Aracosia accommodates any diet and is proud of taking cooking back to its origins. Chef Sofia Masroor diligently ensures top grade quality cuts of meat and the freshest produce in the market. All foods prepared at Aracosia are prepared with love. No artificial ingredients MSG& or preservatives are used, nor do we cook anything with nuclear such as microwaves and pre-made stations. Full Bar , extensive Wine and Beer menu Come and experience authentic and classical Afghan Gourmet and hospitality at its finest.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Contactless payment available
- Sealed or wrapped utensils used
- Limited number of seated diners
- Distancing maintained in common areas
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Contact tracing information collected
Popular dishes
Pumpkin Dumplings
Flavored with bistro spices, steamed to perfection and finished off with your choice of yogurt garlic sauce or minced beef, topped with crushed dry mint and cayenne pepper.
43 reviews
Lamb Shank Moghuli
Bone-in lamb shank and roasted eggplant slowly cooked together in a spicy tomato based stew, infused with garam masala.
27 reviews
Bistro Signature Lentil Soup**
Prepared with mung beans, lentils, chickpeas, minced beef, special spices and yogurt (vegetarian option available).
10 reviews
Menu
Excellente nourriture, service agréa
Bring your friends and their appetites. The food is delicious and the staff is very accommodating. The dining room is small and can be noisy with the music. Outside seating is really only an option if the weather cooperates.
Try a range of dishes. We weren't planning on dessert but the cardamom and the rose ice cream are standouts - delicious and fragrant without being perfumery. The chicken with saffron was delightful, the dumplings need to be enjoyed by all. The vegetables and salads were wonderful. Book your table now.
Every visit to Bistro Aracosia is a delight. We have brought several friends here and each one remarks how amazing the food and atmosphere is. Don't miss out on this culinary delight!
Great food and service. A new favorite in the DC Area!
Great place wonderful service, i would go again 😁😁
The best Afghan food in town. The food is all well prepared and nicely plated. The taste is spot-on.
Great food, night atmosphere but food took long to arrive
Good recommendations from the wait staff
Amazing all around!
Everything about Bistro Aracosia is wonderful. The food, the very friendly service and the effort to make all the customers happy. The drinks are wonderful (little pricey though) and have to do a shout out to our waitress who upon hearing it was my friend's birthday made an extra special effort with her dessert which was such a wonderful and thoughtful treat. It was a great eveing!
Delicious food and great service! Cannot wait to return for another Delicious meal.
Great food
Great food, great drinks, ambiance, area. We had a delightful time.
Great food, great service. We’ve been here three times and it’s always good.
Amazing food and service.
Fresh bread with dipping sauces were a great start. We had the dumpling sampler, turnovers, lamb platter, cocktails, and dessert. Everything was authentic, flavorful, and tasty.
It got humid inside due to the doors to the outside patio being open. Other than that, it was a wonderful culinary experience!
Will return!
Fantastic food and excellent service. We love this place. Hidden gem if you ever visit DC, its a must try
In support 🇦🇫
Fabulous food and attentive service. Interesting selections of items in the market as well. Will return. Definitely recommend.
Excellent service and outstanding food made it a very nice experience. Tried Mezze hot platter for appetizer and Lamb shank Moguli over basmati rice w raisins and carrots. The lamb was moist, flavorful and cooked to perfection with the right spices. also shared the pistcachio ricotta cake, another winner. Highly recommend this place.
I love Afghan food. This restaurant has a large selection on menu. Enjoyed old favorites and found new favorites. Will return.
The food was outstanding and reasonably priced and the server went above and beyond. We were not familiar with Afghan food so the waiter guided us through the menu and helped us make good choices. The spices and the variety of options were great! Highly recommended!
Everything about Aracosia was delightful and delicious EXCEPT the (truck) traffic noise on MacArthur.
My friends and I were at the restaurant for lunch. Perhaps there is less traffic noise at dinner.
Excellent service. Very delicious food. Its totally worth the value. I would go there repeatedly.
Spectacular as always. We shared the dumpling appetizer, and each had a different type of lamb shank for entrees. Exquisite food.
Bistro Aracosia provided a great experience to us. We had originally scheduled for a table outside but my guest and I requested to move inside and we were happily accommodated. On top of this the service was attentive, eager to please, and genial. The lamb platter, which we split, was so delicious the first bite brought tears to my eyes. Definitely Go/10
LOVED IT. So unexpected and understated but elegant and delicious.
The wait staff was attentive, interested in helping.
Not overstated but a nice comfortable environment.
Amazing food, best tenderloin ever, going back
Literally the best food and service I’ve had in the past 2 years.
Amazing food and attentive staff made for an excellent experience.
Our server was so knowledgeable about all of the drinks and menu items! Everything was
Outstanding food and service. Creative dishes. Excellent value
Excellent fresh vegtable options make this a great place for vegetarians -- or anyone who wants healthy and delicious food. Go for the pumpkin, and the lentil vegan soup. The meat dishes are excellent as well. And for a party of 3 or 4, a perfect place for sharing a varienty of appetizers and entrees.
This is a neighborhood favorite. You won't be disappointed.
The best Afghani food in the DC area. Many interesting options to choose from...
The lambshank maghuli is fantastic! It's one of the most interesting dishes I have eaten in a long time.
Very good food. Very accommodating for dietary restrictions (vegan, celiac).
Outstanding service. We've eaten there several times and plan to go back soon.
Delicious vegetarian options. Everything was delicious including the drink menu.
The food is interesting and delicious. The service is helpful, efficient, and friendly. This was my third visit, and it gets better each time!
Always exceptional quality food.
If you’ve never tried Afghan food you’re truly missing out on one of the most amazingly seasoned foods you’ll ever have. Do yourself a favor and find out for yourself why they are so well rated and a Top Washington magazine recognized restaurant.
Excellent restaurant, great food, service was five stars...
Bistro Aracosia is excellent. Tremendously tasty food - appetizers, entrees and desserts. Very fairly priced and the service the best that we had anywhere in the DC and Baltimore area. Staff are just supreme!
FAQs
Bistro Aracosia offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (202) 363-0400.
Bistro Aracosia is rated 4.9 stars by 1640 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.
