Afghanistan Khyber Pass Restaurant

My second favorite Afghan restaurant after Kabul West. They are just as good, just as friendly and just as awesome. The only difference is that Khyber Pass is little bit more pricey than Kabul West but would totally recommend it to my friends and everyone else!

I love Khyber Pass for the delicious food that they offer. Everything is super flavorful and made exactly how you wanted it. Very delicious and a great place for groups.

There is no category for Afghan food but Indian food is the closest thing to it. Its very flavorful and you should try out some of the appetizers they have to offer. It can be a bit pricey but its well worth it.

We had a farewell office lunch here and was surprised the restaurant was so cute. Our waitress was outstanding and took orders for a party of 8 without writing anything down - successfully. The food was good enough. It seemed like "Indian" food (we had taken an employee from India), but I guess Afghanistan is close enough to India to have similar food styles

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I love ethnic food, and this won't disappoint if you are like me. he best hummus I've had in a long time. And the atmosphere is very nice :-)

Prices aren't too bad. Slightly expensive, but not too bad. My only problem is that I hate parking in Hillcrestbut it is certainly worth a nice walk.

My father and I were in San Diego due to a death in the family. It was also my father's 75th birthday, and I wanted him to at least have a decent meal to celebrate. I've eaten Afghan cuisine several times before and really enjoyed it, so when we passed this restaurant we decided to give it a try.

WOW! The food (we had bolani and aushak for appetizers, mashawa soup, garlic nan, kachaloo and yaghoot chalow for main course), and service (we were lucky enough to have Angela Nusari, the owner, as our waitress due to the earliness of the hour) were superb, and the iced tea particularly good (I'm a snob about my tea).

The ambiance of the restaurant is one of relaxed elegance, with a tall stone fountain on the back wall, paintings and photographs of Afghans along the other sides, and complimentary lighting. It fits Angela - a refined lady and gracious hostess. Its location between 5th & 6th Ave on University is very convenient for spending an afternoon or evening in the area. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant for a first date, or for a fairly small group of friends having an evening out.

Now for the food: I am a foodie. I love and appreciate well-prepared, good tasting dishes. Though everything we had was excellent, the sweet and sour rice cooked with lamb and cherries (yaghoot chalow) was amazing. It was one of the finest dishes I have ever eaten. The kachaloo (potatoes simmered in tomatoes, spices and peppers) was so good we surreptitiously dipped our bread in it (don't tell Angela).

We liked the meal so much we came back for dinner the next night. I almost ordered the cherry lamb again, then considered the apricot lamb (recommended by the waitress), and finally settled on the lamb kachaloo. It, too, was excellent, though I believe I preferred the yaghoot chalow. My father tried the baklava dessert and thoroughly enjoyed it, as well.

If we weren't leaving tomorrow, we'd be tempted to go again. I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

Entrees are delicious and exotic Afghan cuisine, but portions are not what you expect when you first see the prices. You can pay anywhere for $15 to $24.95 for a meat dish, and appetizers are almost as pricey. Beautiful atmosphere and friendly service make it a great place for a celebratory meal.

Wow! What a great Afgan Restaurant!

Kyber Pass on University in Hillcrest tops my very short list of restaurants in San Diego that I would go back to. Well, on a recent week long trip there I was at a conference, so I didn't get to go to too many places. But I am sure glad I did get here.

A group of six of us went on the last night of the conference. While most of were leaving the following day, I and one other companion had to get to the airport for a red eye back to the east coast. We were in a rush on a Saturday night. My companion had an hour to eat and hail a cab.

The staff, mostly family members, were fabulous. We told them of our schedule and they went to town. The Daughter of the owner sat us upstairs in a communal table room. Ask for this room. It's got couches and corners thatmake it just a wonder setting. The main American Style Dining Room is very nice too, but we made friends with the folks eating with us upstairs and I like that kind of community.

The food is fantastic. This is the real stuff! The Challow (the rice stuff) was moist, but not sticky or mushy. I had an order or Kafka, or spinach with spices. I eat at Afgan restaurants quite a bit and I think this was the tastiest I have ever had. I also got the Roasted Eggplant platter and it was a hearty, spicy (but not hot) roasted eggplant slices and cheeses and peppers all layered and somewhat sweet. I loved it. (Side dishes like these range from $3-$8 and a couple make a meal)

But the best platter goes to my friend who got the Chicken Kabob. Sounds plain and pedestrian. Not So! It was one of the biggest platters of the evening. The plate was big and the meat chunks were huge and tasty. Yes, dear readers, we shared! I found it to be one of the best meals I tasted. (About $12)

We had a starter plater with traditional nosh foods like Somosa and Hummus. There were about 5 or six things on the platter

Had the bean and dill soup with the Kyber Pass kabob combo plate. Baklava and double espresso for dessert. Service good, food excellent, Italian wine, Indian beer on the alcoholic side. Located in the upscale University Ave. area of downtown(ish) San Diego.
Ive never had Afgani food before, it was very satisfying. And no, they dont serve you the US dropped food packets.
I really liked this place. I will be back.