The Bevo neighborhood’s newest restaurant, Afghan Chupan STL, recently opened at 4601 Gravois, in the space previously occupied by Bosna Gold. The menu features popular everyday street foods, along with dishes traditionally made for Afghan celebrations and holidays.
Among the dishes is the Afghani burger, which co-owner Khalid Darwish says is “as popular in Afghanistan as hot dogs are here.” The popular wrap sandwich starts with Afghan flatbread, delivered fresh each day. The filling of French fries, chopped hard-boiled eggs, and two slices of Afghani sausage (similar to salami) gets dressed with tomatoes, lettuce, and onions rolled inside. “We sell 50 or 60 burgers a day to Afghan people,” Darwish says.
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Among the menu’s Hawasana section is Rosh, “a dish everyone in Afghanistan loves,” says co-owner Zack Zahib. “We’re probably one of the few restaurants in the country serving Rosh.”
The dish is made by roasting bone-in lamb pieces with onion, garlic, potatoes, peppers, and tomato for several hours. The restaurant uses a special pan with a thick bottom to prevent the foods from burning. The potato is served skin-on and sliced; the lamb is tender and flavorful.
The Chupan kabab also uses bone-in lamb chunks. “In Afghanistan, the chupan is the person who takes the sheep into the fields,” Zahib says. “When he’s hungry, he kills a sheep, makes a fire, and eats it, bone-in. That’s how the kabab gets its name.”
Plates and kababs come with a side of soup, salad, or rice and Afghani flatbread. Afghani Salata consists of tomatoes, onion, cilantro, cucumber, lemon juice, and mint. The Afghani mixed salad featured parsley, lettuces, cabbage shreds, tomatoes, cucumber, and green onion served with a house dressing.
Aushak consists of house-made dumpling, stuffed with chives, seasoned with spices, and garnished with a minty yogurt sauce and a flavorful orange oil. Zahib explains that the oil’s orange shade comes from a bit of tomato sauce. The dish is delicate, more like an appetizer. The flatbread that came with the Rosh is ideal to sop up the yogurt sauce.
A don’t-miss appetizer, bolani, features house-made naan stuffed with a potatoes, green onion, herbs and spices. The bread is fried, buttery soft, and served with a side of house-made spicy green chutney.
Chicken Biryani and Chicken Tika Masala are among two Indian-inspired dishes that are spiced and seasoned Afghan-style. The former was a particular standout, with tender chicken pieces and spiced Jasmine rice.
The owners learned to enjoy Indian food after being displaced from Afghanistan.
“When the Taliban took Afghanistan, everybody had to get out of the country,” Darwish says. “We lived lived in Pakistan for seven years, eating the dishes.”
Today, Darwish and Zahib run the restaurant alongside brothers Mohammad Noori and Abdul Noori. Zahib and Abdul Noori hold down the kitchen, while Darwish and Mohammed Noori anchor the front of house. Before opening the restaurant. Darwish waited tables at The Vine, and Zahib cooked at Barg.
On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sunday, the restaurant offers a buffet featuring many of the dishes on the menu, as well as a few specialties off the menu—a perfect opportunity to sample the array of fare that Afghan Chupan STL offers.
