Located in Hicksville, NY 11801



Sayyeda Ali

Dr. Robert Leston

English – 1000C-129

11 May 2008

For Your Taste Buds Enjoyment

Choopan Grill is an Afghan restaurant that serves your emblematic Afghani food. From the delectable naan, to the savory chicken kebabs, and the mysterious white sauce that no one can duplicate, you’ve got yourself something worth trying. From the looks of it, you’d know instantly that this is not your average restaurant. Beautiful, maroon tablecloths drape each table. Drinking glasses are put upside so when the lights reflect off of them, rainbow colored lights bounce off the walls. Ethnic clothing and instruments are placed high on shelves, and artwork is hung on the walls, which makes the entire experience something truly different for those of you who don’t know much about the Afghani culture. The lights are dim, creating a romantic ambiance for all you love birds out there, but it’s also comfortable for those people just going out to enjoy themselves. This is Choopan Grill. The minute you walk into the restaurant, you know that it’s going to be an experience you’ll always remember because it’s most likely not like any restaurant you’ve been too.

Sure, you could go to The Olive Garden, or Chipotle, maybe even Applebee’s, but I promise you, they don’t have food there like Choopan. Afghan food is not something that people have very often, so Choopan Grill is a good place to try it for the first time. It’s delicious, easy to get along with, filling, and very satisfying. It’s everything you want and more.

The best thing about the restaurant is that, although it is an Afghan restaurant, people from different nationalities come there and enjoy the food. Babies’ cries and laughter fills the air along with different languages, including Farsi, Urdu, English, Spanish, etc. from all the diverse people that come to the restaurant. Families come to celebrate birthday parties, anniversaries, and holidays. Coworkers come for meetings, and other people just come to have some lunch or dinner. There’s no strict dress code, so you can wear something formal if that’s what you’re celebrating or go in jeans, t-shirt, and flip-flops. You’re welcome with kind hearts and smiling faces no matter what. I myself have been there for a birthday, an anniversary party, a family get- together, and just for lunch with friends. It’s a place for every occasion and for everybody.

However, when it gets so busy that you can literally hear all those languages, and you know the staff is rushing to get the customer’s orders right, it’s imperative to have a little patience. I know that’s the worst thing about going out to eat, but at what restaurant doesn’t it get a little busy? Besides, it’s good that it gets so much business, right? Then you know for sure that the restaurant must have something going for it. However, the waiters and waitresses are exceptionally nice. They’ll come to you as often as they can and make sure that everything is perfect. The owner himself will come out, and ask if there’s anything that he could do for you. Although they’re not the speediest of help, the way they care for you, makes it all okay in the end. But don’t worry. Once your order is taken, the food comes out before you know it.

Until then, you can enjoy the fresh salad that is tossed right in front of your eyes. The crisp lettuce releases flavor in your mouth, and you can literally hear the freshness of it the second you start chewing. Along with the most orange carrot slices you’ve probably ever seen, cucumbers that look too good to eat, and tomatoes that have just the right amount of sweetness and tartness, you’ve got yourself a salad that you’d want to fill up on. However, I suggest you don’t because you’ll be missing out on the best part: the chicken kebabs.

Yes, the chicken kebabs. The kebabs are grilled to perfection right before your eyes. Yes, that means your food doesn’t reach the table in a lightning bolt speed, but at least you know that everything is fresh. The boneless, cubed, chicken, charbroiled to perfection, topped with a mystifying black powder, can be described in one word, “delectable.” The minute you put your knife to the chicken, and start cutting it, savory juice flows out making your mouth water before you’ve even completely taken in what it smells like. The grilled flavor, along with a hint of black pepper and garlic, garnished with onions and cilantro make the taste unforgettable. Don’t forget to mix it with the rice, though! The seasoned rice, with a hint of cinnamon, adds a little extra kick to the meal. The slightly brown color may be a bit of a turn off to some people, but once your taste buds get a shot at it, they’ll want more. It’s a tad sweet compared to the rest of the food due to the molasses and cinnamon, but that’s what mouth-watering delectable white sauce, and I’m telling you, it’s one meal you can finish without any trouble.

