If India and Pakistan have been in their own fragile Cold War for the last 40 years, I think I know the reason why. Indians are all jeally of what's cooking in the Pakistani kitchens. And with good reason. As I tore off pieces of the warm crispy naan and sopped up the rich flavors of the leftover karahi chicken sauce, I marveled at the depth of flavor and wondered just how they got it. I envisioned bubbling pots and cauldrons with flavors concentrating over days not hours. Chicken singed by clay oven heat. Tender meats with so much taste...incredible taste! Someone's grandmother perhaps in back doing it how it's always been done. Yes the place is a strip-shopping center dump if you want to get technical about it: paint peeling around the trim on the walls. But it is filled with pakistanis and with fantastic foods. When we went there were children running around playing and laughing in the large dining room. People lounging around and eating and enjoying what must be the true flavors of home. Service surprisingly checked up on us after we had received our food, twice at that. Based on disposable plates and plastic ware, I would not have expected it. The Pakistani menu seems to share broad strokes with the more familiar Indian food menu. Chicken tikka / tandoori chicken, masalas, etc, but I have yet to get to work my way through discovering what is what here. They were out of the Seekh kababs, and I didn't try the patties at the front counter nor the chicken tikka, but all are on my list. The karahi chicken was delicious although I would suggest going boneless. Dal palak was a wonderful lentil dish. There was subtle, building heat to the spice which I loved. Only thing I did not enjoy too much was the beef boti: a last minute sub when we found out they were sold out of seekh kababs. Oh, did I forget to mention the grease? Be prepared. Yes, there was a lake of grease on our chicken dish. I would prefer it not to be there, but the flavors were worth it to me. Eat around it, skim it off the best you can. Also be prepared with knowing what you may want to order before you get in line. Check out the menu photo on Yelp. The front personnel may not be prepared to adequately explain in English what you should get if you aren't certain. Sure, take a roll of paper towels with you to soak up the grease if you're skerred, but also be prepared for some wonderful flavors that best anything Indian I have ever had before. read more

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Amazing service, consistently, great food, same owner for 2 1/2 decades, and they are there every day. You can tell they are solely focused on doing the right thing whether it's service and food quality read more

Really good Desi food. Their bihari kebab is amazing, I can't get enough of it. Really good haleem as well. I dont know that I'd recommend dining in, we always take food to go, but really worth it! read more

The customer service was great my order was made quickly overall I would rate it 5/10. I ordered the butter chicken mango lassi vegetable samosas naan's and rice. I was a little bit disappointed that the flavors weren't really there. My butter chicken tasted like tomato basil soup which is one of my favorites. I didn't taste the other spices like I've done with other. Overall it was a good eat. read more

This review is 15 years in the making - I'm almost embarrassed it took me soo long to yelp about a family favorite. I'll start off this review by saying that this is VERY ethnic; if you grew up with not very many spices/flavors around, this might not be the best place to dip your toes. Definitely catered to South Asian palates; spiciness is NOT held back. The interior, restrooms, lighting is anything but glamorous. They attempted to prettify the restaurant about 10 years back, which was a very good thing. Back when I used to come here with my family in the early 2000s, the walls were a pepto pink. They've opted for a more clean sage. The tables are generally a little grody, tablecloths yellowed, etc. I also would suggest using the restroom at home prior to coming. ;) These things are literally the only reason for not giving a five star rating. Now for the positives. There's a reason we've come back and made 20 mile drives to come here for the past 15 years: THE FOOD. The kabob dishes and karahi dishes simply cannot be replicated at home. The naan is always fresh. Tea piping hot! Cannot speak highly enough about it. We usually order the karahi chicken, which is plentiful and easily shareable for 2 people. I would say get it with the bones; in South Asia meat dishes are cooked bone in for more flavor. More complicated to eat, yes, but better flavor. The gravy that it comes in is amazing; perfectly stewed tomatoes and sautéed onion. I would advise against coming in with "food snob" expectations, demanding fancy silverware and candles - this ain't your place. You can pinch a piece of naan, use it to pick up a bit of meat, add a sliver of raw onion, dip that in raita, and BAM magic. The bihari kabob is phenommmm. The meat is incredibly tender and perfectly spicy. We've easily tried at least 10 things off the menu and the karahi chicken and bihari kabobs were the standouts to us. My parents love the karahi gosh (goat). I'm not a fan of goat, but I have an aunt who will drive out JUST for that dish. When you're done eating the grease, you're going to food coma and heart burn pretty damn bad so, DEFINITELY have some tea and a mango lassi (a cold and sweet, milk based drink will calm your burning stomach). Special shout out to the waitress, Jasmine. She's so incredibly sweet and has given exceptional service to our family for years! She knows that we like to follow our meals with tea and beats us to asking if we'd like some :P read more

