Pamir Restaurant

service — 3 stars
food — 3 stars
we decided to try the food here due to the awesome Unilocal reviews. started out very well, greeted right away and was seated just as fast. the place wasn’t busy. with two servers available while we were at the restaurant, didn’t get much attention. had to flag them down just to get a refill on my tea. as stated before really slow. we ordered their lamb shank, combination platter, eggplant dish and the leek pancake. nothing to rave about, they were average but with their ratings I wanted an awesome experience. we left the restaurant with only half our food eaten.

Me and my wife came here during lunch time. It’s located in the Ulferts Center. I had the Challaw Maicha Herati (Lamb Shank) it came with white Basmati rice and salad. My wife had the Chicken Qorma which also include Basmati white rice and salad. For drinks we had the Mango Lassi and dessert Jalebi (Zoolbia). Everything was delicious. My lamb shank was falling off the bone and so tender. The sauce was rich and hearty. I actually mixed it with my rice. The rice had a light, fluffy texture it almost melted in my mouth. The salad had a tangy sweet taste to it, with fresh veggies. The Mango Lassi was rich and creamy. It had the consistency like yogurt mixed with Mango slush. The Jalebi which was sort of like a funnel cake was warm and had a nice crunchy texture. I mixed it with the sugary sauce. I also tasted my wife’s dish. The sauce was creamy and good thing I had some rice left over. I didn’t hesitate to mix it with the sauce. My mouth was in heaven. The chicken was tender and just soaked in the sauce. Our waiter’s name was Farjad (sorry if I spelled it wrong). He was actually one of the twin sons of the owners. Very attentive and always asked how we’re doing and how’s the food. He was very polite and «welcomy» if there’s such a word. We had a nice conversation. All in all my experience was top notch. I would highly recommend this place to anyone. The food is great, atmosphere and people working there.

Great Food

This restaurant deserves a bunch of things:
First, much more than 5 stars. More like, never-​ending stars along with a big round of applause for opening their restaurant.
Second: the finest medals ever for being such a customer-​centric place.
Third, a pat on the back for making such amazing food that we are reminded of home made afghani food. I know afghani (plus, middle eastern) food so well that it is impossible to impress me with afghani /​middle eastern ‘restaurant’ food. This place takes the cake. It’s as authentic as authentic gets!
One day, my family and I accidentally observed the chefs preparing food at this restaurant and by golly, they were so passionate about preparing the food carefully and making sure it tasted perfect. We were quite impressed and stunned to see such happy and amazing chefs who loved their job. Passion is the only thing that differentiates a good restaurant from a bad restaurant. When businesses are in it just for making the money, it shows in their lack of quality. Every restaurant should take a leaf from Pamir’s book. These guys are spot on!
They are so dedicated to what they do, right from food preparation to customer service, you see it in their eyes and it reflects in their food. No wonder they are so highly rated already. Pamir’s have raised our standards for food to such a degree that all other restaurants in Dublin /​Pleasanton look unconvincingly feeble.
Their food is so good…, especially the chicken drumsticks + rice special they’ve got on Mondays and Thursdays. Most times I am engrossed in eating the food and forget to take pictures. Next time, I will try to remember to take pictures and post it, especially the drumsticks special!

Came here for the first time yesterday. I’m a big fan of Afghan food, and have tried all the restaurants in Fremont and Dublin. By far the best one yet. The Paloow was fresh and flavorful, the kabobs juicy and well seasoned. All in all very tasty Afghan food. The customer service was also on point and the owner/​chef personally came by and asked if all was well.
The only con is that they charge for bread and tea. This should always be on house at an Afghan restaurant.

The only «negative» about this place is that you’re probably not the only one who’s being treated like family. So you can all stop feeling special – I’m their favorite.
This is my go-​to option for a TGIF dinner, as well as when I’m taking a client out to lunch. You’re probably already familiar with kabobs, why not try something different? Highly recommend the sabzee challaw (sauteed spinach) and the mantuu (dumplings with meat sauce and yogurt).

This restaurant was the gateway to my future cravings for Afghan cuisine. Their bolani, chicken qorma, and kabob plates are all pretty spectacular. The business is owned by a lovely family. This will definitely be one of my go-​to places whenever I am in the area.

One of the best meals we’ve ever had. Coupled with being made to feel like family… Awesome.
The barley soup is superb, as are the hummus and eggplant dip. We all had the chicken qurrma but every dish that came out of the kitchen was fantastic.
Joe and his wife are excellent hosts. They even gave our little guy a new pastry that Joe had been working on along with some warm milk.
We will be back.

