I have to say for the food, is what saved this place. The food is amazing! Everything we had was delicious! Beef and chicken kabob and rice. The place is very small on the inside and now using plastic ware for forks and knives? A bit tacky? I am sorry but the service wasn't great? There was a big group of 10 people that showed up at the same time as us and they were catered to with service like they were all that mattered. It was a bit crowded but hey, like I said the amazing food saved the day. There are not many middle eastern restaurants in St. Louis. I have to say this food is authentic and so good! It reminds me of the food I grew up with as a kid. I highly recommend if you love middle eastern food and get the craving like I do. read more

I had heard a lot of positive reviews from coworkers so I had very high expectations when going here for dinner. When you walk in the door the smell is amazing. It made me even hungrier and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed. I wasn't sure what to get so I asked for some suggestions. The waitress was very enthusiastic and was very eager to share her favorite meals and described them in great detail. We started with the hummus and I got the chicken masala and beef kebab combo plate. The hummus was tasty and the pita was the right amount of warm and soft. I was very happy with my entree selection - the beef was tender and had all the right flavor without being too much. The chicken masala had a great kick to it that paired well with the beef. The rice was cooked in lamb and had raisins and carrots on top. I'm usually not a fan of raisins in food because it was be too sweet, but this was more on the savory side. Delicious dinner and I can't wait to come back again! read more

Such a friendly welcome when we walked in the door of Sameem for our first time today! When the server learned it was our first time, she quickly assembled a small tasting of hummus and eggplant sides with warm naan. The eggplant dish was fantastic- sweet and cinnamony and the hummus was smooth and lavish. We both ordered lamb(one curry, one karahi). Both extremely tender boneless lamb in simple fragrant sauces along with basmati and bread. We will definitely be back! read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

What an amazing find in St. Louis! The place looks so unassuming from the outside that you might just pass it by but inside is cozy and charming and the food was great! We ordered chicken wings for kids and they were super crunchy and yummy. Kabobs and rice were done to perfection and we and our youngkids loved it. The chai was AMAZING and just what I needed after surviving on yucky hotel tea for two days. Authentic, well made Afghani food, and halal. What more could a girl want? read more

Great food, customer service. Best Mediterranean in St. Louis, I'll be back time after time.

This is a really tasty spot. Nice aromatic flavors and well cooked meat. They had quick service on Christmas night! Thank you!

I was in STL on a business trip and wanted to find a different restaurant from the typical BBQ place. Searching through the cuisines, I was surprised to see that there was an Afghan place. Since I've never tried the cuisine, I knew I had to stop by. I ordered the Lamb Qabelli Palau with the Baba Ganoush (even though it is not on the menu) as an appetizer. Holy moly, the baba ganoush is smokey perfection on the warm pita bread it is served with. The lamb was cooked perfectly and seasoned well. I LOVED the rice with the carrots and raisins, which give it a bit of sweetness and a toothy bite. The customer service here is exceptional; the staff is very knowledgeable on the menu and friendly, quick to answer any questions and give refills. I wish this restaurant was closer to me as I would be a regular. read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Went for Sunday lunch after 1:30 pm. Only one other couple already upstairs waiting for their order. They gave us the laminated 4 sided menus and also offered QR code on table for ordering without touching their menus. Ordered Eggplant Boorani appetizer -- came on a tiny 5 inch paper plate, as they are using only paper & styrofoam plates with plastic utensils now -- with basket of 4 naan triangles. I hope their normal portion is not this tiny. Taste was good, and different from Saksuka eggplant appetizer we usually get at a nearby middle eastern restaurant. For entrees we ordered Lamb Qabelli Pallow, Chicken Beriani, Chicken Karahi, Curry Beef. Son said the Lamb shank in the Qabelli was better than he got at at a nearby middle eastern restaurant. My Chicken Beriani was indeed spicy and saucier than Indian Biryani. The dollop of green peas and potato curry was a nice addition. Chicken Karahi and Curry Beef were ok but nothing to rave about. We also got yogurt sauce (like raita) but not sure which dish it came with. As we were finishing, another large party was seated upstairs. We're glad we tried this restaurant but aren't likely to make a special drive out there. read more