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Another BIG THANKS to my awesome fellow yelpers! Without ya'll I wouldn't have found this place. *MUAH*!!!!! You know a place is good when it's filled with people of its ethnic group/s. We came here once during the early evening, and once during the late evening, both times the place was busy, with people coming and going nonstop. You start out by ordering at the counter, then take your number to a table of your choosing. The food will be brought out to you, and you pay at the end when they bring the check to you. I played it safe by ordering the karahi chicken/chicken in a spicy curry sauce, and biryani chicken/spicy rice with boneless chicken, those are the few items that have the english translation from their lunch menu (the main menu doesn't have the full translation for any item). Every bite was pretty much a flavor explosion in my mouth. I'm not as adventurous as my non Asian guy. He went all out, first by selecting a random item on the menu, luckily....just playing, so far everything seems delicious here, it was some kind of grilled curry chicken, very flavorful and tender. For dessert, he opted for the Gajar Halwa which is carrot with milk, almost like carrot cake but without the cake part. I hesitantly went with the Rasmalai, pretty much milk cream with rose water. Both have very interesting flavors, but the texture was not something I'm used to, so he put me to shame by devouring both lol. The food is excellent and cheap. The portion is big. The service is attentive. And there's plenty of seating even tho it might not look like it from the outside. It seems almost like a hidden gem for locating in a somewhat awkward part of the service road, that I always end up taking the ghetto route in the back to get to it. Might have to use my gps next time for a better option to get here, if there's any. read more

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Food is great and authentic and service is good but restaurant is noisy. Overall great value. Try Nihari and Nan

Amazing food great service . Glad I found out this place. Haleem and beef nihari is fantastic

This is my go to place for authentic Indian food. Favorites are: butter chicken, kahari gosht, and the chicken tikka masala. All of the curries are flavorful and pack a nice mild punch. The veggies puffs are AMAZING, the crust is flaky, buttery, and the filling is spiced to perfection. The only downside is that the service is somewhat lackluster, even with togo orders. I've had a handful of times where the service isn't friendly, and they even forget something sometimes. If you order samosas or puffs make sure you check your order before you go, cause I've had them forget it. Even with though the service is bad, the lunch special can't be beat and the food just keeps me coming back! read more

Al Markaz Groceries And Restaurant - Butter chicken - Indian Near Me - Carrollton, Texas

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We decided to have lunch at Al-Markaz the other day. We live in West Plano and we have tried almost all Pakistani restaurant around West Plano. First time we went to Al-Markaz was around 10 years ago when we were visiting from Tampa, FL. We recently moved to West Plano from Tampa and I have not been that impressed with the quality of food served at the many Pakistani restaurants that exist in/around West Plano. To say the least, it was worth a drive to Carrollton to have lunch at Al-Markaz. We ordered: Beef Nihari (came with one Naan) Chicken Boti (came with one Naan) Seekh Kabab (came with one Naan) 3 Naans Aaloo Chanay Nihari was definitely way better than what we have had other Pakistani restaurants around here. I'd say it was 2 notches below being awesome than Chicago's Nihari. And it's a compliment. My older son, 10 years old, is a Nihari aficionado and he loved it. Beef Seekh Kababs, too, we're way better than what I have had at other Pakistani restaurants in Plano. Chicken Boti was succulent and flavorful. Though, we ordered it mild and it was still a bit too spicy for my wife and younger son. Naans were the best part of it all. Extremely delicious! We went thru 5 naans in no time. I didn't try Aaloo Chanay myself but my wife said it was pretty good. I wish they had a location nearby. I'd like to try their Bihari Kabab and Daal Fry next time. read more

I ordered earlier. Like 11am , I said make sure ready by 11:40am. I reach to counter by 11:45am . Still they not ready my meal. 12:00 got my lunch meal. People need to get some time sense please. Well i behind to my work , waiting for my meal. read more

