Neighborhood Gems: Delicious Aushuk at Lapis!

Our NEIGHBORHOOD GEMS series features emblematic meals from around the world. This series shines a light on local restaurants and is designed to bring together inquisitive foodies and dishes that are unique and oh so worth a trip on roads less traveled!

Join us in Adams Morgan at Lapis, a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant, for one of the DC area's most essential eats - Aushuk!

Separate checks will always be requested in advance. All diners should be prepared to split tabs in the event the restaurant is unable to honor our request.

Washington Post

Every meal at Lapis should start with the dumplings. The kitchen steams between 1500 and 1800 of three varieties every night at Adams Morgan's 11-year-old Afghan hot spot. Mantoo filled with beef or shrimp are reliable, but the leek filled aushak are unrivaled in Washington.

The sweet alliums are cooked with cilantro and extra virgin olive oil until tender, then tucked into thin dumpling wrappers that are folded into half-moons and steamed for exactly 10 minutes - any longer and the dough could break. The ground beef and split pea tomato sauce draped over top is rich without overpowering the buttery leeks. (Carrots and onion stand in for beef in the veg version). Labneh with lemon and garlic is a tangy counterbalance, and a final sprinkling of mint and cayenne pepper adds just a little kick. "It's a beautiful introduction to Afghan cuisine," executive chef Shamim Popal says. "It shows the delicate side of our food."

Michelin Guide

From its whitewashed walls and stunning Afghan rugs warming the floor to the sepia-toned heirloom photos on the walls, this place exudes warmth and charm, albeit in a highly stylish manner.

Husband-and-wife owners Zubair and Shamim Popal share the fragrant cuisine of their native Afghanistan. Light and fresh without the heavy-handed spicing of other regional cuisines, this food is a delicious discovery. Split pea soup may sound basic but here it is layered with flavor. And chopawn is the real deal—this trio of grilled-to-perfection lamb chops is served with sensational cardamom-scented rice and draws you in forkful after fluffy forkful.

Check out the menu here

We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join and help us support local businesses. In the event our group incurs a fee for no-shows / late cancellations, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.

To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we will continue to limit the group size. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends.

** WAITLIST: Meetup does not allow waitlists for paid events. If this event fills and you would like to be added to the waitlist, please send a note to the host through the Meetup app. **

In the future, we will vary the days of the week and the types of restaurants to keep events interesting.

PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO GO WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. Feel free to make suggestions for future meet locations.

** The small non-refundable registration fee helps us share the cost associated with the Meet-Up platform ($360/yr) and reduces the likelihood of no-shows, allowing us to better plan our events and accommodate all participants. Meetup charges $0.51 and Paypal charges $0.53 on the $2 registration fee. Thanks in advance for your understanding!**

If you are unable to join us in November, we hope you'll stay interested and join us for a meal in the future. Looking forward to catching up with you at Lapis!