Just went back to Zamarod, after a year away due to unforeseen incidents. The service was genteel and the food was AMAZING! It matched previous experiences and will certainly be part of our 2019/2020 dining plans. I HAD to include baklava and coffee: ate so much at lunch that dinner was not at all needed... read more

A very nice and cozy Afghan restaurant. Food was great too, for me it was afghani with an American twist, less greasy than regular Afghani... which is probably a good thing. I ordered the lamb chops... they were juicy as hell and super yummy! Highly recommend the lamb chops. read more

Zamarod Restaurant - Lamb chops with Afghan pulao. - Afghan Near Me - Great Falls, Virginia

This restaurant is amazing. The quality of food is awesome and it is so consistent. Everything is delicious. This is my family's favorite restaurant! Try the Kadu Palow! And the Muntoo is sooo good! read more

We are here for the first time tonight after seeing a post about this place online. The service was excellent and the food was phenomenal! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

Food is not just good, it's great. Start off with the aushak & finish with the ferni... don't forget their amazing bread

Great food and service! The mantu is excellent, as are the pumpkin dishes and kabuli palau.

What a great spot. Had a late dinner there last night and the service + food was fantastic. Great quality meats and very savory ingredients. Truly impressed. read more

We went for lunch on August 14. After the drive to Great Falls, we saw a hand written note saying the restaurant was closed due to a family vacation. There was no mention of this on the web site. Disappointing. We did end up returning. While the service wasn't great as there was only one server (and I think he was helping in the kitchen as well) the food when it did arrive was very good. I prefer Panshir in Falls Church, but I'd go back. read more

Listen, if you don't want to have service be a part of your experience come here. My wife and I came in, they looked at us confused and sat us without greeting or saying a single word....we were given a grunt and a head nod to a table. We then waited for menus, and then they proceeded to serve others as if we didn't exist. We simply walked out, and no effort was made to stop us. The restaurant was not even full...... Bottom line, if you are not a local you should probably go somewhere else. If you want to feel like an outsider, stop on in! read more

Excellent lunch here! This is the Aushack plate from the entree menu. Perfect portion to take some home; lunch menu is less expensive than dinner menu. read more

Zamarod Restaurant - Afghan Near Me - Great Falls, Virginia

one of the best Afghanistan food I have ever tried and amazing place to experience the great foods. I recommend the lamb and beef dishes and our whole family love the sautéed spinach. the service is also amazing. read more

It is very unfortunate that I had such a negative experience here. But restaurant owners need to step their game up. I came in with the offer that they had posted on their own website for lunch. I was seated and I showed them the printed offer, and the owner said that this was from a long time ago and he won't accept it. He said they posted it up on their website and don't honor it anymore, and that because it was old, I should have known that. Somehow the owner's claim was that his inability to have his website represent was my fault and that I should have known better. So I got up and left. I drove a pretty long way to get there and had to find somewhere else to eat in a rush. My recommendation is that never allow restaurant owners to get away with tricking you into coming in their restaurant. This is not the first time a restaurant owner has done this to me, and I have left every single time. You own the money and you own the scenario because of it! read more

I was craving for kabli Pulao tonight, and it seemed authentic in the photo on yelp. I called in 9 30pm for take out, they say they closed out kitchen already. ( store close hours 10pm and it's Saturday as well). I don't get it, cheesecake factory got my dinner money instead. read more

The lamb shoulder chop must have been cooked for a long time because it was tender and delicious. I've had "Afghani" food in Houston but there was something more authentic about this place. It's definitely a must try if you are in the neighborhood. read more

One way I gauge restaurants during this time of Covid is the ability of the restaurant to think of their clients safety. My elderly father went to pick up food on Saturday and was met by the owner of the restaurant. This man Walked up to my elderly father, without a mask, and said yes sir? What happened to the good old fashioned way of greeting your customers? A hello or a welcome would've been nice. My father felt very unsafe while this business owner stood there without a face covering. My father wasn't even the only one in the restaurant, there were two other customers inside the establishment. My family and friends will abstain from supporting this business until they learn to follow the law and safety. read more

Incredible. This is the best restaurant anywhere near Great Falls. Fantastic food. Intimate personal service. Lots of little perks in specials. Everything we have ordered has been immaculate be prepared high-quality and supremely delicious. There's a wide variety of offerings for every taste. Strongly recommended. read more

Simply awesome, flavorful, and best service. I hope this says it all. Australian lamb cops are my favorite.

