Afghan Kitchen in Islington

We went on a Wednesday evening. We just turned up without a reservation. The place was almost full, staff were very friendly and the food was excellent. Tables are large and often shared between different parties. A large meal with a selection of dishes for two of us with no desert came to around £45. All the dishes were beautifully cooked and I couldn't choose a favourite.

Amazing food, very unique, great value Warning cash only

I love this restaurant. Great food, affordable prices and nice service. We got the chicken with yoghurt and the lamb with spinach. Both were great, my partner liked the lamb with spinach more. I think the chicken was my favourite though. The chicken had a strong mint flavour, which I like, but some people might find it a bit too strong. We got rice as a side. Service is friendly. If you go, please note that it’s a cash only restaurant. We were already aware of it, but there’s an ATM nearby. It’s a tiny restaurant, but cosy. I booked in advance because it was a Saturday lunch, but wasn’t full. This is a place I’ll come back when I’m around in Angel.

food was alright but staff were not super friendly and just rushed you to eat. not the best atmosphere

It is tiny. Beware! However the food is good (quite spicy) and the staff are quite friendly.

As good as going to a friend's house and having lovingly prepared home cooked food, just off the high street in Islington! Make sure you make a reservation for weekends and bring cash and a healthy appetite!

Read the other reviews so you know what you’re in for. This is some of the worst service I’ve ever received. If you want to try this food then use a delivery service instead of dining in. We had a reservation for 8:30pm but were made to wait in their tiny space for around 20 minutes. They tried to sit 4 of us upstairs on a shared table that only had 2 spots before seating us downstairs and making us squish to the corner of the table so they could fit in another 2 people on (when there was no more space on this share table). When this woman finally took our order she was incredibly rude, literally making faces and rolling her eyes at us. I asked if the bread was vegan (as some bread like naan isn’t) and she looked at me like I was stupid and said “of course, it’s bread”. So I would be concerned for others who have allergies if they’re not taking questions seriously. The food was good. The daal is vegan and they were able to make the aubergine and pumpkin dishes vegan for me. But they also forgot one of our dishes. At the end when we went to pay (they only accept cash) they gave our change to another table so we were waiting around for a while wondering what was going on. The food isn’t good enough for me to come back. Honestly don’t bother.

Small place, but excellent food at very reasonable prices

Went here on the recommendation of a good friend - one of my favourite meals I’ve ever eaten in London. The place is tiny (6 seats!!) and cash only but god is it authentic and delicious. We went for lunch and split lamb with spinach (my favourite), chicken in yoghurt, rice and some pickle (first time having Afghan pickle and it’s divine) Baghlava was also superb. So so cheap too for what it is - will be visiting every time I return to London.

This restaurant is a gem. The food is fantastic, packed with flavour, and the portions are generous for the price. The staff are friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. Definitely worth a visit—I’ll be going back for sure!

Great little cafe serving simple foods with unusual flavours. I thought the food was tasty for the price, the service was fast and helpful, even if not too friendly. Well worth coming back. It doesn't have much seating space (five tables for four), so I imagine it flourishes as a takeaway restaurant, luckily for the locals. P.S. One part I did not like was implicit fees: my bill ended up being bigger by about 10%, which makes me think tip or a charge for dining in was included - which is fine, I just wish I was told about it.

I wouldn’t know where to begin. It’s bad in so many levels. I do agree with all the previous negative comments-reviews.

Fantastic food served very quickly. Cash only caught us out but there is an atm next door. Quick turnaround but in some ways added to the atmosphere.

Excruciatingly slow service (~40 mins to get our drinks; 1 hour to get our food) and very claustrophobic venue. Food was fine but not worth the hype. Mains may look cheap on the surface (£9 each) but in reality portions are tiny and carbs (bread, rice) are sold separately for an extra £3-4. All of the food is also pre-cooked and literally microwaved in front of you so you know it’s not fresh!

Amazing food. The yoghurt chicken might be the best thing I’ve ever eaten! Great service and reasonable prices. I am coeliac and almost everything is gluten free too

Really disappointed with the food this time around. Our dishes came out lukewarm had to ask them to heat it up. We came as soon as the place opened, so you would think the food would be hot and fresh but unfortunately not. Also the meat in the dishes was barely noticeable. Ordered chicken and fish. Fish was filled with potatoes and one time spoon of fish. Chicken was mainly sauce with two cubes of chicken. Flavor had also mellowed down compared to before. Such a shame.