Don’t get too excited and order yourself another plate though! (And you can without feeling guilty, since the price is affordable for anybody), because you need to keep some room for dessert! The baklava, which is a sweet pastry made of phyllo dough, filled with pistachios and walnuts, and drenched in honey, is just as good as everything else on the menu. The thing about Choopan’s baklava is that there’s not too many nuts and there’s not too much honey, so the nuts aren’t overpowering the honey and vice versa. There’s a perfect amount of both ingredients, and they’re handmade from scratch. And trust me, you haven’t tasted real baklava unless it’s homemade. So, unless you know somewhere else where you can get it homemade, get yourself to Choopan Grill and try theirs!

Choopan Grill is definitely my favorite Afghan restaurant. I’ve been to many others, and two in particular don’t even compare to Choopan. Kabul Grill, which is another Afghan restaurant located in Long Island, serves basically the same exact food as Choopan. They have the same type of chicken, rice, salad, dessert, and of course, the signature Afghani white sauce. Although they serve the same food, the taste is not the same. Kabul Grill is a little on the bland side. When I eat at Choopan, the second I put that food in my mouth, I know my taste buds are having the time of their life. When I ate at Kabul, and I ate there more than just once, the food just wasn’t as good as Choopan’s. It wasn’t appetizing; the rice was too sweet compared to everything else, and it kind of threw the flavor of the other foods off. The chicken didn’t have nearly enough taste and you didn’t get the same grilled flavor as you do from Choopan’s chicken. The white sauce didn’t do its duty by adding that extra kick, that extra “umph” to the meal. Another Afghan restaurant that I’ve tried out is Bakhter’s, which is located in Queens. I went there about three times, and each time I went there, the service was bad, the food was bad, and I was paying too much for something that just wasn’t worth it. The chicken is dry, the rice is undercooked and hard, and the white sauce is a disgrace. The salad isn’t all that terrible, but it’s not nearly as fresh as Choopan’s salad. The food was such a turn off that I didn’t even want to try the dessert, so sorry. I’ll give Kabul Grill another try every now and then, but as long as there’s a Choopan, I’ll never go to Bakhter’s.

However, one exceptional restaurant, that I would go to if Choopan, for some reason or another closed down, is Afghanistan Kebab House located in Manhattan, NY. This restaurant is just as good as Choopan. It’s more popular, and some even say the food is better. I wouldn’t go that far, but it is quite delicious. The food is served fresh, just like Choopan, but it takes forever to be served. The service is extremely slow, and it feels like you’re waiting for ages for your food. Although the food is worth the wait, there’s no need to have to be waiting that long. Other than that, the only other thing Choopan has going for it against Afghanistan Kebab House is the fact that Choopan has a bigger and more diverse menu, with more appetizers, entrées, desserts, and drinks to choose from.

Choopan’s menu consists of many different Afghani dishes besides the chicken kebab and baklava. Salad is not the only appetizer and chicken is definitely not the only meat. All the meat is kosher, and due to religious purposes, no alcohol is served either. The appetizer menu, although not very long, is infallible. Consisting of fried eggplants, and turn-over pastries with scallions and potatoes, it’s just what your mouth desires. Meals and entrées include skewers of chicken kebabs, beef, lamb, and fish. And it doesn’t matter if you order ribs or boneless meat, or meat that’s baked, grilled, or fried; all of it comes with the zesty, puzzlingly delicious brown rice and salad. And off course we can’t leave the vegetarians out there in the cold. The restaurant also offers vegetable dishes for all of you vegetarians. All the dishes are cooked with fresh herbs and spices, and are served with rice, salad, and Afghani bread.

Thanks to this restaurant, I crave Afghan food more than I ever thought I would. Choopan Grill is a kid friendly and family and friend oriented restaurant. Anybody and everybody can go there and enjoy themselves despite the occasion. If you want to go to a restaurant and have good food, good service, and a good time, then Choopan Grill is the place for you to be. You won’t be disappointed.

Choopan Grill is located in Hicksville, NY 11801.

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