Maxime Robin

I've waited for way too long before trying this place, because it looks so unassuming from outside. Best food I had in the neighborhood in years. Best bang for my buck, too. We (couple) shared the Entrée du jour. A mixed grill. Kefta + chicken kabob + whole LAMB SHANK over a plate of rice. Charred, juicy, well seasoned. Delicious carrots+raisins sprinkled on top. Appetizers: their dumplings taste better than anything I had in Flushing. Thinner dough, better seasoning. Tangy yogurt on top. You need to try these dumplings. The meat was so delicious we didn't say a word. We just ate and ate and ate. The sauces on the side (mint yogurt, red sauce, green sauce) were so tangy and good. $25 a pop, tips included. And we had leftovers. Eric Asimov rated the place highly in 1998, back when he was a NYT restaurant critic. 30 years after, Balkh Shish still goes hard. People don't talk about this place enough. Deserves way more love in my view. Give it a try

Samina Quraishi

Amazing tasty authentic Afghani food. The lamb shank was the best I have ever eaten. Personally supervised by the owner.

+5

Jasurbek Rajabov

Such an authentic afghan food! The qabuli Palaw and Lamb shank was very delicious. I usually find chicken kababs dry, but this one was soo juicy and aromatic. Amazing service and good people. Would be coming back over and over again! We got Firini ( pudding) on the house. Thank you

Brittany Mackey

Our first time here. The food, atmosphere and staff are excellent. Definitely will visit again!

Anisa Choudhury

A Hidden Gem of Flavor and Warmth – Balkh Kebab House is a Must-Try! Balkh Kebab House is an absolute delight! From the moment you walk in, you’re greeted with warm hospitality and the comforting aroma of authentic Afghan cuisine. The restaurant is clean, welcoming, and perfect for a casual meal or a cozy dinner with friends and family. The food? Incredible. Every dish is made with care and packed with flavor. The kebabs are perfectly grilled—tender, juicy, and seasoned just right. I highly recommend the chicken and lamb kebabs, but honestly, everything on the menu is a hit. The rice is fragrant and fluffy, the naan is fresh and warm, and the chutneys add a perfect kick of spice and freshness. What I especially love is how healthy and hearty the food is. You can taste the quality of the ingredients, and the balance of protein, grains, and vegetables makes for a satisfying and nourishing meal. If you’re looking for a place that serves delicious, authentic food with a side of genuine hospitality, Balkh Kebab House is the spot. Highly recommended!

Lisa Francois

When I lived in NY years ago, I loved coming here. I'm back for 1 night and staying close so I had to come here tonight and it DID NOT disappoint. I am so happy this place still exists and the food is as phenomenal as ever. Never change, Papa!!

Alethia S

The food was really good, our waiter was nice and we had fast service

Desiree McNabb

I would probably not eat here if not invited by someone… best way to describe it for me is inconspicuous hole in the wall… but boy oh boy once the food came I wanted to put shove everything down my cavity in the lower regions of my face. The smell &taste of the food🤯 I thought I tasted food before BUT clearly not. My first time having Afghan food now looking out for these restaurants 🫣 Place is halal and they have an area to make duha 🙏🏾✨The portions are huge and GREAT value for money 💰 The white sauce is top-tier.

+3

Mohamed Ahmed

Taste food but expensive comparing with Egyptian restaurant at Steinway , Only cow feet soup 15$ ! Plus rice with chunk meat almost 50$ for one person one meal per day !!! Even baklava very sweet Not recommended

Tamana Sarwari

This place was extremely disappointing. The food was honestly awful and nothing like real Afghan cooking. There was only one person working, service was slow, and the prices were outrageous for the quality and portions. What’s most shocking to me is that people from all over call this place “authentic.” As someone who grew up with Afghan food, this is not it at all. I would not recommend this place

Walid Anes

I gotta say this restaurant is not clean at all !! Honestly, you can’t even say this spot is a restaurant i don’t understand why there is rice on the tables and chairs because you should Be cleaning that before anybody sits down ! Now the food on the other hand is okay but the old guy who’s grilling isn’t very polite and I did remember Asking him for rice without raisins and carrots Because I’m allergic and he said just take them out with with a spoon and refused to give me a new plate with plain rice . Definitely won’t recommend this restaurant for families for couples .

FAZIL AZZ

This place is an absolute mess. I’m sorry for the old guy who owns it, but he’s trying his best, but it’s just not it. It’s impossible to own a restaurant with a big name and famous, but not given importance to your customers. First of all I entered the store with friends and we were told to sit in a dirty table when the guy arrived. He cleaned it and gave us menus. Next thing I know is this guy is watching us asking him to come take our orders, but he’s just doing other stuff. I understand he was kind of busy, but my point is that it’s not professional at all when I ordered me and my friends told the guy to not put carrots and raisins in our meal, but he still brought us our plates with it. The second thing is when we told him that we asked with no reasons and carrots. He was like no it’s fine. You could eat it. I’m like I don’t want it with that. I didn’t order it with that. I want food without raisins and carrots what if I had allergies the customer service is just not there when we finished eating the whole store was a mess. All the tables were dirty and had dishes on them. They only have one worker who does everything for them and I feel bad he needs to bring more workers and manage the place instead of worrying about paying less people to do more than one job at the end we ended up just paying and leaving with a smile, of course, but we also asked the owner the old guy who is cooking the food if he had desserts and he was like, yeah in front of you you don’t see it. The thing he was showing me was baklava in a plastic container that he certainly bought from Costco, which is a shame because he thinks that people don’t realize it, but we actually do when I left. I was like, sir. The food was very good but the chicken was chewy. He’s like oh yes because you see it’s busy that’s not my problem and I still gave him a compliment. I was like I prefer your food then some other places some other places and he was like oh yeah I am the best at the end. I was like I prefer your food then Sammy‘s kebab house and he was like I don’t know that guy I was like come on you don’t know him. He’s famous in Astoria. He said oh no that guy is not a funny and I know he knew who I was talking about but it says ego who answered to what I said which is fine so this place deserves but it says ego who answered to what I said which is fine so this place deserves a 1 star I’m sorry to break it out for you guys but it’s just overrated. I won’t be coming back again for sure. 1 star I’m sorry to break it out for you guys but it’s just overrated. I won’t be coming back again for sure.

Emav Tvan

I ordered for a pickup and specifically mentioned no carrots and raisins yet they still put it in there. This was not the first time they made this mistake. I ordered 3 kabli combo and 2 beef and chicken combo. I posted the pictures, the portion size is horrible. See the chicken and beef combo, barely any meat but overflown with rice. The kabli combo is good however messing up orders every time is horrible. Overflown with raisin and carrots when I specifically said not to. Also, beware you are supposed to get salad with the combo but they won’t tell you that, you gotta ask for that. Poor service, quality definitely dropped big time There are other better afghan spots, spend your money there.