Sansom Kabob House — Restaurant in Philadelphia

My family and I have been loyal customers of Samsom Kebab House for a few years, but our recent visit was incredibly frustrating and disappointing. We were a party of five, including my wife and our three kids, all under seven years old.

Firstly, we ordered iced tea, which tasted like plain water. It lacked any sweetener or flavor. The service was also subpar; we weren't even given napkins, nor were we offered water as a standard practice. We had to specifically request it, and the staff checked in on us only once or twice during the entire meal.

The cost of our meal was an outrageous $275 for rice and chicken. Adding insult to injury, when we asked to sit on the floor in the completely empty restaurant, we were told it would cost $40 per head.

The worst part was the mandatory 20% gratuity added to our bill. Given the poor service, I would never have voluntarily paid such a high tip.

This restaurant appears to be on a downward spiral, with no understanding of customer service. For the price we paid, we could have dined at a high-end establishment like the Ritz-Carlton. Alternatively, we could have gotten a similar meal for $150 from an Afghan take-away in Ben Salem.

I highly recommend against dining here. The experience was not worth the...

This beautifully done-up Afghan BYOB restaurant is an old favorite. The Chablee, a kabob made of minced meat and spices, is my go-to. The beef is a touch bland, though delicious and juicy; the lamb is better marinated, but can be slightly tough (not enough to bother me though). The Ashak, soft dumplings in a mint sauce, is the pick of the appetizers.

It is crowded on weekends and really quite empty on weekdays. The old location, three years ago now I think, was very popular, and the new one, on 13th and South, somehow doesn't get the same footfalls. Which can make for a really lovely and quiet, romantic dinner, if that is to your taste.

Perhaps what is wrong is the price. They have been steadily going up, and are now hovering around $20 per entree, which, while comparable to other restaurants like the Turkish Isot, seems to be a poor deal when compared with other cuisines. We've certainly hesitated at times and wondered if it was worth it. It's the prices that drop Sansom to three stars. The food would have to be truly exceptional to fit the price, and of late, the meals have been a little light on flavor.

Hope they up their game or fix their prices, it would be sad to leave it out of...

Overpriced, excessively Americanized, fine dining.

Service needs to improve a good amount- the server, although kind and nice, needs another round of training as she was helpless with the menu and kept doing work on her laptop on another table as she was waiting on our table. Food took forever to come out in an empty restaurant!

Food lacks authentic flavors- possibly the chef is trying a little too hard to deliver to a Western taste.

Here's everything we tried: Bulani- amazing! 10/10 Soup- underspiced, old, ugh Salad- meh Kabuli pulaw- bland Sansom Kabob- good combo of kabobs Chicken keema- came way too late, watery, bland, undercooked, gross Doogh- came after meal was finished. Very very good though! Creamy and flavorful Firni- too little, yet very tasty!! Baklava- dry but aromatic Tea- meh

Interior is BEAUTIFUL!! Lights were so dim I could barely see what I was eating, but interior is so incredibly beautiful; makes for a good date night or family get together spot.

We left disappointed with the overall quality of service and food we got relative to their price.

Do not recommend! Will...