Maiwand Kabob House

Reviews

• Heidi K.

  star star star star star 5 June 2026

  Quaint tiny restaurant. Beautiful simple decor.
  
  I had the Qabali pilau which was so fresh and beautiful on the plate. Everything cooked to perfection. I could taste all the spices and it wasn't as oily as other Qabali pilaus I have had before.
  
  My husband had the combo pilau plate and the meat was tender and juicy. The rice was cooked to perfection.
  
  The service was exemplary!
  
  It was a late lunch so the place was empty in exception of a couple of takeouts that rolled through.
  
  The kitchen was clean.
  
  Tiny parking lot and not the easiest to find. But we'll worth the struggle.
  
  Hats of to the Chef!!

• D.wight L.

  star star star star star_border 3 June 2026

  Solid Afghan kabob meal that I've integrated into my rotation.  They have about 5-6 tables to eat in, but it gets crowded quick (95% Afghan patrons).  So I prefer calling in my order and picking it up.  Plus when you get it to-go, they include this awesome garbanzo/potato salad that goes so well with the charred kabobs.  For some reason, when you eat in, they don't include it, go figure...
  
  Chicken Kabobs (4.5*) are good.  Bright orange in color and large hunks.  It is breast meat so it is pretty lean, but to their credit, they char it without drying it out.  The Afghans know how to grill, they take their time and don't rush anything.  
  
  Beef Kabobs (3.5*) are decent.  It is chunked smaller than the chicken for some reason, so it does give off a drier texture.  I prefer the chicken here over the beef.
  
  Shami Kabobs (3.5*) are the grilled ground meat kabobs.  They are nice and juicy which I love, but the garlic is a bit much for me (and I love garlic).  
  
  Chopan (lamb chops/5*) is my go-to.  Rich lamb meat just transcends when aggressively grilled.  The marinade hums with the lamb and when paired with sumac dusted basmati rice and that tangy garbanzo/potato salad, is just one of my favorite go-to meals.  I can do this once a week.  I don't but I easily could.
  
  They also have a market with the same name, so don't confuse the two.  This is just their prepared food outlet, which is a success for them.  Heavy Afghan patronage is a plus, but how the flavors speak to me is where their legitimacy really stands.

• Rena J.

  star star star star star 1 June 2026

  I've held off this review for a long time because I wanted to keep them to myself... My friend who speaks Afgani Farsi brought us here and ordered a feast for the three of us. We mostly ate with our hands, my favorite!
  
  I really appreciate that they don't cater to American tastes/restaurant experience expectations.
  
  HUGE portions especially for the price, and especially for Bay Area. They do mainly takeout. - Like people nonstop stopping by to pick up food.
  
  They're friendly people but since it's mainly takeout perhaps they don't do as much table service as one may expect. However, to me, it seemed like they went out of their way to provide it. They came to check on us and refill our water several times.
  
  You do have to order and pay at the front counter.
  
  There are no bathrooms.

• Cin-Yee S.

  star star star star star_border 26 May 2026

  Incredible food - just like the Santa Clara and San Jose locations, but the service is a bit slower (probably due to the ton of takeout orders).
  
  The chicken kabob and the Afghan meatballs are not to be missed. However, I often find myself at the Santa Clara location for the lunch buffet and opportunity to do a bit of shopping at the attached market afterward.

• Spencer W.

  star star star star star_border 13 May 2026

  This restaurant feels like a family run operation, with care put into the food.  What sold me on coming here was the potato bolani reviews which did not disappoint.   The bolani has a hot fluffy interior when the bring it out.  The other dish i tried was the lamb plate with brown rice.  I was going to ask for white rice but they convinced me that the brown rice is actually more tender and flavorful due to how they cook it.   The lamb was also good, but would try something else next time.  Portion wise, i'd say that potato bolani is big enough for a table of 4 to share with entrees, we ended up taking some home for just two ppl.