Afghan Gallery — Restaurant in Melbourne

I booked this restaurant for my sisters birthday and it was quite a disappointing visit. Upon arrival the manager just told us where our table was upstairs but and left us to go and find it ourselves. Once we found our table and sat down no one came to give us menus or offer water for a good 10-15 mins. When taking our order, the manager was super inappropriate and making awkward jokes in a language he presumed we spoke due to the way we looked. He continued to make these awkward jokes all night making my family and I really uncomfortable. When we ordered the food my dad asked for some naan to which he said yes I’ll bring you some naan. Now at most afghan restaurants I’ve eaten the bread/naan usually comes with the curry and/or just complimentary. And if it’s not, it’s clearly stipulated in the menu and also by the people taking the order. When we got the bill (again no one came to give us our bill we were just left at our table after the manager picked up half of the things and had to go and ask for the bill from him ourself) he had charged us $9 for the naan and had written that we’d ordered two. When I asked him why he charged us for the naan he said because you ordered it to which I replied ok but why’d you charge us for two. We asked for some naan, we didn’t specify that we wanted two. He said he wrote two for us because of how many people there were. I said that you shouldn’t have assumed that you should ask us how many we want because we don’t actually eat a lot of bread and we don’t ordered a lot of rice. He replied with another one of his awkward jokes that ‘next time I’ll write 5 naan’. And now to talk about this naan. He gave us two tiny baskets that had 3-4 tiny pieces of naan that did not even qualify half a naan (I know how these naans are made becaue I am of Afghan heritage and know that Afghan naans are huge and can be cut up into 20-25 pieces). So to charge $9 for 5-6 tiny pieces of naan that didn’t even taste nice or fresh is absolutely ridiculous! Now when it came time to pay my dad wanted to pay by credit card and sign as he doesn’t remember his pin. And when we asked for this option they said there’s no option like and you must put your PIN number. I have never seen any restaurant that doesn’t allow credit card payments with signiature and both the manager and woman taking the payment made no efforts to try and find a way around. I’m just super disappointed with my visit and it ruined a very special night for my family. I will not be recommending this...

Food was amazing. Lamb shank pulau was exactly what you want it to be. Tender meat falling off the bone and flavour packed rice with crunchy textures and bursts of barberries throughout. We enjoyed every dish, but the nan bread was disappointing. It may be the Afghan style and we’re used to other types of flatbread that are soft and able to scoop food up with then, but this nan reminded me of those sandwich thins you can buy in a packet at the supermarket. A small triangle that was stiff, thin and chewy. We were happy to leave them and eat everything else. Pomegranate and mint drink was divine. The pashmak on the desserts was the best I’ve tasted. Although the owner was friendly, the service was very inefficient. Our order wasn’t written down (I always worry when wait people don’t do this. It never ends well.) and as anticipated, things were forgotten. Our drinks didn’t come until after the starters and we had to ask for them as they were forgotten. The nan didn’t come until halfway through our mains, and that was after asking for it and being told she had forgotten to put the order in. I saw 5 mins later when she saw us sitting and waiting that she had forgotten a second time as she clapped her hand to her mouth and ran back into the kitchen. We asked for a menu to look at the desserts and it never came. My husband got up and grabbed one from the register area himself. We were told the nan was on the house due to the issues, but when the bill was given to us, it was on there. I understand it was a busy night and perhaps they were short staffed, but there were no procedures and systems in place to work efficiently. Trays full of food were taken to tables and then empty trays were walked past tables full of empty dishes. When food came to our table there was no room to put it down as empty dishes hadn’t been cleared. It was frustrating to see them walk back and forth empty handed which then created problems for them that took up more time. Some simple front-of-house procedures would help enormously. We would definitely go back because the food was so good, but it’s a shame the service doesn’t match when it so easily could with a...

Horrible Experience – Never Going Back!

When I first visited this restaurant, I noticed a dead insect on the plate that was served to me. Shocked, I informed the owner, who dismissed it with a laugh and said, "Sometimes it happens because of the ceiling." Instead of apologising. I insisted on getting a new plate because there was no way I was going to eat from one with dead insects on it.

I later found a dead cockroach in the basket of bread they served me. This was absolutely revolting and completely unacceptable for any dining establishment.

On top of that, their communication was atrocious. I ordered one portion of a menu item, but they brought out seven portions, claiming it was "per person" and never clarified this when I placed the order. Despite telling them I wanted only one, they said "okay" and proceeded to bring an excessive amount of food. Most of it went to waste as I didn't touch it, yet I was still charged.

This restaurant is not only disgusting and unhygienic, but they’re also scammers with no regard for proper hospitality. I strongly do not recommend this place to anyone. Save your time, money, and health by avoiding it!

Reply to owner: Regardless of whether the meal was intended to be per person, I specifically ordered a quantity of ONE. There were also two children present. What 2 year old child could possibly consume that much food? Also the website says meal to share. I did not refuse to pay for what I consumed. In fact, I explicitly stated that I would pay for the food I had eaten (the entrée). However, I declined to pay for the untouched main course, which was served at the end. As soon as it was brought to the table, we immediately raised our concerns with the manager.

Furthermore, the cockroach was spotted only after we had paid for the meal when we returned upstairs to collect our belongings. When this issue was brought to your attention, you said that "these things can happen because of the lights." However, this is a serious hygiene concern and should not be...