Great ambiance and service. We had the kandahar platter that was totally worth the price even though I didn't like the dessert. Standouts: Lapis ginger lemonade. Shrimp dumplings. Sambosa trio. Morgh qorma. read more

Lapis - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Came Wednesday night without a reservation and only had to wait about 10 minutes before being seated as a party of 4. I've heard great things about Lapis so I'm glad we got to try it. For drinks I got the afghan mule which wasn't bad and we split the sambosa trio for a starter. The three were spinach, shrimp, and beef. Out of the three the beef and shrimp were good and the spinach was ok. For entrees we split the mahee (trout), lamb shank and qabuli palow (boneless lamb and rice). The lamb shank was tender and delicious, probably my favorite of the three. The trout was good too and flavorful. The palow was good but had a bit of a sweet taste to it. The lamb pieces in it were delicious. Overall it was a good meal and we had great service. It's well decorated and a fun dinner spot. Be sure to read the sub text under each section of the menu. Very entertaining and funny! read more

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The service and ambiance was perfect. It's such a cute spot. The food was great! We got multiple things: fries, dumplings, sambosa trio, bolani, and lentils. Everything was great! My favorite was the bolani! read more

Food and service were so great. Try a sampling platter of all the various options, if you aren't familiar with specific dishes. They're all great. read more

Unique, delicious flavors in a beautiful restaurant perfect for a casual date or dinner with friends/family. Servers were kind but clearly busy for Memorial Day weekend- we had to track them down occasionally. We started with the dumplings, which were delicious and packed with meat. It reminded us more of raviolis than chinese dumplings. We also ordered fries for the table- best decision ever! They were clearly hand cut and fresh. They had a special seasoning and even came with some tangy aioli. I got the mahee for my main and it was so crispy and tender. It came on top of a piece of flatbread which was a little tough. The salad I could've passed on. The rice was great with the fish- lightly seasoned but not salty. Get the milk custard! It looked simple but had complex cardamom and pistachio flavors, while still being light on my stomach. read more

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This review is only for the brunch. We did the brunch special and I sort of felt like we didn't get the value for our money. It was $35 and the first course is just a pastry, such as a croissant. It was decent. For the second course I got the bolani. There was a hair in it, so they brought me another one. I got the leek-cilantro and the onion-potato. It was good, but nothing too memorable. For the last course I got the rosewater cardamom pancakes which were probably the best thing we tried. It reminded me a lot of Indian gulab jamuns but it was also a bit too sweet for my liking. I had a hard time finishing all of it. I do want to go back for dinner though, and try out some of the other items on the menu! Especially after seeing that they got a bib gourmand! Congrats! read more

Lapis - Rose water cardamom pancakes - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Visited Lapis for brunch with friends and I definitely plan on coming back. The restaurant had plenty of seating indoors and outdoors. Service was really quick and the wait staff was very attentive. It also did not take long for all the food to come out. The sheer chai was extremely delicious. You can get it served hot or cold. I ordered it hot and it was very warm and soothing. The mantoo shrimp was flavorful and the saffron cream sauce took it to another level. The brunch bolani doesn't look like much but it was extremely filling. The bolani came with a yogurt sauce and chutney. The yogurt sauce was tart and creamy. The chutney was my favorite dip out of the two. It was spicy, sharp, and cut through the savoriness of the bolani. The lapis pancakes were the real star of the meal. They were much lighter texturally than most pancakes I've ever had. The pancakes were beautifully presented with crushed pistachios and rose petals on top. It was served with rose water syrup. The pancakes were good enough to eat without syrup, it was sweet from the rose water and the cardamom added some complexity to the taste without being too forward. The rosewater syrup is really sweet so I'd recommend not dunking your pancakes if you don't want the taste of the pancake to be overwhelmed. There were a lot of food options on their menu and they seemed to have an extensive vegetarian selection. I'd definitely like to try out some of their other menu items next time I visit. read more

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I've had my eye on this restaurant for awhile now, having walked by several times when I was in the area. We decided to celebrate our anniversary here. We were seated in the window, watching the passersby, which was both nice and distracting. The table was small, giving an almost Parisian sort of vibe, which was quaint. Overall, the food was delicious. The shrimp dumplings were recommended to us by our waiter and they were by far the most delicious thing we had all night. The spices were so warm and comforting; it was the perfect start to our meal. Our main courses were good, although rather boring. I opted for the trout and while it was cooked well, I could probably make something similar at home for a fraction of the cost. But again, it was good, so I really cannot complain. My boyfriend's lamb was cooked well, but only came with rice and sauce, which was again, a little boring. The desserts, on the other hand, were fabulous. We decided on the pistachio cake and milk custard. The cake practically melted in your mouth! The custard had such lovely cardamom notes, it would've made a great rice pudding. I was happy with our time here! The restaurant got very busy later into the night, so I was grateful we came as early as we did. Service was quick and all of the recommendations we were given were delicious! This was one of my first times experiencing Afghan cuisine and will certainly not be my last! read more

