Setaara Afghan French Cuisine

Great food and service! Will definitely return when in the area.

It’s Not just dining in a beautiful restaurant, it’s an experience of lifetime, the food is amazing, top notch service and the ambiance is out of the world. And on top of everything remarkably safe environment. I recommend This family run restaurant to everyone. Outstanding

Love the atmosphere. Food is fantastic and service is great.

Great date night! The atmosphere was perfect. We can’t wait to go back. We opted for the outdoor seating but you still feel like you’re inside. It was cold rainy January night and we weren’t getting wet and had our coats off.

Enjoyed our time. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Loved the outside area but if you do this, as for an area further under cover.

Setaara is a gem! The food, the service, and the atmosphere are unbelievable (especially the outside).

I had the pleasure of dining with my family at Setaara. Everyone has been telling me to go to Setaara the past few months, but once I saw that LA Times piece on this fabulous restaurant, I finally booked my table. As an Afghan, I was wowed by the authenticity of the dishes I had. I started with the delicious eggplant appetizer and Bolani. I had the kofta meatballs which were phenomenal, some of the best I’ve had and my family loved their dishes as well. They had the mouthwatering lamb shanks, Mantu, and Poulet Moutard. For dessert, we had the delicious firni pudding with some of their freshly afghan teas. We sat in their Palace Room which has views of their gorgeous outdoor courtyard in a nice cozy sofa booth. The staff were all incredibly friendly and really made us feel at home. The ambiance was out of this world. They have three dining areas and we had a difficult time choosing where to sit since they are all amazing both indoor and outdoor. We have never felt as safe in a restaurant during this pandemic as we did last night. They take a lot of precautions by taking all customer temperatures. We saw the staff throughly cleaning each table and menus before and after parties left. For the first time, we also saw medical air filter sanitizers in their dining areas which shows how seriously they take the pandemic. Definitely visit this hidden gem in Atlantic City. We will be back really soon. One of the best restaurants we have ever dined at.

I just want everyone to know that this was above and beyond my expectations. I saw that they were featured in an article and I needed to try it out, especially so close to home. It made us feel like we escaped AC and had traveled to another country. On top of everything, the staff treated us like we were their gracious guests. Our waitress helped us through everything since we didn’t know what to get from the menu. The food was amazing, everything exactly how we wanted! It was a nice and tasty break away from the food options that we have in AC. We will definitely be dining outside again, especially since the waitress put a heat lamp near us to keep it nice and warm in cold weather.

Quickly has become one of my favorite places to go. I actually crave this food! The way the adapted to the Covid restrictions is amazing. The outside garden is beautiful! Planning to go back already!

Food is mediocre at best maybe, with Manhattan prices. our waitress was rather sweet but the other waitresses were quite loud and used profanity around customers. The restaurant was cold. Waiters were coming in and out from the back yard door creating a cold draft. They were inconsiderate in closing the door behind them slowly because it caused loud banging constantly. Management didn’t care to fix the door or even apologize for the noise. The kofta chalau was like school cafeteria meatloaf. The montu was Okay. Our waitress and hostess was the only positive aspect in this experience.

Had a delicious dinner here on our trip to AC. We were delightfully surprised by the unique dining experience and service. Definitely recommend

We enjoyed a fresh and delicious dinner in the charming heated courtyard at Setaara. The staff were very pleasant and attentive. This restaurant is byob.

The price was outrageous for the level service and quality of food (they ran out of food). We didn’t get what we paid for.

Very lovely place, just opened for a couple of months and in progress to be a very nicely decorated restaurant. The food and hospitality was great, glad to have spent my new years eve dinner here :)

New Years Eve

The food and ambiance are incredible!! The lamb shank is out of this world !!!

Great meal with family in a beautiful esthetic.!
Staff are all lovely.

My daughter and I surprised my husband with a birthday dinner here. The staff are nice. The pictures on the internet looked beautiful but in person, the place is only about 75% accurate to what you see online. The menu looks interesting and we love to try new foods but literally every dish was terrible. The spices were bland and everything tasted the same from the soup to the eggplant appetizer to the entree. You can’t tell by the web photo but you should know that the tables are set in a makeshift enclosed outside courtyard. Kerosene heaters are used for warmth and it was VERY cold. Will not go back.

An absolutely delightful way to spend Christmas Eve. Delicious food and Bailey was an attentive and knowledgeable server.

Outstanding service, excellent food and loved the outdoor patio

Just a wonderful experience all around. This was my third time there and I will go again!!

