Monday, August 26, 2013

Ariana Afghan Restaurant Retreats From Sandy Springs

Ariana Afghan Cuisine has closed on Roswell Road in Sandy Springs.


The Afghani eatery opened adjacent to the Comfort Suites hotel just off Roswell Road on Carpenter Drive.

The restaurant opened in early 2012, and in April received a two star review from John Kessler of the AJC.  The restaurant also had a four star rating on Yelp, with 38 reviews having been left.  A chunk of the reviews were left during the time the restaurant was featured on deal site Scoutmob.

Although I have been unable to determine an exact date when they closed, a source tells me it was "about two months ago."  The restaurant's facebook was last updated June 16th, while their website and phone are both down.

Personally, I think the restaurant could have done well but in a different location. Panahar, for instance, is a popular Bangladeshi restaurant located within Northeast Plaza on Buford Highway.  I think that a location on or near Buford Highway, towards Chamblee or Doraville, would have been better, given Buford Highway's reputation for ethnic dining.

Sandy Springs, although home to affluent residents, does not have the appetite for such an ethnic and niche offering.  There are exceptions, like Rumi's Kitchen, but they have been in business for years, and have the advantage of being located on Roswell Road, not off a side street as Ariana was.

What would you like to see replace Ariana?  Did you go, and will miss their offerings?  What is your favorite restaurant in Sandy Springs?  Please share your thoughts below.  

6 comments:

nsk said...

This place closed not because "affluent residents [did] not have an appetite for such an ethnic and niche offering," but rather because it was a terrible restaurant. It did a really bad job at Afghani food in general, and especially compared to Shami Kabab in Duluth. That said, Shami Kabab closed some time ago despite its proximity to Buford Highway.

I hope we get a decent Afghani restaurant in this city at some point.

Anonymous said...

Also, though the mailing address may have been on a side street, this place was extremely visible from Roswell Road.

Anonymous said...

challenging location..but name brand establishment IHOP STARBUCKS WAFFLE HOUSE..
would be so successful

Anonymous said...

The only time I went there, I walked out immediately after sitting down due to the number of ants crawling on the floor, wall and table. Not suprised by this closure at all.

Anonymous said...

the location is a joke. Eva Galambos and her Sandy Springs fractured vision of the world has left this location as a bomb and an eyesore. Traffic is the worst, and her widening of the Roswell Road bridge only created more traffic tie ups. Sandy Springs is anti-restaurant and anti-business. No restaurant could do well there.

Anonymous said...

I went to Ariana twice, latest this May. Having lived in Afghanistan for two years, I found the food to be inauthentic, poorly prepared, and way too expensive. The chapli kebab, which is a highly spiced flat grilled chopped meat, a street food in eastern Afghanistan and Pakistan, is usually a treat to find on the menu, but Ariana produced a meatloaf with tomato sauce named Chapli Kebab. I was dumbfounded and very disappointed. The kabili, which should be very aromatic rice, full of carrots, raisins, almonds and/or pistachios, generously piled up over pot roast chunks, was bland, scantly portioned, and boring.

The host/owner is a kind and courtly gentleman. Maybe he should find better cooks.

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