Helmand Palace

Great food, good sized portions, the staff was very friendly and welcoming. Definitely a unique gem in SF and worth a visit. Try the Kaddo appetizer!

Got the food delivered. Hot, delicious and huge portions. Loved the kaddo and kebabs.

This place is so delicious and the staff so gracious, it floors me. Try the meat pillows and the vegetable special. Plus it’s reasonable. Highly recommend it.

This is one of my go-​to restaurants in the city. Truly underrated. I love any lamb dish here and of course the kaddo. They have a special parking deal with the Walgreens nearby (I believe it’s $ 5 to park at the Walgreens lot). Definitely check it out especially if you like lamb and dishes that are super flavorful and hearty — perfect for a chilly night in SF.

Integrity is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Helmand Palace.
Full disclosure: I waitressed for this restaurant back in ’99, when it was located on Broadway. I was simultaneously working at another extremely popular North Beach eatery and the difference was night and day. Helmand’s kitchen was pristine and all the food was prepared with the utmost care. Our manager had us all arrive early for our shifts and sit down together for a family style meal before any guests arrived. I have very fond memories of my time there.
That said; I am über impressed with the current state of affairs in their newish incarnation. The flavors are as incredible as I remembered and the service is as soft, subtle and elegant as you might find in much pricier restaurants.
Try the kaddo — a silky sweet pumpkin appetizer with a slightly sour yogurt sauce that balances the flavor profile perfectly. It is great with or without beef.
The aushak is another delicious appetizer. It’s a bit like ravioli without the marinara.
All of the entrees I have tried have been delicious, but dessert is always particularly exquisite. They make it all in-​house. The baklava and rice pudding are delectable.
It was pretty empty on a Thursday night… I hope this place hangs in there as it offers this undeserving city an incredible culinary experience.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, yet I have never seen it too busy, and whenever I go, there are always many empty tables.
My favorite dishes are Mourgh Challow and Seek Kebab. Mourgh Challow is like a chicken curry dish at an Indian restaurant. It has a milder taste, but still manages to pack a lot of flavor. The Seek Kebab basically consists of lamb skewers. They are grilled to perfection, and have none of the tang that sometimes characterizes lamb dishes. The sides for this dish are also great, though I don’t remember what they are.
The bread and dipping sauce that they give you at the beginning are also good. I particularly like the chili sauce. Be careful, though: it is quite spicy. If you accidentally have too much, the yogurt sauce will help put out the fire in your mouth.
In a recent visit, four of us split three dishes and an appetizer. That was plenty of food, and did not end up being all that pricy.
Overall, I highly recommend this place.

Delicious! Everything we ate was super flavorful. We got both the Vegetarian Aushak and Vegetarian Mantwo for appetizers, which wasn’t really necessary because they’re pretty similar. I love that there’s a whole page of veg options (woohoo!) and opted for the Special so that I could try a little of everything (pumpkin, eggplant, spinach, okra, and pallow — rice with cardamom, cinnamon, and nutmeg). The pumpkin was my favorite — it could have been dessert. But since we’re gluttons, we did get dessert: rice pudding, which I’m typically not a fan of, but the cardamom was a nice touch.
The service wasn’t super attentive and the décor could use a revamp, but the food will keep me coming back, especially since it’s reasonably priced. Even though there was no wait on a Friday at 7, since I noticed they do free delivery I’ll probably do that next time.

I love this place and go here as often as I can swing it. I’ve tried a good chunk of the menu by now, from flavorful lamb rice plates to the delicious soups on the starter menu. If you’re even remotely considering going here, read the menu– you’ll see how mouthwatering it sounds and you will have to check it out!
All of the dishes I’ve tried are excellent: they taste fresh, lots of flavor, and unique spice profiles from what you find in a lot of other types of cuisine. There is a lot more lamb on their menu than you see at many other restaurants– I’m actually not sure if that is a constant in Afghan cuisine or just their style, but I love it! They also have chicken and fish dishes though, as well as vegetarian options. We love getting the pumpkin Kaddo as a starter, or the Aushuk ravioli-​like starter. For the main, I usually get the Qabelee with lamb or the Mourgh Challow chicken dish.
Service is always good here too– I always feel like they’re taking good care of us. The restaurant is sometimes buzzing, sometimes on the emptier side, but regardless I think the service is solid. They do take reservations if you want to plan ahead.
Also: This is a great place to take people with eating restrictions. They have vegetarian sections in their menu, plus there’s a lot of gluten-​free options. They do make a lot of things with yogurt but I’ve gone with someone who can’t eat dairy and they could easily help her out, too.

