Who Put the,'Famous' in Afghan Famous Kabob?

Name: Afghan Famous Kabob (formerly, Kabobs and Curry Restaurant)

Cuisines: Afghan

Payment: Cash, Visa,MasterCard

Alcohol: No

Price: $

Location: 8124 Sudley Rd, Manassas, VA 20109

Hours of Operation: Sunday-Thursday: 11:00-9:30 p.m.
Friday-Saturday: 11:00-10:00 p.m.

Salt Says:

When I walked in, I was slightly taken aback by how underdone the decor was in the restaurant. The interior was very large, but lacked  personality.

Except for the photographic menu above the counter and a large flat-screen TV, there was nothing hanging on any of the plain white walls.

 I walked to the counter and stared at the menu for a couple of seconds before a woman came from the kitchen to take my order. I told her it would take me a few minutes to decide what I wanted.

Instead of milling around or doing something else, she stood at the counter. I could feel her stare at me as I looked over the menu. It was pretty unnerving, but I decided to take my time anyway.

And time eventually told me the menu was disappointing. Even though there seemed to be a number of items, most were variations of staple dishes. For example, there were at least three or four kabob meals on the menu and the only differences were the type of meats used.

The more I looked, the more some of the photographs turned me off—completely. Before I saw the menu, I was craving a shami kabob, but after I saw their version of it, I nearly lost my appetite.

So back to Staring Suzy. The longer I took to order, the larger the hole her laser-eyes were burning into side of my face became.

None of the pictures really did anything for me, so I decided to order a lamb kabob sandwich from the picture-less specials menu. I was hoping that sight-unseen might work out a little better. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

When I opened the sandwich wrapper, the bread inside was falling apart. It looked and tasted like it wasn't completely fresh. The chunks of lamb were very well seasoned, however the meat wasn't extremely tender.

Although the lamb was good, the taste was fleeting in the sandwich, which was overpowered by mounds of raw onion, lettuce and chunks of cucumber. The cucumber sauce that came with it was delicious, but had a little too much coriander. Sadly, the sauce wasn't enough to redeem my disappointing meal.

I don't see myself ever coming back to Afghan Famous Kabob.

Pepper Says:

When I walked in and headed towards the counter, all I saw was a few customers at tables and one lingering around the counter.

About four to six minutes go by before an actual employee comes out from the back. This place is not a sit-down restaurant, so I stand at the counter while she talks to the lingering man. Finally, she asked me if I want to order. Sure, why not? I was actually just planning to stand here for my health, but I may as well order since I’m here. (eye roll)

After some confusion while trying to figure out the Number 11 combo,she rings me up for a total of $9 and some change.

 I realized I'd forgotten my wallet, so I run back out to my car parked right in front and run back in.

She puts some food in a bag, cancels my transaction and rings up the lingerer.  It's another few minutes before I again get my chance to pay. 

On the second try, my order is now only $8 and some change. Really? So if I go out and come back in again, will my bill go down to $7?

After a few more minutes of waiting, I asked the woman how long she thinks my order will take and she replies, "seven minutes."

About five minutes later, a man walks out and asks me what I ordered.

Seriously, after spending that much time in there, I would like them to at least know what I ordered. So I tell him, and it is another 15 minutes before my food comes out.

So what, "exotic" food did I order that was so complicated to prepare? A chicken kabob and one side!

The kabob meat was good, juicy and seasoned lightly. The naan (Afghan bread) was too dry and crumbled like a cracker. The tomato and lettuce salad was not terribly fresh. The basmati rice was really good and had some great seasoning.

My side of chicken karahi was so dried out, and someone had the nerve to try to revive it by dumping a spoonful of chickpeas and juice on top.

There were no napkins in the dining room and when I asked for some, she said they were out.

Yeah well, you're out of your mind to think you can run a restaurant with some dried-up chicken, crusty bread and no napkins.

The place was poorly decorated, and didn’t feel very warm and inviting.  The pictures of food on the wall had an effect opposite of appetizing and made you want to forget the food.  

The place was clean and the staff was friendly enough, but they seemed very lost. Not sure if they really knew what they were doing, or, if the real employees were held captive in the back.

I don’t see myself returning there anytime in this decade.

I definitely would not recommend this to anyone. There are enough Afghan kabob places around—places where you can get good food and much prompter service.