Review Afghan Horsemen Restaurant - Vancouver

Went here for the first time and it is now one of my new favourite restaurants. It has a great location right at the entrance to Granville island, and the atmosphere in the restaurant is great. We had the floor seating, which made for a great experience- the cushions were comfortable and it was a fun dining environment. We chose the dine out Vancouver menu. Each dish was presented well and was bursting with flavour. The food portions were very generous and made me anticipate my next visit and the other menu items I would try. The service was great and our waitress was helpful in giving recommendations. All in all a great visit, and I look forward to the next one!

Service was great, server was super friendly and knowledgeable. We ordered a share platter - lots of food for 3 of us! Drinks were fantastic and in fun cups! Eggplant dip was so amazing! Meats were cooked well. Loved everything. Lamb was a bit gamey but cooked well too.

Very authentic experience, super friendly accommodating staff and management. If it’s your first time going there the Kebab platters have a bit of a everything and feeds 2-3 people easy. Belly dancing was also part of it which made the experience 10 times bette! Drinks are decent too, they could improve their cocktail game a bit just to improve the drink experience but it was still good.

Great place for an authentic, delicious Afghan food. The restaurant has been tactfully decorated in a traditional, cultural, and warm Afghan setting. The staff is incredibly nice and caring! The manager is a great, humble man with amazing wisdom! The food is very very tasty! I recommend their Hummus with Naan! It won't disappoint you! Although the food is a little pricy, it has a great taste! The place is highly recommended!

It was my first time to try Afghan foods and liked it! Atmosphere and staffs are nice. We ordered a kebab platter for 2 people. It cost $70, not sure this is the average price.

Service and Ambience were good. Decent portion sizes. Food was extremely greasy as well as bland. I ordered the Vegetarian Delight and my friend ordered the mixed kebabs. I was thoroughly disappointed in what we got. The pakoras were dripping in oil, my ravioli was practically drowned in oil with barely any cheese and I got almost no vegetables in a vegetarian dish. The beef and lamb were very also chewy

First time trying Afghan food and I was impressed. First of all, this place really decked out in decorations because the moment I entered the restaurant, I felt like I left Vancouver. They even have an option for floor seating, which I believe is the more authentic way of eating their food. We came here for Dineout and for the $27/person price we paid, I thought it was worth it. I’d say some of my favourite items was the lentil dip, which tasted like an extra garlicky hummus. Their pakawra, which had the best crunch the cauliflower, which came with a the vegan platter. I didn’t try the lamb shoulder, but my friend said it was pretty good! There wasn’t anything I disliked, but I will say the Baklawa was too sweet and oily for my liking, but thankfully it was a small portion. Overall, this place has decent food (which was well priced) but it’s really an experience worth trying. It’s a fun place for a date or a group of friends to hangout. They have many vegetarian and vegan options as well. I’d love to try more Afghan food in the future and would recommend giving this place a try!

Loved the atmosphere of this Afghanistan restaurant. Server was friendly and helpful, and food were all tasty. I ordered special plate for two. I usually don’t eat lamb meat but their lamb chop was well cooked and tasty! I’d like to try other food next time.

It's filled with Afghan atmosphere in dinning environment. This is our first time to visit here, we ask the waitress to recommend us what kind of food is worth to know Afghan cuisine. She recommends us the first one of the specialty platters: kebab platter delight. The platter is included appetizer and main dish. Appetizer is salad and 3 whole wheat pita bread. Main plate includes lean chicken, lamb, beef kebabs, lamb shoulder, fried potatoes, and baked rice. We enjoy the meal so much!

Five stars experience, that's for sure! Its perfect 88/100 health inspection score on tomati io just caught my eye. Decided to have a family dinner there and absolutely loved it! Authentic food and decor, unique ambiance, friendly service... They have a very large menu with plenty of vegetarian dishes so I ordered a vegetarian platter - my kabuli palaw was delicious and I especially enjoyed a cooked spinach. My friend ordered lamb shish kebab - the lamb was from NZ, very tender and flavorful. Will come back on weekend to watch a belly dancer, that must be fun.

What can I say about this gem of a restaurant : the food is fresh, melts in your mouth goodness. We sat in the traditional area where we sat down on the floor to get the full experience; ordered kabab platters. Their portion sizes are fantastic; the meat is sooo good ! Highly hugely recommended !

Nice ambiance and atmosphere will definitely recommend for its great service, recommendations and great tasting food...

Make a reservation and sit on the pillows. The food is great, the platters are the best option. The dessert firni is super yummy, tastes like a Persian style custard.

I love this place. Everything is just delicious. And they're keeping the very best quality for so many years. Every time I come to British Columbia I make sure to have dinner at afghan horsemen. thank you for unforgettable moments at your restaurant. Best regards from Germany

Fabulous food! Great atmosphere, loved the belly dancer. The pillow room is fantastic and relaxing

Truly enjoyed it. The food is excellent. Atmosphere is great. The only 2 bad things that I can say about it is there appears to be one waiter for the full restaurant and the low tables are too short so much of our party has take legs in their way.

First time I've been since the move. Excellent service, good food, & the ambiance & belly dancer really made the night. My guests loved it, & that's exactly what I was looking for. Thank you.

A great environment. Very courteous wait staff. Can't wait to try more from the menu when the patio opens! Noodle soup was amazing!