Stopped in to grab some chicken Biryani to go! It was my first time here but i had heard lots of great things about this place! There is an entire market located inside and it's very clean and organized. The food was great even when re-heated. Also bought a folooda although that was just average! read more

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Just as good as always! I love the veggie patties in the case over the register. They are probable my favorite thing here to eat these days. The naans are so fresh and perfect. The curries are a great consistency, with a good balance of spices. The mango lassi is perfect with any meal here. read more

This restaurant has really good Indian food that I really enjoyed eating with my family and my friends for dinner and lunch, and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who is interested in trying Indian food with their family and friends. read more

I tried this place again for dinner everything tasted good chicken both kebab was moist and flavorful, chicken karahi was good. The dinner is amazing here but the Lunch was dry and oily read more

Had dinner from tonight. When we got home and opened up what we ordered it was all swimming in tons of oil. Extremely oily food. It was tasty but will never go there Againas no food should have that much oil read more

Simple foods done well will always be better than complicated, complex food poorly executed. This food has so much soul and depth of flavor that you can't help but enjoy every bite. I stopped by here after wanted to eat here for some time. I ordered the daal (#3 I believe) and it comes with 1 giant piece of naan bread. My husband got the frontier chicken with a side of rice. After ordering at the counter and seating ourselves our food came with a friendly waiter in no time. It was so hot and fresh. The naan was some of the best I've ever had. I prefer chapati but this was really remarkable. My daal had so much flavor packed into every bit with the wilted spinach sopping up any last bits of juice. My husband raved about his chicken at which point I had to try it. It was great! It was sweeter and milder than my daal but was really wonderful. I'll be back for the chaat or snack menu and the Sunday only chole for sure! read more

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Really bad food. It used to be a good restaurant. But now it is not the place anymore. I got sick few time right after eating here. And taste of food doesn't satisfy. Be careful! read more

The BEST... nothing BETTER.... THEY COULD be open 24 hours a day (but NOT) with many clients being served by the BEST staff !! Please TIP the staff WELL ! read more

Refused to take my order over the phone because my order was too small. When I walked in and placed the order, they gave me the wrong items. Not the first time this has happened. read more

Very disappointed with the Manager 's attitude today when i complained about the tandoori leg to be replaced as it was burnt , without taste and hard to chew . The manager had the audacity to say it's like this in the Tandoor and some pieces will be burnt and they cannot do anything about it. I had tried to take a few bites to see if it was at all eatable and only complained when it was not at all eatable . I have been a regular customer at Al Markaz for over 14 years and never had this kind of a customer service from the Manager Very very disappointing - completely spoilt our evening !!!! read more

Disclaimer* I'm not THAT familiar to Indian food. I basically go to buffets and the most basic things like tikka masala, vindaloo and lamb biriyani lol Came for the lunch special and it was soooo filling! We wanted to try something new so we got the Karahi Chicken (Not that spicy, if at all), Haleem, Dal palak, chicken biriyani, samosa and meat patty. (2 lunch orders) includes naan, yogurt sauce, and salad (onion, carrot and lemon) WE LOVED EVERYTHING. It's true that the food is on the oily side, but girl, that's how you get the flavor out of those lovely spices!!!!!! Soak it up with that naan!!!!! Anyways, things I'd go back for: Dal palak, meat patty, and chicken biriyani. Karahi chicken was very good but I really like creamy curries like korma and tikka masala better. Haleem was my least favorite but it was still very yummy if you're into that. I'll definitely bring my friends and family here next time! BTW, the naan here is to die for! read more

Best Pakistani food in Dallas. Staff is very very pleasant and courteous. We have had several different dishes there and all were equally great. I also like their lunch options. Their chaat corner is also pretty good read more

Their naan alone makes them 5 star worthy. Most fluffy naan I ever had period. I was hesitant to try Al markaz based on other reviews mentioning how their food is extra oily but maybe they have improved on that front. I've been here multiple times for both Sunday brunch and regular lunch and enjoyed my food each time. Restaurant is nice and clean with good service. So far I've had their halwa poori, biryani, seekh kabob, chicken masala and I'll be back to try more read more

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It was so embarrassing to bring our guests from new York on Sunday night , we ordered Nihari and karahi, they gave half order Nihari and it was stale and disgusting and after a long time they gave us 2 more old and not fresh at all, naan were soft not like fresh they waited a lot and brought naan, I was surprised to see their poor quality food and the guy at the register was rude and not interested in his job, will never take my guests to Almarkaz next time, didn't take pictures I wish could post pictures too. read more