Really enjoyed dinner here, which was incredible value. The menu is a delightfully simple selection of mains with good choice for veggies (the aubergine is excellent). Our only minor gripe is that due to the space you inevitably have to share a table if dining as a two, which can be a bit cramped; we also had to repeatedly ask for our drinks, though the food arrived quickly. These are minor points in my view that don't overshadow the delicious food. Make sure you order the fresh bread if you go in the evening.

Great food, rude service. Not possible to get a normal answer no matter how politely you ask. The food is served quickly though. Some staff seemed very friendly, but outshone by the one rude person.

Really delicious food - recommend.

The food is tasty but like the reviewer below, the older lady was very unfriendly and we weren’t comfortable here. £60 was very pricey and we didn’t really want to pay the service charge because of the rudeness. Could do with some traditional music

Great food, totally worth eating here. Shame it’s a tiny little restaurant, can get congested!

Lovely place with charming service, where it feels like you're having a home-cooked meal. Excellent prices and the communal tables meant that we ended up having a great conversation with the couples on either side of us - a first, in London!

Food is delicious, but the service is poor. Be prepared to be shouted at if you don’t have cash. And they want you to leave very quickly. They try to clear the tables very quickly after you have eaten. It’s also so busy and they seat you so close to other people you can barely hear eachother. And some of the seats are so high for the table. Amazing food, but a pretty uncomfortable experience. Also crazy to be cash only in the centre of London.

Staff are super friendly and food is savory and delicious

We went here for the first time last week and are so pleased we did. We had the best food we have had in a long time and at £41 for two of us including a glass of wine and service it was also the cheapest we have had in a long time! Add to that very friendly staff and a buzzy atmosphere, it is definitely somewhere we will come back to. We highly recommend it.

Tasty, home cooking style dishes with delicious fresh bread in the evenings. Lamb with spinach and chicken are a standout with their delicious chutney.

You probably won't get a seat so be prepared to take away. Not as cheap as everyone makes out - a fairly small container of plain steamed rice was £4 (I should have got the bread in hindsight). The food was good but nothing to write home about, although the lamb was super tender and had no fat which I was very happy with. The dhal wasn't worth £8 but even though the prices for each dish are the same and it's all premade stuff they just scoop into a container and microwave they won't allow you to mix, so it's not great if you're eating alone but want some variety. Service was efficient but very rude, but they know they'll always be booked solid so obviously they don't care. Cash only but there's an ATM nearby.

Really lovely food - the pumpkin and aubergine dishes were my favorite! Nice ambience upstairs. It's cash only, so bear that in mind (there is a cash point 1 minute walk away).

Lovely spot, lovely people serving and most importantly, lovely food. And then the prizes are really low for such an amazing place. Never gave a more deserved 5 stars.

Great homemade food, good value, friendly service. Wholesome and authentic.

Bit of a squeeze on the shared tables but that’s all part of the fun. Reasonably priced delicious food, really liked the lamb and the aubergines.

Non Afghan restaurant: 1.The staff is not from Afghanistan but from China and countries around 2. NOT HALAL food 3. Very bad service 4. Expensive compared to other Afghani restaurant in London

Deliciously good food, fantastic service, lovely friendly atmosphere. Excellent value . Would highly recommend if visiting the area

Very small place. Great food. Very flavourful. We loved the bread but it is only vailable in evening hours. Sharing table concept. They accept only cash. Need to make a reservation on phone. Staff doesnt seem very friendly.

Food is delicious, especially lentil Dahl and the aubergines with yogurt. Service was rushed: we would have liked to sit there for more than one hour and enjoy properly the dinner.

Fantastic food, reasonable prices - definitely get the bread! The restaurant is very small and they really fill it so be prepared to share a table with others. Cash only.

You know it’s going to be good when it’s cash only and the employees are a bit on the cold side…did not disappoint one of my favorite places to eat in London! And so affordable especially for Angel/Islington area. One thing to know is they will sit you at a table with strangers if you’re groups of 2. I did that once and it was funny, another I went with a group of 8 and we were sat upstairs and it was a completely (not necessarily better or worse) experience. Will go as much as I can, food is to die for and actually has spice!

