Ariana II

This Afghan restaurant is quite popular with locals in North London, but not so popular with Afghans. The food is good, but not as authentic as is available in many other places in London. The portions are of an awkward size — too big for one person, but not big enough to really share with others. The Qabuli Palao was a let down because the rice wasn’t cooked in the traditional way to be part white, part cooked with the lamb, and part sweet, but instead the delicious leg of lamb was served with turmeric-​coloured yellow rice, much more a feature of the biryani «palaos» of the Subcontinent.
The service was acceptable, but not like the traditional hospitality of Afghans.
Good food, functional, and alternative is how I’d recommend it.
In terms of authenticity among Afghan restaurants in London, I would put this in tier 2.
Tier 1 is authentic Afghan, and possibly even innovational like Jaami.
This list includes Namak Mandi in Tooting; Ariana in Westbourne Terrace; Ariana in Mile End and Jaami in Culmington Parade, Ealing
Tier 2, not inauthentic, yet slightly modified and mixed with other unrelated regional foods (such as hommous) is where I would place Ariana II in Kilburn High Rd
Tier 3, is not even trying to be authentic Afghan, but rather 21^st century innovational and experimental. A shining example of this is Afghan Kitchen in Islington.

Great ambiance and decoration, not too noisy, good service and portion sizes. I had the 3 starter special for 11 pounds and was absolutely stuffed. The Doogh (yogurt drink) was refreshing, tart, and flavourful, the hummus rich and creamy, the naan soft and fresh, pumpkin bolani a little greasy, but deliciously sweet (all bolani I have had is a little greasy, so I think that is just from it being fried), and the aushak just as I remembered form my time in Afghanistan.
All in all, a very pleasant meal. Next time I will try a main course!

We had very good value for money Afghan food coming here and it’s bring your own wine. We had a tasty kadoo buranee — mashed pumpkin in oil and mixed herbs and spices and a delicious kabuli palow — tenderly cooked lamb shank seasoned with Basmati rice.

I went a few times. The Kabuli Palow was amazing.

Service incredibly slow. We ordered two starters and one entrée. It took an hour to get everything but the restaurant was packed. Enjoyable food but the atmosphere was like that of a nice diner. Our server was good so she deserves proper respect. Eat here if you’re not in a rush

Bloody hell, this place has great food at fantastic prices.
I got a mixed stater platter (3 for 10 quid): the Kadoo Buranee (ashed pumpkin in oil and mixed herbs and spices, topped with yoghurt, comes with naan), the Aushak made vegetarian– topped with lentils and spinach instead of ground meat– (boiled dumpling filled with leeks, spices and topped with yoghurt) and finally the Baudinjan Buranee (fried aubergines in olive oil and mixed with herbs and spices with Naan). The pumpkin was my favorite, with a lovely sweetness. The dumplings were OK but the aubergines were also lovely. The naan was SO GOOD OMGGGGG– hot out of the oven, both chewy and crusty. The portions for each were enormous.
I also got the Ras Malae Dumplings for dessert and that was quite nice (made from cottage cheese (paneer) soaked in sweetened thickened milk delicately flavored with cardamom). A light dish, the paneer was just the right texture between soft and firm. The pistachios lent a subtle flavour as well.
For 2 people, 2 main courses, a diet coke and dessert for 26 pounds is amazing.
The service started off really well and then tapered a bit– forgot to bring extra naan, a pot of yogurt, diet coke with the meal– but we’ve had much, much worse.
Would definitely return!

Heard about this place in the timeout magazine, and so made the trek all the way from Bermondsey to Kilburn. Our host was very friendly, warm, and made us feel at home. And the food was divine. We ordered Kabuli Biryani, Munta, the turnovers, and phirnee for desert, all of which are top notch. But the standout item was the pumpkin turnovers. I am not a big pumpkin fan – in fact, I avoid it as far as possible. But these were amazing.
Would definitely go here again.

Very delicious and traditional Afghan food!!! Seating is v lovely… and the staff are very polite…

Does exactly what it promises on the menu, which is «Great Food. Time and Patience. Satisfaction». All very true! If you have time for a leisurely meal, you will find delicious food here. I definitely left here satisfied and with a very happy tummy!
I haven’t had Afghan food in awhile (it’s not easy to find around here) and this was well worth waiting for. The bread was delicious and the hummus was great too. I can’t remember which kabob we had when we were there, but I do remember how much I enjoyed it, which was a lot! I will definitely be coming back here.

The dinner for 2 option is gives you a bit of everything. Nice tender meat and lovely rice. Great homous and flat bread etc. You can BYOB too I think

Ariana II is a delightful little family run Afghan restaurant in Kilburn High Road. There are a good few eateries in Kilburn but this is definitely one of the best in terms of both quality of food and service. Don’t expect the food to come quickly but enjoy the relaxed atmosphere, sit back and chill! The food is delicious — standouts are the kabuli palow (lamb with special rice) and the bolanee kadoo (pumpkin turnovers). The staff are lovely and friendly while the BYOB on alcohol (no corkage fee) means you don’t overspend on restaurant price wine. Regardless of this prices are very reasonable anyway and the portions are so generous you might even end up taking some home!

