The food is great! I recommend the chicken or gyro over rice. The owner is also very friendly. I eat here frequently.

Took out the gyro over rice. It was delicious but I wish the meat to rice ratio was a bit more balanced. For the price and the portion size can't complain too much. read more

One of my favorite places to eat in Albany- we probably eat here or take out about once a week. Food is always fresh and delicious. Can't go wrong with kubideh or chicken over rice. read more

I come here very frequently with my friends. I am a vegetarian and love the falafel and Bolani here! My friends who are non-vegetarian love the gyro over rice and koobideh! All the food is amazing and wonderful service for such a small place. The wait can sometimes get long if they have full tables but the food is so good (and inexpensive) that it is worth the wait! read more

Came here for dinner for a party of 2. Ordered the lamb chops and friend ordered the chiken and lab tikka. Lamb chops was delish, moist and succulent, the rice was just about right, and the white sauce, amazing! I originally come from NYC where there are many Afghan restaurants and gyro stand spots, so I had a lot of expectations, and rest assured, they were wholeheartedly met! This restaurant mimics Bakhtar in Queens, NY in my opinion :-) read more

Their food is ok. Price wise it is cheaper than a regular lunch out, although service is subpar. The waitress never checks on customers. Also they never actually give you any of the sauces, chutney on the side unless you ask for it. They charge a "dine in" fee Which is just a pathetic way for the restaurant to make extra money off the services they don't really provide. I'm all for leaving tips but the staff kind of doesn't do...anything? I got the chicken kabob twice now, both times the chicken has a rubbery over cooked rubbery taste. Appearance wise the red dye really Makes it look appetizing, but chicken is definitely over cooked! Anyways, get the chicken over rice. You can't go wrong with the dish, douse it in whatever sauces you want, it's worth a try. read more

Reasonably priced freshly prepared Afghan food offered up in a so so atmosphere. I'm guessing their location in the middle of panhandling alley limits traffic, as I've not found them to be terribly busy during the lunch hour, which is a shame given the quality of the food. read more

This place has the best chicken over rice in the Capital region. I tried this kinda food almost everywhere including Halal Guys on 6th Ave in Manhattan by Hilton. They used to be my favorite but now this place is my fav. I ate here 3 days in row this week. Gotta try it. Won't be disappointed. read more

I tried this place last week, great afghan cuisine. I was on the way from Toronto to nyc and had to do an emergency stop in Albany to get my tires changed at pep boys. It tasted shamali which is the northern part of the country. Rice was very authentic, and the kabob was juicy and tender. I woulda gave 5 stars but they didn't have mantoo and the owner wasn't too sociable. I told him his food was delicious in Farsi and he said thanks, that will be 54.something something haha I was like wow what je*k. See for afghans we like to conversate it woulda been nice to say oh wow where from Afghanistan are you from brother where are you traveling to blah blah blah very short convo otherwise he would have gotten a five. Be more customer friendly it's part of customer service dude, your lucky food was so good and me, my wife, and son loved it so much! read more

Honestly this restaurant can do better. My family and I were driving through Albany and were looking for a halal restaurant to eat at. We found Afghan Kabab Express on yelp and decided to head there. The location is decent however the music is all over the place. As far as the food goes, let's just say bland for the most part. The chicken gyro meat had little to no seasoning while the Philly cheese steak had American cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes on it which wasn't bad but for some reason they put ketchup also. (In the menu it lists the Philly cheese steak as having grilled onions and green peppers) The service was also very spotty as well and didn't make sense with their ambience. Also they call their added gratuities service charges. I don't personally recommend eating there. read more

The lamb shank is the real deal. As is the gyro and chicken rice platters. I like them with extra white and red sauce. Amazing food and prices. read more

I was looking for my good but affordable Mediterranean option in Albany and I found it. I had the gyro over rice and it was deliciously spicy. This place is a big step above the falafel cart in quality and well below the fancy $12 for a gyro restaurant in price. Will be back soon to try the lamb. read more

Shukran for being the best afghan place in the area. Honestly, I just had dinner and am craving this food. Everything on the menu is authentic and delicious. So happy to have found halal-food-truck-platters style meals up here :) read more

Great food for a great price. The cashier is a friendly lady and she always prepares my food before I get there.

Their chicken and rice is sooo much better The Halal Guys" in the city. Even the white sauce and salad was better. Never had French fries with falafel and rice but i enjoyed that too. Dolmeh were fun - warm and came with olives on side. Will have to try their kebabs one day. read more

Albany's hidden gem- delicious koobideh, chicken and rice. The restaurant is always clean and the service is friendly. Our go-to spot, also very good takeout. read more

Amazing! Delicious. Had boloni, gyro over rice and chicken over rice - chicken seriously had life changing spices. Just go and eat here.

The afghan food is alright. I love their creamy cheesecake for desert. There is an annoying minimum requirement for credit card use so make sure you consider that ahead of time. read more

I have to say, this was a very unexpected delight. I had the Bolani to start, good fried tastiness with excellent cilantro sauce. Then I had the Koobideh over rice. The long-grain Basmati was mixed with raisins and carrot slivers, sweet and nicely spiced. Meat was tender and of good quality. I also had a side dish of sauteed eggplant which was great. And finally the Baclava, which was spiced and nutty and sweet. 100% recommend and would go back in a heartbeat. With mint tea all this only cost $24 + tax/tip. Awesome. read more

Tried this place for the first time and was amazed! Great chicken over rice and gyro sandwich. Very similar to NYC afghan food but higher quality than cart food. Prices were unbeatable for the portions. I will certainly be returning, probably tomorrow. read more

Gyro over rice, chicken gyro, kebabs.. If I could eat here everyday I would. $9 for a delicious dinner and a drink to take home. Service is always friendly and FAST. This place is a MUST TRY. read more

This is hands down me and my husbands favorite halal spot. The lamb over rice is amazing. Beware the red sauce is a bit more spicy then food carts in the town, so be easy on it if you don't like your food super hot. Love the chicken kabob also. Fast service, great food read more

Chicken over rice was amazing!!!!! I dont eat beef but my coworkers also rave about the beef over rice! Falafel was also one of the best I've had, especially being from Queens, NY. read more

Good spot for cheap eats. Usually get the chicken kabob which never disappoints. Wish the menu had more options. Definitely worth a visit.