Food is delicious, limited but authentic! The only limitation is that this is cash only, but we found a cash machine close by. Finding a place is tardy but I have managed to order online now.. Highly recommended!

The dahl was amazing. Be careful - some dishes are very spicy. No cards accepted but it is considerably cheap. It's very small, just a few seats, book very in advance if you're not planning on taking away the food :)

Food was tasty, place is cozy and quite unique. You will have to squeeze around, when seated to eat. Service charge of £3, for three dishes. Is pricey related to the portion of the dish. The lady was very dry, I felt that she was annoyed about having people in. Like she only wanted us to pay and leave, after having eating quickly. I will not be back. I didn’t feel comfortable. But the food was very tasty.

Such a cute place in Islington. Loved the flavours in here and def coming back to try more. Shame they don’t serve mantis!

Amazing food and great service, excellent value for money. We had everything on the menu between six of us.

We ordered everything on the menu for six of us, was all amazing

I went to Afgan Kitchen for a birthday dinner and thoroughly enjoyed it. The food is amazing and service is friendly and courteous. The menu is not huge, and being a group, we ordered pretty much every dish on the menu. Afghan Kitchen has got plenty of vegetarian options, and they were all super tasty. I strongly recommend a visit, and look forward to my next one.

The place is busy, some people really loud and enjoying their time, so be prepared. The food is fair but not exceptional, hence the four stars. The service is fast and you need to understand that the table is available for the time you eat. To keep prices reasonable you need to accept that they need to rotate tables even because there is always a queue and I'm fine with that. We had a mix of plates but I had only the aubergines, which were fine. Apparently the other dishes were better and I will try those next time. People mention the small selection but the kitchen is small and that's the best they can probably do.

I went back here with a friend for lunch, who has never eaten here, and overall had a mixed experience. She enjoyed her chicken main (excellent sauce!) and I my pumpkin with yogurt main. Spicy and tasty. I appreciate the waitress gave me a yogurt side on the tours. The lentil dal was alright but I much prefer the smoky taste and potency of Dishoom’s dal. This had a slight peanut butter flavour, which was just odd (and I LOVE PB). The biggest downer of our meal was the ATROCIOUS baklava. Stale and sour, we each took one bite and put it down. It was apparently made the day before and the taste showed that. Bleh 🤢 Also dinking a star for cash only. We knew that going in and had cash ready, but in 2023 it’s dodgy and unacceptable to not accept card. Especially post-COVID! Service was also middling- had to grab the waitress’ attention twice.

I went back here with a friend for lunch, who has never eaten here, and overall had a mixed experience. She enjoyed her chicken main (excellent sauce!) and I my pumpkin with yogurt main. Spicy and tasty. I appreciate the waitress gave me a yogurt side on the tours. The lentil dal was alright but I much prefer the smoky taste and potency of Dishoom’s dal. This had a slight peanut butter flavour, which was just odd (and I LOVE PB). The biggest downer of our meal was the ATROCIOUS baklava. Stale and sour, we each took one bite and put it down. It was apparently made the day before and the taste showed that. Bleh 🤢 Also dinking a star for cash only. We knew that going in and had cash ready, but in 2023 it’s dodgy and unacceptable to not accept card. Especially post-COVID! Service was also middling- had to grab the waitress’ attention twice.

Delicious food and lovely staff

I wanted to try their food for a long time..and wow. Outstanding! Fair price and generous portion. So good

A hidden gem in Angel, absolutely amazing food. Love it here, visited several times. Always delicious. Dont forget to bring cash.

Tasty ! The only downside would be that it's cash only

Lovely little restaurant, great afghan food!

Great food and atmosphere. Booking recommended.

Delicious good, great service, very good value. Great for casual dining.

Very busy even in a weekday evening! They only do walk-in and only accept cash Highly recommend the lamb with spinach😍 lamb was tender and the spinach was very flavourful We also ordered the aubergine with yoghurt, the taste was quite interesting, the spices made it taste like a kind of Chinese medicine (a kind of herbal taste!) not to my liking but doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad Chicken with yoghurt was okay, chicken could be more tender but the sauce was nice. Baklava were really dense and sweet but tasty👍🏻 one with some cinnamon flavour and another one tasted like vanilla. Both were good The carrot ginger juice was added with sugar and water. It would be better if it’s freshly made🙈 Staff were quite nice and friendly☺️ Portion was ideal and food was all in a reasonable price

We booked and it was a chaos. No list of people booked. Overcrowded shared tables when nobody had mentioned on the phone that we would have to share. The room was noisy and hot. We preferred to leave.

