Thirty years ago, Sami Olomi journeyed from his home in Herat, Afghanistan, to New York. He was a teenager, looking for a better way of life.
After graduating from high school, he applied his passion for cooking to restaurant work. When it came time for love, it was his heavenly borani bandjan (eggplant and potatoes with yogurt) that stole the heart of Sana, now his wife of 16 years.
Displaced by the pandemic, the couple moved from New York to Georgia in late 2020, to launch Olomi’s Grill, their first solo endeavor. Tucked into a hard-to-see back corner of a Johns Creek shopping center, the counter-service halal kebab house is worlds away from Afghanistan, but the food — luscious, charcoal-grilled kebabs, earthy stews, soothing sweets, impeccable flatbread — is true to the owners’ roots.
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
Open since May, Olomi’s offers extraordinary, homestyle cooking, inspired by Sami’s mother and his Pakistani mother-in-law. The menu is simple — one appetizer, a burger, a chicken sandwich, a trio of stewy things, and a concise list of kebabs served with fluffy white or brown basmati. But, the flavors are deep and powerful. After two stops at this casual gem, I’ve yet to taste a bite that wasn’t a knockout.
Sana may take your order and offer you a cup of chartreuse-colored herbal tea while you wait. If you are famished, get some fries or samosas to scarf in the car. The potatoes are fried to order, crispy, perfect. The samosas (I tried the chicken) are more flat triangles than puffy pockets, great for rolling up like a slice of pizza and shoving into your mouth.
Takeout orders are packaged meticulously. When you open the bag, you likely will find a complimentary iceberg salad, and a zingy-creamy dressing to drizzle over it.
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
Like Sana, I was enraptured by Sami’s eggplant, so much so that I ordered it twice. It is a magnificent stack of tender fried rounds in a tomatoey oil slick, with layers of potatoes, yogurt and a charred green pepper garnish. Spoon it over rice, or scoop it up with the sesame-flecked, Iranian-style nan-e barbari.
You might know ghormeh sabzi from Persian restaurants; made of a paste of herbs and spinach, the stew cooks up so green that it’s almost black. The vegan rendition at Olomi’s, with spinach, kidney beans and dried limes, is exemplary.
Karahi, a stew of rich tomato gravy with chicken or, sometimes, lamb, will make your cheeks flush. Sana told me they make it on the spicy side, to accommodate their south Asian customers. She hails from the area of Pakistan that is near Afghanistan, and her husband from the part of Afghanistan that is near Iran. Neither cuisine, she said, is particularly fiery. My lamb karahi was, but in the best of ways. It’s the Olomi’s dish I dream about.
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
When I’m eating the food of this region, it’s always the minced meat kabobs (called kobideh here) that get my engine roaring. The beef kobideh at Olomi’s is very good; roll it up with a piece of bread, maybe a dab of the prickly green chutney. Chapli kebabs — pounded into patties of ground chicken or beef mixed with veggies — are new to me. They are kind of spicy, but not too much so. Also terrific: the cubed beef kebabs.
The crown jewel of Afghan cuisine is kabuli pulao, an elegant pilaf of basmati and tenderest lamb, scattered with raisins and slivered carrots. Olomi’s buries its shanks under rice, for maximum visual appeal, and an element of surprise.
House-made sweets include halva, rasmali, kheer and sheer-khurm, though you might not find all of them available on a given day. I had the kheer (a soupy rice pudding with pistachios and coconut) and the sheer-khurm (similar, but with thin strands of vermicelli, instead of rice). Both are milky-sweet and comforting.
Olomi’s Grill, I’m delighted to say, is an exciting new suburban find. The kabuli pulao, the karahi and the eggplant are the dishes worth driving for; I will do so, again and again.
Credit: Wendell Brock
Credit: Wendell Brock
OLOMI’S GRILL
Food: Afghan kebab house
Service: dine-in and takeout
Safety protocol: staff does not wear masks, customers not required to wear masks; I never found the restaurant crowded, nor did I feel uncomfortable
Best dishes: fries, lamb karahi, borani bandjan, gormeh sabzi, beef kobideh and chapli chicken kebabs, kabuli pulao, flatbread, kheer. The specials do not come with rice; if you want rice or bread (a grand idea!), be sure to order it.
Alcohol: no
Credit cards: all major credit cards accepted
Hours: 12-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and Sundays; 12-10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays
Address, phone: 11670 Jones Bridge Road, Johns Creek; 678-587-5512; no website
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