Fremont's De Afghanan restaurants bring Afghan food and culture to the Bay Area

FREMONT, Calif. -- De Afghanan Cuisine and De Afghanan Kabob House are a few of the go-to restaurants in Fremont for food.

The beef kebabs, Bolani Kachaloo, and Qabili Pallow are some of the most popular entrees that the restaurants have to offer.

De Afghanan Cuisine and rhe De Afghanan Kabob House are restaurants owned by Aziz Omar and his family. Aziz believes in bringing and sharing his Afghan culture and traditional food to the Bay Area.

In Fremont, both restaurants are located in a community known as "Little Kabul," which is acclaimed to have the largest Afghan-American population in the United States.

Omar Aziz immigrated to the United States during the 1980s and started working in the restaurant industry in New York. After years of experience, he followed his sibling to California and wanted to establish his own restaurant business.

"After some experience in food, I came here (Fremont) and I was looking forward to introducing my culture, my food, and my hospitality," said Omar. "I got to know that people get so happy when they eat a good meal."

In 1993, Omar opened De Afghanan Kabob House, a hole-in-the-wall take-out spot. After noticing the demand for his Afghan dishes, Omar later opened De Afghanan Cuisine, a relaxed, sit-down restaurant filled with authentic decor from Afghanistan.

Over the years, Omar and his family opened five Afghan restaurants around the Bay Area: two locations in Fremont, and one in Livermore, San Francisco, and Tracy.

De Afghanan Kabob House and the De Afghanan Cuisine have gained loyal customers from not only the Bay Area but from all over the world.

"We have been coming here since the beginning," said long-time customer, Calvin Aziz. "You can't come to Northern California and not have Afghan food at the De Afghanan. Anytime people come from out of town or out of the country this (De Afghanan Cuisine) is a staple."

"I have traveled a lot of different places and I can hands down say that I could rate this number one, easily," said Mustafa Aziz, a twenty-plus year customer. "I have waited an hour. The Qabili Pallow with brown rice is amazing."

Omar believes that it's not all about business and wants every customer to leave happy.

"The restaurant is a big hit because of the food and the way that we treat customers, like family members," said Omar. "We want everyone to leave happy, get full, and appreciate the meal. People come from around the world to the De Afghanan because of the quality food and the taste of the food."

De Afghanan Cuisine and De Afghanan Kabob House are located at 37395 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94536. Business hours are Tuesday - Sunday 11:30 am - 3:30 pm and 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm.