Where to Eat in Kabul-town

Published February 23, 2009 @ 07:42AM PT

This is part of a semi-weekly guide about where best to eat in some of the various humanitarian crises and catastrophes around the world.

Today's post by the semi-mysterious Harry Rud looks at restaurant choices in Kabul. Harry, an aid worker in Afghanistan, also writes the excellent Harry Rud blog.

When you first arrive in Kabul it seems there's a surprising number of restaurants to choose from, and learning the intimate pros and cons of each forms a more important briefing than knowing anything about Afghan society or the security situation. But stay here long enough, and go to them for what seems like several hundred times each, and boredom sets in soon enough.

There are a couple of Lebanese places I'm fond of, plus a Chinese, Croatian, Italian, Indian, Turkish, Thai and several good cafés. There are of course even more Afghan restaurants (Kabul Fried Chicken being a notable landmark), but as they don't have armed guards outside, double-locked doors, barbed wire and blast walls, expats don't tend to visit them. Sending your driver out to pick up a roadside kabob is the easier option.

Everyone has their favourite restaurant, but there is one that is more a Kabul institution synonymous with the expat scene than just a place to eat. When I first arrived in Kabul and walked into L'Atmosphere I found it and all it seemed to represent – a foreigners only, alcoholic fuelled enclave existing in stark contrast with the streets outside – rather distasteful. The initial culture-shock has worn off though and I've grown rather fond of the place. A large open-fire burns over winter, then in summer the party moves to the bar outside by the swimming pool. L'Atmo is better known for its drink than the food, but I find the two tend to go together pretty well.

My usual choice is the baby-leaf spinach salad with pomegranate seeds, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinaigrette. With a bottle of the Côtes du Rhône, and finished with a hot crème caramel if I'm feeling flush. The steaks are pretty good, and the tartiflette is spoken of by many in the French community with the reverence deserved of a deity. It's expensive and the service ain't always great but if your usual fare is naan, rice, oil and gristly meat then it can be a joyful relief.

It seems a likely target for the wrath of the Taliban. An attack there would have more of the international community pulling out of the country than a bomb at another Ministry. It would mean an annoying lock-down at the least. In which case you'll need the one telephone number that should be given at all security briefings for newly arrived foreigners: for the company that organises deliveries from a dozen different Kabul restaurants to your home.

Share this Post

Comments (5)

L'Atmo is back? When did it reopen? It closed down in 2007 when the government claimed it owed massive amounts of back taxes (it didn't), and again after the Serena Hotel bombing in Jan. 2008. Also, I thought Afghan Fried Chicken burned down? Did it rebuild? In the same place?

Is Chaila still open?

Posted by Jayne Cravens on 02/24/2009 @ 06:23AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Jayne
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Excellent questions, which unfortunately I can't answer from LA-town.

Harry, any thoughts?

Posted by Michael Bear on 02/25/2009 @ 12:58PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Michael
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
L'Atmo is back. [how can I make that sound really dramatic?] Re-opened last summer if I remember rightly. Chaila still open, but in a new place I'm told. And AFC rose from the ashes like a phoenix. Kabul cuisine is remarkably resilient.

Posted by Harry Rud on 02/26/2009 @ 05:13AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Harry
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Is An Dumpling House still around - at least I think it was called An Dumpling House. It was a few blocks away from Chicken Street.

MBK

Posted by Michael Bear on 02/26/2009 @ 08:14AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Michael
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
Hi,

Chailla will be closed for good tomorrow (5 March). Boys were crying when they told me about the news earlier this week.

Posted by Y Y on 03/05/2009 @ 08:30AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Y
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Michael has worked for NGOs in Afghanistan, across east and central Africa, and Iraq. Prior to going overseas, he worked on a project providing assistance to the United Nations on the application of International Humanitarian Law to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.