Sameem is where you go after a long day of work, don't feel like cooking dinner, and need to be taken care of and comforted by a big pile of saucy food. Everyone is so friendly here. The owners greet us warmly every time, and the servers (particularly one girl) are so helpful with selections and enthusiastic. They take good care of everyone. The food itself is okay. I mean, it's good, very delicious. Not refined or precise or life-changing, and definitely not a gimmick of "ethnic" food people eat for novelty, just simple home cooking. A bit of Indian influence, which makes sense with the geography. We keep coming back for the eggplant appetizer, a saucy chicken dish with rice (they have a surprisingly good version of chicken tikka masala), and something new to try. Everything for the most part really hits the spot. You also can't go wrong with the mixed grill, though theirs is a pretty standard version. Try something different! The only thing I don't love 100% are the berianis... It eats a little dry, and the rice has actual spices in it that you actually can end up chewing on, but it's not as fragrant as I always hope it to be. I prefer their saucy dishes because the rice helps complement it. We always leave satisfied, full, and my spirits lifted thanks to the kindness and food here. We'll definitely keep coming back! read more

Absolutely lights out. We took our two preschoolers to eat in; it seemed like they were just running a takeout business but she let us back upstairs to a seating area. We ordered the Mideast feast for 4, and the Emperors platter (which says it served 2 but there was a good amount of meat, a ton of rice and lots of yummy sides). Also got some delicious mango lassi that wasn't too sweet or too thick. Everything was so fantastic I had to force myself to stop eating myself sick. We aren't from STL but will definitely eat here again when we return. read more

I ate here the other night with some out-of-town friends who are from Saudi Arabia. They eat only halal meat, and they were delighted with our food and experience at Sameem Afghan Restaurant. Since I'm not a particular connoisseur of Afghan / Middle Eastern food, that says a lot in my book! We were able to call in and reserve a large table at 6pm on a holiday, so that was great! The restaurant was still pretty busy with tables in and out during our time dining here. The servers were warm and welcoming, and their working method was very efficient and high-tech (taking orders in iPhones which immediately send to the kitchen)! Our apps and entrees arrived in a very timely fashion - hot, and delicious. When I'm back in The Grove, I'll probably return to Sameem. read more

Fantastic Afghani restaurant with great prices and better food. The Middle Eastern Feast is a must, and they have excellent, authentic chai, biryani, and mantu. They are happy to let you sit and enjoy your meal or speed it up and get you in and out depending on what you want. read more

I ordered Boorani Challow which is eggplant and potato with basmati rice and naan. It's delicious. Order is a breeze. read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

My favorite restaurant in the entire city. When I die, please bury me here. I always order half chicken. read more

My wife and I haven't stopped thinking of this place since we had it in 2020. I cannot explain how amazing the food is and we are planning a trip to STL just so we can come back. The curry was life changing, flavorful without pallet numbing heat, and the samosas were devine. We are planning to order 1 of everything next time, I mean if you are taking a flight you might as well right? read more

I have really mixed feelings about Sameem. The first time I ever came here (Probably two years ago) I got the Qabelli Palau and fell in love. The lamb falls right off the bone, and the mountain of rice the lamb is served with is beautifully spiced. I've ordered this dish every time I've come to Sameem (Four times) and it's just as good every time. The problem is with every other dish I've gotten here. On all four of my visits I've ordered the Qabelli Palau along with something else, and split the two with my dining partner. On my second visit I ordered the the chicken tikka masala. The masala sauce is delicious; Super tomatoey and unique compared to the tikka masala sauces I've had at Indian restaurants. The chicken however was very dry, and made the whole dish hard to enjoy. Third visit ordered the Afghani muntoo, which was lackluster. Not bad but simply unmemorable to me. Fourth visit decided on the lamb Karahi, after I was told by my waitress that it's the same lamb as the Palau, but served in a Karahi sauce. I found that the lamb wasn't nearly as tender or juicy as the Pulau, and the portion left something to be desired. After being split there was maybe three bites of food per person? Not what I expected tbh. Overall I still don't know how I feel about Sameem, which is disappointing cause I wanted to love this place. I'll come back every now and then whenever I'm craving lamb shank, but I can't say I'll be back that often due to my feelings on the rest of the menu.. read more

Tender meats, rice was seasoned well. Device was good, attentive and welcoming. Seating area clean, somewhat crowded. Overall a good experience, food felt authentic read more

My wife and I had an afternoon meal date. The service was excellent and the food as well. Our waiter was courteous and professional. Every employee that saw us greeted us in a friendly manner. The upstairs dinning room was clean and accomodating. I had Lamb Karahi which was absolutely delicious. We will be back. read more

