Kite Runner Cafe

Solid place for Afghan lamb, chicken, rice, and pumpkin. The place is not fancy, but they put out piping hot bread and well-​seasoned food.

My fiancé picked food up for us from Kite Runner Café recently. I ordered the chicken kabob entrée and he ordered the lamb kabob entrée. Each entrée comes with three sides and we both opted to get the white rice, chickpeas, and hummus. Our food also came with bread. The food was absolutely delicious and my fiancé said the service was excellent when he was picking up our food, but the portion sizes were rather small. The chicken entrée was $ 10.99 and the lamb entrée was $ 13.99 and they gave us only 5 small pieces of each. Not really worth the price, but the food was of high quality and tasted very fresh and healthy.
I would go back and definitely recommend it, but I would caution people to not expect large portion sizes when visiting. Other than the portion sizes, everything else was excellent. Great food and friendly and efficient service!

Updated review… it has established itself as my favorite lunch spot when anywhere nearby or passing through. No place touches the delicious side dishes here. I am a voracious meat eater and I am more excited about the vegetables, which says a lot.
I eat here whenever possible.

Great food, girlfriend and I got lamb chops and lamb kabob. Only down side is some things on their site and menu they don’t serve anymore and according to the woman that took our order they haven’t had them for over a year. No samosas!

In addition to an enticing name, Kite Runner Café also has good food. I recently ordered takeout of lamb karahi, kadu, naan, qabali palao, and bathenjan bouranee. While the food does not rival my beloved Helmand, it is quite good and is reminiscent of Kabul Kabob in Alexandria. The naan and rice I felt were lacking any flavor, so I eschewed those in favor of the lamb, eggplant, and butternut squash (unfortunately, pumpkin was not used for the kadu). The lamb was crisp outside and tender inside and perfect for the flavorful, spicy sauce, which had chunks of ginger and jalapeño. The butternut squash and eggplant were both well-​seasoned, and the eggplant had some heat. Unfortunately, they were out of baklawa, but if I return, I hope to try it.

It was ok. The food was a bit bland, but the variety of side items were impressive.

Still so very very good. Last night I picked up food for a friend of mine who was helping me out. I ordered the mixed plate and it came with three sides. My friend did not show up so I had it today for lunch. One day old food. I thought it would be so-​so, but it was so yummie, I wanted more. The hummus is fantastic as are the lentels which have a nice heat kick to them. The spinach dish is a fav of mine. All good. Thanks for opening up. Love the place and again, they did a great job catering the Maywood block party this past September, the owner himself came out to take care of us.

I love this place. It is a tiny bit expensive, $ 12-​$ 15 a plate but the serving sizes are big. The place is really clean and he service is quick. It also smells great but it’s not the kind of place that you leave smelling like a kabob! That’s a serious perk in my opinion :).
They have parking in the back and deliver as well. This is my new favorite kabob place.

Had lunch here while I wait for my car to be serviced down the block. Not bad, nice & clean, comfortable places to sit (though the AC could have been cranked up a little more). Chicken kabob was nicely spiced. Spinach was overcooked and a little sour. Chickpeas rather bland. Naan wasn’t too fresh, not terribly warm and kind of thin, the bubbly parts tasted more like a coldish cracker. Food was nicely presented, and the staff was friendly

Been here twice. The first time was on a Saturday afternoon right after it opened, and the food was only mediocre. But I wanted to give them a second chanc. So I went there a second time in April of 2014.
The second time was also a Saturday afternoon, and the food was again mediocre, but the service was awful. It took over 45 minutes. There were only three of us, and the place was empty. There were three employees. The one doing the cooking was working hard, but the other two spent the whole time on the phone. They never once apologized or offered any update on why it was taking so long.
I really don’t have anything nice to say about this place. If you want Afghan food, stick to Ravi Kabob.

