Afghan & Arab Bakery (Afghan Sufra), Lakemba

You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten Arabian bread fresh from the tandoor oven. We’re talking a round of piping hot fluffiness that’s softer than a baby’s cheek. They’re bigger than a dinner plate and only a dollar each at Afghan & Arab Bakery, one of the latest additions to Lakemba’s Haldon Street.


Arabic bread $1 each

Join the queue of families grabbing bags of bread to take home or get it wrapped around a skewer of charcoal-grilled meat for the ultimate meal on-the-run. A one skewer kebab will set you back $7 or double up on the meat for $12.


Chicken kebab skewers $16
served with salad and Arabic bread

You can dine in too, although don’t expect much in the way of décor of ambience. This is strictly functional seating with prices to match. Ten bucks gets you a skewer of chicken or lamb with salad, sauces and fresh bread. Upgrade to two or three skewers and swap the salad for rice and you’ve got one monster-sized meal.


Lamb yakhni $10
served with salad and Arabic bread

The lamb shanks are a treat too. Simmered low and slow in a clear soup, the meat falls right off the bone. You can order it with bread and salad for $10 or bread and Afghan rice for $16. The Kabuli palaw combines long grain rice with raisins and cooked grated carrots.


Qabuli palaw $16
Lamb shank with rice and Arabic bread 

Eat with your fingers like the locals do – a sink in the corner lets you wash your hands before and after the carnage – or use cutlery as you please.


Bolani $5
Stuffed with potato, spring onion and chilli 

If you’re looking for spice, check out the bolani ($5), an Afghan flat bread stuffed with potato, spring onion and a good whack of chilli. Grab a bottle of ayran salted yoghurt drink from the fridge if your tongue needs cooling.

And for something different? Try the sheermal ($3.50), a round of slightly sweet flatbread made with milk, wheat flour and sugar.





Afghan & Arab Bakery (Afghan Sufra)
122 Haldon Street, Lakemba, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9750 0002

Open daily 7am-8pm


This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.