Afghan food is one of the great underrated cuisines of Asia — a meeting of Persian, Indian and Central Asian traditions, big on rice, lamb, yogurt, and fresh bread baked daily in clay tandoors. The signature dishes are qabili pulao (saffron-spiced rice with raisins, carrots, and slow-cooked lamb), mantu (steamed dumplings with garlic yogurt and split-pea sauce), kebabs (skewers of marinated lamb cooked over charcoal), and ashak (leek-stuffed dumplings).
The international restaurant scene that existed during the Republic era has largely disappeared since 2021. What remains are local Afghan restaurants — busy, no-frills, and often very good. The traditional centres of the food scene are the Shahr-e Naw and Wazir Akbar Khan neighbourhoods. Eat lunch, not dinner: the city goes quiet after dark.