This was definitely an experience from the moment we walked in. We were greeted and seated right away. We chose the outdoor seating and it was 35 degrees out, we were super nervous but surprisingly we were warm! The food was fresh and filling! Service was efficient and everyone was friendly. We will be going there again.

The restaurant is warm and inviting. You are always greeted with a smile. The service is very good. The food is really good.

The food was delicious. We sat in the courtyard and it was nice and toasty with the heaters.

Outstanding!!! Our fourth or fifth time there and always leaves us smiling. We'll be back!!

We have been to Setaara twice now and I can’t say enough good things about the place. The food is amazing. The people are lovely. Pandemic precautions are on point. Really unique atmosphere. We will be back!

Food was tasty. Atmosphere great, but chilly even with the heaters. Would return. Staff friendly and accommodating. Pistachios baklava was AMAXING! Pomegranate juice delicious as were our meals.

Food was delicious. Server was great and made several recommendations. Ambiance was very authentic.

We love everything about Setaara! The courtyard is beautiful and warm, and it was especially lovely decorated for the holiday season.

Setaara is our favorite restaurant in Atlantic City. We celebrated my birthday last December and again this year...there is nowhere else we’d want to be more!

Abdel, Homa, and the staff are the best!

Ethereal from the moment you enter the ornate double doors. From the exquisite, exotic tea to the scrumptious main course to the decadent dessert, Setaara is a little piece of magic in southern New Jersey. The service and management are incredibly warm, welcoming, and tend your table with the utmost care. Thank you! We will be back!

Family night out

One of the few outdoor seating options that is warm enough for this time of year. Excellent service and great safety protocols- and of course delicious.

Lovely ambiance with efficient staff and great food. They were very through RE: covid-19 measures and we felt very safe!

Vibe was cool. Service was great. Lamb and salmon and rice needed more flavor.

Food was good. Came out fast and had decent flavor. My lamb shank was a little on the bland side but it was tender and just enough meat. The dumplings that my GF had were better than my dish. Get the pudding!! Delicious. It’s a BYOB I didn’t know that so I had to run to a liquor store to get a bottle of wine. Waitress was great but we had to sit on the floor which I understand was part of the experience but a little tough to get comfortable and my back didn’t quite like the traditional style of eating. I would go back though.

I was excited for the concept of French-Afghan fusion food. But was highly disappointed. The food was flat and uninspired, where I was expecting rich and fragrant food.

The ingredients seemed low quality. For instance, the beans in many dishes were clearly canned and not fresh as I might have expected. The diced salad I order as an appetizer had clearly been sitting out too long.

The only highlight in the food was the rack of lamb. The lamb was a high quality cut and was well cooked to temperature. Despite the good quality of the meat, the seasonings and accompanying sauce were not particularly interesting.

The worst part of the experience was probably when I entered the restaurant. The entrance is a cool small wooden door that I assume is Afghan inspired that leads into a narrow well-decorated hallway. I enjoyed these touches. However, once I reached the inside I was greeted with the strangest interaction with a maitre d that I've ever had. It's difficult to put into words, but the maitre d seemed detached from reality in some strange way. She was unable to comprehend that I had a reservation for 2 or even to understand that I was at the restaurant to be seated for a meal. A language barrier was not an issue. Eventually I was saved by a separate employee who showed me to my table, but I'll still have nightmares.

I took my husband here for his Birthday. We had a lovely time we took a tour of the restaurant as we were the first customers of the night. We asked to be seated in a private alcove. My husband was delighted with the staff as everyone greeted us and were very attentive towards us. Food was excellent not cooked with lots of spices very healthy choices. We enjoyed the Afghan Tea and the entire experience at this location.

The restaurant is charming with incredible ambience & wonderful service. The food, however was very bland so we were disappointed. Would try again but they need to season the food better!!

The ginger mint tea was delicious and a good start to the meal. I had the soup of the day (beet) which wasn't that remarkable but my liking but my partner said the French onion was very tasty. Our salads and entrees were well seasoned and plentiful . Make sure to try the desserts!

The tables were slightly closer together than I had hoped but we had an early reservation. It was becoming crowded as we were finishing up. The snow falling was cute but messy.

Overall it was delightful and a charming spot. They are in the process of revamping the and adding additional character. I am planning a return trip for next spring.

What a great hidden gem in Atlantic City! We ate outside on a nice night, and it was a great atmosphere. The food was amazing. I had lamb and my friend had salmon. We were both happy with our meals. I can't wait to go back.