Afghan | Mass Food & Wine

Kadu Borani from Pomir Grill on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester

For our Foodies adventure in October we visited the Pomir Grill on Shrewsbury Street and this quaint little, BYOB Afghan restaurant did not disappoint. Sparsely decorated and small, the Pomir Grill featured a very precise menu with only about ten entrees and a few appetizers, soups and desserts. We started our meal with complimentary afghani flat bread that was served with 3 delicious dipping sauces. My dining partner and I shared the Kachalu cutlets which were delicately fried potato patties filled with a deliciously spiced spinach filing. For my main dish I was torn between the kabob, the Kofta Chalow (meatballs) and the Kadu Borani (butternut squash) and eventually went with the Kadu Borani mainly because I had never seen butternut squash served as a main dish and was intrigued as to how they would prepare it. Served steaming hot with flavorful Zamarut Palaw (basmati rice and spinach) and a traditional salad, the generous helping of squash was tender and spicy, with a nutmeg and all-spice finish that left me wanting more when I was done!

The service at this family owned restaurant was outstanding, the food was fresh and sourced locally and my guess is that all the recipes used have been passed down from generation to generation. I can’t recommend the Pomir Grill enough! -JG

Mantu from Pomir Grill on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester

As a new member to the Foodies, I was apprehensive at first about Pomir Grill and Afghan cuisine since it differs so much from the food I’m used to. However, I was incredibly, and delightfully, surprised! The food ended up being not only delicious, but also excellent comfort food. First, the venue: it was a quaint, one-room place, and our group dominated the available tables. The service was wonderful, and they were very helpful with explaining their dishes. Although I opted to try their Afghani black tea (very good!), the restaurant is BYOB, which appealed to the majority of the group. As for my meal, I couldn’t have picked something better. The pasta was more like wantons rather than ravioli, which prevented it from being too filling. Each ‘wonton’ is filled with beef, and the beef sauce reminded me very much of chili. Overall, the meat was cooked perfectly, and the garlic sauce (which I believe is yogurt-based) really topped the whole thing off. The dish was a little more meat-heavy than I’d anticipated, but not overwhelmingly so. The flavors are different from my usual, but subtle. It is definitely an easy place to expand your taste buds without going too far outside your comfort zone. It is a nice addition to “restaurant row,” and I’ll certainly recommend it to others! -EF