Great food and engaging atmosphere. It was a feast and our group of six had a great time. Good location in Adams Morgan. Service was attentive, professional, and friendly. Highly recommend. read more

The good - 1st time having Afghan food which is tasty & interesting. Draft beer & wine selection. Great service, nice venue, good location with both indoors, including 2 dining rooms downstairs with 2 bars, and outdoors with or without covered patio. Outdoor seats are better if weather is nice. The bad - impossible to find street parking and nearby parking lot is tight and highway robbery. The ugly - didn't mind giving server 20% gratuity but it was automatically added to the check for a party of 2. Really? That cost this place a star. read more

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Lapis is an absolute gem of a restaurant. Located right in Adams Morgan, they have outdoor space available as well as both an upstairs and downstairs for indoor dining. Our large group was seated downstairs. I couldn't tell you everything we ordered, since it was half the menu, but our group favorites were the pakowara, mantoo, qabuli palow, zardak, and the buranee Kadoo. The cocktails are also delicious. My afghan mule was very refreshing and many others enjoyed the manhattans. I'd recommend going as a large group and ordering multiple dishes. All of the dishes were quite small, especially for the price, so it was nice to share and try many things. Gratuity is already included which is helpful! Bathrooms are also clean and beautiful. I will certainly be back to try the other half of the menu! read more

Lapis - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've now been at Lapis for both brunch and dinner and highly recommend trying both menus! I admire how they stay true to their values as an immigrant-owned restaurant as it became a hub for donations and assistance for Afghan refugees. Also a great option for vegetarians! Regular menu favorites: -I really enjoyed the beef kofta. It was like a stew served with tomato sauce, carrots, potatoes, and rice. -Mantoo beef is yummy, a little spicy and is topped with lentils and yogurt. -The cacao chocolate mousse cake is heavenly! Brunch favorites: -The rosewater-cardamom pancakes are soft and fluffy, and topped with pistachios. -Bolani (flat bread) - I favor the one filled with onion and potatoes. Service: The first time I dined here I felt like they were trying to oversell us and I don't really eat that much -- the server looked a little disappointed when we didn't order as many dishes as they recommended. Another time, the service was much friendlier and chill but they forgot one of our drinks and didn't really check on us that often. Not bad service by any means but I usually expect more attentive service at restaurants that are a bit pricier. Atmosphere: The interior is gorgeous and almost feels like someone's home with photos paying homage to their family adorning the walls. The wooden furniture complements the white walls. They are often very busy for brunch and dinner on weekends, so reservations are recommended. Lapis is truly a staple of Adams Morgan! read more

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Lapis is a wonderful, intimate Afghani restaurant on Columbia Road in Adams Morgan. It's a pleasant space with about a dozen tables and a small bar area. We had the mantoo classic dumplings which were tasty with sweet and sour tastes, the chaplee kabob - more delicious spicy lamb Pattie's and the qapuli palow - lamb pieces with carrots and raisins and spiced rice. A very relaxing place with delicious food. I would definitely go again. read more

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Food was delicious. First time trying afghan food and would definitely recommend. Lapis set the bar high. Meatballs and eggplant were our favorites read more

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The food is amazing. I've never had afghan food and it's a delight. The tables for 2 are a bit small. Get reservations since the tables outside were full on a weekday night. The service was great though I'm one of those guests that constantly needs more water. read more

Excellent food and I have no notes on that. The ambiance is pretty for brunch, but it is a really loud restaurant. Understandable and not necessarily a complaint, but it's something you'd want to know to anticipate the vibe. However, the service was a bit strange. I feel bad if they were short staffed, but it took forever for them to take our order after getting seated. Then, after we left the restaurant, my friend who paid the bill got a phone call that we didn't pay $20.20 of our total. This is weird because I thought we shouldn't be able to pay anything less than the total on the payyourbill app. Also, I trust that my friend knows how to pay the bill. So my friends went all the way back to the restaurant only to find out our bill really was paid in full. I think my friend still paid them $20 in the end, but overall a very weird service experience. read more