Super delicious food with great service � the staff is amazing and the decor is awesome.

Sitting on the cushions and sharing platters and flowerpot drinks was awesome:) the belly dancer made it even better

Great place for family and friends or out of town visitors to take to food is great and there house special drink is awesome

Incredible food! Great atmosphere! Impeccable service!!A complete Standout that illustrates a complete Attention to every detail of fine dining Well done �

Excellent service , excellent delicious food , loved the lamb , would recommend to come and enjoy food

Amazing food and service. Best kabab place in Canada �.

Went there because a good friend of mine was belly dancing that night. The food was delicious. The staff are all very curteous and personable, but the service to our table was lacking. Perhaps it was because they had a very large party reserved. I would definitely go back though. The lamb was delicious.

Came here during ‘dine out’ and got a three course meal. The hummus and pita was amazing! Interesting menu and loved the authentic Afghan food. Cute decor and friendly staff. Would recommend.

We ordered one of the platters and everything was delicious! The plate was huge for two of us, you definitely get what you pay for here. Service was good, very friendly staff. We will come back and would recommend.

Perks of having a vegetarian is you get to taste a lot of vegetarian food.<br/><br/>My visit to this plsce was delightful. The place is attractive because of its afgani theme. I totally fell in live with the theme.<br/><br/>The good added more craze to the day.<br/><br/>Tried vegetarian lovers delight and three dip combo. I loved both the dishes and will surely be a vegetarian one day.

This was listed under unique dining experience on Zomato and I'd have to say it was. Shoes off and we sat on pillows on the ground with low tables. The service was excellent from the get go and they were very understanding with our friend's baby. . Everyone ordered the Horsemen Platter and it was definitely enough food per couple. Fried potatoes were interesting, reminded me of the cactus fries at Boston Pizza (but better). Lamb skewer was definitely was one of my favs. Eggplant was on point, super mushy just incase you're not into that. I also have to mention that their pita bread was amazing along with the yogurt dip.

Come for the lamb! It’s tender & has that middle Eastern flavour. <br/>All the dips are fantastic for shares. <br/><br/>Great service & welcoming decor. <br/><br/>My recommendation- come for a dinner seating and get the lamb dishes!

Dineout 2018 $20 lunch:<br/><br/>Although decent value for the price, food was solid but not very memorable, and service was very sparse. Perhaps the price tag is due to the decorative setting and Granville Island location, but I've had Middle Eastern food for a better value. The dinner options for $20 would've been better.<br/><br/>Appy: lentil soup tasted similar to any regular tomato lentil soup, the lamb soup my friends had was much better.<br/><br/>Main: Lamb korma - braised shoulder, was very sizeable and included a variety of sides. The lamb was good and flavourful but the sides were simple and lacked anything special.<br/><br/>Dessert: spiced milk drink with egg white - although an interesting drink, it was overly sweet.

Hello friends! Afghan Horsemen is located by Granville Island, and they have a parking lot downstairs and meter parking around the block. We were very glad to have made reservations at Afghan Horsemen ahead of time since the waiting area was packed when we got there. Afghan Horsemen interior. It felt like we were transported to a whole different place when you walk in. They had tapestry everywhere, a room where you can sit on cushions and eat, works of art, and music playing.

The Afghan horsemen was a great start to the 2018 Vancouver dine out. This was our first time trying this place together finally. We were excited.<br/><br/>Reservations were all booked up on our Sunday night. Instead, our kind gentleman on the phone recommended we come at 5:00pm and finish at 6:30.<br/>That actually wasn't too bad. We made our resos and off we went. When we arrived, there's plenty of paid parking all around. We walked upstairs and it looked like they may have a outdoor patio for sunny days?<br/>As we entered we were told to take our shoes off. We were then escorted inside a cozy comfy room with tables and pillows on the floor. My girlfriend loved the atmosphere of this room. Each table looks like it's meant to seat couples. So far so good.<br/><br/>We were given the dine out menus. They were offering a $20 dine out feature, 3 courses.<br/>My girlfriend chose the mantu for her appy. This was absolutely amazing and I highly recommend this. I chose the potato boulany and it was good.<br/>For our mains I chose the lamb shoulder and WOW there's alot of value here and it's delicious. Rice is moist and flavourful, lamb succulent, battered potatoes crispy with a soft centre. I LOVED IT. I highly recommend this. My girlfriend chose the lamb korma, delicious. Finally our desserts come. The milk pudding with shaved pistachos. It was so simple and good. Very comforting. We were so full. My girlfriend couldn't finish her entree so she asked for a doggy bag.<br/><br/>It was a great night. A great start to dine out 2018. Afghan Horsemen, you nailed it wow! Our experience was memorable. We will definitely be returning as regular patrons. Service, food, ambiance, value. You nailed it on each category. Thank you for a wonderful memorable night!<br/>

this was my first foray into afgan cuisine. could never even name you a native dish. i still can’t unless you count “kabob”. basically it’s very similar to greek food. makes me want to check my atlas. anyway, food was good. belly dancing is a good time. i’ll be back but in a chair not sitting on the floor.

Love the food and ambiance here!! Friendly staff. I basically describe the food like non-spicy Indian! So, it's great for those who don't love spice. But it is full of flavour. Will come back again and again!

