The food was terrific! Pumpkin appetizer and chick pea salad are a must have. We sampled five different entrees at our table and two side veggie side dishes and had plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day. Service was wonderful, as usual!

Great selection and very delicious! The lamb with turnips was outstanding, as was the pumpkin appetizer.

As always, the Helmand has truly magnificent Afghan food and spectacular service. Very lively atmosphere and always a great value!

We heard so many good things about the restaurant and really wanted to give it a try. We were not disappointment. Excellent food and big portions. We will definitely visit again when we go back to Baltimore!

Everyone says get the pumpkin and you should. Also the vegetarian aushak.

The pumpkin and the vegetarian aushak are always my favourites. Enjoy every time we go.

Service was great. Appetizers appeared almost immediately. Everything tasted good, was well seasoned and filling. Everyone in our party of four had a lamb dish (three different ones) and they were all good.

Have eaten here many times and usually love it. The appetizers are fabulous, but my entree and wife's entree were too spicy. We felt rushed too.

We had a very nice dinner Saturday night! Two of us had beef filet which was marinated and served with delicious cooked tomatoes. The lamb chops were very good too. The pumpkin appetizer was good but needed a lot more garlic sauce. The eggplant appetizer was good. The wines are always reasonable and are a good selection. We were seated in the drafty bar area instead of the nice dining room. Otherwise it was very nice!

A Baltimore classic but still as good as ever, delicious food, professional service, great for date night.

Great food and value. We will definitely go again!!

My favorite restaurant in Baltimore normally gives attentive, excellent service. Our waiter was a bit flustered and rushed which, I understand, can happen. Food was excellent, but the lamb was overcooked. Not a five star night at the Helmand, but still we enjoyed ourselves.

One of a kind restaurant. Atmosphere, food, and service cannot be beat. Consistently delightful for over 15 years since I started dining at The Helmand. Not a single dish I wouldn't get again.

Great food and prompt service even on a busy Saturday.

The food was amazing, service great, a truly wonderful evening. I'll definitely be returning.

I eat here every time I am in Baltimore. Always delicious. Get the pumpkin-you won't regret it.

I had a great experience at the Helmand. The food was delicious (as always) and the service was great.

Serviced too rushed by server, and the dining guests to either side of us said the same thing.... there were 3 different servers so it seems to be the culture of the restaurant. Everything else super nice

Outstanding food at affordable price. Every dish is excellent.

Great food and ambiance! The place was packed -- we had to wait 15 minutes past our reservation to be seated, but it was easy to grab a drink at the bar. The waitstaff seemed a little rushed, but very friendly and accommodating. Food came out quickly and tasted great, and there was enough to keep us full through to dinner tomorrow. Would definitely recommend for a date night. Most entrees were $13-18, most cocktails in the $8-10 range. Plan to spend $60-100 for a date night after tip! Our night was $92 for an appetizer, 2 entrees, 3 cocktails (total, not each), a coffee, and naan, including a 20% tip, just to give an idea.

Food was good. Server was excellent. Will return. Been coming for years. They always forget to tell open table we were there.

Stopped in Baltimore in our way to the March For Your Lives in Washington DC. We were looking for top local restaurants not in the Inner Harbor area.
Excited to find Helmand as I’m very familiar with Afghani food. We started with aushak and salata. When the salata came to the table, it wasn’t what I expected. Mentioned the finely diced version and he came back moments later with what I had expected (maybe they make it for staff in the back?)! My mouth was watering for the kabuli with lamb and the dish did not disappoint! My friend had the beef with spinach and challow and loved his dish as well.
Extensive wine and beer list, valet or parking lot next to the restaurant. Would highly recommend but make a reservation ~ it’s a busy place!

Exquisite and unique flavors of Afghan food made a delightful meal . The place was packed. The pumpkin is well worth the trip and everything we tried was delightful ! Can't wait to come back !

The Helmand offers a fantastic meal. Several new to the Helmand were with us, Afghan food sort of frightened them- would they understand what they were ordering? They were all impressed and very happy! Meats and vegetarian, more than just a kabob, wonderful flavors blended just right. A truly find meal! But get a reservation- they are busy.

Lovely! A very special place. We enjoyed the delicately flavored food and appreciated our very considerate, kind, and interesting server.

Always a treat. Food is delish. The food came out exceptionally fast, less than 5 min from ordering. Made me think they were in a hurry to move us along.

The Helmand is one of our favorite in Baltimore. The food is excellent and artful.

We had an excellent dinner with friends. The only drawback was a VERY noisy table next to us.

Never disappoints. Great flavors, very filling, old-school dining feel (tablecloths, no rush but certainly never a delay, attentive and respectful staff). Adult dining rather than hipster scene. The food is refreshingly authentic, different and delicious

The Helmand NEVER fails to disappoint. Everyone we have introduced to this restaurant has been wowed and ready to return. The service is great and SPEEDY. Since we usually eat there before a concert or theatre event, this is especially important.

This Place is amazing! It is the second time ive been and i loved it!

The food was still great, but I was surprised to find how much the cost had increased - and especially to see the high price for the bread, which used to be complementary. Adding small pieces of bread now increase the price of an entree by $5.50, which is unheard of. I won't be back, and this used to be one of my favorite restaurants, affordable and fabulous. I think the word may be getting around, because we were there for a reservation for 2 at the prime-time dinner hour, having driven all the way from Washington for the experience, and there were only 4 tables of guests. I've never seen the place so empty. I'd recommend going somewhere else; I certainly will.

Very good meal.

This was our second time dining here. The food is amazing, worth the trip from DC. The service is great. Our waiter accidentally spilled water on my lap and went above and beyond to make sure we still had a lovely dining experience (including an offer to handle any dry cleaning). Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a special spot!

20 Years of marvelous food and very good service with a smile.

Our meal at The Helmand was great until the very end. We had theatre tickets for an 8PM show so we made our reservation for 6:15PM to get to the theatre on time. We were a party of 5. Ordered 2 appetizers, 5 main courses, and 3 desserts. We chose The Helmand because of its closeness to the theatre and vegetarian options. Our waitress was great, very attentive and knowledgeable. She made several good recommendations to us. This is where we get to the bad part at the end. After our desserts were delivered we never saw our waitress again. We finished our meal at 7:15 and were eager to get to the theatre 30 minutes before the show to get our tickets from will-call. We waited and waited and for someone to bring us a check or for even a glimpse of our waitress to flag her down. Finally a different server came over to see if we needed help. Apparently our waitress had left for the evening and the handover of our table never happened. In the end we left the restaurant around 7:40, that is 25 minutes from end of meal until the check was paid, and ran to the theatre. I understand Friday can be busy but if there is some sort of shift change happening the staff needs to be on top of it. What would have been the perfect first-time experience at the restaurant was ruined by a stressful ending.

Outstanding authentic Afghan cuisine. Well worth the trip to downtown Baltimore. Be sure to make a reservation, as it is a popular restaurant, especially on the weekends. In the past 20+ years I've been coming here, I've never been disappointed. Enjoy!

Lots of vegetarian options. Food was delicious

Great Afghani food! Plenty of vegetarian and meat options. Delicious!

Never disappointed. The best place in town for lamb dishes. Period. Go early or late to miss the crowd - at peak times it can get very noisy.