Friendly service, food prepared to order, fresh flatbread. The dish called "butter chicken" is…read moreactually kabob chicken chunks in a sweet anise-laced tomato sauce that is one of my favorite dishes in the entire DMV. Dining area is small and quiet, nothing fancy, but pleasant.

Ordered the lamb kebab to go, and they've done a really good job! The lamb is delicious and well…read morecharred. This is also probably one of the best pita breads I've received from a kebab restaurant. Very soft doughy and large ! I really enjoy the spinach side as well. Well cooked and pleasant fast service when I walked in to collect! Clean restaurant as well with a very casual atmosphere.

Lapis is a restaurant I'll think about for a long time. While visiting DC, I knew this was a…read morewell-renowned, must-try restaurant. Not sure how difficult it is to attain a reservation, but my friend made one for 3 the day prior to our dinner on a Sunday evening in one of DC's busiest weekends (America's 250th birthday, UFC at the White House, etc.) We were sat outside on the patio. No one in my party had had Afghani food before, but we were all open-minded and adventurous! Together, we shared all of these dishes: STARTERS starters tasting flight: one of each starter - 24 *bolani: afghan flatbread (choose two fillings) pumpkin (v), beef, onion potato *sambosa trio: a crispy phyllo pastry trio of spinach (v, vg), shrimp & beef - 12 *shamee kebab: small patty of minced beef with potatoes, yellow split peas, eggs, spices, served with cucumber mint yogurt, pickled onions & house-cut fries - 15 (gf) *shore-nakhot: chickpea, potato salad in vinegar, garlic & cilantro (cold) - 7 (v, vg, gt) *pakowra: gram batter cauliflower, spinach & potato- 14 (v, vg) AFGHAN DUMPLINGS *mantoo beef: dumplings with ground beef, topped with a yellow split peas & carrots tomato sauce finished with strained garlic yogurt - 4 pcs --16 / 6 pcs - 22 SIGNATURE DISHES gabuli palow: rice pilaf, boneless braised lamb, carrots, & raisins - 35 (gf) veggie - 22 (v) FROM THE GRILL lamb shank: bone-in braised lamb, herbed tomato sauce, basmati rice -- 38 (gf) My favorite dish overall was the gabuli palow. There was something so novel about the sweetness of the carrots paired with raisins in the soft rice and decadent lamb. Just amazing. Overall, Lapis is a culinary adventure with attentive service, chic ambience, and masterfully crafted foods -- worth every penny.

While I love a family owned business, Lapis was underwhelming for me…read more Start with the good: Doogh Punch: 5/5 best mezcal drink! Smooth, well balanced. Atmosphere: relaxed, warm! Love the photos on the walls giving that family vibe. Candle lit as the sun went down. Nice vibe. Meh: Shrimp dumplings: 3/5 shrimp in a dumpling. No flavors stood out even with the sauce. Beet salad: 3.5/5 this was an arugula salad with maybe half a beet cut up on top. The description of ingredients were flakes of toppings. I had to request more beets as there were few. I could have had more nuts and cheese, but I just wasn't in the mood to really complain. Chopawn: 3/5 lamb chops, tender but lacking flavor. "Picked" salad on top, not pickled. Just cut up onions and peppers with sumac. Buranee Kadoo: 3/5 also ok. The garlic sour cream sauce needed more tang.

Loved my lamb dish! Surprisingly reasonable pricing when you at opening/lunch too!…read more Nice cozy but elegant vibes. Great to take out your family or significant other. Interesting art on the wall and nice bathroom. Park on the parking garage below or on the side street/lot nearby. Make sure if you don't finish your lamb and ask to put it in a takeaway box go specify that you want your lamb scraps. Learn from me because my waiter tossed all my lamb and just boxed up the rice likely thinking I was done with them. Big bummer since I was looking forward to my leftovers but oh well.

Overall it was a good experience! We absolutely loved the bread and the difference sauces that…read morewent with it. The pumpkin dumplings and pan fried veggie filled dumplings were great as well. I thought my salmon wrap and the chickpea side was ok. Interesting flavors for sure. As for the service, there was always someone filling up our waters and our waiter was very nice checking in every now and then. The only downside of the experience is at the end when the waiter was boxing up all the food for us. Very sweet that they do this but when boxing up my partners food, they only boxed up the rice and they got rid of the lamb that he was looking forward to eating more of later. So that was kind of a disappointment for us. I think if we go again, we would request to box our food ourselves since I'm not sure why they decided to get rid of all of his lamb.

Just moved to the from Ballston to Courthouse and tried this Afghan kebab spot and it was great…read more Generous portions with the kebabs and sides when getting the "Kebab Combo for two." The Chicken stew (extra) and the eggplant were the highlight side dishes. Naan was nice and thick with a crispy crust. Extra sauce, no charge Used to be a regular at Kebab Garden on Quincy which was solid, this place definitely competes.

