Since Afghan Bistro opened more than two years ago, it’s been hard to find a seat at this always-packed tiny dining room in Springfield. It’s easy to know why. There’s qoroti, softened strips of Afghan bread doused with saucy crumbles of ground beef finished off with a warmed yogurt puree infused with garlic, mint and cayenne. Sabzi turnovers, filled with greens buzzed into a silkiness, contrast with its crispy, bubbly fried skin and are even better dipped into a cooling, creamy avocado chutney (one of four housemade sauces served with naan at the beginning of the meal). A spicy risotto, a multigrain affair with lentils and mung beans, plus chickpeas, eggplant and butternut squash, is smooth and tender and from another kitchen could get monotonous, but here, every forkful is just like one more bingeable episode. Hunks of meat, but especially the chicken lawaan in a creamy, yogurt stew, are always good ideas here, as is most everything.
Afghan Bistro
Afghan | $$
8081-D, Alban Road, Springfield