To the uninitiated, I’ve decided the best way to describe Afghan food is as a milder version of Indian food but with more flavorful rice. Helmand Palace is our go to place when craving Middle Eastern flavors in a quick, clean, casual setting with good service. My husband and I visit this place every few months and have yet to be disappointed. On our most recent visit we had the veggie mantwo, sabzi challow, and mourgh kabab (plus complimentary flat bread). Having had most of the appetizer offerings, I would recommend the bowlawni, kaddo, and banjan. The sabzi challow never disappoints — there’s something about pureed spinach that makes me want to willingly eat my veggies. The chicken in the mourgh kabab was moist with a smokey flavor. Challow is almost like the rice you get in an Indian restaurant. Pallow has lots of exciting flavors that meld together. Portions are filling without being overwhelming. Skip the dessert, dinner is the main event here.

Amazing Afgan food!
After a long drive from LA we checked into our hotel and we’re too lazy to go out. Unilocaled something within delivery distance and this popped up. I was told it would take 40 minutes but it came in under 25! Which was awesome because we were starving. Food was amazing and perfectly warmed up! The Qaabli rice with lamb was so good! We devoured it! We also had ordered mantoo and balawn, both were amazing. I took off one star because we had also ordered the chicken kabob, but they brought beef instead. They beef kabobs were good too, but I was looking forward to trying their chicken.

Great restaurant!. to begin with, parking is offered at the nearby walgreens for only $ 5 and the house takes care of the rest.
The place is warm and cozy themed in elegant classic vintage blue. The music is very transforming and soothing, very suitable for having a great conversation while still in the afghani mood.
The food is exquisite, it has its own unique oriental cuisine aroma and taste in a way that it stands out from all other eastern cuisines. The complementary trio-​sauces dip and house bread are a perfect starter. They have a variety of appetizers, my fav. is kaddo (the pumpkin), very delicate, light and full of flavors. They also serve veggie version of almost all their regular dishes. The entrees menue is way rich, I loved the Qablee (lamb and rice), the Chowpan (lamb ribs) and the Mourgh Challow (chicken) me and my friends shared. We even went crazy and ordered a dessert! Buclava! That was just terrific finale for a lovely winter-​night out. The welcoming working team really nailed it, thanks guys! P. s. the prices are totally reasonable and affordable and the portions are very generous!

Once again… Businesses that offer their discounted services on Groupon do not want to provide good customer service once they learn that you’ve purchased their deal. Then what is the point of attracting new customers with discounts at all… Maybe I would’ve been better off not even knowing about this place.
On a Wednesday night, I walked into an empty place. My boyfriend was staying at work later, so I thought it would be nice to try out a new place by myself. I told my waitress that I have a Groupon for $ 20. She said that I can’t use it as I came by myself. So asked her if I should leave? And she said I’m afraid so (!!!) or you would have to order an additional entrée. It turns out that their Groupon HAS to be used for a party of two or more…
The place is empty for a reason. They definitely don’t make you feel welcomed. I will never be coming back again and will make sure my friends know this too!

Great food, good portions and good service. The food is excellent. Great ethnic Afghani food in a
Modern setting. Prices are very reasonable. Try the banjan (egg plant) appetizer (excellent).

