The Helmand 143 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

"The place looks authentic, and the atmosphere and the service are amazing. We had the lamb lawand, aushak, mantwo, and the traditional yogurt drink - they’re all good but nothing special. The bread they serve, however, is really good."

"just ate my leftovers and drooled all over again. what a wonderful place. love the decor and afghani interior design. brought a group of 22 people for peak dinner time on a sunday night and the servers were soooo sweet. we had a beautiful back room set up for us and we must have been served by at least 5 wait staff. the menu is amazing and this is definitely the food i grew up eating from our afghani family friends that are basically like family. dessert is a must when you’re done too. i would recommend this to anyone in the northeast and will surely be back."

"Im so impressed by all the flavor in my mouth as I tried every single plate. From the appetizers to the desserts there’s an explosion of flavors you really enjoy in every bite. This restaurant is art, culture and a very cozy and comfortable music volume that allows you to interact with your companion! The service and bread maker are lovely and its a yes to all. Best restaurant for sure… book you table you wont regret it! Ali and Reza the best of all!!!"

"Real food, cooked with great care using a real wood fired oven. Went without a reservation and they were able to find a table in a secondary room that was also almost full. Waiting time was acceptable. I ordered a lamb dish (Kourma Challow) that was served with rice, a small amount of lentils and several sauces. Other tables had even larger plates. Food was warm, tasty and healthy."

"Excellent restaurant with very thoughtful wait staff. The food was delicious with many vegetarian options! We enjoyed the appetizers as they were perfectly cooked and spiced. Nothing was too spicy. They had free bread that was a bit like naan, served with cilantro chutney, red pepper chutney, butter and yogurt (that was a bit like tzatziki). The entrees were excellent as well, the special vegetarian entree was basically a mix of all the vegetarian appetizers if you just wanted to taste everything. The korma was probably the most simple of the entrees, and while it tasted good, I would not recommend it because of how simple it was for the cost. The vegetarian aushak, which was a ravioli based dish was great and has no cheese, while tasting amazing. It had spinach stuffing and yogurt on top, and was very unique. I highly recommend that one. Overall, a very good first experience at an Afghan restaurant, and surprisingly pleasant for vegetarians!"