Bamiyan Restaurant Reviews

Time Out New York: 100 best things you must eat and drink

“Kadu chalow at Bamiyan Paprika, cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar bring out the natural sweetness of butternut squash, which is balanced by forkfuls of salty basmati rice. The whole concoction is an Afghan classic that melts on your tongue like cotton candy.”

Time Out New York / Issue 741 : Dec 10–16, 2009

Video Interview with Sarah Gore on LXTV Life/Style Television

The proprietors are interviewed starting at 2 min 30 seconds in this video where Sara tastes some of the international flavors of New York City’s restaurants.

Grub Street New York: Lower–Murray Hill Lunches

“This low-ceilinged Afghan eatery feels as cozy and cloistered as a rug-lined cave. Spill your office gossip over silky lamb and chicken stews accented by exotic ingredients like saffron, cinnamon, and pomegranate juice.”
9/22/2006

Time Out New York: Eating and Drinking 2005

“Brothers Ahmed Shah and Sayed Rohani run a mighty friendly spot. Settle into the window seat on cushioned Bukharan rugs surrounding traditional low tables, or opt for more conventional seating. Among the kebabs, curries and pilafs (with many vegetarian choices) are fesenjan, chicken braised in a thick, tangy walnut-and-pomegranate sauce, and kadu, tasty pumpkin-filled turnovers accompanied by a tart yogurt dip.”

Time Out New York:
Eat Out, the City's Best Restaurants, Bars and Culinary Riches

March 22-29, 2001
by Meredith Phillips

"Bamiyan is an excellent place to order Afghanistan's famed charcoal-grilled kebabs, because the cooks here are wizards with meat, whether it's beef, chicken or lamb. Marinating meat in a combination of saffron, garlic, yogurt and coriander and grilling it on a skewer is one of the most common ways of prparing meat in Afghanistan. ... At Bamiyan, the barg kebab consists of butter-soft, pink chunks of grilled filet mignon bathed in a saffron-spiked marinade.

"In Bamiyan's shireen palaw, the chunks of lightly charred Cornish game hen are incredibly moist and tender...

"In the addictive pumpkin-flavored boulanee (pot stickers), the gourd is whipped into a paste, scented with cinnamon and cloves, blended into the pasta dough and fried."

Read full review here (Acrobat pdf format)

Zaggat Survey

1998 New York City Restaurants

"Dependable" East Side "Afghan Bargain" with good food, "friendly staff" and a section with "floor-cushions" that impresses "out-of-towners."