Springfield, Virginia, 22150
Phone: 703-451-3373
http://www.bestafghanrestaurant.com/
Visited: March 21, 2009
The first thing you notice as you pull into the parking lot of Kabul Kabob is it's claustrophobic proximity to a Dunkin' Donuts and a local Car Wash station. You can see almost as if in a planned attempt at sudsy defiance water and soap run off from the car wash seeping into the far edge of the Kabul Kabob parking lot. As the wife and twin boys finished parking and saw Kabul Kabob, I thought, "Man, I'm starving and I hope this place is good."
Save for our minivan, the parking lot was empty with one guy drying off his Corvette with the help of his portly wife. The two seemed to be working furiously as if with a mission to remove all traces of water from their late 80's model Corvette. Glancing into the restaurant I saw the waiters sitting at the bar chatting and joking while folding napkins. Opening the door they sprang to life and one waiter greeted us all with a big warm smile and a "Hello" as she showed us to our table and then brought us two high chairs for the boys.
The inside of Kabul Kabob looked a bit dated with carpeting that was a bit worn and a grayish color that was either by design or a reflection of its age. The tables and silverware were place settings were all clean with neatly pressed white table clothes contrasting against the color of the carpet. The menus were covered in laminate and were clean with great descriptions of all the dishes written in plain English for those of us unaware of what made up a Baujaun or a Shami. As I read the menu my stomach began growling and my mouth watered at the thought of tasting the delectable treats so tastily described in my menu.
The wife was quietly eyeing the menu like an eagle and eyeing her environment. After the horrendous experience at Stoney Creek Inn she was obsessed with the cleanliness of an eating establishment and happily proclaimed that there was no dust on the window sil near our table. Hunger made our stomachs growl as the waiter returned to take our order. As we ordered he smiled and played with the boys in a way that told us he genuinely liked kids and wasn't doing this for our tips.
After a looooooooong deliberation of 2 minutes, I decided to order the Kabul Special which consisted of a "Combination of chicken, Shami, and lamb kabob all marinated in special herbs and spices, broiled on a skewer over charcoal". Oh yeah, I stole that description off their menu. The wifey ordered the Shami which is "Seasoned ground beef and lamb broiled on a skewer over charcoal". Tasty yum yum goodness! Still skeptical at due to our settings, I wished that our food was half-way decent as we had spontaneously picked out this restaurant courtesy of the kickass $10 discount coupon for Kabul Kabob in our 2009 Entertainment book.
To be honest, the exterior appearance of Kabul Kabob makes it blend into the bleak Springfield, VA setting. I'm sure the restaurant has been around for years and I've driven down Commerce Street hundreds of times, but I've NEVER noticed Kabul Kabob. Once our food arrived and I tasted the food...I was sooooooooo bummed that I had never ever discovered this place.
The chicken, lamb and Shami kabobs of the Kabul Special were all cooked to perfection! The meats were perfectly seasoned and cooked perfectly. Each kabob brought its own unique flavor and taste as they were served on top of a large piece of freshly baked Afghan bread. As a side item, my dish came with a generous portion of rice spiced with cumin seeds and garnished with sugar sweet shredded carrots and raisins. My wife's Shami looked amazing and tasted even better than it looked. Her Shami was served atop the cumin rice and came with a side of lightly spiced yogurt sauce.
As soon as we tasted our food and shared portions of the Kabul Special (especially the chicken and lamb), no words were spoken. We dove into our dishes stuffing our faces with occasional exclamations of, "Oh my God this amazing" or "Soooooo gooood!!" We shared some Afghan bread with the boys and they too enjoyed small pieces of lamb, chicken and Shami. Surprisingly, the food they really loved and demanded more of was the rice. Both boys would complain with "ah! ah! ah!" if little mounds of rice weren't shoveled into their agape mouths. Seems like Mommy and Daddy weren't the only hungry ones.
As we continued to eat like ravenous wolves, cars began pulling into the parking lot and people dressed in traditional Afghan garb began entering the restaurant. A large table adjacent to ours began filling with what appeared to be guests all dressed festively and happily greeting the waiters and each other. It seems as if a party of sorts was taking place as we continued to stuff our faces and enjoy the delectable dishes of Kabul Kabob.
Finishing our food, we were all thoroughly satisfied with the food and were even happier to know all this amazing food was had for not too much coin. After using the $10 coupon our bill came to $20; a steal for all the food we enjoyed. So if you're ever in the Springfield area, take notice of this little place and don't be discouraged by its slightly drab exterior. Inside you'll be greeted with a friendly wait staff and food that will blow your socks off. The wife and I have already resolved to go back to Kabul Kabob with friends just to enjoy some other tasty treats off of their menu.
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