Most Dallas diners can name a favorite Lebanese spot, a go-to Indian buffet and three Persian kebab houses without thinking twice. Afghan food rarely makes the list. That’s a shame, because it’s some of the most generous, comforting cooking in the city, and right now you can find it from Lower Greenville to the Sycamore neighborhood of south Fort Worth.
If you’re new to it, think of Afghanistan as a crossroads. The cooking borrows from its neighbors in Iran, Pakistan, India and Central Asia and lands somewhere all its own. Rice is the centerpiece of the table. Kebabs come off the grill juicy and well seasoned. Dumplings arrive under yogurt and spiced meat sauce. And there’s almost always tea.
A few dishes to know before you go. Qabili palao is the national dish, rice cooked with tender lamb and topped with carrots and raisins. Mantu are beef dumplings, usually finished with yogurt. Aushak are their cousins, filled with leeks. Bolani is a thin flatbread stuffed with potato, and the chapli kebab is a flat, spiced ground-meat patty that comes from the region along the Pakistan border.
Here’s where to find all of it.
Kabul Cuisine is the newcomer, a small spot on Skillman Street in northeast Dallas, near Lake Highlands. The food is fully halal, there’s no alcohol, and tea comes with the meal. The kebabs and rice dishes are the reason to go, and the portions are generous. During Ramadan the restaurant serves a nightly iftar buffet, which is worth putting on your calendar next spring. Kabul Cuisine is at 9205 Skillman St., Suite 125. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Call 469-939-9200.
Nora Bar and Grill is the longest-running of the Dallas spots. Chef Matt Pikar opened the original Nora on Greenville Avenue in 2012 and named it after his daughter. It later moved to Bishop Arts for six years. When that lease ran out, Pikar announced a new home at Sylvan Thirty, and the third version of Nora opened there last November, this time designed with families in mind. It also has a bar pouring Afghan-inspired cocktails. Order the mantu and the qabili palao, and don’t leave without the chicken meatballs, the dish that got Guy Fieri talking when he brought Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives to the original Greenville location. Nora Bar and Grill is at 1888 Sylvan Ave., Suite F120. Hours are 3 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
For the most down-to-earth Afghan meal in North Texas, head to East Seminary Drive in south Fort Worth. A few blocks of the street are home to several Afghan halal markets and a kabob house, with Afghan groceries, naan and spices on the shelves. Afghan Village Restaurant shares space with the Afghan Halal Market at 1116 E. Seminary Dr. The namesake Afghan Village Kabob pairs two shinwari lamb chops with a skewer of lamb kebab. Get the naan with whatever you order, and pick up some spices from the market on your way out. The restaurant is open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Call 571-507-3187.
Bring a friend, order more than you think you need and share everything. That’s how Afghan food is meant to be eaten. Whatever doesn’t get finished makes an excellent lunch the next day.