Amazing flavours. Will be back!

A fantastic and cosy gem of a place offering some exquisite palette satisfiers. Affordable dishes that will not fail to impress. Service with a smile added value to the experience.

Had high hopes for this place but sadly won’t be returning. We had a reservation at 7:45, waited outside for 20 minutes. Finally got our table and the food took over an hour to arrive. Every customer around us was asking where their food was. So baffling as it appeared to be pre-cooked and was being reheated in a microwave very much on display which was really off-putting.

The food is good and the price is moderate. But the venue is small and uncomfortable. Also the service is slow, very chaotic and not always kind.

Some of the food was delicious (lamb and spinach, chicken and yogurt) - less impressed with the fish stew, but that could be down to personal preference. The bread was also nice. Didn’t rate the baklava. Service was okay, we had to share the table with another couple who were on a date which was a bit odd - we had both booked tables, not like we were walk ins who were squeezed on! Overall I’d go back, but don’t expect fine dining

I love the Afghan Kitchen for it's very tasty, reliable, high quality food that is cooked 'homemade', with care and love, and so deliciously spiced. It is a no-frills restaurant in the best possible sense - the food speaks for itself, no need for schmooze. Eating in, there is always a buzz as it's a small, friendly space. Absolutely my favourite food to have delivered.

The food is absolutely banging. That aubergine is 👌👌👌. The service was fast and the food is cheap for London. We left completely stuffed. It is a small place, so it was cramped so it’s quite loud inside. That won’t deter me from coming back.

The food was delicious. Highly recommend this.

really great homemade-feel type food for cheap. service is sometimes a bit slow but it doesn’t really take away from the atmosphere. the baklava was dry but you can’t go wrong ordering everything on the menu to share + pickles!

Food was great, we do want to go back here. However, the waitress that served us was incredibly moody, made us feel so unwelcome on our first visit here. On top of that charged us more than the total bill with no explanation if it was a forced tip! assuming it was and for what.. to feel unwelcome. Only smile we had was walking out the door. Best part of £50 for two veggie meals and two glasses of wine

Easily one of the best restaurants in North London. Incredible value for money too.

Worst experience ever. Had a reservation at 9pm. Sat there for 55mins waiting for the order. Which never came because there was no more food (the excuse is that there was a large table of 7 and that they miscalculated). They didn’t even apologize. We left.

We had to queue and wait a bit to enter but it completely worth it. The yogurt chicken was the protagonist no doubts, deliciously seasoned with a peppery taste. It is all served to be shared, so we asked for rice, bread and the fish stew, which was good but honestly the chicken eclipsed it. For dessert, sweet and nice baklavas. We’ll definitely come back. Prices are very good, about 9£ each plate.

Affordable and tasty - a great place for a lunch break. It may look like a takeaway place but you can actually sit down and eat. As you walk in, you only see one communal table, but there is more tables upstairs. The menu is very straightforward. Four veggie options and four meat/ fish ones. You get a side of rice with your main. That’s all. We had, between two of us, a aubergine dish, a daal and a fish stew. (Plus some rice) Aubergine was a bit bland, but everything else was good.

Not bad choice for the area, good food and lovely people. The spinach lamb was fab. I found the place too busy and the style didn't really cut it for such a steep service charge.

This hidden gem in Islington is a must visit ! It was elegant, cosy and welcoming. The menu is very small however it was packed with flavour. We order the lamb and spinach , chicken and fish stew.We had rice and traditional Afghan bread also. It was authentic and felt like home food.

A decent Afghan restaurant serving a variety of home-cooked Afghan meals. The delicious food service was ok , but it was quite busy, I really liked the fact you share your table with random guests

Delicious home style cooking, eaten around a shared table. Amazing value for money. Best meal we had on a recent weekend away in London.

