app (this was before I read the Unilocal reviews to get the Mantu) that was served with a slightly tart chopped veggie medley — also quite enjoyable. The kebab meat, while cooked slightly more than I would prefer was seasoned to perfection. Served with Nan, rice, onion and tomato for a very filling $ 13 lunch.