Ariana II was recommended to me by a friend who knows the area well. One evening on the way to a gig at a nearby venue, I decided to go to Ariana II to start my evening. The restaurant was quite busy and I was lucky to get a table without reservation. And getting this table turned out to become part of the problem. They had a reservation for like one hour later, but I decided to go for it anyway, as I was curious to taste their food.
The food was really delicious. I had a chicken dish and must say it was much better than when I last visited a different Afghan restaurant. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the whole dish just tasted great.
Unfortunately, I waited for my main about 40 minutes. If you only have one hour for your meal, waiting 40 minutes for the main is really not what you want. In addition, the staff were not too attentive, which made my long wait for the main not much better. Finally, I found something on the bill that I had ordered, but it never arrived at my table.
Overall, my impressions of Ariana II are very mixed. While the food was quite tasty, the service let them down. I guess I have to go there again to find out if that evening was just spoilt, or if the service is always like that. For the food, I can definitely recommend Ariana II.

I’m not sure how it is in the resturant but there delivers is awful and poor
Value for money. I order the lam Chop and I got 3 small lam chops and very little rice. I will never ever ever order form Here aging. Just to note for people afghan food and Iranian food are same but with small variations. And I know the what is the right portion for every dish. And this restaurant just toke the P**** Ever! £15 down the toilet. I should have ordered pizza.

Ariana II is the place to go if you are looking for some good Afghan food in London. And not just because it’s one of only two such places in the city (as far as I know), but because the food is just damn good and excellent value!
I found myself in Kilburn for the first time (I’m more an SE type of guy) and with a touch of trepidation made my way to Ariana II. This was the first stop on the «Alphabetical Round the World Eating Tour» that my friend Sharon S and I have decided to embark upon. The rules are simple: each month, we find a place that serves ethnic food from a country with the relevant letter. As this was the first month, we needed an «A» country and, since neither of us had ever had it, decided on Afghan cuisine.
The restaurant is comfortably decorated with old Persian-​style rugs and appears to be family owned. This was further reinforced by our waitress telling me it was a good thing her uncle wasn’t there when I managed to spill my appetiser all over the rug. Apparently he’s quite fond of his rugs and would have been very upset had he seen it covered in meat. Oops… I swear that plate flew off the table on its own!
Anyways, more to the point, they were incredibly gracious despite my faux pas and brought another dish to replace the one I scattered to the four winds.
I would need the menu in front of me to accurately spell the names of the dishes, so I’ll settle for describing the food.
Our appetisers comprised of a flat bread folded in half and fried with a meaty filling, some vegetable samosas, and a very large plate of hummus. The flat bread was delicious (and this is what I sent flying to the ground) although a bit hard to cut with a butter knife. The soft bread with a crispy buttery crust and rich meaty filling was something I could easily eat all day. The accompanying chilli vinaigrette was excellent as well and definitely brought the pain!
The samosas were good but nothing special. I found that a lot of dishes were very similar to Indian foods but with a slightly different balance of spices. I imagine there was a lot of cross-​pollination between the cultures back in the day. The hummus was excellent with a light delicate flavour and an excellent balance of chickpea, garlic, and acidic lemon. Too often one component dominates the other and I’d wager this was the best hummus I’ve had since leaving Saudi Arabia.
Our mains were the house speciality (which essentially was a slow braised lamb shank covered in spiced rice) and a meat and chickpea dish. Each portion was enough for two and we were already approaching capacity with just the appetisers. Still, the tender lamb fell off the bone with each forkful and encouraged us to eat just a bit more. And how can you say no to tender meat?
We did try the fermented yoghurt drink which reminded me of a plain lassi but was a bit plain and to thick to drink in large quantities. However, if spice isn’t your thing, this would be a great balancer to the heat of the dishes.
We had to waive off any attempt at dessert as our bellies were just about past the bursting point. The total bill came to £33 for the two of us making it by far one of the best value meals I’ve had in ages.
Overall, I would be back soon if I didn’t live about an hour bike ride away. Hell, once we get back to the «A“s, it may be hard to pick another place as I’ll be wanting to try Ariana II again!

