Amir’s Grill & Bar

Was excited to find an Afghan restaurant in monterey! Was also excited to see the good reviews! We had the Mantu for an appetizer which was delicious for our entrée the combination kebab with chicken and lamb, my entrée was with chicken an beef and I asked for extra spinach and no rice which they happily did. The food was a good portion just enough and we had some yogurt sauce and chutney on the side. Everything was great and we will be back!

An Afghan place in Monterey? It was a 50 – 50 chance which landed on the not so great side.
Bay Area Afghan places such as De Afghanan and Kabul Grill will set the standards really high and in a county like Monterey, don’t expect anything near the two. This place was dead around 7 pm on a hot summer Saturday. Prices seemed fair but damn do they really rip you off on the servings. The rice is not the good brown rice Afghans usually serve and all the kebabs are flavorless.

The food here is good. Not a huge selection but good. Enjoyed the lamb, but could have been more tender. Rice and spinach were cooked and seasoned very well. The split pea with lentil soup was my favorite, excellent dish. Several good beers on tap, as well as a good selection of wines. Really enjoyed the bellydancing! Added a nice touch to the atmosphere with the music and dancing.

Over priced and a little bland. We went to try some authentic Afghan food but left disappointed. Started off with the manto which was the best part. We had the Chopan kabob and the salmon kabob. The food was cooked perfectly but lacked flavor. Also the rice was very bland. Also for the food portions the meals are WAY over priced. I expected to have a lot more food for spending 50 $.

This is such a good spot for Middle Eastern food, with an Afghan flavor. Cooked as it should be, spiced right, the kabobs were outstanding. As people who have spent a lot of time in the Middle East, we know what good Middle Eastern food should and should not be. Amir’s is the genuine deal and at a price that makes other Middle Eastern spots look like price gougers. The only odd item was the salmon kabob, but everything else was as it should be, and this wasn’t bad, just odd for the cuisine. Service was outstanding as well. Occasional belly dancing adds some spice while you are savoring the dishes.

Overall food was ok.
Service was good.
Atmosphere was nice as well.
Sadly the naan seemed store bought and not fresh.

Yum! They have happy hour until 7pm and a small selection of very reasonably priced drinks ($ 4 gimlet? yes, please!) and we loaded up on the their oooh-​and-​ahhhh-​worthy appetizers. Seriously, this place has fantastic food. I can’t wait to go back and try more. It’s clean, tasty, reasonably priced, and nicely decorated. Plus they have belly dancers on some Friday nights (if that’s your thing) — and not the six-​pack type either, I hear. I don’t know why more people don’t frequent this establishment.

The only reason I go to Amir’s is to see the belly dancing.
The food is decent, and I did enjoy the vegetarian platter.
However, the options for vegetarians are severely limited.
The naan bread was not fresh.
Overall neither the food or service is anything extraordinary.

I absolutely love the food here! This is another of those restaurants that I have bookmarked & frequent every time I’m in town & why not? The food is simply amazing.
The owner says they serve the Southern Aghan cuisine. I have not had the Northern style so now I’m intrigued…
So far I’ve tried almost everything on the menu and liked all of them. I’m not a fan of cooked Salmon but I liked theirs so to me that’s big. My fav is the combo plates: chicken & beef over a bed of delicious flavored rice.

Hands down THE BEST Afghan food I’ve had. Anywhere. Ever. Almost better than my moms cooking. :)
Hot n fresh.
Fast service.
Authentic.
Friendly service.
Romantic and calm atmosphere.
What else to say? Try it. You won’t be disappointed.
Would I go again? Yup.

3.5 stars!
Being an alumni of CSUMB, I wanted to go and support fellow CSUMB alumni! This place was great and smelled fantastic. The only reason I didn’t give more stars is because I don’t prefer this ethnic food as much as others.
My husband and I came here and he ordered us chicken beef and lamb kabobs. The beef and lamb were a bit tough but the chicken was fantastic! My hunny helped me eat the rice.
The best surprise for me was the butternut squash appetizer with sour cream!!! YUM!!!
We will probably come here again and again in the future! :)
Go Otters!