It's my second time to DC in 6 months and coincidentally ended up at Lapis both times, and each time was great. I really appreciate that dietary restrictions/preferences (eg vegetarian, gluten free) were clearly listed on the menu and our server asked about dietary restrictions from the start. Today, we got brunch which was outstanding. I got the karayee with seasoned ground beef and an oat milk latte. It was beautifully seasoned and came with a side of basmati rice. My husband had the brunch bolani which he also enjoyed. We sat on the patio which was lovely and watched the passersby. Service was prompt and staff were very friendly. Would highly recommend Lapis! Side note: in the spring I was here for dinner and it was also outstanding. Everything was very tasty and the atmosphere was lovely for a girls night (would also be good for special occasion or date night). read more

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As an Afghan with a mom who makes delicious Afghan food, I was looking forward to trying this place after seeing the raving reviews. Honestly, I wasn't disappointed and was fairly impressed by the food. For appetizer, I had the Sambosa strip and Mantoo classic. The Mantoo definitely reminded me of my Mom's, but don't tell her that haha while the Sambosa was good. Both dishes were flavorful, cooked well, and had plenty of sauce. For my entree, I ordered the Lamb Shank, which was divine. The meat was so tender and juicy that I could just take it apart with my fork and it was sauced up. Besides the excellent food, the service was a little slow and I did not like where I was seated as it was in the corner of the room next to window that faces a wall and my head was hitting the edge of a shelf. Overall, I would recommend this place just to try the food, as Afghan food is delicious and this is the closest you can get to homemade Afghan food. read more

Lapis - Lamb Shank - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Great ambience . Attentive and friendly service. Pay on check which I really like. Why can't all restaurants do that? Dumplings were delicious. Salad I could make better at home. read more

I've never had Afghani food before, and this was amazing! I'll definitely be back. Pros: The ambiance and decor was 10/10 and so was the food. While I didn't get coffee, my friends did, and really enjoyed the unique flavors offered. We shared the pistachio rose syrup pancakes (so delicious and incredibly unique) and the potato, scallion, and leek frittata (perfectly seasoned and delectable) for a perfect savory/sweet combo! We'll definitely come back to try the dinner menu next time! It was easy to book a reservation as well. Cons: It was incredibly loud inside, so it was difficult to hear one another. read more

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Enjoyed an amazing dinner at Lapis, we were able to walk in on Sunday without reservations and were luckily seated right away at a cute table by the window. The service was great and food came out fast and hot! Highly recommend getting the lamb shank and eggplant dish! The lamb shank was so tender and the meet just fell off the bone. For dessert we enjoyed the rice pudding, I loved that it you could really taste the cardamom in the dish read more

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We reserved a table for a large group for a birthday celebration... Getting there early, we went to a downstairs bar, where it's really cozy and much quieter than upstairs. (BTW, restrooms are also downstairs). Bartender was friendly and helpful and they offer a nice cocktail list, as well as make their cocktails really well. Décor it beautifully done as well. We sat upstairs for dinner, where it was not only very crowded and noisy, but each time guests entered the door, a huge gust of cold air blew in. Our server was great, very friendly and helpful, definitely knew the menu well, as well as the ingredients. All the items we ate (we ended up trying many things on the menu) were very tasty and enjoyable. Save room for dessert, their Hawla and the rice pudding are excellent! In all, it was a nice visit! Definitely recommend stopping in! read more

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Loved this place so much! We had the dumplings, lamb shank, dal and mushrooms with pistachio ricotta cake for dessert. The service was so friendly and patient with us as if was our first time having Afghan cuisine. Our server, Eraste, was great. Next time we're in DC this will definitely be on our list read more

I had the brunch bolani with pumpkin and beef. Both were good, but the pumpkin was a bit better. Lapis pancakes were very interesting and pretty good, but the rosewater flavor was rather too strong for me. It was a good one-time experience to try these rose pancakes, but I probably wouldn't eat them again. The Cuban coffee was dark and rich. This is a very unique Afghan kind of brunch for me, and while I'm not used to most of the food here, I enjoyed the experience. read more

Delicious Afghan food. We visited Lapis when they opened on a Tuesday , and it filled up quickly. The restaurant is nicely furnished with wooden chairs and tables and colorful blue plates at the tables. I tried the zardak and the buranee bademjan. Both dishes had a lovely combination of flavors. I would recommend Lapis for Afghan food in Washington DC. read more