Oh my … First time there a few weeks ago., had a fun interaction with the owner and staff. My friends had been there before. I’m not a vegetarian, had lamb, all great, but the rice and different veggies were so behind yummy„ oh yes the bread, anyway, veggie plate for next time. Save room for dessert. The restaurant is fair size, Go and enjoy

Great food! Great service at reasonable prices. Food is outstanding, and menu selection is amazing!

Afghani food is some of my favorite food. For those of you that haven’t tried it, it’s a little bit similar to Indian food (but probably not the kind you’re used to at Indian restaurants).
Our waiter was friendly and really helpful. He recommended the kaddo as an appetizer, and it was amazing! I never thought roasted pumpkin could taste like that. Oddly enough, it kind of tasted like mango chutney. They also give you bread to start off with and a trio of sauces (and the bread is actualy warm!) The tomato sauce was surprisingly spicy, but not overwhelming. The yogurt was my favorite. The cilantro was good too, but a little vinegary. I wish we saved more of the bread to eat with the pumpkin.
I ordered the chicken kabob with pallow, and it came with spinach and roasted vegetables. The pallow was really flavorful and delicious, but the chicken was a little over cooked and bland.
We also ordered the lamb challow. Now I don’t usually like lamb, but this was actually really good! The meat wasn’t tough at all, and challow was really flavorful too. Also, this came with more kaddo!
I definitely recommend the kaddo, and maybe skipping over the kabobs to order something that’s a little bit harder to find at some of the other Persian restaurants in the city.

This a very good afghan restaurant. The place has a nice ambiance. The customer service is friendly and attentive. During my visit, I ordered a few items. All of the them were wonderful. I started out with the pita? bread. It came with three dipping sauces (cilantro, yogurt, chili). Then I ordered the Aush soup (meat and spaghetti soup). It was delicious and hardy. After that, I ordered the Mantwo. The yogurt covered meat dumplings were delicious and flavorful. (Mantwo comes from the Chinese word Manto 饅頭, it tasted different than Chinese version of the dish). After that, I ordered the Qabelee. It consisted of deboned lamb shank and afghan rice pilaf. It was cooked perfectly. I never knew rice pilaf could taste this good. Incidentally, the word Pilaf comes from the afghan word Pallow. The rice and lamb were moist and tender. The pilaf tasted very sweet. Lastly, I had the afghan pudding (Ferni). It is a milk pudding with fruit, pistachios, and cardamom spicies. It was good. It had a strong aroma. Overall, I had a wonderful time at this restaurant.
Since Afghanistan is located on the Silk Road between Europe and the Far East, their cuisine has a lot of variety and a lot of influences from other countries.

Afghani is my favorite food after eating at Helmand Palace. My husband and I bought a Groupon to try there food and we fell so much in love with it that we bought another Groupon on same place.
I would go their on a date mostly because of the ambiance and light authentic music in the background. I love to eat in such places which has a delightful ambiance and light music it makes you calm while you are enjoying the delicious food.
Our favorite was their Naan-​e-​Afghani (their Afghani bread). Vegetarian Aushak was delicious too. I am not really a fan of their kaddoo as it is too sweet for me instead I would order Banjan Challow or Pallow.

Beef sauce. Let that one simmer for a moment.
Helmand always delivers the goods (literally and figuratively).
Saucy. Yogurt sauce, beef sauce, cilantro sauce,
Variety of meat and vegetable options — most covered with either a yogurt or beef sauce. Yeah, beef sauce. Vegetarian friendly, nonetheless, with all veg items clearly listed on the menu.
After four or so meals here, everything seems like one variation of another dish on the menu. Tender lamb in rice with sweet raisins and carrots and the ravioli are certainly worth trying. The vegetarian combo plates are a great deal and a fairly heavy meal. Most entrees come with rice, a rarity these days. Most run $ 12 – 17.
One of my biggest qualms with this place is that no matter the weather outside, it is always freezing in the restaurant. I’ve never taken off my jacket for dinner and I’ve seen others wearing scarves. It definitely takes away from the comfort and enjoyment of the meal. While there is nothing modern about the food or décor, Helmand flies under the radar and is a solid meal with little to no wait worth checking out.