Two Haiku Review:…read more Not the best kabob I've had, but the flavor was There and the portions Were quite large. Pretty Fast service and for a good Price, I give four stars.

Came for the Sheeryakh, but had such delicious, authentic Afghan food! I'd give 4.5 stars for some…read moreconstructive modifications to make in the future related to service, but overall amazing food! I left with a full belly and a happy heart. Got a combo of chicken kabob and shami kabob along with a side of their borani banjan/eggplant dish. The eggplant was honestly one of my favorite things- it's a must get in my opinion. Homey dish with incredible flavors! Their naan is fresh and pairs well with it. The chicken was good, but I've had better honestly. The shami was a little disappointing as I expected more flavor and it was slightly dry, but good. Their rice was so tasty and I loved the sweetness coming from the carrots an raisins. Of course, the sheeryakh was great- quite a big portion for one person, but I loved the texture. It tastes very similar to the Indian/South Asian/Pakistani ice cream, "Kulfi." CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK: Service needs improvement. The whole time I was there I had to keep looking for waiters to make eye contact with to ask for menu, water, paying, etc. It took about 10 min or more for me to have to call a busy waiter over just to look at the menu- no one came over on their own. Things just took time for a Saturday night- plus they were hosting an event on top of this. Needless to say, I've never had service like this, but the vibe and food made me be not as harsh. Despite the service, this place is a must try for authentic Afghan cuisine. Can't wait to try more of their menu (and the borani banjan again) in the future!

The chicken bowl was amazing. Friend loved the spinach and we got the chickpea. The star of the…read morenight was the eggplant dish! We have had it at other restaurants but this place topped it!! Way too stuffed to get dessert but the ice cream looked phenomenal!

This place has a new energy! It was refreshing to walk in and see women running the show. The…read moreexperience was so different given they actually want to make sure you have a good experience and enjoy you're food. They walk you through customizing your order if you don't want certain sides and they started cutting and toasting the afghan naan which makes it hard to stop eating. They are in the middle of renovating the left side so we ate in the banquet side. Can't wait to see how they decor the whole place. Will be back soon to get my sambosas and kabobs!

Staff ruins the whole reputation. Most rudest people I've ever met! The food is mediocre, there's…read moreplenty of Afghan restaurants. They're money hungry and will dismiss you the second they get their money! Went to their Ramadan buffet, my male family member went ahead and was told that there was seating but he would have to share a table. But when I went in and asked the same lady she flat out refused and turned me away due to not having a reservation, for a Ramadan buffet right at Iftar! Having this treatment from your own Muslims is very sad

I've visited bistro aracosia twice. The food is always amazing and the service is also great…read more Everyone is kind and friendly. The bread comes out with four different sauces in the beginning which is nice. We got the assorted dumplings which were very flavorful and delicious. The lamb rack is to die for and the saffron chicken is also very good. I preferred the other two entrees over the lamb moghuli but it might be because I'm not a huge fan of the smoky flavor. The restaurant has a cozy and comforting atmosphere and is pretty quiet. Will be going back again:)

Had a really wonderful lunch here before heading to the National Cathedral. Both of us had the Mini…read moreTaste of Aracosia and bread with 4 different chutneys for dipping. We weren't sure it was going to be enough food but it was plenty. Beef, lamb, chicken and veal dishes were served with a chickpea and lentil sides and two kinds of really tasty rice. One had shredded carrots and raisins. Service was super friendly and attentive. I'll definitely be back. Everything was really flavorful and tender.

Who knew Kabobistan had brunch?! I'm a high protein diet kinda guy and this place did just that…read more You get a mix of Afghan brunch menu while also having their regular meat options available.

My friend and I stopped by for dinner last Tuesday. The interior is more casual. I ordered and paid…read moreat the front and they deliver the food to our table when it's ready in a cafeteria tray. A1 BONELESS CHICKEN BREAST KABOB - 14.95 The pricing for how much food I got is pretty worth it. My order came with 6 chunks of well-seasoned chicken breast cubes, a bed of seasoned rice with some sweetened, julienne carrots. The chicken was decent, nothing special. The rice was enjoyable on its own and the carrots added on top was a good touch. We also could choose a side with each order and I got the chickpeas, which was more on the saucy side that was quite delicious. The order also comes with a huge piece of bread that was pretty chewy and went well with everything else I ordered. Overall, solid option! The boneless chicken breast kabob was good, but nothing out of ordinary. The pricing here is good (compared to other parts of Arlington), and I'd recommend it if you're nearby and craving kabobs!