To start with, the ambience of the place was really good, there was light Sufi music playing which was kind of pleasing to listen. The decor also added to the name, they have both chairs and ground seatings. <br/><br/><br/>The food was standard, we ordered chicken pakwara and lamb sheesh kabab platter. Quantity was enough for two people, the prices were reasonable too. Kababs and pakwara deserves mention, it tasted amazing with the dips given, other than that the pilau given in the platter was ok, and there were some deep fried battered chips work dips which were good too.<br/><br/>What made my evening was the belly dance performance, the professional dancer was amazing, and she was interactive, she was calling the diners to participate with her. The dancing was available for both the seatings and it was a wholesome entertainment. I recommend everyone to visit these place.

An awesome place to have a nice Afghan and some Middle East cuisine. Food was good in taste and quantity was more than sufficient. Belly dance is an extra entertainment along side the awesome food

It is one of the best Afghan restaurant that I have visited located in Granville island. We were group of 10. The restaurant is always busy still they didn't take that long to bring the food. We ordered lamb shank, shoulder, lamb and chicken kebabs all of them are simply great. Staff are very friendly and awesome atmosphere

Came here for a late dinner and there were still plenty of tables available. I've heard it can get pretty busy though. The decor of the restaurant is very unique and cool. They also have belly dancing throughout the night. It was a very entertaining evening. <br/><br/>My friend and I shared the chicken pakawra. Not too bad. The chicken was very tender inside and I liked the sauces that came with it. For my main, I had the <br/>Dahl palaw with the lamb shank. The lamb looked big when it came, but there wasn't that much meat because of the bone. But it was still a good portion. The meat was tender and flavourful. The Dahl was good except I thought it would be more of a soup consistency. Instead, it was more of a puree. Overall, the food here is good and the atmosphere is nice. I would come back again to try more things.

We had a very bad experience.  Both service and food were bad.  The waiter never came to the table to ask how was the food.  The food was not fresh.  The rice was reheated and cold, the chicken was not well cooked, the potato and spinach came with a sauce that was not mentioned in the menu. The cauliflower never showed up. The waiter came to our table when we were about to pay.  I gave her feedback about the food and that I could not eat it. She said that she never had a complaint, said sorry, gave us the bill and left.

came here for my last dineout in 2017 in vancouver, and well, it'll be my first time trying out afghan food, and since the naan type of appetizer came out, i actually love the bread that they offer. and everything that they had offered in the dine out. whether it's the lamb, the pasta, it;s all good, but the lamb oh my, definitely is a must in this location. remember the lamb! whether it's rack of lamb or lamb shank both are good as well. and the desert was yogurt i think and it have a hint of spicyness in it actually, kind of different from what i had before, but definitely a good tasting desert as well. overall definitely very pleased with the dine out experience in here.

Ambience: Apart from being hard to find, and inaccessible to the physically challenged, the Afghan Horseman stands to being a quaint little restaurant under the middlemost point of the Granville Island Highway. This tiny restaurant built over 30 years ago, it is a unique ethnic restaurant that will take guests back to ancient times in the Middle East.  The inside of the Afghan Horseman carries an unparalleled ambiance that is on the border of fancy and casual. The insides look like the owners visual cues exploded! You can see royal and raw textiles around every corner, thick cloth draped along the ceilings and corners, variant, pair-less pillows lined up on top cozy cushions, and a warm aroma of fennugreek. <br/><br/>Food: However, the food was nothing to boast about. It had a clean presentation, almost safe, but was made up for with warm flavours. Mint, yogurt, cumin, and garlic were the most distinct flavours. As a Pasketarian, I was pleasantly surprised on the volume of Vegetarian options available. But between the 8 different items ordered among my soiree, heavy carbs became a pattern. By the end of the meal, we were thinking dessert, but had to suffice with traditional Afghan tea as there was no dessert section on their menu. The best part of the meal experience was sitting on the floor on comfortable pillows and cushions.<br/><br/>Service: Seconds though the door, we were taken in by the EXCELLENT customer service. All throughout our stay, we were taken care of many different faces. The host, our waitress, a server, and even the manager took the time to answer some questions for us. And what shocked me the most was that the waiter who made my reservation recognized my name and voice, then introduced himself kindly. They made us feel like their number 1 priority the entire evening. Regardless of our crazy requests, we would be accommodated with smiles and sincerity. Leaving our feel towards the service to be EXCELLENT!<br/><br/>Value: I would say the value did not meet the means. The food was over priced, the cubicles where we had to deposit our shoes and jackets seemed cluttered & unhygenic. And the location took longer to find than expected. As well as that inaccessible access issue from residing on the 2nd story of an old building under a highway.<br/><br/>Would I return?: Absolutely! Apart from the food, the decor was visually appetizing and the employees made the evening enjoyable. However it would be nice if the menus could contain more pictures, as many people in Vancouver are international. As well as more splits in the table so that guests do not have to trample over others just to escape.

First return visit to the Afghan Horseman. The last time I was here, it was still on West Broadway, probably some 10+ years ago. appetizer of flat bread, with spinach dip, hummus and salad. These are yeasted whole wheat flat bread, baked until lightly crisp around the edges.  They were warm and lightly crisp on edges, and pillowy soft on the inside.

This place is overrated. Really expensive as well. We ordered the Kebab platter delight / chicken shish kebab. Out of all the meat on the platter, only the lamb was good. Chicken had no seasoning or marinate. Dry and burnt. This is NOT authentic Afghan food although they claim so.

