Seek out these fragrant lamb shanks and kebabs at Afghan grill in Rittenhouse

There’s a lamb shank I’ve been craving over the past few months as the temperatures began to plummet. It’s deeply savory from a patient five-hour braise steeped with cumin, dill, and garlic, and yields tender morsels with every gentle tug of the fork. The meaty girth of the last one I devoured at Villekebabs and Platters (was it nearly a pound?!) was impressively hidden beneath a mountain of cardamom-scented brown basmati laced with sweet carrots and juicy raisins. Just the long handle of a bone protruding from the bottom offered any clue as to what treasure lay beneath that steamy pile of rice.

It’s not a bad metaphor for Villekebabs itself, an Afghan grill house near Rittenhouse Square that’s so low key and overlooked, it might as well be hidden in plain sight. The sleekly modern wooden entrance that’s a holdover from Giwa, the Korean restaurant previously there, might still throw off some people. But a host of other unlucky factors have likely also stemmed the crowds that otherwise might be flowing to the first Afghan kitchen to settle in Center City West since the much-beloved Sansom Kabob House decamped to east of Broad Street in 2016.

After 15 years of managing a Popeye’s in Teaneck, N.J., Nangialy “John” Shah and his wife, chef Marina Shah, searched New Jersey and Pennsylvania for a place to showcase the flavors of their native Afghanistan. They finally landed on a tidy 30-seat space in what seemed like a promising spot on the 1700 block of Sansom Street. But one week after opening in September 2021, the 1600 block of Sansom was closed for extended construction, stifling traffic in an area where the lunch trade had already taken a hit from half-empty pandemic offices near Rittenhouse Square.

I’m thrilled that the Shahs have nonetheless survived, because Villekebabs serves a number of dishes I find myself thinking about as I hungrily stroll the streets nearby. Among them: the pyramid-shaped munto stuffed with cuminy beef over minted yogurt topped with yellow pea dahl. A golden and earthy lentil soup that sparkles with the heat of red pepper. I’m also a fan of the mixed kebab platter, because I can never choose. The lamb and chicken skewers are tenderized with onion juice before roasting over the grill, and the ground beef kofta is lit with ginger and lemon. It’s simple but carefully cooked and satisfying, like most of Villekebabs homey plates. More people now simply need to find it.

— Craig LaBan

Lamb shank, $23.99, Villekebabs and Platters, 1722 Sansom St., 215-315-8395; villekebabsplatterspa.com