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✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out
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Upmarket eatery serving Afghan recipes including kebabs & dumplings, plus wine.
Hours
| Monday | 5–9 PM |
| Tuesday | 5–9 PM |
| Wednesday | 5–9 PM |
| Thursday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5–9 PM |
| Friday | 11 AM–2 PM, 5–9 PM |
| Saturday | 5–9 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
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Samira Restaurant
Samira Restaurant. Our Foods. Celebrate our flavors! We serve a variety of … Hungry? 100 West 6th Street. Bloomington, Indiana 47404. IMG_0270_edited.jpg.
Samira Restaurant (@samirarestaurant) · Bloomington, IN – Instagram
A mix of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern style cuisine in a restaurant based in Bloomington, Indiana.
Samira Restaurant – Visit Bloomington, IN
SamiraRestaurant. 1 OF 1. Samira Restaurant. Visit Website · 100 W. 6th Street Bloomington, IN 47404 · (812) 331-3761. About. Home of fine Afghanistan cuisine.
Reviews
Sonia B
This charming restaurant, nestled near the IU campus, boasts a captivating and distinctive decor. The service was great, and we were delighted with the grilled eggplant with carrots and Afghani bread. While the soup was a bit of a letdown, the chicken and lamb kebabs were simply amazing! I highly recommend a visit to this delightful establishment.
… moreZhuoyang Cao
Samira is a solid spot for Middle Eastern food in Bloomington, and there’s a reason it has lasted for so many years in this college town. The menu is simple and straightforward, but the food is fresh and full of flavor. I especially want to highlight the hen—it was incredibly tasty, even better than the lamb or beef options in my opinion!
The beef kebab is about $4 more expensive than the others, and while it’s still good, I found the lamb to be fresher and more satisfying. So unless you’re really craving beef, I’d suggest going with the combination platter or trying something else on the menu.
Even though I’m not vegetarian, one of our friends ordered a vegetarian dish and it looked amazing—clearly a great option even if you don’t eat meat.
Prices are very reasonable overall. The restaurant seems to accept reservations, which is helpful. We visited during summer (which is usually a slow season for college towns), and by 6 PM it was already starting to fill up. So if you’re visiting during the school year or on a weekend, I highly recommend making a reservation.
I’ve included a photo showing the beef, lamb, and hen dishes we ordered—everything looked and tasted great. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you’re in Bloomington and want something fresh, flavorful, and satisfying!
… moreThe beef kebab is about $4 more expensive than the others, and while it’s still good, I found the lamb to be fresher and more satisfying. So unless you’re really craving beef, I’d suggest going with the combination platter or trying something else on the menu.
Even though I’m not vegetarian, one of our friends ordered a vegetarian dish and it looked amazing—clearly a great option even if you don’t eat meat.
Prices are very reasonable overall. The restaurant seems to accept reservations, which is helpful. We visited during summer (which is usually a slow season for college towns), and by 6 PM it was already starting to fill up. So if you’re visiting during the school year or on a weekend, I highly recommend making a reservation.
I’ve included a photo showing the beef, lamb, and hen dishes we ordered—everything looked and tasted great. Definitely a spot worth checking out if you’re in Bloomington and want something fresh, flavorful, and satisfying!
Eric Cesare
A really terrific change of flavor! As an Indy resident, Afghan or really any West Asian food is hard to come by, so it was an easy choice to land on Samira for my latest trip to Bloomington.
The restaurant has a chic, comfortable vibe and friendly, fast service to compliment. I sat at a two top at the front of the dining room facing the street and the mirrors made for extra good people watching while I dined.
I was surprised by the complimentary grilled eggplant and carrots along with a basket of fresh bread. I probably could have just doubled down by ordering extras of those and been happy and full. They both had so much flavor!
For my entre I asked for the quabili pallao with lamb and was brought a true, heaping helping of basmati topped with so much delicious lamb, veggies, seasoning, and sauce. I cleaned the whole plate (which impressed even me) and which I would have had room for more. The super aromatic, slightly spicy and rich flavors were all so good.
Oh, gosh, and I almost forgot the house salad! It was such a treat, herbaceous, acidic, crunchy and fresh. I really was stuffed (in the best way) by time I left.
Don’t think twice if you are in Bloomington and looking for something different and delicious!
… moreThe restaurant has a chic, comfortable vibe and friendly, fast service to compliment. I sat at a two top at the front of the dining room facing the street and the mirrors made for extra good people watching while I dined.
I was surprised by the complimentary grilled eggplant and carrots along with a basket of fresh bread. I probably could have just doubled down by ordering extras of those and been happy and full. They both had so much flavor!
For my entre I asked for the quabili pallao with lamb and was brought a true, heaping helping of basmati topped with so much delicious lamb, veggies, seasoning, and sauce. I cleaned the whole plate (which impressed even me) and which I would have had room for more. The super aromatic, slightly spicy and rich flavors were all so good.
Oh, gosh, and I almost forgot the house salad! It was such a treat, herbaceous, acidic, crunchy and fresh. I really was stuffed (in the best way) by time I left.
Don’t think twice if you are in Bloomington and looking for something different and delicious!