Went here for a late lunch; decent portions on platters; parking is limited.

This would be my first time having afghani cuisine. I didn’t know what to expect, but have only heard positive things about the “Afghan Horseman”. Although, I guess when you are the only game in town, it is easy to be the best in your field. However, the main reason for our visit was actually for their unique dining experience. We heard it was cushions and dinner on the floor.

Tried for the first time over the weekend for a friend's birthday. Live entertainment and delicious food, what more could you ask for? I ordered the vegetarian lover's plate, which was excellent. I could barely finish it. Only complaint is the sangria that tasted like watered down juice. Will return!

Tried here once with a friend and we ordered the horsemen special platter which is a combination of meat and vegetables sampler platter. My friend likes the food but I didn't like the food. Not so sure if it is a bad night or not but I found the food that night to be very bland. I would give it another try but probably try another dish instead.

I don't know why lately I haven't been posting, I use to get mad at myself for being offline from my blog for too long. Recently I've been realizing if I am not feeling inspired I shouldn't write to begin with. I swear that last hotel post I just wrote was sitting on my desk since Wednesday! Right now it's about finding the balance between writing, my other businesses, finding a place to move by summer. I am still in the midst of my blog design, at the same time working with different brands, attending events, promos! It's crazy how I even find time to sit on a desk. Anyways, I promise I will be more consistent, exciting things are coming! I can't wait to post more on fashion, fitness and beauty. It seems that's what the majority of the people are interested in.

Amazing food, great service, and I love the floor seating area they have to the side. I can certainly see why this place has been in business for long enough to be considered a Vancouver institution!

This was my first time trying Afghan food and I assumed it was similar to other middle eastern cuisine I've tried before (i.e. Lebanese, etc.). I was surprised to find out that it was middle eastern cuisine with a Greek twist to it. I believe this restaurant is the first Afghani restaurant that opened in Vancouver and it's been open for 41 years now. If they've been open for that long, they must be doing something right!

I really enjoyed the sit down room. The atmosphere was relaxing and comfortable and it's something different. This isn't somewhere I would come regularly mainly because the food is just okay.. We had one of the share plates to get a taste of everything and the eggplant was our favourite dish and the meat was either too fatty, overlooked or barely there. Compared to the afghan restaurant (that was unfortunately shut down) in Port Moody it's not as good. But if a friend was going there and invited me I would go back and maybe try another vegetable dish.

I had been putting off reviewing Afghan Horsemen because I had a very mixed impression of it. On one hand, I was disappointed to find that it wasn't traditional Afghani cuisine (unlike what the Zomato description claims), but rather overpriced Greek/Mediterranean, and on the other, I did enjoy the food.<br/><br/>It was a pretty big group of us. Finding space in their traditional Afghani dining room would have been an issue usually, but we had reserved beforehand and reached early to avoid the dinner rush. (Even then, their service was terrible.)<br/>The USP of this place, is their traditional dining room, with low tables and cushions and a tent-like feel to the interiors. Which is great, and I was very excited to be going to an ethnic restaurant, but why does it have to be so dark, dingy and shabby? Perhaps it was the darkness, but the cushions looked faded, like they had not been changed/washed for a LONG time.<br/><br/>Now, Afghan Horsemen has won a lot of awards, and they are pasted all over its main door, but really, it's overpriced for the Greek/Mediterranean food that it tries to pass off as Afghani. There are perhaps a maximum of 5 authentic Afghani<br/><br/>dishes in their entire menu, but I didn't know which ones to try, so I went for the Horsemen's Special Platter, which comes with a bit of everything. The lamb shoulders was the star of the night, and I enjoyed their wonderfully flavored rice as well. But it takes an enormous time to arrive, so it's a good thing that they start you off with the pita bread and hummus (which we finished and got seconds of). We asked for the platter to be sized up, so that it's for 3 people (but actually, 4 of us shared it, and even then it was a LOT).<br/><br/>Bottomline: Good food, the platter really has a lot of food, but it's overpriced and not Afghani, despite what they would like you to believe from their name. :(

First time at a Afghani restaurant 😀 food is flavorful and portions good! Tried the platter for two shared between three, enough food to go around. Do try the deserts, loved the phirni.

Service and food was great! 4adults and a 2week old newborn. Service was lovely and knowledgable. We had the horsemen platter for 3 and another main and it was the perfect amount of food (we were all slightly too full but not in pain). I loved the lamb and found the chicken to be a bit dry, but my husband really enjoyed the chicken.

Very disappointed. Planning to try out this restaurant with friend because of the high rating, but unfortunately it has been by far the worst service i have ever had. First a server approached us and checked to see if we had the reservation. She confirmed it with us, and then she continued to do her thing. We thought we would be served for our seat soon, but nothing happened after 5mins. Later another server came to us and asked if we had been helped, we explained and he said we will be helped us. And yet another 5 mins passed by and we still didn't get seated. In short, we have repeated that for 3 times and waited at the counter for 20mins for nothing. We got pissed off and left at last, felt like we hav been toyed all along, such unprofessional service. :(

I was severely disappointed with the GREEK food here.  I've since become a bit more educated about authentic Afghan food and this is not it.  The "bediouin tent" concept is novel, I'll give them that but the food is immediately forgettable.<br/><br/>The one attempt at authenticity, the Potato Bolanee, was poorly done.  It's kinda sad really.  This could be beautiful.

