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    Lal Qila

    4.6 (28 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Lal Qila Reservations

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    LAL QILA ATMOSPHERE

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    Recommended Reviews - Lal Qila

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    Taken today 01/17/24
    Leah N.

    This was my second time coming to Lal Qila to pick up food to go. The process for pick up was easy and no wait time since the food was already there for pick up by the time I arrived. I goat both the chicken biryani and goat biryani along with chicken korma and hummus. The goat biryani here was really more flavorful than compared to other places around town. My boyfriend who does not care for goat meat at all, preferred the chicken biriyani. The hummus and chicken korma were similar pad as other local restaurants. Near the register I also notice a varieties of drink options to buy.

    Andrea S.

    We love a good Indian buffet! The variety is just right and filled up our tummies. Pretty quiet for a Friday night, that is fine by me. Plenty of parking outside. The bathroom can be cleaner.

    Their specialties.
    Fouad B.

    This restaurant is a Persian gem, got the buranee badenjan to start off, it was heavenly, followed it by the beef koobideh kabob with rice, it was delicious and cooked to perfection.

    Paya... not in the menu.. one last order left. I believe they serve in lunch buffet?
    Kay H.

    We ordered there things and they were delicious. Very nice waitress. You need to ring bell to come out register at the entrance...the place is neat and clean. We ordered mint lemonade and mango lassi. Like that it was freshly squeezed.

    Quyen H.

    This place was used to be an Indian/Pakistani restaurant. It was recently renovated and now serve Pakistani, Afghan-Persian, Mediterranean cuisine. They also have buffet in the afternoon. The restaurant is pretty spacious and clean. We ordered the Goat Biriyani, Chicken Tikka Masala, Garlic Tandoori Naan, Mango lassi, Chai Cardamom, and a kid meal - Joojeh Kabob come with white rice, salad and juice. My favorite was the goat biriyani. Mango lassi was so good that I had to order the second one. The waiter told me that they made mango lassi here from fresh mango, not the mango purée. I didn't like the chicken tikka masala flavor, it's just not how I used to. Garlic naan was good and fresh. Service was friendly, but so slow..... We had to wait quite a while for somebody to take our order, and for our food to come. Then, it took me a while to flag down a waiter to let him know my kid's juice and the chai cardamom still didn't come... I guessed they were short staffed? Overall, the food tasted good, big portions and reasonable price. I'd come back for their mango lassi, chai cardamom and to try more afghan dishes here.

    Chicken Chapli Kabob

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    5 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great variety on the buffet. Good service. Yummy food. Staff were very helpful explaining some of the items I was not familiar with.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

    Great food! Friendly service! Decent pricing! Will definitely be back! I look forward to trying out the weekend buffet

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    2 years ago

    Always great food! My kids love butter chicken and their Nann bread. Biryani is also good. We all love their buffet.

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    2 years ago

    The Reshami Kabob is just delicious. Try it and you won't regret. It has the right amount of spices and is just Yummmmmyyyy!!!!!!!

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    One of the best restaurants in STL. Their Persian food is amazing. The beef Kababs are the best. Great atmosphere and customer service.

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    2 years ago

    I went with my family. The food quality was amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful. We had a nice time and would highly recommend it.​

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    2 years ago

    Top notch new management & amazing food! Highly recommend trying this place brand new remodel and cleanliness is top tier.

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    Saffron

    Saffron

    4.1
    (436 reviews)
    4.3 mi
    $$

    A friend recommended this place as the "best Indian in STL" and they were sooo right! My partner…read moreand I stopped in for dinner on a weekday, and while the outside might look unassuming, the food was packed with flavor! They were decently busy for dinner with takeout orders and had plenty of inside seating. Our wait staff was very friendly and attentive to every table, taking great care of us. The inside was very classic and spacious, with plenty of room between tables. My partner and I started with the Aloo Pakora, garlic cheese naan, and the onion kulcha. This was a great way to start our experience as the waiter explained each dish to us, as well as the different sauces we could enjoy with it! For our entree, we got a generous portion of lamb biryani and chicken tikka masala. They confirmed what spice level we would like (1-5, with 1 being not hot and 5 being spicy). We got the 3 and thought it was the perfect spice level for us, as people that frequently enjoy spicy foods. To end, we got a ras malai for dessert, which is a cold dessert with milk and pistachios. It was the perfect way to cool down our tongues after the meal. We had plenty of food leftover to have for a 2nd dinner the next day as well, which is a plus!

