Bonjon Rumi brings Afghan home cooking — and hearty breakfasts — to Glover Park

DC’s Afghan cuisine scene is dominated by a few strong women. There’s Shamim Popal, who oversees the kitchen at Lapis, and a mini-empire of four Afghani restaurants, including Bistro Aracosia and Afghania, run by Sofia Masrour and her three daughters, Taliha, Iman and Zainab.

Bonjon Ruminew Glover Park eatery from the same owner as Arlington’s excellent fast-food spot Kabobistan is just as matriarchal. It is run by Hilal Rahim, her sister Muska Rahim and their mother Nazifa Rahim.

Open from Tuesday, October 22nd in the former Surfside space, Bonjon Rumi is a beautiful venue with forest greens, a full bar and a rooftop dining area. The restaurant’s name, Hilal says, is the Afghan term for tomato, which literally translates to “Roman eggplant.”

“The name has a story because my mother has a special recipe for tomato sauce,” says Hilal. “This restaurant focuses on authentic Afghan cuisine that we cook at home.”

Hilal came to the U.S. to work in the consular section of the Afghan embassy during the war — a job she suddenly lost when the Taliban overran Kabul in 2021. She soon partnered with her family to open Kabobistan in Arlington. Nazifa runs the kitchen, while Muska, a student at a Turkish university, is here temporarily to maintain the front of the house at both restaurants.

D.C. has no shortage of Kabuli-style barbecue joints, and more than a few Washingtonians know them mantu from their aushak. But Bonjon Rumi’s extensive menu delves deeper into the b-sides and regional specialties of Afghan cuisine.

There’s aash, a cold green noodle soup with herbs and beans, and chainaki, a hearty lamb soup served — as tradition dictates — in a teapot. The Bonjon Rumi Special is, unsurprisingly, a Russian-style cold salad appetizer consisting of neatly stacked layers of slow-cooked beef, potatoes, carrots, beets, Persian pickles, hard-boiled eggs, walnuts and dill.

Fried samosas, although stuffed with ground beef and spicy spices, are sprinkled with powdered sugar, cardamom and chopped pistachios to make them more like cannolis.

The Rahims also want to draw attention to the more familiar side of Afghan cuisine. Hilal prepares a classic rice dish with leg of lamb, sprinkled with carrots and raisins, known as kabuli palav, with traditional sesame oil. Kebabs are served on hot fajita trays. Sauces like baba ganoush and yogurt-based mast-u khiar are washed down with plenty of dried mint.

Morning service will begin sometime in November, and Hilal says it will include the same elaborate multi-course breakfasts we love from Cabo Bistan. Look for the Teahouse breakfast: a cast-iron skillet of scrambled eggs, tomatoes and onions, accompanied by kaimak (thick cream) and honey, walnuts, homemade jams, Uzbek samosas, freshly baked naan and tea. It’s a $25.95 feast that will become one of D.C.’s most iconic morning meals.