Food is decent but the service is absolutely horrible. Very slow. Takes forever to get an order whether you are ordering to pick up or dine in. read more

Have you been hoping to go to Afghanistan to visit but don't have the money or government clearance? Wishing you could lace up and and play an intense game of Afghani Buzkashi (the sport of goat grabbing, like... literally grabbing goats for fun)? Or visit the caves of Bamiyan which contains the world's oldest oil paintings? Well I can't help you with that but I can tell you about some really good Afghani food I had from this place in Albany called Afghan Kabab Express. Today I had the Chicken Kabab with brown basmati rice. I'd highly suggest you try it out or the gyros among many other great options. The food is very good. Very well seasoned. I've had a few meals here and their blend of herbs, saffron and spices are perfect. Very flavorful but not so much so as to overwhelm the palette. As for the ambiance, the inside is clean and has adequate space unlike other locations nearby. The staff (just one guy at the counter) was friendly and willing to take a joke. (I like to joke). Overall, pretty good experience. Would've given 5 stars if 1) their side salad and tomatoes were more fresh and 2) they didn't use so much styrofoam. read more

Afghan Kabab Express - Delicious chicken Kabab with an extra side of pita (or as their menu calls it: "pitta") - Halal Near Me - Albany, New York

I would recommend this place. I went here for lunch today and ordered the food to go. The food was very good and the price was very reasonable. The food was brought to me quickly. Just as a warning to those that don't like spicy food, the food was a little spicy read more

Stopped by here for dinner on the way to Montreal. No frills place that sells good food. I got a a chicken gyro that was fresh and tasty. Wife got a cheese steak that she liked a lot. Food was very reasonably priced and the service was friendly. All the food is halal as well. Would definitely recommend and come back. read more

The food is delicious and very inexpensive for the portion size you get. The owner is super nice. One of my favorite places to get food in the Albany area. read more

Whenever we have one of those - lazy days , "cannot cook today", drunk and hungry or just a craving, me and my friends order a take out. Being a vegetarian I mostly order falafel over rice and Bolani which are pretty amazing. Do visit if you are in Albany ! read more

This place is awesome. Came here with my family and got to try a variety of the dishes and all of them were delicious. Tried the chicken, fish, beef kabab, and all amazing. I had the ground beef and lamb (koobideh). Real good. Loved it. Inexpensive and generous portions. This place is a real find in Albany! read more

Great little place. We ordered the Bolani, Falafel over rice, and Lamb Kanab. All three were really good. Loved the chatni and put it on everything. Very good food and hard to beat the price. read more

My husband and I found this place while missing good Mediterranean food. This place gives you your money's worth of food-- salad, shwarmas, loads of rice. You really get more than enough food for what you pay and the restaurant is very nice and cozy. I would recommend this place to anyone missing good Mediterranean food! read more

Just what Albany was missing! I've been in the area for over a decade now and can finally say I'm satisfied with the local middle-eastern cuisine. In a short span I became a regular and go here almost every week with family and friends. Now for the specifics: I've tried several items from the menu and it's hard to pick a favorite. They nail even in the simple snacks like Falafel. Personally the chicken kabab over rice is my favorite (make sure to order it with the Kabuli Pulao, just a dollar more but you'll thank me). Their lamb chops are a good serving and tender and flavorful just like they need to be. And their philly cheesesteak is actually very, very good too. read more

I just ordered food from here and picked it up and it def does not disappoint! The rice is so addictive, it bad if you have a diet because its impossible to not douse the entire plate in white sauce and go to town. My husband and I both got the chicken kabob platters and it was extremely delicious! I've tried the other kabobs before and they were extremely good. We will surely eat here again! read more

What a nice dinner we had...it was my first time here though my husband comes here for lunch all the time. We all got something different - felafel in a pita, felafel platter, fish kebab and fish and chips. They were out of the appetizer my husband ordered and he was very disappointed but business had been hopping and they had just run out. The food arrived hot and was really tasty. The rice was flavorful, the fish was fresh and the felafel was just crunchy on the outside and soft and hot on the inside. The white sauce was new to me - a combination of yogurt and mayo with spices mixed in and it was delicious. It was refreshing to go to a new place and enjoy it. We will definitely go back. Maybe next time we'll be able to get that appetizer read more

Nice quick place to eat with my friend. The food was not bad. We came at a very slow time so no one was in the restaurant. I would recommend. read more

We got chicken over rice(definitely better then halal guys),chicken kebab, chicken gyro and falafel over rice, firni for dessert - everything was very delicious, wish we lived close by read more

This place is one of my favorite places to eat out in Albany. Food is always so good, it's simple food but just so delicious! Prices are wonderful! You get a lot of food for the price and it's always quality food. All the kobab dishes are fantastic and the lamb shank is to die for! It's a generous portion for such a good price! It's owned by a very nice family. read more

Came here on a Thursday afternoon after all the finals got over. Was very hungry and eager to hog. First impression was not so good as the tables very not very clean. The menu looked really small and was anticipating a disaster. Had ordered a chicken over rice, bolani and baklwa(name sounds funny to me). Baklwa was suggested by the person. All the three dishes were very tasty, fresh. Baklwa was really tasty as to my surprise. read more