Last night was my first time trying Afghan food, and I was so thoroughly satisfied having my first meal be at Ariana! My friends who have been here at least six times already took me there, insistent that I would love it. I am a big foodie and truly enjoy different and new food experiences. Everything we had was absolutely delicious! We tried these fantastic dumplings (ausha) with minced lamb and a tomato-​based sauce that I could have eaten all night! Kabuli palow was our main course, lamb shank served with a yellow rice iced with raisins and red bell peppers. Amazing! Then Te desserts came… I thought I had enough, but nope. We tried all their desserts… baklava (perfect), firnee (pudding…my favorite), and rasmalee (cottage cheese soaked in sweet milk… awesome)!
On top of that, the service was genuinely friendly and quick, the restaurant décor clean and charming, and there’s NO CORK SERVICE CHARGE if you want to bring your own drinks!!!
I am sad that I don’t live in London and can’t make Ariana II a regular place to dine, but I guess I can head to their NYC location!
Go and support this fantastic family-​run business!

I’m a newcomer to Afghan cuisine and this little gem has definitely charmed my taste buds.
Between my aunt and I, we shared:
Aushak– dumplings filled with meat with chickpeas and yogurt. Great little appetizer.
Kadoo Bolanee– basically a turnover filled with pumpkin purée, nice fusion of sweet and savory flavors.
Kabuli palow– reminiscent of tandoori chicken but spices were slightly different. Served with delicious long-​grained rice.
Firnee– finished off our lunch with this delicious pudding/​custard.
Overall, so glad I came here and will be back next time I’m back in London.

The food was brilliant and the service was absolutely amazing. I went with two friends and we ended up staying for 3 hours, chatting with one waiter (who I assume is the owner) about what to order and what’s his favourite dish. For him, explaining the food was not a chore but a joy that constantly brought a smile to his face. They seem to have a good local following as he later greeted people in a familiar fashion.
We had the aushak which are sort of similar to dumplings or ravioli but spicy better than I anything I’ve ever tasted. Drank dough which is a yogurty, cucumber mint drink and normally I’m not keen on yogurt based drinks. All of us chose the same main (the owner politely suggested next time we should order different things so we can all taste each other’s) which was perfectly cooked, tender lamb that fell off the bone with raisin, carrot and pistachio rice. The portion was immense (probably because we also had a few different starters to begin with). I actually had the rest for lunch the next day. But of course that didn’t stop us from dessert. I can’t remember the name of the dish but it was similar to rice pudding only with cardamom and pistachios. We were so full but it slipped down so easily. They also do cardamom tea and coffee which we of course had to end the meal with!
And after all this food the surprise was that it didn’t break the bank! We were actually quite surprised at how inexpensive it all was taking into account the portions and how helpful and accommodating the staff had been, so we left a nice tip and the owner’s son seemed genuinely shocked and grateful that we did. We promised we’d return and even though the three of us live nowhere near, I know we definitely will.

Let me start with honesty.
I’ve walked past this place MANY times with friends in the last 10months and never given it a second glance. Someone else has pointed it out to me. Last night a friend again suggested it, after a few scoops in the Black Lion.
«Did you know there are only two of them in the world? Ariana 1 in New York and this is the second place?»
I did not know and i’m a sucker for those statistics not to mention trying a new style of cuisine.
Ariana did not disappoint.
What kind of food? Its like kebab meets indian meets persia… all of it delicious.
I ordered Kabuli Palow with Kofta Kebab — ground lamb marinated in spices with a salad and rice topped with carrots, raisons, almond and pistachio.
It was heaven, the spices are a perfect mix. As a drink order I went with a jug of Dough (pronounced Doch) which is effectively a yogurt drink with mnt and salt… doesn’t sound amazing right. WRONG. This is the cherry that makes the meal into something else. Complete. Its like drinking a glass of tsatziki or something…
The bill is incredibly reasonable and the staff are wonderfully polite and up-​sell at every opportunity, which bothers me not at all. I will be going again and bringing others with me.
They also deliver…

Ariana I, in case you’re wondering, is an established Afghan restaurant in Manhattan, New York. The owner, Mohammad Wali, who also has family here, couldn’t find a good site in central London, so settled for Kilburn!
Came here with my girlfriend after reading some positive reviews. We had a good experience and I’d recommend Ariana II for tasty, inexpensive Afghan food in a friendly environment. The manager/​owner works hard to make you feel at home. This sort of service is so hard to find in London (for this price). I expected the food to be similar to indians but I was so wrong — it doesn’t even come close. very authentic afghani food. Don’t expect anything spicy, in fact the food is bland, but tasty. When the bill came, it was a nice surprise. Aushak is something you must try when you are there.

Came here with a group of friends after reading the positive review in Time Out. We had an absolutely fantastic experience and I’d highly recommend Ariana II for tasty, inexpensive Afghan food in a friendly environment. The manager/​owner is an absolute riot and works hard to make you feel at home. This sort of service is so hard to find in London so I found it a really welcome change from the norm. The food was very tasty– similar to Indian food (at least among the vegetarian options) but somewhat less spicy. When the bill came, we were all delighted that our huge feast of food was such a steal. Definitely recommended, especially if you are lucky enough to live nearby!