Wars, fearful, and all negative politics-related matters.. are my impressions of Afghanistan. When my friends decided that we are going to explore the Afghan cuisine, I really did not know what to expect since I did not have much knowledge about this country except negative impressions portrayed by the media. My only thought was that the food must not be good, since it seems the country is not as developed..So I went to the Afghan Horsemen Restaurant with an exciting yet a nervous emotion…

A Vancouver institution and a wonderful restaurant. The food is some of the best in the Afghani community and I have always found the service to be excellent. They do get rather busy but they do not forget about you and if you take your shoes off to sit on the cushions you will be attended personally by a very friendly, very knowledgeable server. With all of the intriguing options on the menu, it is easy to over order so make sure to check with your server before your eyes exceed your stomach. My wife is one of the few uninitiated who enjoys the salted yogurt drink with mint. They will let you taste a small glass if you are curious but it is not for everybody and indeed not for most people! I hope they continue in business for decades to come.

Simply bad service. I was there for 15 mins and not a single waiter/waitress can really help me with my reservation. They ask about my reservation and then went back to do their own things. The service is so bad my friend and I decided to leave the restaurant after and not a single of them even notice.

Really cool environment! Food isn't bad either but cleanliness might be an issue. The don't wash the table clothes nor the cushions you sit on. Take note everyone must take your shoes off so everyone's bare foot. It's a cool experience so give it a try if you mind feet and crumbs.

Got disappointed. This is my 3 time i went to Afghan horsemen restaurant..i been to other Afghani restaurant a lot and i know how afghan food tastes. ..but this place so fake its not afghan food ...the place is nice enough decoration. .but the food is 0000..you guys should try different afghan restaurant will know the difference. ..

One of my favourite restaurants in Vancouver. Away from the touristy areas of granville island, this place combines class, amazing customer service and even better food. Unbelievable.

Afghan Horsemen is probably my favourite restaurant anywhere. I come to Vancouver for business every spring, and I look forward coming to this restaurant all year.<br/><br/>Their vegetarian sampler and eggplant are great, and my coworkers always have great things to say about the lamb. Don't leave without trying the pakoras. And try the doogh!

Average. We were a party of 16 who reserved the 'cushion' room. The place was hard to find. I wish they had told us they are right behind the Starbucks and up a non-descript staircase.<br/>I noticed a television hanging from the ceiling in the main dining room. Lame.<br/>We were situated in a 'L' formation, with each person around the outside making it weirdly anti-social to visit guests at either end of the 'table'. We asked them to rearrange us so we could sit across from each other, making it more social. No can do. Side-by-side seating only.<br/>Sitting on the ends you are closer to your neighbours than some of your own party.<br/>There is a big open space in the middle of the room, presumably for entertainment.<br/>Ethnic music (as expected) scored points. You have to remove your shoes for this room, but they are stored near the front door which I didn't like. I was comfortable sitting yoga-like once I got the cushions arranged under me to my liking.<br/>The raved about lamb shoulder really was good. We ordered various platters and a few starters. The dishes are basically lots of meat and whole wheat pita and rice, with no white pita option. A few dips make up the nominal 'vegetable' element, which made for a heavy meal. Deep fired potatoes were not the memorable ones I had prior.<br/>The servers were not professional at all. Not rude, but would randomly approach different sections of the group then disappear. Hence drinks and orders were all over the place. We had to constantly flag down servers before they left the room. Dessert and after dinner beverages were not offered. yet they were quick to clear plates and offer the bill.<br/>Based on how much I enjoyed their previous location, I would never come back here again. Aside from the lamb there are way too many great culinary options in Vancouver.

Fun festive and tasty experience. Platters were great and perfect for sharing. Everyone in our group was happy. Only thing I would suggest to the owners is to expand their Beer list to include more local crafts brews and more wines by the glass.

Top marks. Very informative and friendly service. Food was 10/10. Anything with lamb is a safe bet.

Amazing food. The horseman player was fantastic. The shoulder of lamb was so tender and succulent. Great meal. Very friendly staff. Even threw in dessert for free. My favorite restaurant in Vancouver.

Claims to be an Afghan restaurant ...trust me..it's anything but Afghani. <br/>The food is a combo of Greek and Chinese . This restaurant is a joke of afghani food. Added an 18% service charge to add insult to injury .I have had afghani food since childhood and this is not afghani. If you are looking for afghani food , do not go to this place.

Came here last Friday, service and food were excellent. I always order the horseman platter as it has a mixture of everything. <br/>----<br/>Favorite place to eat. I love this place!! I always order the Horsemen platter so I can get a bit of everything. Customer service is good, friendly staff. This place does get very busy!! I wish I could eat here everyday. Eggplant dish and the hummos is really good.

Awesome place!!!!. Went there this weekend with hubby and we had an amazing experience. Loved the food and the service was fantastic. Not sure why the other negative reviews, but this is a great place and we will definately be back.

