After reading reviews, I wanted to try this restaurant. It is not in san jose downtown completely. They do have parking lot, so don't worry about parking. It doesn't look too good from outside but trust it is a lot better inside. After entering we need to order food first and then pick a table and place the number on it. They deliver the food to the table. We ordered Garlic Naan, Butter Naan, chicken Jalfrezi, Bhelpuri, Mango lassi, Chole Bhatura and Chai. Everything tasted really good, sadly we need to pay 1$ for chai now. But still it is worth it. For chole bhatura we asked for onions on side and they also gave us pickle along with that. Mango lassi was thick and tasty. I preferred Garlic naan as it was thinner than butter naan. The curries are not spicy at all, am planning to ask them more spicy next time. I am planning to visit them more often now. Food: 4 Service: 3.5 read more

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This may be my first experience eating Indian food at a restaurant. When you enter, you can tell that it's no fancy restaurant - it is a huge space that does not have the ordinary restaurant vibes. You order and pay at the register then grab a number stand to place at the table you choose to sit at. The gentleman at the register was super nice and recommended a few items to us. For 5, we ordered: - 2x Mango Lassi: 3/5 - thick but more on the bland side - Butter Chicken: 5/5 - plentiful pieces of chicken, super flavorful, has a kick of spice - Navratan Korma: 5/5 - great dish if you want a variety of veggies, super flavorful - Beef Nihari: 5/5 - this was one of my favs, beef was super tender, however I wish there more pieces to this dish - Paneer Tikka Masala: 4/5 - not a huge fan of paneer but sauce was flavorful - Garlic Naan: 5/5 - fresh, hot, garlicky - highly recommend! So so good even by itself - Goat Biryani: 5/5 - was worried the goat was going to be gamey but not at all, meat was tender, rice was good After this meal, I have become a huge fan of Indian food and this place has set the standards high. All the food items were rich in flavor. Looking forward to visiting again and trying new items on the menu! read more

Karimi Restaurant - Butter Chicken, Navratan Korma, Beef Nihari, Paneer Tikka Masala - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Ambiance- Nice Food - Great Delicious food. Perfect flavors. Paneer curry had extra oil but otherwise other curries like chhole was amazing. Service- quick -points 1. Few curry had ton of oil read more

Came here on a weeknight so it wasn't too crowded, my group of 5 easily got a table here. There is plenty of seating in the restaurant and you order at the counter. I ordered the chicken kofta and my boyfriend got the lamb saag, both were delicious! There was a decent amount of lamb, but I wish the kofta came with a little more meat. Overall the dishes were very flavorful and creamy. The garlic naan was also so fresh and fluffy. Prices are reasonable too for the amount of food you get, we got 2 dishes, 2 orders of naan, and a plate of rice and ur was ~$40- we had leftovers to take home. Only took off a star because of the amount of meat in the kofta, and it was a little too oily for my preference. I would return to reorder the lamb saag or try other menu items. read more

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An affordable restaurant tucked away in Downtown SJ. They have lots of seating inside and a big menu to choose from. For takeout, an order takes only 15 minutes to prepare. Customer service is great here. If you like your naan on the softer side, this was some of the best I have had! Pillowy tender and absorbed the Chicken Tikka Masala perfectly. I'll definitely be back to try all their curries with the naan. read more

The food was basic and nothing special. I spent $40 and feel i should have just went somewhere more classy.

