I ordered catering from here for my daughter's 8th birthday party. Big mistake . Turns out 7 year old girls aren't the biggest fan of felafel and hummus. Despite their bitchins I thuriughly loved and enjoyed it and sat eating it for breakfast lunch and dinner. My wife is Pakistani so I've been into middle eastern food for some time and me and my wife agreed this is very traditional and close to the real thing. The potty had a field day geez

Hills of Herat was just incredible! We placed a to go order via phone call - the staff was very kind and informative. They made the process very easy, they answered all of our questions and confirmed we had everything we needed. The meals are on another level, some of the best Afghani food I've had in the US. The lamb shank just melted in your mouth and was very flavorful! The Herats combo came with chicken and steak kabobs, they meat was so tender and well seasoned. I can't wait to visit the area again so we can have dinner here. Hoping to go in person next time for the full experience. Definitely give this restaurant a try for your next dinner!

Although I had been a guest last year as a Yelp Elite member we visited on our wedding anniversary and my birthday dinner. Owners Abdul and Wally are outstanding people and their Afghan food and Mocktails are 5 stars . The decor is outstanding both elegant and business comfortable.

For a party of 15+, we had no issue calling the day of and getting a reservation. When we arrived at the spacious and immaculately decorated restaurant, our row of tables were ready. The management was very understanding and patient as our group trickled in. This is the best managed restaurant in New Jersey. The owner personally came to me and took the order for our large group, basically putting together a custom menu based on what we wanted to eat and making it cost effective for us. This is a very honest and well run business! This is the best Afghani food in Jersey...maybe even in the US! Starting with the freshly baked bread which you'll dip into hot lentil soup to the perfectly grilled meats, this restaurant is a food lovers paradise. Filet Minon kabob is a must try, as are the lamb chops. Melt in your mouth meat and so much flavor, but none of the gaminess that you might be worried about. The meat is of the highest quality and tastes fresh! The kabuli pulao is the best rice to go with your meal, but the owner was kind enough to bring some samples of all the rices when people in our group expressed an interest in trying them. I love how flexible the restaurant is with requests. Rewinding to appetizers, you gotta have the Mantu. An afghani dumpling with creamy yogurt and lentils on top, no matter how stuffed I know I'll be at the end of the meal, I always make room ahead of time for these. Best way to finish your meal off is with some chai. The tea is very sweet, so be prepared for that. The desserts are also excellent and taste fresh/homemade. You'll get your check and you might balk at the prices, but trust me, every cent is worth paying here. If it wasn't, would I have come here over and over more than any other restaurant in NJ? Hills of Herat deserves your love too

I came in on a weeknight with some friends. We had a reservation for one of the birthdays in our friend group. We called ahead to let the restaurant know we'd be 15 minutes behind, and they were very accommodating. The first thing I noticed when we walked in was the very nice ambiance and decor. Fine dining Afghan food isn't very common, and this spot has a very nice appeal to it. I was also very surprised to see the restaurant almost completely full on a Wednesday night, which definitely raised my expectations a bit. A hostess sat us as soon as we walked in. I was received the lentil soup and fresh baked bread that comes with any entree. The bread came out hot and fresh; the quality was much better than what you'd get at other Middle-Eastern restaurants. Our entrees arrived about 20 minutes after appetizers. All of the entrees had great presentation. I ordered the Sultani Kabob which comes with both Lamb Kabob cubes and the ground beef Shami Kabob. Both types of meat were well-seasoned and tender. I chose the Zamarud rice to try something new; it was decent quality, but much blander than expected. I tried some of the Lamb Shank as well. It was very tender but lacked flavor. I did enjoy the trio of sauces provided to the table, especially the green chutney-like sauce. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here. Regardless of taste preference, the high quality of the food was consistent across all dishes. Service was pretty good throughout the visit. The kitchen kindly stored a birthday cake that we brought in with us while we had our meal. Our server did his best to check on us amidst a very busy dining room. The manager also thanked us personally and asked for feedback from our visit. Hills of Herat offers a unique menu and experience to central NJ, especially within the halal food scene. I'd recommend this spot to anyone in the area.

The decor of the restaurant is beautiful. I don't think that pictures can do it justice. The service was great. The food was amazing. Everything, from the soup to the baklava, had great and interesting flavors. I also had a great Safran tea.

