Our story

Founded by Abdullah Panah. Having grown up in Atlantic City, Abdullah has always loved this city. He is a Stockton University graduate and is currently a medical student at Rowan University. He has travelled extensively throughout the world and always misses this beautiful city within days of being in a new destination. Throughout these years, the one disappointment he has had is the lack of diverse cuisine in a city with so many amazing restaurants. Having travelled to dozens of countries, he realized the potential that Atlantic City has if it offers new experiences beyond casinos. The first such thing the city could use is diverse cuisine and he sought out to create not only an Afghan restaurant, but to create a whole new unique dining experience.

Since 2014, he began encouraging his aunt Homa Bazyar to sell her restaurant in Colorado and to come create a brand new dining experience in the Atlantic City area. By 2017, she had visited the area countless times and ultimately sold her restaurant. Thats when the concept of an Afghan French fusion restaurant came into the making.

Having immigrated to the United States from Afghanistan in the 1970s, Homa has always loved creating new dishes and incorporating different cuisines into a single dish. Shortly after immigrating to America, she began training under a French chef in the Denver area. Eventually, she managed to open and operate a highly successful French restaurant called Cafe Monet in the Denver, Colorado area for several decades.

In designing the restaurant and its dishes, Abdullah and Homa used their experience traveling throughout the Middle East and Europe to provide the most authentic restaurant possible. The theme of the restaurant revolves around the golden age of Afghanistan from the 1920s-1970s. We look forward to sharing our unique take on Afghan and French cuisine. Being in the heart of Ducktown, we also have a couple of Italian dishes available. Setaara is Atlantic City’s first Afghan Restaurant. It is also the city’s only French restaurant.

The beauty of Afghan food is that it stands as a testament to the various different empires that have crossed the country from the Greeks to the Mongols to the Mughals and Persians. For those that don’t like spicy food, they will be pleasantly surprised with the food being extremely savory, yet subtly seasoned. Adding the French fusion along with Ducktown Italian favorites really adds to the experience as those that aren't ready to try Afghan food can try our savory non-Afghan options.

The ambience inside is truly unique. From the moment somebody walks through our wooden handmade door, they will feel like they have been transported from Atlantic City to the ancient Silk Road. With lighting that is an art in itself and art work showcasing the 1960s’ of Afghanistan, people will be introduced to a version of Afghanistan that existed before the wars and one most people are unfamiliar with. All of the artwork in the restaurant has been designed and done by local Atlantic City artists including Christian Correa, Leah Morgan, and Edwin Riviera. Inside, customers can choose to sit in their own private Alcove with traditional floor seating, a booth, or a table.

If the ambiance inside wasn’t enough, faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, Setaara accelerated plans to expand during this down time. Abdullah always wanted for there to be an outdoor space at Setaara and he came up with a courtyard design remniscent of a historic Silk Road town that should be completed in Q1 of 2021.

With Setaara, we look forward to introducing a brand new dining experience to Atlantic City. We opened our doors in July 2019. We are a family-run Authentic Afghan and French restaurant.