Afghan Chopan Restaurant — Restaurant in Surrey

If I could give zero stars, I would.

Absolutely horrible experience ordering here. I called over the phone to place an order ahead of time, as we were In a rush to arrive at our next destination. The employee who answered the phone informed me, very bluntly, that if we are going to dine-in we need to place the order once we arrive at the restaurant. They only take orders over the phone for takeout. We decided to place the order over the phone anyways and figured that once we get there, we’ll ask if we can sit at a table.

When we placed the order for food, I had asked for beef chaplee kabob and was informed that beef chaplee kabob was not available. What “Afghan” restaurant does not have beef available, that too on a weekend.

Upon arriving, we waited in line for more than 105minutes before we were attended to. As there was one other person in line ahead of us and the same employee who answered the phone for us, was taking calls and working the till. The person in front of us had already given the order and was waiting for more than 10 mins just to pay.

When it was finally our turn, we told her we are here to pickup our phone order. When we asked if we could sit at a table, she once again spoke very bluntly and told us that they do not “allow” takeout orders to dine-in as they are too busy on the weekends….more than half the restaurant was empty. We didn’t say anything, just smiled and said ok as we paid and waited for our order.

We were told our order would be ready in 2 minutes. At the time that we placed the order she told us the order would be ready in 20 mins. We arrived 23 mins later. Waited 15 mins to pay. Then waited an additional 20 mins to receive our food.

The same employee slammed our bag of food on the front desk with barely making eye contact with me and without saying a word. She walked away abruptly to go do something else. I took the bag and opened the food to make sure everything we ordered was in there. I asked if we could get some chutney, as I didn’t see any in the bag. She very rudely told me there was already chutney in the bag, without making any eye contact and started walking away.

I then asked her if there was any cutlery in the bag and she said no and continued walking away. At this point, I had let her know that her service was horrible and she was extremely rude. She told me she was not being rude just because she didn’t offer the cutlery as plastic cutlery is now banned in BC and they only give it out when requested. I understand that. I also live in BC. I let her know that the issue was not the cutlery, it was her extremely rude behaviour. She shouldn’t have slammed the bag and walked away. She should have at least given us a chance to ask if we can receive cutlery. Even upon this exchange, she neither apologized for her behaviour not acknowledged her mistake.

To make matters worse, the food was not Afghan food at all. This was Pakistani food. The naan was store bought and cold. The chutney was Pakistani style green chutney. Lol “Afghan Chopan Restaurant”.

TLDR: save your money and your time and...

This place is incredibly disappointing and misleading. Don’t be fooled by the Afghan name—they seem to have no connection to authentic Afghan food or culture. The restaurant smells terrible, making the atmosphere unbearable. The staff are incredibly rude and disrespectful, and there’s no sign of Afghan representation among the cooks or employees. It feels like false advertising, and I would strongly advise avoiding this place at all costs.

Update:

Your response speaks volumes about the level of respect and professionalism you bring to your establishment. Instead of addressing my concerns with courtesy, your dismissive and condescending tone further proves the point I made in my review: the lack of manners and respect shown to your customers is deeply concerning, especially in a business that relies on customer service.

Let me clarify a few things. The restaurant we were looking for is in a different location, but your name misled us into thinking it might be the same. This is where the disappointment started. However, the real issue lies in how we were treated once inside. I did have the “heart” to raise my concerns with one of your staff, but she was not only rude and unprofessional but, frankly, the least qualified person I’ve ever encountered in a restaurant setting. Your response now mirrors the attitude we experienced in person.

As for the smell, while you may personally enjoy it, customers clearly have varying preferences. Some might find it overwhelming and unpleasant, particularly when combined with poor hospitality. Generalizing that certain groups (e.g., Indian or Pakistani customers) might appreciate it only underscores your lack of awareness and sensitivity.

Regarding the food, I’ll ask you this: have you personally experienced or studied authentic Afghan cuisine? Based on what we were served, I seriously doubt it. You might benefit from understanding the true nuances of Afghan food before labeling your menu as “authentic.”

Finally, my review was based on how I was treated, and your response only reinforces my initial impression. Instead of taking accountability or offering to make things right, you resorted to dismissiveness and insults. My review is an honest reflection of my experience, and I stand by it. I hope you take this as an opportunity to reflect on your business practices rather than deflecting blame onto...

Food is delicious but customer service is below average if i can say terrible .. i went couple of times n i always come bck for the food !! We were a group of 8 people last time we went .. our food was served it was delicious as usual but we got couple of unclean plates n forks !! Then after we were done eating we could see the staff sitting n eating n noone on the floor to ask if we need anything , i dont mind i know its been a long day for them but shouldnt it be some staff workin n some on a break ?!.. i really wanted to have chai i kept waiting for the waiters to finish their food out of curtesy, we finished ours n no one came to take the plates or ask us if we want anything or if we need to add anything .. i went to the cashier n i was like i want to order chai .. n she was like sorry kitchen is closed i was like yeah but u guys didnt let us know that its last order or anything n the lady was like you should know !! N i was like i should know .. inwas waiting for unto finish your food noone was on the floor to help or serve anything !!! She said yes you should know we dont have to come n say or let u know !! she was absolutely rude n i was like i work in customer service n this is not a good customer service she was like i work in customer service too n i know wat customer service is !!! N she was like oh wat kind of tea u want n she had a receipt in her hand she smashed the paper in a rude way n furiously threw it .. i asked for her name i guees harpreet she said .. i ve never seen or been treated in such a rude way .. as if she is fighting me for a cup of tea !!!! N surprisingly on our way out one table was served a pot of tea !!!! Its so sad that a place serves good food will loose customers because of untrained staff .. u guys need to work on ur customer service n teach ur staff to respect customers .. people r comin to pay money to have a nice dinner n spend a quality time with friends n family n that was unacceptable...