The Awe Shack

Hidden gem in Crofton! 2 years later and this is still our favorite place to eat on a Friday night. The couple who owns it is so friendly and gives us free dessert every now & then for frequenting their place so often! To anyone who says the food’s bland, you’re simply not eating it correctly! A little salt, sumac seasoning (there’s several Sumac spice shakers by the drink cooler), + both green AND white sauces take these kabobs from delicious to even MORE delicious. My half-​Persian boyfriend & I always say we would be absolutely devastated if this place ever closed down.

Maybe just-​OK, not A-​OK. To be the food was kinda bland. No real charbroiled flavor. I had the chicken kabob. Green dipping sauce didn’t add much. Weird ambiance

Consistently good. Large portions and friendly owners.

YUM. The chicken kabob us delicious, as well as the samosas. Eating in isn’t very pleasant, so that’s why it doesn’t get 5 stars. But for a yummy takeout option, this is the place to go. The bread that comes with the entrees is great, as well as the green sauce that comes on the side!

Food: Totally good. Is Maryland obsessed with kabobs? This is an unassuming little place next to a great Pakistani/​Indian grocery store. I absolutely love everything on the menu and frequently enjoy dinner here with my husband. Get the firni for dessert. Mmmm.
Ambiance: Eh. It looks like it was going for a bit of a romantic atmosphere with all the decorative glass lanterns and cushions, but it just feels dark, and un-​romanticaly so.
Service: Owner dude needs to lighten up! He smiles when you give your order but looks like he’d rather be anywhere but there. His wife positively beams whenever she sets the food on the counter. It’s a family owned business, it’s doing pretty well, I would think there would be more positive vibes. You also need to grab your own utensils and order the water (or grab something from the cooler) with the food, otherwise you’ll find yourself leaving the table more than you want.
In the end though, the first bite of that chicken kabob with yogurt and Afghani rice will take you very far away from any complaints.

This is absolute fabulousness! :)
It was my first time in but definitely not my last! I was late for lunch but was shocked to find the restaurant empty. Shame on everyone who is going somewhere else! Ha! The menu is very complete with American options as well. I had the chicken kebab with brown rice (options of types of rice), which comes with salad and tandoor bread. Reasonable prices. A must try!

Customer service was good. We got chicken kebob meal. Rice was absolutely flavorless. Chicken was a bit dry, decent taste but needs a nicer flavor and was a bit spicy which we found odd.
We wouldn’t go back.

We got the food to go and we’re glad we did, it was pretty warm inside due to the sun beating down on all the windows. Customer service was top notch and the variety of food we ordered was very good.

my family and I order from here quite often and it never disappoints! Because the kabobs are SO Good, I have never gotten anything else. All the meat is well seasoned, cooked well and very satisfying. It seems like this restaurant uses high quality ingredients. I love the kabuli rice and the tandoori bread. The green chutney is fabulous and I usually order extra!
Even though it looks like a fast kinda place, it isn’t. They prepare everything to order, so you do have to wait. I think it is worth it. I call ahead, drive over and it’s always ready to carry out.
Please support this family owned small business!

I’ve eaten here a couple of times and I’ve never been disappointed. I really like the samosas and the beef and chicken kebobs with the kabuli rice. The food is consistently fresh and I’ve enjoyed every meal I’ve had here. I usually order carry-​out. Everything is made to order, so it can take a little while for your food to come out. Trust me, it’s definitely worth the wait. What a lovely local gem!

I went with an order of samosas and the combination lamb/​chicken plate with the Kabuli rice. The food was good but I admit it was on par with many other kabab places that serve authentic Afghan cuisine. Don’t get me wrong it was tastey especially how tender the lamb and chicken were and I ordered to go. The rice was seasoned nicely and was a bit sweeter than I expected but that was a pleasant surprise.

