I love this place. When I went in, three aunties were busy preparing food together. All the food I have tried so far, I have loved: dum chicken biryani, chicken malayi tikka, chicken karhai, goat balti, paneer tikka masala, chicken tikka masala, naan, mango lassi. I believe they use asli ghee. Bilkul maa jaisa khana for sure! read more

Lamb was insanely good. People friendly. Bathroom even has a bidet (what?) Will come here next time when in Oakland.

food is excellent. authentic and fresh. service is great. ambience is typical. I would strongly suggest everyone to try it at least once and you will be coming again, guaranteed. read more

I tried this restaurant randomly two days ago while I was in downtown Oakland. I got a rice, lentils, and chicken plate that was perfectly spiced and felt home-cooked. Aside from the food being very tasty, the chef/owner has great vibes. I chatted a bit with her and she seemed wonderful. Update: came back 2 days later. Honestly, the beef stew was one of the best stews I've had in awhile read more

This place is one of my favorites. Generous food portions of freshly cooked dishes. The paneer was excellent. Chai tea was really good. Service is friendly. Ask for extra spicy as the regular is mildly spicy. read more

Desilicious - Empty bowls all around - Halal Near Me - Oakland, California

Wowowowow! This place is doing something really special. Outrageously fresh, tastes homemade. The lamb karahi was excellent. The lamb was so tender and not gamey whatsoever. The sauce was pure perfection. Garlic naan was so good. I'm looking forward to returning and trying everything on the menu. Prices are probably too low for the incredibly high quality. read more

Group of six, we dined in. We ordered a variety of dishes and breads. I was the only vegan in the group, we got the daal fry and sabzi (vegetable dish of the day) which was saag and asked them to make both vegan by using a different oil instead of ghee (butter). I also got a roti cooked without butter. They make everything fresh so they were easily able to accommodate. (I would prefer if they would print it on their menu that they can make things vegan, though.) Both dishes were exceptional, I would rank them among the top 3 restaurants of its kind in the Oakland/Berkeley area! The daal was spicy, if you are spice-averse make sure to tell them your preference! On our way out the owner explained that they source things locally to the extent possible and cook every dish to order. The food was slower than other restaurants since they are cooking from scratch, but SO worth the wait! The interior space itself is a little plain but I was too captivated by the food to care! read more

I never like restaurant biryani...their biryani is to die for. So authentic and just plain DELICIOUS! I also had the malai boti and chicken karha with the paratha. It couldn't be closer to home made than this. I definitely highly recommend to anyone looking for authentic Pakistani food and will definitely be coming back! read more

On our first visit we were met by friendly helpful people. The food was prepared with just enough heat, as we requested. The staff crafted custom mint drinks by leaving out the Sprite for us. We dined in the private upstairs loft area. read more

Fantastic food and Saad is one of the friendliest people I've ever met. The restaurant wasn't busy so we talked for over an hour about various topics. I ordered the chicken biriani at his suggestion and it didn't disappoint. It was flavorful and just a tad spicy. He also gave me some raita that was spiked with jalapeños. I love when a restaurant serves you food that they like to eat instead of a generic dish meant to please the masses. The food made me feel like I was part of their family. Next time I'm in the Oakland area I will definitely make it a point to return here. Oh and the chai was freshly brewed and the best cup I've ever had. Thank you Saad for a wonderful evening with a friend on a work trip. And no, chat GPT didn't write this ;) read more

We went to Desilicious for dinner tonight and everything was excellent!!!!! The mango lassi was so delicious and satisfying and my chicken tikka masala was some of the best I've ever had. We didn't have to wait long at all for our food and drinks to arrive. Bonus is that the owner is a Pakistani woman. Can't wait to go back again! read more

This is a very new place. The owners are great and the service was excellent. They did not have sprit and so they went and bought it for us. The food is 3 stars as they still need to perfect the menu. The ambience needs a lot of work. But they are new and getting off the ground. I will be back read more

Best biryani I've ever had made fast to order. Reviews are supposed to be longer but you really don't need to know anything else. They knocked it out of the park. read more

Great quality of food and portions. Nice find in down town oakland The Nihari was great. The Halwa Puri was very nice, the chole were perfect The Shami Kabab were great. read more

The goat was the GOAT. I didn't know what panipuri was or how to eat it--now I do. I am grateful.

