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i really don't know what the previous reviewer is wailing about. the food has always been excellent, i've been there four times and it has always been fresh and amazingly tasty. i usually get either the beef koobideh or shrimp curry and they're both excellent. the atmosphere has a nice warmth to it.. especially if you get to sit on the side with the ground-tables where you sit cross legged, how cool was that?? i highly recommend this place.

The food tasted canned and bland. The worst item we had was the Lubia Chalow, which clearly had canned rather than "baked" kidney beans, and did not have any dried lemons to speak of. The sauce tasted like ketchup--bland and sickeningly sweet--and the beans tasted like aluminum. The rice was overcooked and tasted reheated (and probably was, given how quickly it came out). The bizarre waitress came out and shouted "it's ready!" when we had just received our appetizer (canned pumpkin stuffed into undercooked "turnovers"), then ordered us to take the remaining pieces off of the serving plate so that she could bring out the entrees, mumbling something about how they were in a rush. The group at the table next to us received the same treatment from a different member of the waitstaff before even ordering and decided to leave. The website makes this place sound as though it will be moderately upscale in the vein of many of the Indian restaurants in the area, but the drinks menu consists of a few lousy American beers and "house" wines listed on diner-style advertising placards, and the restaurant is drafty and tastelessly decorated. Strongly not recommended.

my friends and i love their salad and bread. and the shrimp curry is brilliant. the owner of the restaurant is a kind person.

I am no expert when it comes to Afghani food - but my meal at Bamiyan struck me as the real deal. The chef was not afraid to use a heavy hand when it came to spicing his/her dishes with the flavors I associate with afghani food - allspice, cinnamon, cardamon - while using ingredients that surprised me - eggplant, homemade pasta. While the flavors of the food were exciting and at times fantastic - they certainly were not very refined. By this I mean that there was a certain innocence, even naivete, in the construction and implementation of the menu. For example - the exact same sauces were used for both apps and main courses. While those sauces were good - certainly afghani food and the skill of the chef would allow the introduction of new sauces for each course. The food itself was occasionally a little clumsy as well as the chef fell back on the their ability to spice and flavor to cover up their lack of interest in presentation and ingenuity. That being said - there were some really fantastic dishes served at Bamiyan. For apps our party shared orders of pumpkin turnovers (kadu), steamed beef dumplings (mantoo), and stewed chicken (fesenjan). The beef dumplings were alright - but the stewed chicken was fantastic and the pumpkin turnovers were amazing. For our mains the party selected a wide variety of pasta dishes, curries, vegetarian meals, and kebobs. The pasta dishes were interesting and should be tried since they are so unique. The curries and other stewed dishes were all fine - nothing too great. The real surprise was how good the kebobs were! Generally I stay away from kebabs because they are so boring, but the meat had been marinating forever and it was served on top of an incredible orange rice that blew everyones mind. Overall - Bamiyan is the place to go if you are interested in having quality dishes that highlight the particular flavor profile of traditional afghani food.

Had this for delivery and it was amazing, food came quickly. Obviously, it's expensive but all dishes were great. Ginger chicken appetizer was amazing, and the beef kabob was as well. Still, the best dishes were the lamb and the accompanying bread. Absolutely incredible. Give this place a try for something different.

Ate here with my girlfriend on a Tuesday night and was well rewarded for my choice. Despite the lackluster service and pedestrian alcohol selection, my meal of chicken kabouli was positively delicious, with the chicken nice and tender and the accompanying garlic sauce and lentils simply wonderful. My girlfriend, opting for leaner fare enjoyed the Quorma Baunjaun immensely. With a cozy atmosphere and reasonable prices, we'll be back.

Having never tried Afghani food, my boyfriend and I decided to try out this restaurant. The ambience in the restaurant is very pleasing, raising our expectations of the restaurant. However, the food and service in Bamiyan disappoints. Despite there being few people in the restaurant, the servers took their pleasant time in taking our orders. We had to flag down waiters several times to take our order, take our food, get our check, etc. And the food was not wonderful. My dish was mediocre. My boyfriend decided that the cooks must have just dumped a spice mix onto his food and then not mixed it well. Given how relatively expensive this restaurant is (compared to the Indian restaurants nearby), it's surprising how this restaurant has lasted.