Afghan Darbar Restaurant — Restaurant in Bloomington

Honestly, it’s a shame that I have to leave even one star in order to give a review to this bunch of scammers. They ruined mine and my friends’ Eid yesterday when we went there to eat after traveling for 2 hours.

Initially, we ordered chicken karahi, lamb karahi, chapli kebab, pulao, and kulcha naans. After waiting for 45 minutes, the waiter showed up with chicken and lamb karahi, with microwavable frozen naans that were half-frozen, and the chicken and lamb dishes were cold and inedible. To top it off, they didn’t even provide basic utensils like spoons and plates. Upon complaining, the waiter took everything back and came back with the same items. He probably microwaved them. Since he microwaved them, the cheap plastic bag naans became rock-hard solid, which would have been a task in itself to break.

I called the waiter again and asked where the naans we ordered were, to which he said they had run out. We decided not to eat that and waited for the rest of our order, showing great patience since it was Eid. After 20 minutes, our order still hadn’t arrived. What were we supposed to do with the chicken and lamb karahi? Stare at it or eat it with spoons? Wait, they didn’t even give us spoons. We decided to get up, head to the till, and told the guy standing there that we were extremely disappointed by the service and didn’t want to eat anymore, so please let us pay. He didn’t even mutter a single word, just opened the tab for us to pay (Apple Pay), and while we did that, he just left the till and went back. No apology, nothing!

There were other customers too, and they were visibly frustrated by the service as well.

These folks are a bunch of scammers with pathetic service and food, ripping people off in the name of Afghan traditional cuisine. There is nothing good about them. I will never enter this awful restaurant again, and neither will any of my friends or anyone I know. Absolute clowns...

I recently visited Afghan Darbar Restaurant in Bloomington for the first time and had a mixed experience. While the restaurant left room for improvement in terms of service and menu availability, the flavors of the dishes we tried were impressive.

The Cholli and Chicken Karahi were standout dishes that showcased the culinary expertise of the kitchen. The Chicken Karahi, in particular, was a delightful blend of perfectly balanced spices, creating a delicious and memorable taste. The chapli kabab also deserves a mention for its good quality.

One downside was the limited availability of menu items, with half of the options not being available during our visit. Additionally, there is a noticeable lack of chicken options on the menu. It would be great to see an expansion in this area to cater to a wider audience.

The Kabuli Pulao was good, though the inclusion of raisins may not appeal to everyone's taste. Personal preferences aside, the overall quality of the dish was commendable. The naan was good, but it could have been enhanced if served a bit warmer.

Despite the service and menu availability issues, I believe Afghan Darbar Restaurant has the potential to become a go-to spot for Afghan cuisine enthusiasts. With some improvements in these areas, it could truly stand out in the culinary scene. If you're willing to overlook these shortcomings and focus on the available dishes, it's definitely worth giving this place a try. I look forward to seeing how the restaurant evolves...

A buddy and I came here looking for afghani food as we’re trying to complete a “Minneapolis checklist” before moving out of state. We stumbled upon Afghan Darbar on google and decided to give it a shot.

The building itself is a hole in the wall amongst other ethnic stores and restaurants. Walking in, we were graciously greeted and asked to take a seat. We ordered the kabuli plow, goat Karahi, and cholli with afghani naan. Of note, this is plenty of food to stuff 3 people, maybe even a 4th — no need to individually order a dish, order a plate of each and share.

We took the our first bite and all of our eyes lit up. Honestly might be some of the best food I’ve tasted; even better than highly rated afghani food I’ve had in larger cities like LA and NYC. There was simply silence amongst us as we just ate in amazement of the food.

The kabuli plow had the softest lamb meat and the rice didn’t feel soppy or heavy like some places do. The cholli (chickpea) was flavorful, soft, and just the right spice level. Finally, the goat karahi, a stew-ish dish, was also soft, tender, and full of flavor. 10/10 food will definitely come again.

Very pleased with Afghan Darbar, and excited to finally have a place like this near the cities. It will be coming back and recommending for sure.

Only friendly critique would be that the plates to eat off of were a little too small.

Sammy...