There is decent parking to the other side of the restaurant so this isnt an issue as some might be worried that this is close to downtown and have decent seating available inside as well. Coming to food, we tried Chicken Malai boti was the Winner here and this is juicy n tender n was amazing Chicken tikka leg was not good as it seemed to have too much color and taste was on bland side Samosa chat was good Chicken biryani was good this is more of Dum biryani and spice level was mild and taste was good. Couldn't wait to eat so have less pics read more

Karimi Restaurant - Samosa Chaat - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

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After years of dining at Shalimar in SF, one craves the authentic North Indian and/or Pakistani flavors. San Jose has great South Indian food with Biryanis that can test your heat tolerance but when you want something that's familiar, authentic, comfort and conveniently located, Karimi is the spot. Biryanis are great, rightly spiced , freshest fluffiest Naans, malai boti kebab was great and so was the lamb seekh. Chicken Kofta was really good too, slightly uncommon so it was definitely worth a try. We will make this our regular spot for a clean, flavorful, friendly se, casual dining. read more

Karimi Restaurant - Chicken Malai Boti Lamb Seekh Kebab - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

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I just moved back to San Jose after 2 years in San Diego for grad school and I missed Karimi's soooo much. I'm basic and ordered garlic naan, butter chicken, jeera rice and a mango lassi. My boyfriend and I ordered our own butter chicken because it's so good we refuse to share hehe Service was great, our cashier took our order and he was super friendly. Our food also came out fairly quickly, probably around 5 minutes or so? This is by far my favorite Indian food restaurant. I'll never stop coming here!!! And it is a small business as well, support your delicious local restaurant! You won't regret it. :) read more

Karimi Restaurant - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Food was excellent! There was not much service, but maybe they were understaffed when we went. Only one guy taking orders

This is a nice little Gem of a restaurant! Ordered Samosas, Garlic Naan, Chicken Karahi, and a Mango Lassi. Everything was exceptional, and the spice was perfect for me, granted I do like spicy food. The mango lassi was a great to cool off the spicy flavors. If you're staying at an airport hotel and want to try something really good, then make the 5 minute drive and try this place out! read more

So honest review time, with a twist. This time it's a review of their CATERING as tastes at a hosted event at Mca. The menu was channe, chicken biryani, malai boti, and some other stuff. I took the chicken biryani, the malai boti, and CTM and naan. The chicken biryani was good , but the malai boti was uncooked on the inside so some improvements can be made there. The chicken had pink inside The naan was good and soft and warm, the CTM has good consistency and it was decent. The desert was great, gulab jamun was insanely soft and sweet( one of the best ever had) and the kheer was pretty good. I would probably recommend them for catering Business but just change the menu to have like biryani with nihari or some other heavy hitter items and recommend that make sure the malai boti are cooked fully. The chai was alright too, needs to be cooked a bit more with milk but still better than other places chai. read more

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They gave us old stale garlic nun that was re-baked and burnt. Nun was really hard to chew and that only happens with stale nun. HORRIBLE. read more

Karimi Restaurant - They gave us old stale garlic nun that was re-baked and burnt. Nun was really hard to chew and that only happens with stale nun. HORRIBLE. - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

Great place. Delicious masala chai, good food, nice employees . I got the saag paneer and naan. They bring you a bottle of water which is a nice touch. read more

My dad wanted to try Indian food and this spot had great reviews. The portions here are pretty huge so make sure you order appropriately! We got 2 curries, Samosas, garlic naan, Biryani, and mango lassi. Even typing that out seems like a lot. Everything tasted really good, Im a fan of curry so I absolutely enjoyed the Tikka Masala. Service was really great and everyone working there was so sweet and helpful. We came during lunch time and surprisingly wasn't too busy. There is a lot right next door so you dont have to worry about looking for parking. read more

Karimi Restaurant - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

I am a vegetarian and loved their aloo tikki chat , bhindi masala , chole bhature and garlic naan . The mango lassi was also good . The service was outstanding and one of the best I have got . The staff was very kind explaining what we can eat , got me some onion and chutney and very kindly reminded us that we hadn't paid . Though the food isn't Pakistani but I loved it . read more

We ordered, Chicken tikka masala, butter naan and tandoori chicken. Food was alright. Chicken tikka masala ain't that good Last when we visited we had samosas which tasted good. So, shall also recommend that. read more

They have the best butter chicken (serves sufficiently well for 2 people) along with onion kulcha or garlic naan. We also had their chicken biryani and the flavors were just perfect. The service was top notch with the servers were being very attentive to our needs. They made sure we had everything we ordered . read more