Loved the food here. Indian/ Pakistani food rarely lives up to its mark however this ones an exception. We ordered chicken tikka leg and karahi gosht. We were surprised that karahi gosht came with a side of two large rotis. The rotis has the right amount of crisp and softness. Rotis alone were pretty flavourful! Chicken tikka leg was one big piece of chicken leg and thigh. Personally my spice level is a little elevated and would have liked the flavour profile to be a little more spicy. Same goes for karahi gosht. As a personal preference, I'd have liked it a little more hot and zesty. Other than that they had good flavor and quantity was enough for two people. The place itself is inviting. You can enjoy a nice sit down meal with your family. I'll be back to try other dishes soon read more

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I have been here few times and rated it 5 Star. While the place had been renovated and the ambience has gotten better, the food hasn't changed much. Still quite oily, loaded with spices and masala, yet flavorful . This time around we found hair in the Dal Gosht which was quite unusual & unexpected. We reported it and the waitress took it back and within a minute got a new order of the same. Not sure how they could get another order fired up so quickly. Being the family run place , no apologies from the wait staff whatsoever. We asked for a different entree but the waitress claimed that since they brought out a replacement we would be charged! We had to talk to the billing counter and they did take it off the bill. They could definitely train their staff to be a bit more courteous ! read more

Al Markaz Groceries And Restaurant - Chicken karahi - Indian Near Me - Carrollton, Texas

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Went here with a friend. He said his parents met there and he's been going there since he was a kid. It's been open a long time and rightfully so. Food was fantastic, staff were friendly. Will definitely be going back! read more

Lunch was excellent, big portions and well made. The goat and beef curries were perfectly cooked. Naan was quite large and the lunch special also came with an appetizer. Our waitress was attentive and very responsive. Overall this place hit it out of the park for price , quality of food, cleanliness and service. read more

Every time someone ask me to recommend either Indian or Pakistani Food I always say Al Markaz in Carrollton. This place is a hole in the wall in Carrollton. The restaurant is inside a grocery store and it's usually always packed. When you say you want your food spicy here they make it spicy. The different varieties of naan is a must try and so is their biriyani. The mango lassi is of course something you have to get if you're getting some spicy food. The prices are very reasonable. Service could be better but the food makes it worthwhile. The only thing I would say is bad about this place is how oily their food is. You can literally scoop the oil out at times but other than that I love this place. read more

Al Markaz Groceries And Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Carrollton, Texas

07/23/17 Al Markaz Seven of us went there after some morning cricket to have their breakfast. We ordered a mix of halwa puri with and without nihari. I went there after approximately a year because of my poor experiences in the past. Food - 3/5 We ordered chai with breakfast. Halwa puri was good as they are known for it. It was Nihari that we could sense a very specific smell from it. Only a few of us had it and I completely skipped it. Chai was ok as nothing incredible to write home about. Service - 0/5 Why do I have to mention this! Their (customer )service is non existent is the best way I can put it. One of my friends told the server about Nihari and she said that no one else had said anything about this. This was coming from someone who loves and knows food as a former restaurant owner. Same thing corroborated by another friend as he tasted it. Server didn't even bother acknowledging and apologizing rather she started arguing. (NOTE TO SELF : Why do you even bother going there?) she returned and we asked if she had told the manager and she didn't give a satisfactory answer. We gave her one of the servings of Nihari (untouched) so he could taste it. She took it and didn't come back with anything, nor did the manager with any explanation. Facilities - 3.5/5 They used dark colored tiles for the ceiling which has created a very gloomy environment. I don't know if they don't realize that shade on the west side makes it rather dark anyways and new tiles now add to that shade and gloom, not to mention doesn't help the overall ambiance. Otherwise place was cleaner that I have seen it most of the time so I will give it to them for it. I think they are playing the same old CD/DVD for last ten years as it was the same old sad music playing. Cmon guys, mix it up a little bit. Overall : 2.17/5 When you go to Al-Markaz, don't expect customer service or any kind of service. They play on volume and don't care about what customers think or what's important for them. They are still living in the old days with desi business mentality "this is what it is, take it or leave it" paradigm serves them well. Nihari was bad but everything else on breakfast was good. I won't be going there again unless I have to as part of a group. I can be very certain that no one from this establishment will care to apologize or say anything. read more

