Ariana 2

First time eating at Ariana ll and the food was amazing!! Everything was freshy made and served piping hot. The portion size was huge which was great as most places now serve everything on the smallest plate possible. I ordered the meat samosa's and mixed grill which came with afghan rice and a mango lassi. The food was authentic and everything was full of flavour. The lassi was perfect and was not overly sweet. If you're vegetarian, they do have a variety of options available. The price is very reasonable considering the large portion. The staff were very friendly and accommodating. The atmosphere and decor were very nice and authentic and showecased the Afghan culture. I loved how the Qur'an was being played - please continue to do this as not everyone wants to listen to music. I would highly recommend Ariana ll and I would definitely travel again from South London to eat here.

I’ve lived in Kilburn two years too long to have only tried Ariana II for the first time today. There are some restaurants you ~know~ you will enjoy, but for reasons, delay visiting — £20 on a sit-down dinner sounds reasonable, but in this current economic climate that’s a lot of money (read: a week of groceries) for a single meal. Sometimes it’s easier to go with the safe option — reliable Nando’s, or the humble pizza express. With these canteens you pay for the easy serotonin of prescription fast food. By comparison, what you pay for at Ariana II is the culinary equivalent of a 12-week CBT course with a dedicated psychiatric team. It cures depression. The dishes in the photo came to ~£40 between us, and this is the first time I left a restaurant feeling like the food was underpriced. It was also the first time I’ve ever truly considered a restaurant to be five stars. There is no pretension, considering Ariana II’s high acclaim — we had as much fun just chatting to our waitress as we did eating the food. Her warmth, mingling with the familial atmosphere of curious travellers and steadfast locals, matched the gentle heat of oven-fresh bread, replenished as soon as our bowl emptied. Halfway through the meal, we were given a homemade chili sauce, just to try — because it’s run by people who know their craft exceptionally well, and have a passion for flavour that goes beyond selling a product. Note that I have not really described the way this food tastes. Admittedly, I don’t really have the words to justify what I ate, this being my first experience of Afghan food — but it’s something I thoroughly recommend going into blind. There were no dishes that stood out, because everything was the best version of that food I’d ever eaten — the consistency of quality has made me confident that everyone will enjoy eating here, regardless of what they order. We had vegetarian special maza, which ranged from dishes of mashed spiced pumpkin (kadoo buranee) to nutty, lentil-leek dumplings (aushak), spinach-paneer samosa and smoky okra and aubergine (baudinjan buranee). 11/10 doesn’t even cut it.

Very authentic Afghanistani cuisine. The lentil dumplings were great as was the naan and paneer salad. My friend really liked his lamb plate too. Really positive service too, the lady was involved without being overbearing and gave us some great food suggestions even for vegetarians. Unfortunately we had too much to finish our portions but liked it enough to take home. Good value if you order smart but cash only.