Food was OK, but customer service sucked. We walked in at 1/4 to 6. The lady greeting us asked if we had reservations, when we said no, she looked at (I presume) the guy in charge and with a smug smile said "For two...no reservations" and she kinda walked away. The guy stared at the list for a bit and then said "I can give you a booth, but you need to leave by 7:30 because it is reserved". I wanted to leave right then and there, but thought ok, what the heck, we are already here. They came to take our orders, and we asked for the kabob platter, and a couple of soups and a side eggplant dish. The guy actually looked at us and again with that sort of smug self-satisfied look that says "we don't need you" said "that is going to be a lot of food" as if expecting we won't be able to finish it and then not pay? I looked at him and said "and we can't take the leftovers to go?" he said sure and left.<br/><br/>After the first couple of things came out, not one person asked us how our food was, but they did ask everyone and their grandmother who was sitting around us how the first few bites were. OK...sure, no problem...then comes the food...the chicken was raw. When I told the waiter my chicken kabob was still raw, he looked at me as if I was from another planet than said he'll go check with the back. To be fair they brought out another skewer. <br/><br/>We asked for Ayran, and the same guy who was gracious enough to allow us to come in and eat looked at us as if we were speaking alien. He was like what? "Iran? Iran?" and, finally, fed up, I asked him for some "dough" in farsi. <br/><br/>I am embarrassed for them! This is not the hospitality you provide your customer. They were very clearly sucking up to the customers that were not middle eastern, however the middle eastern ones, or at least just us, got the disgusting treatment.<br/><br/>I would never go back. And a word of caution if you do decide to sit on the floor, I saw a girl come in the bathroom with only her socks...defeating the whole purpose of no shoes in that section.

It's okay.. It's definitely not amazing. it's like meditteranian food with less salt. i've never had afghan cuisine so we wanted to try it out. we tried to have a different dining experience but what we had was indian, turkish, greek and italian dishes with slightly different names. our server did not do a great job either but he knew that. i wouldn't go back.

DISGUISTING CUSTOMER SERVICE. I wish I could've tried this place, BUT unfortunately they had decided to cancel our reservations on VALENTINE'S DAY, because "someone" had called in to cancel it. When I called to reconfirm they "claimed" that someone had called in with my name and phone number when I never did such a thing. When I told them that was incorrect, they then told me that there's nothing they could do since they gave away our table and get this "THEY DO NOT VERIFY WHO CANCELLED THE RESERVATION". TIP: So for those of you looking for a table for tonight or any other busy night, just call in and cancel "SOMEONE ELSE'S" reservation and then you can book yourself in. They absolutely did not take any responsibility for their actions, and told me to think in their shoes. They didn't even bother to try and make up for it by booking me in another night.....then again a RESERVATION MEANS NOTHING TO THIS PLACE! And who knows. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that the management overbooked and decided to "cancel" my reservation so they don't have to deal with it.

Amazing Atmosphere and Great Food!. The atmosphere and decor is amazing! you can either sit at a table or on the floor, there was also a belly dancer there for more entertainment. The food was wonderfully delicious but there was a lot of it (I suggest sharing 1 dish with your friend). I will definitely go back and recommend it, however you should get a reservation because it can get quite packed.

Seriously this place is amazing! Better than my moms cooking and that's saying alot. Had my birthday here with 14 guests. Had great customer service.<br/>I shared the horseman platter with my brother- tons of food! We even had enough for left overs. All my "white" friends loved it too haha. Would definitely go back in a heart beat!

Hi i was at afghan horsemen restaurant on Monday may 20 the food was good but really bad serving in all night that we were on there our server just come one time to water as and also i was on there with my family at Saturday night in a room there was a fat guy our server that he did come to our table there was a young boy who come to water as all the time our server didn't come to our table at all but the food was really good

Great food, terrible meal timing, average service. We decided on an early dinner (we didn't have reservations), but it was early enough for them to fit us in. We ordered the combination humus/pita dips, and it was excellent.<br/><br/>My g/f told me the spice they add, but it's got a taste of "not sure if i like it, but it's pretty interesting" to the point where you want to try it again. <br/><br/>I forget the names of our dishes, but i had a marinated beef skewer with rice/potato/cauliflower and a spinach dip. Very good - i wasn't fond of the spinach, but that's just me. I'm sure it was great for those who would like it. The rest was amazing.<br/><br/>My g/f had a cabbage roll type of plate. I tried it, and although good, the beef was better.<br/><br/>The major downside to this was the timing of the meals. Our entree's arrived just as we were taking our last bites of our appy, and we weren't eating slow (we were hungry).<br/><br/>I will give some credence to the fact that there was only one server on, and he was running, but nonetheless, the service wasn't great, but they do serve very flavourful food.

With excellent customer service, our waiter described and suggested in depth what we have ordered. The environment is very unique and quite lovley. The food was great! I've read a few reviews and found some complaints regarding the price being too high. The price is reasonable. The amount of food u get for 1 entree can serve two people! Ex. Cactus club salads are $16 a total of probably less than $4 worth of produce! A palaw dish at Afg. horseman( the one we got) u get basmati rice, 2lamb, spinach and eggplant for 18.95 and is quite filling!! Also, much more effort in making the food. Its healthy and great! So please, disregard the reviews where there are such complaints. Majority ruled like/loves it!

Simply Amazing. A bit on the expensive side but I loved this place! Food was very authentic and delicious. The service was also very nice and sometimes (I think Friday and Saturday nights) they have live performances. <br/><br/>If you are looking to try something different in Vancouver, I'd totally recommend here because personally i would go back again!