Not a fancy place! In fact the entire place is grocery and plus restaurant within, but you will not be disappointed with the Pakistani style food. Probably the best was the "daal-Ghosh" dish, which is lentils and protein. Will be back to this place just for this dish as I never had it elsewhere. The customer service is also very welcoming and friendly. read more

Al Markaz Groceries And Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Carrollton, Texas

This place has no customer service. When a customer in front of me complained about their food, they were told they should have some common sense and know that if the place is busy then the food will obviously suffer a little. I was extremely baffled by this and the lady at the cash register then went on a tirade about how customers can't expect them to handle every single little thing and the prices are cheap anyways so customers should just basically suck it up. I went to make sure the customer was okay and then told the cashier if this was how customers are treated at this restaurant I would rather go eat someplace else and left. I have never seen such horrendous customer service anyplace else and that is saying something. read more

I went here on a suggestion of a relative that this place had some good food and after the reading reviews we decided to go. First, this place is busy, even when it is late... We got there around 10 pm and the place was still packed. We got an array of things to try starting with the chicken tikka leg, butter chicken with naan, and chicken biriyani. The chicken tikka wasn't conventional with a sauce and was more of a dry rub, it was okay but a bit tough with a bit of chewing to get it down. The butter chicken was better and went great with the naan. Chicken biriyani was a bit bland and needed the aid of butter chicken and the green yogurt sauce that they have to make it somewhat favorable. The staff was super friendly and the prices are reasonable for what you get. It wasn't a superb experience, but it did the job. Might return when in the neighborhood again. read more

Al Markaz Groceries And Restaurant - Exterior - Indian Near Me - Carrollton, Texas

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The food at this place is amazing! I had never been here before, I hadn't even heard of it. Their Indian / Pakistani combination of food is really good. We ordered lamb, chicken baryani and a few other dishes to share. Their naan bread is very good and came fresh out of the oven. Some of the dishes were quite spicy but not too hot. We ended the meal with chai tea which was also very good. They also have an Indian grocery store in the same building. The service was adequate but not great. They serve drinks in styrofoam cups and use plastic utensils and paper plates. The incredible food makes up for all that though. read more

Great place to get good Pakistani/Desi food! Their Sunday bruhch menu of halwa puri is a favorite of mine. We always enjoy everything we order be it biriyani, kabob's, veggie dishes, or anything else. You order at the counter and then they bring your food to you. Really casual place where it's first come, first served seating. Can be tricky to get in large groups when they're busy, but no impossible. read more

Back here after a year and honestly this place did not fail to satisfy my taste buds. Their naan is so so flaky and fresh that one you just have that with some lassi. They give so much of the onion carrot salad that one is satisfied till the end. Disposable glasses to drink water and disposable plates seem very convenient. Great service and wonderful ambiance; felt very welcomed to the warm family vibe location. I enjoyed every bit of the saag paneer and kadai Chicken. Although the food was a tad bit oily, the flavors were mindblasting. I really liked coming back to this place for a change and enjoyed the fact that I was not disappointed with the quality and would say hats off for maintaining or even upgrading the quality!!! Please do visit this place and try some of the foods from the menu. Don't mind the extra bit of oil, just try to experience the flavors; you will surely like it too!! Share some love and try it out. read more

Food is good but customer service is absolute trash. The workers are rude and do not attend to your requests. We ordered some naan today and were told they didn't have any, we had kindly requested them to make some as soon as they could and were told to wait 30 minutes. After 30 mins, we approached the counter and were not even acknowledged by the staff, when we proceeded to ask them about the status of our order, they said we had to wait for 20 extra minutes while I noticed someone else ordered naan for take out and had received their order with no problems despite ordering after us. When we got our food the worker was super rude and gave us dirty looks. We really tried to like this place as they have amazing food but management needs to take action regarding customer service as it is HORRIBLE. This has not been our first bad customer service experience with this place, so I can attest to the rating I gave them. The ambiance is not the best either, the floor is almost always wet and slippery which is not a good look. read more

Absolutely the best Goat Karahi, Beef Bihari and Bhel Puri in town. The staff is super nice, the food is delicious, and you can top off your meal with a quick visit to the paan wala. Highly recommend! read more

There cook should get protection for their family living in critical state away from their home country They have training for the Asian Kitchen, very delicious ,server are generous Dal Chawal and Keema fried are the best of all read more