Last Friday we had the pleasure of enjoying good Afghan cuisine.
Our whole family loves Koobideh. They’re version is just how we like it: tender, tasty, and juicy. We ordered the Koobideh entrée plus two more skewers of Koobideh for $ 4/​each. Not a bad deal!
We also got the Lamb chops. They were so tender. I liked that it didn’t leave a strong after taste in my mouth. These were one of the best lamb chops I’ve had.
The Chicken and beef combo was a good choice for us. We had a generous serving of rice and salad and a taste of their chicken and beef kabob.
I hope to go back and try their other dishes. We couldn’t over indulge in our orders because the portions were very big. We got good value for the food.
Lastly, the service commendable at this place. The servers were very friendly and efficient. It’s a great place for young families, like ours, to enjoy quality tasting food in a family-​friendly environment.

Order: tikkah kebab, pallow w/​carrots & raisins, black tea
Pros: absolutely delicious, beef came in huge chunks, juicy, marinated, flavorful, soooooo good. Service was great even though waiter was overwhelmed by the dinner rush, kept smiling and checking in, maybe the best service I’ve ever had at an Afghan spot. Tea was good and came with a free refill. Green chutney has a solid kick to it.
Cons: just a bit pricier than my normal afghan spot in Fremont, but service/​food quality made up for it.
Will definitely come back if I’m ever in area, have to try that firni!

I came here a while ago with some college kids that were back for break from my youth group (that seems to be the usual reason I eat out at nice places). We came in on a Sunday afternoon for lunch and it wasn’t too busy so they pushed together a couple tables to fit the 10 or 11 of us. Service was very friendly and answered our questions about the special (lamb shank, more on that later, good stuff)
HUMMUS. Get the hummus. We were eating with spoons because we ran out of bread. (We had ordered 2 combo platters to share). Awesome hummus.
When it came to entrees, two people from our partay had been there before so they gave pointers. Most of us got some kind of kabob, I went with the Chicken Qorma and felt very affirmed in my decision, both by a Unilocal review that read «Someone once asked me what my last meal choice would be if I were on death row and I said the Chicken Qorma» and by what I tasted when I actually got the dish.
I’ve never had proper afghan food before — I am now a fan of Afghan Food! While my friend was in the bathroom I may or may not have taken a piece of his chicken kabob (the trick is rearranging the plate so that you can’t tell) :3 heh. My other friends were kind enough to share their lamb shank. They were sharing one across the table from me and I was watching the meat slide off the bone :0 I had to ask for a taste — no shame. As for my own dish, after I finished all the meat in the qorma, I mixed the rest of the curry-​ish soup with my rice and that tasted very nice too. Not sure if that’s how you’re supposed to eat it, but I liked it so: P
Classy decorations and learned that it’s family owned. Some of the best meat I’ve ever had and will definitely be back to buy myself a lamb shank. or two

I came here again with friends and we took all of three seconds to order (we all got the chicken qorma), which was just as delicious as I remembered. The curry was very sweet and tasted great mixed with the rice.
The best part of this restaurant was the service. I distinctively remember having the same waiter as last time and he was very attentive and charismatic! I think there was a slight increase in price from $ 9.99 to $ 11.99 but the food quality remained the same.

This was one of my first meals after moving to the Bay area and it was definitely a Wow in my food journal.
Hubbie and I came here after trying to go to the Thai place nearby and found it impossibly packed, and I have never been so glad in my life to have missed the target on the restaurant I was intending to go.
The personal hummus — comprised of 6 perfectly made bread (crispy thin crust and soft warm interior) with fantastically spiced hummus, was finger licking good.
Chicken kofta curry — Hubbie had ordered this and after I had a taste, I soon took over. (Sorry hubbie) Possibly the best curry I’ve ever had, the chicken was so tender it melts in the mouth, the curry was perfect — warm, creamy, and so very tasty with the perfect amount of spices and properly spicy.
The atmosphere is really quite nice, in the middle of a semi-​circle of many ethnic restaurants, clean and elegant. The service is spectacular, the staff is all smiles and very attentive.
I dream about the Kofta. For real.

I thought this was an okay afghan place.
Came here on a saturday so parking was abysmal in this complex. The place was pretty empty so we were seated immediately. Server was pretty attentive, so that was nice.
Ordered the chicken kabob but replaced white rice with brown rice. Kinda surprised to see that there was an additional charge for having brown rice over the white rice since most places just do it without charge. Also, there was no complimentary afghan bread so I did order some but it didn’t taste/​look like the ones I’ve had before so I wish I hadn’t. But the chutney that comes at the table had a great bit of spice to it so it enhanced all the flavors.‘
Chicken kabob was very flavorful and the chicken itself was so moist. Brown rice was also delicious. Salad seemed a little unnecessary, I’d rather have more rice! Wish they provided some yogurt.
If you’re in the area, this is an okay place. I’ve definitely had better and probably won’t come back since I live near Fremont which has way better afghan food. Nice experience though.