Chanaka Hettige
Too bad that I took this long to come to Samira. This is just the kind of food I love. The meats are cooked to perfection. Breads are baked to be as fluffy as anyone would love and the the rices are seasoned for an experience. Really enjoyed my visit here and the service was great. Would be back again and again!
… moreBoris Nemirov
Awful experience with dinner at Samira tonight. First, I made a reservation several days in advance for 7:30PM and confirmed it. However, when we arrived today at 7:30PM, we were told it would be a 15-20 min wait. So Samira knows how to take the reservations, but not how to actually honor them. Second, the service was horrendous and among the worst I have experienced in a long time. Our waitress (red hair in a ponytail) was really bad. Everything took forever. Our drinks took 30 min. We ordered iced tea and 25 min later were told they did not have any. Lemonade took 45 minutes because, as we were told, it was being “freshly made”. Appetizers took a total of 50 minutes to come out and both the Greek and the cucumber salads had more onions than anything else. I asked for more water at least 3 times and it still took forever. It was never brought without me asking a number of times. When I asked why everything it taking so long, instead of an apology, the waitress very rudely responses “You can see yourself that we are busy” and just walked away. The main courses luckily did not take as long and some were actually pretty good (lamb, chicken and shrimp kebabs were good, the Manta was not, side dishes were bad). My wife asked for a second glass of wine, but it was never brought. We wanted desserts, but given our horrible, rude and slow waitress, we did not bother. The check came quickly, but the credit card receipt to sign took 20+ minutes. At that point, I saw that the bill had lots of mistakes on it – we were still charged for the iced teas that they did not have and for 2 Greek salads instead of 1 that we had. I told the horrible waitress and asked if making the corrections would take another 20 minutes. She rudely responded “Yes, it just might”. So, overall, while some of the food was relatively good, the service was terrible both in terms of my reservation not being honored and the terrible waitress. There was also a very large group sitting in the middle that was so loud, they were making my ears hurt.
… moreJeremy Lee
Food was amazing and the atmosphere and service was great! We ordered the Lamb Kebab and Roasted Salmon – the lamb kebab was cooked to our preference, and the roasted salmon was cooked really well – super tender and not dry at all! Overall, food was really great!
… moreMoonbeam Chandler
I went to Samira for the lunch buffet today. First off, the atmosphere is cozy yet still spacious. They have fake plants hanging from the ceiling and beautiful hanging lamps annnd an awesome giant mural in the back.
I was immediately greeted and seated by a very kind hostess who brought me bread and baklava.
There was a mix of meat and vegetarian options for the buffet. The different flavors went well together and was a huge delight. I’m so used to my awful cooking!
I ate two whole plates and am stuffed. I will definitely be returning.
… moreI was immediately greeted and seated by a very kind hostess who brought me bread and baklava.
There was a mix of meat and vegetarian options for the buffet. The different flavors went well together and was a huge delight. I’m so used to my awful cooking!
I ate two whole plates and am stuffed. I will definitely be returning.
Sylvia Lin
This is the best food I had during my short visit in Bloomington! Ordered “Combination special” with Lamb kebab ($23.95) that comes with quabili (Afghanistan’s national dish with core ingredients of steamed rice mixed with caramelized carrots and raisins as well as marinated lamb meat, according to internet), manto (dumplings typically consist of a spiced meat mixture) and sambosa. It also came with a soup or salad; I went with red lentil soup. The bread and grilled eggplants are free. Everything was great! I was really sad about various restaurants in the area that had let me disappointed in the past few days; I am so glad that I made the right decision, with stomach filled great food, cook and season just right, for the last night in town. I would totally came back to visit and come to this place again.
This is officially my favorite restaurant in Bloomington!
… moreThis is officially my favorite restaurant in Bloomington!
Charles Vega
Samira is one of my top 3 restaurants in Bloomington. The food is always great and the atmosphere is very nice. They provide bread with some spicy roasted eggplant, both are delicious. I also enjoy the hummus appetizer, it goes well with the bread. Their Sambok appetizer was also quite good. Mushrooms, peppers, and onions in a savory sauce! My favorite entree to get is the Quabilli Pallao with Lamb. It is lamb cooked in a tomatoey sauce served over rice and topped with shaved carrots and raisins. The flavors are so Unique, unlike anything I have had before. The lamb combination kebab is also excellent because it comes with lamb, rice, a Samosa, and Momo (dumplings). You can also get Momo as an entree but I view it More as a side or an appetizer for the table. Each entree also comes with lentil soup or a salad. I have only had the soup and it is very satisfying. I have always received great service at Samira, the servers are all very kind. They recently updated the interior, and wow! The walls are darker and feature mirrors throughout to make the restaurant feel more like a fine dining experience. They also changed the two tables by the window to feature raised floor seating for those who want a more authentic experience. I recommend Samira for anyone wanting great food in Bloomington.
… moreFred Hawkins
Food was great. Don’t be mislead by the prices on the web site. They’re 75% higher than what shown. Most meals around $25. But you get snack, soup and a great meal for that. A little loud when all tables are full. We enjoyed your time there. Everyone ordered something different and enjoyed the meal. Those that had salad with as he’d for a little more sauce, but not a big deal.
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