A super cute hip «boutique» café.
This place is a hip little infusion restaurant. So you really can’t throw it into one category. To pigeonhole this place into one genre would be simply unfair.
The owner Homayon is super friendly, kind and accommodating. He is patient and willing to explain everything on the menu to you. He is very precise, and genuinely cares about the health and satisfaction of his customers. It’s refreshing to find a business owner who is as down to earth as Homayon. He definitely knows his way around the kitchen as well.
We went for lunch, so we had a chance to sample a lot of food. It’s a cozy atmosphere, with comfortable seating, and pleasantly quiet. There is even outdoor patio seating for those of you who wish to dine alfresco. I also like the fact this place is immaculately clean even down to the bathrooms.
There’s ample parking. Street, metered and covered parking in the back. If you are in the Cherrydale area it is pedestrian friendly. You can cycle here from Clarendon and be able to view your bike outside.
I love the fact this restaurant is super vegetarian friendly! It’s always a bummer when I want to get a kebab and I have a vegetarian friend who has to sit there and stare at me while I eat.
We had the eggplant, sabzi (spinach), qabuli pallow, baklava, kudu, cucumber yogurt salad and hummus. It was all super delicious and cooked perfection. It’s pretty hard to make eggplant perfectly without using a lot of oil. What I like about this place is they were able to prepare our vegetables without using a ton of ghee. I was surprised at how healthy our meal was.
Another cool thing about Kite Runner is its not a «dry» café. So if you’ve had a long day want to relax, watch the game and have a beer with your kebab you can. They have a nifty beer and wine selection to chose from. It’s classy without the rowdiness of Clarendon. So you can bring the kiddos and safely enjoy an adult beverage.
My only regret was that I didn’t grab a kebab or some extra food to take home. I will definitely be back for one.
The food was perfectly done — I didn’t even have to touch a salt shaker or drain off extra oil. The service was attentive and super friendly without rushing us at all. Entrees were a bargain price from $ 9 and up, the portions were larger and healthier than I’ve had at other near by places. I was amazed at the quality of the food at a great price.
A great find and defiantly worth checking out.

This place was amazing!
No frills in terms of ambiance but the staff was super friendly, and the food was outstanding.
I got the mixed kebabs (chicken and lamb), with naan, hummus, butternut squash and rice as sides.

I love love LOVE this place! The food is amazing. The staff is always so friendly. I cannot say enough good things about Kite Runner!
Today I got the chicken kebob with white rice, chickpeas, and spinach. The seasoning of the chicken is perfect and the kebobs are grilled to perfection. The spices in the chickpeas and spinach is on point. They know I like it spicy so they always deliver the SPICEINESS! The naan is so fresh and cooked to order. All of the food is always cooked in front of you.
Bonus — they have HALAL!
I heart kite runner.

Yum! I have been wanting to try Kite Runner Café for a while — this restaurant offers dishes from Afghanistan, India, and Lebanon, and is the inception of Chef Homayon, who has over 15 years of experience in the restaurant business. Their menu selections include appetizers (samosas, baba ghanouj, and hummus), soups, salads, vegetarian entrees, side dishes, karahi entrees, tandoori sandwiches, kababs entrees, daily specials, as well as desserts. I tried their Samosas, which came with two turnovers, filled with potatoes, splits peas, and served with a yogurt dip on the side. I wasn’t much of a fan of these samosas, as the filling was less filled, and the exterior was a little too doughy/​soft for me. The yogurt dip was also cilantro-​focused. My friend had one of the daily specials, the Shami, which was minced lamb and it was quite flavorful and delicious and cooked well-​done. This came with 3 sides of your choice (qabuli rice, kadu, and yogurt salad) and bread. I had the Lamb Chops, which came with 3 marinated (hearty-​sized) lamb chops, that were also quite delicious and very flavorful, which also came with 3 sides of your choosing (chick peas, baba ghannouj, and hummus) and naan bread. I enjoyed the chickpeas as they were more of a mashed version and had a nice blend of spices. The hummus and the baba ghannouj were both very fresh, the latter being more chunky with the eggplant. The guys were very friendly and informative, and the restaurant itself was bright and clean. I just wished the portions would be larger and more plentiful, as the prices are a bit higher compared to other kabob places. I would love to come back and try their other menu items, but I definitely enjoyed my experience here! :D
+Shami
+Lamb Chops

I love the meat kabobs — both the lamb and the chicken– and the chickpeas are to die for! The bread is awesome, too. I don’t love the rice (but mostly because I like Iranian-​style, white basmati rice, but this place is definitely worth a try. It’s pricey for a kabob joint, but the quality is consistent with the price so don’t let that stop you.
Go!

