Aria kabab — Restaurant in Town of Colonie

Had dinner here tonight with my buddy Walter. He knows EVERYTHING about food, food from other countries, how they are cooked, etc. The smell, taste, atmosphere and staff are FANTASTIC. I learned from the young man working there that 'Aria' is the name of their country that used to be in Afghanistan. I got the chicken and beef Shawarma #27 . Loved it. WONDERFUL tastes and spices. I tried the red sauce, green sauce and white sauce. The white sauce and the green sauce are my favorites. Walter told me what they were and what was in them (by taste). I cannot remember. They were delicious on the rice, chicken and beef. The vegetables (salad or salsa ) = super yummy stuff. The atmosphere and fellow diners were great too. Family dining. 👪 Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas, Grandpas, little kids. Some ladies had the most BEAUTIFUL hair coverings (I don't know what they are called. ) Oh, and I was FULL when done and took some home and remembered to put some green and white sauce on it. The FULL part is a big deal to me because sometimes I can eat a double quarter pounder with Cheese and STILL be hungry (I am a big guy). Best part = this place is close to my job ! (At 5 pm on a Friday the drive to my job took 3 minutes. ) I have no clue what it will be like during my lunchtime at 3 pm. I cannot wait to try this place at lunchtime....

Came here in Ramadan - service was slow but food was fresh and very yummy. Got chicken shawarma, chicken kofta, lamb shank, and the qabuli palao was amazing; we were excited to come back. Here again a few months later and I was faced with the worst kabobs I’ve ever had in my life (and that’s quite a statement coming from a south asian). Got the qabuli palao again as well as beef kofta and after a 30 minute wait in a pretty empty restaurant, I was unable to even finish half of one kabob. It looked picturesque, but the beef koftas tasted nothing like any meat I have ever had, it had a putrid smell and even worse texture, like a rubberized paste. I also substituted the regular rice for the palao and all they did was top the regular rice with carrots and raisins and charge me an extra $3. The piece of naan it came with was stale and the salad was soggy. I lost an hour of my time, lost $20, and left with an empty yet upset stomach. I felt so bad wasting an entire plate of food, but it...

Hands down, Aria's is my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant in the area. Their lamb kofta and chops are AMAZING. Every time I've come to eat at or order from this place, the parking lot is packed. This fact alone speaks volumes about the restaurant. The food is made fresh, so there may be a bit of a wait if you order in the restaurant. If you're looking for takeout, I highly recommend calling ahead. For that same reason, service can be a bit slow during busier times (like all of Sunday, for example), but it is definitely worth the wait.

You can tell that Aria's is a family friendly establishment, as that is mostly what you see when you go there. They can accommodate for large families/orders, and it is always interesting watching them bring huge plates of meats and rice and salad to the tables. They're a bit pricier than some of the restaurants that serve similar food, but the value is well worth the expense. Definitely get extra sauce each visit, as they go good with pretty...