The food was delicious. The service was charming. Think mom and pop not full service restaurant. Really a nice find. Will absolutely go back. Everything tasted authentic. Each dish had rich flavors but not overbearing.
*** Beware the parking lot is horribly designed and crowded on some nights. One entrance and one exit. Clearly designed by a freshman civil engineering student.

I want to make clear that the food here is terrific.
The 1star selection comes from the customer service of the owner and restaurant, which is always piss poor.
I would frequent the awe shack every Friday for a year, and yet the attitudes here would never change. It’s too expensive here to spend money and be looked down upon.

Love love love this place! Their kebabs are amazing! The food is so flavorful and the staff is always pleasant and helpful. I usually do take out and they’re always ready for me when I arrive.
My favorites are the lamb and chicken kebabs. And the rice — so yummy!

Always order from here; at least once a week. We order 3 – 4 orders of the grilled chicken kabobs; and their lamb kabobs! Cooked perfectly tender! Best to eat with naan and their mint chutney. Lots of other dishes are great like the chicken wrap. Family owned and operated. Amazing cooks.
Nothing is overly spicy as traditional afghan food but you can always ask for more spice!
As a side I always have rice, chunnay (garbanzo beans), samosas, and salad!
Ok I’m hungry now LOL!

Well as they put it at the Awe Shack, the food is Awe-​thentic traditional Afghani kabobs and cuisine. I myself have a soft spot for samosas. The fried pastry shells at the Awe Shack are stuffed with seasoned potatoes and peas, and served with a green chutney dipping sauce. They came to my table extra hot and ultra creamy. Five stars for the samosas alone. For my lunch I had the chicken wrap. Not you ordinary chicken wrap, first they use chucks of seasoned grilled kabob chicken breast, with a small portion of salata and feta cheese. All this goodness is topped with and drizzle of tzatziki sauce and served inside a pupping hot piece of tandoor bread. Give the joint a try, they are ultra friendly and except all major credit cards.

I found the Awe Shack when I was driving around at lunchtime looking for something other than burgers, or tacos, etc. etc.
For a pasty white dude, I am pretty familiar with Middle Eastern/​Indian/​Pakistani food (I love most of it), and so I decided to give this place a try.
That was a couple of years ago, and I have been a regular at the Awe Shack ever since. I go there for lunch at least once a month.
I usually order the same things every time. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
I get the samosas as an appetizer. They are light and flaky, and the filling is spicy and delicious. The dipping sauce compliments the flavor of the filling perfectly.
My entrée is usually the beef kabob, which is seasoned perfectly with a light sprinkle of salt & red pepper. The entrees also come with rice, a salad, & HUGE freshly baked piece of naan bread.
The real story here is the tenderness of the beef. You don’t need a knife to cut it. It is just super tender, and completely free of any fat or gristle. I have been to steak houses that can’t cook beef like this.
The salad is just basic salad. It comes with dressing. Nothing noteworthy.
They give you a choice of rice. I always choose the Kabuli rice, which is fresh and delicious brown rice, and topped with shredded carrot and a few raisins. The first time I tried the Kabuli rice I was hooked.
Lastly the naan bread is SO good. I wish this was what ALL restaurants served as their complimentary bread. It’s served warm, fresh baked, and it’s perfectly crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside.
Food comes out fast, and the staff is always very polite.
This gets 4 stars instead of 5 because they recently got rid of their soda fountain. Now, when you buy a soda with your meal, it’s bottled. Not a huge deal, but this eliminates the possibility of free refills, which was one of the niceties that I enjoy in a mid-​priced lunchtime venue.

The high Unilocal ratings got my attention. This place is kind of hidden in the Crofton Princess Center specializes in Afghani food. When I walked in, there was no customers to be seen. When I got to the back, I saw a bunch of pictures of some of the foods they served, but no prices. I guess the owner thought I was there before since he initially offered no assistance. When he realized that I was a new customer, he was very friendly and talkative. He handed me a menu and offered me some suggestions. I ordered the Lamb and Chicken Kabob combination. After sitting down and waiting for a while, I was delivered a very nice looking dish. The meal was good, but I guess I expected more taste. Although it was good, I didn’t think it matched the other reviewers comments. If I come back, I will try a different meal.

