Ariana Afghan Kebab — Restaurant in New York

Went to dinner at Ariana before a Broadway show last weekend. It was my first time trying Afghani food, and when I looked at the menu it seemed like an interesting blend of Indian and Middle Eastern dishes with a good amount of vegetarian options.

Ariana is a small, casual restaurant with reasonable prices. They have a structure for outdoor dining, but it looks like it hasn't been used for a while (or it's being built?).

They serve everything with red and green sauces that I'll refer to as chutney because that's what they reminded me of. We ordered:

Kadoo (pumpkin) Bolanee and Bolanee Kachalou (Potato) - Large triangular turnovers filled with pumpkin and mashed potato. We all enjoyed these, and my personal favorite was the potato.

Spinach Samusa - Mini turnovers filled with spinach. These were okay, but tasted like they may have used frozen spinach.

Potato Curry with rice - The curry was decent, but I definitely had to add a lot of "chutney" to amp up the spice quotient. Also, the side "salad" did not look the freshest.

The service is friendly, but a little over the top. We were a group of four friends, and our waiter kept joking that the man who smiles the least would have to pay for dinner. Buy why did he assume that one of the men would be paying in the first place?! 😡

Anyways, the restaurant was packed by the time we left, so clearly it's a neighborhood favorite. Alas, I don't think I'll be back when there are so many other amazing restaurants to try.

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Probably some of the most friendly service I have ever had at a humble restaurant. The owner immediately made me feel like I was eating with family and was genuinely passionate about the food he served. I ended up ordering more than I intended to due to his enthusiasm, and that's quite all right because it was all excellent. Also, my food came extremely quickly and was fresh.

The food had terrific flavors and was well cooked (not dry). There was nothing overly intense and nothing even remotely bland. Every dish my family ordered was wolfed down in its entirety. My only very minor criticism would be the, super tasty, lamb dish I had was a bit short on meat. I would honestly be okay paying a dollar or two more for a bit more meat. To be fair, every other dish had "enough" protein, the overall serving sizes were decent and the prices fair. Perhaps the baclava portion was a bit small. I definitely want to come back and try a few more dishes. I am putting four out of five stars for now.

In terms of atmosphere, It's a bit of a narrow space but that kind of adds to the charm in my opinion. Lots of pictures on the walls of Afghanistan, family, and culture. Very much like your typical family run small Italian joint. Very NYC.

This is my first time having Afghani food and I will be 100% coming back... and very likely again and again. Overall, I think that type of sentiment is worth 5 out of 5 stars overall, even if the individual scores don't...

Update:- Review is prior to COVID from my NYC days in last 3 years.

This is one of my favourite Kebab places in NYC for the last 2 years I have been coming here.. I am a regular at this place now, because of the quality, flavour of the food and the warm hospitality of the owner. My goto starter is the spicy chicken wings which is the perfect size for an appetizer and it is full of flavour. When dipped in the white sauce and the spicy sauce combination the chicken wings become something extraordinary!! I also love the Potato filled patty which is fried. The filling is amazingly smooth.. if you are looking for vegi options, there are plenty in the menus. Then the main course ... I love the Salmon Kebab!! The best way to have Salmon is how they do it!! I am yet to find a equally good Salmon Kebab served in NYC or in Jersey City.. Have a nice rub on it and then it is made perfectly to order. The flavour is really nice and the special rice (with raisins) compliments the dish. Also another I can recommend is the Lamb!! Wow.. the lamb chunks are seasoned and then broiled to perfection.. that too comes with rice and some veggies.. The restaurant is not that big but sufficient seating for groups of 5 also. They have few single/double tables. Very cosy atmosphere with light music adds to the...