Maiwand Kabob — Restaurant in Glenn Dale

What we ordered: 🍽 (Front): Lamb Curry, Spinach, Hummus, + Mantu. 🍽 (Back): Lamb Kabob, Rice, Spinach, Curried Chickpeas.

The first bites of the lamb + spinach had me dancing...💃🏽

I didn't have a taste for any specific cuisine — I simply wanted a balanced meal. When my sister suggested Maiwand, I was still on the fence but seeing Mantu on the menu was the deciding factor.

This meal was exactly what I didn't know I needed! Both lamb dishes were tender + perfectly seasoned. I was impressed with generous portion of lamb in the curry cos most places are heavy on the sauce to hide the skimpy amount of meat they serve.

We raved over the sides:

Rice — Well-cooked, fluffy + fragrant.

Spinach, Curry Chickpeas + Hummus — All creamy + delicious. The chickpeas were incredibly tender, as if they'd peeled the skins before stewing them.

Bread — Fresh + warm. Their green sauce (mint-cilantro?) had a bright, lovely kick of spice that complemented the earthy flavors of the lamb, spinach + rice.

Mantu — Yummy. The tomato-yogurt sauce was tart + tangy. Minor preference: In general, I'm not fond of the texture of al dente split peas, which were sprinkled on top. I understand creating a textural difference to balance the softness of the dumplings, but I could do without it. (May not be traditional but crispy fried onions or fresh scallion would work for me!)

Again, I literally DANCED through my meal — after having no expectations going in. And that's the level of delight + satisfaction that makes food memorable for me!

Maiwand will definitely be my 1st stop on my next trip...

This review is for the recently opened location in Greenbelt. Guys.... let me say this before I forget. The taste of the food and the customer service at this location is on par if not better than places like Ruth's Chris, fogo d Chao, etc. It's great to see that customer service is returning to places!

In my case, it went beyond customer service though. Last night, I opened the door two minutes before they closed and you'd think i walked in when they just opened. Now I've never been here before, so I didn't know what to expect. The gentleman (in every sense of the word. I almost asked if he had gone to finishing/charm school) was so kind. I didn't know what to order so when he gave me recommendations, I ordered everything he recommended. He even gave me some extras for the kids. One of the picky eaters had a spoon of the deliciousness and closed his eyes mid-sentence to savor the bite of pudding.

I could break down my experience into a novel but nobody is interested in that, so here are a few things to help with deciding if you want to come here. Food- taste, authenticity, freshness, natural-ness( i know, its not a word but the food opened up my vocabulary): 100% Customer service: 100% Ambiance- i think it'll be great for family or large dining. 100% Cleanliness: it's new, so of course I loved it.

Try it at least once guys. You'd be glad you did. I don't have coupons for the place, but you'll gleefully pay full price, and tip them too!

Thanks for a great experience! I'll visit their other locations to see if they have the same philosophy and update...

This place opened recently and is close to home. I really wanted to like it, and have enjoyed Afghani food a lot in the past, so we ordered takeout of a bunch of different entrees to try.

The rice was good, and that spiced rice with raisins is my favorite thing about Afghani food. The beef kabobs were good, and tender, but a few of the pieces were half gristle. I had trouble cutting it with a steak knife. The lamb was destroyed - so well done and cooked so much it was hard to chew (also gristle). Each piece was like a solid brick one could throw though a window. We each had a little pile of paper napkins next to our plate for meat we could not chew through. The chicken was nicely cooked, but really spicy, with no indication that it would be spicy on the menu - my kids would not touch it after one bite.

The weirdest thing is that the baba ghanoush was really well done, but they put some kind of chili oil all over the top, making it super spicy. I have never had red-hot baba ghanoush, and am not a fan.

Everyone there seemed really nice, and I really wanted to like it, but its just not for us, I think. I would recommend offering hot sauce or chili oil as a condiment, because not everyone likes things really hot, especially kids. I am sure rising meat prices put a squeeze on things, making it hard to source quality meat, but for $17 per entree, I really don't expect to have to spit...