Afghan Restaurant, A Large Afghan Space with Lunch Buffet and Catering - Closed

[anhdeluxe]

I keep on driving on rte one and the lights have been out at Afghan Restaurant for a while - They have the best flatbread and used to have an awesome all-you-can-eat lunch special. I saw a sign that seemed to be offering up the space for redevelopment. Anyone know if they are ever re-opening or are the days of great bread, slurpy noodle soup and crazy- generous kebab platters over?

[DonRocks]

I keep on driving on rte one and the lights have been out at Afghan Restaurant for a while - They have the best flatbread and used to have an awesome all-you-can-eat lunch special. I saw a sign that seemed to be offering up the space for redevelopment. Anyone know if they are ever re-opening or are the days of great bread, slurpy noodle soup and crazy- generous kebab platters over?

Okay, good news.

I just called, and the phone rolled over. A gentleman (sounding like he was in a place of business, with a fair amount of chatter in the background) answered "Afghan Restaurant," and I asked him what time they were open today. He said that the Crystal City location is closed, and will remain closed for 7-8 months for renovations (this sounded legitimate to me). Now's where the phone call gets a bit more difficult. He said, in a somewhat accented voice, that they have another location in Northern Virginia that's open, and told me where it was (presumably this is where the phone call rolled over to, and he was there). I couldn't quite understand him, so I asked him again. The second time he replied, I also couldn't quite understand him, and I could not bring myself to ask a third time. So, somewhere in Northern Virginia, they have a restaurant that's open, and according to him, the Crystal City location will be open after renovations are complete (I can't imagine why he would say this if it wasn't true).

I've been to the lunch buffet at Afghan several times, and it is this restaurant where I first discovered the concept of the "stinky napkin" - their linen service has *always* left their napkins with a foul stench that you can smell even when it's on your lap. (If you look around, you'll see numerous instances of me writing about stinky napkins, and in fact, every single time before I put my napkin on my lap, at every restaurant, I've developed the habit of putting it up to my nose and taking a quick whiff (the entire process takes less than one second, and the really disturbing thing is ... I even do it with paper napkins (if I'm not thinking, I also whiff my water glass like it's a glass of wine)). I remember once, about 6-7 years ago, the owner of a linen-cleaning company (I can't remember if it was Linens Of The Day or someone else) wrote me, and mentioned that I had recently written that two of his clients had stinky napkins (one was the Glover Park Sushi-Ko), and he seemed genuinely worried about it. Well, this was all years ago, but there is still one company out there that uses some type of cleaning agent that imparts a stench onto the linens (it's a Crisco-like scent). To this day, I sometimes still get it, but not as often as before.

The place on Jefferson-Davis Highway was essentially a banquet hall, similar to what Fortune of Falls Church is, and to what Mount Of Lebanon was before it changed formats. I agree with you that their bread was very good, by the way, somewhat similar to what you get at Bamian in Bailey's Crossroads. Hmm, that's kind of banquet-like also ... could that be the place?

[anhdeluxe]

yay! I am glad to hear they aren't going away completely. Never got a bad whiff off their napkins but it is pretty quiet. Don't know how often their napkins turn over. Aside from their flatbread, I enjoyed their quabili palau (probably spelling that wrong) it's a rice pilaf with shredded carrots, raisins and a tomato-ey lamb sauce. Not too sweet - the fragrant spices made for a really balanced flavor - plus it was a beautiful leftover the next day! The 'slurpy noodle soup' that I get a strange craving for every so often called Aash - a tomato beef soup with cumin, yogurt and these super soft, almost mushy noodles that look like overdone spaghetti. The yogurt garnish makes it tangy and creamy but you have to get over any notion that all pasta has to be al dente. These tender noodles melt in your mouth.

[DonRocks]

yay! I am glad to hear they aren't going away completely. Never got a bad whiff off their napkins but it is pretty quiet. Don't know how often their napkins turn over. Aside from their flatbread, I enjoyed their quabili palau (probably spelling that wrong) it's a rice pilaf with shredded carrots, raisins and a tomato-ey lamb sauce. Not too sweet - the fragrant spices made for a really balanced flavor - plus it was a beautiful leftover the next day! The 'slurpy noodle soup' that I get a strange craving for every so often called Aash - a tomato beef soup with cumin, yogurt and these super soft, almost mushy noodles that look like overdone spaghetti. The yogurt garnish makes it tangy and creamy but you have to get over any notion that all pasta has to be al dente. These tender noodles melt in your mouth.

I know all the dishes you're talking about there, and they're all very pleasant (if Sysco-y).

Rental linens are only used once (in theory (but not always in practice), this includes tablecloths, and that's why they're so expensive to maintain).

[DonRocks]

Okay, good news.

I just called, and the phone rolled over. A gentleman (sounding like he was in a place of business, with a fair amount of chatter in the background) answered "Afghan Restaurant," and I asked him what time they were open today. He said that the Crystal City location is closed, and will remain closed for 7-8 months for renovations (this sounded legitimate to me). Now's where the phone call gets a bit more difficult. He said, in a somewhat accented voice, that they have another location in Northern Virginia that's open, and told me where it was (presumably this is where the phone call rolled over to, and he was there). I couldn't quite understand him, so I asked him again. The second time he replied, I also couldn't quite understand him, and I could not bring myself to ask a third time. So, somewhere in Northern Virginia, they have a restaurant that's open, and according to him, the Crystal City location will be open after renovations are complete (I can't imagine why he would say this if it wasn't true).

yay! I am glad to hear they aren't going away completely.

Unfortunately, I'm not convinced they *aren't* going away completely. This is what's on their website right now (it's a good sign that the website is still up and active) which is in conflict with what the gentleman told me on the phone ("in search for a new location" is definitely not "closed for 7-8 months for renovations.")

Afghan Restaurant is currently closed & we are in search for a new location. We do however have a temporary location where we can serve you at 'Kabob Factory Restaurant - 8170 Silverbrook Rd Lorton, VA' (www.KabobFactoryRestaurant.com). 

We are still able to take catering orders. Give us a call!

For now, I'm going to go ahead and list them as "Closed," and if they open again, I'll adjust the thread accordingly. I wish them all the best in finding a new location.

[lperry]

They are closed for good, as we have been told there are plans by the owners of that property to develop it.  I believe that will take out the storage facilities as well.