Kamdesh Afghan Kabab House

Great food and friendly service. In downtown Oakland, which might scare off a few timid travelers, but, all in all, I recommend visiting.

I ordered to go, and the host told me 20 minutes for the chicken breast kabab entree. It probably took 15, and I did not mind waiting. There was a big screen TV playing music video hits from the 90s (hello, BSB!), but I suppose that's better than nothing at all.

The space is large, and if you are dining in, there's an option to sit in a special area which appears to give a more authentic Afghan dining experience (no shoes, low table).

The food was cooked to perfection, of a good portion, and the spicy cilantro (?) sauce was heaven.

Room for improvement: Men's bathroom. Things were clean enough, in appearance, but there was an unpleasant odor. Be prepared.

Really great Kabab in downtown Oakland. A great place for large groups, I’d recommend doing family style to try a little of everything. I don’t know what it was, but we had a awesome Cardimon Pastachio pudding for desert. All in all, highly recommend.

Was referred to this restaurant by someone we talked to on the street, and was glad we followed through. We were very pleased with our meals. I got the eggplant, and my wife the lamb kabobs. The eggplant was slightly soupy (not sure if that's the style, or just leaving more to be desired), and the lamb kabobs didn't provide you that much in terms of the portion. As always with middle-eastern food, the rice is awesome and they give you plenty!

One meal I would love to have them do is a baked pumpkin with mint sauce on it. That would be really good.

What a wonderful Afghan food treat we got, the cuisine tasted excellent and the service was good! Value for money. Would love to come back soon.

I stumbled onto this jem few years ago when it was a small hole in the wall restaurant. So happy to see it's growth without compromising the authentic food. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu, but the beef kabob and lamb shank are among my favorites. The green sauce on every table is made in house and is absolutely delicious.

My only complaint is the slow service. Be sure to give yourself some extra time.