My husband and I highly recommend this family owned restaurant and have made it a favorite spot, especially for special events. We have eaten several meals and find ordering courses to share the best. Through experience, we trust the owner's recommendations. We hosted 26 people for our 20th anniversary dinner last year. A graduation dinner will be soon. Among our favorite choices: Salad Zamarod makes a refreshing first course. All the kebabs and the rack of lamb are outstanding. Ashauk, banjan chalaow (eggplant), turnips and baked apples are also notable. The Kadu Chalaow (pumpkin) is pleasantly sweet and not dessert like. Our love of Afghan food goes back to our first date at Kyber Pass. We found this restaurant as the Faryab replacement. Now that Faryab reopened, we appreciate that Zamarod includes a wider selection of kabobs and a rack of lamb. I have tried Bistro Aracosia and while the food lives up to its reputation, it's $$$ speaks more to the restaurant being a high service DC power place. I prefer a setting like Zamarod where I can hear and hold more intimate conversations but still have attentive service. read more

Lamb chops were delicious, rice was yummy The sambosa appetizer were just as good Service was friendly and fast The firni for dessert hit all the right spots, a nice little gem, we will be back read more

So delicious!! Wow! The lamb kabob was tender and the bread was super fresh and warm!! My favorite thing hands-down though was the AUSH... incredible little noodle pockets (think ravioli) with a meat and mint sauce! read more

Love this restaurant! If you have never tried it you must. Owner is welcoming and friendly. I am going to make special trip to town when I move out of state. read more

We were on our way to a hike in Great Falls and found this GEM! We love Afghan food so this was perfect choice. The owner immediately greeted us and made us feel at home in his restaurant (where is wife cooks!). He gave us the perfect recommendations for our party of four and we enjoyed each and every bite. My recommendation is to take his recommendations! :) We will absolutely be back! Thank you! read more

I was sad to see this place so empty for lunch considering it was only a 15 minute drive from my office in Reston. Food was great and the owner is very nice with a great sense of humor. I ordered the chicken and lamb kabob combo and would definitely come back again. Also if you're a fan of spicy food ask for the hot sauce for a real kick read more

We got takeout from here on a recommendation from the neighborhood message board. It's tucked at the end of a small strip mall in Colvin Run. The inside is very nicely decorated but fairly small- it seemed like most people who were coming to sit down and eat had reservations, with good reason. The staff was very friendly and had our meal ready quickly. We had the chicken kabob, lamb kabob and the dumpling appetizer. As advertised, all the food was quite good- and the portion sizes give more than enough for leftovers. My chicken kabob had large well seasoned chunks of meat and was very tender. The rice on both dishes was excellent, and one of the highlights was actually the bread- soft and flavorful with black sesame seeds. I would recommend asking for a second order of it. Overall a great meal and we will be going back! read more

Not knowing what is really authentic, all I can say is that the food and the service here are outstanding. We have been three times and each has been a memorable experience. The feeling is of a place that people go to over and over - the owner seems to know many of the patrons, which to me says that people love it. Another thing is that it's a nice white-table-cloth restaurant that is quiet and formal/informal. You can enjoy a delightful meal in a warm environment. read more

The chopan kabob and the other dishes such as wild salmon and ghabili poli was excellent.

Good was fantastic and the service is great. Wonderful conversation with the owner. Takes the time to explain the dishes

We just moved to the Colvin Run area, and enjoyed the Kabuli Polo with lamb shank , but you must call and preorder the Kabuli Polo before going there. Very good service and quality food. read more

Two and a half stars. Cute, small restaurant at the end of the strip. Bar includes hard alcohol, menu has a couple vegetarian options, pricing's moderate for Great Falls. Service was courteous enough to offer a glass of ice water to an underdressed customer. Reasonable wait time considering the few other customers who had already been served. Lamb was tender but stew surprisingly lacked depth of flavor. The sesame-dotted roht had been overworked enough as dough to be denser than ideal. Pumpkin chunks were plated alongside, topped with sweet yogurt and lightly seasoned tomato sauce; while cooked through, I would've liked to see smaller pieces incorporated together with (or at least finished with) the stew. Spinach rice was nice. Too much woody pulp in the coriander chutney. I'd like to give them another chance for lunch once they've had more time to settle into the neighborhood: aush, sombosa; quabili palou, banjan chalaow; firnee, goshe feel. read more

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Wonderful. I heard great things, do a group of friends went for our monthly ladies night out. We had a large party and had called a week in advance to let them know. A large table was waiting for us, the food was amazing, the appetizer sampler was perfect and everyone enjoyed their entrees immensely. The service and wine was great. Adorable atmosphere- we will certainly be back! read more

Disclosure: I don't give 5-star reviews very often but at the same time I don't expect a neighborhood restaurant that's been open a couple months to hit that level. It's best to give them some time and see what happens. In this case, it is quite close by so we will have opportunities to revisit and give a more thorough evaluation. So readers should consider the 4-star rating here as an initial rating, with extra credit being given for the fact that the enterprise is so new. This was a last minute invite to get together with some friends and they suggested Zamarod, a new place they had recently found. I don't have much experience with Afghan cuisine but I trust the judgment of this couple and once again, they were on the mark. The food was very good and the prices were reasonable. The service was also quite good, but there were few other diners there (it was a Thursday evening in a new enterprise) so the staff was not under any great pressure. My wife tried the Bulanee Kachalu, a turnover pastry stuffed with potatoes, herbs, and spices. It is served with a house sauce that has a bit of a kick. My wife is not a big fan of spicy dishes, but she rated this one as excellent. I ordered a Greek Salad which consisted on mixed greens, black olives, and feta cheese. It is big enough to share between two persons and it was fine; the greens were fresh and the balance of olives and feta cheese was appropriate. But I will try another appetizer next time. They had two specials that evening and we tried both. I had the salmon kebob which was three generous pieces of grilled salmon on a bed of spinach. Those who are expert in Aghan cooking would probably recognize the combination of ingredients, but it didn't matter to me, I found it to be excellent. There was an included side of kadu (sauteed pumpkin) with a very interesting flavor. My wife had the rack of lamb and I knew what the chef did not: my wife knows lamb, and any mis-step here would mean no second vist from us. Fortunately, the lamb which was nicely presented as individual chops on a bed of rice, was judged to be delicious and cooked just as she had asked. The size of the portions was generous, and we decided that dessert was out of the question on this visit. In sum, we were impressed with Zamarod and will happily return in the future. When we do, I promise to take notes so I can give a more detailed description in my report. Footnote: I din't notice whether they had a full bar, but they do serve wine. read more