I'm slowly but surely making my way through the DC Bib Gourmands, and was delighted to try out brunch at Lapis today! They do have a deal where you pay $35 and can choose three different items but you can also order from the regular menu as well. Or, you can forgo the deal and order a la carte. The vibes are incredible, with beautiful rugs, vases, and large mirrors. The service was fine, but nothing spectacular. A lot of our food came out all at once, and I wish it was more staggered. The stars of my meal were the cafe con leche, the karayee (def add the seasoned beef) and the lapis pancakes. The mantoo classic dumplings are also spectacular, my absolute favorite thing I tried. We got a serving of four and treated it like an appetizer. I also tried the frittata, which was fine but tasted a little earthy. The butter croissant was also fine, although if it wasn't part of the brunch deal I'm not sure if I would get it again. I can't wait to come back for lunch or dinner!! read more

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Came here on a Tuesday night for an anniversary dinner. We had listed a special occasion on our reservation and our table had a little happy anniversary note waiting for us when we sat down. Awesome to see them make that small little gesture to help us celebrate the occasion. The restaurant was packed which is crazy for a Tuesday night so it was a bit on the louder side, but the restaurant definitely has a casual vibe in the basement at least. As for the food, it was delicious. We started off with the mantoo shrimp dumplings which were delicious. We ordered 4 to split, but after we finished them off, we both agreed we definitely should have ordered 6. We were scraping the sauce off the plate because it was so good! Next came our appetizers where we got the steak tikka and lamb shank. The lamb shank was delicious. I don't think I need to say much other than you have to get it. The steak tikka was good, but the meat was a little dry. Overall still delicious though as the seasoning carried the dish as a whole. Finally the sides of rice that came with our food were super delectable. Will definitely be back again to try out other parts of the menu! read more

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pretty mediocre food, honestly was surprised it was so expensive for how normal it was. you're really just paying for ambiance here, spent over $200 and it was just alright. read more

Don't let this unassuming corner spot fool you. On a Friday evening, the delicious smells could be sensed blocks away. We stopped in to get a spot, but being from out of town, we had not known how popular the restaurant was. And they are worthy of the praise! We were lucky and snagged a couple seats at the bar, which is found down a steep set of stairs. The record player was spinning the whole night- great hits and our night ended on Joan Jett. Our bartender, Sulaiman, was friendly and attentive, as well as a great conversationalist. Ask him to make you a drink off the menu. We had 3 drinks each, lamb tikka, naan, and shola vegetarian side dish. It was more than enough for two very hungry adults and we had enough left over for our Saturday lunch. We look forward to coming back here the next time we're in DC! read more

Lapis - Lapis Old Fashioned with the record player in background providing wonderful tunes at the downstairs bar. - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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This place does not look that big, but they have another large dining area down stairs. The place was packed on a Monday night when we were there. We got chicken, lamb, shrimp, fries(they are a do not miss)and salad. This was my first time eating Afgan food, so I have nothing to compare, but everything was very good. So much flavor with the different ingredients, spices and sauces. We will definitely be back. read more

This is my first time dinning at Lapis. The Restaurant is pretty packed from top floor, patio to downstairs. We had some finger food of fried veggies in which I thought tasted okay. It even reminded me of a southeast Asian street food. The main dish we had was their famous lamb with rice and raisins. I think there is a little bit too much of radians with not enough rice. The ratio is a little off but reminded me of a briyani (Indian, Tibet, Burmese food) blend in. The lamb was tender but it was missing some sauce to balance it off. The pumpkin dish we had was tasty especially with the nice yogurt touch. The Icecream was pretty good with slight notes of pistachio, vanilla and rose water. Overall, it wasn't a Michelin experience but decently good place to try Afghan cuisine. The service was really good. read more

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Come for drinks and starter dishes!! Perfect place to some with friends any night. Make sure you get a reservation in advance! This place fills up fast. Lapis can get pretty loud, so if you want to dine in a quieter setting, opt to dine on a weekday (in the downstairs area). Solid 4.5/5! Reason being (1) can get very loud. I spent the whole night shouting and (2) dishes can get a little expensive! If I'm paying $30 for a lamb shank and rice, I would love to see some vegetables or sides come with it too. SERVICE: 5/5 - Our server was so patient and helpful! Even though it was busy, we didn't feel rushed and our server took the time to give us so some great recommendations for a group of 5. Food came out SO FAST! Average about 5 minutes for starter dishes and 10-15 for all the entrees to come out. FOOD: 4.5/5 - We got a bunch of dishes to try. I would recommend doing family style with friends to get a taste of everything. Here are some of my favorites: STARTERS - Aushak and Mantoo Classic (Beef) Dumplings - Bolani (Pumpkin was the best!) DISHES - Buranee Bademjan (best eggplant I've ever had in my life!) - Qabuli Palow (If you're not looking for a meat heavy dish, this one's good! Still has lamb, but doesn't feel as heavy) - Morgh Qorma DESSERTS - Sheer Yakh read more

