Ariana Grill

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  Food here is good.  However....
  
  Every single time we order take out - without fail - part of the meal is missing.  Like the vegetables it says the entree comes with on the menu.
  
  And they act all offended when I ask and double check that yes, the rice and vegetables it is supposed to come with is in there.  
  
  And when I get it home?  No rice or veggies.   Every time.   TONS of bread - way more than we can eat with the meal.  But not a single vegetable.
  
  I'd order from here more often if I didn't feel like I was ripped off every time by having part of the meal I paid for missing from the take out bags.

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  Posted on 02.02.13 Beth O.

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  I've had the gyro sandwich and the lamb kabobs. The gyro was pretty standard, although I did appreciate that the bread was fresh and soft, unlike some places. The lamb kabob platter was awesome! The lamb was moist and flavorful; the rice was tasty, and the kadu was among the best I've had.

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  Posted on 01.21.13 R R.

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  3.5 stars
  
  Good. Interesting flat dumplings.
  
  While the food was tasty, it didn't stand out spectacularly. That said, they had these breads and such. Including a hub cap sized sweet spiced cake bread.
  
  THAT ALONE is worth going and getting one to take home.

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  Posted on 10.24.12 Jason E.

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  I go here often, the restaurant is super clean-- even the bathrooms (and that's rare).  The food is yummy and authentic Afghan.  The couple who own it--the husband is a bit of a grouch, but his wife is super nice and will even come out to your table (if she has time) and check to make sure all is okay.  There's no waitstaff, you just order, sit down, then take your food when it's ready.  I've also had them cater for parties (I've Afghan) and they were wonderful.

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  Posted on 10.03.12 Angela R.

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  Great gyro and fries! Service is great too! Good for groups!

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  Posted on 09.23.12 Khadra M.

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  Regular bread is not very good here and for me it's the key to my meal, if I can get a perfect bite of bread and wrap it around a piece of succulent grilled meat--not the case here.  I liked the bolani, it was tasty (stuffed flatbread appetizer).  Get the leek or the potato stuffing, but you should eat-in for that as it's best freshly made.  
  
  I am going to try some other things because I keep seeing good reviews, maybe I am just not ordering the right things.Chicken kabob was dry, rice was brownish leading me to believe that it's got some kind of seasoning on it, but it was surprisingly bland. Lamb was tough for me. Kubideh kebob was just ok.  Chickpeas were forgettable and under seasoned.  
  
  My "to go" order took almost 30 mins so I am going to also hope the kitchen turns around quicker next time.

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  Posted on 08.13.12 E S.

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  I would give this place a 4 star.  Food is not to salty and their weekdays lunch specials are worth it.  The kabobs are always tender and moist.  The owner is a nice guy once you get to know him and he knows you're a regular.  He can come off as direct and mean but he has a soft spot.  If you live/work nearby, I recommend their lunch specials and they advertise in the local flyers.

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  Posted on 06.13.12 Iced V.

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  The food is decent, but the service is horrible, and the place is dirty.  The man of few words behind the counter usually only has rude words for his customers.  For example the most recent (and last) experience was my wife ordered by phone on her way home from work, was stuck in traffic, then went to pick up her food.  The man said "I was going to call you - you are late".  My wife said she was stuck in traffic, and he responds "next time be sure to arrive on time".  HA!  There won't be a next time because we will never frequent this restaurant again.  There are plenty of other, arguably better, Kabob places in the area - Food Corner on little river, Kabob House on Van Dorn, and even House of Kabob in Springfield Mall.  All great Kabob places, and you don't have to deal with the miserable and rude man behind the counter.  No call for that kind of attitude.

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  Posted on 05.24.12 J S.

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  By far this is the best Afghan spot I've found in the area.  The place is clean and I did find the staff easy going and pleasant to my requests.  I had the mixed kabob which I've posted the picture on the site.  You can see the serving size is great and the rice was outstanding.  The lamb/chicken were cooked to perfection and the fresh bread was a great accompaniment.  So if you like Afghani food, try this spot.

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  Posted on 04.09.12 Mark A.

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  I must admit, the food here is fantastic, but the service is horrible. We've been here a couple of times and as always, the food was great and we tolerated the service. The last time we went however, really made me angry. It was Christmas night and this was one of the only restaurants open. The old guy at the counter was just so damn rude! He just acted like why are all these white people in his restaurant. Seemed so annoyed by our presence. We were not rowdy or noisy so I don't know what his problem was. I think he is a racist. Will never come back here for that reason. They are much friendlier at Afghan Kabob and food is very good too.

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  Posted on 03.23.12 Ly S.