Dinner with hubby on a weekday–
Chicken curry with yogurt sauce– very mild flavors. Not a fan of the dish.
Lamb shank– good flavors but again no heat. Tried the additional heat topping they provided but nothing tastes good when added on top, rather than cooked into the dish.
Firni– the best dish we had. I try to avoid sweets but I was hooked
I remember eating a baked chicken dish the last time here. I think it is available only on certain days. Check and get it if available. It’s pretty good

Bf and I just finished shopping and we were craving for some good kabob! Whoa there are sure a lot of kabob places around! F*ck it! were going to the one with the most reviews! Hence our next food adventure at Pamir’s.
Impressions:
–Décor is very tasteful.
–A lot less people than I expected. Only 3 tables of patrons.
— price is higher compared to other places
Service:
–server was quick to take the order
–waited about 15 minutes for food to come out
–no water was served while waiting
Overall, the food was decent. Not «wow» in your face good but not bad enough to complain. The only thing I can gripe about is the lack of service when the place is barely even busy.

Back in April, after taking an afternoon hike up the Rocky Ridge trail in Las Trampas Regional Wilderness, my friends and I booked it to Pamir to refuel. The restaurant was filled with a diverse (for this area) crowd, but we managed to snag a table for four right when we arrived. The waitress gave us menus and asked us what we wanted to drink. After taking a look at their drink offerings, we got the following:
2 mango lassis — 2.99/each
iced Afghan tea — 1.99 (one free refill)
hot Afghan tea — 1.99 (one free refill)
I’m a fan of mango lassis, but I opted for the iced Afghan tea because I wanted something with cardamom in it. On that warm April afternoon, it was the perfect way to cool down. Just be aware, though, that they don’t sweeten it, and I’m not sure if they had sugar packets on the table or anything.
Here’s what we got for dinner:
combo platter — 7.99
tikkah kabob — 13.99
qabili chicken — 13.99
challaw maiche herati — 17.99
Everything was just delicious, and their portion sizes were very generous, too. Every sauce had a different flavor to it and the meat dishes were tender and well-​seasoned. We weren’t able to finish everything, so they gave us boxes to go. As we packed up our food, the waitress came to ask us how everything was. I commented on how much I really liked the rice. I think basmati rice can be really difficult to get right. Each grain of rice is pretty thin, and too much water could easily make your dish fall apart.
The waitress smiled and said that her mom makes fresh rice every two hours. As it turns out, this is a family owned restaurant and all of these dishes are made from family recipes. The waitress pointed to the only other waiter and mentioned that that was her brother and they all take great pride in what they do. It definitely shows!
I’ve been to the Ulferts Center multiple times for dim sum at Koi Palace or baked treats from Kee Wah Bakery, but had no idea that this Afghan restaurant existed. Thanks, Unilocalers, for making sure this place was highlighted!

Went here on a saturday early dinner, not realizing it would have been preferred to have a res for our party of six. Staff didnt blink an eye, and gratiously sat us down. Not 15 min later, the entire place became a madhouse of customers!
I ordered a hummus and eggplant appetizer, which came with some soft bread for dipping. It was pretty good, but also i was really hungry. For dinner, it was the vegetable combo with lamb. Dude. This place was large. Also came with brown and white rice. I put this thing down. The lamb was pretty good, although it was a few minutes overcooked. But still good.
If there was any critisim, id say ramp up the staff on weekends. The small staff seemed overwhelmed and we were constantly looking around for water refills. Or… leave a pitcher of ice water at the table? That would work.
But overall, really good food, pleasant service, and decent pricing. Kinda weird, its the only non Asian restaurant at Ulferts.

The food was great. Ordered barley soup, qabli pulao and chicken kabob with salad. Extra charge for brown rice.
We went with a large group. Our server was quite attentive but everyone’s food arrived at different times. The environment is nice and friendly. Was quite crowded at 8pm. Thankfully, we had a reservation.
Might return, if in the area.

My friend and I used our drive back up from SoCal as an opportunity to come try out some places in this Dublin food plaza, because, I, at least, never come out here. Seated fairly quickly, we ended up getting their:
* Combo Platter — As a name suggests, a platter of their Afghan bread served up with both bademjan and hummus dips, both of which were super tasty, and served in a generous enough portion size that it was able to accompany the entrees (I like using these things as additional toppings for my food).
* Mantu — The Afghan version of dumplings, though I kept expecting more of a bun, given its similarity to the word ‘mantou’ in Chinese, which is what we call steamed buns. While not bad, the flavors of this dish weren’t all too appealing to me. Definitely prefer Asian or Russian dumplings over this one!
* Lamb Kebab — Definitely the highlight of the meal. Juicy, tender, and super flavorful. A bit on the salty side, but when eaten with the rice, bread, and dip, the flavors ended up balancing out.
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — A good sized restaurant with plenty of accessible seating. Spacing between tables was a little on the tighter side, but still doable, if I remember correctly.
Bathroom — Didn’t try them, so no comment.