Located in downtown area of San Jose, Karimi is an Indian/Pakistani restaurant with great food. I got the chicken tikka masala with 1 naan and 1 tandoor roti and chicken biryani. The chicken tikka masala was perfect and saucy. The spice level was tolerable and not very spicy. It did have a very red color to it which made me wonder if they used food coloring. This was the only down side as I would prefer less additives to my food. The naan was nice and fluffy and was the tandoori roti. The chicken biryani is more Pakistani style than Indian style which is not a problem...just noting that. IT was very good and flavorful. There is plenty of seating inside. They don't seem to be very quick in clearing tables, maybe they were a bit understaffed that day. You'll order your food first and get a number then find an empty table to sit at. read more

Average place to eat Indian food. Quiet & clean place, with friendly staff and traditional Indian food favorites. They still serve you your food on disposable plates -which it's not the best experience, especially with the silverware, but understandable for COVID19 precautions. The food is a little greasy (more than average). I recommend you ask for a portion of rice or appetizer to be satisfied after you finish your meal. For lunch, I had: - Navratan Qorma (mixed Vegetable cooked using onion tomatoes with cream and cashew nuts) - Chicken Tikka Masala (Chunks of spicy marinated chicken pieces. grilled in a tandoor and finished in a creamy tomato sauce) - Butter Naan - Tandoori Roti If you are looking for an affordable place to have Indian food with no rush/long wait this cloud be a good option read more

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This is a great spot to get a quick fix for north Indian and Pakistani cuisine without your wallet taking a hit. We've been here a few times both for lunch and dinner. They serve in a traditional Indian/Pakistani way viz. not American styled entrees but rather in a large serve ware from where it can be shared amongst each other. We've had the following: Chicken Tikka leg: Well made and charred to perfection. They use a very specific brand of paprika to give the bright color. It is no food color for sure since it does not stick to your hand. The meat is soft and delicious. Goes very well with their chutney. Chicken boti kebab & malai kebab: Once again they're cooked and charred to perfection. The taste has been consistently good each time we've ordered these. We particularly like the softness of the malai kebabs but cannot choose a favorite here. both are equally good Chicken biriyani: Very good flavors. The flavor of the chicken is great and different from other chicken options they have. The biriyani's cut expertly so it has a good proportion of all the flavors. Goat biriyani: This is available only on weekends. The goat meat is soft and you can taste the marination. Good flavors. Point on both the biriyanis: We did feel it lacked a punch to take it to the next level. Chicken chilli gravy: This was a little bit too tangy for our liking. Aloo tiki chaat: Excellent chaat. Probably better than many of the dedicated chaat corners. We found the aloo tikki scanty on our first order so requested an extra tikki the next time. Got it for an extra dollar. Delicious! Chicken samosa: Very good. Small in size but stuffed with goodness. Butter chicken and tikka masala: The taste of the curries was ok. Fresh lime soda: Fresh. Refreshing. Soothing. The topping off with black salt gives it a unique kick. Goes well with everything on the menu. Must order. Ambience: Casual. Most tables are for 4. Clean. Process: Pick a table and get the menu from the counter. When ready head to the counter to place your order and pay. Collect your plates, cutlery, napkins and water jug from the counter. Food is brought out to the table. Feel free to grab the chutney squeezers from the refrigerator. Quantity: Good Parking: Limited. There's also 2 hour street parking right in front of the store. Times visited: 3 read more