Food it's amazing and delicious, you can taste the freshness of the food , very flavorful, and the people are very nice and respectful, I'm definitely coming back again , for another chicken Karahi read more

We walked over from the AC hotel for a quick dinner. We were amazed with the quality the good and the friendly service. We enjoyed the tandoori naan then we ordered two dishes Nahari and chicken kahari. Both delicious and perfect spice level. We highly recommend read more

Went to this place for the first time with coworkers in downtown Oakland and loved it. The service was pretty attentive and responsive. We ordered the biryani, chicken karhai, pani puri, daal, naan and chai to go with some halwa. Really authentic Pakistani food from the flavors to the looks and to the taste. Would highly recommend this for a meal with family, friends or coworkers. Owner and family are super friendly! read more

Super surprised at how excellent this small unassuming restaurant was. Food was extraordinary (papdi chat and paneer were two of my favorites! People working there were kind and responsive. Our whole south Asian group LOVED the food. Definitely worth a trip. read more

Great service, kind and accommodating host, and delicious food! Thanks Saad, you are the best! Portions are generous as well

seriously the BEST lamb and best tikka masala I've ever had in my life. and my life has been pretty damn long. Friendly staff, soul-refreshing, and even more so as a family run business. plus, they've got part of the kitchen in the front so you can watch them cook! Thanks for a great night! read more

the fresh ingredients are obvious in the aroma and the taste of the dishes. this is a lovely place run by people with kind spirits. amazing service as well. read more

This place has excellent Pakistani dishes; the meats and naan are superb. Highly recommended.

Great food! The tikka masala and kahari were really good. Also the server is really kind and attentive. 10/10

A friend and I were in Downtown Oakland this weekend for East Bay Open Studios and worked up a big appetite looking at art. We happened upon DesiLicious and decided to give it a try. I'm so glad we did. The young man at the counter was so friendly and helpful and enthusiastic about sharing his recommendations. My friend had the Dal and I had a chicken dish (sorry can't remember what it was called). Both were delicious (in keeping with the name of the place). I especially loved the Dal. I will be dreaming about it until I'm able to get back there. I highly recommend checking this place out. read more

bad food, and worse service, the price online was completely different than in person and was almost double the cost. the ambiance was dirty and creepy and could not give change read more

It was love at first bite felt so welcomed and the service was completely satisfying 2 all our requests just left and I already want to go in for more now!! So good can't get it outta my head. read more

See all

Staff was so nice! Lovely family owned place, great atmosphere and great people. I got the Desi mint mocktail and it was amazing! Can't wait to come back and try some of their food :) read more

Food was amazing and authentic, fantastic service. Highly recommend and will be back again!

I just ordered from this place, and the food was horrible! The meat was old, it didn't smell good, and it was mostly bones. It was way overpriced for a plate of bones. Never again!! read more

Five stars for the amazing, home style soul food that my family stumbled upon today while strolling by an array of restaurants. The previous reviews and the pictures of delectable dishes urged us to give it a shot, and it was totally worth it! The lady who's the chef of this restaurant is a kind and warm person, who prepared everything ( chicken dum biryani with raita, chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, and mango lassi) from scratch. It took time for the food to arrive, since it was all from scratch, but it was very comforting and delicious. Biryani and raita were made mildly spicy upon request. Very flavorful with meat falling right off the bone. The quality of the dishes including the delicious chicken tikka masala with succulent pieces of rightly done chicken cubes, crispy and delicious garlic naan, and even the sides like mango lassi and raita were top notch. This is a new place still finding the ropes in terms of seating arrangements and ambience, but for its food and hospitality from the mother and son team, I would stop by any old time whenever I am in the area. read more

Food was delicious, or should I say desilicious (haha). Service was great. We had a reservation and they prepared a beautiful table and were friendly and accommodating. Will definitely go back. read more

Thoroughly enjoyed a great meal at Desilicious! We ordered the Papri Chaat, Dum biryani, and Nihari. All the dishes were flavorful and well prepared. We especially enjoyed the nihari, a savory meat stew that takes 5 hours to prepare. Finished our meal with an excellent cup of chai. Service is friendly. We will definitely be back! read more

Food was delicious! Our server was so helpful and made menu recommendations, boxed our food, brought us extra servings, it was a great experience! read more

I was in Oakland running an errand (making copies at a building across the street) and went here for lunch because I happened to park out front. It was my lucky day! I got the paneer veggie lunch dish and some naan and it was amazing. All the ingredients were super fresh, I especially loved the strong ginger flavor. I wish I was in the area more often! read more

The DesiLicious menu offerings are prepared with great pride, the enthusiasm to share and top quality ingredients. I was drawn to the cute name and had not tried Pakistani cooking before. The owner & staff are warm and welcoming and taught me that Pakistani cooking emphasizes the balance of flavors and a made-to-order style. And they use their own special ghee at the restaurant. All of this was very apparent in the creamy and super yummy tikka masala. I can't wait to have it again but also look forward to trying their signature Karahi dishes. DesiLicious just opened a few months ago in Oakland. Highly recommend a visit and making it a new favorite. read more

Very tasty and reasonably priced. The Karachi chicken and roghani naan are amazing. Would definitely order again.

Really delicious food and super friendly staff. Everything is made freshly for you. I'm so glad this place opened- we need more tasty food in this neighborhood! read more

Wow, just stumbled across this place and it was AMAZING. Had the chicken Karahi, dum biryani, and samosas, and everything was incredible - super flavorful and fresh. I never write reviews but this place deserved it (and the staff were so sweet and amazing!). I'll be back regularly. read more

Really good food and the staff was super sweet. The vibe was really chill and calm, and I am obsessed with their naan