Tiny menu (which means that all of it is done perfectly), the pickles were amazing and had a little kick to them (definitely order them rather than the bread which was a little bit stale) Service was very bad sadly - we had reservations for 8pm and weren’t seated until 8:45, and rushed out of the restaurant after. Still the food is great so go if you don’t mind waiting around.

Bella esperienza, cibo buonissimo, spazi un po’ strettini, ma gestiti comunque al meglio!

Highly recommend it. Excellent food and friendly service

I have been coming to the Afghan Kitchen for many years and have always found the food to be absolutely delicious and the staff extremely friendly. It’s better to call ahead of time as it's always a very popular and busy place.

Great service. The lamb & spinach is too good to put into words. Absolutely amazing.

Some of the worst service I've ever experienced in London. The lady serving us threw our plates and cutlery on the table and she made us feel rushed and stressed the entire time. When we asked for a few minutes to decide on what to order she seemed annoyed and indicated we should decide quickly. Whilst there was still food on our plates and we were obviously still eating, the same lady came over and asked us if we were finished. We replied that we were not done and she actually had the nerve to tell us to "eat faster". The food was very tasty so would have given a higher rating if it weren't for the rude and unpleasant staff. Will not come back and would not recommend.

Hearty, tasty and great food. Highly recommended

Great food at a good price. Highly recommended.

Really amazing place, great food! Will definitely be back!!!

Banging food, cheap for London, nice friendly staff

By all means if you've never been here, go. Tasty dishes, with meat, fish and vegetarian options. But if you have a small menu you should rotate your dishes sometimes - this is the sort of place where there's really no point going more than once. I hear they used to have dumplings too but I've never seen them on the menu.

A great spot with amazing home made feel with an even better home feeling from the moment you walk into the door. The seating arrangement is close with others so you'll naturally fall into great conversation with others. It's a new favorite spot and I hope to be back sooner than later.

I know the chef here. His name is Russell Hobbs. If you are going to microwave the food, can you not do it in front of the customers? very basic error there. i don't understand why this place is getting 4 stars average when the food are pre-cooked and microwaved.

Nice people working there but only the name is related to Afghan as I eat on monthly basis Afghan food. You get a better offer with Tesco 3.5£ meal with drink included if you like microwave food.

Great little restaurant!! Food is absolutely delicious. Have eaten in and taken away and both have been great. Would definitely recommend.

Came here for lunch. Stern service (as others have mentioned) to the point of rudeness but at least the food is good and rich in flavour. No bread available which was dissapointing (one of the reasons we came here). Cash only (raises some eyebrows) which was not apparent until we came to pay the bill. Overall, the service tainted the experience - felt like they did not want the business. All we did was order off a menu with no additional comment or questions so it was surprisingly how this short interaction left us feeling so unwelcome. I've had better service in Chinatown where they are notorious for their service. Ah let us not forget the final gem, food is microwaved. I think I am being a bit generous with 3/5.

A great local restaurant. The chicken dish, the lamb spinach and the fish curry are excellent! Little wonder it’s always packed so we are grateful they do a very quick and easy takeaway service and more recently delivery via the usual apps.

Amazing home cooked food in this cozy restaurant in Angel. During busy times you may have to share a table with random customers. Cash only

Amazing place, great value, delicious food!

Delicious food, friendly service and all round great experience!

Incredible restaurant right on Essex Road. Would recommend booking as they were not taking walk ins. Food was cheap and so flavorful, will definitely come back often!

Quite interesting and decent Afghanistan restaurant, with wide range of homemade Afghan dishes. The stew fish and yogurt chicken is quite good, even though the fish is quite hot.

Veggie friendly, delicious and great spice. Only thing bad is that you cannot pay by card although there is an ATM next to them.

If you're looking for a new culinary adventure, Afghan Kitchen in Islington is a must-try. The intimate, cosy setting pairs perfectly with the bold flavours of Afghan cuisine. From the Lentil Daal to the fresh bread, each dish is crafted with care and bursting with spices. Don't miss out on the Banjan Borani or the Baghlava - your taste buds will thank you. It is a hidden gem that will leave you wanting more. Also don't forget to bring cash, there is a free Barclays ATM not far to the South towards Angel

Top quality, mouthwatering food and friendly service. An absolute gem in Islington.

The Lamb and potatoes were delicious, 5/5.