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My husband and I love tandoori chicken and I'm glad to have found this gem. We have another favorite tandoori chicken place but Karimi gets my vote for the best tandoori chicken in town. It's soft and succulent and tastes very authentic. The color of the tandoori boti/leg/tandoori chicken looks very authentic and does not cling to your hands which is why I think they must use a very good quality pepper that gives such a vibrant hue to the tandoori items. Their garlic naans are perfection and hit the spot. Dabbed with a lot of finely chopped garlic, they pair exceptionally well with their malai chicken boti. The malai (creamy) marination clings perfectly to the chicken and tastes amazing after it's served piping hot and perfectly charred from the tandoor. Their chicken seekh kebab was very good and not dry at all. The garam masala shone throughout and it had a very authentic flavor. Surprisingly, their chicken hakka noodles exceeded expectations. They were tangy, salty and had a slight kick with a good amount of chicken in it. I might order from their indo-chinese menu the next time. I'm a butter chicken lover and my husband enjoys it too but their butter chicken wasn't anything to write home about. This however did not spoil our lunch date by any means. It was a nice curry just not what we're used to when we call it butter chicken. We might give their other curries a try someday soon. We've tried them twice and are super impressed with everything. The food is delivered to you on your table but it's a self service restaurant. You order at the counter and pick up the dishes and cutlery yourself and honestly, I like this setup. We'll be back for more awesome food. Oh and yea, their tandoori rotis are great too. Ok bye now ;) read more

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Really good food, I could eat here every week. The samosas were especially delicious.

The tandoori chicken is exceptional. So tender and flavorful. We loved it. Looking forward to returning!

Karimi was absolutely delicious, every bite was filled with such great flavor. We got Chicken Biryani ($13.99), Butter Chicken ($12.99), Aaloo Palak ($11.99), Plain Naan ($2.99). The staff was really friendly and helpful! The wait for our plates and food was not long at all. There was a lot of choices of seating and the decorations inside the restaurant were pretty. The parking is a bit difficult in front of the restaurant however we just parked in the public plaza next to it. read more

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I've been here a couple of times, I've had the Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikka Masala and something I can't remember the name of at the moment. Great food! Really fresh! Great flavor! Staff is pretty friendly. My only criticism would be it was a little cold inside and I had a hoodie on both times. read more

Karimi Restaurant - Garlic Naan and Butter Chicken - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

Delicious. Fast service. Clean. We love going here for good halal food. It's busy on weekends and fridays!

I got the most popular dish - butter chicken and garlic naan. I would give both dishes a solid 3.5. It was good bc I love Pakistani food but it was pretty greasy. I felt slightly nauseous afterwards. I should have gotten the Tika masala, next time! The garlic Naan was good but not crispy. It was kinda moist probably bc it was made fresh and then it was in foil for awhile because I came about 45 min after it was made. There is plenty of parking in the lot behind it located on the other side, not on the side of the gas station. I stopped by for a pick up order on a Thursday for lunch, it was pretty decently packed which means they're doing things right. The person in front was friendly and smiled at me while on the phone. Good vibes. Would like to come back to try the other items. read more

Dropped by here a second time after year and I'm happy to say that it's impressed me even more this time. The highlights for me were the achari gosht and jeera rice, my god were they amazing. I was sad they were out of biryani but I think these two kind of made up for it! The butter naan was delicious as well and I'm so glad the butter chicken here wasn't a watery sweet affair like at a lot of other places. The spice level was perfect for us as desis who live abroad and the owner was kind enough to give us some paan as we left! read more

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Excellent food. Hidden gem. Clean and fresh. Had them cater party for 120 people (service and delivery was great. Have also done take-out many times. Perfect spice level. Standouts: chicken biriyani, tandoori chicken, beef samosas, samosa chaat and Manchurian cauliflower. read more

Great food. Everything I've tried here is delicious. A little on the pricey side so I go here 1-2 times a month else I'd go here even more often. I'm assuming the read more