The frontage is a little indistinguishable from other Manchester Road shops; inside is a tiny, plain dining room with a few Afghan portraits on the walls. There's more room on the second floor. The whole two-floor premises are bright and clean, with paint work of red bricks (maybe they are indeed exposed bricks), heavy wooden furniture and artworks tucked in the corner featuring murals depicting Persian myths. The menu reflects weighted influences on cooking - fairly heavy from Arab lands, the Indian subcontinent to some extent and traces of further afield in Asia. They show up in forms of combinations of rice and kebab or grilled meat, plus some mid-eastern specials. Spicing is subtle rather than fiery. In the Emperor Platter we tried, a few bite-sized chicken, lamb kebabs and one sausage kebab encompass the seasoned rice bed, topped with grilled tomato and diced potato, together with sides of salad and eggplant. The service was swift with sunny smiles. Dishes we had were all very generous in carbohydrate but quite miserly in protein, which is the only moan we had. Meat lovers may have to order additional meat. read more

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Sameem's was great at accommodating our group of 12, even though it's tiny. The service was friendly but slow, and they were apologetic. They did get slammed by groups at the same time. We had a reservation so they knew we were coming, not sure about the other group. Others ordered the eggplant spread as an appetizer, and I got to try it. As someone who isn't a huge fan of eggplant, it was fabulous! The accompanying naan was also good. I ordered the vegetable biryani. I was not a fan. It was way too spicy for me (no spice level was indicated or asked about). I was not able to enjoy it because of the spice level. The naan helped it. I wished that there were more veggies in it. I ended with the rice pudding. It was also really good. I'd order it. I'll be back but order something else, and hope to bump this rating up! read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Vegetable biryani with naan - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Yelp sets us up for the win once again! This place is boss! We were looking for a date night spot with something a little out of the ordinary and we loved what we found. The digs here are humble and as a result warrant reservations as they only have seating for 20 or in the dining room. An upstairs area supposedly exists, but looks like it required some special know how which we did not possess. We started with a Mango Lussey, which was awesome, and the Dough (less awesome). The Mango beverage was effectively a mango smoothie - excellent. The Dough is an Afghan drink that was water, yogurt, mint and salt...this is one you need to develop a taste for. Worth trying to say you've had it and in case you ever need a brainteaser about dough you drink. It was the only thing we had I won't order again and just because it wasn't my dig, not because it wasn't done how it was supposed to be. The food was LEGIT! Our waitress was a delight and gracefully guided us midwesterners through what would be a middle eastern feast! After an attempt to order and being told I had basically ordered two of the same things, we were directed to the Sambosa & Pakowra combo - Word to all - Start with the Sambosa & Pakowra combo! Both were delicious and super flavorful - served with a chutney, it was one we were picking the crumbs off the plate for after we were done. We also tried a bowl of Aash - a traditional soup. Noodles, veggies and meatballs graced a delicious broth with yogurt on top - awesome to say the least. For mains, we shared the Lamb Qabelli Palau - an amazing dish with fall of the bone lamb, veggies over a bed of rice made in lamb stock. Note to self - obtain lamb stock. Lamb is always good, this lamb was boss! I had the Soltani - grilled lamb and Afghani beef over the aforementioned lamb bathed rice. Again, incredible - this was seriously good enough that I would have eaten it off the floor. Finally, the Lamb Karahi was procured and again did not disappoint. I imagine this lamb felt like a king as it was simmered with a menagerie of accouterments prior to being buried under a bed of delicious rice. What higher compliment to pay your food than to simmer it's bed in it's own stock - it's like using bacon grease to cook your sausage, but I digress. The night cap was the Kheer - a rice pudding that was pure bliss. Great flavor, hearty enough that it meant something, but light enough to finished the meal nicely rather than making me want to good to sleep on the drive home. At the end of the meal, we were so impressed, I gave the owner a hug (seriously). Sameem's was a complete treat and somewhere we were excited to try and even more excited to come back to - A+ my friends! read more

Every dish here is PERFECTION! I've dined here several times and have not been let down a single time! From the staff to the actual dishes that are served, every aspect is great! The dishes are seasoned very well, they give huge portions for a very affordable price! My favorite dish so far is the Lamb Qabelli Palau...OMG! I have literally had over half of the items on the menu and have loved everything! The wish I have for them is that they would expand to a bigger restaurant! They could easily take over the STL with their delicious offerings! P.S. - They have an upstairs private room that is nice for large groups. They also have a BYOB policy, as they do not serve alcohol...but allow you to bring your own :-) read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Beautiful Beef Kabob! - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Great Afghan food. Everything was delicious. Not a chain, mom and pop-style. They have a Yelp check-in discount! Great vegetarian options! We will go back. read more