I just love it

Friend's birthday celebration. Group of 20 dined in their new location (Granville Island entrance).<br/>Dined in their Afghani room (sat on cushions and dined on low tables). Decor was inviting, and comfortable. Our waiter was friendly and prompt.<br/>I ordered the lamb shoulder meal and everything was delicious.<br/>Lamb was succulent and delicious. Huge portions. The men in our party could not finish their meals because they were full.<br/>Highly recommend this restaurant and will go again to dine on their patio.

Romantic Spot!. What a wonderful boyfriend I have! The perfect most romantic place!!! <br/>It was our 1 year anniversary and he told me that he was taking me somewhere special. He had made the reservation, but I didn't have any hints. We drove down to Granville Island and walked around and finally we started walking up the street, and smiled and said we were at the spot. I read the sign "Afghan Horsemen", and he asked if I had ever had Afghan food before. I said no, and was excited to try! <br/>We walked up the stairs and through the door. I literally had no idea of what to expect. We were asked to remove our shoes and were led into the Afghan room. It was a nice little room with cushions along every wall and little tables along the walls. There were a few other dining there as well. Our waiter showed us to our table, and we got to sit down and get cozy and recline. <br/>**The ambience was the best I have seen. The lighting was just right - did I mention romactic?? s into new food adventures, this was wonderful. ^_^

Tasty food, great ambiance, fast service.. Went to this restaurant with seven people to enjoy the hockey game. We were not disappointed, we had a lot of fun, thoroughly enjoyed our food and left a big tip. <br/>I will definitely recommend this place to my friends.

I came here with my wife and another couple on new years, only because it looked fun and i heard te food was good. We ordered 2 platters and shared them, to be honest ive had way better greek food for half the price, although this place had a belly. The only difference i found about this food compared to greek was that they served fried battered potatoes with the platter and added some sauted onions on top of the rice. Definately not returning to this place unless they drop there prices down to the average price of greek food

It was my first visit and I was not disappointed. I ordered the horseman platter and it was delicious! The portions were big and the meat was tender. The belly dancer was great and at the end, try brought us baklava on the house :)

Unconvincing. After recently moving into the area tried Afghan Horsemen on a Friday night. We were promptly seated and ordered one of the platters on the menu. Drinks and appetizers arrived quickly, and unexpectedly soon after the main platter also. <br/><br/>It was quickly noticed the platter was missing one of the items from the menu - trouble was, our server didn't come back to us at any time in the next 20 minutes. When (finally) asked about the missing item, they said that a neighbouring table had ordered the platter without lamb. Whilst they cooked us the missing item to go, I won't be coming back after being served somebody else's meal from earlier on.<br/><br/>Bad service, ok but overpriced food.

It was a good "one time" experience. Decent food and nice atmosphere.

We eat out at least 4 times a week. We both work hard and like to eat outside. <br/>We have no problem with spending money on a good quality food and service.<br/><br/>Due to the reviews on the net, we decided to go to this place, but turned out to be the reviews are too good to be true. I am very skeptic about who wrote the reviews on the net???<br/>I strongly feel the reviews aren't written by customers like you and I.<br/><br/>Grossly Overrated - Outrageously expensive for an average Mediterranean food.<br/>You can have the same food with a better quality at a Greek or other Mediterranean restaurants in town for the fraction of the price!!!<br/><br/>We had Afghani food in the past, but we are not sure of how authentic The Afghan Horsemen food is.<br/>According our experience, Afghani cuisine has been misrepresented / the food is tailored to Vancouverites taste buds, definitely NOT authentic!<br/>It was like having Lamb Souvlaki, and a Greek salad at Stephos, but it comes with a big...price tag.<br/><br/>The waitress suggested us to order the Horsemen's Special Platter (Serves Two) $47.95 <br/>We were 4 us, so we ordered 2 platters. 2 x $47.95 HST+ Tips = $123.52<br/>This combination of Meat Platter starts with an appetizer of Humus, Greek Salad, and Whole Wheat Pita Bread on a Red color plastic plate with Chinese pattern on it. Now, you go ahead and figure out the authenticity of the food !!<br/><br/>On the platter- <br/>4 skewers of Lamb Shish Kebab: Very good :-)<br/>4 Lamb Shoulders: On the menu it says we serve New Zealand lamb, but the Lamb shoulders were smelly neither of us liked it. It was a turn off. :-( :-( :-(<br/>Rule of thumb, a good quality of any kind of meat including seafood should never have a smell to it. <br/>Baked Rice: About 200 grams of Baked Rice for 4 people. Rice was good but the portion wasn't enough for 4 people.<br/>4 Baked Eggplants: There were ok, but nothing to brag about, not the greatest. Very oily :-(<br/>2 Dolmahs: dried cabbage rolls - There were ok.<br/>8 Pakawra: 8 deep....deep fried cold...and saggy battered potato chips soaked in the oil for hours and hours, :-( :-( :-(<br/><br/>The waitress also suggested us to order KARAHI $19.95+ HST+tips = $25.70.<br/>Karahi = 40% of Green peppers, 10% of Tomatoes, 50% of Onions and an egg in the grill, ok, nothing to brag about. Portion is enough for 2ppl only. I don't know why on this earth someone wanted to pay $25 for some grilled Peppers, Tomatoes, and Onions. ??? <br/><br/>We had 1 Karahi, 2 Horsemen's Special Platter, 1 beer and a juice. Our bill was ~$160.00<br/>I would NEVER go back or suggest this place to my friends. If you want to learn your own lesson by wasting your $$$, like we did, by all means go ahead.

