Gabriel

Went here for the first time with a group of 4 people and the food was amazing. We had different plates, which I don’t remember their name because my friend ordered them🤣, but they were all really good. The service was superb and the atmosphere comfortable, even though the place was full. Its so nice to go to new places and experience new cuisines, will definitely comeback here again and specifically after knowing this is a Mamdani/Bernies place😅🙏

+1

Ahmad Hassan

Absolutely delicious food, probably the best, great customer service, and clean environment. Always a great time with the family here. Definitely recommend coming

Rubaiat Ahmed

We visited this restaurant while in the area with our family and had an overall positive experience. The place is spacious, clean, and inviting, with excellent service and good food quality. As avid Afghan food enthusiasts, we'd rank this restaurant among our best Afghan dining experiences. Standout dishes included the flavorful rice with carrots and raisins, excellent and well-seasoned lentil soup, and perfectly cooked and seasoned mixed grill. The dumplings were adequately prepared, though the lamb broth truly elevated the dish. The rice quality and portions were satisfying. Some dishes fell short of expectations: the chicken kofta was decent but unremarkable, the borani lacked sufficient tanginess and the bolani needed seasoning to be perfect although it was nice and crispy. The service was exceptional, with attentive staff (including what appeared to be the manager or owner) providing complimentary desserts for our children. For a family of five (including three toddlers), the pricing was quite reasonable by today's standards. Overall, this restaurant comes recommended for those seeking quality Afghan cuisine in a comfortable setting with excellent service.

+2

Joseph Lu

Ive heard nothing but good things about this spot. I was in the area so I decided to swing by for take out. The person that helped out was super friendly. He took care of me like one of his own and gave me tea and pudding as I was waiting for my order. That hospitality alone will have me coming back again. I'm sure the food will be as delicious as the pudding. Can't wait to dig in!

Esteban Dutch

Great Afghan food. The lamb chop was really good and the steam dumplings. Be mindful the gratuity tip is 20% add to your bill. I parked across the street. You can order food to go through touch screen. The bathroom sliding door, doesn’t close all the way. You have to pull it to close it.

Delicious food, friendly and helpful staff conveniently located. Heard so many positive things about the restaurant so I finally made my way there. Well worth it!

Delicious food, friendly and helpful staff conveniently located. Heard so many positive things about the restaurant so I finally made my way there. Well worth it!

Delicious food, friendly and helpful staff conveniently located. Heard so many positive things about the restaurant so I finally made my way there. Well worth it!

OUT of this world mixed Kabab platter with the unlimited white sauce on the table is the best touch in my opinion. Without going into a rabbit hole I hate when you have to ask for extra white or hot …

Sami's kebab House was warm and inviting, service friendly, and food delicious. \n\nWe started off with the hummus and mantu and ended up doubling our mantu. order because they were so good. We d…

Sami's Kebab House was warm and inviting, service friendly, and food delicious. \n\nWe started off with the hummus and mantu and ended up doubling our mantu. order because they were so good. We did…

Great food and service! The owner of the establishment added complimentary food on the house as a first timer.

Great food and service! The owner of the establishment added complimentary food on the house as a first timer.

Such a memorable experience at Sami's. The food is to die for, the ambiance is super cozy. Will be back again for sure.

I normally don't care about rice, carrots, or raisins, but the Qabuli is soooooooo good (and consists of those 3 things I just listed lol) \n\nI always get the chicken Afghani kebab with Qabuli, bu…

The lamb practically peels off the bone with a single nudge. The rice is cooked in the halal meat. You have to order the lamb pulao. It was the highlight.\n\nThis restaurant is also beautifully d…

Their food tastes as clean and fresh as the space looks. Their meals leave a lasting impression. The staff shows kindness as well. I found my visit satisfying. We plan to return for their other spe…

amazinh service! great food! highly recommend the lamb chops! nice interior and quick service. Ahmed is a great!

Everything is great. Best is the lamb chop. Normally I don't eat lamb because I don't like the smell of it, but the store just changed me. So tender melt in your mouth and it has a hint taste o…

The best Afghan joint in NYC. Mr. Sami is a very friendly and respectful man. The chicken afghani is out of this world

food was sooooo delicious, service was amazing, ambience was extremely peaceful and very nice. i love it!!! i love afghans!!!!

Sami's never disappoints ! Please go & Enjoy ! The food is always consistent and the place is clean. The meat is the star as it is prepared so well seasoned, and the rice is light and airy not heav…

Picked up for to go from here for dinner. It was ready pretty quickly! We got hummus, chicken breast kabob platter, lamb chop platter, and chicken kofta. Everything was very well seasoned, I li…

Been there many times and I still have the same feeling the food is amazing! The service is even better and the ambiance is excellent.

No way! What a good food and especially the Mixed Afghan Kabab. I really appreciate the spot and it's good quality food. This place is super clean. I won't forget the good costumer service provided…

I stayed at a hotel nearby and I had dinner here 2 times in a row. I couldn't get enough. I don't love the taste of lamb however, the lamb here was perfectly cooked and had a delicious taste,.. …

Superb kebabs. Very tasty starters and entrées with excellent service. Very well priced we left very happy and they even threw in a complimentary dessert. What a gem!

Superb kebabs. Very tasty starters and entrées with excellent service. Very well priced we left very happy and they even threw in a complimentary dessert. What a gem!