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Food = Scrumtrulescent // Price = Poor Person Friendly // Service = Felt like I could've been Afghani in a past life It's like being the first to discover a killer band. You want everyone to join in your enthusiasm but you don't want everyone jumping on the bandwagon. A secret you just can't help but share. If I was on death row, this would be my last meal. Sambosa appetizer with some spicy, mint chutney for dipping. Chai tea - the real deal. Vegetable Teekah Masala. I would die a happy, full convict. Now, go enjoy the best meal of your life and tell no one! :) read more

EVERYTHING here is DELICIOUS. All of it! I came here for a birthday dinner with the boyfriend's family. We got an appetizer plate that was devoured within minutes. The chutney was so good that we didn't let the poor waiter kid take away the platter until we ate all of it via naan. We all ordered dishes with meat. Mine was the muntoo. I loved the swirls of dough covered with meat and flavor. I love how they were the perfect size. I liked my food so much, in fact, that when I heard the waiter talk to the table behind us, i turned around and did the terribly mannered thing of telling them what I got and what I loved about it! Others got lamb dishes with lots of tender meat and great spices. I tried bites of them but I can't remember much. This place doesn't have a wine list, but they do let you bring your own so that's good. You also have to bring your own glasses. They're really nice about it! I highly recommend this place! read more

I wanted to try someplace new. I decided to try this Afghan restaurant. I first ordered the sambosa's. think crab rangoon,but with a curry potato filling, with a green chutney dipping sauce.The fried dough was very light. I really really liked these. I ordered the buttered chicken. the curry butter sauce was like heaven. the chicken was oh so tender. the challow rice i had not heard of until today. the rice had the texture of a pasta. I could not leave with out finishing my rice that i had mixed with the sauce. the only down side i had was the bread. I was thinking that it was naan and thought that it had a weird consistence compared to other naan I've had. but it was described as bread on the menu. i tasted like regular pizza dough. the restaurant itself is very small, maybe 6 tables. the waiter while very friendly. he was paying more attention to the regular customers. my cup was empty for quite awhile and he did not fill it the whole time i was there. i will be back though the food is good!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Buttered chicken - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I just took my friend from out of town to eat here today because he was craving chicken tikka masala, and this was the closest restaurant that served it ... Now I'm trying to remember why I haven't been coming in here more often. The food delicious. I really like the chicken beriani. The rice that comes with the beriani dishes is so yummy and fragrant. The portion sizes are also very generous (the notable exception actually seems to be the chicken tikka masala ... my friend commented that it was just a lot of white basmati rice with a little side of chicken, which it was ... oops ... he said it was tasty though!) and a lot of the plates come with naan. I'm generally a black hole when it comes to food, but even I always ask for a to-go box. Mango lassi is wonderfully thick and well done here, too. The service is great. The one younger male server that works here a lot is fantastic. He's so personable and the appropriate level of attentitive, and he enjoys telling you about the food. The owners are frequently hanging around the restaurant, too, and they're also very friendly. I've seen people pop in just to say hi to the owner. The restaurant itself isn't very big (it has maybe 5 tables inside), but I've never experienced a big crowd, so it's a good place for a chatty dinner meet-up. Because of the generous amounts of food you get for good prices (dishes range from about $7-13) and reliable service, this is definitely the spot to hit for a prompt, no-frills dinner when you're super hungry and not in the mood to wait. read more

Sameem Afghan Restaurant - Chicken beriania, oh so good - Afghan Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Simply amazing! The place is owned and ran by two brothers. One runs the kitchen and the other the front of the house. Very friendly and inviting. The food was amazing! We had an appetizer sampler that included a bunch of favorites from the region - all were delicious. The wife ordered the beef kabob for dinner and I had the mixed grill - chicken, beef and lamb. Everything was perfectly seasoned and cooked. The stand-out for me was the lamb but it was the chicken for the wife. This was especially surprising given that she hates chicken and never orders it or chooses to make it for dinner. It was really flavorful and juicy, I believe due to their use of an onion water brine. We had some beverages and dessert as well. The total? About $40. What a great place! read more