Authentic, delicious Afghani cuisine. Great service, sit down restaurant. Quiet spot for a date night or evening with friends and don't want to have to shout to be heard. Fantastic menu- everything looks and is fantastic! read more

Zamarod you hidden gem ... went with office coworkers ... Can't wait to bring my wife here. Tried their lamb chops and just can't forget the great taste. One of the best in the area.. even chicken was so flavorful n juicy that one can write a whole book on ... Number 1 Afghan place for sure. read more

Zamarod Restaurant - Lamb Chops - Afghan Near Me - Great Falls, Virginia

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On Friday evening, my wife and I tried Zamarod Afghan Cuisine in Great Falls, VA. UNBELIEVABLE!!! Maybe it is because the family that runs this place reminded me of my own childhood growing up in my parents restaurant or maybe because the decor is the very reminder of the culture that was left behind 2 thousand kilometers away from here. Seeing the young son of the owner approaching the tables and removing the plates as his father spoke to the other tables only brought a flashback of my teen years working after school with my parents. I immediately knew this place was going to be excellent. Started with 2 appetizers and they were phenomenal. We Tried lamb chops and their vegetarian platter and they were both exceptional. Great Falls finally has an hidden gem. Going back this week! read more

I have been so tired of the "same ol' same ol' " here in Great Falls. I was so happy to have found Zamarods. What a great place!! I get carryout or eat here at least once a week. I have only had positive experiences here. The staff is courteous and attentive. The food is always delicious- well seasoned, unique flavors, and good portion sizes. I am addicted to the Mashawa soup and the Kadu Chalaow (or with lamb sometimes), the side dish of turnips is very good too (and I am generally not a turnip fan). They have always been helpful and accommodating- for example: I was having people over to the house and wanted to offer something "different" as an appetizer, so when I called requesting a customized platter in less then 24 hrs, they put the chef on the phone with me right away so we could come up with a vegetarian platter for my friends. I would highly recommend this restaurant!! Give it a try!! read more

A girl-Friend and I met up for lunch and unexpectedly found this gem of a restaurant next door to the one we originally planned to go. LOVE, LOVE the food! Best lamb chop I tasted, best charbroiled salmon ever! Even the baklava was a masterpiece! read more

Excellent food but service, wine by the glass selection and music needs improvement! That said, I love the Sautéed Pumpkin topped with yoghurt and chunks of lamb dish! Their kabob is very good as well. Food 5 stars but 2 stars for the very rough service. read more

My mom and her husband celebrated their post-wedding brunch at Zamarod. They booked the entire restaurant and it was a WONDERFUL event! The food was just incredible. The staff prepared milky cardamom tea and served up various baked and fried goodies as appetizers. Then they served us kabuli-palao (Afghan rice), chicken kebab, pumpkin, spinach, lamb stew, and something amazing with baked apples and lentils (I think). Bread and salad too, of course. Many of the guests had never had Afghan food before but we all went back for seconds. Oh, and for dessert we had the cardamom pudding and fresh-made (still warm from the oven) baklava. It was an amazing experience, the staff were joyful in sharing their culture with us, and we all left uncomfortably full. :) I can't recommend Zamarod enough! Pros: Great authentic food, good for events. read more

Zamarod is a great Afghan/Persian restaurant in Reston! The owner is awesome the staff is awesome and the food is awesome. The bread they serve is like a pillow covered with black seeds and sesame seed and its just so freaking good. The meats are grilled to perfection. Yes its a little pricey but its Reston which is like pinky up type place. But the food is so worth it!! read more

Zamarod is a very nice little restaurant nestled in a shopping center which has not been kind to restaurants in the past. I am not an Afghani food connoisseur but we really enjoy this place. The food is very tasty and my wife enjoys the appetizers. I usually get the vegetarian three-entree selection. I choose the Sabzi (sautéed spinach), Banjan (sautéed eggplant), and Berenj (basmati rice). The food is always seasoned very well. I have no connection with the restaurant nor its owners but I thoroughly enjoy going here. My wife and I plan on patronizing the restaurant in the future. It is not inexpensive but the owners and waiters are friendly and on some nights, the chef will come and talk to the guests. In an area of Northern Va that sprouts either chains or run-of-the-mill American restaurant fare, Zamarod is a very welcome addition. read more