I LOVE this place! I am gluten-​free and have always had really great luck here! The Kaddo is the best i’ve ever had and I find myself CRAVING it! They have alot of vegetarian options as well (for my wife) and the service staff are extremely accommodating.
The only thing I would love to see if a better wine/​drink menu. I have, on two occasions, had wine that had gone bad.

The meal for four was very enjoyable. We chose to share four first courses and three second courses. The dessert menu is worth looking at too if you still have room. We tried Bucklawa and Sheerekh; both very good.
There is complimentary bread and three dips. The chilli dip is hot. Our waitress kept our iced water glasses filled throughout the meal too.
All the dishes were good but there were a few highlights. The pumpkin first course was beautifully sweet. The meat in the Seek Kabab was crispy charred on the outside and pink in the middle. The sauce for the Mourgh Challow was excellent.
Also, try the Turkish Coffee as they didn’t miss with the spices and it was a good finish to the meal.

This place is delicious, great atmosphere as well as service. It was my first time trying Afghani food and it was super tasty. The Kaddo is a must have, totally unexpected flavor profile and really enjoyable.
I think we’ll probably order in next time, but definitely worth a try!

Just ordered takeout and was pretty impressed. This is one of the only times I have had Afghan food, but I would guess this is pretty authentic stuff. Had the Kaddo, which is sugared baked pumpkin covered in yogurt and ground beef — sounds a little crazy, and it is, but I really enjoyed it. Very flavorful and unusual in a good way. Also ordered the Mourgh Challow which is similar to a chicken curry, but much more mild/​subtle than indian or thai curry. Came in a creamy, rich sauce with some tomatoes. Chicken could have been a little bit more moist (I think its mostly breast), but its still good in the sauce.
It’s also not very crowded and pretty large, so it would be a good place to bring a large party, last minute (assuming your crowd is a bit more adventurous).

Awesome spot for a nice but affordable date night (i.e. Tinder date with an ⁸⁄₁₀ prospect and you get to show off how uniquely cultured you are knowing legit ethnic cuisines other than some fake ramen shit)
Must Gets:
–Kaddo, aka pumpkin with meat ragu, is one of the best I’ve tasted, the pumpkin is very well baked and smooth like orange baby butts and not powdery like bore-​me-​potatoes
–Qabelee Pallow, another one of my go-​to standard afghan dishes, perfectly cooked pallow rice mixed with well-​complemented raisins and carrots, covering generous portions of tender and non-​gamey lamb shank
Okay:
–Mourgh Challow, aka chicken breast curry, the curry was good but chicken was too dry and looked like potato chunks at first leading to my near freak out at the vegetarianism of the dish, challow rice was very well cooked and fragrant
Setting:
–Not as nice as Kabul but much better than the De Afghanan Kabob House neglected-​kids cafeteria corner
–Not the most modern and sleek setting, but nice and cozy on the inside with good amount of space
Service:
–Very attentive, pseudo-​fine-​dining standards
Wine:
–Very affordable by restaurant standards, get ittt
Best Afghan food in the Bay Area on par with Kabul in Sunnyvale.

I love Afghan food, and it’s nice there are so many places that offer it around the bay area. Dishes like mantoo and kado are amongst my favourites, but unfortunately. I didn’t find the flavours I was looking for here.
The food tended on the bland side, to my surprise. I was really looking forward to the mantwo but I couldn’t taste any flavour in it. I guess there was some meat in some dough with some peas and yogurt, but it was uninspiring.
On top of that, service was really, really slow. We stayed until they closed (big party), but we also didn’t get food for at least 30 mins after we ordered. A friend of mine went to the bathroom which was near the kitchen and saw some people fighting in there, which might have resulted in the meh food. I guess restaurants can have off-​days — but to be honest, that was a bit ridiculous.
Well, at least we all got fed.

Sehr empfehlenswert!
Viele vegetarische Speisen!
Sehr gutes Preis-​/​Leistungsverhältnis