Festive and Friendly. I had been wanting to try Afghan Horsemen for a long time, out of curiosity, rather than with high expectations. I finally did so last night. -- Not having high expectations turned out to be a good thing, since the food isn't going to amaze anyone, but it's not at all bad, and the whole sitting around on cushions thing makes for a pleasant evening. I'd go again if I was with a larger group, especially if that group contained vegetarians or vegans, for whom the menu has several options. Overall, it's reasonably priced, festive and friendly.

Grossly Overrated. Authentic Afghani cusine has been misrepresented here to be able to meet expectations of Canadians who may not be aware of the true potential of true Afghani food. Hugely dissapointing for someone who has been fortunate enough to have experienced Afghani cusine and hospitality. Surely over priced as well. Perhaps only saving grace was the gyrations produced by the Turkish belly dancer.

Great Vegan platter!. The vegan plate for one person and the vegan platter for two people is delicious, and includes those great battered potatoes.

This place has very interesting food, a nd a nice location, and I liked it, but found the meal to be too rich, both in fat and in fortune for my tastes.

This place is a MUST!! Good place for just 2 or a group from outta town.

Food was great especially the lamb which I don't usually eat because it tastes gamey most other places. Ambience nice and authentic looking. Belly dancer entertaining. Drink for two with long red straws a little watered down. Have wine instead. All in all a great place to eat.

Great Experience. My experience from start to finish was excellent. I loved the decor, ambiance, food and service. Great place for a date or special occasion.

Moved. The Afghan Horsemen has moved to Granville Island.

Coming from an Iranian background, I have always been a fan of Middle Eastern cuisine. While I’ve had the opportunity to try Persian, Lebanese and other varieties of Middle Eastern dishes, I have never tried Afghani food. Thankfully, Vancouver is home to one of Canada’s best and oldest Afghani restaurants, Afghan Horsemen. Karina and I got the chance to try Afghani food for the first time, and I have to say I’m now a big fan of the cuisine and Afghan Horsemen.

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The menu is reasonably priced, and is influenced by Persian, Mongolian, Indian, and Greece food. If you go with a party I’d recommend ordering the platters so you can taste everything. We ordered one Vegetable and two Kebab platters.

Decent food and place, marred by bad service, best save your money for a better restaurant!

Overall, the food was delicious. I'm the type of person who likes to add hot sauce, or other condiments and spices to alot of my food. So I don't know how they do it, but the food here is always so flavourful (NOT overpowering or spicy), that no additional condiments or spices are necessary<br/>

Monday night invitation to dinner at the Afghan Horsemen was accepted and the three-hours eating adventure begun. Charming ambiance, charming company and charming waitress who everyone assumed she is from Afghanistan only to find out she is Egyptian, which, for me, is even twice as charming.   The appetizer platter included familiar tastes from different countries: Salata (which tasted more Greek than what I imagine Afghani salad to be), Humus (badly done, leave that to Lebanese), Sabzi Mast (a spinach dip - my favourite), and Boulany & Sambosa (different dough, same stuffing, nice subtle coriander taste, but otherwise very much like the Indian samosas). But the score for appetizers are the little Chicken Pakawra - we could have devoured three of those platters.    Then the feasting begun on three different versions of lamb (shank, shoulder and kebabs) accompanied with a selection of Afghani specialties... - Kabuli Palaw; baked rice that is nothing special on its own, but once you add

The Afghan Horseman offers a very unique cultural and dining experience. The service from beginning to end was exceptional. The waiter was very attentive and friendly. However, my major issue was the after effects of MSG. Everything tasted great while we were dining at The Horseman, but my throat started drying up shortly after, and lasted well into the following morning.

We wanted to try eating in the actual “Afghan Room”, so we rounded up a group of friends and reserved the room ahead of time. It’s pretty cool with all the cushions, low tables, afghan decorations, and dim lighting. After eating for a while though, my body got kind of sore though, since sitting cross legged and such isn’t as ideal when you’re trying to eat. A little cramped up too with the amount of people we had.

It was my good friend T Mc's belated birthday dinner and I was delighted when she chose Afghan Horseman as the venue for a belated "girls night" birthday dinner.

Our night at the Afghan Horsemen was a great success. Although I'm not sure how well the other dishes fair, I do love the platters.

Located in Granville Island, this restaurant can be a bit tricky to find; coupled with finding parking, it can be quite a difficult trek. Nonetheless, it’s a bit of a nice gem of a restaurant. When you enter, the entire place is filled with decor from Afg

I always ask my friends when we go out to eat if they want to blog, often they say yes and never do it. Here is an entry that I just received. Thanks, Matt. Getting together with old friends for dinner is always a treat. Deciding where to e

The Afghan Horsemen had two true Afghan style dining rooms with low tables and cushions on the floor. We managed to secure a room save for three tables. For all intents and purposes we got the place almost all to ourselves. The room sure was dark especial

Afghan Horseman has been on my go to list since I began to eat out in vancouver. Things always came up that caused me to postpone going here, but I knew knew knew I had to come here before I left. As the days before I left came closer and closer, I realiz