Christina Nifong
To walk inside Bamyan Afghan Cuisine is to feel a warmth — from the bread oven and the meat grill and the smiling young man inviting you to take a seat and the medley of spices — cumin, garlic, mint, coriander — that swirl through the downtown Roanoke dining room.
The fare is not, in all likelihood, familiar, with dishes like Bolanee (think: vegetable quesadilla), Chapli (think: meat patty) and Qabuli (a rice-based dish topped with lamb, carrots and raisins). But the menu’s descriptions give you guide posts. Curries and kabobs and samosas are well-known enough. The dishes are somewhere on the dial between Indian and Mediterranean.
Christina Nifong
Bamyan’s brown rice is a highlight of its not-too-spicy menu. Expect familiar curries and kabobs as well as more exotic qabulis and bolanees.
Any doubts disappear as soon as the meal arrives. The rice, in particular, is a standout — smooth and buttery and flavorful, with just the right crunch. The sauces, too. They have as their base a house-made yogurt; fresh chopped herbs and spices are stirred in. The meat is all halal (meaning it was slaughtered following Islamic guidelines) and mostly grilled. Nothing is overly spicy, but is seasoned with a complex flavor profile of smokey and sweet.
Be sure to try a tea — central to Afghan culture — or a doogh, a traditional Afghan beverage combining yogurt, mint, salt and cucumber.
As intriguing as the food is, the four brothers working to bring a taste of their old homeland to their new home are perhaps even more interesting. Owner Mohammad Hassanzada is the eldest — and also the owner of Tribal Rug Gallery at the corner of Campbell and Second streets. The restaurant’s manager is Nawid Hassanzada. Two younger brothers live in Roanoke and also help out when needed.
In 2015 Mohammed and Nawid moved to Los Angeles and then — looking for a more affordable place to put down roots — found their way to Roanoke. Both men had worked with the US government in Kabul — in addition to running a rug store and restaurant in Afghan’s capital.
When Bamyan opened on Campbell street in September, Nawid said he and his family hoped “to show our culture and our ethnic foods and our hospitality. When people think about Afghanistan, they think only of war. But, no, we are not war people.”
Bamyan, for which the restaurant is named, is a province in Afghanistan, north of Kabul, known for its place along the ancient Silk Road trading route and for enormous statues of Buddha — the tallest in the world — carved in its cliffs. In 2001, the Taliban destroyed the statues.
Christina Nifong
Vegetarian samosas feature a top-notch, house-made garlic-yogurt sauce.
“It comes tears from our eyes because that was our history,” Nawid explains, showing a poster of Bamyan hung on the restaurant’s exposed brick wall.
Bamyan’s space will seem familiar to patrons of Cedars Lebanese Restaurant. When Cedars moved a few doors down Campbell street, the Hassanzadas moved in, changing little except to swap posters with scenes of Lebanon to prints with scenes of Afghanistan. The cozy feel remains.
Nawid says he has felt welcomed during his time in Roanoke and reaction to the restaurant has been positive.
“We really appreciate the community here,” he says. “They really, really treat us good.”
Bamyan Afghan Cuisine is located at 120 Campbell St. and is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day.
About the Writer:
Christina Nifong is a writer with a decades-long career profiling interesting people, places and ideas. She’s also a committed locavore and mother to three kids, four chickens and one very sweet kitty. Find more of her work at christinanifong.com.