A N

A very decent spot with a broad variety of decor you’d just keep on staring at. The food is top notch and can serve 2 people easily (some dishes), bread was nice when served warm. My suggestion is to try the Uzbek Qabuli Pulao it is just perfection. Also an fyi they charge 20% service charge for every table with 2 or more guests which is insane, like I didn’t feel out of this world with the service that I’d like to give that much in tip. It is like $25-$30 per dish and total bill was $57 after tax and a $12 service charge. Overall a great place, just order a take out I guess 😂

+1

The service was so bad and food was average.We went with family .The waiter had difficulty explaining the menu he didn't explain how to order family platter . The food came cold the rice and kebabs…

Ejaz Malikzada

Not my favorite restaurant. I'd give it 6 out of 10. It's not bad place to get a plate. I'd say an average OK restaurant to get some kebab. The food lacks the authentic Afghanistan taste. Maybe I'm too picky when it comes to food from my home country.

+1

K. Sher

I actually thought the food was pretty good, altho the kebab came a little dryer than we liked but the flavors were good. Wanted to like this place however huge let down with no tap water available and default 20% service charge. Plenty of seats in the restaurant, with tables of various sizes, and it was not busy during weeknight dinner. Perhaps there are other kebab places that are better.

Tonmoy Ahmed

Yesterday, my friend and I visited your restaurant for dinner. We ordered a beef dumpling as an appetizer, and in main course I Uzbeki Qabuli Pulao for myself, and a beef kofta kabab for my friend, with a request to substitute naan bread for the rice. Unfortunately, our dining experience was far from satisfactory. To begin with, the appetizer order was incorrect; they served beef dumpling with fresh herbs and onions. Additionally, naan bread, which was supposed to accompany the main course. During the main course, the two dishes we ordered were served together on a single plate, despite being requested as separate orders.This was unacceptable and undermined the quality of the service. When I addressed these issues with the server, I explained the discrepancies in our orders. However, the situation was handled unprofessionally, leaving us disappointed. Furthermore, a 20% service charge was added to the bill. Per industry standards, such charges are typically applied for larger parties of six or more. Considering the poor quality of service we received, even a 15% service charge felt unwarranted.

+1

I've been to Sami's Kabab many times over the years and always had great experiences. I even remember visiting when they first opened and leaving a glowing review back then. We've recommended this pl…

I want today to Sami's restaurant in Astoria we ask the waiter about 2 mixe grill for 4 people but the waiter advise us to take family mixes grill the food was ok but the service was very bad we …

Food was not so delicious! Lamb shank was smelling odd. And with any previous disclosure they charge automatic 20 % gratuity. I may not go again.

food was not so delicious! lamb shank was smelling odd. And with any previous disclosure they charge automatic 20 % gratuity. I may not go again.

Food was not so delicious! lamb shank was smelling odd. And with any previous disclosure they charge automatic 20 % gratuity. I may not go again.

They charge a 20 percent surcharge for dine in. They also refused to serve tap water and only sell plastic bottles of water.

They charge a 20 percent surcharge for dine in. They also refused to serve tap water and only sell plastic bottles of water.

This spot is very sneaky. They charge an automatic 20% service fee without prior disclosure and requests and 18-20% gratuity after the service fee total. Please be advised before eating here. Can you…

This spot is very sneaky. They charge an automatic 20% service fee without prior disclosure and requests and 18-20% gratuity after the service fee total. Please be advised before eating here. Can…

I have and been here many times before and always had a great meal. Unfortunately I think the bottom fell out of this place. My friend and I both order lamb chops and their signature Afghan Ri…

Alishbah

I’ve been to Sami’s Kabab many times over the years and always had great experiences. I even remember visiting when they first opened and leaving a glowing review back then. We’ve recommended this place to countless people because the food and service were consistently excellent. Because of that history, we chose Sami’s for a very special occasion related to our wedding. We were hosting both families for a goodbye dinner before they left the country, and we had about 10 people total. As we were discussing appetizer and kebab preferences, the owner came over and told us not to worry about ordering — that he would take care of everything and make us very happy. He was extremely warm and kind, so we trusted him. He brought out a generous mix of appetizers, two very large platters of rice and kebabs, and desserts. At the time it felt thoughtful, though it was honestly far more food than we needed — so much that one entire family platter had to be packed to go. When the bill arrived, we were shocked. It came out to around $1,400, plus a mandatory 20% gratuity added on top. We were expecting something closer to $500–700 total. The owner had clearly over-ordered on our behalf and then charged us for everything — including bread, salad, and sauces, which we have never been charged for before at an Afghan restaurant. This worked out to well over $100 per person, before gratuity. Even if everyone had individually ordered an appetizer, main, dessert, and drink, it would not have come close to that amount. What makes this especially upsetting is seeing a Muslim business owner, with his name on the restaurant, do this to other Muslims, during a meaningful family and wedding-related occasion. There is an expectation of honesty and fairness, and that trust was violated. As a business owner, you should not be ordering for customers without clearly explaining what is being ordered, the pricing, or even giving a rough estimate upfront. To present food as a kind gesture and then charge for an excessive amount — including automatic gratuity — feels deeply unethical and honestly borderline deceptive. It left us feeling forced into paying simply because of the situation. In hindsight, the kindness felt performative. This experience was deeply disappointing. We went in trusting a place we loved and left feeling completely taken advantage of.