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  I know the owner/cook personally....she's a wonderful, hardworking lady.  The food here is great.  Everything is great, except ONE THING.  Her husband.  He's the guy that never smiles, has bad customer service and is a bit socially awkward.  Good news is you will hardly have any interaction with him.  Most of the time, he sits in a corner playing chess, not even at the register.  The young white guy at the register is much better anyway, he will most likely be taking your order. Go here, get the Mantu and one Bolani.

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  Posted on 03.04.12 Angie R.

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  We walked in around 8:45 tonight and asked what time they close - they said 9:30 and asked us to come in.  When we walked up to the register, the man said (no smile, no hello) "Just make sure you leave by 9:30".  We that was a strange statement but figured no problem - 30 minutes is definitely enough time for us to eat.  
  
  What peeved me was that he kept buzzing around us, turned off the lights and the TV around 9:10...we felt very unwelcome as paying customers.  
  
  The food was subpar- kubideh was the only thing good.  Kabuli pulao was dry and bland.  
  
  As much as I love to recommend family owned neighborhood restaurants, I can't recommend Ariana.  Don't spend your money here.

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  Posted on 11.02.11 Hen S.

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  I have frequented Ariana Grill at least four or five times and they get a solid 4 stars.
    Their kabobs: beef, chicken, and kubideh are delicious. AGs kabobs aren't heavily salted, so you can taste its freshness. Compared to other places, their side salads are the best I have had and their chick peas are really good-not too salty, and have a perfect texture (not too mushy).
    I agree with others that the owner can be a grouch, but if you talk to him, you can tell that he takes great pride in the food he serves.

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  Posted on 10.19.11 Mimi P.

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  Decent, cheap and pretty fast.  AND they deliver, so I threw in an extra star for that alone.  
  
  They have a surprisingly small number of vegetarian entrées considering it's Afghan food, but what they do serve is very good.  All of my non-veggie friends really love their kabobs and gyros.  My only real complaint is that their bread is only average, which is sad, because usually Afghani breads are awesome.

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  Posted on 06.10.11 C. K.

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  Really liked their tzatziki on the gyro.  A good stop for lunch.

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  Posted on 06.09.11 Josiah P.

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  The food here is really tasty and and hits the spot if you're looking for something relatively quick. The people here are always more than friendly!
  
  I usually order the chicken kabob or chicken gyro, which are both very flavorful.  I have ordered both in the restaurant and to-go. I have noticed that you get a lot more food if you order in the restaurant. Portions are relatively large anyway, so if you come here for a late lunch you probably won't need to eat dinner!
  
  I've been more "wowed" with kabob elsewhere, however  this place is yummy and the people are wonderful.  Also, if you like spicy food-- ask for the green cucumber yogurt sauce. It's pretty amazing.

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  Posted on 04.18.11 Jennifer S.

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  been here 4x because it is down the street from my home. very SMALL portions (good if you're dieting), I've ordered Chicken kabob and the Chicken and Beef combo----- it comes with small amt of rice, 1 side and a few lettuce on the side. The woman that works there (management/owner??) allows me to choose and 2nd side item instead of the lettuce which makes it a nice meal...but the angry man that works there who never smiles and acts like you are bothering him---(just when placing order) will not allow this. He also makes you pay extra for sauce--which is policy.
  Chicken Kabobs tasty, beef always chewy, chick peas are too firm for my taste, but I DO LOVE THEIR SPINACH!!! which is why i come back.

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  Posted on 03.20.11 christine c.

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  You get MORE than what you pay for.  Inexpensive place with great food!  I love getting their chicken kabob platter with the chick peas.  Their chicken seems to be best compared to the beef or lamb.  I find this dish to be enough for 2...unless you are very hungry.  Also...I love love love their cucumber yogurt sauce.  It is cool and refreshing with a little kick of heat. I also usually get their Gyro sandwich, which comes with french fries.
  
  We used to live less than a mile from here.  With our move now we live about 20 minutes away.  I will def. make the trip out here when I get cravings!

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  Posted on 11.23.10 Erica L.

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  Cheap eats and solid food!  I really enjoyed the combo kabob with spinach and chick peas.  Fresh bread comes with the meal and it is delicious.  I am not in this part of town often but if I am, I'll be back for more.

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  Posted on 09.19.10 Daniel K.

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  The food is a good change of pace when you're eating out at the last second.  The kids often head into Del Mar's Burrito place or Subway next door while we duck in here for some food to go.
  
  The Kabob's and gyro were both good.  I like a beer with my Afghan food, so I always grab it to go, but the restaurant looks clean and pleasant.  
  The appetizers are awesome, try the Aushak, Mantu, Sambosa's.  I can never remember the names,  but any dumpling or wrapped type thing is very, very good.  I As somebody mentioned, you order at the desk and they bring your food out to your table.

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  Posted on 09.08.10 Larry L.