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Honestly, this place deserves a 5/5 but I took a star off because it isn't accommodating for persons who are physically impaired in any way. I say this because the bathroom is downstairs and they don't have an elevator so if you're in a wheelchair, on crutches, have a sprained toe or lower body, you most likely have to go next door which I don't know how nice those people are to let someone from a different restaurant use their stalls. Aside from that, the food is 5/5. The service was okay. My server was very attentive to my girls and I but there two women who work there just staring at me ask I asked for help to use the bathroom since my toe is currently sprained. I don't want to pull the race card so I won't but I didn't appreciate that. The manager, however, was very accommodating to me and although I had to walk around and head through a back tunnel to get to the bathroom, I appreciate her doing that for me. Now back to the food lol those rose pancakes are perfectly sweetened. Trust me, you don't need syrup. The dumplings were slightly spicy so I'm not sure I'd order them again but the flavor was there. I absolutely loved the dish that was stuffed with pumpkin and potato topped with a fried egg. That was absolutely delicious. I definitely want to come back and order more things! read more

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the food was good but the service and the crowded interior really put me off. a little overpriced for what it is, if I ever returned I would definitely do takeout, NOT dine in read more

Incredible food and drinks. Dumplings and starter sampler and eggplant were delicious. Great cocktails. Really nice interior. Service was fine. Would travel back to DC for those dumplings (shrimp and beef ones) read more

ugh such amazing, flavorful, delicious food! got the meat platter and everything on it was to die for. the carrots were fantastic, as were the dumplings. the chicken was my least favorite but still incredible! Also got a cocktail which was very good! The dessert with the platter was good, but i think i was too full to enjoy it properly. timing of the food was also great! oh and we got the fries which were DELICIOUS! tables are pretty close together, so its a bit of a squeeze. there's also an included 10% service fee, but they were very transparent abt that.the food also held up great the next day, as we had a lot of leftovers! The only critique i have is ww ate and paid within abt 80 minutes. within 5 minutes of paying the bill, the waiter asked us to leave so the next group could come in. ive seen 2 hr dining policies before, but 90 minutes feels ridiculous. also, nowhere on their website or reservation site did i see a time limit. we wouldn't have overstayed, we just wanted to chit chat and enjoy each others company. i actually thought it was quite rude. read more

Lapis - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I absolutely loved Lapis for brunch. We had a reservation for three, but the location was pretty busy and we were seated outdoors. Luckily, it was a beautiful day in D.C. I ordered the brunch bolani, which was pan seared crispy afghan flat bread served with yogurt, chutney and scrambled eggs. I added the leek-cilantro and yogurt beef as a filling - delicious! I was very curious about the Lapis pancakes, which my friend got ordered. The pancakes were dense quite filling, she was more than willing to share. The rosewater-cardamom was an excellent touch to the pancakes, topped with pistachios that added just a bit of crunch. The service was excellent. The place seems (and definitely feels) family ran, very cozy and homey. I would love to return and explore their dinner menu. read more

Lapis - Golden milk latte - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Lapis is a must go place in DC. The flavors here are very delicious and will leave you wanting to come back. I came here on a Saturday during the brunch hours, but they allow you to order from both the regular menu as well as the brunch menu. I got the Brunch Bolani from the brunch menu and my group and I split the Aushak Dumplings which were so delicious. We got seated in the underground area and the vibes were so artsy. I really enjoyed my time and would recommend to anyone read more

Lapis - Brunch Bolani - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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I was surprised by this place, but in a 'how did they receive Michelin stars?' kind of surprised. I've had better afghan cuisine locally (look up Aracosia). The food was just ok; homey with several stew-like dishes. What was most off putting was that the ambiance was crowded, a bit loud and the service let us know soon after we finished eating that there was a time limit. It felt off putting. Definitely have no desire to go back but am glad I experienced it to know otherwise. read more

My fourth visit to Lapis was for Sunday brunch. My niece loved her chocolate croissant, avocado toast and "fancy pancakes". My dad really enjoyed his braised leg of lamb (I stole a bit and it was tasty). The meat dumplings (mantoo classic) were my favorite of the meal. Morgh kabob (chicken kabob) was also tasty, well seasoned, and moist. Shore-nakhot (chickpeas and potatoes) is always one of my favorites but not quite as good as I remembered. The flavors of the leek and beef bolani were good but the bread was a tad tough. Eggplant was good but not great and the Okra (bamya) was only mediocre. The big disappointment was the qabuli palow. I've gotten it before and it was tasty but this time the lamb was bone dry. read more

Lapis - Eggplant - Afghan Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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