    I was blown away by the food at this unassuming little strip mall spot. Don't judge a book by its…read morecover... the interior was very cute. Everything we ordered was excellent! And the menu is huge so we will absolutely be back! There were several very kind men serving and all were just as nice as the next. Very happy to have discovered a new gem!

    Photos
    Aloo Pakora
    Aloo Pakora
    Chicken Tikka Masala
    Chicken Tikka Masala
    Shrimp Biryani

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    Shrimp Biryani
    The Curry Club

    The Curry Club

    4.4
    (226 reviews)
    3.7 mi
    $$

    Excellent, casual spot that is opened late at night. Always packed. I imagine this is what the…read morestreets of India is like at night when people go out to get casual bites. Friendly service. Their curries are on the spicier side.

    Before I ventured there on a Saturday evening, I tried to call several times to ask some menu…read morequestions but no one ever picked up the call. I was hopeful that they were possibly just very busy at that moment. The parking lot is shared with several other businesses located in this plaza. There is disabled parking in front of the business, but the ramp is in front of Sauce on the Side next door. As I entered this casual spot, they were very busy on this Saturday night. You can place your order online or at the walk up counter. There were several people in front of me, but the line moved fast. The menu is on the board behind the counter and you can see some of the fresh items displayed. There are some tables inside the restaurant if you decide to stay. It seems that the majority of the people ordered takeout. I ordered the onion pakoda, which is similar to onion straws, and it was a huge serving, enough for 2-4 people. It was served warm and crispy. The onions were sweet and the fried batter had good flavor. I tried the weekend special, which were 3 vegetarian choices out of 5-6: Palak Paneer, Paneer Butter Masala and Eggplant curry. Rice or naan does not come with it. It costs extra. The garlic naan was fresh and flavorful. The Palak Paneer was adequate, mildly spiced, and about what I expected. The paneer butter masala was well-spiced and had a slight capsaicin kick. The eggplant curry was absolutely delicious and rather spicy. I'm glad I had a drink close by. This was a very good value as I had enough leftover for another meal.

    Photos
    Inside of the restaurant
    Inside of the restaurant
    Masala dosa
    Masala dosa
    The Curry Club

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    Sameem Afghan Restaurant

    Sameem Afghan Restaurant

    4.6
    (656 reviews)
    16.2 mi
    $$

    Love this place! There's dishes for everyone's palate and…read moreappetite including heat/spice levels. Our favorite shareable (that's actually an entree) is the Mango meatballs. We first tried them at a Festival of Nations and have been hooked since. They're a flavorful curry and meat dish that can be loved and enjoyed even for those not a fan of heat. One thing to note is that the curried lamb dish IS spicier than the curry chicken since the curries are prepared with different ingredients. I love the curried lamb dish almost more than the mango meatballs. The others in my party had the beef kebabs and the national dish - Qabelli Palau. Both of those were also exceptional! When you walk in, there's several steps to enter the restaurant. Then, you'll be guided up a few more stairs into the dining room and seated at a cozy table. The decor is minimal and traditional. I like how simple everything is. The focus really is on the service and the food. We're regulars here, but I'm just late to reviewing on Yelp.

    We've been to Sameem's about 8-10 times over the years. The food experience has always been a solid…read more4.5-5.0. Super flavorful, freshly prepared food. We usually go as a family of 4 (all adults now; although we started to go when the kids were in high school). We love the Lamb Curry (both my sons' favorite), the Beriani, the Qabelli Palau, and Chicken Teekha Masala. The Sambosas are great starters. The chutney they serve with bbq the Naan is a family favorite. To steal a line from Frank's Red Hot Sauce "We put that sh*tuff on everything ". Finally, when we have room (and sometimes even when we don't), we get the rice pudding. The service is usually good, but not necessarily great. It's always personable and genuine; just sometimes a little slower than expected. Also the place (opened circa 2005) is showing its age a bit and needs a little TLC. It's very clean; it just needs a little refreshening in certain high traffic areas. The takeout/delivery business seemed good on the Sunday night we went there, but the in-store business was pretty quiet. However, it was one of those sub-20 degree nights, so I'm hoping that was the reason for the lack of in-person dining. Go there are experience some really great food and let's keep this gem of a locally owned restaurant in business. Based on food alone on out most recent experience, I'd rate it 5 stars; service and ambiance probably should drag it down a bit, but I'm still going with a 5-star review, because for the food and flavor it produces, it deserves a strong review and some positive energy to keep people trying this great food and supporting this local business.

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Goat special
    Goat special
    Lamb Qabelli Palau

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    Lamb Qabelli Palau

    Lal Qila - persian - Updated June 2026

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