The Bay Area has several restaurants serving flavorful, smoky, deeply soulful Afghan cuisine. But the number doing truly innovative things are fewer than the two toes of a lamb’s hoof.
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Jaji, which opened in January in downtown Oakland, aims to change that. The husband-wife team of Paul Iglesias and Sophia Akbar — who run the Michelin-recognized Parche nearby – offer an ambitious, creative menu of upscale fare inspired by the traditional dishes of Afghanistan and the spices of the Silk Road. While Parche is an ode to Iglesias’ Colombian heritage, at Jaji, it is Akbar behind the concept. She learned to cook early on from her Afghan-American family in Walnut Creek.
Many of the classics are here, from mantu to a Godzilla-sized lamb shank to kabuli palaw, the fruit-and-nut-spiked pilaf often cited as the national dish of Afghanistan. But Iglesias is a tireless improviser, armed with an array of gastro-techniques, so expect the food to yield twists and turns — Japanese ingredients like miso, for example, herb-based flavor oils and a painter’s approach to plating.
The modern Afghan restaurant Jaji opened in Jan. 2025 below the Kissel Hotel in Uptown Oakland, Calif. Co-owners Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias also run the Colombian restaurant Parche in Oakland. (Hardy Wilson)
The vibe: Jaji sits below the Kissel Uptown Oakland hotel, and some of its world-trotting clientele seem to have filtered in. You’ll also see locals out for a night downtown, clad in their best sportswear, and more than a few couples on first dates. The ambiance is contemporary, dark and a little loud, with stylish backlit booths and leather stools at the bar. The high ceilings are hung with gold-leaf forms and hundreds of vivid fabric flags, meant to recall Afghanistan’s famous poppy fields.
The modern Afghan restaurant Jaji opened in Jan. 2025 below the Kissel Hotel in Uptown Oakland, Calif. Co-owners Sophia Akbar and Paul Iglesias also run the Colombian restaurant Parche in Oakland. (Hardy Wilson)
The food: The dinner menu is divided into small bites, kabobs – which also turn out to be small bites – big bites and dessert. Mama’s Daal is excellent to start with and not at all like the luscious and long-stewed goop scooped up at many restaurants. Here, rainbow lentils ($16) are served cool and al dente atop a creamy daal puree, with a bright chutney vinaigrette tying everything together. It’s a healthy-tasting snack that you can’t stop eating.
Another nice small bite is the Sabzi Galet ($16), a play on slow-cooked Afghan spinach that here is served on an open-faced pastry, topped with funky garrotxa cheese and delicate pea sprouts. While the My Jigar ($21) is billed as a chicken-liver mousse dish – and it is there, smooth and delicious with pine nuts and ruby pomegranate seeds – it’s the Texas toast-sized housemade brioche that dominates.
The kabobs ($18-$30) come as wagyu steak with pomegranate-ginger syrup, ground lamb with yogurt and lemon zest and ground wagyu with sumac naan. They’re juicy and smoky and all rather small, though you can add a side of sour orange-saffron rice ($8).
The modern Afghan restaurant Jaji opened in Jan. 2025 below the Kissel Uptown Oakland in Oakland, Calif. Pictured: Banjan borani made with eggplant and yogurt. (Hardy Wilson)
Before your monocle pops out at the price of the mains, remember this is by a hotel and priced accordingly. The Qarot and the Hen ($42) certainly delivers on portion size. It’s whole herbed Cornish hen (that can take up to 30 minutes to cook) served on kabuli palaw with heirloom carrots and golden raisins and just plain tasty and satisfying. The whole-fried trout ($72) is served butterflied with herb salad and candied orange, and the Noshaq Lamb Shank ($58) definitely would have Shaq interested. It’s jiggly, succulent and humongous, looking like something a caveman would use to bonk a T-Rex.
The drinks: Jaji stocks wines from California and Europe including some orange varietals and zero-proof offerings. There’s Ethiopian and Indian lager, and a cocktail list inspired by the spices of the Silk Road — think turmeric, black tea and black pepper. The Fig-getaboutit ($32) is made with fig syrup and Dalmore Cigar Malt Reserve – it’s not made with tobacco, but meant to accompany it – and the Zira Gold ($15) is a well-balanced tipple of cumin, lime and Banhez mezcal. Note that if you want a special drinks experience, Jaji offers tastings-by-reservation in a “hidden” back bar called the B.Akbar.
The modern Afghan restaurant Jaji opened in January 2025 below the Kissel Hotel in Uptown Oakland, Calif. Pictured clockwise from top: chicken-liver mousse, ducktu with consume and lentil salad with dhal puree. (Hardy Wilson)
Details: Open 5-9:30 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 5-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 422 24th St., Oakland; jajioak.com.
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