I ate here with my boyfriend last night (Tuesday). We didn't get reservations but fortunately got there early enough that it was OK (6:00ish). By the time we were finishing up, all the tables were occupied in the little room we were in, and they were taking some large parties up to another room. Lots of people were also coming and going with carry out orders. We got lucky, but it seems like reservations are always a good idea for this place! We had the sweetest server who was so helpful to us since it was both our first time at Sameem and our first time eating any kind of Afghan/Middle Eastern food. Based on the yelp reviews, we started with an order of the Sambosas and Pakowra combo as an appetizer. Delicious! The chutney served with it had an excellent and refreshing spiciness. I especially liked the sambosas, but the pakowra were fantastic, as well. For dinner I ordered the Lamb Qabelli Palau and my partner had the Chicken Beriani. Both were excellent. The lamb was so tender and pulled off the bone easily. The raisins in the rice gave it such a unique flavor, adding a really pleasant sweetness to this dish. But we got so much food between the appetizer and our meals that I was pretty full when I was barely halfway through my entree. The chicken beriani was also delicious. The rices were somewhat different in the two meals, and what really gave the beriani spice, according to the BF, was the chutney served with it. He loved the chutney so much he poured it into his take out container to bring home while I rolled my eyes at him. It was quite good though. When we asked what was in it, our server said she only knew a few of the ingredients, but that the chef has his own special recipe. We finished by trying the rice pudding and baklava for dessert. I'm not a huge fan of rice pudding in general, but the flavors were very nice. The baklava really won me over. I've had baklava before but I feel like it's usually incredibly sticky. Their baklava was not quite like that. As we were finishing up, we overhead our server tell another couple that they are a BYOB restaurant. Another table had carried in a bottle of wine to share, so that was kind of cool. The place is small so avoid peak hours or get a reservation. Overall, we really enjoyed our experience and are already exciting to go back! read more

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Carry out was easy, portions where great! I would recommend ordering your dish with extra sauce because I like to eat my rice with sauce.

Hands down the best middle eastern food you can find in St. Louis. Their lamb Qabelli Palau is to die for. I've lived in New York for two years and couldn't find anything comparable. read more

Ordered some food to-go. Online ordering was easy. I go the Chicken Karahi and the Chicken Soltani (chicken kabob and a strip of the beef koobideh kabob). Each dish was very tasty. I also ordered a cucumber yogurt, and they threw in a free kheer. The chicken kabob was especially juicy and tasty. The kabob dish came with saffron rice (challow rice) and naan. I'll definitely be back for the kabobs! read more

Awesome food , finally a real persian food ,don't go to Natasha (overpriced and awful qualities ) Me and my boyfriend came here today on Valentine's Day ,we ordered food and appetizer and they gave us a free heart shaped velvet cake Their chicken butter was so delicious.also we ordered the Mediterranean platter from the appetizer menu (the eggplants borani) was soooooo good ,also their felafel it's probably one of the best in town ,usually other places make them super crunchy and fried ,but here they make them so authentic.it felt like I was back home :) Thank you for the awesome food I will be there soon . read more

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Mom and pop type place in a decent looking neighborhood with GREAT food. I called ahead to reserve a table for 5 people at 8pm (they close at 8). When I got there It was a small place, maybe 5-6 tables so it was good that we made reservations. By the time we left, all the tables were full right before they closed. The owners made great suggestions for our table, including an appetizer and lamb shank (which had more meat than lamb chops). Nothing but good comments from my friends and it seemed like the owners had a good rapport with all of the customers. Highly Recommend. Highly recommend read more

A consistent stable! In fact, Fahime and their staff have stepped up their game... I've been a patron since they were on Grand Avenue... I once had them to cater an event for me and the food was great, also the service. read more

This place is fantastic. The food is so good that I don't care about any other detail. Every dish I've tried here is great. The rice is perfectly cooked, the chicken is moist and tasty, every sauce is delicious. One of my favorite places in STL! read more

Went with a group of 5 friends and had a great experience! The food was delicious, we had great service, and the sever was super friendly and helpful in deciding what to order. read more

Looked at the high ratings and got too excited to stop here on our way back home in IL. Let me just say that we noticed more than a couple of health violations being broken while we were there. Maybe it was just that day, but the place was being run by a few young guys who didn't want to be there and had no consideration for the customers. Giving it an extra star because the food was way too oily but decent, not the worst. So. If you must order from this place (for whatever reason), take out would be my recommendation. read more

I LOVE this place! The food is delicious and reasonably priced. The people are nice. I'd give it five stars except the interior probably should be cleaner. read more

Wow wow wow. Sameem's has absolutely delicious food. I had their chicken teekah and samosas recently and was sad that I didn't have a second stomach so I could keep eating. Their butter shrimp and curry chicken were also great. The food is so flavorful and so yummy. It's great for takeout during covid as well and travels well. I will definitely be back and recommending Sameem's to friends. read more