Afghan Kitchen in Islington

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.

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.

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.

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 - about on par with or worse value than your average low-end restaurant. Food is all precooked and microwaved. Payment is cash only. Endless other options in Islington that are more worth your time, money and sanity.

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.

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!

The food was delicious. Highly recommend this.

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.

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.

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

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.

Absolute gem in Islington. Amazing food, fantastic vibe, wonderful service, great prices. Not pretentious at all and the food is delicious!

Simple, yet delicious food in a very cozy setting, will deffinitely come again.

Food was average and not particularly flavourful or interesting. My friend and I had the lamb with potatoes, aubergine with yoghurt and bread. Everything was pretty average and did not meet our high expectations; the prices are quite reasonable though. I am giving three stars also because they only accept cash and even though the service charge is ostensibly 10%, they charged me a 13% service charge (£4.50 instead of £3.40) so I would check the bill before you pay!!

Food was excellent (strongly recommend the chicken and yogurt) and bread!

Lovely home cooked food, attentive service in a pleasant if "cosy" environment. Generous portions that are reasonably priced, great for a quick meal. Particularly recommend the chicken in yoghurt sauce, Dahl and lamb

Great food and reasonable prices

Nice atmosphere and dishes are too testy 😋

Lovely little homely place in Angel serving home cooked Afghan cuisine. The menu is short - which is exactly how I like it. We ordered virtually everything off the menu. Such as Chicken in Yoghurt sauce, lamb with spinach, pumpkin, bread etc. But the standout dish for me was the Fish Stew. Really delicious. Only downsides is that the place is really tiny, and the baklava is average. But for what you pay, this place is outstanding value for money. Would highly recommend.

Great hospitality. Intimate venue. Authentic experience. Incredible value for money. Will definitely return!

First time eating afghan cuisine and loved it! Lots of flavourful dishes in a cosy environment. The staff is also very friendly and accommodating.

Amazing home style, fuss free food. I come here when I want afghan food and a hug

hospitality service is what makes a restaurant better than the food. as much as i l LOVED the food, hospitality was really off. if a customer says they want a certain dish, it’s not a waiter/waitress’s decision if they should have it or not. my friend and i did say we wanted 2 bowls of rice and she questioned it saying it’s too much. even if it was (it wasn’t, we ended up ordering another bowl of rice), i’m paying so i should be getting it as part of my order. we didn’t end up getting it to the table until we had to go back and order another. waitresses in general just aren’t really attentive, and do seem very judgmental. even staff at the counter seemed fed up with everything. i’m a waitress myself so i know what service is decent, so this is coming from someone who does the exact same job. so experience wasn’t settling and comfortable, but food was very good. decent prices too for London. would go again if service/hospitality was better.

It’s really nice and it’s cheap but it’s nothing too special

My first time, amazing food. Recommended

Popped in, was told there was no table available for 2 and they were "fully booked" until an hour and a half later. There was space for 2 in communal table. And they don't take bookings. So clearly didn't want us there, for some reason.

Great value for London, most mains were absolutely delicious and the team are hard working and friendly. The restaurant is tiny and tables are shared which was fine for our group. Will return.

Very busy with the hustle and bustle of constant takeout customers but that is part of the experience apparently. The downstairs is very cramped and didn't get a chance to see upstairs. Food was good but limited in choice and variety. Only 1 chicken, fish and lamb dish but it was well made, though portions were in the small size so needed 3 mains between 2 people to feel like we had eaten a decent meal. Staff are very busy taking orders and serving take-out so don't expect table service, it's sporadic at best.

Sorry had very high expectations as Indians from Afghan food but this didn't cut it. Probably it's made suitable for locals here as it should be and rightly so.

Excellent prices, excellent food

Outstanding food and great staff. Highly recommended if you can manage tight spaces. That said beautifully designed interior

Finally got space here and it was so worth it!!! Food - simply amazing, tender, flavourfull, delicious People - lovely, friendly, sweet İnterior - tight but cozy, lets you to tlak to others and make new friends:) Price - really good price

The best food in London. I always get the Chicken in Yoghurt and Aubergine and Yoghurt.

The best restaurant in Islington - gorgeous food, laid back atmosphere with some shared tables. The staff are all friendly and you can tell a lot of love goes into the dishes. Remember to bring cash to pay!

Finally made it to the Afghan Kitchen. This was the lamb with potatoes & pickles. Overall very tasty with a decent amount of lamb, slightly a fraction too salty. Not bad for Islington considering Upper Street has some very average eateries. Islington prices. The waitress was friendly, the server behind the counter a little bit sour. I’ve had better Afghan food in other parts of London. Bear in mind the’ll add a service charge.

Incredible flavors, warm vibe. Please go here :')

Excellent food, especially the fish stew. Staff are pleasant but a bit disorganised. Why don't they take card in 2022?

Excellent!! Lamb and Spinach and seafood stew just blew us away.

I first ate Habib's food when he first opened around quarter of a century ago. It was love at first bite. The menu had not changed since he started and there is a very good reason why. You cannot improve on perfection. Everything Habib makes is truly excellent and very reasonably priced. 10/10

Such a quirky independent restaurant. A limited selection of interesting and delicious dishes are carefully dispatched from a tiny downstairs kitchen by a crew of ladies. Great for a quick dinner stop. Note: Cash only.

Cutie and cosy, common table areas. Always busy. Simple menu. The chicken and yoghurt is a lovely light mint curry flavour.

Deliciosa comida afghana y muy buen servicio...

Probably the standout dish was the chicken and yoghurt. Lamb spinach good too. Fish ok. Pumpkin is a must have, and my companion loves the aubergine. A bit of an Ilsington icon, it's stuck to its simple menu for 27 years. Let's hope it sticks to it for a while yet..