I had THEE worst craving for Indian food and wanted to try some place new. Naturally, jumped on here to look at reviews. Lo and behold this place is a hop and a skip away from my work..SCORE! There's parking along the street as well as a designated lot in the back. Off a main street and not too far from the freeway. Came on a Saturday night. Not too many patrons. You order at the counter and seat yourself. Then they bring you your food. There was 3 of us. We ordered 2 orders of vegetable samosas, chicken curry, chicken biryani, plain rice, 3 orders of garlic naan, chicken Tikka and 2 beef kebabs. Also added a Ginger Ale and Coke (canned) and it came out to $65. When we came in we were greeted immediately. The gentleman behind the counter was pleasant and helpful. Our food came out pretty fast. Samosas were hot. Comes with a cilantro chutney and a tamarind chutney. Cilantro chutney was just spicy enough to sting but not tongue numbing. Tamarind chutney is ALWAYS yummy. The garlic naan buttered well and had enough garlic to please my pallate. Chicken biryani had lots of chicken in it and was not missing flavor. Chicken curry.. .that sauce was fire, thick like gravy that it coated it's chicken well and really soaked into each piece. Chicken Tikka was well marinated and grilled to yummy perfection. Beef kebabs were a hit with my 13 year old. He drizzled the yogurt sauce all over his plate. He left just enough room at the end for some Malai ice cream. They were out of kheer...my husband was looking forward to it. Now that I know this place is within walking distance of my work, I know where to go. Boys said bathroom was clean. They have a tv on the wall but sound wasn't on so it doesn't interfere with conversation. They check on your a couple times and are attentive. Thanks Karimi! read more

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Wonderfully fresh food with authentic flavors--I'm really glad I stumbled upon this place. The cleanliness, presentation, and service were all top-notch. I can't wait to return and explore more of their menu! read more

Our first time dining here. Everything was delicious and flavorful. The lamb chops are the best tandoori lamb chops we've ever had! We'll be back because there's so many items on the menu we want to try!!! read more

I ordered door dash to my hotel and mind you I know some things don't travel well and because of that I will give them 3 stars because I did get my food quick and it was a holiday. I would probably be willing to try something else there in person next time based on other reviews. But the amount of grease in the curry is insane. That's after stirring it up with a piece of chicken because they didn't include any utensils or even napkins even though I requested them. It wasn't even edible I would have ended up sick eating that. The Naan was good though read more

Karimi Restaurant - Chicken Curry - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California

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Positive: 1. Spacious 2. Properly cooked food 3. Sonf( fennel seeds) because for some people it matters :D) 4. Very humble staff- Accepted late request for noon, even after they closed the tandoor. 5. Provided extra raita with fried rice Improvement areas: Way to restroom isn't very hygienic and restroom itself read more

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Found about karimi through a local foodie group. We wanted to order their famous goat biriyani but it was sold out. That tells us that how good that must be. So we ended up ordering butter chicken(closest to what I have eaten back in India), chicken boro kabab( juicy and succulent), mutton karahi and garlic naan. Everything was brilliant except the naan. For some reason the naan didn't had any salt in it. So it kind of tasted very bland. Don't get scared away by the oil on top as the non veg items were packed with flavors Their quantity is really good. Will definitely return to try their biriyani and other items. read more

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Came by for lunch the other day and it was a mediocre experience. Parking was available on the street and we were one of the first to arrive at 11:30 am. Ordered at the counter and the food was brought to our table. Complimentary water and chai were next to the cashier, it was decent. Started off with the beef samosas which were the highlight of the meal. Flavorful ground beef with a slight kick was wrapped in a wrapper. The two dipping sauces were great. The garlic naan came out hot and fresh out of the oven. The garlic on top made it delicious! The butter chicken and chicken tikka masala were surprisingly mediocre. Both came out like thick pastes with chicken that was overcooked. The flavors from both were pretty close too. ...interestingly enough, the interior of the restaurant was quite dim..a touch bizarre. read more

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Food was okay. Bit much oil and spicy. We asked for mild but it was far from it. It's a simple restaurant no ambiance at all which is okay. If you have a spice tolerance of level 6 and below then do not eat here. Also of your stomach can't handle oily food avoid this place. I had a terrible upset stomach after eating here. Just spice and no flavor. read more

Went with a friend post workout to refuel and we were so happy with the experience. Excellent food, full of flavor and generous portions. Super friendly staff as well. Will be back. read more

Karimi Restaurant - Indian Near Me - San Jose, California