Afghan Flame — Restaurant in Mississauga

Great atmosphere, but a few improvements can make the experience outstanding

I recently visited and really enjoyed the ambiance — the cozy, cabin-like setup creates a wonderful atmosphere. The music was lively, and the energy was great. The food was good overall, although the kebab was a little dry. However, as someone who specializes in team training for guest and customer care and experience what really stood out to me was how much potential there is for the service to align with the quality of the space and food.

The server, although friendly, didn’t seem very knowledgeable or confident and had to ask a lot of questions. While that’s perfectly fine, a quick debrief before the start of the shift could help build confidence and ensure a smoother guest experience.

There were also a few service details that could really elevate the dining experience: Dinnerware Placement: Plates and cutlery should be placed directly in front of the guest, not “dropped” onto the table. Serve dinnerware from the left side, with attention to detail — this is standard in fine dining and shows professionalism. Clean Cups: The cups we received were stained. Presentation matters, and providing guests with clean, polished cups should be a basic priority to maintain the restaurant’s reputation. Approach Guests from the Left: Servers should always approach guests from the left side. This avoids startling them from behind or having them awkwardly turn their necks 180 degrees to interact. Pour Water for Guests: Don’t leave water glasses in the corner of the table and walk away. If you’re offering water service, pour it for the guests — it shows attentiveness and hospitality. Dessert Menus: Don’t drop the dessert menu while guests are still eating. Wait until they’ve finished the main course and offer the dessert options with a recommendation. Also, avoid asking “How was everything?” while the guest still has food in their mouth. This interrupts the flow of the meal. Communication About Shortages: If an item runs out, make sure your staff communicates this ahead of time, so guests aren’t left waiting or disappointed. It’s important to keep customers in the loop about what’s available.

I’m offering this feedback to help you improve, not to criticize. With some adjustments, these small changes can make a big difference in the overall experience. I can see the effort that’s been put into the restaurant design, and with a little fine-tuning in the service, it can match the space and food.

Looking forward to seeing how the service improves and...

This was easily one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had. My friends and I went to the restaurant on Saturday, June 21st at around 2:10 pm. I ordered the Kandahari Chargha, which is chicken and rice, and realized that the chicken was completely raw on the inside. Not just undercooked, but fully raw. This came right after my friend found a hair in her Afghan Sandwich. They took her plate to the kitchen and offered her a new one, which already had us both uneasy.

When I showed the server my raw food, she apologized and said they would remake it. But after two serious health and hygiene issues, I no longer trusted anything coming from the kitchen. I didn’t want another meat dish and instead settled for a basic salad. We had to ask for a discount ourselves, since nothing was offered despite the terrible quality of food. The server had to go back and forth between the kitchen and the manager several times, because no one else would come speak to us directly. Eventually, she came back and said they could only offer 10 percent off. But we both felt it wasn’t fair to have to pay for either of our dishes. I couldn’t eat mine and my friend lost her appetite completely.

When we got up to speak to someone at the front, the server returned and told us they had changed their mind and would comp both dishes. My friend asked about paying for her drink and was told to not worry because it would be included in the compensation, but when it came time to pay, we were told they were not included and were instead offered some free green tea. So there was clearly so much miscommunication going between the server, cook and manager that would have been cleared easily had either the cook or manager just came to talk to us directly.

I won’t be coming back. Whoever was cooking that day needs to be reevaluated from a health and safety standpoint. There is absolutely no excuse for serving raw chicken or having hair in the food, especially when the restaurant wasn’t even busy. A packed kitchen is not an excuse for careless food handling, and this place wasn’t packed at all.

Later that night, I looked at the restaurant’s reviews (specifically the one-star ones) and saw that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Several people mentioned poor quality food (e.g., other instances of people getting raw chicken served to them) and hygiene issues. One even said they found a used bandage in their meal. That’s incredibly concerning and makes me wonder how many others had similar experiences and just didn’t...

absolutely loved this gem of a place. me and my family of 7 including little ol me (2 siblings, 4 cousins) walked in and saw how fwiggin packed it was. literally to the brim, like absolutely noooo space at all. guess what they told us. they didn’t say “sorry we’re booked” or “get out of my face.” they said “hey no worries. just give us your name and number and we’ll accommodate you as soon as possible.” now before we walked in, i was just telling my fam how bad i was starving. as soon as they said that, i felt a sense of relief. almost as if they hand-fed me those words.

once they had our table ready, then came the menu. now when i tell you me and cousins flipped through the first 4 pages and literally said “i think imma get this one” for each platter, i’m not kidding. their choices are immaculate, you can’t go wrong with any of them. i personally got the lamb shank which witerally melted in my mouth. Alhamdulillah for the delicious food that Allah SWT has blessed me with the opportunity to eat.

now, let’s talk about the concluding events in this situation. like when it came time to pay. of course, as brown people, we have to fight over the bill everytime. here comes my illiterate short bus cousin who thought she was slick getting up to go pay. as she grabs her jacket, she knocks over her delicious mango smoothie. the worst part about that wasn’t the fact that the glass broke into a gazillion pieces, it’s the fact that the chef, who put his blood, sweat, tears, and love into that smoothie, had now seen his masterpiece shattered on the floor that we had walked on with our dirty shoes. what happened next will melt your heart. the workers came flying like superheroes with brooms and napkins to make sure we didn’t get hurt. they took care of it like witerally smooth as butter. they walked through glass for us. literally. we felt so ashamed of ourselves to let this happen (even tho it was all my cousin’s fault since bro thought she was bill gates). the workers saw this and said “hey, the limiting factor on your success is not the size of the obstacle, but the size of your dream.” this quote will be exactly what i name my future child inshaAllah. Thank you guys for the amazing hospitality and food. May Allah bless you all and shower you with His Mercy.

btw, yes i ate everything below. don’t judge me, i was starving like i stated above.

edit: you guys are amazing...