I stopped in here on a Tuesday afternoon. There were a few other patrons eating lunch, and I ordered a chicken kabob sandwich. They had Flying Dog beers in bottles, which I also had, and sat at the small bar in front. This gave me an unintentionally good vIew of the food prep, and the nan/​pita oven dealie.
The owner? manager? made conversation about the Flying Dog brewery, and then complained that it was only a one-​stone oven for the nan/​pita bread. (This was actually a cool process to watch, but it did tend to slow down orders.)
After about ten minutes, I had a warm crispy pita wrapped around several well-​seasoned chicken chunks (all white pieces, tasting of lemon, paprika, and slightly spicy) and red onions, tomatoes, with a cucumber tatziki sauce. This was a terrific combination, if very messy to to eat! Get loads of napkins if this is your choice… but it was well worth it, and I ate the ginormous thing in one setting. Soooo good!
Another reviewer compared the ambience to a Chipotle, and I would agree, and add that even if you are not well-​acquainted with Mediterranean or Middle Eastern food, you will not be intimidated here… GO!

I give it 2 ½ stars.
Had the chix kabob w/​spinach, hummus, house salad and bread. The chicken was overcooked and dry, but good flavor. Spinach was bland, hummus average and the salad was tasty, but a little too much balsamic (white vinegar would have been a better choice). The naan was good.
I will return to give it another chance. It was a good portion for $ 10.

Found this little eatery through Unilocal and was not disappointed. Kebab places are a dime a dozen in the area and it’s hard to find one that delivers on both price and quality so I was skeptical but was pleased to be very surprised. There is a small, small parking lot out back if you’re lucky to find a spot but otherwise there seems to be parking all around along the street.
The menu is straightforward but has a lot of options for sides. I got the lamb kebabs which was succulent and flavorful while my boyfriend got their combination platter which came with lamb and chicken which had A LOT of food. I was satisfied for the food I got and would have definitely been overwhelmed if I got the combo… it was almost two portions worth of food. The naan is made fresh to order and stretched over a rock which adds an authentic flair. The flavor profile leans more towards Afghan/​northern Indian so a bit on the savory/​sour/​bright notes rather than overly spicy. Definitely worth checking out!
They could use some combos to save on money… maybe during lunch hours? Would have definitely sweeten the pot on an already solid place. I would go back regardless!

OH yeah, Sherri-​approved! Boyfriend and I were lazy and ordered via grubhub and boom, food was at our doorstep within 45 minutes-​an hour. I got the lamb kabob entrée with 3 sides: hummus, yogurt salad, and qabuli pallow. Boyfriend got the mixed kabob with hummus, chickpeas, and white rice. Both orders were deeelicious and the portions were generous, especially for delivery.
Down to the food: Everything was packed well and the food was perfectly warm upon arrival. There were 3? huge pieces of naan bread and everything else like the sauces and sides came organized in small containers. The lamb was great, minus the amount of meat they gave. My boyfriend pointed out how little meat I had compared to his, but after cutting up the chunks in half and into smaller pieces, which I prefer, there was MORE than enough to satisfy myself. The lamb was the perfect amount of spice and tender and juicy.
The yogurt salad was pretty much a container full of the yogurt sauce/​almost like Greek tzatziki sauce with dill and cucumber chunks in it. I thought there would be lettuce or something accompanying the container, but there wasn’t — buttttt that was quite alright with me because I absolutely LOVE the yogurt sauce and tend to pour it all over my rice and meat and dip my naan bread it in it like crazy. Let’s just say that I still had half a container of that yumyum good stuff left over after :) The hummus was nice and creamy and not too oily like a lot of other places. The qabuli rice I got was a spicy rice which tasted REALLY good! I definitely would choose that over the plain white rice every time.
My boyfriend got lucky and had a good amount of chicken and lamb. He definitely had more meat than me, so I may have to get his mixed kabob next time. His chickpeas were really yummy and creamy too. I def recommend it! It reminded me of the chickpeas that a lot of Indian places serve — totally mouthwatering.
Of course, you’ve got the green sauce and some creamy/​cheesy/​garlic-​y sauce in smaller containers and those were good too! Just beware, the white garlic-​y sauce seems to have some hidden jalapeño-​ish spice in there which I loved, but may be a bit much for others. Still, slather it on the meat chunks and it’s gooood.
I definitely enjoyed this place better than the take out Moby Dick’s we had before. Another plus, no charge for delivery as long as there is a $ 20 minimum. All you gotta do is tip, which is reasonable.

3.5 stars
Pretty solid new spot in Cherrydale. The kabobs/​karahi were good, the sides were great (eggplant, chickpeas, and butternut squash were favorites). However, the sides are small, and the meat portions felt a little small too — I feel that there are slightly better deals around for similar fare (east west, ravi). The naan wasn’t great, and I would’ve liked the yogurt sauce to have more flavor.
Anyway, will be back to try more as this is right down the street