In the years after 9/11, The Helmand, owned by the brother of former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, drew curious diners who left well fed. The spotlight has dimmed, but the cozy restaurant, proudly decorated with Afghan artwork, still serves the same excellent food as it has for more than three decades.
Mahmood Karzai opened The Helmand near the CambridgeSide complex, between Kendall Square and Lechmere, in 1994, and it’s still one of the few genuine Afghan eateries in the Boston area. Karzai started his handful of restaurants in Baltimore in the 1980s, with expansion to San Francisco and Chicago. Currently, just the Cambridge and Baltimore restaurants remain.
The Helmand still adheres to the white tablecloth protocol, and as fine dining has become more casual, that’s appreciated. The restaurant and staff have a formal, yet festive, vibe. Service is friendly and well-informed. The central open-fire, brick oven dominates the dining room; think of it as a gourmet pizza oven, adding an arty aesthetic, where the Afghan flatbread is baked. The bread at The Helmand is worth coming to dinner in its own right. (And The Helmand, unlike many restaurants these days, still offers complimentary bread service. Most places now charge for a bread basket.) The flatbread lands somewhere between pizza dough and focaccia — warm, airy, and moist, with a trace of oil and herbs, and accompanied by a medley of sauces and spreads: smooth and rich cilantro puree that I can never get enough of; spicy red pepper; minted yogurt; and a pat of butter, if you’re not up for a more flavorful adventure.
The aushak, Afghan ravioli, are lithe triangles filled with leeks and scallions, with the yogurt-mint dipping sauce, and topped with a lightly spiced ground beef sauce. They’re light — the shell’s akin to a thin-skinned pirogi — and surprisingly flavorful. The steamed green-onion filling is al dente and bold but not overwhelming, and the ground meat sauce and smooth cool yogurt offer a hearty and savory offset with a sour-sweet accent. They may be the most guilt-free dumplings one can find in the worldwide din-o-sphere.
Other unique dishes include kaddo: tender, baked baby pumpkin, sugar-seasoned and served with a yogurt and garlic sauce, and, like aushak, topped with ground beef sauce (both also can be vegetarian). Banjan is pan-fried eggplant served similarly (no meat). Mantwo, similar to aushak, arrives stuffed with beef, accompanied by a split pea and lentil mash. Lamb is the protein centerpiece of the menu — grilled kabobs and chops, a full rack, shank, and as spiced chunks in thick spinach or tomato-based sauces. Like the mantwo, many of the main dishes are served with split pea and lentil mash, and a side of challow rice, a moist, yellow comfort rice that’s an Afghan staple, the same way basmati rice is to Indian dishes.
The Helmand posts daily specials too, which often feature Afghan spins on fish. The eatery’s price point is impressive, considering the quality of food and service. (The wine list is super reasonable.) Unique in ambiance and cuisine, an excursion is more than worth your time, and the experience will linger: an old and true restaurant that’s ever new.
The Helmand
143 First Street
Kendall Square, Cambridge
$$-$$$ (out of $$$$)
Have a favorite dish or dine out spot that we’ve not covered and you think we should? Email Tom at tmeek@cambridgeday.com.
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