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  Went to Ariana Grill a few months ago with my client as he wanted me to try out one of his old favorite Afghan places.  Walking in the place I noticed that although it is set up as a restaurant, there is a counter towards the end of the room where you would place your order.  The place was empty and we decide to start off lunch with an order of the Baba Ganoush and I chose the kabob combo for my lunch entree while my client ordered some lamb kabobs.  
  
  As soon as we sat down, the kind lady working both the register and acting as the lone server came to our table holding a small plate and some bread.  It was our Baba Ganoush starter.  The flavor of the Baba Ganoush was just okay and really made me appreciate the Baba Ganoush from the Lebanese Taverna market.  This Baba Ganoush didn't taste too fresh and seemed as if it needed something extra.  Not being the Baba Ganoush expert I just couldn't put my finger on what it was....  
  
  About 15 minutes later the combo kabob entree I ordered arrived.  This combo included some grilled chicken kabobs and some ground beef kabobs served upon a brownish colored rice.  The chicken kabobs were tasty but a bit dry while the beef kabobs were okay, but slightly under-spiced...and would have easily benefited from a bit more salt and spices to add a little more flavor.
  
  The rice was tasty as it had cumin seeds which made it one of the better parts of the lunch combo.  The fresh bread was okay, but it didn't pair well with the already dry chicken.  I ended up using quite a bit of the yogurt sauce to keep everything moist.
  
  Once my client and I had both wolfed down our meals, he asked for the check and paid the bill.  Being the kind fella that he is, my client didn't allow me to pay for anything, which made me feel like a mooch, but I thanked him for his kindness.  
  
  As we walked back to the car my client was already expecting to hear my thoughts about the food at Ariana Grill.  I could tell by his behavior that he wasn't too enthusiastic himself about this experience at Ariana Grill to which I simply said, "It was okay, but there are some other places I'd like to recommend."  He nodded and agreed that the food wasn't as good as it was in the past and even apologized for bringing me to Ariana Grill.
  
  I felt a bit like a jerk for being so honest, but knew he would appreciate my honest feedback.  I told him next time lunch was on me and that we needed to hit one of the many kabob places in and around our area.
  
  Will I ever return to Ariana Grill?  Probably not.  The food just wasn't overwhelming and there so many better kabob places closer to work and in Arlington.  On the plus side the lone lady working was quite friendly and attentive and made the experience all that much better.

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  Posted on 06.25.10 Antonio M.

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  I came here on a random Saturday evening.  I glanced over the menu and after a few moments of debating, I played it safe and ordered a chicken shawwarma.  I think it's pretty hard to mess it up, but Ariana manage to.  It taste like a chicken pita sandwich drenched  with italian dressing.  Far from what i'm use to.  
  
  I will not be returning.

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  Posted on 02.24.10 Pip C.

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  We live close by and were glad to see a restaurant fo this type open nearby.  I am a huge gyro fan and they pile it on.  You can order several different trypes of salads and have the gyro added on.  A hearty salad for like $11 including their fresh baked bread.  My wife and I have had some lamb dishes, kabobs and a few other Afghan specialties and have been wowed and very satisfied every time.  I think the prices are very reasonable and since its close, a place we frequent several times a month.  I hope they continue doing well.

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  Posted on 01.22.10 Michael S.

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  One of the benefits of writing reviews is that it gets me to try new places that normally I'd drive past.  This is one of those places.  I figured this is one of those Bradlick restaurants that would die after a few months.  I was wrong.
  
  This is one of those restaurants that you walk into, order at the counter, and they bring your food to you.  I got a gyro platter with gyro meat, pita triangles, salad, and choice of fries or rice.  The fries were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  The pita triangles were meh.  The salad was ok but I'm convinced that the dressing on it was Kraft Zesty Italian...a little lazy.  I cannot speak to the authenticity of the gyro but the meat was exactly how I like it...crispy on the edges and tender in the center.  The meat itself had good flavor and wasn't spicy.  All I need is some garlic mayo and I'm set.  The yogurt sauce that came with it was meh.  The prices are on the high side especially for the kabobs.
  
  The decor is like that of a takeout place.  The woman at the register was really nice.  I see this place as competition for Food Corner but I'll have to try the kabobs here to figure out who comes out on top.

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  Posted on 12.07.09 Anson P.

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  Ariana Grill in the Bradlick Shopping Center is a simple, yet tasty Kabob-style restaurant. While not the greatest of it's type, we found it good enough to return to a handful of times. The gyros are good but could use more tzatziki sauce and the Lamb kabobs were decent. If you live in the area, I'd definitely recommend it for a quick, week-night dinner, but probably not worth going out of your way for.

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  Posted on 10.28.09 Mike H.

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