What a pleasant surprise to find this place! I went to the TajMahal Indo-​Pak Market next door, but forgot it was Monday (one of the benefits of being gainfully retired…) and they were closed. I had read a few positive reviews here on Unilocal,so decided to swing by and check out the menu. But when I walked through the door, the smell convinced me to order a lunch and appetizer to carry out.
The place looked to be a family operation, as I noticed what looked to be a husband and wife operation behind the counter. The man was very friendly and open and took the time to ensure I understood the differences between certain Afghani items and their regular Indian counterparts… he explained that Afghani samosas are vegetarian, stuffed with potato and peas, and come with a spicy chutney sauce on the side. I ordered a 6 piece samosa appetizer and the beef and chicken kabob combination. I received my take out order in about ten minutes.
I had vowed to let my wife have the samosas, as she usually likes to order them when we are at an Indian restaurant. However, they smelled so good in my car that I decided to try only one… ooo, so light the crust, almost a phyllo type dough with extra butter, and the chutney dipping sauce added just the right amount of zip. I tried a second samosa just to ensure consistency and then closed the bag.
When I got home, I opened up the large bag and found some beautiful beef and chicken kabobs, with a very nice salad and brown rice– I looked at the menu later, and saw they served something called Kabuli rice, with caramelized julienned carrots and raisins. I can only assume they were out when I ordered, but I will try it next time… and there will be a next time.
I split my kabobs with my wife, to assuage my guilt over eating her samosas. She agreed the samosas were excellent, and thought the kabobs were perfectly cooked. We finished our meal by dipping the flat bread into the rest of the chutney sauce.
So in summary, the food was excellent. Maybe a bit expensive for a strip mall in Crofton, but they did have several lunch specials if you were on a budget. The service was very good, and the restaurant itself was small but very clean. I would put this place about one half star about the Lebanese Taverna overall.

Awe Shack? Quite a lofty name. After visiting this place, I found myself in awe. More specifically, I kept saying to myself ‘awe shoot” and «awe $hit»! Why? Well…
The Awe Shack is an Afghan restaurant located off of a major road (Route 3) in Gambrills. It’s in a strip mall that contains several restaurants and other businesses.
Walking inside, you notice that the restaurant space is open and clean. The décor is pretty basic save for the various cultural elements incorporated around the room.
Service is basically limited to the person taking your order. Everything else is self service– getting your fountain drinks and picking up your food from the counter when it’s ready.
The primary issue for me is the food. I ordered Samosas, Chickpeas, and the Chicken and Lamb Kabob Combo.
The Samosas were mini-​sized and bland. They were filled with a pasty potato filing and basically nothing else. The filling had no flavor and the shell did not have enough of a crunch factor. Overall, the samosas were a major fail.
The chickpeas were definitely not what I was expecting. They were essentially part of a vegetable stew, which was tomato based. I have been spoiled with the chickpeas at Kabob Palace, which are spicy and highlighted as the star of the show. Definitely not the case at Awe Shack, where the chickpeas get lost in the stew and while there’s a little flavor, for the most part things taste pretty muddled and unappealing.
The Chicken and Lamb Kabob Combo also come with brown rice that’s mixed with carrots and raisins as well as a side salad. The rice was good from the standpoint of having some sweet elements incorporated. The salad was an afterthought. The chicken and lamb kabobs were both fairly tender, seasoned and had a good smokey flavor. Problem is the dish didn’t really come together as a whole. It was like eating three separate dishes.
The pricing was definitely on the high end. At Kabob Palace, a meal like this runs you around $ 18-​$ 20. Over here, this meal is $ 25-​$ 30.
So what was I in awe about at the Awe Shack? I was in awe that I made a mistake coming here! AWE SHOOT & AWE $HIT!