Parwana Afghan Kitchen — Restaurant in Adelaide

I’m not one to be picky or write bad reviews but this calls for one. Experienced the most nasty customer service of my life here the other night. Ordered our food which came out 2 at a time. Took about 30 minutes for all 6 dishes to slowly come out - by the time 2 of us had finished our meals, the other 2 dishes came out, and again the last 2 dishes came out when everyone else had already finished eating. When we all finished our food, none of our drinks had yet come out. I called the waitress (whose name was Durkhanai) over and told her that we had finished our meals however were still waiting for the drinks. She rudely claimed that she didn’t recall us ordering any drinks (despite them being written down and crossed out on the final bill) and then proceeded to ask us whether we still wanted them. I told her my friend wanted his, but I didn’t want mine anymore. She started at me, rolled her eyes and stormed off. I thought this was really rude but didn’t let it get to me. When she brought out my friends drink, I asked him to pour me a bit. As I sat there drinking the coke, Durkhanai gave me another dirty look, stormed up to our table, and snapped at me, yelling something along the lines of “OH WHAT. I THOUGHT YOU DIDNT WANT THE DRINK. SO YOU WANT THE COKE NOW HUH?!”. Again, she rolled her eyes at me and stormed off. Her tone of voice was aggressive, rude and insulting. My whole table was shocked with what we had just heard - and this is saying something as it takes a lot for my friends to get offended. She again continued giving me dirty looks every time she walked past. Never in my life have I experienced such nasty customer service or even heard of a waitress acting in this manner... and over what - me not wanting my coke because THEY made a mistake. The owner of the restaurant was lovely about it when I spoke to him but the woman was his daughter so he didn’t do anything or compensate us. I’m shocked by this experience and will most definitely not be back. She was an intimidating person, not welcoming at all. Hopefully you learn some respect, manners, and customer service skills soon Durkhanai. Surprised a woman of your age treats people (especially a young girl) like that. I dont know whats worse - her thinking its okay to treat customers like this because its her family business, or the fact that she cares so little about the business that she would risk its reputation and be willing to lose customers.

While were here... food were tiny portions, not served with anything you’d expect with an afghan dish (eg bread, rice, etc), and pretty pricey for what you got (I was hungry after the dumplings). VERY unauthentic Afghan food. And of course, the biggest downfall: the horrific service (before this happened our table was hardly served and the staff were inattentive). Not sure why there is so much hype around this place. Will be recommending against this place to everybody...

While the dishes we ordered were nice, unfortunately the staff themselves were not friendly or receptive to feedback.

We were a party of 3 that had planned on a nice dinner. Unfortunately, as we were going there 2 of us weren't feeling the best and therefore not that hungry. If we had known about the 1 dish per person requirement, we would have called and cancelled. Due to how we were feeling, we ended up ordering an entree (pekowrah), a main (eggplant) and a side (naan). While we were told this wouldn't be enough food for 3 people by the waiter, we advised that we weren't that hungry but would see if we could order more later once the food came. The waiter said okay and left. Up to this point we were not told there was a required 1 dish per person or minimum spend.

When the food was delivered we were told that for future reference it's required that it's 1 main per person. We immediately said sorry but were confused as nowhere during booking or confirmation did it say this was a requirement. I triple checked and went through the booking process and the "terms and conditions" pop up also doesn't mention it.

Once we finished our meal, the owner who had been sitting just behind us for about 15 minutes got up and said what we did was rude, shouldn't happen, and made them lose money. It was surprising and shocking that he was even sticking his finger in our faces while saying this. Being respectful, I tried to explain that while we understand some restaurants have the requirement of 1 dish per person, this was not stated and never communicated to us prior to booking or ordering food. The owner kept cutting me off and walked away after saying his piece.

I then tried to give constructive feedback to the staff who took care of me while paying for the order. I tried to say that it should be stated clearly when booking that 1 dish per person is required. He was adamant that we were the first people ever to do this and that it was clear in the menu that there was the 1 dish per person requirement. I asked him to point this out as I didn't find that anywhere. He looked through the menu for about 10 full seconds and couldn't find it (it wasn't there). I said if he works there and cannot find it, how can I find it?

I just wanted to give them feedback that it should be clearly stated online when booking that there is this requirement and there wouldn't be an issue. Again, he didn't acknowledge it and just said we're the first people to do it. At this point I took it that they weren't listening and left after paying.

It's unfortunate that what decent meal we ate was ruined by the rudeness, lack of communication, and under appreciation of continuous...

Poor Customer Service and Unwelcoming Attitude at Parwana Afghan Kitchen

I’m writing this review to express my deep disappointment with our experience at Parwana Afghan Kitchen (124B Henley Beach Rd, Torrensville, SA 5031) during a recent road trip from Adelaide to Perth. My cousin and I stopped in Adelaide and, after a long drive, were simply looking for a warm meal and a welcoming place to rest. Unfortunately, Parwana Afghan Kitchen failed on both counts.

We arrived around 8:00 PM, well before their listed closing time of 9:00 PM on Google. The restaurant was completely empty — not a single customer in sight — yet the owner, who appeared to be of Afghan background (which initially gave us hope for a sense of cultural connection and hospitality), immediately told us they were “closed” and had “no space” for us. When I politely asked if there were any bookings (since the place was empty), he responded with a blunt “No.” So, let me get this straight — the restaurant is open, no one is dining, no reservations are confirmed, but we’re still turned away? That makes no sense.

What made it worse was the complete lack of hospitality. As fellow members of a similar cultural background, we expected at least a degree of warmth or understanding, especially toward travelers new to the city. Instead, we were met with a cold, dismissive attitude that felt not just unprofessional, but disrespectful. There was no effort to accommodate, no apology, not even a suggestion for another place to eat. Just a rude refusal.

We ended up walking to another kebab shop nearby, where we were welcomed and served without issue. The contrast in customer service couldn’t have been starker.

This wasn’t just about missing a meal — it was about being made to feel unwelcome in a place that should have felt like home. For a restaurant claiming to represent Afghan culture, which values generosity and hospitality, this experience was deeply disheartening.

I cannot recommend Parwana Afghan Kitchen to anyone. Not because of the food (which we sadly never got to try), but because of the terrible customer service, lack of basic respect, and the baffling decision to turn away paying customers in an empty restaurant before closing time.

Save your time and money. Go...