I like it when Afghan restaurants try to get more interesting than just kabobs, but hey, this is Monterey and I should feel lucky to find Afghan food at all… so I’ll happily take my kabobs, thank you.
I got the lamb version, which came with rice and dal, plus Afghan tea.
Julian ordered those fried potato things — bulani? — which came with sour cream, and also aush.
My lamb was thankfully tender, though not very moist, and the dry spice was mild but still interesting. You didn’t get sick of it from being hit over the head.
Actually, the whole meal had that same feel. Unobtrusive, interesting if you concentrated, with what felt like the ‘right’ flavors, but nothing special to remember it by.
The bulani were like potato latkes, or slightly more quesadilla-​like ones due to their outer crust. Sour cream was just sour cream, unadulterated.
The aush was a little strange, because it TASTED like aush but LOOKED like Campbells vegetable noodle soup. There were un-​blended carrot, corn, and onion pieces in there. Usually places will blend the vegetables into a kind of stew.

When I am out of town, I stay away from chains as much as possible, and that is more than easy enough in Monterey, CA! This place came up as my co-​worker wanted a kabob/​southwest Asian establishment, and this place seemed to get high marks. The service is good, and sticks to traditional food fare, and doesn’t try to «church it up» too much. I had the Tikka Lamb Kabobs, and they were good enough. they were tender and juicy and as others have said on here. My coworker had Chopan Kabobs and really liked it a lot.
Service was good there was a problem with my check and they were more than willing to look into it and fix it, I would recommend this place if you have a craving for some good kaboobs.

They have Happy Hour from 4 – 7 for discounted drinks and have belly dancers on scheduled nights.
We got 2 different kabob platters that came with rice
lamb kabob
juicy and not too gamey but I wish it had more flavor. 3.5÷5
beef kabob
juicy and a little chewy. Light on the seasoning. 3.25÷5
chicken
Kinda dry and lacked a strong flavor. 2.75÷5
Overall, the décor was nice, service and belly dancers is a plus, but the food lacked a strong flavor I usually associate kabobs with. Maybe some steak sauce on the side could have helped. I have had better.

The Turkish coffee is reason enough to go to Amir’s, but the vegetarian combo was a close second. The spinach, cauliflower, and eggplant selections were full of flavor and filling.
My boyfriend got the combo with beef and lamb, which came on a bed of long rice.
They have a great beer and wine selection, AND offer a happy hour!
They also have a sign for belly-​dancing twice a month, so make sure to check it out and enjoy a sweetened Turkish coffee while you do!

Food in Monterey must be bad for this place to get 4 stars…
The meats were overcooked, tough and chewy. The rice wasn’t bad, the green sauce was pretty good, but that’s it. The menu is rather limited as well.
I’d rather go to the touristy spots than here.

Stumbled across this place while trying to find something different from the touristy spots on Cannery Row. Had never had Afghani food before so we figured we’d stop in and try it.
Service was prompt, and phenomenal. To start we got Afghan black tea spiced with cardamom. Perfect warm up from the chilly winter evening we were walking in. Also got a basket of naan (no, this is not Indian naan, it’s different, but still good) and the Shornakhod, which was a spicy, heavily seasoned salad with potatoes and garbanzo beans that was perfect on the naan.
For entrees the two of us went all out (we love leftovers). We ordered the bulani plate, which is like a potato pancake and didn’t make it home as we fought over the last piece. Same with the mantu (beef dumplings topped with sour cream). We ordered lamb, chicken, and salmon kabobs, all of which were perfectly cooked and seasoned. My dining partner and I agreed that the lamb was the best we’d ever eaten. The sabzi (spinach) was delightful, as was the rice, which had a subtle floral taste that helped to cool the heat from the wonderful hot chutneys (beware the red!). The kadu (butternut squash) and gulpee (cauliflower with tomatoes and onions) were both wonderful.
We also met the owner and his wife, and they were extremely hospitable and friendly. Our server (Sarah?) was as well. On her recommendation we tried the house Bloody Mary, which is made from the spicy red chutney, and the margarita (can’t remember the name) which is made from the green chutney. Both excellent drinks.
Must-​try if you’re in the area.