Huge beautiful place dimly lit for a perfect ambiance. They welcome you with a smile and we were immediately seated Lentil soup comes right out followed by warm Naan bread and their dipping sauce Trio- spicy red, mellow green and tangy white garlic sauce . The soup is hearty with simple flavors . Bread is a killer with the dipping sauce . We ordered couple of appetizers Mantu with meat and the Veg mantu . Didn't care for the meat one while the veg was not bad . It wasn't one of favorites here. Moving on to our entrees . Chicken Kabob with rice - their best Merle spiced entree Borani Banjan Eggplant entree - very flavorful Lamb Chops- soft well seasoned aromatic Desserts galore - Homemade Ice Cream - delish Baklava - to die for Firni - milk based pudding - was good but not my kind of dessert Shir Chai- this tea is a must try They are not a restaurant but an institution as consistency is thy have mastered their dishes and consistency is their key We made a recent visit and just ordered the falafel . Eggplant enteee and shrimp kebab and chocolate baklavas . Shrimp kabobs was mild and juicy while I expected it to be the charred kind so it didn't meet my expectations. For chocolate lovers the chocolate Baklaav will be a delightful sweet fix . Don't miss it

We popped in to Hills of Herat late on a Sunday night to experience a restaurant that I have been meaning to try for a long time now. As a New Yorker who doesn't get to pass through New Jersey quite often I was very much looking forward to the food here. Service was good, we were promptly seated, and our server was very attentive to us and made recommendations as well which we very much appreciated. We started with the eggplant borani which was A-OK, it was a little bit on the watery side, and I didn't like that, but the flavor was OK. It's definitely not my most favorite appetizer. For dinner we ended up ordering the filet mignon kebab and the lamb chops. The waiters recommendation we went with all three types of rice as I was curious to try them all. Our platter came out, absolutely gorgeous. I will say that for the price, the serving was a bit on the smaller side. The filet mignon kebab was absolutely delicious and the lamb chops were also made very well and I could tell the marinade was on point. With the lamb chops, I did miss a little bit of that perfectly rendered char on the fatty pieces, I feel like that would really add some oomph to the chops. I also thought the carrot topping on the rice was very minimal and lacking, it's one of my favorite things at Afghan restaurants, and normally a lot of other places are much more generous with it. Sauces on the table were good but the white sauce maybe needs to improve a little bit because it tastes more like tangy ranch and less like white sauce that goes on kebabs. We ordered the baklava for dessert to finish our meal and this left a lot to be desired, it was very clear that it was warmed up and served to us on a plate. The pastry was not crispy and actually very soggy on the bottom and there was no pistachios, only walnuts. It was hard to cut it with a fork and was just one big mess. This was a disappointment. Overall, I would say, if you are dining here go with the filet mignon kebab and whatever they are known for, but I wouldn't say everything on the menu is stellar.

This is a great Afghani restaurant. For an appetizer, their hummus is fresh and creamy. You can get the Hummus Combo which has classic hummus, beet hummus, and spinach hummus. For the entree, I got the grilled chicken kabobs which was very flavorful. What stood out to me more was all the side dishes that came with my entree: freshly baked flatbread, lentil soup, and rice. They have three different types of rice to choose from. I chose the Naringe Palow, which is rice with saffron, candied orange peels, pistachios, and almonds. It was so good! My friend got the Zamarud Palow, which is rice with spinach and herb sauce. He liked it a lot too. I almost want to visit Herat just to try more of its local cuisine. Until then, I will dine here.

Love love love this restaurant. Everything about it embodies what I would love to see more of. Beautiful, elegant decor, phenomenal authentic food, great service. Hills of Herat is an upscale afghan restaurant that really tries to maintain the tradition methods of cooking traditional afghan dishes. The menu is halal, there are lots of options for vegetarians and meat lovers alike, and most of all it's very tasty. The chicken kebabs are some of the most tender chicken you will ever have! Their rices are phenomenal. I was very partial to the spinach rice but I did sample them all. The bread and the sauces are wonderful. Honestly, there is very little to complain about. The owner is very nice and sweet and gracious and welcoming. The restaurant decor is inviting. And I love that afghan food is having its moment in an upscale fashion. If you are coming on a Friday or Saturday night, I recommend making a reservation. There is ample parking, which is great. Overall, I would absolutely come back and introduce this restaurant to more people.