After all the glowing Unilocal reviews (plus a recommendation from my cousin), I decided to plan a double date here. I was surprised that the restaurant was empty on a Friday night. Usually, places with killer Unilocal reviews are packed.
The service was great. When we walked in, we were greeted with a kind smile. Our server periodically checked on us and made sure that we had everything that we needed. He was EXTREMELY patient with Loverboy and his BFF who kept changing their minds on their order. Some servers would have been annoyed at the rate the two boys were going. I would definitely give the service 5 stars.
We spent $ 100 on 1 beer, 2 sodas, 1 banjan (eggplant), 2 bulani, 1 lamb kabob plus extra kabob, 1 beef kabob and 1 chicken kabob plate. Now, this list may sound a lot of items, but do not be deceived. Their portion size is small when compared to other Afghan restaurants we have tried. The plates only come with one stick of kabob served on top of the rice (which is why we ordered an extra stick of the lamb kabob).
I wasn’t a fan of the naan bread that they serve as an appetizer. I found it quite dry so I decided to slather it with some chutney that is available on the table. Everything else was delicious but I do wish they used more tender, juicier and bigger chunks of meat. All of them were perfectly marinated and the flavors went well with the rice. The rice was killer and the spices they used made my tastebuds happy. All the dishes had just the right amount of spice and it wasn’t overpowering. Our favorite was the lamb kabob because it was the juiciest. The chicken was kind of dry but the flavor made up for it.
The bulani was a hit on our table. We liked speading the yogurt sauce on it. The banjan was ok. It was slightly sweet and I liked adding that to my rice. Loverboy was not a fan because of the texture. If you’re like him and you’re a picky eater, don’t get it because the squishy texture of the eggplant will get to you.
All in all I think Amir’s Kabob house is a decent restaurant if you’re craving Afghan food and you’re in the Monterey Bay area. I just think they are a bit overpriced for the amount of meat you get with your meal. I guess I’m just spoiled by the Afghan places I frequent in SF since they are much cheaper and you get more with what you paid for.

We wanted a change of scene and flavor so my gentleman friend suggested Amir’s Kabob House since he had heard good things about this restaurant located on the Lighthouse strip. At first I wasn’t sure but when I jumped on my Droid and noticed that one of my favorite local foodies had 5 star Unilocaled it then it was on like Donkey Kong and I was more than happy to give them a whirl.
I believe both of our Afghan food cherries were popped this evening simultaneously and we enjoyed our experience thoroughly. I think it was a Tuesday evening and although there was no one else in the restaurant we were kindly welcomed even though we showed up right before close. The ambiance was warm and the cold Affligem Blond, a strong Belgian Pale Ale on tap, was cold and über refreshing. It also complimented all the flavors of our food very well.
We started with the Kadu and the Banjan because we are trying to avoid wheat since I’ve been having allergic reactions lately. The pan-​fried butternut squash was warm and magically paired with cooked onions, garlic and placed atop sour cream. Great texture. The Banjan was also served on sour cream and it was a dish of pan-​fried eggplant baked with tomatoes, onions and garlic. Not sure why this popped into my head but this dish would be easy for the elderly to enjoy due to its smooth texture.
If you want a refreshing cold dish or salad I suggest the Shornakhod which was garbonzo beans and potatoes with a hint of spice served in a dressing made of vinegar, garlic and cilantro.
We chose lamb and chicken with our Combo Platter (beef was the third option) and the chicken kabob was Epic. Perfectly cooked and
we could not get enough of what we thought was brown basmati rice but it turned out to be Pallaw — a long grain white rice seasoned with coriander, cardamom and cumin. Pallaw reminded me of short strands of Vermicelli so I was stoked. This was all served w/​a sauteed spinach called Sabzi, killer.
It is hard to please both of our palates and we were impressed. I cannot wait to go back without my gentleman friend so I can try items with wheat like the Mantu — pasta shells filled w/​ground beef onions and herbs, topped w/​sour cream and the Aush — a veggie noodle soup topped with sour cream and garlic… hold the mint. This way I can enjoy the wheat filled dishes without him looking at me slightly disappointed and then suffer a little later (itchy eyes, light hives, eczema, nasal congestion to name a few) but I’m sure it would be well worth it.

I have had Amir’s Kabob House bookmarked since 1÷8÷10 so tonight I decided it was finally time to go. We get there and find out that it was belly dancer night. A dinner and a show, sweet!
Being adventurous I decided to try a new drink doulgi which consisted of yogurt, mint and cucumber only tonight there was no cucumber. I’m not sure if the cucumber would have made the drink better but from what I tasted I did not like it. I believe its one of those acquired taste things.
For my entrée I ordered the Tikka Beef Kabob: marinated beef with pureed onions, garlic, and sun-​dried baby grapes grilled on skewers and served with rice sautéed and spinach. The beef was extremely tender, had lots of flavor, and could taste hints of the grape leaves, garlic and onions. As for the rice, it added a great savory note to the meal and balanced well with the beef.
My friend decided to order the Mantu: pasta shells filled with ground beef, onions, and herbs, topped with sour cream and mixed vegetables. The shells were paper thin but had enough integrity to hold in the wonderful filling inside. Everything on the plate melded well together. I would certainly order this for myself the next time I come.
Overall Thoughts
So far the Monterey Herald hasn’t let me down. Amir’s Kabob House is indeed the Best Middle Eastern Food in the area.